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GROTON   HISTORICAL   SERIES. 
'    No.  I. 


REMINISCENCES  OF  GROTON 

During  the  Years  1823  and  1824. 

GROTON',   MASS. 
1884. 


iAHi 


Groton  Historical  Series. 


A    COLLECTION  OF  PAPERS 

RELATING   TO   THE 

HISTORY   OF   THE   TOWN   OF   GROTON, 
MASSACHUSETTS. 

BY 

SAMUEL  ABBOTT   GREEN,   M.D. 


Vol.  I. 


GROTON 

1887. 


4t 


John  Wilson  and  Son,  Cambridge. 


I  PURPOSE  some  time  to  write  a  history  of  my  native  town, 
beginning  with  her  earliest  settlement  and  coming  down  to 
the  present  day ;  and  to  this  end  I  have  collected  many 
Papers.  During  a  long  period  she  stood  in  the  midst  of  a 
wilderness,  and  was  exposed  to  all  the  trials  of  frontier  life. 
She  suffered  much  from  hardships  and  want,  as  well  as  from 
the  savage  warfare  of  the  Indians.  Her  original  territory 
has  been  cut  up,  and  now  she  is  a  mother  of  towns.  In 
former  years  she  exerted  great  influence  in  the  neighborhood, 
and  her  experiences  make  a  story  worth  telling. 

In  order  to  get  this  historical  material  under  cover,  where 
it  may  be  preserved,  and  in  the  meanwhile  accessible  to 
others,  I  have  published  this  Series,  which,  perhaps,  will  be 
continued  at  some  future  day. 

S.  A.  G. 

March  i6,  1887. 


CONTENTS. 


No.  I. 
Reminiscences  of  Groton  during  the  Years  1823  and  1824. 

No.  II. 
Reminiscences  of  Groton  during  the  Years  1826  and  1827. 

No.  III. 
Groton  during  Shays's  Rebellion. 

No.  IV. 

Groton  as  a  Shire  Town.  —  Destructive  Tornado.  —  Two 
Groton  Conventions.  —  The  Soapstone  Quarry. 

No.  V. 

The  Western  Society  of  Middlesex  Husbandmen.  —  Railroads 
and  other  Corporations,  etc.  —  Miss  Prescott's  School.  — 
Groton  Newspapers.  —  Groton  Bakery.  —  Revolutionary 
Items.  —  An  Old  Wall. — "The   Neck." 

No.  VI. 

The  Functions  of  New  England   Academies  :   An  Address  de- 
livered AT  the  Dedication  of  Lawrj:nce  Academy,  Groton, 
June   29,    1871,   by    the   Rev.   Charles   Hammond.     With   an 
■  Appendix,  containing  Act  of  Incorporation,  etc. 


VI 

No.  VII. 
The  Old  Stores  and  the  Post-Office  of  Groton 

No.  VIII. 
The  Old  Taverns  and  Stage- Coaches  of  Groton. 

No.    IX. 
District    Schools.  -  Public    Librarv.  -  Military    Matters. - 
Fires  occurring  in  1829.  — The  Ringing  of  the  Nine  o'clock 
Bell. —Mistake  in  the  Spelling  of  a  Name. 

No.   X. 

The  Earliest  Church  Records  in  Groton. 

No.  XI. 

Reminiscences    of   Groton    during   the   Years    1839,    1840,  and 
1841 ;  with  an  Appendix. 

No.   XII. 

Groton  during  the  Indian  Wars. — John  Prescott's  Agreement 
WITH  the  Town.  —  Simon  Willard  and  Nonacoicus  Farm.  — 
Samuel  Carter,  Fourth   Minister  of  Groton. 

No.    XIII. 

A  Register  of  Births,  Deaths,  and  Marriages  in  Groton, 
1664-1693,  and  of  Marriages,  1713-1793,  as  Copied  from  the 
Middlesex  County  Records  ;  also  a  List  of  Marriages  sent 
to  the  Town  Clerk  of  Groton,  under  Chapter  LXXXIV 
Section  4,  of  the  Acts  of  1857,  and  some  from  other 
Sources  ;  with  an  Appendix. 

No.   XIV. 

Revolutionary  Items  Boston  Port  Bill,  Minute-Men,  etc.  • 
Powder-mill   at   Pepperell;   Rev.  Samuel  Dana;   Abraham 


Childs,  a  Revolutionary  Officer  ;  A  Singular  Petition  ; 
Absentees;  An  !^xception.  —  The  Presbyterian  Controversy 
in  Groton.  —  President  Dwight's  Description  of  Groton.  — 
Memoranda  by  Joseph  Farwell.  —  The  First  Operation 
UNDER  Ether.  —  A  January  Thaw.  —  The  New  Testament  in 
A.  Bale  of  Cotton. 

No.  XV. 

The  Geography  of   Groton. —  A  List   of  the  Town-Clerks  of 
Groton. —  Station-Masters. 


No.   XVI. 

New  Chapter  in  the  History  of  the  Concord  Ficpx.  —  List  of 
Groton  Subscribers  to  Important  Book.s,  etc.  —  Pepperell 
Fever. —  Naomi  Farwell,  the  Hermitess.  —  The  Gilson  Fam- 
ily.—  The  Town-Clock. — Life  in  the  Wilderness.  —  A  Stray 
Cow. 

No.   XVII. 

An  Old  House,  and  Some  of  its  Occupants.  —  Two  Balloon 
Descents  IN  Groton.  —  Tunes  called  "Groton."-— John  Bulk- 
ley's  Death.  —  Dr.  Wm.  Douglass's  Summary.  —  The  South 
Military  Company.  —  A  Provincial  Note-Forger.  —  Commo- 
dore Bainbridge  and  the  Lakin  Farm.  —  Miss  Clarissa  But- 
ler. —  Revolutionary  Soldiers.  —  The  Indian  Attack  of 
July  27,  1694. 

No.    XVIII. 

The  Groton  Bi-Centennial  Celebration-  —  A  Commemoration, 
July  4,  1876:  Groton  Burned  by  the  Indians,  1676;  Decla- 
ration of  Independence,  1776.  —  Samuel  Laurence's  Recollec- 
tions.—  Tax  on  Unappropriated  Lands.  —  John  Derbyshire. 
—  Chaises  and  "Chairs"  in  Groton.  —  Slavery  in  Groton, — 
Items  from  Various  Sources.  —  Deaths, 


No.   XIX. 
General  Grant's  Visit  to  Groton.  —  Old  Mill-Sites  in  Groton. 
—  BiLLERicA  Bridge.  — William  Nutting.  — The  First  Church 
AT  West  Groton.  —  Daniel   Farmer  and  Eleazer  Priest. 
The  Farrington  Family.  — Burning  of  Judge  Dana's  Barn. 


No.  XX. 
Two  Chapters  in  the  Early  History  of  Groton. 

ADDENDA   ET    CORRIGENDA. 


GROTON,  MASSACHUSETTS,    1884. 
Historical  Series,  No.  I. 


REMINISCENCES    OF    GROTON 

During  the  Years  1823  and  1824. 


Dr.  Samuel  A.  Green. 

My  dear  Sir,  —  To  one  so  familiar  with  the  history  of 
Groton,  in  all  its  departments  and  records,  from  the  founda- 
tion of  the  town,  I  am  aware  that  no  slipshod  reminiscences 
of  my  short  visit  to  that  place  so  long  ago,  can  be  of  much 
interest  or  of  any  use ;  and  without  the  pen  of  Sir  Walter 
or  the  mallet  and  chisel  of  Old  Mortality  to  scrape  off  the 
moss  and  to  restore  the  inscriptions  in  the  churchyard  of  my 
memory,  any  attempt  will  be  in  vain. 

But,  in  compliance  with  your  request  of  yesterday,  to  make 
some  memoranda  of  my  experiences  and  observations  at 
Groton  during  a  short  residence  of  about  five  months  in 
the  winter  of  1823  and  1824,  I  will  try,  though  in  nearly  the 
eightieth  year  of  my  age,  and  after  the  expiration  of  sixty 
years,  without  the  assistance  of  any  diary,  and  with  a  mem- 
ory materially  impaired  by  age,  to  furnish,  as  briefly  as  I  can, 
the  few  reminiscences  I  am  able  to  recall. 

Arrival  in  Groton. 

Early  in  the  winter  of  1823-24,  after  my  dismission  from 
Harvard  College,  with  about  half  my  classmates,  in  conse- 


quence  of  the  rebellion  of  the  class  of  1823,  and  after  enter- 
ing my  name  as  a  law  student  in  the  office  of  a  distinguished 
lawyer  in  Boston,  I  was  induced,  partly  for  the  purpose  of 
superintending  the  education  of  a  younger  brother,  in  whom  1 
felt  a  great  interest,  to  go  to  Groton,  and  there,  still  pursuing 
the  study  of  the  law,  to  remain  for  about  five  months. 

Groton  was  then  a  town  of  about  two  thousand  inhabitants, 
famous  as  the  birthplace  of  the  distinguished  and  numerous 
family  of  the  Lawrences,  and  Colonel  William  Prescott,  of 
Bunker  Hill  memory  ;  and  possessing  many  advantages,  from 
the  beauty  of  its  scenery,  the  loveliness  of  its  situation,  and 
its  social  attractions  as  a  place  of  residence. 

But,  remaining  there  so  short  a  time,  it  necessarily  offered 
but  few  opportunities  to  collect  many  reminiscences  valuable 
to  an  author  of  a  history  of  that  town.  A  few,  however,  I  will 
attempt  to  supply,  leaving  it  to  your  discretion  to  adopt,  re- 
ject, or  alter  as  much  or  little  as  you  please  ;  presuming  that 
after  such  a  space  of  time  it  is  impossible  to  recall,  with  any 
degree  of  exactness,  dates,  events,  and  persons  with  which 
you  will  have  to  deal  in  your  book. 

At  that  time  the  two  most  prominent  men  in  Groton  were 
Mr.  Luther  Lawrence  and  Judge  Dana,  to  both  of  whom  I 
was  introduced  by  the  honorable  and  eminent  lawyer,  Judge 
Prescott,  of  Boston.  They  received  us  with  hospitality  and 
kindness,  and  contributed  much  to  the  pleasure  of  our  short 
stay  in  that  town.  On  our  arrival  we  found  comfortable 
rooms  and  good  board  in  a  large  house,  standing  high  on 
the  east  side  of  the  main  street,  or  stage  road,  in  a  central 
situation,  belonging  to  Mr.  William  F.  Brazer,  and  directly 
opposite  to  the  dwelling  of  Mr.  Butler,  a  most  excellent  and 
estimable  man,  at  that  time,  I  believe,  the  town  clerk,  and 
since  then  the  postmaster  and  historian  of  Groton.  At 
Mr.  Brazer's  two  young  men,  Mr.  Norman  Seaver  and  Mr. 
Charles  Butterfield,  both  graduates  of  Harvard  College  and 
students  at  law,  were  our  fellow -boarders  and  agreeable 
companions.  Thus  began  my  first  experience  of  country  life 
in  New  England. 


Thanksgiving  Day. 

On  Thanksgiving  day  we  were  hospitably  invited  to  dine 
and  spend  the  day  with  the  family  of  Mr.  Butler,  our  opposite 
neighbor,  where  we  were  inducted  into  the  mysteries  of  that 
New  England  festival,  with  all  its  games  and  frolics  in  the 
evening,  after  a  generous  supply  of  turkey,  mince  and  pump- 
kin pies  at  dinner,  with  the  welcome  exchange  of  appropriate 
customary  presents.  The  party  was  composed  of  Mr.,  Mrs., 
and  Miss  Butler,  and  we  had  a  first-rate  time.  The  daughter, 
Miss  Susan  Butler,  then  about  sixteen,  would,  by  Washington 
Irving,  have  been  called  the  "  Pride  of  the  Village."  She  was 
bright,  pretty,  and  graceful,  full  of  animation,  and  the  best  of 
company  for  such  an  occasion.  With  a  face  full  of  expression 
and  a  mind  well  stored,  for  her  age,  with  knowledge,  with  a 
figure  tall  and  straight,  and  manner  simple  and  attractive, 
she  would  have  done  credit  to  any  society.  Added  to  all  this, 
she  wrote  poetry  of  much  more  than  ordinary  merit.  She  was 
of  an  age  when  coasting  was  good  fun  ;  and  I  regretted  not  a 
little  that  my  brother  anticipated  me  in  securing  the  best  sled 
and  the  best  girl  for  this  exhilarating  winter  amusement, 
which,  considering  that  he  was  younger,  better-looking,  and 
more  skilful  in  steering,  was  not  surprising.  About  two 
years  afterward,  while  in  Europe,  I  heard  with  deepest  sorrow, 
that  this  child,  only  sixteen  when  I  knew  her,  —  already  then 
the  pride  of  her  parents,  the  idol  of  her  companions,  and  the 
favorite  of  all  who  knew  her,  and,  as  I  was  told,  still  improving 
in  person  and  character,  surrounded  by  every  blessing  in  pos- 
session and  prospect  to  make  life  happy,  —  had  fallen  a  victim 
to  some  fatal  malady,  and  had  been  followed  to  her  early  grave 
in  Groton,  with  aching  hearts  and  streaming  eyes,  by  her  fond 
parents  and  admiring  friends.  Who,  after  an  interval  of 
nearly  sixty  years,  is  now  left  to  tell  how  much  of  youthful 
promise,  purity,  grace,  and  sweetness  of  character  lies  buried 
in  that  grave,  with  the  crushed  hopes  and  fond  wishes  of  those 
who  loved  her  .■" 


s*  Securities  Shall  give  in  on  oath  what  they  gave  for  the  same  and 
Shall  Eeceive  no  more  of  the  publick  Treasurer  Including  Interest. 

14'?'  To  see  if  the  Town  will  Vote  to  open  our  Ports  to  all  nations 
that  a  free  trade  may  commence  to  the  Good  of  the  Community  at 
large. 

15'.y  To  see  if  the  Town  will  Vote  to  Chose  a  Committee  of  safety 
to  see  that  there  is  no  more  Infringements  made  on  our  Injured  Rights 
and  previledges  —  and  act  [on]  any  thing  Relative  to  the  above  Articles 
or  any  other  things  which  may  be  Necessary  for  the  good  of  the  Publick 
at  Large. 


Benj?  Page 
EplH"  Ward 
Stephen  Munroe 
Jabez  HoMen 
Eben  Tarbell 
John  Moors 
Amos  Stone 
John  Park 
Eben"'  Earns  worth 
Jonas  Stone 
Jon»  Stone 
Asa  Stone 
Thomas  Hubbard 
Jon°  Lawrence 
Eobart  Ames 
Amos  Ames 
Oliver  Shed 
John  Fiske 
Asahel  "Wyman 
Joh  Sartell 
■Jonathan  Eiske 
Amos  Lawrence 
Enoch  Cook 


Peletiah  Russell 
Thomas  Earwell 
Richard  Sawtell 
Samuel  Kemp  Jr. 
Epiiraim  Kemp 
Amos  Adams 
Caleb  Blood 
Benj«  Tarbell 
Sam^  Hemenway 
Zech^  Fitch 
James  Shiple 
Joseph  Shed 
Oliver  Fletcher 
Josiah  Hobart 
Oliver  Parker 
Royal  Blood 
Phinehas  Parker 
Jon"  Worster 
Ephraini  Nutting 
James  Wood 
Nath"  Sartell 
Jacob  Patch 
Sam"  Chamberlin 


David  Woods 
John  Woods 
Benj»  Hazen 
Jason  Williams 
Daniel  Williams 
Jacob  Williams 
Shattuck  Blood 
David  Blodget 
James  Bennet 
Isaac  Lakia 
Sam'l  Hartwell 

liiB 

John  X  Lawrance 

mark 

John  Gragg 
Job  Shattuck 
Job  Shattuck  Jr. 
Benj';  Lawrance 
Samuel  Gragg 
Jacob  Lakin  Parker 
Jacob  Gragg 
Oliver  Blood 
Levi  Kemp 
Timothy  Woods 


And  you  are  to  make  return  of  this  Warrant  with  your  doings  therein 
to  the  Town  Clerk  of  said  Town  or  to  some  one  of  the  Selectmen  of  the 
s*  Town  by  Tuesday  next  [June  27,]  at  Eight  o  Clock  beforenoon 
hereof  you  will  not  fail  at  the  peril  of  the  Law.  Given  under  my  hand 
&  seal  this  24'!'  day  of  June  A.  D.  1786. 

By  order  of  the  Selectmen  of  said  Town. 

Isaac  Faknswoeth  Town  Clerk 

These  several  articles  were  referred  to  a  committee,  chosen 
at  the  meeting,  consisting  of  Dr.  Benjamin  Morse,  Captain  Job 
Shattuck,  Ensign  Moses  Childs,  Captain  Asa  Lawrence,  and 
Captain  Zechariah  Fitch,  to  whom  "  Discretionary  power  "  was 
given  to  act  as  they  thought  best.     They  were  requested  to 


correspond  with  the  committees  of  other  towns  in  the  Com- 
monwealth, in  relation  to  their  public  grievances,  and  to  peti- 
tion the  General  Court  for  redress. 

The  "  request "  contained  in  the  warrant  shows  clearly  the 
utter  want  of  appreciation  of  the  true  causes  of  their  troubles, 
on  the  part  of  the  signers,  as  well  as  the  proper  remedies  for 
relief.  Their  political  notions  were  crude  in  the  extreme,  and 
in  many  respects  agree  well  'with  the  views  of  those  who  now 
advocate  free  trade  and  fiat  money. 

Committees  from  Groton,  Pepperell,'Shirley,  Townsend,  and 
Ashby  met  at  Groton  on  June  29,  1786,  two  days  after  the 
town-meeting,  in  order  to  make  preparations  for  calling  a 
county  convention.  At  this  preliminary  meeting  a  committee 
was  appointed,  of  which  Captain  John  Nutting,  of  Pepperell, 
was  the  chairman,  who  addressed  a  circular  letter  to  the  select- 
men of  the  other  towns  in  Middlesex  County.  They  were 
invited  to  send  delegates  to  a  convention,  to  be  holden  at 
Concord,  "  to  consult  on  matters  of  public  grievances  and 
embarrassments,  and  devise  a  remedy  therefor."  At  Newtoa 
a  town-meeting  was  held  expressly  for  the  purpose  of  consid- 
ering this  letter,  when  a  very  sharp  and  decisive  answer  was 
sent  by  that  town  to  Captain  Nutting,  declining  to  take  part 
in  the  affair.  Extracts  from  the  reply  are  found  in  Francis 
Jackson's  "  History  of  Newton  "  (pp.  211-213). 

The  county  convention  was  afterward  held  at  Concord,  on 
August  23,  — the  immediate  result  of  the  meeting  of  the  town 
committees  at  Groton.  Its  object  was  to  consult  on  public 
grievances ;  and  one  such  grievance  was  the  Court  of  Common 
Pleas,  which  was  to  sit  on  the  12th  of  the  following  month. 
The  malcontents  felt  a  special  spite  against  this  court,  some- 
times called  the  Inferior  Court,  as  it  was  the  principal  source 
of  the  executions  by  which  property  was  sold  to  satisfy  the 
demands  of  the  tax-gatherer.  The  convention  voted  ten  arti- 
cles of  grievance,  and  adopted  an  address  to  the  public,  which 
was  ordered  to  be  printed,  when  it  adjourned  to  meet  again  on 
the  first  Tuesday  of  October. 

Trouble  was  now  feared,  and  means  were  taken  to  prevent  it. 
But  notwithstanding  these  measures,  a  mob  of  about  a  hun- 
dred men  from  Groton  and  its  neighborhood,  under  the  com- 
mand of  Job  Shattuck,  assembled  at  Concord,  on  the  afternoon 
of  September  12,  in  order  to  prevent  the  session  of  the  court. 


They  lodged  that  night  in  the  court-house,  and  under  such  other 
temporary  shelter  as  they  could  find,  and  on  the  next  day  took 
possession  of  the  ground  in  front  of  the  court-house.  Strength- 
ened by  considerable  accessions  to  their  numbers,  they  suc- 
ceeded in  their  aim  so  far  as  to  prevent  the  sitting  of  the 
court ;  and  this  produced  a  great  excitement,  not  only  in  Mid- 
dlesex, but  throughout  the  State.  Flushed  with  success,  the 
rioters  were  now  determined  to  suppress  the  session  of  the 
court  to  be  held  at  Cambridge  on  November  28,  though  some 
of  them  were  inclined  to  go  no  further  against  the  govern- 
ment, but  in  this  were  overruled  by  the  leaders.  As  the 
day  drew  near,  there  were  unpleasant  rumors  of  a  probable 
collision  between  the  authorities  and  the  rebels,  and  due  care 
was  taken  to  avert  it.  The  show  of  strength  on  the  part  of 
the  government,  and  the  want  of  discipline  among  the  insur- 
gents, prevented  the  disaster. 

John  Quincy  Adams,  then  a  young  man  in  college,  writes 
in  his  journal,  under  the  date  of  November  27,  1786,  —  as 
quoted  by  the  Hon.  Charles  Francis  Adams  in  his  Phi  Beta 
Kappa  address,  at  Cambridge,  on  June  26,  1873 :  — 

"  This  evening,  just  before  prayers,  about  forty  horsemen  arrived  here, 
under  the  command  of  Judge  [Oliver]  Prescott,  of  Groton,  in  order  to 
protect  the  court  to-morrow  from  the  rioters.  We  hear  of  nothing  but 
Shays  and  Shattuck.  Two  of  the  most  despicable  characters  in  the 
community  now  make  themselves  of  great  consequence."     (Page  6.) 

General  John  Brooks,  afterward  the  Governor  of  the  Com- 
monwealth, writes  from  Medford,  under  the  date  of  November 
27,  1786,  to  Commissary-General  Richard  Devens,  that  "  one 
hundred  Volunteers  are  expected  in  this  town  every  moment 
from  Groton  to  support  the  Court  at  Cambridge  tomorrow."  ^ 
This  is,  undoubtedly,  an  allusion  to  the  force  under  Judge 
Prescott,  who  was  a  prominent  military  character  in  the 
county.  He  had  previously  held  in  the  militia  the  respective 
commissions  of  major,  lieutenant-colonel,  colonel,  brigadier- 
general,  and  major-general. 

On  November  27  a  small  party  of  insurgents,  headed  by 
Oliver  Parker,  of  Groton,  marched  into  Concord,  on  their 
way  to  Cambridge  with  the  intention  of  suppressing  the  court. 

1  Massachusetts  Archives,  vol.  clxxxix.  p.  35. 


This  movement  created  fresh  excitement,  as  the  Middlesex 
leaders  had  indeed  promised  to  remain  quiet,  and  their  appear- 
ance now  was  quite  unexpected.  Job  Shattuck  joined  them 
later,  coming  in  a  more  secret  manner.  It  was  intended  that 
he  should  have  command  of  the  party,  and  act  with  the  rebel 
force  from  Worcester  County ;  but,  owing  to  some  want  of 
co-operation  between  them,  their  plan  fell  through.  At  this 
failure  the  ringleaders  became  disheartened  and  scattered, 
when  most  of  them  returned  to  their  homes.  Warrants  were 
at  once  issued  for  the  arrest  of  the  principal  offenders.  Execu- 
tive action  was  based  on  the  following  communication:^  — 

To   THE    GOTERNOK  AStB   COUNCII.  OF   MASSACHUSETTS 

I  hereby  certify  that  Job  Shattuck  &  Oliver  Parker  Gentlemen  & 
Benj'-  Page  Yeoman  all  of  Groton  &  Nathan  Smith  &  John  Kelsey  of 
Shirley  Gentlemen,  all  in  the  County  of  Middlesex  &  Commonwealth 
aforesaid  have  been  active  in  the  late  rebellion  &  stirring  up  the  people 
to  oppose  Government,  are  therefore  dangerous  persons  &  pray  a 
Warrant  may  be  issued  to  restrain  them  of  their  personal  Liberty. 

Oliver  Prescott. 

Boston  Nov?  28'.''  1786 

A  company  of  horsemen,  under  the  command  of  Colonel 
Benjamin  Hichborn,  aided  by  another  party  under  Captain 
Henry  Woods,  of  Pepperell,  was  sent  from  Boston  to  secure 
the  subjects  of  the  warrant. 

George  R.  Minot,  in  "  The  History  of  the  Insurrection  in 
Massachusetts "  (pp.  77-79),  gives  the  following  account  of 
the  affair :  — 

"The  execution  of  these  warrants  was  committed  to  the  Sheriff  of 
Middlesex  [Loammi  Baldwin],  and  others,  to  whose  aid,  a  party  of  horse, 
who  had  voluntarily  associated  for  the  support  of  government,  under 
Colonel  Benjamin  Hichhurn,  was  ordered  from  Boston,  early  in  the 
morning  of  [Wednesday]  the  29th  of  November.  They  were  joined  by 
a  party  from  Groton,  under  the  command  of  Colonel  Henry  Wood,  and 
the  whole  consisting  of  more  than  100,  proceeded  immediately  for  Con- 
cord. On  their  arrival  there,  the  Groton  horse,  as  being  best  acquainted 
with  the  country,  and  least  liable  to  excite  an  alarm  from  an  unfa- 
miliar appearance  to  the  inhabitants,  were  despatched  to  secure  the 
subjects  of  the  warrant.  These  returned  at  night,  with  two  prisoners, 
Parker  and  Page,  but  Shattuck,   the  principal  leader,  had  taken  an 

'  Massachusetts  Archives,  vol.  clxxxix.  p.  40. 


8 

alarm  and  escaped.  Under  this  disappointment,  at  midnight,  in  the 
midst  of  a  violent  snow  storm,  the  whole  party  were  ordered  on  to 
Shattuch's  house  in  Groton,  where  they  did  not  arrive  till  late  in  the 
morning.  Here  they  found  that  ShaUuck  had  fled  to  the  woods.  A 
search  was  immediately  commenced,  and  a  judicious  pursuit  discovered 
him  to  a  party  of  a  few  persons,  led  by  Colonel  Wood  himself.  ShaUuck 
obstinately  resisted,  and  was  not  taken  until  he  had  received  several 
wounds,  one  of  which  was  exceedingly  dangerous,  and  which  he  re- 
turned, though  without  much  injury.  The  three  principal  objects  of  the 
warrant  being  thus  apprehended,  the  party  returned  to  Boston,  on  the 
next  day  but  one  after  their  departure,  having  pervaded  the  country  for 
near  fifty  miles.  The  short  time  in  which  this  excursion  was  performed 
with  so  large  a  body,  and  the  extreme  severity  of  the  weather,  ren- 
dered the  execution  of  this  service  as  honourable  to  the  gentlemen  who 
subjected  themselves  to  it,  as  their  motives  in  the  undertaking  were 
commendable." 

Job  Shattuck  lived  near  Wattle's  Pond,  in  a  house  which 
he  built  about  the  year  1782,  still  standing,  and  occupied  by 
Harrison  Holmes  when  the  map  in  Mr.  Butler's  History  was 
made.  He  is  supposed  to  have  passed  the  night  before  his 
arrest  at  the  house  of  Samuel  Gragg,  two  miles  away  from 
his  own  dwelling.  When  the  company  failed  to  find  him  at  his 
home  on  the  morning  of  Thursday,  November  30,  twelve  men, 
under  Sampson  Reed,  of  Boston,  proceeded  at  once  to  Gragg's 
residence,  where  there  was  reason  to  think  he  was  hiding. 
They  learned  that  he  had  been  there,  but  had  just  left ;  and 
by  the  tracks  in  a  light  snow  which  had  fallen  during  the 
previous  night,  they  traced  him  to  the  neighborhood  of  his 
own  house.  Here  he  was  taken  by  his  pursuers,  after  a  des- 
perate resistance,  on  the  banks  of  the  Nashua  River,  almost 
within  sight  of  his  dwelling.  A  blow  from  the  broadsword  of 
F.  C.  Varnum,  of  Boston,  made  a  fearful  wound  in  Shattuck's 
knee,  dividing  the  capsular  ligament. 

Another  account  of  the  arrests  is  found  in  "  The  Massachu- 
setts Gazette,"  December  5,  1786,  as  follows:  — 

"  We  have  the  pleasure  of  announcing  to  the  publick  the  very  agree- 
able and  authentick  information  of  the  safe  return  of  the  corps  of 
volunteer  hbrse,  under  the  command  of  Col.  Hichborn,  after  havinw 
achieved  the  object  of  their  exped.ition,  by  the  capture  of  ShaUuck, 
Parker  and  Page,  who  have  been  the  indefatigable  fomenters  of 
sedition  in  the  county  of  Middlesex. 


"  Too  much  credit  cannot  be  given  the  officers  and  men  on  this  occa- 
sion, who  performed  a  long  and  disagreeable  march,  a  great  part  of  the 
way  in  the  night,  in  a  heavy  snow-storm,  and  in  a  very  short  period.  — 
The  people  every  where  in  the  country,  through  which  they  passed,  so 
far  from  the  opposition  which  the  rioters  threatened,  cheerfully  gave 
them  every  assistance  that  was  wanted.  A  company  of  horse,  under 
Col.  Wood,  of  Pepperell,  were  particularly  active,  and  had  the  honour 
of  securing  two  of  the  prisoners  before  the  party  arrived  at  Groton.  — 
Shattuck,  however,  had  found  the  means  of  eluding  their  vigilance  — 
but  upon  the  arrival  of  the  troop  in  the  vicinit}'  of  his  house,  a  second 
search  commenced  with  renewed  ardour — until  he  was  finally  discovered, 
pursued  and  apprehended  —  though  not  without  a  sharp  conflict  with 
one  of  the  horse,  in  which  much  personal  bravery  was  displayed  —  but 
upon  two  others  coming  up,  he  was  obliged  to  surrender.  —  Shattuck  was 
badly  wounded  in  the  knee,  and  the  gentleman  immediately  engaged 
received  a  slight  cut  on  his  face.  —  These  deluded  and  daring  violaters 
of  the  publick  peace  had  been  in  arms  the  day  before  in  Concord,  on 
their  way  to  Cambridge,  to  stop  the  Court  of  Common  Pleas,  which  is 
now  sitting  unmolested  in  that  town. 

"  The  most  absurd  and  contradictory  stories  have  been  circulated 
throughout  the  country ;  and  it  may  be  truly  said,  that  they  have  sup- 
ported a  bad  cause  by  the  most  scandalous  deception,  as  well  to  their 
own  strength,  as  to  the  views  of  government. 

"  Every  body  joins  in  giving  praise  to  the  volunteers,  who  have  done 
honour  to  their  characters,  and  rendered  the  most  essential  benefit  to 
the  State  by  this  achievement. 

"  Groton  is  about  43  [33  ?]  miles  from  this  town,  so  that  what  with 
the  direct  course,  and  the  chase  which  they  had  before  the  seizure  of 
Shattuck,  who  immediately  fled  to  the  woods,  upon  being  discovered 
behind  a  barn,  many  of  the  company  must  have  rode  near  one  hundred 
miles  from  Wednesday  morning  to  Thursday  evening,  and  were  some 
of  them  nine  hours  on  horse-back,  without  scarcely  dismounting  in  that 
time.  There  was  not  a  gun  fired  at  the  horse,  in  the  whole  expedition, 
though  it  was  generally  believed  that  Shattuck  had  fortified  his  house 
in  order  to  a  vigorous  opposition :  This,  however,  proved  not  to  be 
the  case,  for  he  had  endeavoui'ed  to  abscond,  after  trying  in  vain  to 
raise  a  party  for  his  protection.  —  The  troop  went  in  aid  of  the  Sher- 
iff, by  order  of  his  Excellency,  when  it  was  found  that  the  late  am- 
nesty of  government  was  without  effect,  in  reclaiming  these  hardened 
offenders." 

Captain  Shattuck  was  carried  to  Boston  on  December  1,  and 
committed  to  jail  with  Page  and  Parker,  though  these  last  two 
were  soon  afterward  released  on  bail.     Page's  liberation  was 


10 

due,  doubtless,  to  the  following  letter  from  Judge  Oliver  Pres- 
cott,  one  of  the  selectmen  at  that  time  :  ^  — 

Gkoton  Jany.  1'.'  1787. 

Sib  Mr  Benit  Page  the  State  Prisoner  with  his  Wife,  beggs  to 
know  of  your  Excellency,  whither  he  can  be  admitted  to  Bail  before 
the  sitting  of  the  General  Court ;  as  he  has  a  large  young  Family  suf- 
fering by  his  absence.  Mf  Page  is  a  man  of  property  &  Mess'.'  Joseph 
Allen  &  Jonathan  Lawrence  of  Groton,  men  of  property,  will  appear 
as  sureties.  Mf  Levi  Kemp  the  bearer,  went  with  s*  Page  on  the  27'^ 
of  NovF  last,  to  Carry  a  Letter  from  the  Malcontents,  to  Capt.  Pratt  in 
Bristol  County,  &  will  inform  you  of  their  Conduct  in  that  Journey. 
Your  Excellency  will  be  pleased  to  inform  Mf  Kemp  whither  Page 
can  be  admitted  to  Bail,  &  what  are  the  necessary  requisites  for  that 
purpose. 

I  have  the  honor  to  be,  with  the  most  perfect  Esteem, 

Your  Excellencies  most  Obedient,  Hum!  Servant ; 

Oliver  Peescott. 
The  Goveknok. 

While  in  confinement  Shattuck  was  treated  kindly,  and 
had  the  best  of  medical  skill.  "  The  Massachusetts  Gazette," 
December  12,  says :  — 

"  Shattuck,  the  state  prisoner  now  in  this  town,  is  amply  provided 
with  all  the  necessaries  and  conveniences  proper  for  any  person  labour- 
ing under  such  a  wound,  as  he.  received  in  his  violent  and  obstinate 
resistance  to  the  gentlemen  who  apprehended  him ;  he  is  constantly 
attended  by  a  number  of  respectable  gentlemen  of  the  Faculty,  and 
treated  with  all  the  humanity  that  could  possibly  be  shewn  to  any  person 
whatever." 

He  remained  in  jail  more  than  four  months,  but  was  finally 
released  on  April  6,  under  bonds  of  X200,  and  allowed  to  return 
to  his  family.  The  following  letter  relating  to  his  son  is  ou 
file  :  2  — 

Groton,  JanT   9'.^  1787 
Sir  Job  Shattuck  Juf  son  of  Capt.  Shattuck  the  State  Prisoner,  ear- 
nestly requests  your  Excellency'  permission  to  see  his  Father.  —  he 
hath  been  in  Arms  twice ;  &  after  his  father  was  apprehended  absconded 
&  went  into  the  Western  Counties,  but  after  his  return  came  &  Volun- 

1  Massachusetts  Archives,  vol.  clxxxix.  p.  67.  ^  Jm.,  p.  71. 


tarily  took  the  oath  of  Allegiance  a  Certificate  of  which  I  have  sent  to 
the  Seoretaryf  office,  &  believe  he  will  be  a  good  Subject  &  I  desire  he 
may  be  allowed  to  return  to  his  Family  &  Business.  He  will  give  an 
account  of  his  discoveries  in  his  Journey  if  interrogated. 

I  have  the  honor  to  be  with  the  most  perfect  Esteem  &  respect, 

Your  Excellency?  most  Ob?  Hie  S! 

Oliver  Pkescott. 
The  Goveenok. 

The  following  account  of  Shattuck's  wounds  is  found  in 
"  The  Massachusetts  Gazette,"  January  5,  1787 :  — 

"  As  the  curiosity  of  the  publick  has  been  excited  by  the  situation  of 
Job  Shattuck,  now  confined  in  the  jail  in  this  town ;  and  as  it  is  not 
improbable  his  real  condition  may  have  been  wilfully  misrepresented 
in  different  parts  of  the  country,  it  is  thought  expedient  to  publish  the 
following,  which  may  be  relied  on  as  a  true  state  of  facts. 

"  About  10  o'clock  in  the  morning  of  the  30th  of  November,  he  was 
overtaken  by  a  party  of  the  posse  who  attended  the  Sheriff".  Being 
armed  with  a  broad  sword,  he  assaulted  the  party,  and  before  he  could 
be  made  a  prisoner,  and  disarmed,  he  received  several  slight  cuts  in  his 
face  and  hands,  and  a  wound  in  the  joint  of  his  right  knee,  from  a  broad 
sword.     His  hands  and  face  were  soon  healed. 

"  By  the  wound  in  the  knee,  the  capsular  ligament  was  divided  in  an 
oblique  direction,  on  the  anteriour  and  external  part.  As  soon  as  he 
could  be  brought  to  an  house,  his  wounds  were  dressed ;  and  as  he  was 
to  be  conveyed  immediately  to  Boston,  it  was  judged  expedient  to  close 
the  gaping  wound  by  three  stitches  through  the  cellular  membrane.  In 
this  state  he  was  conveyed  to  town  in  a  sleigh,  the  most  easy  mode  of 
conveyance  at  this  season  of  the  year.  On  the  first  of  December,  he 
was  lodged  in  Boston  jail.  Having  lain  a  few  hours  in  a  room  on  the 
first  floor,  he  was  removed  on  the  same  day  into  an  upper-chamber, 
warm  and  comfortable,  with  a  good  fire-place,  and  capable  of  free  ven- 
tilation, a  room  usually  appropriated  for  debtors,  and  accommodated  with 
glass-windows,  where  he  was  provided  with  suitable  bedding,  fireing, 
and  a  faithful  nurse,  and  every  other  necessary,  attended  by  a  number 
of  the  faculty  of  the  town. 

"  The  great  degree  of  inflammation  usually  brought  on  by  a  wound 
on  this  part,  and  of  such  a  nature,  was  in  a  considerable  degree  pre- 
vented by  bleeding,  cooling  medicines,  anodyne  and  sedative  applica- 
tions, and  by  keeping  the  limb  in  an  easy  posture,  and  for  the  first 
week,  the  wound  wore  as  favourable  an  appearance  as,  from  the  nature 
of  it,  could  be  expected. 


12 

"  A  degree  of  pain  and  inflammation,  however,  continued,  particularly 
on  the  external  and  upper  part  of  the  joint ;  and  on  Friday  the  8th 
December,  it  was  found  necessary  to  open  a  sinus  which  had  formed 
from  the  upper  lip  of  the  wound,  and  a  little  above  the  joint,  which 
discharged  a  considerable  quantity  of  matter.  Notwithstanding  this 
discharge,  and  the  constant  use  of  autiphlogistick  applications,  and  a 
total  abstinence  from  animal  food,  and  every  thing  of  a  spirituous  kind, 
and  inflammation  of  all  the  parts  about  the'joint  continued,  and  did  not 
begin  to  subside  until  Tuesday  the  12th,  when  they  became  less  turgid, 
and  the  wound,  with  the  parts  adjacent,  assumed  a  more  agreeable  as- 
pect, the  matter  discharged  was  of  a  good  quality,  the  patient  was  in 
general  free  from  pain,  rested  well  at  night,  and  discovered  that  incli- 
nation for  food  which  proves  the  system  to  be  at  ease. 

"  The  inflammation  having  now  subsided,  it  was  thought  proper  to 
give  the  bark  and  wine,  in  order  to  restore  the  strength  of  the  patient, 
which  had  been  much  impaired  by  the  fever  and  discharges  of  matter ; 
and  there  was  a  pleasure  in  observing  the  agreeable  appearance  and  im- 
provement of  the  wound  from  day  to  day  under  this  course.  His  recov- 
ery was  evident,  not  only  to  the  gentlemen  who  attended  him,  but  was 
experienced  by  the  patient,  and  drew  from  him  his  approbation  and 
acknowl  edgment. 

"Notwithstanding  these  promising  circumstances,  he  was  indulged, 
by  government,  in  the  privilege,  enjoyed  by  every  other  citizen,  to 
choose  his  own  physician  and  surgeon,  and  according  to  his  own  request, 
was  delivered  into  the  care  of  Mr.  Kitteredge,  of  Tewksbury,  on 
Wednesday  the  20th ;  since  which  time,  neither  of  the  gentlemen,  who 
had  attended,  have  seen  him,  or  been  consulted  in  his  case. 

"  [It  is  to  be  remarked,  that  the  patient  at  this  time  acknowledged, 
and  Mr.  Kitteredge  declared  the  wound  to  be  in  good  order,  and  that 
it  '  run  good  matter.']  " 

"  The  Massachusetts  Gazette,"  January  26,  1787,  announces 
that  — 

"A  report  having  been  circulated  in  the  country,  that  Mr..Shattuck, 
one  of  the  state  prisoners,  had  died  in  jail,  it  is  proper  to  inform  the 
publick,  that  he  was  last  evening  as  well  as  he  has  been  for  three  weeks 
past ;  and  that  his  recovery  is  not  improbable." 

In  the  month  of  May,  Captain  Shattuck  was  tried  and  con- 
victed before  the  Supreme  Judicial  Court,  and  sentenced  to 
be  hanged  on  June  28 ;  but,  the  day  before  this,  a  reprieve 
was  granted  to  July  26  ;  then,  on  the  day  preceding  this,  the 
execution  of  the  sentence  was  again  postponed  to  September  20, 


13 

but  on  the  12th  of  that  month  he  received  a  full  and  uncondi- 
tional pardon. 

Job  Shattuck's  life  was  one  of  large  experiences.  He  was 
born  on  February  11,  1736,  and  at  the  early  age  of  nineteen 
took  part  in  the  French  War,  serving  through  the  campaign  of 
1755  under  General  Monckton  in  Nova  Scotia ;  and  later  he 
was  present  at  the  battle  of  Bunker  Hill.  In  the  year  1776 
he  was  lieutenant  of  a  company  that  went  to  Boston  after 
that  town  was  evacuated  by  the  British,  and  the  next  year 
he  commanded  a  company  raised  in  Groton,  that  marched  to 
Fort  Ticonderoga.  During  the  whole  period  of  the  Revolu- 
tion he  gave  freely  of  his  time  and  money  to  promote  the 
popular  cause. 

In  the  autumn  of  1781,  Shattuck  was  engaged  in  what  were 
then  known  as  the  Groton  riots,  incited  by  the  opposition  to 
the  silver-money  tax.  He  and  sixteen  other  citizens  of  the 
town  threatened  and  bullied  William  Nutting  and  Benjamin 
Stone,  while  attending  to  their  duties  as  constables  in  collect- 
ing taxes.  It  was  an  affair  that  created  a  good  deal  of  excite- 
ment in  its  day.  At  the  trial  he.  pleaded  guilty,  and  was 
fined  £10  and  the  cost  of  prosecution. 

It  is  but  just  to  the  memory  of  Captain  Shattuck  to  say 
that  he  was  a  member  of  the  church  and  much  respected  by 
his  townsmen.  At  the  time  of  the  rebellion  he  was  near  the 
middle  age  of  life,  and  a  man  of  great  bodily  vigor.  He  was 
the  son  of  a  respectable  farmer,  and  himself  a  large  land- 
owner. Strong  and  athletic  in  person,  skilled  in  the  use  of 
the  broadsword  and  proud  of  the  accomplishment,  utterly 
insensible  to  fear  and  having  a  good  war-record,  —  all  these 
qualities,  aided  by  his  position  and  means,  gave  him  great 
influence  among  his  neighbors.  He  paid  dearly  for  his  errors, 
as  the  crutch  which  he  used  until  the  day  of  his  death,  January 
13, 1819,  would  testify;  and  we  can  well  afford  to  be  charitable 
now  to  the  poor  misguided  men  who  took  part  in  that  needless 
and  wicked  rebellion. 

It  should  not  be  supposed,  however,  that  the  whole  town  of 
Groton  sympathized  with  the  insurrectionary  proceedings,  as 
there  were  many  law-abiding  citizens  still  remaining.  The 
following  extract  is  taken  from  "  The  Massachusetts  Gazette," 
December  12,  1786  :  — 


14 

"  It  may  serve,  says  a  correspondent,  to  give  information  to  the  pub- 
lick,  with  respect  to  the  importance  of  the  mob  in  Middlesex,  to  know, 
that  all  the  independent  farmers,  and  all  the  sober,  thinking  people  in 
that  county,  discovered  the  highest  approbation  of  the  measures  lately 
taken  to  put  a  stop  to  all  future  tumults  there  ;  hoping,  as  they  declared, 
that  they  should  now  hear  and  suffer  no  more  from  such  infamous  do- 
ings, and  that  the  neck  of  sedition  was  broken.  The  people  of  Groton 
provided  every  refreshment,  for  the  men  and  horse  who  went  out  to 
apprehend  the  leaders  of  the  mob,  and  refused  to  receive  one  farthing's 
recompence,  though  ample  pay  was  urged  upon  them." 

During  the  period  of  Shays's  EebelUon  Groton  was  one  of 
the  three  towns  in  Middlesex  County  where  the  Court  of  Com- 
mon Pleas  used  to  sit,  Cambridge  and  Concord  being  the  other 
tvfo.  In  the  spring  of  1787  its  sessions  were  removed  by  an 
act  of  the  Legislature,  presumably  on  account  of  the  part 
taken  by  the  town  in  this  uprising. 

In  the  year  1835  there  was  published  anonymously  at  Phil- 
adelphia, a  work  entitled  "  The  Insurgents :  An  Historical 
Novel,"  in  two  volumes.  It  is  based  on  Shays's  Rebellion, 
and  the  scene  is  laid  mainly  in  the  Connecticut  valley.  In  the 
second  volume  is  an  account  of  Shattuck's  capture,  which  is 
given  with  all  the  freedom  of  a  novelist's  pen. 

During  the  excitement  of  the  rebellion  Aaron  Brown's  pot- 
ash works  at  Groton  were  burned,  on  November  30,  by  some 
of  the  insurgents.  Brown  was  one  of  the  two  constables  who 
served  the  warrants  against  the  leaders  on  that  very  day,  and 
the  feeling  toward  him  was  bitter.  The  establishment  was 
situated  on  the  south  side  of  the  Broad  Meadow  road,  near 
the  village,  just  before  you  come  to  the  meadow.  "  The  Mas- 
sachusetts Gazette,"  December  8,  says  :  — 

"On  Thursday  night  [November  30],  last  week,  the  Pot- Ash  works 
belonging  to  Mr.  Brown,  of  Groton,  together  with  several  tuns  of  Pot- 
Ashes,  were  destroyed  by  fire.  The  loss  to  Mr.  Brown  is  very  consid- 
erable ;  and  we  are  well  informed,  that  there  is  great  reason  to  conclude 
it  was  occasioned  by  the  malice  of  one  or  more  of  the  insurgents  belong- 
ing to  Middlesex." 

It  appears  from  the  General  Court  Records  (vol.  xlvii. 
p.  426),  May  1,  1787,  that  Mr.  Brown  subsequently  received 
some  compensation  for  his  losses.    The  entry  is  as  follows :  — 


15 

In  the  House  of  Eepresentatives  .  .  .  Whereas  Aaron  Brown  of 
Groton  has  represented  to  this  Court,  that  his  pot  and  pearl  ash  works 
were  destroyed  by  fire,  and  also  exhibited  evidence  which  affords  good 
reason  to  believe  that  the  same  were  destroyed  by  some  unknown  and 
wicked  incendiary,  in  consequence  of  his  great  exertions  in  the  support 
of  good  Government. 

And  whereas  it  is  incumbent  on  the  Legislature  of  this  Common- 
wealth, to  encourage  the  manufacture  of  pot  &  pearl  ash,  as  well  as  to 
provide,  as  far  as  consistently  may  be,  that  no  person  shall  suffer  injury 
in  consequence  of  his  exertions  to  support  and  defend  the  Govern- 
ment :  — 

Resolved  That  there  be  paid  out  of  the  Treasury  of  this  Common- 
wealth to  Aaron  Brown  from  the  money  arising  from  the  fines  which 
are  or  shall  be  paid  by  persons  who  have  been  or  shall  be  convicted  of 
being  concerned  in  the  late  rebellion,  the  sum  of  one  hundred  pounds, 
to  enable  him  to"  rebuild  his  pot  and  pearl  ash  works  —  Provided  not- 
withstanding if  the  said  Brown  shall  hereafter  discover  the  perpetra- 
tors of  the  aforesaid  wicked  act,  and  shall  recover  the  damage  he  has 
sustained,  he  shall  in  that  case  repay  the  said'  sum  of  one  hundred 
pounds,  into  the  Treasury,  taking  duplicate  receipts,  one  of  which  he 
shall  lodge  in  the  Secretary's  office. 

In  Senate  read  &  concurred 

Approved  by  the  Governor 

The  works  were  subsequently  re-established  on  the  same 
site,  and  the  building  was  standing  as  late  as  1820.  Some  of 
the  old  iron  kettles,  used  in  the  manufacture  of  potash,  were 
lying  behind  Major  Gardner's  store  at  a  period  many  years 
later. 


[Republished  from  the  Proceedings  of  the  Massachusetts  Historical  Society, 
November,  1884.] 


GROTON    HISTORICAL   SERIES. 

No.  IV. 


GROTON    AS    A    SHIRE    TOWN. 

DESTRUCTIVE    TORNADO. 

TWO    GROTON    CONVENTIONS. 

THE    SOAPSTONE    QUARRY. 

GROTON,    MASS. 
1884. 


GROTON,  MASSACHUSETTS,   1884. 
Historical  Series,  No.  IV. 


GROTON  AS  A  SHIRE  TOWN.— DESTRUCTIVE  TOR- 
NADO.—TWO  GROTON  CONVENTIONS.— THE 
SOAPSTONE    QUARRY. 

[The  following  articles  have  appeared  at  different  times  either  in 
"  The  Groton  Landmark  ""or  the  "  Groton  Citizen,"  and  are  now  revised 
and  reprinted  in  this  Series.  —  S.  A.  G.] 

GROTON   AS   A   SHIRE   TOWN. 

In  the  year  1729  an  attempt  was  made  to  divide  Middlesex 
and  form  a  new  county  from  its  northwestern  section.  The 
matter  is  referred  to  in  the  Reverend  Wilkes  Allen's  History 
of  Chelmsford  (page  44),  where  it  says  that  a  committee  was 
appointed  in  Chelmsford,  during  that  year  and  the  four  fol- 
lowing ones,  to  meet  with  committees  from  other  places  in 
order  to  carry  out  the  scheme.  The  author  gives  a  list  of  the 
towns  to  be  embraced  in  the  new  county,  which  were  Groton, 
Townsend,  Pepperell,  Dunstable,  Merrimack,  Dracut,  Litch- 
field, Chelmsford,  Westford,  Littleton,  Concord,  Bedford, 
Billerica,  and  Tewksbury.  At  that  time  Merrimack  and 
Litchfield  were  considered  as  belonging  to  Massachusetts  ; 
but  after  the  running  of  the  provincial  line  in  the  spring  of 
1 741,  they  fell  on  the  New  Hampshire  side  of  the  boundary. 
It  is  a  mistake,  however,  to  include  Pepperell  in  the  list,  as 


that  town  was  not  incorporated  for  many  years  after  this 
period,  either  as  a  precinct  or  as  a  district.  Bedford  and 
Westford  were  both  set  off  as  towns  on  September  23,  1729, 
and  doubtless,  as  new  settlements,  were  interested  in  the  pro- 
ject;  but  Townsend,  not  incorporated  until  June  29,  1732, 
and  Tewksbury,  not  until  December  23,  1734,  could  have 
taken  no  part  in  the  movement. 

Rufus  C.  Torrey,  Esq.,  in  his  History  of  Fitchburg,  Massa- 
chusetts (1865  edition),  refers  to  the  same  subject,  and  says 
that  the  inhabitants  of  Lunenburg  in  1729  chose  Captain 
Josiah  Willard  as  their  agent  to  join  with  others  to  consider 
what  may  be  best  in  order  to  divide  the  county  of  Middlesex. 
This  scheme  resulted  in  the  formation  of  Worcester  County, 
on  April  2,  1731,  which  took  eight  towns  from  Middlesex, 
besides  others  from  Suffolk  and  Hampshire.  It  was  a  dis- 
tinct affair  from  the  one  mentioned  in  the  History  of  Chelms- 
ford.    Mr.  Torrey  furthermore  says  :  — 

In  a  little  more  than  two  years  after  this,  attempts  were  made 
to  form  a  new  county  out  of  the  counties  of  Worcester  and 
Middlesex,  of  which  Groton  was  to  be  the  shire  town.  These  at- 
tempts in  a  short  time  were  abandoned.     (Page  39.) 

Further  particulars  are  given  in  the  following  extracts  from 
the  Journal  of  the  House  of  Representatives,  under  the  re- 
spective dates  of  June  15  and  17,  1736. 

On  a  motion  made  and  seconded  by  divers  members,  Ordered, 
That  the  House  will  enter  into  the  consideration  of  the  Petition  of 
Benjamin  Prescot,  Esq ;  and  Capt.  yoseph  Blanchard,  for  them- 
selves and  others,  praying  for  a  division  of  the  Countys  of  Middlesex 
and  Worcester  on  Thursday  next  the  -i.'jth.  currant  in  the  forenoon. 
(Page  49.) 

According  to  the  order  of  Tuesday  last  the  House  enter'd  into 
the  consideration  of  the  Petition  of  Benjamin  Prescot,  Esq ;  and 
Capt.  Joseph  Blanchard,  Agents  for  Groton,  Dunstable,  &c.  praying 
for  a  new  County  to  be  erected  partly  out  of  Middlesex  and  partly 
out  of  Worcester  Q,o\xti\.-^?,,  as  entred  the  xZth.  of  June  last,  and  idth. 


of  March  and  referred ;  the  same  being  read,  with*  the  respective 
answers  thereto,  and  some  debate  being  had,  the  following  Vote 
passed,  viz.  In  answer  to  the  within  Petition,  Ordered,  That  the 
prayer  thereof  be  so  far  granted  as  that  the  Towns  of  Groton,  Dun- 
stable, Littleton,  Wesford,  Dracut,  Nottingham,  Townshend,  Lunen- 
burgh,  and  Harvard,  with  the  Towns  lately  granted,  and  lying 
Northerly  and  Westerly  of  the  Towns  afore  enumerated,  and  not 
already  included  in  any  County,  be  and  hereby  are  erected  into  a 
seperate  and  distinct  County  by  themselves,  to  all  intents  and  pur- 
poses in  the  Law,  and  that  the  Petitioners  have  leave  to  bring  in  a 
Bill  accordingly.     Sent  up  for  Concurrence.     (Page  51.) 

The  question  of  dividing  the  county  does  not  appear  to 
have  been  brought  forward  again  for  nearly  thirty  years.  In 
the  Journal  of  the  House  of  Representatives,  June  6,  1764, 
the  following  entry  is  found :  — 

A  Petition  of  Capt.  Abel  Lawrence  and  others,  Agents  for  several 
Towns  in  the  County  of  Middlesex,  praying  that  sundry  Towns  in 
the  County  of  Middlesex  and  Worcester  as  mentioned,  may  be 
erected  into  a  seperate  County. 

Read  and  Ordered,  That  the  Petitioners  insert  Copies  of  this 
Petition  in  all  the  Boston  News-Papers  three  Weeks  successively, 
that  so  the  several  Towns  in  the  Counties  of  Middlesex  and  Worces- 
ter, may  shew  Cause,  if  any  they  have,  on  the  second  Wednesday  of 
the  next  Session  of  this  Court,  why  the  Prayer  thereof  should  not 
be  granted.     Sent  up  for  Concurrence.     (Page  39.) 

The  petition  is  given  in  "The  Massachusetts  Gazette  and 
Boston  News-Letter,"  August  23,  1764,  and  sets  forth  the 
reasons  for  the  division.     It  is  as  follows :  — 

Province  of  the  Massachusetts-Bay. 

TO  HIS  EXCELLENCY  FRANcis  Bernard,  Esq; 

Captain-General  and  Governor  in  Chief  in  and  over  His  MAJ- 
ESTY'S said  Province ;  and  to  the  Honorable  His  Majesty's 
Council,  and  House  of  Representatives,  in  General  Court  as- 
sembled at  Boston,  December,  A.  D.  1763. 


The  PetitioJt  of  the  Subscribers,  Agents  for  the  several  Towns 
and  Districts,  viz.  of  Groton,  and  District  of  Shirley,  and  Pepper- 
rell,  as  also  the  Towns  of  Westford,  Lyttleton  and  Townshend,  in 
the  County  of  Middlesex,  and  the  Town  of  Lunenburg,  and  the 
Township  oilpswich-Canada  [Winchendon],  and  Dorchester-Canada 
(so  called)   [Ashburnham]  in  the  County  of   Worcester.      Humbly 

sheweth, 

That  your  Petitioners   and  their  Predecessors,   inhabiting   the 
several  Towns  and  Districts  aforesaid,  from  the  first  Settlements  of 
said  Towns  and  Districts  have,   and  still  do  labour  under  great 
Difficulty  and  Burthen,  by  Reason  of  the  great  Distance  they  live 
from  the  usual  Place  of  holding  the  several  Courts  of  Justice  within 
the  Counties  aforesaid,  as  well  as  the  Courts  of  Probate  in  the  same 
Counties  ;  many  of  the  Inhabitants  living  fifty,  some  forty,  and  few 
less  than  thirty  Miles  from  the  Courts  of  Probate  aforesaid,  which 
renders  it  at  all  Times  very  difficult  and  sometimes  impossible,  for 
poor  Widows  and  others  to  attend  the  Probate  Courts,  and  other 
Courts  of  Justice,  without  great  Expence ;  by  Means  whereof,  many 
times  Actions  are  and  necessarily  must  be  continued,  to  the  great 
Cost  and  Charge,  oftentimes,  to  poor  Orphan  Children,  and  others 
who  are  necessarily  obliged  to  attend  said  Courts  ;  and  this  almost 
inconceivable  Difficulty  and  Burden  daily  increases,  in  Proportion 
to  the  Increase  of  the  Inhabitants  of  said  Counties,  which  are  now 
so  large,  that  the  Inferior  as  well  as  Superior  Courts  are  frequently 
obliged  to  adjourn  over  Sundays,  in  order  to  finish  the  necessary 
Business  of  said  Courts,  to  the  great  Cost  and  Damages  of  many 
poor  Witnesses  and  Jurymen,  and  others  who  are  obliged  to  attend, 
&c.     Wherefore  your  Petitioners,  in  behalf  of  themselves  and  the 
several  Towns  and  Districts  aforesaid,  most  earnestly  pray  Your 
Excellency  and  Honors  to  take  their  difficult  Case  under  your  wise 
Consideration,  and  pass  such  Acts  and  Laws,  as  that  the  Towns 
and  Districts   aforesaid,  together  with  the  Towns  of   Chelmsford, 
Dracut,  Dunstable,  and  Stow,  in  the  County  of  Middlesex,  and  the 
towns  of  Harvard  and  Leominster,  in  the  county  of  Worcester  (or 
such  of  said  Towns  and  Plantations,  or  any  others,  as  your  Excel- 
lency and  Honors  shall  think  fit)  may  be  erected  and  incorporated 
into  a  separate  and  distinct  County,  and  that  the  same  may  be  in- 
vested with  all  the  Privileges  that  other  Counties  have  and  enjoy 
in  this  Province ;  or  otherwise  grant  Relief  as  Your  Excellency  and 
Honors,  in  Your  known  Wisdom  and  Goodness  shall  see  meet,  and 


Your  Petitioners  in  behalf  of  themselves  and  the  several  Towns  theiy 
represent,  as  in  Duty  bound,  shall  ever  pray. 

Abel  Lawrence 

Oliver  Prescott 

Jonas  Cutler  )>  Agents  for  Groton. 

James  Prescot 

Josiah  Sartell 

Jonath.  Lawrence  \ 

Thomas  Warren      \  Agents  for  Lyitleton. 

Joseph  Harwood     ) 

Jonas  Prescott         \ 

William  Fletcher     >  Agents 'for  Westford. 

Jabez  Peep  [Keep']  ) 

Benjamin  Brooks,  Agent  for  Townshend. 

William  Prescott,  Agent  for  Pepperrell. 

Hezekiah  Sawtell,  Agent  for  Shirley. 

In  the  House  of  Representatives, 

June  the  14th.  1764. 
Read,  and  ordered,  That  the  Petitioners  insert  Copies  of  this 
Petition  in  all  the  Boston  News  Papers,  three  Weeks  successively, 
that  so  the  several  Towns  in  the  Counties  oi  Middlesex  and  Worces- 
ter may  shew  Cause  (if  any  they  have)  on  the  Second  Wednesday  of 
the  next  Session  of  this  Court,  why  the  Prayer  thereof  should  not 
be  granted. 

Sent  up  for  Concurrence, 

Thos.  Clapp,  Speak'r,  Pro  Tempr. 
In  Council,  yune  14.  1764,  read  and  concurred. 

A.  Oliver,  Sec'ry. 

It  will  be  seen  that  the  spelling  of  some  of  the  names  of 
these  towns  differs  from  the  modern  method.  Lyttleton, 
Townshend,  and  Pepperrell  were  formerly  common  ways  of 
writing  them.  It  is  somewhat  doubtful  how  Littleton  got  its 
name ;  but  Townsend  was  so  called  from  Viscount  Towns- 
hend, a  member  of  the  Privy  Council,  and  Pepperell  from  Sir 
William  Pepperrell,  the  hero  of  the  capture  of  Louisburg,  who 
always  wrote  his  surname  with  a  double  "  r."  While,  therefore, 
these  forms  were  correct  more  than  a  century  ago,  long  and 
good  usage  has  decided  against  them. 

It  is  useless  now  to  speculate  on  what  might  have  been,  if 
the  prayer  of  the  petitioners  had  been  granted.     It  would 


have  materially  changed  the  destiny  of  Groton,  which  was  to 
be  the  shire  town  of  the  new  county. 

On  February  6,  J776,  an  Act  was  passed  removing  the  No- 
vember term  of  the  Court  of  General  Sessions  of  the  Peace 
and  Court  of  Common  Pleas  from  Charlestown  to  Groton, 
presumably  on  account  of  the  disturbances  of  the  War.  Two 
years  later,  on  September  23,  1778,  this  November  term  was 
transferred  to  Cambridge,  to  take  the  place  of  the  May  term, 
which  in  turn  was  brought  to  Groton,  where  it  remained  till 
the  spring  of  1787.  The  sessions  of  the  Court  were  held  in 
the  First  Parish  Meeting-house;  and  the  Court  ,was  sitting 
here  during  the  famous  dark  day  of  May  19,  1780,  when  can- 
dles had  to  be  used. 

It  is  highly  probable  that  Shays's  Rebellion,  which  occurred 
during  the  summer  and  autumn  of  1786,  had  some  connection 
with  the  removal  of  these  sessions  from  Groton.  The  uprising 
in  Middlesex  County  was  confined  exclusively  to  this  neigh- 
borhood, and  the  insurgents  always  felt  a  bitter  spite  against 
the  Court  of  Common  Pleas,  which  they  tried  to  abolish.  The 
action  of  the  Legislature  in  making  the  change  seems  to  have 
been  in  part  retributive. 

The  Court  House  at  Concord  was  burned  down  early  on 
the  morning  of  June  20,  1849,  during  a  session  of  the  Court. 
The  County  Commissioners  declined  to  rebuild,  and  left  the 
matter  to  the  next  General  Court.  On  February  13,  1850, 
Mr.  Boutwell,  then  a  member  of  the  Legislature,  presented  to 
that  body  a  petition  of  Nathaniel  P.  Smith  and  others,  that 
the  terms  of  the  Court  of  Common  Pleas  ordered  to  be  held 
at  Concord,  should  be  held  at  Groton ;  and  the  question  was 
duly  referred  to  the  Committee  on  the  Judiciary.  The  sub- 
ject was  followed  up,  on  March  18,  by  petitions  from  Pepper- 
ell,  Townsend,  Shirley,  Littleton,  and  other  neighboring  towns, 
in  aid  of  Mr.  Smith's  petition,  which  all  took  the  same  course. 
On  March  26  the  committee  reported  leave  to  withdraw,  which 
recommendation  was  carried  on  April  8,  after  a  long  debate. 
The  matter  again  came  up  in  another  form  on  the  15th,  when 
the  project  for  a  change  was  defeated  for  the  last  time. 

Some  years  ago,  the  late  Ellis  Ames,  Esq.,  of  Canton,  Mas- 


sachusetts,  by  my  request  furnished  the  following  account  of 

the  Probate  Courts  held  here,  which  forms  a  fit  supplement  to 

this  article. 

Groton  Probate  Court. 

No  statute  in  the  Provincial  period  regulated  the  times  and  places 
of  holding  Probate  Courts.  I  suppose  the  Probate  Judges  held 
their  Courts  at  the  Court  House  on  days  of  which  they  had  before 
given  notice  to  the  public. 

By  the  Constitution  of  Massachusetts,  which  went  into  effect  on 
October  25,  1780,  the  Judges  of  Probate  were  required  to  hold  their 
Courts  at  such  places,  on  fixed  days,  as  the  convenience  of  the 
people  should  demand,  and  the  General  Court  was  required  from 
time  to  time  thereafter  to  appoint  times  and  places  for  holding 
Probate  Courts,  until  which  appointments  the  Courts  were  to  be 
holden  at  such  times  and  places  as  the  respective  Judges  of  Pro- 
bate should  direct. 

The  General  Court  did  not,  by  any  law,  fix  times  or  places  for 
holding  Probate  Courts  in  Middlesex  County  until,  by  a  statute 
passed  June  14,  1813,  a  Probate  Court  was  ordered  to  be  held 
at  Groton  on  the  first  Tuesday  in  March,  on  the  second  Tuesday  in 
May,  and  on  the  third  Tuesday  in  October. 

A  change  was  made  in  the  law  by  statute  passed  February  14, 
1822,  when  the  Probate  Courts  in  Groton  were  required  to  be  held 
on  the  first  Tuesday  of  May,  the  last  Tuesday  of  September,  and 
the  last  Tuesday  of  December. 

By  a  law  passed  on  March  20,  1832,  the  Probate  Courts  at 
Groton  were  required  to  be  held  on  the  first  Tuesdays  of  May  and 
November,  which  was  continued  by  the  Revised  Statutes  of  1836. 

By  statute  of  1856,  Chap.  273,  the  first  Tuesday  of  November 
was  changed  to  the  third  Tuesday  of  October.  By  statute  of  1857, 
Chap.  78,  the  Probate  Courts  at  Groton  were  required  to  be  held 
on  the  fourth  Tuesdays  of  May  and  September,  which  last  provision 
was  carried  into  the  General  Statutes,  and  by  the  statute  of  March 
30,  1866,  these  two  Groton  Probate  Courts  were  removed  to  be 
held  at  Cambridge,  since  which  time  no  Probate  Court  has  been 
held  at  Groton. 

October  20,  1877. 

An  Act  was  passed  by  the  Legislature,  on  June  15,  1821, 
authorizing  the  Judge  of  Probate  to  hold  a  special  Court  at 
Groton,  on  the  second  Tuesday  of  August  of  that  year. 


DESTRUCTIVE   TORNADO.      . 

The  following  description  of  a  destructive  tornado  in  War- 
wick, Massachusetts,  on  September  9,  1821,  was  written  by 
the  postmaster  of  that  town.  It  is  given  in  a  letter  addressed 
to  the  late  Caleb  Butler,  Esq.,  under  these  circumstances. 

An  account  book  had  been  picked  up  by  the  wayside  near 
Sandy  Pond,  in  the  south  part  of  Groton.  It  was  found  by 
the  late  Eliab  G.  Bolton,  who  judged,  from  the  pieces  of 
shingles  and  other  rubbish  scattered  about,  that  there  had 
been  a  severe  gale  in  the  neighborhood,  and  the  fragments 
brought  here  by  the  wind.  The  book  was  fourteen  inches  in 
length,  five  and  a  half  in  width,  and  nearly  half  an  inch  in 
thickness.  It  had  a  pasteboard  cover,  on  which  was  written, 
in  a  large  and  clear  handwriting,  "  Blotter,  1802."  The  book 
was  given  to  Mr.  Butler,  who,  on  hearing  of 'the  tornado  at 
Warwick,  wrote  to  the  postmaster  of  that  town  about  it,  and 
received  in  reply  the  following  letter.  By  a  coincidence  the 
postmaster  happened  to  be  the  very  man  who  had  made  and 
lettered  the  Blotter  nearly  twenty  years  before.  The  shortest 
distance  between  Warwick  and  Groton  is  forty-five  miles,  and 
the  fragments,  carried  at  a  great  height,  must  have  gone  much 
farther  even  than  this.  The  exact  time  of  their  falling  is  not 
known,  as  it  occurred  after  dark. 

Warwick  October    1821  — 
Caleb  Butler  Esq. 

Sir — Yours  of  the  24*  Ult.  was  received  in  due  course  of  mail 
—  stating  that  clapboards  shingles  books  &c.  had  been  found  in  the 
fields  in  Groton,  which  were  supposed  to  be  carried  from  Warwick 
by  the  wind  in  the  late  Tornado.  There  is  no  doubt  of  the  fact,  as 
there  has  been  found  in  Winchendon  and  Fitchburg  large  quantities 
of  the  ruins  of  buildings  that  went  from  this  place. 

The  daybook  mentioned  in  your  letter  was  the  property  of  Eben- 
ezer  Willson,  who  at  the  time  of  the  dates,  kept  a  tavern  in  this 

place.  —  He  commenced  business  on  the  i£  day  of  April  1802 

about  which  time  it  is  probable,  the  accounts  in  the  book  begin 


according  to  the  description  you  give  of  the  book,  it  was  made  & 
letter'd  on  the  cover,  by  my  own  hand.  A  leaf  of  Willson's  Ledger 
was  picked  up  in  Winchendon  containing  an  account  against  my- 
self &  James  Ball  in  the  year  1802,  which  is  probably  posted 
from  the  daybook  in  your  possession  —  If  so,  you  will  find  me 
charged  with  i  cwt.  hay  April  5^  —  50  —  [cents]  May  6*  74""  hay, 
34  &  August  12"'  2  Pts  brandy,  58. — 

I  am  well  acquainted  with  all  the  names  you  mention,  and  the 
charges  against  them  will  give  you  a  very  good  idea  of  the  char- 
acter &  habits  of  some  of  them.  Said  Willson  removed  from  this 
place  to  Upper  Canada,  and  left  his  accounts  &  papers  with  his 
father  (Jonathan  Willson)  in  this  town,  whose  Dwelling-house,  Barn 
&  out  Buildings  were  all  demolished,  and  the  greatest  part  of  their 
contents  carried  away  by  the  late  Tornado.  Those  buildings  in  the 
centre  of  the  track  of  the  Whirlwind,  were  more  exposed  to  its  rava- 
ges, than  any  others  in  its  whole  extent.  I  visited  this  place  about 
an  hour  after  the  wind  had  passed,  but  have  it  not  in  my  power  to 
picture  to  your  view,  this  field  of  desolation  —  everything  was  swept 
close  to  the  ground,  and  that  considerably  torn  up.  The  orchard 
was  carried  all  away  —  scarcely  a  tree  within  sight,  and  the  heavy 
stone  walls  were  level  with  the  earth.  From  the  best  information 
I  can  obtain,  those  buildings  we[re]  demolished  in  less  than  10  sec- 
onds of  time.  The  family,  six  in  number,  who  were  all  in  the 
house,  were  providentially  saved  from  instant  death.  Two  boys 
escaped  without  injury,  the  other  four  were  taken  up  much  bruised 
and  wounded  —  one  was  found  in  the  cellar,  one  was  taken  up  in  the 
wind,  and  after  being  knocked  about  by  the  flying  timbers,  fell  a 
little  distance  from  where  the  house  stood  —  the  other  two  were 
found  in  different  directions,  among  the  small  quantity  of  ruins  that 
remained  on  the  ground.  Their  confinement  is  a  very  great  addi- 
tion to  their  other  sufferings.  Many  others  have  suffered  severely, 
and  some  have  lost,  perhaps,  a  greater  amount  of  property,  but  no 
others  have  suffered  the  loss  of  every  thing  that  is  necessary  for  up- 
holding life,  and  at  the  same  time  deprived  of  their  own  exertions 
to  save  the  scatter'd  remnants,  or  provide  a  shelter  for  the  ap- 
proaching inclement  season.  When  we  look  for  the  Buildings  & 
conveniences  of  50  years  industry  and  prudence,  and  find  noth- 
ing, and  when  we  enquire  for  the  subjects  of  this  calamity  and  are 
conducted  to  their  beds  where  they  are  confined  to  pain  &  anxious 
solicitude,  the  stoutest  heart  withdraws  in  tears,  to  wash  away  an 
accumulated  load  of  sympathetic  sorrows. 


lO 

The  people  in  this  place  are  doing  what,  they  can,  to  repair  the 
loss  of  all  the  sufferers.  The  town  has  appropriated  J  700,  for  their 
immediate  necessities;  but  the  loss  is  so  extensive,  that  it  seems 
impossible  for  the  people  here,  to  grant  the  relief  which  their  situa- 
tions require,  and  repair  the  damages  which  the  sufferers  have  sus- 
tained. We  count  five  Dwelling  houses  and  thirteen  Barns,  together 
with  a  great  number  of  other  buildings,  which  were  demolished,  and 
their  contents  broken  to  pieces  and  scattered  over  a  vast  extent  of 
territory :  to  this  calamity  we  may  add,  a  very  great  amount  of  Prop- 
erty destroyed,  in  wood,  timber,  orchards,  fences  and  domestic 
animals.  If  any  of  the  calamities  to  which  the  human  family  are 
subject,  ever  demanded  the  charity  of  the  Public,  I  think  this  is  one 
of  the  number  ;  and  I  am  requested  by  the  Central  Committee 
in  this  town,  viz.  Justus  Russell  Esq.  Joshua  Atwood  &  Josiah 
Procter,  thro  this  medium,  to  solicit  of  the  inhabitants  of  the  town 
of  Groton  such  assistance  as  they  may  feel  disposed  to  grant  to  the 
sufferers  in  this  place.  You,  sir,  will  have  the  goodness  to  commu- 
nicate to  the  Selectmen,  or  other  proper  persons,  the  desire  of  the 
aforesaid  Committee.  Your  compliance  will  confer  a  signal  favour 
upon  your  friend  &  Very  Humble  Servant, 

Wm  Cobb 

The  letter  is  addressed  on  the  outside  to 

Caleb  Butler  Esq' 
Groton  Ms. 

and  franked  in  the  right-hand  upper  corner  thus:  — 

Free  —      Wm.  Cobb  P.  M. 

Warwick  Ms  c^ 
The  tornado  happened  on  a  Sunday  afternoon,  between  five 
and  six  o'clock;  and  the  dark,  heavy  cloud  betokening  the 
event  was  noticed  by  several  persons  at  Groton.  I  was  told  by 
the  late  Dr.  Amos  B.  Bancroft,  that  Mr.  Butler  himself  saw  the 
cloud  from  Walter  Dickson's  house  on  Farmers'  Row,  where  he 
and  others  were  engaged  at  the  time  in  practising  singing  for 
the  Sunday  evening  exercises.  The  Blotter  and  Mr.  Cobb's 
letter  are  now  deposited  in  the  library  of  the  Essex  Institute 
at  Salem,  where  it  is  filed  among  the  manuscripts,  and  marked 
"Blotter— 1802."  An  account  of  this  tornado  is  found  in 
Blake's  History  of  Warwick,  which  says  that  "  a  part  of  a 
leaf  [.?]  of  an  account-book  was  found  in  Groton,  about  sixty 


II 

miles  from  the  house  where  it  was  deposited  in  a  chamber" 
(page  107).  The  distance,  however,  as  given  by  Mr.  Blake,  is 
somewhat  exaggerated. 

"The  Massachusetts  Spy"  (Worcester),  September  12, 
gives  the  following  description  of  the  gale :  — 

On  Sunday  afternoon  last  [September  9],  about  6  o'clock,  a 
most  destructive  tornado  was  experienced  in  Northfield,  Warwick 
and  Orange,  in  the  County  of  Franklin.  It  commenced  near  the 
middle  of  the  town  of  Northfield,  passing  with  desolating  fury,  in  a 
direction  nearly  east,  until  it  was  arrested  by  "  Tully's  Mountain," 
about  two  miles  north  of  Athol  Meeting-House.  It  first  struck  and 
demolished  a  house  and  barn  in  Northfield  —  and  thence  passed  to 
the  easterly  part  of  that  town,  and  destroyed  the  house  of  Chapin 
Holton,  seriously  injuring  him.  From  Northfield  it  passed  into 
Warwick,  completely  demolishing,  in  its  course,  the  house  of  a  Mr. 
Brown,  a  daughter  of  whom,  about  fourteen  years  of  age,  perished 
in  its  ruins — and  the  barn  and  out-buildings  of  a  Mr.  Ball.  A  little 
distance  east  of  Mr.  Ball's,  in  Orange,  a  house,  two  barns,  and  a 
blacksmith's  shop,  all  belonging  to  Mr.  Smith,  fell  prostrate  before 
the  blast.  The  family,  consisting  of  eleven  individuals,  escaped 
death  by  retreating  to  the  cellar  —  all,  save  one,  a  young  woman 
by  the  name  of  Stearns,  who  was  crushed  to  death  by  the  falling 
timber.  Several  others  were,  however,  so  seriously  injured  that 
their  lives  are  despaired  of. 

We  have  not  room  nor  time,  at  the  late  hour  at  which  we  write, 
to  detail  the  numerous  circumstances  which,  we  learn,  attended  this 
desolating  whirlwind.  The  width  of  its  ravages  was  from  40  to  60 
rods  —  its  length  about  ten  miles.  So  resistless  was  its  force  that 
the  stoutest  trees  were  up-rooted,  stone  fences  removed,  immense 
rocks  torn  from  their  beds,  and  even  the  surface  of  the  earth  itself 
broken  up,  as  if  with  "the  plough-share  of  destruction." 

"  The  Massachusetts  Spy,"  September  26,  contains  an  ac- 
count, taken  from  the  Concord  (N.  H.)  Patriot,  of  another 
violent  hurricane  that  swept  through  the  towns  of  Croydon, 
Wendell,  New  London,  Sutton,  and  Warner,  New  Hampshire, 
at  nearly  the  same  hour  this  tornado  burst  forth  in  Franklin 
County.  They  lie  about  fifty  miles  away,  in  a  northerly 
direction  from  Warwick. 


12 


During  the  preceding  century  a  severe  hurricane  occurred 
in  the  West  Parish  of  Groton,  now  known  as  Pepperell,  of 
which  an  account  appears  in  "The  Boston  Weekly  Post-Boy," 
August  IS,  1748.     It  is  as  follows:  — 

Groton,  West-Parish,  July  30,  1748. 

We  had  here,  last  Thursday,  the  28th  Instant,  a  terrible  Hurri- 
cane, with  shocking  Thunder.  The  Course  of  the  Whirlwind  was 
from  South  to  North,  tho'  often  varying,  sometimes  bearing  to  the 
East  and  sometimes  to  the  West.  It  has  torn  up  a  vast  number  of 
large  Trees  by  the  Roots,  twisted  others  off  in  the  midst,  took  up 
and  carry'd  away  some  Apple  Trees  to  such  a  Distance  that  they 
could  not  readily  be  found,  removed  some  large  Logs  from  the 
Ground,  and  carry'd  them  to  some  Distance  from  the  Place  where 
they  lay ;  entirely  demolishing  two  or  three  Buildings,  taking  off 
part  of  the  Roofs  of  some,  moving  others  a  Foot  or  two  from  the 
Foundation  :  It  hath  carried  away  a  considerable  part  of  the  Roof 
of  the  Meeting-House,  threw  down  the  Fences,  Stone-Walls,  laid 
the  Corn  even  with  the  Ground;  the  Air  was  fiU'd  with  Leaves, 
Hay,  Dust,  Pieces  of  Timber,  and  Boughs  of  Trees  of  considerable 
bigness,  for  a  Quarter  of  an  Hour,  which  was  the  Time  it  was  in 
passing  thro'  the  Parish ;  one  House  which  it  took  in  its  Way  was 
garrison'd  ;  one  Side  of  the  Garrison  was  thrown  with  great  Vio- 
lence against  the  House,  the  other  Sides  levell'd  with  the  Ground, 
and  part  of  the  House  carry'd  away:  There  was  a  Woman  and 
three  small  Children  in  the  House,  who  were  all  wonderfully  pre- 
served, from  receiving  the  least  Hurt.  Notwithstanding  the  great 
Desolation  made  among  us,  there  was  not  Life  lost,  thro'  the  divine 
Goodness,  tho'  many  Persons  were  in  imminent  Danger.  We  have 
not  yet  heard  where  it  began ;  it  went  quite  thro'  the  Parish ;  it's 
Impetuosity  ceased  near  the  Line  between  Hampshire  and  this 
Province,  which  is  not  far  from  us.  Damage  sustain'd  by  one  man 
is  very  considerable,  what  in  the  Destruction  of  his  Buildings,  Corn, 
Hay,  Fences,  &c.  he  has  lost  above  500/. 

This  description  was  written,  undoubtedly,  by  the  Reverend 
Joseph  Emerson,  the  minister  of  the  West  Parish  at  that  time, 
as  it  is  substantially  the  same  as  the  one  given  in  the  parish 
records,  according  to  Mr.  Butler's  History  (pages  347,  348). 


13 


TWO   GROTON   CONVENTIONS. 

A  Convention  was  held  in  the  Orthodox  Meeting-house 
at  Groton,  on  October  i  and  2,  1834,  for  the  purpose  of  organ- 
izing a  County  Anti-slavery  Society.  It  was  noted  for  the 
presence  of  the  English  abolitionist,  George  Thompson,  and 
other  well-known  reformers.  It  was  at  this  meeting  that  Mr. 
Thompson  made  his  first  public  appearance  in  America,  and 
this  fact  gave  the  Convention  a  certain  notoriety.  To  his 
logic  and  eloquence  Lord  Brougham  had  attributed  the  tri- 
umph of  the  anti-slavery  cause  in  England,  saying  to  the 
House  of  Lords,  "  I  rise  to  take  the  crown  of  the  most 
glorious  victory  from  every  other  head,  and  place  it  on  George 
Thompson's.  He  has  done  more  than  any  other  man  to 
achieve  it."  It  can  readily  be  understood  that  such  a  person 
would  produce  an  impression  in  any  assembly.  He  had  just 
arrived  in  Boston,  and  it  was  arranged  by  William  Lloyd 
Garrison  and  the  Reverend  Samuel  J.  May  that  he  should 
accompany  them  to  the  Convention,  then  about  to  take  place 
at  Groton. 

In  Mr.  May's  book,  entitled  "  Some  Recollections  of  our 
Anti-slavery  Conflict''  (Boston,  1869),  is  an  account  of  their 
trip,  as  follows:  — 

At  that  time  I  was  devoting  a  few  weeks  of  permitted  absence 
from  my  church  in  [Brooklyn]  Connecticut  to  a  lecturing  tour  in 
the  anti-slavery  cause,  and  came  to  Mr.  Garrison's  house  in  Rox- 
bury  an  hour  after  the  arrival  of  Mr.  Thompson.  He  readily 
consented  to  go  with  us  the  next  day  to  Groton,  there  to  attend 
a  county  convention.  We  gladly  spent  the  remainder  of  the  day 
together,  in  an  earnest  and  prayerful  communion  over  the  great 
work  in  which  we  had  engaged  ;  and  at  night  repaired  to  lodge  at 
the  Earl  Hotel  in  Hanover  Street,  that  we  might  not  fail  to  be  off 
for  Groton  the  next  morning  at  four  o'clock,  in  the  first  stage-coach, 
no  conveyance  thither  by  railroad  being  extant  then. 

At  the  appointed  hour,  the  house  being  well  filled,  the  meeting 
was  called  to  order,  and  business  commenced.     As  all  were  eager 


14 

to  see  and  hear  the  great  English  orator,  preliminary  matters  were 
disposed  of  as  soon  as  practicable.  Then  Mr.  Thompson  was 
called  up  by  a  resolution,  enthusiastically  passed,  declaring  our 
appreciation  of  the  inestimable  value  of  his  anti-slavery  labors  in 
England,  our  joy  that  he  had  come  to  aid  us  to  deliver  our  country 
from  the  dominion  of  slaveholders,  and  our  wish  that  he  would 
occupy  as  much  of  the  time  of  the  convention  as  his  inclination 
might  prompt  and  his  strength  would  enable  him  to  do.  He  rose, 
and  soon  enchained  the  attention  of  all  present.  He  set  forth  the 
essential  immitigable  sin  of  holding  human  beings  as  slaves  in  a 
light,  if  possible,  more  vivid,  more  intense,  than  even  Mr.  Garrison 
had  thrown  upon  that  "sum  of  all  villanies."  He  illustrated  and 
sustained  his  assertions  by  the  most  pertinent  facts  in  the  history 
of  West  India  slavery.  He  inculcated  the  spirit  in  which  we  ought 
to  prosecute  our  endeavor  to  emancipate  the  bondmen, — a  spirit 
of  compassion  for  the  masters  as  well  as  their  slaves,  —  a  compas- 
sion too  considerate  of  the  harm  which  the  slaveholder  suffers,  as 
well  as  inflicts,  to  consent  to  any  continuance  of  the  iniquity.  He 
most  solemnly  enjoined  the  use  of  only  moral  and  political  means 
and  instrumentalities  to  effect  the  subversion  and  extermination  of 
the  gigantic  system  of  iniquity,  although  it  seemed  to  tower  above 
and  overshadow  the  civil  and  religious  institutions  of  our  country. 
He  showed  us  that  he  justly  appreciated  the  greater  difficulties  of 
the  work  to  be  done  in  our  land,  than  of  that  which  had  just  been 
so  gloriously  accomplished  in  England,  but  exhorted  us  to  trust 
undoubtedly  in  "the  might  of  the  right,"  — the  mercy,  the  justice, 
the  power  of  God,  —  and  to  go  forward  in  the  full  assurance  that 
He,  who  had  crowned  the  labors  of  the  British  Abolitionists  with 
such  a  triumph,  would  enable  us  in  a  like  manner  to  accomplish  the 
greater  work  he  had  given  us  to  do. 

Mr.  Thompson  then  went  on  to  give  us  a  graphic,  glowing 
account  of  the  long  and  fierce  conflict  they  had  had  in  England  for 
the  abolition  of  slavery  in  the  British  West  Indies.  His  eloquence 
rose  to  a  still  higher  order.  His  narrative  became  a  continuous 
metaphor,  admirably  sustained.  He  represented  the  anti-slavery 
enterprise  in  which  he  had  been  so  long  engaged  as  a  stout, 
well-built  ship,  manned  by  a  noble-hearted  crew,  launched  upon 
a  stormy  ocean,  bound  to  carry  inestimable  relief  to  800,000 
sufferers  in  a  far  distant  land.  He  clothed  all  the  kinds  of  oppo- 
sition  they  had  met,  all  the  difficulties  they  had  contended  with 


IS 

in  imagery  suggested  by  the  observation  and  experience  of  the 
voyager  across  the  Atlantic  in  the  most  tempestuous  season  of  the 
year.  In  the  height  of  his  descriptions,  my  attention  was  withdi^wn 
from  the  emotions  enkindled  in  my  own  bosom  sufficiently  to 
observe  the  effect  |of  his  eloquence  upon  half  a  dozen  boys,  of 
twelve  or  fourteen  years  of  age,  sitting  together  not  far  from  the 
platform.  They  were  completely  possessed  by  it.  When  the  ship 
reeled  or  plunged  or  staggered  in  the  storms,  they  unconsciously 
went  through  the  same  motions.  When  the  enemy  attacked  her, 
the  boys  took  the  liveliest  part  in  battle,  —  manning  the  guns,  or 
handing  shot  or  shell,  or  pressing  forward  to  repulse  the  boarders. 
When  the  ship  struck  upon  an  iceberg,  the  boys  almost  fell  from 
their  seats  in  the  recoil.  When  the  sails  and  topmasts  were  well- 
nigh  carried  away  by  the  gale,  they  seemed  to  be  straining  them- 
selves to  prevent  the  damage ;  and  when  at  length  the  ship 
triumphantly  sailed  into  her  destined  port  with  colors  flying  and 
signals  of  glad  tidings  floating  from  her  topmast,  and  the  shout  of 
welcome  rose  from  thousands  of  expectant  freedmen  on  the  shore, 
the  boys  gave  three  loud  cheers,  "  Hurrah  !  Hurrah  ! !  Hurrah  ! ! !  " 
This  irrepressible  explosion  of  their  feelings  brought  them  to  them- 
selves at  once.  They  blushed,  covered  their  faces,  sank  down  on 
their  seats,  one  of  them  upon  the  floor.  It  was  an  ingenuous,  thrill- 
ing tribute  to  the  surpassing  power  of  the  orator,  and  only  added  to 
the  zest  and  heartiness  with  which  the  whole  audience  applauded 
(to  use  the  words  of  another  at  the  time)  "  the  persuasive  reason- 
ings, the  earnest  appeals,  the  melting  pathos,  the  delightful  but 
caustic  irony  and  enrapturing  eloquence  of  Mr.  Thompson." 

Thus  commenced  his  brilliant  career  in  this  country.  The 
Groton  Convention  lasted  two  days,  the  ist  and  2d  of  October. 
Mr.  Thompson  went  thence  immediately  to  Lowell,  where  he  spoke 
to  a  delighted  crowd  on  the  5th.  Four  days  after,  on  the  9th  of 
October,  he  gave  his  first  address  in  Boston.     (Pages  ii6-iig.) 

A  report  of  the  proceedings  is  found  in  "  The  Liberator " 
(Boston),  October  11,  1834.  In  a  notice  of  the  meeting,  Mr. 
Garrison,  the  editor,  says :  — 

We  were  enabled  providentially  to  attend  the  Convention,  in 
company  with  Prof.  [Elizur]  Wright  of  New  York,  Rev.  Mr.  May 
of  Brooklyn  [Connecticut],  and  our  distinguished  coadjutor  from 
abroad,  George  Thompson,  Esq.  As  no  reporter  was  present,  the 
very  able  and  eloquent  speeches  of  these  gentlemen,  as  also  those 


i6 

of  Rev.  Messrs.  Rand  and  Pease  of  Lowell,  and  Rev.  Mr.  Wood- 
bury of  Acton,  must  be  lost  to  the  public,  although  we  trust  the 
effects  of  these  speeches  will  never  cease  to  be  felt.  Mr.  Thompson 
was  received  with  that  hospitality  and  attention  which  are  justly  his 
due.  His  addresses  were  most  happily  conceived,  and  most  felici- 
tously spoken,  much  to  the  admiration  and  edification  of  his  spell- 
bound audience.  He  stood  sublimely  upon  the  apex  of  Christianity, 
and  brought  within  the  scope  of  his  vision  every  tribe  and  nation 
on  the  face  of  the  globe. 

Another  noted  meeting  in  Groton  was  the  Christian  Union 
Convention,  held  on  August  12,  13,  and  14,  1840.  The  call 
for  it  vvras  issued  by  Come-outers,  so  called,  and  Second 
Adventists,  and  had  attracted  the  notice  of  Theodore  Parker, 
at  that  time  a  young  man  of  thirty.  He  proposed  to  some 
of  his  friends,  among  them  Christopher  P.  Cranch  and  George 
Ripley,  that  they  should  walk  to  Groton  and  attend  the 
Convention,  which  suggestion  was  readily  taken  up.  In  his 
journal,  Mr.  Parker  wrote  an  account  of  the  trip  and  the 
meeting,  which  is  given  in  Weiss's  "  Life  and  Correspondence 
of  Theodore  Parker"  (London,  1863).     He  says:  — 

At  Groton  we  went  to  reconnoitre,  and  find  Mr. ,  the  person 

who  called  the  Convention  which  we  went  to  attend.  Our  host 
directed  us  to  a  certain  house,  which  we  could  not  find,  so  we  ac- 
costed a  man  in  the  street,  — 

"  Can  you  tell  us  where  Mr. lives  ?  " 

"  He  boards  witlt  Brother  Hall,  about  a  mile  and  a  half  ofif;  but 
his  wife  is  up  there  in  that  house." 

Ripley  replied,  "  It  is ,  sir,  and  not  his  wife  we  want  to  see." 

"  Oh,  you  will  find  him  down  at  Brother  Rugg's,  just  behind  the 
meetin'-house." 

Thither  we  went,  and  found  a  body  of  men  gathered  about  the 

door  of  the  Brother.     We  were  introduced  to  Mr. and  found 

that  dignified  personage  a  youngster  about  four-and-twenty,  about 
the  middle  size,  with  a  countenance  pleasant  rather  than  otherwise. 
He  had  a  cunning  look,  appeared  designing  and  ambitious.  His 
natural  language  was  not  prepossessing.  It  said  to  me,  "Take 
care  —  take  care  !  "     (I.  125,  126.) 

"Brother  Hall"  was  Benjamin  Hall,  who  lived  at  what  is 
now  known  as  the  Community.    "  Brother  Rugg  "  was  Deacon 


17 

Abel  Rugg,  the  tinman,  who  lived  on  Hollis  Street,  near  the 
Orthodox  Meeting-house.  Mr.  Garrison,  the  editor  of  "  The 
Liberator,"  in  his  issue  of  August  21,  1840,  gives  a  notice 
of  the  gathering,  and  says  that  "a  band  of  choicer  spirits,  we 
venture  to  say,  has  not  been  brought  together  within  the  last 
century."  There  were  about  two  hundred  and  seventy-five 
members  of  the  Convention  from  different  parts  of  New 
England  and  New  York,  not  including  those  of  the  towns- 
people who  naturally  would  be  attracted  to  such  an  assembly. 

Among  the  persons  present  was  " Parker  of  Roxbury  ; " 

as  the  young  minister  who  afterward  became  so  famous  as  a 
writer  and  thinker,  was  styled  in  The  Liberator's  notice. 

The  Convention  was  held  in  a  large  hall,  situated  on  the 
east  side  of  Hollis  Street.  The  building  was  afterward  moved 
to  Main  Street,  and  known  as  Liberty  Hall,  but  subsequently 
burned  on  March  31,  1878.  Dr.  Amos  Farnsworth,  of  Groton, 
was  the  presiding  officer  of  this  meeting,  as  he  was  of  the 
previous  one  in  the  autumn  of  1834.  The  hall  on  Hollis 
Street  was  built  by  the  Second  Adventists,  or  Millerites,  as 
they  were  called  in  this  neighborhood  after  William  Miller, 
one  of  the  founders  of  the  sect.  The  Reverend  Silas  Hawley, 
the  minister  of  the  society  which  used  to  meet  in  this  building, 
was  the  ruling  spirit  of  the  Convention.  It  is  probably  to 
him  that  Mr.  Parker  refers  as  the  person  who  called  the  Con- 
vention. Mr.  Hawley  at  one  time  was  the  editor  of  "The 
Church  Reformer,"  a  semi-monthly  newspaper  printed  in 
Boston  and  devoted  to  various  so-called  reforms.  It  was 
published  in  part  as  an  outcome  of  the  Convention,  which 
warmly  recommended  it  to  the  public  for  their  support. 


i8 


THE   SOAPSTONE   QUARRY. 

This  quarry  was  discovered,  in  the  year  1828,  by  John 
Fitch  on  his  farm  in  Groton,  situated  a  mile  north  of  the 
village.  He  worked  it  in  a  small  way  for  several  subsequent 
years,  sawing  the  stone  by  hand  at  a  shop  by  the  roadside, 
near  his  house ;  but  afterward  he  built  a  steam  mill  at  the 
quarry,  forty  or  fifty  rods  away.  In  the  year  1855  the  estab- 
lishment was  bought  of  the  Fitch  heirs  by  the  Honorable 
Samuel  Adams,  of  Townsend,  and  Daniel  McCaine,  and  dur- 
ing 1857  the  quarry  was  worked  by  Mr.  Adams. 

In  May,  1858,  Mr.  McCaine,  with  his  twin  brother,  David, 
and  another  brother,  William,  removed  from  Francestown, 
New  Hampshire,  to  Groton,  and  took  charge  of  the  business, 
Mr.  Adams  having  died  on  April  5  of  that  year.  They  en- 
larged the  shop,  improved  the  machinery,  and  worked  the 
quarry  on  a  grand  scale.  In  the  spring  of  1859  the  building 
was  burned  down,  and  on  the  same  site  another  and  larger  one 
was  put  up. 

In  1 86 1  the  Adams  heirs  sold  out  their  interest  to  the 
McCaine  brothers,  who  continued  the  business  till  September, 
1864,  when  the  mill  was  again  burned.  The  next  month  the 
property  was  sold  to  a  stock  company,  known  as  the  Groton 
Soapstone  Company,  which  represented  a  capital  of  ;^  100,000. 
Just  before  the  formation  of  this  company,  a  "  Statement " 
regarding  the  location  and  value  of  the  property  was  printed, 
accompanied  by  reports  from  the  Superintendent,  Daniel 
McCaine,  and  the  State  Assayer,  Dr.  Charles  Tracy  Jackson, 
on  the  resources  of  the  quarry.  Their  estimates  were  liberal, 
and  showed,  on  paper,  that  large  profits  would  result  from 
investments  in  the  company. 

In  the  summer  of  1865  the  new  company  completed  their 
mill,  which  was  80  by  50  feet  in  dimensions,  with  engine- 
house  attached.  It  was  run  by  a  Corliss  engine  of  75  horse- 
power, and  contained  six  gangs  of  saws.     It  had  the  latest 


19 

improvements  in  machinery,  and  was  considered  the  best- 
equipped  and  largest  factory  of  its  kind  in  the  country. 

During  the  year  1867  the  McCaine  brothers,  who  were 
still  in  charge  of  the  quarry,  invented  and  patented  a  process 
for  making  artificial  stone.  The  patent  was  subsequently 
sold  to  the  Groton  Soapstone  Company,  which  soon  afterward 
became  the  Union  Stone  Company.  For  a  while  the  new 
process  was  considerably  used  in  connection  with  the  soap- 
stone,  and  finally  became  the  exclusive  business  of  the  com- 
pany. The  affairs  of  the  corporation,  however,  did  not  seem 
to  prosper,  and,  dividends  not  forthcoming,  the  establishment 
was  abandoned  and  dismantled.  The  capital  stock  was  then 
increased,  and  another  mill  built  at  Revere,  near  Boston, 
where  artificial  stone  was  made  under  the  patent. 

The  following  account  is  taken  from  "  The  Groton  Herald," 
May  29,  1830:  — 

Groton  Soap-Stone  Quarry.  —  An  extensive  quarry  of  Soap- 
stone  was  discovered  in  this  town,  about  two  years  since.  It  is  on 
the  land  of  Mr.  J.  Fitch,  who  was  led  to  the  discovery  by  accident, 
and  commenced  penetrating  into  it  immediately,  with  considerable 
success.  We  have  seen  some  specimens  of  the  stone,  that  has 
been  wrought  into  hearths,  which  retains  a  beautiful  polish  —  and 
we  understand  that  while  the  workmen  penetrate  deeper  into  the 
rocky  caverns,  the  stone  becomes  more  pure  and  valuable,  and 
promises  an  inexhaustible  supply.  The  quarry  is  opened  on  the 
side  of  a  hill,  in  two  or  three  places,  and  the  descent  from  the  top 
is  about  forty  feet,  over  projecting  crags  and  huge  blocks  of  stone, 
above  which  stands  a  forest  of  tall  trees  — ■  the  whole  forming  a 
grand  and  pleasing  scene.  The  trees  are  seldom  felled,  and  as 
farther  researches  are  made  into  the  earth,  they  often  fall  to  the 
bottom  of  the  cavitj'  and  are  drawn  out  in  the  manner  that  stone 
is  taken  from  the  opening  of  the  quarry.  New  discoveries  are 
made  almost  daily,  and  we  should  judge  from  the  appearance  of 
what  has  already  been  done,  that  it  is  but  a  slight  introduction  to  a 
vast  territory  of  stone,  of  a  very  valuable  kind. 

Some  minerals  have  also  been  found  in  this  place."  Particles  of 
iron  ore  may  be  seen  among  the  stones,  and  black  lead  has  been 
picked  up  in  considerable  quantities  —  and  minerals  of  different 
colors,  sparkling  among  the  rocks  and  waters,  can  be  distinctly 


20 

discerned.  Several  springs  gush  from  between  the  crags,  and  the 
water  has  filled  the  bottom  of  the  quarry  so  as  to  delay  the  work, 
in  one  or  two  places  ;  but  this  obstruction  is  shortly  to  be  remedied 
by  fixing  pumps  to  take  away  the  water,  and  greater  progress  will 
doubtless  be  made  the  ensuing  Summer,  than  formerly. 

The  situation  of  this  quarry  is  remarkable  for  its  beautiful  and 
romantic  scenery  —  the  wildness  of  nature  which  presents  itself  in 
varying  scenes,  and  the  rich  groves  and  forests  that  appear  on 
every  side.  After  leaving  the  road  we  are  led  about  a  half  mile, 
over  valleys  and  variegated  hills,  till  the  path  begins  to  be  lined  by 
huge  pieces  of  Stone  that  have  been  drawn  from  their  bed  in  im- 
mense quantities,  and  thrown  aside  like  the  worthless  covering  of 
a  more  valuable  substance.  The  quarry  is  hidden  from  the  view 
by  towering  trees  that  overshadow  it,  until  winding  along  the  rocky 
path,  we  stand  before  a  damp  and  craggy  place  that  opens  at  once 
upon  us ;  here  are  heard  the  sounds  of  workmen,  who  are  employed 
in  purging  from  the  bowels  of  the  earth  this  stony  substance  — 
some  of  which  is  so  soft  as  to  yield  to  the  pressure  of  the  fingers, 
while  other  kinds  are  of  a  much  harder  nature.  The  whole  is 
remarkably  smooth  and  soap-like,  and  Mr.  Fitch  owes  his  discovery 
to  the  fact  that  a  part  of  a  stone  adhered  to  his  axe,  as  he  struck 
it  inadvertently,  while  cutting  wood  on  his  farm.  Many  fragments 
were  scattered  over  the  surface  of  the  ground  at  the  time,  but 
they  had  never  excited  attention  until  this  late  period. 

An  attempt  was  made,  about  thirty  years  ago,  to  dig  down 
on  Mr.  Needham's  land  eighty  or  ninety  rods  to  the  south- 
ward of  the  quarry,  in  order  to  strike  the  vein  of  soapstone. 
Many  days  of  fruitless  labor  were  thus  spent,  but  the  dip  of 
the  stone  was  too  deep  to  be  reached. 

Mr.  Fitch's  first  shop  by  the  roadside  was  originally 
attached  to  Major  William  Swan's  house,  —  which  is  now 
occupied  by  Charles  Woolley,  Jr.,  on  the  north  side  of  the 
Common  near  the  burying-ground,  —  and  at  the  end  of  the 
last  century  was  used  as  a  store. 


GROTON   HISTORICAL   SERIES. 
No.  V. 


THE  WESTERN  SOCIETY  OF  MIDDLESEX  HUSBANDMEN. 

RAILROADS    AND    OTHER    CORPORATIONS,    Etc 

MISS    PRESCOTT'S    SCHOOL. 

GROTON   NEWSPAPERS.— GROTON   BAKERY. 

REVOLUTIONARY   ITEMS. 

AN   OLD  WALL.— "THE   NECK." 


GROTON,    MASS. 
1885. 


GROTON,  MASSACHUSETTS,   1885. 
Historical  Series,  No.  V. 


THE  WESTERN  SOCIETY  OF  MIDDLESEX  HUSBAND- 
MEN.—RAILROADS  AND  OTHER  CORPORATIONS, 
Etc.— MISS  PRESCOTT'S  SCHOOL.— GROTON  NEWS- 
PAPERS. —  GROTON  BAKERY.  —  REVOLUTIONARY 
ITEMS.  — AN   OLD   WALL.— "THE   NECK." 

[The  following  articles,  with  the  exception  of  the  last  three,  have 
appeared  at  different  times  either  in  "  The  Groton  Landmark  "  or  the 
"  Groton  Citizen,"  and  are  now  revised  and  reprinted  in  this  Series.  — 
S.  A.  G.] 

THE    WESTERN     SOCIETY     OF     MIDDLESEX 
HUSBANDMEN. 

A  FEW  gentlemen,  living  in  the  westerly  parts  of  Middlesex 
County  and  interested  in  farming,  met  at  Chelmsford,  on 
January  6,  1794,  and  formed  a  Society  for  the  "promotion  of 
useful  improvements  in  agriculture ; "  and  subsequently,  on 
February  28,  1803,  they  were  incorporated  by  an  Act  of  the 
Legislature,  under  the  name  of  "  The  Western  Society  of 
Middlesex  Husbandmen."  The  various  presidents  of  the 
organizatioii  have  been  the  Reverend  Jonathan  Newell,  of 
Stow  ;  the  Reverend  Phineas  Whitney,  of  Shirley ;  the  Rev- 
erend Edmund  Foster,  of  Littleton ;  the  Honorable  Ebenezer 
Bridge,  of  Chelmsford ;  Dr.  Oliver  Prescott,  of  Groton ; 
Colonel  Benjamin  Osgood,  of  Westford  ;  Wallis  Tuttle,  Esq., 
of  Littleton ;  and  the  Honorable  Samuel  Dana,  of  Groton. 
Since  the  date  of  its  incorporation,  and  probably  before  that 
time,  the  Society  met  annually  at  Westford,  Littleton,  and 
Groton,  in  rotation,  but  held  no  public  exhibition. 


The  following  Act  is  found  among  the  laws  of  the  State  : 

An  act  to  incorporate  and  establish  a  society  by  the  name  of 
The  Western  Society  of  Middlesex  Husbandmen. 

Sec.  I.  Be  it  enacted  by  the  Senate  and  House  of  Representatives, 
in  General  Court  assembled,  and  by  the  authority  of  the  same.  That 
Ebenezer  Bridge,  Joseph  B.  Varnum,  Phineas  Whitney,  Jonathan 
Newell,  Solomon  Aiken,  John  Bullard,  Daniel  Chaflin  [Chaplin  ?], 
Edmund  Foster,  John  Pitts,  Parker  Varnum,  Samuel  Pitts,  Henry 
Woods,  Timothy  Bigelow,  Abel  Fletcher,  Oliver  Crosby,  Thomas 
Clarke,  Joshua  Longley,  Ebenezer  Bancroft,  Timothy  Jones,  Oliver 
Prescot,  jun.  Sampson  Tuttle,  Zacheus  Wright,  Abijah  Wyman, 
Jonathan  Fletcher,  John  Farwell,  Francis  Kidder,  Cornelius  Waters, 
William  Tuttle,  Benjamin  Osgood,  Benjamin  Fletcher,  Benjamin 
Bowers,  Paul  Howard,  John  Wood,  John  Egerton,  Samuel  Stone, 
David  Lawrence,  Samuel  Fletcher,  S?imuel  Lawrence,  Jonathan 
Bancroft,  Ephraim  Russell,  Jonathan  Lawrence,  Ebenezer  Ban- 
croft, jun.  Thomas  Russell,  together  with  such  others  who  shall 
become  members  thereof,  be,  and  they  are  hereby  incorporated 
into,  and  made  a  body  politic  and  corporate,  by  the  name  of  The 
Western  Society  of  Middlesex  Husbandmen. 

Sec.  2.  ^^  zVy^r/z^^r  (f«(j:r/^(/.  That  the  said  corporation  shall  be 
capable  of  taking  and  holding  in  fee  simple,  or  in  any  less  estate, 
by  gift,  grant,  devise  or  otherwise,  any  estate,  real  or  personal,  the 
annual  income  whereof  shall  not  exceed  one  thousand  dollars,  and 
they  may  sell  or  dispose  thereof  at  pleasure,  not  using  the  same  in 
trade. 

Sec.  3.  Be  it  further  enacted.  That  the  said  corporation  may 
have  and  use  a  common  seal,  and  the  same  may  alter  or  change  at 
pleasure,  and  shall  be  capable  of  suing  or  being  sued  in  any  actions 
real,  personal  or  mixed,  in  any  court  proper  to  try  the  same. 

Sec.  4.  Be  it  further  enacted.  That  the  said  corporation  may 
establish  and  put  in  execution  such  bye-laws  and  rules  for  the  gov- 
ernment thereof,  as  they  may  think  proper,  not  repugnant  to  the 
laws  of  this  commonwealth  ;  and  they  may  appoint  such  officers  as 
they  think  proper,  who  shall  be  capable  of  exercising  such  power 
for  the' well  governing  of  said  corporation  as  shall  be  authorized 
by  the  bye-laws  thereof:  And  furthermore  said  corporation  may 
from  time  to  time  admit  new  members  thereunto,  when,  and  in 
what  manner  they  may  think  best :  Provided  however.  That  every 
person  being  a  member  of  the  Massachusetts  Society  for  Promoting 


Agriculture,  shall  be  considered  as  an  honorary  member  of  the 
Western  Society  of  Middlesex  Husbandmen,  and  shall  have  a  right 
to  assemble  and  vote  at  all  meetings  thereof.  ' 

Sec.  5.  Be  it  further  enacted.  That  the  end  and  design  of  the 
institution  hereby  incorporated  is  to  promote  useful  improvements 
in  agriculture. 

Sec.  6.  Be  it  further  enacted,  That  Ebenezer  Bridge,  Esq.  be, 
and  he  hereby  is  authorized  to  appoint  the  time  and  place  for  hold- 
ing the  first  meeting  of  said  society,  and  to  notify  the  members 
thereof,  by  publishing  the  same  in  one  or  more  newspapers  printed 
in  Boston,  fourteen  days  at  least  before  the  time  of  such  meeting. 
[This  act  passed  Feb.  28,  1803.J 

I  do  not  find  any  notice  of  the  first  meeting  printed  in  a 
Boston  newspaper  of  that  period  ;  but  among  the  societies 
given  in  The  Massachusetts  Register  for  1805  (page  51)  is 
the  following :  — 

Western  Society  of  Middlesex  Husbandmen. 
Incorporated  Feb.  28,  1803. 
Yearly  Meeting  for  choice  of  Offi,cers,  is  held  on  the  1st  Tuesday  in 
September,  at    Westford,  Littleton,  and  Groton,   in  rotation,  at   10 
o'clock  A.   M. 

President,  Hon.  Ebenezer  Bridge. 
First  Vice-President,  Zaccheus  Wright,  Esq. 
Second  Vice-President,  Rev.  John  Bullardr 
Recording  Secretary,  Mr.  David  Lawrence. 
Corresponding  Secretary,  Rev.  Edmund  Foster. 
Treasurer,  Capt.  Francis  Kidder. 

(Who  are  Trustees  ex  officio^ 
Trustees,    Oliver    Prescott,    Esq.    Hon.   Timothy   Bigelow,    Mr. 
Ebenezer  Bancroft. 

In  the  Register  for  1806  (pages  46,  47)  the  list  of  officers 
was  again  published,  though  remaining  the  same  with  this 
exception,  that  Oliver  Prescott's  name  is  left  off  from  the 
Board  of  Trustees  and  Deacon  Abel  •  Fletcher's  added.  The 
list  continued  to  be  printed  in  the  Register  until  18 10,  when 
the  names  of  the  officers  are  dropped  from  the  notice,  and  the 
heading  only  appears  ;  and  this  continued  till  181 5,  when 
the  name  of  the  society  alone  is  given,  together  with  the  date 


of  incorporation  and  the  day  of  the  annual  meeting.  In  1818 
the  notice  disappears  entirely,  and  before  this  time  probably 
the  society  had  ceased  to  exist. 

In  the  "Columbian  Centinel,"  August  21,  1805,  an  advertise- 
ment appears  which  gives  the  place  of  meeting  for  that  year. 
It  is  as  follows  :  — 

Notice. 

The  Members  of  the  Western  Society  of  Middlesex  Husbandmen 
are  hereby  notified,  that  their  annual  meeting  for  the  choice  of 
Officers,  will  be  holden  at  Mr.  HaWs  tavern,  in  Groton,  on  the  first 
Tuesday  of  September  next,  at  ten  of  the  clock,  A.  M. 

David  Lawrence,  Sec'ry. 

Littleton,  August  5th,  1805. 

This  meeting  was  duly  held,  and  a  reference  to  it  is  made 
in  "  The  Medical  and  Agricultural  Register  for  the  years 
1806  and  1807"  (page  175),  edited  by  Daniel  Adams,  M.  B., 
when  a  vote  was  passed,  expressing  an  approval  of  the 
editor's  proposals  to  publish  a  "  Medical  and  Agricultural 
Register." 

Dr.  Adams  was  a  well-known  physician  of  Boston,  who  had 
just  previously  to  this  time  lived  at  Leominster,  and  was  dis- 
tinguished as  the  author  of  several  text-books  for  schools. 
He  was  born  at  Townsend  on  September  29,  1773,  and  died 
at  Keene,  New  Hampshire,  on  June  8,  1864,  nearly  ninety- 
one  years  of  age.  He  was  an  elder  brother  of  the  late 
Deacon  Jonathan  Stow  Adams,  of  Groton. 

In  its  day,  The  Western  Society  of  Middlesex  Husbandmen 
was  considered  a  permanent  institution,  and  its  full  history 
would  now  be  interesting. 


RAILROADS    AND   OTHER   CORPORATIONS,    Etc. 

Forty  years  ago  several  railroad  schemes  were  stirring 
the  people  of  Groton,  and  now  the  very  recollection  of  them 
has  nearly  passed  away.  The  earliest  one  was  the  Groton 
Branch    Railroad    Company,  chartered  on    March    16,   1844, 


which  authorized  Benjamin  M.  Farley,  Nathaniel  P.  Smith, 
and  John  G.  Park  to  form  a  corporation  for  the  purpose 
of  building  a  branch  railroad  from  what  is  now  Ayer  to  the 
centre  of  Groton,  and  thence  "to  some  convenient  point  upon 
the  road  leading  from  Pepperell  to  Dunstable,  between  Jewett's 
Bridge  and  the  house  of  John  Shattuck  in  said  Groton."  Its 
capital  stock  was  to  be  ^125,000,  in  shares  of  ^50  each. 

The  next  project  was  the  Groton  and  Nashua  Railroad 
Corporation,  chartered  by  the  New  Hampshire  Legislature 
on  December  24,  1844.  The  company  was  authorized  to 
build  a  railroad  from  a  point  in  the  southern  boundary  line 
of  New  Hampshire,  within  one  hundred  rods  of  the  Nashua  ' 
River,  to  any  convenient  point  in  the  present  city  of 
Nashua.  A  few  months  later,  on  March  5,  1845,  the  Gen- 
eral Court  of  Massachusetts  passed  An  Act  to  Incorporate 
the  Worcester  and  Nashua  Railroad  Company,  which  em- 
powered the  corporators  to  build  a  road  in  a  northerly 
direction  from  Worcester  toward  Nashua  as  far  as  the 
State  line.  It  also  authorized  the  Company  to  unite  at  any 
time  with  the  Groton  and  Nashua  Corporation.  In  accord- 
ance with  this  provision,  and  a  similar  one  in  a  special  Act 
passed  by  the  New  Hampshire  Legislature  on  June  26,  1845, 
the  two  companies  were  united  on  November  6,  1846,  so  as 
to  form  one  corporation,  under  the  name  of  the  Worcester 
and  Nashua  Railroad  Company.  The  building  of  this  road 
began  on  December  i,  1846,  and  was  finished  in  a  little  more 
than  two  years.  The  road  was  opened  for  regular  business, 
through  its  entire  length,  on  December  18,  1848,  —  though 
the  section  from  Groton  Junction,  now  Ayer,  to  Clinton  had 
previously  been  opened  on  July  3,  1848,  and  from  Clinton 
to  Worcester  on  November  22. 

The  Groton  and  East  Wilton  Railroad  Company  was 
another  scheme,  incorporated  March  25,  1845.  It  author- 
ized Lemuel  W.  Blake,  Asa  F.  Lawrence,  Abraham  Whitte- 
more,  James  Parker,  and  Joseph  Tucker  to  form  a  company 
to  build  the  road.  It  was  to  begin  "  at  the  southerly  line  of 
said  State  of  New  Hampshire,  at  a  point  in  Pepperell,  in  the 
county  of  Middlesex,  within  one  mile  of  the  Nissittisit  River, 


where  it  can  be  best  united  with  a  rail-road  from  East  Wilton 
to  the  said  State  line ;  and  thence  in  a  southeasterly  direction 
in  said  Pepperell,  to  the  Worcester  and  Nashua  Rail-road,  at 
the  most  convenient  point  for  a  connection  therewith,  in 
either  of  the  towns  of  Pepperell  or  Groton,  in  the  valley  of 
the  Nashua  River." 

In  connection  with  these  railroad  schemes,  it  may  be  of 
sufficient  interest  to  go  back  to  an  earlier  period  and  give  the 
following  Act  for  a  turnpike.  It  suggests  a  contrast  between 
the  conveniences  for  traveUing  at  the  beginning  of  the  cen- 
tury and  the  present  day.  It  will  be  noticed  that  Pepperell 
is  spelled  with  two  "  r's,"  formerly  a  common  way  of  writing 
the  word,  and  agreeing  with  that  of  Sir  William  Pepperrell. 
after  whom  the  town  was  named. 

An  act  to  establish  a  Corporation  by  the  name  of  the  Groton 
and  Pepperrell  Turnpike  Corporation. 

Sect,  i  Be  it  enacted  by  the  Senate  and  House  of  Representatives, 
in  General  Court  assembled,  and  by  the  authority  of  the  same,  That 
Oliver  Prescott,  James  Brazer,  Thomas  Gardner,  Joseph  Moors, 
Aaron  Brown,  Luther  Lawrence,  William  Merchant  Richardson, 
esq.  Benjamin  Woods  Parker,  William  Nutting,  Jacob  Lakin  Par- 
ker, James  Lewis,  jun.  and  Joseph  Fletcher  Hall,  all  of  Groton 
aforesaid,  the  Rev.  John  Bullard,  Joseph  Heald,  esq.  Simeon 
Green,  and  Lemuel  Parker,  all  of  Pepperrell  aforesaid,  together 
with  such  other  persons  as  may  hereafter  associate  with  them,  be, 
and  they  hereby  are  made  a  corporation  and  body  politick,  by  the 
name  and  style  of  the  Groton  and  Pepperrell  Turnpike  Corpora- 
tion, for  the  purpose  of  laying  out  and  making  a  turnpike  road 
from  the  first  parish  meeting-house  in  Groton  in  the  county  of 
Middlesex,  or  from  the  burying  ground  to  the  west  of  the  same, 
as  the  locating  committee  may  judge  will  best  promote  the  publick 
interest,  to  such  point  in  the  line  of  the  state  of  Newhampshire,  as 
will  be,  in  the  nearest  convenient  rout  from  the  place  of  departure 
in  Groton  aforesaid,  to  the  meeting-house  in  Milford  in  said  state 
of  New-Hampshire,  and  for  this  purpose  shall  have  all  the  powers, 
and  privileges,  and  be  subject  to  all  the  duties,  requirements,  and 
penalties,  contained  in  an  act,  entided  an  act  defining  the  general 
powers,  and  duties  of  turnpike  corporations,  made  and  passed  the 
sixteenth  day  of  March  in  the  year  of  our  Lord,  one  thousand  eight 


hundred  and  five,  and  any  acts  which  have  been  made  in  addition 
thereto. 

Sect.  2.  Be  it  further  enacted,  That  when  the  road  aforesaid, 
shall  be  laid  out,  made,  completed  and  shall  be  approved  by  the 
Court  of  Common  Pleas  for  said  county  of  Middlesex,  the  said 
corporation  shall  have  power  to  erect  one  gate  thereon,  at  such 
place  as  the  said  court  may  order,  and  shall  be  entitled  to  receive 
toll  thereat,  any  thing  in  the  act  aforesaid  notwithstanding. 
[This  act  passed  March  3,  1809.J 

The  following  Act  for  an  Insurance  Company  may  be 
added  to  the  foregoing  list  of  corporations :  — 

An  Act  to  incorporate  the  Nashua  River  Mutual  Fire  Insurance 
Company. 

»    Be  //  enacted  by  the  Senate  and  House  of  Representatives,  in  Gen- 
eral Court  assembled,  and  by  the  authority  of  the  same,  as  follows  : 

David  Child,  Thomas  A.  Staples,  and  Oliver  Sheple,  their  asso- 
ciates and  successors,  are  hereby  made  a  corporation,  by  the  name 
of  Nashua  River  Mutual  Fire  Insurance  Company,  in  the  town  of 
Groton,  in  the  county  of  Middlesex,  with  all  the  powers  and  privi- 
leges, and  subject  to  all  the  duties,  restrictions  and  liabilities  set 
forth  in  the  thirty-seventh  and  forty-fourth  chapters  of  the  Revised 
Statutes,  passed  on  the  fourth  day  of  November,  in  the  year  one 
thousand  eight  hundred  and  thirty-five,  for  the  term  of  twenty-eight 
years. 

[Approved  by  the  Governor,  March  31,  1836.] 

These  several  enterprises  are  now  nearly  forgotten,  though 
the  bare  mention  of  them  may  revive  the  memory  of  a  few 
persons.  They  show  the  supposed  needs  of  the  town  at 
various  times,  as  well  as  some  of  the  changes  continually 
taking  place  among  its  citizens.  In  their  day  these  schemes 
were  the  subject  of  much  discussion,  and  attracted  a  good 
deal  of  attention. 

The  following  Act  is  so  recent  as  to  be  within  the  recollec- 
tion of  most  persons,  but  I  give  it  with  this  explanation. 
A  joint  resolution  had  passed  both  branches  of  Congress, 
and  was  duly  approved  on  March  13,  1876,  recommending  a 
due  observance  of  the  centennial  anniversary  of  American 
independence,  on  the  part  of  the  several  counties  and  towns 
throughout  the  country.     In  accordance  with  fhe  recommen- 


8 

dation,  the  town  took  action,  and  appropriated  five  hundred 
dollars  (^500)   for  the  purpose,  but  subsequently,  owing  to 
some  informality,  this  was  found  to  be  illegal.     In  order  to 
correct  the  difficulty,  an  appeal  was  made  to  the  Legislature. 
An  Act  to  legalize  certain  doings  of  the  town  of 

GROTON. 

Be  it  enacted,  &fc.,  as  follows  : 

Section  i.  The  action  of  the  town  of  Groton  at  its  meeting 
held  on  the  third  day  of  April,  eighteen  hundred  and  seventy-six, 
in  appropriating  five  hundred  dollars  to  defray  the  expenses 
to  be  incurred  in  celebrating  the  centennial  anniversary  of  our 
national  independence  on  the  fourth  day  of  July  next,  is  confirmed, 
legalized  and  made  valid. 

Section  2.     This  act  shall  take  effect  upon  its  passage. 

Approved  April  28,   1876. 

The  celebration  duly  took  place,  when  an  historical  address 
was  delivered  by  Samuel  A.  Green,  a  native  of  the  town  and 
a  resident  of  Boston,  and  a  poem  was  read  by  the  Reverend 
John  Martin  Luther  Babcock,  at  that  time  the  minister  of 
the  First  Parish  Church.  Both  productions  have  since  been 
printed. 


MISS    PRESCOTT'S    SCHOOL. 

More  than  sixty  years  ago,  there  was  a  famous  school  at 
Groton,  kept  by  Miss  Susan  Prescott.  It  was  established 
about  1820,  and  continued  for  perhaps  ten  years.  It  was  first 
opened  in  the  house  occupied  by  Charles  Gerrish,  but  was 
soon  afterward  transferred  to  a  building  put  up  expressly  for 
the  purpose,  near  Miss  Prescott's  own  residence.  She  was 
the  daughter  of  Judge  James  Prescott,  who  lived  on  the  east 
side  of  Main  Street,  toward  the  southerly  end  of  the  village. 

The  school  building  was  subsequently  removed  to  what  is 
now  HoUis  Street,  near  the  southeast  corner  of  the  old 
burying-ground,  and  occupied  as  a  dwelling-house  by  Mrs. 
Mansfield.  The  school  had  a  wide  reputation  and  a  large 
number  of  scholars.     In  the  library  of  Harvard  College  there 


is  a  catalogue  of  the  institution  for  the  year  ending  November, 
1826, — probably  the  only  year  when  one  was  printed, — which 
gives  the  names  of  102  pupils.  Miss  Mary  Oliver  Prescott,  a 
sister  of  the  principal,  was  the  assistant  teacher ;  Miss  Ann 
Catherine  Reed  was  the  teacher  in  drawing,  painting,  and 
needlework;  and  Miss  Eliza  H.  Hewitt  the  teacher  in  music. 

The  following  advertisement  appeared  in  the  "  Columbian 
Centinel,"  April  25,  1829,  and  soon  after  this  time  the  school 
was  given  up  :  — 

SCHOOL  FOR  YOUNG  LADIES,   AT   GROTON. 

MISS  PRESCOTT  informs  her  friends  and  the  public,  that  the 
summer  term  in  her  Seminary  will  commence  the  third  Wednesday 
in  May  next.  All  the  solid  and  ornamental  branches  of  female 
education  are  taught  in  this  school,  and  every  attention  given  to 
the  health,  manners,  and  morals  of  the  pupils. 

Groton,  April  \i,th,  1829. 

Miss  Prescott  was  married,  on  May  13, 1829,  to  John  Wright, 
Esq.,  of  Lowell,  a  graduate  of  Harvard  College  in  the  class 
of  1823,  who  had  studied  law  in  the  office  of  Judge  Dana. 

It  was  at  this  school  that  Margaret  Fuller  passed  two  years 
of  her  girlhood,  having  been  under  Miss  Prescott's  instruc- 
tion during  1824  and  1825.  Her  life  here  has  been  described 
by  herself  with  touching  truthfulness,  in  the  story  of  Mariana, 
in  a  book  entitled  "  Summer  on  the  Lakes,  in  1843."  A 
recently  published  biography,  written  by  Mrs.  Julia  Ward 
Howe,  says  that  Margaret's  experience  at  the  school,  though 
painful  in  some  respects,  exerted  a  strong  influence  on  her 
subsequent  life. 

In  the  early  part  of  1833  her  father,  the  Honorable  Tim- 
othy Fuller,  impressed  with  the  natural  attractions  of  the 
town,  came  here  from  Cambridge  to  live.  He  bought  the 
fine  estate  of  Judge  Samuel  Dana,  situated  on  Farmers'  Row, 
where  he  passed  the  remainder  of  his  days.  He  had  pre- 
viously been  a  prominent  Democrat,  having  served  two  terms 
as  Speaker  of  the  Massachusetts  House  of  Representatives, 
and  as  a  member  of  the  State  Senate,  as  well  as  of  the 
House  of  Representatives  at  Washington. 


lO 

He  died  in  this  town  on  October  2,  1835,  and  his  family 
continued  to  live  here  until  the  year  1839.  Mrs.  Howe 
writes :  — 

In  the  spring  of  1833  Margaret  found  herself  obliged  to  leave 
the  academic  shades  of  Cambridge  for  the  country  retirement  of 
Groton.  Her  father,  wearied  with  a  long  practice  of  the  law,  had 
removed  his  resMence  to  the  latter  place,  intending  to  devote  his 
later  years  to  literary  labor  and  the  education  of  his  younger  chil- 
dren. To  Margaret  this  change  was  unwelcome,  and  the  result 
showed  it,  at  a  later  day,  to  have  been  unfortunate  for  the  family. 
She  did  not,  however,  take  here  the  position  of  a  malcontent,  but 
that  of  one  who,  finding  herself  removed  from  congenial  surround- 
ings, knows  how  to  summon  to  her  aid  the  hosts  of  noble  minds 
with  which  study  has  made  her  familiar.  Her  German  books  go 
with  her,  and  Goethe,  Schiller,  and  Jean  Paul  solace  her  lonely 
hours.  She  reads  works  on  architecture,  and  books  of  travel  in 
Italy,  while  sympathy  with  her  father's  pursuits  leads  her  to  inter- 
est herself  in  American  history,  concerning  which  he  had  collected 
much  information  with  a  view  to  historical  composition.     (Pages 

49,  5°-) 

Margaret's  remaining  days  in   Groton  were  passed  in  assiduous 

reading,  and  her  letters  and  journals  make  suggestive  comments  on 
Goethe,  Shelley,  Sir  James  Mackintosh,  Herschel,  Wordsworth,  and 
others.  Her  scheme  of  culture  was  what  we  should  now  call  ency- 
clopedic, and  embraced  most,  if  not  all,  departments  of  human 
knowledge.  If  she  was  at  all  mistaken  in  her  scope,  it  was  in  this, 
that  she  did  not  sufficiently  appreciate  the  inevitable  limitations 
of  brain  power  and  of  bodily  strength.  Her  impatience  of  such 
considerations  led  her  to  an  habitual  over-use  of  her  brilliant  facul- 
ties which  resulted  in  an  impaired  state  of  health. 

In  the  autumn  of  1836  Margaret  left  Groton,  not  without 
acknowledgment  of  "  many  precious  lessons  given  there  in  faith, 
fortitude,  self-command,  and  unselfish  love.''     (Pages  59,  60.) 

In  later  years  Margaret  Fuller  passed  some  time  in  Italy, 
and  while  there  married  the  Marquis  d'Ossoli ;  subsequently, 
when  returning  to  her  native  land,  the  vessel  was  wrecked, 
during  a  severe  storm,  on  the  coast  of  New  Jersey,  and  she, 
with  her  husband  and  infant  son,  perished  in  the  waves,  on  the 
afternoon  of  July  19,  1850. 


II 

A  second  edition  of  the  "  Memoirs  of  Margaret  Fuller 
Ossoli,"  in  two  volumes,  was  published  at  Boston  in  1881  ; 
and  the  work  contains  many  references  to  Miss  Fuller's 
Groton  life,  which  was  tinged  with  sorrow  and  sadness. 

The  Reverend  Arthur  Buckminster  Fuller,  her  brother, 
delivered  the  historical  address  at  the  bi-centennial  celebra- 
tion of  this  town,  on  October  31,  1855.  It  was  afterward 
printed  in  the  "Weekly  PubUc  Spirit"  (Groton  Junction), 
beginning  with  the  issue  of  March  31,  1870,  and  continuing 
through  the  next  three  numbers  of  that  newspaper. 

During  the  last  century  Groton  was  the  home  of  another 
noted  character.  In  the  spring  of  1778  Judge  James  SulHvan 
bought  the  farm  situated  on  the  north  side  of  the  present 
Lowell  road,  about  three-quarters  of  a  mile  east  of  the  First 
Parish  Church.  The  house,  still  standing,  is  on  an  elevated  site 
which  commands  a  beautiful  landscape.  During  the  Revolu- 
tion it  was  a  place  of  much  resort  for  his  associates  on  the 
bench,  as  well  as  other  distinguished  men.  In  the  year  1779 
Judge  Sullivan  was  a  delegate  from  this  town  to  the  Conven- 
tion which  formed  the  State  constitution.  He  left  Groton  in 
the  spring  of  1782,  removing  with  his  family  to  Menotomy, 
since  known  as  West  Cambridge,  but  now  as  Arlington,  and 
opened  an  ofBce  in  Boston,  having  previously  resigned  his 
seat  on  the  bench.  Afterward  he  was  the  Governor  of  the 
Commonwealth  during  the  years  1807  and  1808,  and  died 
on  December  10  of  the  latter  year,  while  in  office. 


GROTON   NEWSPAPERS. 

The  average  newspaper  represents  the  enterprise  and  re- 
flects the  character  of  the  community  where  it  is  published. 
A  good  journal  is  a  great  benefit  to  the  neighborhood,  and 
goes  far  toward  educating  the  people.  The  various  news- 
papers printed  at  Groton  are  intimately  connected  with  the 
history  of  the  town,  and  deserve  a  record  in  this  Series.  The 
list  is  as  follows  :  — 


12 


The  Groton  Herald,  published  by  Stacy  and  Rogers,  "next 
door  to  the  Post  Office,"  was  first  issued  on  December  5,  1829, 
and  appeared  regularly  every  Saturday  until  September  4, 
1830,  when  it  was  merged  in  The  Lowell  Weekly  Journal. 
The  post-office  at  that  time  was  in  the  north  end  of  the 
building  now  known  as  Gerrish's  Block.  James  F.  Rogers, 
the  editor,  came  from  Newburyport,  and  died  a  long  while 
ago  ;  but  the  senior  member  of  the  firm,  George  Whittemore 
Stacy,  is  now  living  at  Milford,  Massachusetts.  They  were 
the  pioneer  printers  and  publishers  of  the  town. 

One  number  of  the  Groton  Post  and  Business  Advertiser 
was  printed  in  June,  1843,  and  one  number  of  The  Golden 
Rule  in  May,  1846.  The  Spirit  of  the  Times,  a  paper  ad- 
vocating the  election  of  General  Taylor  to  the  presidency, 
appeared  on  July  26, 1848  ;  and  twelve  numbers  were  printed, 
the  last  one  on  December  30.  The  prospectus  announcing 
this  publication  was  dated  February,  1848,  and  styled  it 
the  Middlesex  Spirit  of  the  Times.  The  Groton  Mercury, 
monthly,  was  first  issued  in  June,  185 1,  and  continued  two 
years,  when  it  was  removed  to  Groton  Junction,  and  after- 
wards took  at  different  times  the  name  of  Railroad  Mercury, 
and  Brown's  Railroad  Mercury.  The  last  number  (Vol.  IV. 
No.  10)  appeared  on  June  27,  1857.  Three  numbers  of  a 
campaign  paper,  entitled  "  Give  'em  Jessie,"  were  printed  at 
the  Junction,  the  first  one  appearing  on  August  25,  1856, 
and  the  last  on  November  i.  This  paper  supported  for  the 
presidency  General  Fremont,  whose  wife's  given  name  was 
Jessie.  All  these  publications  were  printed  by  George  Henry 
Brown,  at  one  time  the  postmaster  of  Groton  and  afterward 
of  Ayer.  On  September  15,  1859,  he  established  at  the 
Junction  .the  Railroad  Mercury,  a  weekly  journal,  which  was 
kept  up  until  September  26,  1861.  On  May  13,  1869,  John 
Henry  Turner,  a  son-in-law  of  Mr.  Brown,  began  the  publi- 
cation of  The  Public  Spirit,  which  after  the  fifth  number 
was  called  The  Weekly  Public  Spirit.  From  November  3, 
1870,  to  January  11,  1872,  it  was  called  the  Groton  Public 
Spirit,  but  on  January  18,  1872,  the  name  was  again  changed 
to  the  Public  Spirit.     In  the  meantime  the  village  was  set  off 


13 

as  a  separate  town,  on  February  14,  1871,  under  the  name  of 
Ayer.  The  newspaper  on  March  13,  1875,  took  the  title  of 
Turner's  Pubhc  Spirit,  and  is  now  a  well-known  journal,  cir- 
culating widely  in  northern  Middlesex.  On  August  23,  1884, 
Mr.  Turner  issued  the  first  number  of  The  Groton  Landmark, 
which  is  made  up  of  the  same  matter  as  his  Public  Spirit, 
though  with  a  different  heading.  Similar  editions,  with  a 
changed  title,  are  printed  for  other  towns  in  the  neighbor- 
hood. 

One  number  (No.  3)  of  the  Olive  Branch  was  published 
at  Groton  by  the  "Good  Will  Society,"  on  April  2,  1869,  and 
probably  the  only  one  printed.  One  number  of  The  Centen- 
nial Record  was  issued  on  February  22,  1876,  and  devoted 
principally  to  the  history  of  the  town  during  the  Revolution. 

The  following  papers  have  been  edited  at  different  times 
by  the  scholars  of  Lawrence  Academy :  The  Groton  Literary 
Journal,  the  only  number  printed,  appeared  in  May,  1843  ; 
The  Gleaner,  November,  1850,  published  monthly  during  term 
time  for  two  years,  nineteen  numbers ;  The  Echo  of  the 
Lawrence  Academy,  February  and  March,  1853,  two  num- 
bers only;  the  Literary  Gazette  of  Lawrence  Academy, 
July,  1853,  and  July,  1854,  two  numbers  ;  and  The  Groton 
Gem,  a  monthly,  appeared  in  May,  June,  September,  and 
October,  1859  (four  numbers).  The  first  number  of  The 
Student's  Aid  was  issued  on  November  27,  1877,  and  the 
second  on  March  12,  1878,  both  appearing  as  folio  sheets. 
The  third  number  was  published  in  a  pamphlet  form  as  "Vol. 
L  No.  i"  of  a  new  series,  but  the  next  number  was  called 
"Vol.  IL  No.  I."  This  periodical  is  still  kept  up,  and  three 
numbers  are  issued  annually,  —  one  at  the  end  of  each  term. 
The  title  is  very  slightly  changed,  being  now  called  The 
Students'  Aid. 

I  have  seen  one  number  of  The  Star,  which  was  printed 
in  April,  1859.  It  is  a  very  small  sheet,  and  evidently  the 
work  of  an  enterprising  boy.  The  name  of  William  H.  Hard 
appears  as  the  publisher. 

The  latest  addition  to  the  list  of  local  journals  is  the  Groton 
Citizen,  which  began  in  January,  1884,  as  a  monthly  publica- 


14 

tion,  but  was  changed  on  September  3  to  a  weekly.  It  is 
printed  at  Marlborough  by  the  Pratt  Brothers,  in  connection 
with  several  other  newspapers  intended  for  this  neighborhood, 
and  "  edited  by  a  syndicate  of  ladies  and  gentlemen."  These 
papers  contain  the  same  matter;  but  their  heading  varies 
according  to  the  towns  in  which  they  are  circulated. 

The  Church  Reformer  was  a  weekly  newspaper  published 
at  Boston  in  the  autumn  of  1840,  and  edited  by  the  Reverend 
Silas  Hawley,  of  Groton.  The  editor  at  that  time  was  con- 
nected with  the  society  known  as  the  Second  Adventists,  or 
"  Millerites,"  who  worshipped  in  the  hall  on  Hollis  Street. 


GROTON   BAKERY. 

The  first  baker  in  town  was  Charles  Quails,  who  lived 
many  years  ago  where  Eliel  Shumway's  house  now  stands. 
Charles  Woolley,  an  octogenarian  of  Waltham,  still  remem- 
bers him  and  his  sign,  which  used  to  read  — "  Gingerbread, 
Cake  and  Bisket  sold  here." 

The  following  facts  connected  with  the  business  have  been 
furnished  me  by  George  S.  Gates.  The  bakery  at  the  corner 
of  Main  Street  and  Fagot  Lane,  as  it  was  called  in  my  boy- 
hood, though  now  known  as  West  Street,  was  established 
about  the  year  1825  by  James  Minot  Colburn  and  Daniel 
Shattuck.  Soon  afterward  Mr.  Colburn  sold  out,  leaving 
Mr.  Shattuck  alone  in  the  business ;  he  continued  it  for 
a  short  time  only,  when  George  Green  was  admitted  as  a 
partner,  and  the  style  of  the  firm  was  Shattuck  and  Green. 
About  1833  the  partnership  was  dissolved,  and  Francis 
Champney  took  the  place  and  carried  it  on  during  one  year. 
He  was  followed  by  the  firm  of  Green  and  Remington,  who 
conducted  the  business  for  about  two  years,  at  the  end  of 
which  time  Remington  gave  up  his  connection  and  Green 
went  on  with  it  until  about  1839.  He  was  succeeded  by  the 
firm  of  George  Green  &  Co.,  who  carried  on  the  business 
until  about  1844.  During  the  next  year  the  proprietor  was 
George  Green,  and  during  1846  it  was  George  S.  Gates,  after 


15 

which  time  the  bakery  was  shut  up  for  three  years  and  never 
much  used  afterward. 

About  1838,  and  the  two  subsequent  years,  the  business  of 
the  estabhshment  was  transferred  to  the  opposite  side  of  the 
street,  after  which  time  it  was  carried  back  to  the  original 
building,  in  the  meanwhile  changed  and  enlarged. 

About  185 1  another  bakery  was  built  on  Elm  Street,  and 
the  business  conducted  by  Boynton  and  Brown,  and  afterward 
by  Mr.  Gates,  though  he  left  it  ten  or  a  dozen  years  ago. 
The  building  was  burned  down  on  April  24,  1874,  and  in  just 
two  months  to  a  day  from  that  time  another  one  of  brick  was 
put  up  in  its  place,  where  an  extensive  business  is  now  carried 
on  by  William  J.  Boynton. 


REVOLUTIONARY    ITEMS. 

Several  days  before  the  Battle  of  Lexington,  a  hostile 
incursion  by  the  English  soldiers  stationed  in  Boston  was 
expected  by  the  patriots.  Its  aim  was  the  destruction  of  stores 
collected  for  the  use  of  the  Provincial  cause ;  and  on  this 
account  every  movement  of  the  British  troops  was  closely 
watched.  At  this  time  the  Committees  of  Safety  and  of 
Supplies  voted  that  some  of  the  stores  should  be  kept  at  Gro- 
ton  ;  and,  if  their  plan  had  been  fully  carried  out,  it  is  among 
the  possibilities  of  the  War  that  another  battle  might  have 
been  fought  in  Middlesex  County,  and  Groton  have  been  the 
scene  of  the  action.  But  open  hostilities  began  so  soon  after- 
ward, that  no  time  was  given  to  make  the  removal  of  the 
stores.  It  was  ordered  by  these  Committees,  April  17,  1775, 
that  the  four  six-pounders  be  transported  from  Concord  to 
Groton,  and  put  under  the  care  of  Colonel  Oliver  Prescott.  On 
the  next  day  it  was  voted  that  all  the  ammunition  should  be 
deposited  in  nine  different  towns  of  the  Province,  of  which 
Groton  was  one,  and  that  one-half  of  the  musket  cartridges 
be  removed  from  Stow  to  Groton.  It  was  also  voted  that  two 
"  medicinal  chests  "  should  be  kept  at  different  places  in  the 


i6 

own,  and  that  eleven  hundred  tents  be  deposited  in  equal 
quantities  in  Groton  and  six  other  towns.^ 

During  this  period  a  committee  was  appointed  to  inspect 
the  stock  of  powder  in  the  Province,  and  report  the  amount 
on  hand  in  the  various  towns.  This  they  did  on  May  25, 1775, 
when  there  was,  according  to  the  Report,  a  barrel  of  powder  in 
Groton, —  kept  probably  in  the  magazine  which,  two  years  later, 
was  enlarged  by  the  Board  of  War.  This  magazine  was  built 
on  the  land  of  Benjamin  Bancroft,  afterward  owned  by  the 
Honorable  James  Prescott,  Jr.,  and  is  still  remembered  by  some 
of  the  older  inhabitants  of  the  town.  It  was  situated  in  the 
roadway  of  the  present  High  Street,  ^ — which  at  that  time  was 
not  laid  out,  —  perhaps  thirty-five  rods  from  its  north  end. 
It  was  a  stone  building,  about  twelve  feet  square,  and  taken 
down,  probably  in  the  summer  of  1829.  For  a  long  time  pre- 
viously it  was  not  used  for  any  purpose,  and  became  much 
dilapidated.  Some  of  the  material  from  the  building  was  used 
in  stoning  a  well,  dug  near  the  Meeting-house  in  order  to 
supply  in  part  Mr.  Hoar's  tavern  with  water. 

The  following  papers,  found  at  the  State  House,  relate  to 
the  magazine,  as  well  as  to  the  Guard  having  it  in  charge :  — 

State  of  Massachusetts  Bay  Council  Chamber  July  10.  1777. 

Whereas  it  appears  that  it  is  absolutely  necessary  that  a  Magazine 
for  powder  should  be  erected  in  some  Interior  part  of  this  State 
the  other  Magazines  being  insufficient  or  unsafe 

Therefore  Voted  that  it  be  and  hereby  is  recommended  to  the 
Board  of  War  to  Enlarge  the  Magazine  at  Groton  in  the  County  of 
Middlesex  Sufficient  to  Contain  five  hundred  barrels  of  Powder. 

Read  &  Accepted  Jn°  Avery  Dp''  Sec^ 

[Massachusetts  Archives,  CLXXIII.  274.] 

State  of  the  Massachusetts  Bay       Council  Chamber  July  17'?  1777. 

Whereas  the  Board  of  Warr  have  deposited  five  hundred  Barrills 
of  powder  in  the  magazine  in  Groton  in  the  County  of  Middlesex 
for  the  use  of  this  State  and  it  appears  necessary  that  a  Guard  be 
Constantly  kept  at  s'?  magazine  for  the  Security  thereof, 

1  Journals  of  the  Committee  of  Safety  and  of  the  Committee  of  Supplies  of 
the  Provincial  Congress  of  Massachusetts,  1774-1775,  pages  516-518. 


Therefore  ordered  that  one  Corporal  and  four  privates  be  ap- 
pointed by  the  Brigadier  of  the  County  of  Middlesex  afores"?  from 
the  militia  in  the  s''  Town  of  Groton  for  that  purpose,  who  shall 
be  allowed  such  pay  and  Subsistance  as  the  General  Court  shall  here- 
after order ;  And  the  said  Brigadeer  is  also  ordered  to  take  special 
care  that  no  person  be  inlisted  into  said  Guard  that  is  not  known  to 
be  attached  to  the  American  Cause. 

Read  &  Accepted  Jn?  Avery  Dp^  Sec" 

[Massachusetts  Archives,  CLXXIII.  29O:] 

State  of  the  Massachusetts  Bay       Council  Chamber  NovT  7'?  1777. 

Whereas  it  hath  been  represented  to  this  Board  that  the  Guard 
which  hath  been  kept  at  the  Magazine  in  Groton  in  the  County  of 
Middlesex  in  consequence  of  an  order  of  Council  passed  July  1 7* 
1777,  is   not  Sufficient  for  the  Security  of   the  Stores  deposited 
therein  for  the  use  of  this  State. 

Therefore  ordered  that  the  Brigadier  of  the  County  of  Middlesex 
be  &  hereby  is  directed  to  inlist  or  Cause  to  be  Drafted  from  the 
militia  in  the  Town  of  Groton  afores?  one  Sergeant  &  nine  privates, 
to  serve  as  a  Guard  for  the  afores'^  Stores,  untill  the  further  order 
of  Council,  who  shall  be  allowed  such  pay  &  subsistance  as  the 
General  Court  shall  hereafter  order 

read  &  Accepted  Jn9  Avery  D"  Sec'' 

[Massachusetts  Archives,  CLXXIII.  549.] 

Subsequently,  on  February  3,  1778,  the  General  Court 
passed  a  Resolve  "  That  there  be  allowed  and  paid  out  of  the 
public  treasury  of  this  State  unto  the  men  stationed  at  Groton, 
for  a  guard,  the  same  wages  and  rations  that  are  allowed  to 
the  sea-coast  men." 

Two  years  later,  on  January  13,  1780,  another  Resolve  was 
passed,  directing  Joseph  Hosmer  — 

forthwith  to  remove  all  the  powder  in  the  magazine  at  Groton,  to  the 
following  towns,  viz.  one  third  of  it  to  Concord,  one  third  to  BiUerka, 
and  one  third  to  Woburn,  to  be  delivered  into  the  care  of  the  Select- 
men of  said  towns,  he  taking  their  receipt  therefor,  which  he  is 
directed  to  lodge  with  the  Board  of  War,  and  as  soon  as  said  powder 
is  removed  that  the  guards  now  doing  duty  at  said  magazine  in 
Groton,  be  discharged  from  any  further  service  there,  and  that  said 
Joseph  Hosmer,  Esq ;  lay  his  account  of  the  expence  of  removing 
the  same  before  the  Committee  on  accounts  for  allowance  and 
payment. 


i8 

This  Resolve  was  afterward  so  far  modified  by  the  General 
Court,  on  May  4,  that  Joseph  Hosmer  was  ordered  "  to  deliver 
one  third  part  of  the  powder  aforesaid  to  the  care  of  the 
Selectmen  of  Groton,  and  take  their  receipt  for  the  same, 
the  Resolve  of  the  12th  [13th?]  o{  January  to  the  contrary 
notwithstanding." 

The  following  application  to  the  Council,  from  Dr.  Oliver 
Prescott,  relates  to  the  Revolutionary  period,  and  will  explain 
itself:  — 

May  it  please  your  Hon''? 

The  windows  of  the  Publick  meeting  House  &  School  house 
in  the  Town  of  Groton  are  very  much  broken  and  it  is  not  in  the 
power  of  the  Selectmen  to  purchase  a  Box  of  Glass  Unless  it  be 
from  the  Board  of  Warr,  who  have  been  so  obliging  as  to  inform 
me  they  would  Sell  a  Box  for  that  purpose  by  your  Hon'?  permission. 
Therefore  [I]  earnestly  request  an  order  for  that  purpose  which 
will  much  oblige  the  Town  &  your 

Honour?  most  ob'  &  very  Hm'  Sert 
OcK  16*  1779  Oliver  Prescott 

To  the  Hon'?  Council  Massachusetts-Bay 

Underneath  is  written  the  action  of  the  Council,  as  fol- 
lows :  — 

In  Council  Octy  16'.''  1779 
Read   &   Ordered   that   the   Board   of   War   be   and   they   are 
directed  to  deliver  the  Honble  Oliver  Prescott  Esq^  One  Box  of 
Glass,  he  paying  for  the  same. 

Attest  John  Avery  D  Se" 

[Massachusetts  Archives,  CLXXV.  647.] 

Such  papers  give  us  a  glimpse  of  some  of  the  privations 
and  annoyances  to  which  the  people  were  subjected  during 
the  Revolution. 


19 


AN   OLD   WALL. 

Jonas  Prescott,  the  progenitor  of  the  numerous  families 
of  the  name  in  thi^ neighborhood,  was  a  blacksmith  by  trade, 
and  owned  the  mill  in  the  south  pkrt  of  Groton,  now  within 
the  limits  of  Harvard.  It  is  said  that  a  grant  of  land,  made 
in  the  spring  of  1678,  by  the  town  when  it  was  much  in  need 
of  a  blacksmith,  induced  him  to  remove  nearer  to  the  village. 
He  built  a  house  and  shop  on  the  lot,  which  was  situated  on 
the  easterly  side  of  James's  Brook,  perhaps  a  third  of  a  mile 
south  of  Lawrence  Academy.  He  bought  lands,  until  he 
became  one  of  the  largest  owners  of  real  estate  in  the  town. 
In  the  year  1876  a  piece  of  stone  wall  was  removed,  which 
separated  a  part  of  his  house-lot  from  the  highway,  —  near 
where  it  forks  from  the  Boston  road,  —  and  which  contained 
a  small  boulder,  bearing  this  inscription : 

I    P 

1680 
Rebuilt   by 

O   P 

1784 
rebuilt   by 
S.   J.    Park 

1841. 

The  initials  I.  P.  are  those  of  Jonas  Prescott,  —  rudely  cut, 
undoubtedly  by  himself,  —  and  O.  P.  are  those  of  his  grand- 
son. Dr.  Oliver  Prescott. 

Three  years  after  this  part  of  the  wall  was  taken  away,  I 
endeavored  to  find  the  stone,  then  to  all  intents  and  purposes 
lost,  and  it  was  a  long  while  before  I  got  any  trace  of  it. 
Willard  H.  Giles,  the  owner  of  the  farm  at  that  time,  knew 
nothing  about  it,  and  in  fact  had  never  seen  it.  I  was  told, 
however,  that  it  might  have  been  used  in  stoning  up  the  cellar 
of  a  barn  built  in  1876,  and  here  I  directed  my  attention. 
With  Mr.  Giles's  permission  I  employed  two  men  for  two  days 
to  take  out  and  replace  various  stones,  until  the  missing  one 


20 


was  found.  Subsequently  I  gave  the  memorial  to  James 
Lawrence,  a  lineal  descendant  of  Jonas  Prescott,  who  has 
had  it  set  in  the  wall  on  the  north  side  of  his  front  gate, 
where  it  is  likely  to  remain  for  many  years. 


"THE  NECK." 


In  the  town-records,  as  early  as  February  17,  1670,  a  refers 
ence  is  made  "  to  the  neck  vpon  the  riuer."  This  is  an  allu- 
sion to  a  peninsula  that  once  belonged  to  Amos  Farnsworth's 
farm.  It  was  formed  by  a  long  bend  in  the  Nashua  River, — 
perhaps  a  hundred  and  thirty  rods  around,  —  and  joined  to  the 
main  land  by  a  neck,  probably  not  more  than  thirty  rods  wide. 
At  a  period  near  the  middle  of  the  last  century,  very  likely 
during  a  spring  freshet,  it  was  entirely  severed  from  the  farm, 
by  the  river's  breaking  through  the  neck,  thus  leaving  an 
island  of  several  acres,  now  partially  covered  with  a  growth 
of  pines.  The  Honorable  Claudius  Buchanan  Farnsworth, 
of  Fawtucket,  Rhode  Island,  who  was  born  and  passed  his 
early  life  in  the  immediate  neighborhood  of  this  particular 
place,  tells  me  that,  during  his  boyhood,  his  grandfather, 
Major  Amos  Farnsworth,  used  to  relate  how  the  affair  hap- 
pened, though  it  was  before  his  grandfather's  recollection, 
and  he  was  born  on  April  28,  1754.  The  Major's  father, 
Amos,  Senior,  had  previously  owned  the  neck  or  peninsula, 
and  it  was  during  his  ownership  that  the  new  channel  was 
formed.  He  continued  to  hold  it,  until  the  day  of  his  death, 
which  occurred  on  December  5,  1775,  by  the  upsetting  of  a 
boat,  in  which  he  and  his  youngest  son,  Benjamin,  were 
crossing  over  the  river  to  this  very  island,  when  both  were 
drowned. 


GROTON    HISTORICAL   SERIES. 
No.  VI. 


Eije  jFunctiong  of  Ncto  lEnslanD  ^caUemtfS: 

AN    ADDRESS    DELIVERED    AT    THE    DEDICATION    OF 
LAWRENCE   ACADEMY,   GROTON, 

June  29,  1871. 
By   the   rev.   CHARLES   HAMMOND. 

OTttl)  an  appentiti, 

CONTAINING   ACT    OF    INCORPORATION,   Etc. 


GROTON,    MASS. 

1885. 


'  --      ^i^" 


GROTON,  MASSACHUSETTS,   1885. 
Historical  Series,  No.  VI. 


THE   FUNCTIONS   OF   NEW   ENGLAND   ACADEMIES: 

An  Address  delivered  at  the  Dedication  of  Lawrence 
Academy,  Groton,  June  29,  1871. 

By  the   Rev.    Charles   Hammond.  . 


INTRODUCTORY. 

The  main  building  of  Lawrence  Academy  was  burned 
down  in  the  afternoon  of  July  4,  1868,  during  the  summer 
vacation.  The  fire  was  first  seen  on  the  roof,  and  is  supposed 
to  have  caught  from  the  use  of  fire-crackers  by  some  boys 
playing  in  the  yard.  Bigelow  Hall,  at  one  time  in  great 
danger,  was  with  difficulty  saved  from  the  flames.  The 
Academy  was  built  of  wood  in  the  autumn  of  1793,  though 
it  had  been  twice  remodelled  since  that  time  :  first,  in  the 
summer  of  1841  ;  and  secondly,  in  the  autumn  of  1846, 
when  it  was  much  enlarged.  The  destruction  of  the  building 
was  complete,  and  swept  away  the  last  trace  of  the  original 
structure.  After  the  fire  the  regular  exercises  of  the  school 
were  held  in  Bigelow  Hall,  where  they  were  continued  till 
the  end  of  the  summer  term  of  1869,  when  there  was  an  in- 
termission of  eighteen  months,  lasting  until  March,  1871. 

The  new  building,  a  handsome  edifice  of  brick  and  stone, 
was  erected  on  the  same  site,  and  dedicated  with  appropriate 
services  on  June  29,  1871,  when  an  historical  address  was 
delivered  by  the  Reverend  Charles  Hammond,  of  Monson,  a 
former  Principal  of  the  Academy.  Owing  to  various  circum- 
stances, it  was  not  printed  at  the  time,  as  was  intended  by 
the  Trustees  ;  but  subsequently  Mr.  Hammond  lent  me  the 


manuscript  with  authority  to  use  it,  and  I  had  it  published 
in  the  "Public  Spirit''  (Ayer),  January  i,  1874,  from  which 
newspaper  this  copy  is  taken.  In  accordance  with  his  per- 
mission, I  have  made  some  slight  changes  and  corrections. 

Mr.  Hammond  was  the  Preceptor  of  the  school  from  1852 
to  1863,  a  period  of  eleven  years,  thus  filling  a  longer  term  of 
continued  service  than  any  other  teacher.  He  was  enthusiastic 
in  his  profession  and  always  interested  in  educational  methods. 
Before  coming  to  Lawrence  Academy  Mr.  Hammond  had  been 
the  Principal  of  Monson  Academy  for  nine  years,  though  not 
continuously ;  and  on  leaving  Groton  he  went  back  to  Monson 
to  take  his  former  position.  He  was  a  keen  lover  of  antiqua- 
rian studies,  and  had  at  his  command  a  rare  knowledge  of 
New  England  history.  On  several  occasions  he  delivered 
historical  addresses,  which  have  since  been  printed.  He 
wrote  a  sketch  of  Lawrence  Academy,  which  appeared  in 
Barnard's  "  American  Journal  of  Education  "  (ii.  49-60)  for 
August,  1856,  and  another  which  was  published  in  a  pamphlet 
entitled  "  New  England  Academies  and  Classical  Schools " 
(Boston,  1877).  A  native  of  Union,  Connecticut,  where  he 
was  born  on  June  15,  1813,  he  graduated  at  Yale  College  in 
the  class  of  1839,  and  died  at  Monson  on  November  7,  1878. 
At  the  Commencement  of  1877,  Iowa  College  conferred  on 
him  the  honorary  degree  of  LL.D. 

Mr.  Elbridge  Smith,  master  of  the  Dorchester  High  School, 
dehvered  a  memorial  discourse  on  his  Hfe  and  character  before 
the  Massachusetts  Teachers'  Association  at  Boston,  on  Wed- 
nesday, December  31,  1879,  which  was  published  by  a  vote 
of  the  Association.     Mr.  Smith  says  :  — 

"  When  the  Trustees  of  Monson  Academy  would  celebrate  their 
semi-centennial  anniversary,  they  recalled  Mr.  Hammond  from 
Groton  to  review  its  history.  When  the  Trustees  at  Groton  would 
dedicate  their  new  Academy  building,  they  sent  to  Monson  for 
Mr.  Hammond  to  come  and  teach  them  the  history  of  academic 
education  in  New  England." 

S.  A.  G. 


ADDRESS. 


It  is  a  real  pleasure  to  visit  once  more  this  town,  which 
was  for  eleven  years  my  home.  I  am  glad  to  greet  again, 
after  long  absence,  many  of  my  former  neighbors  and  friends. 
The  place  is  familiar  to  my  recollection,  as  it  was  before  the 
work  of  renovation  had  so  much  changed  the  scenes  of  former 
days.  There  are  yet  remaining  many  vivid  reminders  of  past 
associations,  pleasant  indeed  to  recall,  though  not  unmixed 
with  sad  reminiscences  ;  for  forms  of  persons  once  visible  and 
active  here  are  seen  only  in  the  mind's  eye  to-day,  and  many 
of  them  we  shall  meet  on  earth  no  more. 

The  present  occasion  is  one  which  properly  directs  our 
thoughts  to  the  future,  while  it  reminds  us  of  the  past.  It 
is  indeed  gratifying  to  join  with  you  in  these  services  by 
which  this  new  building  is  specially  devoted  to  its  most  im- 
portant uses.  It  is  certainly  a  marked  event  in  the  history 
of  Lawrence  Academy. 

The  building  which  occupied  the  site  of  this  new  structure 
was  identified  wholly  or  in  part  with  the  experiences  of  all 
who  have  been  educated  on  this  ground.  All  the  teachers 
employed  since  the  school  was  founded  in  1793  performed 
their  work  within  the  walls  of  the  ancient  structure.  An 
edifice  long  devoted  to  the  purposes  of  education  may  become 
antique  and  inconvenient,  and  yet  claim  respect,  and  even 
veneration,  at  least  as  a  memorial  of  those  by  whom  it 
was  erected  and  as  an  object  of  interest  to  pupils  of  former 
times. 

A  regard  for  the  ancient  as  against  what  is  convenient  and 
elegant  in  school  buildings  is  not  so  profound  a  sentiment  in 
New  England,  at  least,  as  in  some  other  lands.  I  remember 
meeting  in  this  town  an  intelHgent  Scotch  woman  who 
prided  herself  on  having  learned  the  rudiments  in  the  school- 


house,  still  standing  in  Ayrshire,  where  William  Wallace 
was  a  pupil.  It  is  a  plain  stone  building,  and  its  furniture 
is  simple  and  rude.  The  memory  of  Wallace  is  a  bar  to 
improvement,  the  villagers  being  quite  willing  that  the  house 
should  remain  as  it  was  when  Wallace  went  to  school,  more 
than  six  hundred  years  ago.  However  disposed  some  of  us 
may  be  to  respect  the  past,  we  all,  I  am  sure,  feel  alike  in  not 
wishing  to  see  the  old  Academy  back  again  in  the  place  of 
the  fine  building  we  this  day  behold.  We  must  all  regard 
the  erection  of  this  edifice  as  a  most  fortunate  event  in  its 
relations  to  the  future  welfare  of  the  seminary,  although  its 
substantial  prosperity  must  depend  on  other  conditions  than 
the  advantage  of  new  and  commodious  school-rooms. 

Indeed,  the  general  character  and  influence  of  such  a  school 
as  this  was  designed  to  be  by  its  founders  depend  on  con- 
siderations nearly  independent  of  its  material  form  and  de- 
velopment, although  it  must  have,  indeed,  a  local  habitation, 
as  well  as  a  name,  in  order  to  live  and  thrive. 

Standing  here  as  we  do  to-day,  and  regarding  with  deep 
interest  the  work  here  wrought  with  beautiful  designs  and 
skilful  hands  for  the  benefit  of  generations  to  come,  what 
topic  can  be  more  appropriate  for  us  than  to  consider  some 
of  the  conditions  on  which  the  future  prosperity  of  this 
institution  must  depend  ?  For  with  that  prosperity  in  view  as 
an  end,  all  your  contributions  have  been  made,  and  all  the 
work  of  the  architect  and  the  artisans  in  the  erection  of  this 
building  has  been  so  fitly  done. 

In  forecasting  the  future,  it  is  obvious  that  the  general 
character  of  this  seminary  will  remain  unchanged.  It  will 
continue  to  belong  to  that  class  of  secondary  or  middle  schools 
designated  as  academies.  Its  character  in  this  respect  was 
determined  long  ago  by  its  founders,  in  accordance  with  a 
policy  or  system  of  secondary  education,  which  was  new  in 
their  times,  and  is,  I  think,  strictly  American  in  its  origin. 

A  New  England  academy  of  the  primitive  type  is  a  founda- 
tion or  incorporated  school,  and  hence,  in  a  legal  sense,  a 
private  school,  as  distinguished  from  a  public  school,  sup- 
ported by  a  pubUc  or  municipal  corporation,  as  a  town,  city. 


5 

or  State.  Although  an  academy  is  a  private  school  in  the 
legal  sense,  yet  its  uses  are  wholly  and  altogether  public.  Its  « 
aim  is  not  the  benefit  of  one  locality  only  and  exclusively :  its 
domain  of  influence  and  patronage  is  unlimited  and  universal. 
Its  object  is  to  meet  the  wants  of  the  community  at  large  in 
the  same  manner  as  a  college  or  a  hospital  does,  with  a  view 
to  public  utility. 

The  academy,  as  a  private  school,  differs  from  a  common, 
or  community  school,  supported  by  taxation,  —  as  a  railroad, 
which  is  corporate  and  private,  differs  from  a  common  road, 
which  is  municipal  and  public ;  and  yet  both  kinds  of  ways 
are  indispensable  in  their  popular  uses.  In  one  important 
respect  an  institution  of  learning,  such  as  a  college  or  an 
academy,  differs  from  a  railroad  corporation  ;  for  all  the  in- 
come of  rich  schools  must  be  devoted  by  the  trustees  to  the 
public  good,  —  not  a  cent  of  it  to  their  own  advantage  ;  while 
railroads  and  bank  corporations,  in  consideration  of  their 
service  to  the  public,  have  liberty  to  serve  themselves. 

This  view  of  the  New  England  academy  shows  us  how  it 
differs  in  its  nature  and  design  from  the  ancient  grammar 
schools  of  England  and  the  few  grammar  schools  early  estab- 
lished in  this  country,  at  Boston,  Dorchester,  Roxbury,  and 
from  the  Dummer  School  at  Byfield  before  it  became  an  acad- 
emy in  1782.  The  old  grammar  schools  of  England  and  this 
country,  all  of  them  being  Latin  schools,  were  established  as 
local  institutions,  although  pupils  outside  of  the  town  or  pre- 
cinct might  be  admitted  by  paying  tuition.  Not  until  a  com- 
paratively recent  period  did  the  term  "  free,"  as  applied  to  any 
grade  of  schools,  have  the  modern  sense  of  "  gratuitous."  So 
careful  were  the  founders  of  the  Phillips  Academies  at  An- 
dover  and  Exeter  to  prevent  localization  that  provision  is 
made  in  their  charters  for  their  removal  to  other  places  when- 
ever the  Trustees  shall  judge  that  the  prosperity  of  those  sem- 
inaries requires  a  change  of  location.  For  the  same  reason  a 
majority  of  the  Trustees  of  this  Academy  must,  by  its  charter, 
be  non-residents  of  Groton. 

In  my  search  for  facts  some  years  since  relating  to  the 
early  history  of  New  England   academies,  I   found   in   the 


Library  of  Harvard  College  a  manuscript  copy  of  the  "solemn 
charge"  of  Benjamin  Thurston,  an  original  Trustee  of  Exeter, 
to  the  first  Preceptor,  William  Woodbridge,  at  his  induction 
into  office,  on  the  day  when  that  academy  was  formally  opened 
to  the  public,  May  i,  1783, — ten  years  before  Groton  Acad- 
emy was  founded.  It  was  delivered,  doubtless,  in  the  presence 
of  Dr.  John  Phillips  and  Lieutenant-Governor  Samuel  Phil- 
lips, both  founders  and  Trustees  of  Andover  and  Exeter.  I 
will  read  a  part  of  this  "  charge,"  to  show  the  policy  on  which 
those  noble  men  laid  the  foundations  of  the  oldest,  and  ranked 
as  among  the  best,  schools  yet  established  of  their  class. 

"You  will  make  no  discrimination,"  said  Mr.  Thurston,  "in 
favor  of  any  particular  State,  town,  or  family  on  account  of 
parentage,  wealth,  or  sentiments  of  religion,  as  the  institution 
is  founded  on  principles  of  the  most  extensive  liberality." 
The  word  "  liberality "  here  used  meant  unrestricted  privi- 
leges and  opportunities  of  education.  It  had  at  that  period 
no  trace  of  any  technical  sense  as  a  symbol  of  party  or  opin- 
ion. The  comprehensive  liberality  of  the  Phillips  family  was 
blended  with  the  profoundest  convictions  and  principles  of 
religion,  as  the  constitutions  and  early  laws  of  Andover  and 
Exeter  both  alike  most  clearly  prove.  The  Exeter  constitu- 
tion, drafted  by  the  hand  of  Dr.  John  Phillips,  contains  the 
following  sentence :  — 

"  It  is  expected  that  the  attention  of  instructors  to  the  minds  and 
morals  of  the  youlh  under  their  cha'rge  will  exceed  every  other  care, 
well  considering  that,  though  goodness  without  knowledge  is  weak 
and  feeble,  yet  knowledge  without  goodness  is  dangerous,  and  that 
both  united  form  the  noblest  character,  and  lay  the  surest  founda- 
tion of  usefulness  to  mankind.  The  first  and  principal  design  of 
this  institution  is  the  promotion  of  virtue  and  true  piety,  useful 
knowledge  being  subservient  thereto." 

The  founders  of  Groton  Academy  were  contemporaries  of 
the  founders  of  Andover,  Exeter,  and  Leicester ;  and  there  is 
no  doubt  whatever  that  such  men  as  Samuel  Lawrence  and 
the  Rev.  Dr.  Chaplin,  of  Groton,  coincided  in  their  views  per- 


fectly  as  to  the  ends  and  uses  of  all  higher  education.  This 
Academy  was  not  favored  with  princely  endowments,  as  were 
Andover  and  Exeter  at  their  very  origin  ;  but  the  first  build- 
ing erected  here,  and  which  long  remained  unchanged  in 
form,  was  equal  in  size  and  appearance  to  the  first  buildings 
erected  at  either  of  the  Phillips  Academies.  Whatever  we 
might  think  of  them  now  as  compared  with  modern  struc- 
tures, so  spacious  and  finely  furnished,  it  is  yet  an  incontro- 
vertible fact  that  the  founders  of  this  Academy  had  as  good 
reason  to  be  satisfied  with  what  they  did  in  their  times 
and  with  their  means  for  education,  as  we  have  with  all  our 
boasted  outlay  in  splendid  buildings  and  apparatus. 

The  first  edifice  here  —  which  many  now  living  can  re- 
member in  its  primitive  form  —  was  indeed  unpretending  ; 
and  yet  in  that  plain  building  a  good  work  was  wrought  dur- 
ing that  early  period  in  the  history  of  this  institution,  so 
well  termed  by  Mr.  Means,  in  his  Jubilee  discourse,  as  the 
age  of  faith. 

Soon  after  the  Revolution  a  general  interest  began  to  pre- 
vail among  the  leading  minds  of  New  England  in  the  cause 
of  education.  Compared  with  the  long  period  of  indifference 
which  preceded  it,  this  impulse  in  favor  of  a  higher  standard 
of  culture  in  th6  colleges,  and  of  improvement  in  popular 
education,  was  as  remarkable  and  hopeful  as  any  which  has 
since  occurred.  It  was  a  period  prolific  of  good  teachers  in 
the  colleges  and  in  the  newly  established  academies. 

Among  the  few  to  initiate  the  "  new  education "  of  that 
period  was  Dr.  Dwight,  of  Yale  College,  who  began  the  reform 
of  the  ancient  curriculum  of  study  long  before  his  accession  to 
the  presidency  in  1795.  While  he  was  tutor  in  the  college, 
from  1771  to  1777,  he  and  his  distinguished  associates,  Trum- 
bull and  Howe,  first  introduced  the  proper  study  of  the  Eng- 
lish language  and  literature.^     From  1783  to  1795  he  had  the 

1  Professor  Olmstead,  of  Yale,  in  an  article  on  "  Timothy  Dwight  as 
a  Teacher,"  published  in  "  The  American  Journal  of  Education,"  (v.  572)  says  : 
"Through  the  influence  of  three  contemporary  tutors,  —  Howe,  Trumbull,  and 
Dwight, — a  taste  for  literary  pursuits  was  excited,  and  the  art  of  speaking 
began,  for  the  first  time  in  the  history  of  the  college,  to  be  cultivated.  Dwight, 
especially,  both  by  his  example  and  instructions,  produced  a  great  reform  in  the 


charge  of  a  classical  school  of  wide  repute,  and  open  to  both 
sexes,  during  his  pastorate  at  Greenfield  '  Hill,  a  parish  of 
Fairfield,  Connecticut.  President  Dwight  was  an  intimate 
friend  of  Judge  Phillips,  of  Andover,  and  in  his  "  Travels  " 
has  left  on  record  a  remarkable  tribute  to  his  character. 

Another  leading  mind  in  all  the  educational  movements 
of  that  day  was  Dr.  Eliphalet  Pearson,  the  first  Principal 
of  Phillips  Academy  at  Andover,  afterwards  Professor  and 
Fellow  at  Harvard  College,  and  then  the  first  Professor 
of  Sacred  Literature  at  Andover  Theological  Seminary. 
Though  a  professor  of  Hebrew  at  Cambridge  and  Andover, 
he  was  interested  in  every  branch  of  academical  instruction. 
Like  Dr.  Dwight  at  Yale,  he  gave  lectures  on  English  gram- 
mar and  rhetoric  at  Cambridge,  and,  by  his  taste  and  skill 
and  severe  criticism,  had  a  most  beneficial  efifect  on  the  style 
of  composition  at  the  college. 

President  Quincy — who  was  twelve  years  his  pupil,  eight 
at  Andover  and  four  at  Cambridge  —  spoke  of  Dr.  Pearson,^ 
at  the  Andover  semi-centennial  celebration,  August  S,  1858, 
as  a  teacher  of  the  highest  ability,  and  as  having  labored  for 
the  institution  founded  by  the  Phillips  family  with  a  zeal  and 
perseverance  that  were  irresistible. 

These  historical  references  reveal  the  leading  objects  of  the 
founders  of  the  oldest  New  England  academies.  They  were 
designed  to  subserve  the  wants  of  colleges  by  providing  bet- 
ter-fitted candidates  for  admission,  and  also  to  make  the 
advantages  of  a  college  education  accrue  to  the  advancement 
of  popular  education.  In  the  best  secondary  schools  those 
studies  were  introduced,  which  had  previously  formed  an  im- 
portant part  of  the  course  of  college  instruction.     At  the 

style  of  writing  and  speaking.  He  delivered  to  the  students  a  series  of  lectures 
on  style  and  composition,  on  a  plan  very  similar  to  that  contained  in  Blair's 
Lectures,  which  was  not  published  until  a  considerable  time  afterwards.'' 
Trumbull,  the  author  of  "  McFingal,"  awakened  an  interest  in  poetical  studies. 
Rev.  Joseph  Howe  was  a  minister  of  Boston,  of  unequalled  elocution.  He  died 
August  25,  1775,  aged  twenty-eight  years. 

1  Professor  Quincy's  remarks  and  Professor  Park's  tribute  to  the  memory  of 
Dr.  Pearson  were  published  in  the  memorial  of  the  semi-centennial  celebration 
of  the  Theological  Seminary. 


•9 

beginning  of  this  century  there  was  hardly  a  college  in  New 
England  in  which  arithmetic,  English  grammar,  and  geography 
did  not  form  a  part  of  the  course  of  study  during  the  Fresh- 
man year.  Very  soon,  however,  they  were  dropped  from 
the  curriculum  and  made  the  condition  of  admission.  They 
were  transferred  to  the  academies,  and  thence  everywhere 
to  the  common  schools,  although  they  continued  to  be,  as 
they  ever  ought,  the  staples  of  instruction  in  secondary 
schools.  They  are  needed  as  the  essential  conditions  of  all 
culture  to  be  superadded,  whether  classical  or  scientific.  The 
founding  of  academies  rendered  it  possible  for  those  who  had 
natural  gifts  and  tastes  for  teaching  to  enter  upon  that  work 
as  a  permanent  profession.  It  is  certain  that,  near  the  begin- 
ning of  the  present  century,  graduates  of  Harvard,  Yale, 
and  Dartmouth  of  the  highest  rank  and  talents  did  become 
teachers  of  unsurpassed  excellence  in  the  newly  established 
academies. 

It  was  then  that  the  valedictorian  of  the  class  of  1800  at 
Dartmouth,  after  one  year's  service  at  Moor's  Charity  School, 
came  to  Groton,  and  began  his  long  and  successful  career. 
Nearly  contemporary  with  Mr.  Butler  at  Groton  were  Ebenezer 
Adams,  of  Leicester,  John  Adams,  of  Andover,  Benjamin 
Abbott,  of  Exeter,  John  Vose,  of  Atkinson  and  Pembroke,  and 
Simeon  Colton,  of  Monson  and  Leicester.  Though  all  these 
teachers  were  honored  in  their  day,  no  one  had  a  higher  claim 
to  respect  than  the  Preceptor  of  Groton  Academy.  The 
school  then  had  no  fund,  except  the  State  endowment ;  but  it 
had  the  cordial  support  of  a  very  able  Board  of  Trust.^  The 
pupils  at  that  time  were  not  so  numerous  as  in  some  other 
schools  ;  but  their  quality  was  good. 

1  On  the  Board  of  Trust,  during  Mr.  Butler's  administration,  there  were  some 
persons  of  wide  celebrity.  The  names  of  Prescott,  father  and  son,  of  Adams,  of 
Bigelow  and  Lawrence,  of  Thayer  and  Chaplin,  are  historic  in  the  learned  pro- 
fessions and  the  annals  of  the  State.  Dr.  Chaplin  had  rare  qualifications  for  the 
trusteeship.  After  his  settlement  in  Groton,  he  was  elected  the  first  Preceptor 
of  Phillips  Academy  at  Exeter,  but  declined.  This  appointment  is  evidence  of 
his  high  scholarship  and  character,  in  the  opinion  of  the  Phillips  family,  with 
whom  he  was  on  intimate  terms.  He  was  a  fellow-student  with  Judge  Phillips 
and  Eliphalet  Pearson  at  Dummer  Academy,  under  the  famous  Master  Moody, 
and  afterwards  at  Harvard  College,  where  they  graduated  in  successive  classes, 
—  Phillips  in  1771,  Chaplin  in  1772,  and  Pearson  in  1773. 


lO 

Some  of  us,  I  am  sure,  remember  the  Jubilee  of  July  12, 
1854,  with  Mr.  Butler  as  the  central  object  of  interest.  We 
remember  how  his  pupils  came  from  all  parts  of  the  land, 
and  from  places  of  the  highest  position  in  the  State,  the 
university,  the  learned  professions,  and  all  useful  and  honor- 
able occupations,  in  order  to  honor  him  who  had  been  their 
instructor. 

No  more  impressive  demonstration  of  the  value  of  such 
an  institution  as  this  in  its  broad  relations  and  far-reaching 
influence  throughout  our  land  could  be  given  than  what  we 
then  saw  in  the  "array  "^  of  eminent  men,  who  stood  up  in 
that  great  assembly  to  receive  from  their  revered  preceptor 
his  last  benediction.^ 

The  plan  of  administration  long  ago  adopted  at  Exeter,  and 
doubtless  the  best  for  that  institution,  —  to  admit  no  one  who 
does  not  intend  to  pursue  a  course  of  study  preparatory  for 
college,  —  has  never  been  established  here.  Though  this 
Academy  was  designed  primarily  to  fit  candidates  for  college, 
yet  it  has  also  in  view  the  training  of  that  class  of  young 
men  —  some  of  them  having  the  best  minds  and  hearts  — 
whose  talents  and  tastes  fit  them  for  active  business  rather 
than  for  the  so-called  learned  professions  ;  and  it  is  a  great 
advantage  for  this  class  of  men  to  enjoy  to  some  extent  the 
advantages  of  a  classical  course  of  study.  A  good  foundation 
for  liberal  culture  can  be  laid  in  the  best  secondary  schools  ; 
and  it  is  well  for  those  whose  term  of  education  is  necessarily 
brief  to  pursue  those  studies  they  need  in  association  with 
those  destined  to  a  longer  course.     It  is  well  also  for  those 

1  "  And  these  young  men  on  my  left,  if  they  are  Academy  boys,  as  I  take  it 
they  are,  I  congratulate  them  on  their  opportunity.  It  will  be  their  fault  if  they 
do  not  make  a  better  show  when  they  come  up  here  fifty  years  hence,  in  their  six- 
ties and  seventies,  to  keep  the  next  Jubilee.  And  yet  the  old  set  have  done  pretty 
well.  Look  along  down  the  table,  boys.  Here  is  a  Governor  of  the  State,  a 
Mayor  of  Boston,  a  Judge  of  a  Supreme  Court,  a  Postmaster-General,  a  law  pro- 
fessor of  Harvard,  a  Pi-esident  of  Harvard,  a  Minister  to  the  Court  of  London, 
and  others,  if  untitled,  yet  as  worthy,  I  am  sure.  Upon  my  word,  it  is  rather  a 
goodly  array.''  —  Rev.  Dr.  George  Putnam's  speech  at  the  "  Jubilee  "  dittner,  July 
12,  1854. 

2  Mr.  Butler  died  at  Groton,  on  October  7,  1854,  aged  78,  less  than  three 
months  after  the  Jubilee. 


II 


who  are  to  be  ministers  and  lawyers  to  be  educated  as  far  as 
possible  with  those  who  are  to  be  merchants,  manufacturers, 
engineers,  and  farmers.  During  their  brief  course  the  latter 
class  often  learn  to  appreciate  the  value  of  high  education, 
and  so  become  the  most  liberal  patrons  of  literary  institutions 
and  schools  of  every  grade.  There  have  been  many  such 
among  the  graduates  of  Lawrence  Academy. 

The  relation  of  this  seminary  to  popular  education  deserves 
special  attention.  It  is  certain  that  the  founders  and  early 
patrons  of  this  class  of  schools  regarded  the  service  rendered 
in  preparing  teachers  of  common  schools  for  their  work  as 
one  of  their  most  important  functions.^  There  is  no  doubt 
whatever  that  it  was  because  of  their  direct  relations  to  the 
popular  schools  that  the  State  endowments  were  given  to 
the  early  incorporated  academies  ;  and  provision  was  made 
by  the  law  of  1797  (proposed  by  Nathan  Dane,  of  Beverly), 
whereby  the  advantage  of  an  academy  might  be  enjoyed  in 
all  sections  of  the  State.  We  hope  the  ancient  public  policy 
of  Massachusetts  will  be  revived  in  favor  of  those  academies 
that  make  special  provision  in  their  courses  of  instruction  for 
the  training  of  teachers  in  the  primary  schools.  This  work 
can  be  done  in  academies  at  a  cheap  rate,  and  in  a  way  which 
is  convenient,  efficient,  and  satisfactory  to  the  people.  This 
measure  has  been  repeatedly  proposed  to  the  Legislature  by 
Governor  Claflin,  and  approved  by  the  Secretary  of  the  Board 
of  Education  in  his  recent  annual  reports. 

The  history  of  popular  education  includes  more  than  what 
relates  to  school  architecture  or  the  increase  of  teachers' 
wages  ;  it  embraces  improvements  in  the  courses  and  methods 
of  instruction.  But  this  part  of  the  history  of  American 
education  is  as  yet  in  a  great  measure  unwritten. 

The  beginning  of  progress  was  from  a  low  condition  of  the 
public  schools  at  a  period  not  very  remote.  When  this  Acad- 
emy was  founded  the  teacher  of  a  common  school  was  deemed 

1  Judge  Phillips,  of  Andover,  was  a  most  devoted  friend  of  common  schools. 
He  left  a  fund  in  charge  of  the  Trustees  of  Phillips  Academy,  the  income  of  which 
was  forever  to  be  applied  in  part  to  enable  female  teachers  employed  in  the 
district  schools  of  Andover  to  qualify  themselves  for  their  delicate  and  important 
trust. 


12 


qualified,  if  he  could  instruct  in  reading,  spelling,  penmanship, 
and  in  arithmetic  as  far  as  "the  Golden  Rule  of  Three."  But 
when  Ebenezer  Adams  became  Preceptor  at  Leicester  in 
1792  a  revolution  was  near  at  hand  ;  and  at  the  close  of  his 
fourteen  years'  administration  there  was  not  a  district  school 
in  the  central  and  southern  towns  of  Worcester  County 
which  had  not  felt  his  influence.  A  like  influence  emanated 
from  this  very  spot,  and  spread  through  all  the  surrounding 
region.  Mr.  Adams  and  Mr.  Butler  were  good  mathemati- 
cians and  excellent  teachers  of  advanced  arithmetic,  which 
was  then  studied  in  all  the  colleges,  and  is  really  a  very  high 
branch  in  all  secondary  schools  when  properly  taught. 

It  was  then  that  Dr.  Daniel  Adams,  a  recent  graduate  of 
Dartmouth  in  the  class  of  1797,  printed  his  first  arithmetic, 
with  his  "block  demonstration"  of  the  dread  mysteries  of 
the  cube  root,  and  other  originalities.  The  first  edition  was 
pubHshed  in  the  year  1801,  under  the  sanction  of  William 
M.  Richardson,  "  the  Preceptor  of  Groton  Academy  ; "  and 
the  recommendation  was  retained  in  subsequent  editions, 
long  after  the  preceptor  had  become  the  Chief  Justice  of  New 
Hampshire. 

Caleb  Bingham,  another  graduate  of  Dartmouth,  and  Noah 
Webster,  a  graduate  of  Yale  and  a  pupil  of  Dr.  Dwight  when 
a  tutor,  had  begun  their  mission  of  preparing  spelling-books 
and  reading-books  in  countless  thousands.  And  the  mar- 
vellous educational  power  of  Webster  is  yet  undiminished ; 
for  his  spelling-book  is  still  published  at  the  annual  rate  of  a 
million  copies,  and  his  dictionaries  are  used  wherever  the 
English  language  is  spoken. 

The  early  editions  of  Webster's  spelling-book  contained  a 
compend  of  English  grammar  ;  and  thus  the  attention  of  pupils 
was  directed  to-  the  so-called  second  part  of  his  "  Grammatical 
Institute,"  —  a  text-book  formerly  used  in  the  colleges,  which 
was  never  popular,  being  superseded  by  the  better  works  of 
Caleb  Alexander  and  Bishop  South.  I  have  already  referred 
to  influences  which  led  to  an  increased  interest  in  the  study 
of  the  English  language  at  the  colleges.  It  is  certain  that 
the  study  of  grammar  became  popular  in  the  secondary  and 


13 

primary  schools,  through  the  influence  of  college  graduates 
at  that  period  in  charge  of  the  academies. 

The  study  of  English  grammar  as  taught  formerly  was 
introductory  to  the  criticism  of  written  or  spoken  language. 
It  related  to  the  forms  and  laws  and  figures  of  thought,  as 
expressed  in  words  of  proper  use.  The  minute  analysis  of 
propositions,  according  to  the  old  logical  distinctions  or  the 
"  objective  "  relations  of  words  as  symbols  of  ideas,  are  repul- 
sive to  most  young  minds  ;  for  they  belong  to  the  department 
of  mental  philosophy  and  logic,  the  last  studies  of  a  complete 
course  of  education. 

The  stimulus  given  to  popular  education  by  these  academies 
soon  led  to  the  multiplication  of  schools  under  that  general 
name.  But  they  were  mostly  without  endowments,  and  had 
of  course  a  limited  range  of  patronage.  Hence  they  became 
local  schools,  and  their  nearly  sole  purpose  was  to  supplement 
the  range  of  the  primary  schools  in  the  neighborhood. 

By  the  influence  of  Horace  Mann  and  others,  the  system  of 
public  instruction  was  soon  enlarged  so  as  to  embrace  them 
as  high  schools,  so  called  from  their  relation  to  those  lower  in 
the  grade.  The  principle  of  gradation  as  applied  to  public 
schools  is  certainly  the  greatest  improvement  in  modern 
education ;  and  hence  it  is  not  strange  that  many  persons, 
realizing  the  transcendent  value  of  graded  schools  for  the 
people  at  large,  should  call  in  question  the  need  of  academies, 
on  the  ground  that  high  schools  can  be  established  in  almost 
any  town. 

I  propose  not  to  argue  this  question  here,  where  it  has 
been  so  long  the  subject  of  earnest  discussion  and  conflicting 
opinions  ;  for  it  is  vain  to  refer  to  the  relations  of  the  Acad- 
emy to  the  system  of  instruction  here,  if  we  must  admit  a 
necessary  conflict.  But  believing,  now  and  always,  that  no 
conflict  need  to  exist,  and  that  entire  harmony  is  possible,  — 
that  the  academy  may  subserve  the  welfare  of  all  grades  of 
the  public  schools,  and  that  the  highest  prosperity  of  the 
schools  will  accrue  to  the  benefit  of  the  academy,  —  I  will 
venture  to  refer  to  the  grounds  and  condition  of  mutual 
advantage  and  good  will. 


14 

If  two  institutions  resting  on  different  foundations  endeavor 
to  perform  the  same  class  of  duties  for  the  same  persons,  then 
indeed  competition  and  opposition  is  inevitable ;  but  if  they 
revolve  in  different  orbits,  they  may  belong  to  one  system, 
and  each  have  a  sphere  of  most  useful  service.  The  academy 
ought  not  to  do  the  work  which  may  be  done  better  by  schools 
of  a  lower  grade.  The  distinctions  of  grade  in  schools  are 
not  those  of  honor  or  dignity,  but  of  function.  All  are  equally 
worthy  of  interest  and  regard.  The  high  schools  and  gram- 
mar schools  are  complements  of  the  lower  grades  ;  and  a 
pupil  is  assigned  his  place  in  them  with  a  view  solely  to  his 
benefit. 

The  academy  is  related  to  the  colleges  by  reason  of  the 
studies  taught  in  them.  The  scholarships  founded  by  Amos 
Lawrence,  and  the  charitable  provisions  in  the  will  of  Wil- 
liam Lawrence,  relate  to  candidates  for  a  collegiate  education 
fitted  here  on  foundations  for  those  purposes  ;  and  the  Trus- 
tees are  forever  bound  to  see  that  the  intent  of  the  donors  is 
fulfilled. 

But  the  town  of  Groton,  as  the  patron  of  the  public  schools, 
had  not  the  same  sort  of  obligations  to  meet.  Its  range  of 
duties  is  different,  and  yet  vital  to  the  public  welfare.  If  by 
any  arrangement  the  Academy  may  serve  as  a  high  school  for 
the  town  in  its  public  uses,  it  will  be  an  institution  with  a 
range  of  studies  equal  to  that  of  a  high  school  in  cities  and 
the  largest  towns,  and  not  one  of  the  second  class.  If  the 
Academy  secures,  by  able  administration,  the  favor  and  patron- 
age of  the  public  at  large,  it  will  be  likely  to  meet  the  wishes 
and  the  wants  of  this  neighborhood.  In  order  to  meet  the 
claims  of  the  public  at  large,  the  Academy  must  be  furnished 
with  apparatus  and  means  of  instruction  in  the  natural  sci- 
ences. When  thus  equipped,  it  will  stand  in  intimate  rela- 
tions to  the  Scientific  School  at  Cambridge,  as  preparatory 
thereto  ;  and  the  amount  of  training  for  such  preparation 
will  soon  be  equal  in  amount  to  that  required  for  admission 
to  the  academical  department  at  the  University.  We  have 
the  authority  of  President  Eliot  in  favor  of  the  study  of 
classics  as  a  needed   discipline  for   success    in   scientific  in- 


IS 

vestigation.  Especially  is  there  need  of  linguistic  culture  to 
impart  scientific  instruction  in  the  best  modes  and  forms. 

If  this  Academy  fulfils  its  duty  to  the  public  at  large,  it  may 
reasonably  be  expected  that  every  year  some  young  men  will 
be  sent  from  this  institution  to  the  school  of  science  at  Cam- 
bridge. The  benefactors,  of  kindred  blood,  had  a  kindred 
aim  in  the  endowment  of  the  two  schools  under  a  common 
name. 

The  Trustees  will  do  their  utmost  to  meet  all  the  claims 
upon  the  institution  in  its  relations  to  higher  seminaries 
and  to  the  public  at  large.  At  the  same  time,  they  will  not 
overlook,  I  am  sure,  the  intimate  relation  of  the  Academy  to 
the  town  of  Groton,  especially  when  we  consider  the  new 
position  of  hope  and  promise  in  which  the  institution  stands 
to-day. 

The  policy  of  harmony  and  co-operation  with  the  public- 
school  system  was  long  since  recommended  here.  Sixteen 
years  ago  a  paper  was  read  to  the  Trustees,  recommending  the 
purchase  of  apparatus  for  teaching  natural  science.  In  that 
paper  allusion  was  made  to  the  legal  obligation  of  the  town  to 
provide  high-school  instruction,  and  thus  to  grade  the  public 
system.  Regarding  that  event  as  certain  to  happen,  it  was 
suggested  to  the  Trustees,  before  the  town  had  taken  any 
action  in  the  matter,  that  a  more  comprehensive  range  of 
studies  should  be  pursued  at  the  Academy,  and  thus  compe- 
tition with  the  proposed  high  school  would  be  avoided,  and 
the  Academy  would  meet  the  claims  of  the  public  in  providing 
facilities  for  education  in  branches  not  ordinarily  taught  with 
advantage  in  schools  of  a  low  grade. 

It  was  observed  "  that  if  the  rank  of  the  Academy  was  ad- 
vanced to  its  proper  position,  the  improvement  of  public 
schools  would  eventually  increase  the  patronage  of  the  Acad- 
emy ;  for  as  the  quality  of  scholarship  improved  in  the  lower 
grades  of  schools  there  would  be  a  demand  for  a  higher  course 
of  studies,  which  the  Academy  ought  to  furnish.  Therefore 
the  people  of  the  town  should  be  encouraged  to  perform  their 
duty.  The  burden  of  their  duty  would  become  a  blessing  to 
them  and  to  the  institution." 


i6 

Such  for  substance  was  the  argument  offered  many  years 
ago  in  favor  of  improvements  in  the  course  of  academical  in- 
struction here  and  in  favor  of  a  proper  gradation  of  the  pop- 
ular schools.  The  Trustees  favored  the  suggestions  then 
made  for  procuring  philosophical  apparatus,  by  appropriating 
a  part  of  the  Brazer  Fund  for  that  purpose. 

If  we  might  plead  so  long  ago  for  co-operation  iri  promoting 
the  cause  of  education  by  all  proper  forms  and  methods  and 
institutions,  much  more  may  we  make  such  a  plea  now,  when 
we  see  what  the  friends  and  helpers  of  so  good  a  cause  have 
done,  —  for  different  projects  indeed,  but  all  acting  for  a  com- 
mon end.  This  noble  building,  on  this  matchless  site,  for  the 
use  of  the  Academy,  and  that  fine  structure  designed  for  the 
use  of  the  public  schools,  erected  simultaneously,  are  both  in 
happy  accordance  with  the  historical  associations,  the  social 
culture,  and  the  natural  beauty  of  this  peerless  old  town. 

If  a  careful  system  of  gradation  is  formed  for  each  of  these 
institutions,  then  every  advantage  which  both  in  turn  can 
furnish  will  be  enjoyed  by  all  the  young  whose  lot  shall  be  to 
have  a  home  on  these  healthy  hills  and  live  in  sight  of  those 
delectable  mountains. 

It  is  the  grandest  function  of  all  our  New  England  towns 
to  raise  money  by  taxation  and  spend  it  for  the  education  of 
the  young.  Whenever  a  town  fails  to  fulfil  this,  —  the  high- 
est end  of  its  corporate  being,  —  it  should  cease  to  exist. 
Such  a  town  has  really  no  right  to  be  in  the  old  Common- 
wealth of  Massachusetts. 

But  while  I  say  this,  I  do  not  hold  to  the  obligation  of 
every  town  as  large  as  Groton,  or  even  a  great  deal  larger,  to 
sustain  all  the  grades  of  schools  which  a  perfect  system  of 
education  demands.  It  cannot  be  done,  and  ought  not  to  be 
attempted.  Very  few  towns,  or  cities  even,  should  be  obliged 
to  fit  boys  for  college  as  a  municipal  duty  ;  for  there  is  a 
cheaper  and  a  great  deal  better  mode  of  providing  such  in- 
struction. The  best  education  for  the  candidate  is  deter- 
mined by  its  quality,  not  its  place.  But  few  towns  or  cities 
have  candidates  enough  to  provide  the  best  school  for  them  ; 


17 

for  there  is  not  one  boy  in  a  thousand  of  all  enrolled  in  the 
public  schools  that  is  destined  ever  to  enter  the  university. 

Some  towns  as  large  as  this  do  not  furnish  a  candidate  once 
in  five  years  ;  and  the  ratio  of  supply  from  the  cities  is  less 
even  than  from  the  country.  Hence  towns,  as  such,  ought  not 
to  provide  so  liberally  for  the  contingent  wants  of  one  boy, 
and  neglect  the  certain  wants  of  nine  hundred  and  ninety- 
nine.  The  aim  of  the  best  local  system  of  public  instruction 
is  to  provide  impartially  for  the  average  necessities  of  all,  and 
raise  the  average  standard  of  opportunity  and  attainment  to 
the  highest  limit  the  people  will  allow  and  bear.  But  they 
w^ill  not  bear  the  burden  of  supporting  colleges  or  academies 
in  their  best  estate ;  for  but  few  out  of  the  whole  number  of 
the  people  will  ever  enter  them. 

The  lower  grades  of  schools  bring  their  blessings  of 
priceless  value  to  every  man's  door,  and  hence  their  cost 
must  be  met  as  a  common  or  public  advantage  directly  re- 
ceived. The  schools  for  the  people  demand  the  oversight  of 
the  Government ;  and  no  functionary  has  an  office  higher  in 
honor  or  dignity  than  the  minister  or  secretary  of  public 
instruction.  If  the  State  will  sustain  the  public  schools  in 
their  best  possible  condition,  then  the  colleges  and  schools 
of  a  high  grade,  and  many  of  the  best  secondary  schools,  will 
look  chiefly  for  their  support  to  their  graduates  and  friends. 
They  can  claim  from  the  State  its  fostering  care  and  pro- 
tection, and  occasional  benefactions  ;  but  beyond  this  they 
can  look  for  little  more.  The  history  of  advanced  education 
in  this  country  and  England  shows  that  the  higher  semina- 
ries have  been  supported  mainly  by  individual  founders  and 
patrons,  and  only  partially  by  the  State. 

It  has  been  an  objection  to  the  constitution  of  colleges  and 
academies  established  for  unlimited  uses  that  the  Government 
does  not  directly  control  them.  This  objection  is  giving 
way.  The  State  has  voluntarily  sundered  its  connection  with 
Harvard  and  Yale,  and  no  detriment  to  the  cause  of  good 
learning  is  likely  to  ensue  from  the  want  of  benefactions. 
The  academies  have  not  been  so  fortunate  as  the  colleges. 
We  trust,  however,  that  the  day  of  their  enlargement  is  at 


hand.  When  their  true  position  as  secondary  schools  is  bet- 
ter understood,  they  will  find  patrons  and  benefactors.  We 
need  in  this  country  but  few  academies  ;  but  they  must  be 
well  endowed  in  order  to  meet  all  the  demands  of  the  colleges 
and  the  public  at  large.  According  to  President  McCosh,  of 
Princeton,  the  great  educational  defect  in  America  is  the 
want  of  vigorous  secondary  schools.  We  have  no  such  insti- 
tutions as  the  great  public  schools  of  England,  —  as  Rugby 
and  Winchester  and  Eton,  —  where  young  men  are  fitted  for 
Oxford  and  Cambridge.  Throughout  Europe  they  are  con- 
sidered as  important  as  the  universities,  being  closely  con- 
nected with  them  ;  yet  only  a  small  part  of  the  students  of  the 
great  schools  of  England  enter  the  university.  The  greater 
number  leave  them  for  business  occupations,  as  boys  do  in 
our  American  academies. 

The  foundations  of  this  Academy  are  too  surely  laid  ever  to 
be  broken  up.  We  trust  they  will  be  enlarged,  as  well  as  en- 
dure forever.  "  My  desire,"  said  William  Lawrence,  "  is  that 
this  Academy  may  be  equal  to  any  in  the  State."  An  acad- 
emy must  keep  pace  with  the  progress  of  the  times,  if  it  is  to 
live  and  thrive.  On  the  graduates  and  friends  of  this  institu- 
tion rests  the  responsibility  of  realizing  the  desire  of  its 
principal  benefactor. 

The  two  chief  donors  did  nobly  for  this  and  other  institu- 
tions in  their  day  ;  but  they  could  not  and  ought  not  to  pro- 
vide for  all  future  times.  Other  benefactors  must  build  on 
the  strong  foundations  laid  by  those  who  have  gone  to  their 
reward.  Education  is  an  ever-progressive,  never-completed 
enterprise  for  the  "glory  of  God  and  the  relief  of  man's 
estate."  It  is  a  debt  which  each  generation  must  pay, 
according  to  its  ability,  to  that  which  is  its  successor ;  and 
its  magnitude  increases  with  the  demands  of  our  advancing 
civilization. 

In  times  to  come,  as  in  those  gone  by,  there  will  be  those 
who  will  rejoice  "  to  rise  and  build,"  in  addition  to  the  beauti- 
ful structure  we  consecrate  to-day.  The  patrons,  trustees, 
and  teachers  of  former  days  are  passing  away  ;  but  their  works 
remain  ;  and  their  example  of  faith   and  devotion  will  live 


19 

forever.  Their  memory  will  be  cherished  by  the  pupils  that 
shall  throng  these  halls,  and  look  out,  as  we  so  often  have, 
upon  this  far-reaching,  ravishing  landscape,  from  this  "  beau- 
tiful Mount  Zion  of  the  mind,"  so  beautiful  for  situation,  the 
joy  of  generations  past,  and  to  be  the  joy  of  generations  long 
to  come. 


APPENDIX 


An  Act  to  establish  an  Academy  in  the  Town  of   Groton,  by  the 
Name  of  Groton  Acade7ny. 

Whereas  the  encouragement  of  Literature  among  the  rising  genera- 
tion has  ever  leen  considered  by  the  wise  and  good,  as  an  object  worthy 
the  most  serious  attention,  and  the  happiness  of  the  community  requires 
the  dissemination  of  knowledge  and  learning  among  all  classes  of  citi- 
zens :  And  whereas  it  appears  from  a  petition  of  a  large  number  of 
the  inhabitants  of  the  town  of  Groton,  and  its  vicinity,  that  a  sum  of 
money  has  been  subscribed  towards  erecting  a  suitable  building  for, 
and  supporting  an  Academy  in  the  said  town  ;  and  as  such  an  Institu- 
tion, besides  encouraging  the  interest  of  Literature  and  the  Sciences,  and 
diffusing  useful  knowledge  in  that  part  of  the  Commonwealth,  may 
otherwise  essentially  promote  the  interest  thereof:  Therefore, 

Be  it  enacted  by  the  Senate  and  House  of  Representatives,  in  General 
Court  assembled,  and  by  the  authority  of  the  same.  That  there  be,  and 
hereby  is  established  in  the  town  of  Groton,  in  the  county  of  Mid- 
dlesex, an  Academy,  by  the  name  of  Groton  Academy,  for  the  purpose 
of  promoting  Piety  and  Virtue,  and  for  the  education  of  youth  in 
such  languages,  and  such  of  the  liberal  Arts  and  Sciences  as  the 
Trustees  shall  direct:  And  the  Hon.  Oliver  Prescott,  Esq.  Rev. 
Daniel  Chaplin,  Rev.  Zabdiel  Adams,  Rev.  Phineas  Whitney,  Rev. 
John  Bullard,  Rev.  William  Emerson,  Hon.  Josiah  Stearns,  Esq. 
Col.  Hemy  Broomfield,  James  Winthrop,  Henry  Woods,  Joseph 
Moors,  Oliver  Prescott,  jun.  Samuel  Dana,  Timothy  Bigelow,  and 
Aaron  Brown,  Esquires,  be,  and  they  hereby  are  nominated  and 
appointed  Trustees  of  the  said  Academy  ;  and  they  are  hereby  in- 
corporated into  a  body  politic,  by  the  name  of  The  Trustees  of 
Groton  Academy,  and  they,  and  their  successors  shall  be,  and  con- 
tinue a  body  politic  and  corporate,  by  the  same  name  forever. 

And  be  it  further  enacted,  That  all  the  lands  and  monies  hereto- 
fore given  or  subscribed,  or  which  for  the  purpose  aforesaid,  shall 


22 

be  hereafter  given,  granted  and  assigned  unto  the  said  Trustees, 
shall  be  confirmed  to  the  said  Trustees,  and  their  successors,  in  that 
trust  forever,  for  the  uses  which  in  such  instruments  shall  be  ex- 
pressed ;  and  they  the  said  Trustees  shall  be  further  capable  of 
having,  holding,  and  taking  in  fee  simple,  by  gift,  grant,  devise  or 
otherwise,  any  lands,  tenements,  or  other  estate,  real  or  personal  ; 
provided  the  annual  income  of  the  same  shall  not  exceed  five 
thousand  dollars,  and  shall  apply  the  rents  and  profits  thereof,  in 
such  manner  as  that  the  end  and  design  of  the  Institution  may  be 
most  effectually  promoted. 

Be  it  further  enacted.  That  the  said  Trustees  shall  have  full  power 
from  time  to  time,  as  they  shall  determine,  to  elect  such  Officers  of 
the  said  Academy,  as  they  shall  judge  necessary  and  convenient, 
and  fix  the  tenures  of  their  respective  offices ;  to  remove  any  Trus- 
tee from  the  Corporation  when  in  their  opinion  he  shall  be  incapa- 
ble, through  age  or  otherwise,  of  discharging  the  duties  of  his  office  ; 
to  fill  all  vacancies  by  electing  such  persons  for  Trustees,  as  they 
shall  judge  best ;  to  determine  the  times  and  places  of  their  meetings ; 
the  manner  of  notifying  the  said  Trustees  ;  the  method  of  electing 
or  removing  Trustees ;  to  ascertain  the  powers  and  duties  of  their 
several  Officers  ;  to  elect  Preceptors  and  Teachers  of  said  Academy  ; 
to  determine  the  duties  and  tenures  of  their  officers  ;  to  ordain 
reasonable  rules,  orders  and  bye-laws,  not  repugnant  to  the  laws  of 
the  Commonwealth,  with  reasonable  penalties  for  the  good  govern- 
ment of  the  Academy,  as  to  them  the  said  Trustees  and  their  suc- 
cessors, shall,  from  time  to  time,  according  to  the  various  occasions 
and  circumstances,  seem  most  fit  and  requisite  ;  all  which  shall  be 
observed  by  the  officers,  scholars  and  servants  of  the  said  Academy, 
upon  the  penalties  therein  contained. 

Be  it  further  enacted.  That  the  Trustees  of  the  said  Academy  may 
have  one  Common  Seal,  which  they  may  change  at  pleasure  ;  and 
that  all  deeds,  made,  signed  and  sealed  with  said  Common  Seal, 
and  duly  executed  by  the  Treasurer  or  Secretary  of  said  Trustees, 
by  their  order,  shall  be  considered  valid  in  law,  as  good  deeds  of 
bargain  and  sale  :  And  that  the  Trustees  of  said  Academy  may  sue 
and  be  sued,  in  all  actions  real,  personal  and  mixed,  and  prosecute 
and  defend  the  same  until  final  judgment  and  execution,  by  the 
name  of  The  Trustees  of  Groton  Academy. 

Be  it  further  enacted  by  the  authority  aforesaid.  That  the  number 
of  said  Trustees  shall  not,  at  any  one  time,  be  more  than  fifteen,  nor 
less  than  nine,  five  of  whom  shall  constitute  a  quorum  for  doing 


23 

business,  and  a  majority  of  the  members  present  at  any  legal  meet- 
ing, shall  decide  all  questions  proper  to  come  before  the  Trustees ; 
that  the  major  part  of  them  shall  consist  of  men  who  are  not 
inhabitants  of  the  town  of  Groton. 

And  it  is  further  enacted.  That  Aaron  Brown,  Esq.  be,  and  he 
hereby  is  authorized  and  empowered  to  fix  the  time  and  place  of 
holding  the  first  meeting  of  the  said  Trustees,  and  to  notify  them 
thereof. 

[This  Act  passed  September  28,  1793-] 


Resolve  granting  half  a  township  to  certain  Academies,  to  be  laid  out 
under  the  direction  of  the  Committee  for  the  sale  of  Eastern  lands. 
Feb.  27,  1797. 

Resolved,  That  in  pursuance  of  a  report  of  a  joint  Committee 
which  has  been  accepted  by  both  branches  of  the  Legislature,  there 
be,  and  hereby  is  granted  to  the  Trustees  of  Dummer  Academy,  to 
the  Trustees  of  Phillip's  Academy,  to  the  Trustees  of  Groton  Acad- 
emy, and  to  the  Trustees  of  Westford  Academy,  respectively,  and  to 
their  respective  successors,  one  half  township  of  six  miles  square, 
for  each  of  their  Academies,  to  be  laid  out  or  assigned  by  the  Com- 
mittee for  the  sale  of  Eastern  lands,  in  some  of  the  unappropriated 
lands  in  the  district  of  Maine,  belonging  to  this  Commonwealth, 
excepting  all  lands  within  six  miles  of  Penobscot  River,  with  the 
reservations  and  conditions  of  settlement,  which  have  usually  been 
made  in  cases  of  similar  grants,  which  tracts  the  said  Trustees,  re- 
spectively, are  hereby  empowered  to  use,  sell  or  dispose  of  as  they 
may  think  most  for  the  benefit  of  their  respective  institutions. 

The  land  given  to  the  Academy  under  this  Resolve  was  situ- 
ated in  Washington  County,  District  of  Maine.  It  comes 
now  in  Hodgdon,  Aroostook  County,  and  lies  on  the  eastern 
frontier  of  the  State,  just  south  of  Houlton.  The  grant 
consisted  of  half  a  township,  equal  to  1 1,520  acres,  which 
afterward  was  sold  by  the  Trustees  to  John  Hodgdon,  of 
Weare,  New  Hampshire,  at  fifty  cents  an  acre.     The  early 


24 

settlers  of  this  territory  obtained  the  title  to  their  lands  from 
Mr.  Hodgdon ;  and  the  town  was  named  after  him.  The 
northern  half  of  the  township  was  given  to  Groton  Academy, 
and  the  southern  half  to  Westford  Academy. 


During  the  summer  of  1841  the  Academy  building  was  re- 
modelled for  the  first  time  and  somewhat  enlarged  by  an 
addition  to  the  rear,  at  a  cost  of  $2,000,  generously  given 
for  the  purpose  by  Amos  Lawrence,  Esq.,  of  Boston.  The 
grounds  also  were  improved,  and  a  fence,  consisting  of  stone 
posts  and  chains,  placed  in  front  of  the  yard,  —  as  well  as  on 
the  south  side,  separating  it  from  the  Brazer  estate.  Before  this 
time  there  was  a  travelled  way  to  the  Brazer  house,  diagonally 
across  the  grounds  in  front  of  the  Academy.  While  the 
building  was  undergoing  this  alteration,  the  regular  exercises 
of  the  school  were  held  in  the  town  hall,  at  that  time  in  the 
lower  story  of  the  Unitarian  Meeting-house.  The  annual 
catalogue  of  the  institution,  printed  in  the  autumn  of  1841, 
thus  refers  to  these  changes  : 

During  the  past  summer  alterations  and  improvements  have  been 
made  in  the  Academy  building,  to  the  amount  of  two  thousand  dollars. 
The  number  of  rooms  has  been  increased,  and  the  old  ones  have  been 
thoroughly  repaired.  The  room  appropriated  to  the  young  ladies 
is  now  handsomely  carpeted  and  the  whole  furnished  in  a  con- 
venient and  tasteful  manner.  The  building  is  warmed  throughout 
by  a  furnace,  thus  affording  an  agreeable  summer  atmosphere  with- 
out subjecting  the  students  to  those  sudden  variations  of  temperature 
equally  deleterious  to  comfort  and  health.  The  grounds  around 
have  also  been  greatly  improved. 

In  the  spring  of  1844  William  Lawrence,  Esq.,  of  Boston, 
an  elder  brother  of  Amos,  gave  the  sum  of  ^10,000  to  be 
added  to  the  permanent  funds  of  the  institution.  In  conse- 
quence of  this  liberal  gift,  and  other  manifestations  of  their 


25 

interest  in  the  school,  on  the  part  of  the  two  brothers,  the 
Trustees  voted  at  the  annual  meeting,  on  August  20,  1845, 
to  petition  the  General  Court  to  change  the  corporate  name 
of  the  school  to  "  The  Lawrence  Academy  of  Groton."  At 
the  next  session  of  the  Legislature,  the  petition  was  duly 
presented  and  resulted  in  the  following: 

An    Act   to   change   the   Name   of   the   Trustees   of   the   Groton 
Academy. 

Be  //  enacted  by  the  Senate  (Aid  House  of  Representatives,  in  General 
Court  assembled,  and  by  the  authority  of  the  same,  as  follows  : 

From  and  after  the  passing  of  this  act,  the  corporate  name  of 
"  The  Trustees  of  the  Groton  Academy  "  shall  be  changed,  and  the 
said  corporation  shall  be  known  and  called  by  the  name  of  "  The 
Trustees  of  the  Lawrence  Academy  at  Groton,"  any  thing  in  the  act 
incorporating  the  same  to  the  contrary  notwithstanding.  [4/*- 
proved  by  the  Governor,  Feb.  28,  1846.] 

The  benefactions  of  the  Lawrence  brothers  did  not  cease 
with  the  change  of  name  in  the  school.  During  the  month 
of  July,  1846,  Amos  Lawrence,  Esq.,  bought  the  Brazer  es- 
tate, so  called,  —  adjoining  the  Academy  lot  on  the  south, 
and  formerly  belonging  to  James  Brazer,  Esq.,  —  for  the 
sum  of  ;^4,400,  and  soon  afterward  conveyed  it  by  deed  to 
the  Trustees  of  Lawrence  Academy.  He  also  requested  that 
all  the  buildings  and  fences  on  the  place  should  be  put  in 
complete  repair  at  his  expense,  which  was  accordingly  done 
at  a  cost  of  more  than  ;^  1,200.  During  the  next  month 
William  Lawrence,  Esq.,  wrote  to  the  Trustees,  offering  to 
give  ^S,ooo  to  be  used  for  the  enlargement  of  the  Academy 
building ;  for  the  erection  of  a  substantial  stone  and  iron  fence 
in  front  of  the  grounds,  including  the  Dana  and  Brazer  estates ; 
and  for  the  purchase  of  another  bell  for  the  school.  The 
Dana  estate,  adjoining  the  Academy  lot  on  the  north,  had  for- 
merly belonged  to  the  Honorable  Samuel  Dana,  and  was  bought 
by  the  Trustees  in  the  summer  of  1836.  With  this  sum,  thus 
generously  placed  in  their  hands,  the  Trustees  during-  the 
ensuing  autumn  enlarged  the  Academy  by  an  extension  on  its 


26 

north  side,  and  very  soon  afterward  carried  out  Mr.  Lawrence's 
wishes  in  the  other  matters.  While  these  changes  were  mak- 
ing in  the  building,  the  regular  exercises  of  the  school  were 
again  conducted  in  the  town  hall,  in  the  lower  story  of  the 
Unitarian  Meeting-house.  The  annual  catalogue  of  the  insti- 
tution, printed  in  the  autumn  of  1846,  says  that  "  the  elegant 
mansion  adjoining  the  Academy  has  been  purchased  and  pre- 
sented to  the  Trustees  ;  the  Academy  building  has  been  doub- 
led in  capacity  and  convenience  and  more  than  doubled  in 
good  looks  ;  and  the  front  is  to^  be  enclosed  by  an  elegant 
iron  fence."  At  his  death,  which  occurred  on  October  14, 
1848,  Mr.  Lawrence  left  by  will  the  sum  of  ;^20,ooo  to  the 
institution. 

The  original  Academy  building  was  square,  with  the  en- 
trance at  the  north  front  corner.  The  school-room  was  in  the 
lower  story,  where  the  boys  and  girls  were  "  co-educated,"  as 
the  modern  expression  is  ;  and  the  upper  room,  known  as  the 
Hall,  was  used  for  exhibitions  and  declamations.  Subsequently 
this  was  fitted  up  for  school  purposes,  and  at  one  time  was 
used  by  Miss  Susan  Prescott,  for  her  private  school  for  girls, 
a  somewhat  noted  institution  in  its  day.  After  the  changes  of 
1846  the  old  entrance  came  in  the  centre  of  the  building. 

A  lithograph  representation  of  the  original  structure  and  of 
the  Brazer  house,  as  they  appeared  in  the  year  1820,  is  given 
opposite  to  page  15  in  "  The  Jubilee  of  Lawrence  Academy,  at 
Groton,  Mass.,  July  12,  1854"  (New  York,  1855).  The  draw- 
ing was  made  by  Miss  Henrietta  Butler,  afterward  Mrs.  At- 
kinson, and  a  daughter  of  the  former  preceptor.  The  original 
copy  is  now  in  the  possession  of  her  sister,  Mrs.  Francis  A. 
Brooks,  of  Boston.  Another  representation  of  the  Academy, 
and  also  of  the  Dana  house,  as  well  as  the  Unitarian  Meeting- 
house,'is  found  on  page  391  of  John  Warner  Barber's  "  His- 
torical Collections  "  (Worcester,  1839).  The  drawing  was  made 
by  Mr.  Barber  in  the  year  1838  ;  and  as  a  small  boy  I  remem- 
ber well  when  he  came  to  Groton  and  did  it.  This  cut  has 
been  reproduced  and  appears  in  the  Appendix  to  a  private 
edition  of  "  The  Early  Records  of  Groton  "  (page  200).  Both 
these  copies  are  considered  correct  views  of  the  building, 
as  it  formerly  appeared. 


27 

After  the  alterations  during  the  autumn  of  1846  the  Brazer 
house  was  occupied  by  the  principal  as  his  place  of  residence, 
and  the  Dana  mansion  was  used  as  a  boarding-house  for 
scholars.  An  engraved  plate  was  made,  —  representing  these 
buildings  with  the  Academy  in  the  centre,  —  which  appears 
in  the  several  issues  of  the  annual  catalogue  up  to  the  time 
of  the  burning  on  July  4,  1868,  as  well  as  in  the  frontispiece  of 
the  account  of  the  "  Jubilee."  When  the  new  structure  was 
finished  in  the  summer  of  1871,  another  plate  was  engraved, 
representing  the  present  appearance  of  the  buildings  and 
grounds,  which  is  the  one  now  used  in  the  annual  catalogues. 

The  Honorable  William  Adams  Richardson,  Chief  Justice  of 
the  Court  of  Claims  at  Washington,  D.  C,  at  one  time  had  a 
sketch  of  the  Academy,  as  it  was  in  1839,  drawn  by  Stillman 
S.  H.  Parker,  of  Shirley,  then  a  fellow-student  with  him  pre- 
paring for  college,  but  who  died  two  years  later,  before  entering 
Harvard  as  he  had  intended  to  do. 

Bigelow  Hall,  seen  in  the  engraving  now  used,  is  a  large  dor- 
mitory, built  during  the  autumn  of  1 863,  and  first  occupied  at  the 
beginning  of  the  term,  which  opened  on  March  23,  1864.  The 
Hall  was  so  named  after  the  Honorable  John  Prescott  Bigelow, 
a  native  of  Groton,  whose  father,  the  Honorable  Timothy  Bige- 
low, served  as  one  of  the  original  Trustees  of  the  institution, 
through  a  period  of  twenty  years.  The  annual  catalogue  of 
the  Academy,  published  in  the  month  of  November,  1864,  says 
of  this  Hall  that  it  "  is  an  elegant  brick  building  erected  for 
a  dormitory.  It  has  a  fine  situation,  commanding  delightful 
views  from  nearly  every  window.  Each  suite  of  rooms  con- 
sists of  a  study-room  and  two  bed-rooms,  and  they  are  fur- 
nished with  every  thing  essential,  except  bedding.  A  superior 
system  of  ventilation  runs  through  the  entire  building.  A 
teacher  rooms  in  the  building,  and  has  special  charge  of  the 
occupants." 

The  oldest  graduate  of  the  Academy  at  the  present  time  is 
Mrs.  Sarah  (Chaplin)  Rockwood,  who  is  living  in  Cortland, 
Cortland  County,  New  York.  She  was  born  at  Groton,  on  No- 
vember 8, 1785,  and  consequently  is  now  in  the  one  hundredth 
year  of  her  age.     She  is  a  daughter  of  the  Reverend  Daniel  and 


28 

Susanna  (Prescott)  Chaplin,  and  first  attended  tiie  school,  then 
known  as  Groton  Academy,  in  the  autumn  of  1797,  while  it  was 
under  the  mastership  of  Asahel  Stearns.  Her  father  was  the 
minister  of  the  town  during  more  than  half  a  century,  and 
her  mother  was  a  niece  of  Colonel  William  Prescott,  the  com- 
mander of  the  American  Forces  at  the  Battle  of  Bunker  Hill. 
She  is  still  able  to  sew  and  read  the  newspapers,  and  continues 
to  take  an  active  interest  in  passing  events.  I  am  informed 
by  her  that  the  Academy,  when  first  opened  in  the  spring  of 
1793,  was  kept  for  a  while  in  the  District  school-house  on 
Farmers'  Row. 

A  celebration  in  connection  with  the  history  of  Lawrence 
Academy  took  place  on  July  12,  1854,  when  an  address  was  de- 
Hvered  by  the  Reverend  James  Means,  a  former  principal  of  the 
institution.  It  was  a  distinguished  gathering,  and  known  at 
that  time  as  the  "  Jubilee."  A  full  account  of  the  proceed- 
ings was  afterward  published,  with  a  general  catalogue  of  the 
school  from  its  beginning.  Another  reunion  was  held  on 
June  21,  1883,  when  a  dinner  was  given  in  the  town  hall  to 
the  old  pupils.  The  assemblage  was  not  so  large  as  the  pre- 
vious one,  but  quite  as  enthusiastic.  The  wish  was  generally 
expressed  that  the  centennial  anniversary  of  the  school, 
which  comes  in  the  year  1893,  should  be  duly  celebrated. 
The  proceedings  on  this  occasion  also  were  printed  in  a 
pamphlet  form. 

S.  A.  G. 


GROTON    HISTORICAL   SERIES. 
No.  VII. 


THE  OLD  STORES  AND  THE  POST-OFFICE 
OF   GROTON.. 


GROTON,    MASS. 

1885. 


GROTON,  MASSACHUSETTS,  1885. 
Historical  Series,  No.  VH. 


THE  OLD    STORES    AND   THE    POST-OFFICE   OF 
GROTON. 

By  Samuel  A.  Green. 

Tradition  has  preserved  little  or  nothing  in  regard  to  the 
earliest  trading  stores  of  Groton.  It  is  probable,  however, 
that  they  were  kept  in  dwelling-houses  by  the  occupants, 
who  sold  articles  in  common  use  for  the  convenience  of  the 
neighborhood,  and  at  the  same  time  pursued  their  regular 
vocations. 

Jonas  Cutler  was  keeping  a  shop  on  the  site  of  Mr.  Ger- 
rish's  store,  before  the  Revolution  ;  and  the  following  notice, 
signed  by  him,  appears  in  The  Massachusetts  Gazette  (Boston), 
November  28,  1 768 :  — 

A  THEFT. 

Whereas  on  the  19th  or  20th  Night  of  November  Instant,  the 
Shop  of  the  Subscriber  was  broke  open  in  Groton^  and  from  thence 
was  stollen  a  large  Sum  of  Cash,  viz.  four  Half  Johannes,  two 
Guineas,  Two  Half  Ditto,  One  Pistole  mill'd,  nine  Crowns,  a  Con- 
siderable Number  of  Dollars,  with  a  considerable  Quantity  of 
small  Silver  &  Copper,  together  with  one  Bever  Hat,  about 
fifteen  Yards  of  Holland,  eleven  Bandannas,  blue  Ground  with 
white,  twelve  red  ditto  with  white,  Part  of  a  Piece  of  Silk  Romails, 


I  Pair  black  Worsted  Hose,  i  strip'd  Cap,  8  or  lo  black  barcelona 
Handkerchiefs,  Part  of  a  Piece  of  red  silver'd  Ribband,  blue  & 
white  do.  Part  of  three  Pieces  of  black  Sattin  Ribband,  Part  of 
three  Pieces  of  black  Tafferty  ditto,  two  bundles  of  Razors,  Part 
of  2  Dozen  Penknives,  Part  of  2  Dozen  ditto  with  Seals,  Part  of 
I  Dozen  Snuff  Boxes,  Part  of  3  Dozen  Shoe  Buckels,  Part  of  sev- 
eral Groce  of  Buttons,  one  Piece  of  gellow  [yellow?]  Ribband, 
with  sundry  Articles  not  yet  known  of Whoever  will  appre- 
hend the  said  Thief  or  Thieves,  so  that  he  or  they  may  be  brought 
to  Justice,  shall  receive  TEN  DOLLARS  Reward  and  all  neces- 
sary Charges  paid. 

Jonas  Cutler. 

Groion,  Ncm.  22,  1763  [8  ?]. 


If  any  of  the  above  mentioned  Articles  are  offered  to  Sail, 
it  is  desired  they  may  be  stop'd  with  the  Thief,  and  Notice  given 
to  said  Cutler  or  to  the  Printers. 

On  October  21,  1773,  a  noted  burglar  was  hanged  in  Bos- 
ton for  various  robberies  committed  in  different  parts  of  the 
State,  and  covering  a  period  of  some  years.  The  unfortunate 
man  was  present  at  the  delivery  of  a  sermon  by  the  Reverend 
Samuel  Stillman,  preached  at  his  own  request,  on  the  Sunday 
before  his  execution  ;  and  to  many  of  the  printed  copies  is 
appended  an  account  of  his  life.  In  it  the  poor  fellow  states 
that  he  was  only  twenty-one  years  old,  and  that  he  was  born 
at  Groton  of  a  respectable  family.  He  confesses  that  he 
broke  into  Mr.  Cutler's  shop,  and  took  away  "  a  good  piece 
of  broad-cloth,  a  quantity  of  silk  mitts,  and  several  pieces  of 
silk  handkerchiefs."  He  was  hardly  seventeen  years  of  age 
at  the  time  of  this  burglary.  To  the  present  generation  it 
would  seem  cruel  and  wicked  to  hang  a  misguided  youth  for 
offences  of  this  character. 

Mr.  Cutler  died  on  December  19,  1782;  and  he  was  suc- 
ceeded in  business  by  Major  Thomas  Gardner,  who  erected 
the  present  building  known  as  Gerrish's  block,  which  is  soon 
to  be  removed.  Major  Gardner  lived  in  the  house  now  owned 
by  the  Waters  family. 

Near  the  end  of  the  last  century  a  store,  situated  a  little 
north  of  the  late  Benjamin  Perkins  Dix's  house,  was  kept  by 


James  Brazer,  which  had  an  extensive  trade  for  twenty  miles 
in  different  directions.  It  was  here  that  the  late  Amos  Law- 
rence served  an  apprenticeship  of  seven  years,  which  ended 
on  April  22,  1807  ;  and  he  often  spoke  of  his  success  in  busi- 
ness as  due,  in  part,  to  the  experience  in  this  store.  Late  in 
life  he  wrote  that  "  the  knowledge  of  every-day  affairs  which 
I  acquired  in  my  business  apprenticeship  at  Groton  has  been 
a  source  of  pleasure  and  profit  even  in  my  last  ten  years' 
discipline." 

The  quantity  of  New-England  rum  and  other  liquors  sold 
at  that  period  would  astonish  the  temperance  people  of  the 
present  day.  Social  drinking  was  then  a  common  practice, 
and  each  forenoon  some  stimulating  beverage  was  served  up 
to  the  customers  in  order  to  keep  their  trade.  There  were 
five  clerks  employed  in  the  establishment ;  and  many  years 
later  Mr.  Lawrence,  in  giving  advice  to  a  young  student  in 
college,  wrote :  — 

"  In  the  first  place,  take  this  for  your  motto  at  the  commence- 
ment of  your  journey,  that  the  difference  of  going  just  right,  or  a 
little  wrong,  will  be  the  difference  of  finding  yourself  in  good  quar- 
ters, or  in  a  miserable  bog  or  slough,  at  the  end  of  it.  Of  the  whole 
number  educated  in  the  Groton  stores  for  some  years  before  and 
after  myself,  no  one  else,  to  my  knowledge,  escaped  the  bog  or 
slough  J  and  my  escape  I  trace  to  the  simple  fact  of  having  put  a 
restraint  upon  my  appetite.  We  five  boys  were  in  the  habit,  every 
forenoon,  of  making  a  drink  compounded  of  rum,  raisins,  sugar, 
nutmeg,  &c.,  with  biscuit,  —  all  palatable  to  eat  and  drink.  After 
being  in  the  store  four  weeks,  I  found  myself  admonished  by  my 
appetite  of  the  approach  of  the  hour  for  indulgence.  Thinking  the 
habit  might  make  trouble  if  allowed  to  grow  stronger,  without  fur- 
ther apology  to  my  seniors  I  declined  partaking  with  them.  My 
first  resolution  was  to  abstain  for  a  week,  and,  when  the  week  was 
out,  for  a  month,  and  then  for  a  year.  Finally,  I  resolved  to  abstain 
for  the  rest  of  my  apprenticeship,  which  was  for  five  years  longer. 
During  that  whole  period,  I  never  drank  a  spoonful,  though  I  mixed 
gallons  daily  for  my  old  master  and  his  customers."-' 

1  Diary  and  Correspondence  of  Amos  Lawrence,  pages  34,  25. 


The  following  advertisement  is  found  in  the  Columbian 
Centinel  (Boston),  June  8,  1805  :  — 

James  Brazer, 

Would  inform  the  public  that  having  dissolved  the  Copartnership 
lately  subsisting  between  AARON  BROWN,  Esq.  SAMUEL 
HALE  and  the  Subscriber;  he  has  taken  into  Copartnership  his 
son  WILLIAM  F.  BRAZER,  and  the  business  in  future  will  be 
transacted   under  the  firm  of 

James  Brazer  &  Son  ; 

They  will  offer  for  sale,  at  their  store  in  Groton,  within  six  days  a 
complete  assortment  of  English,  India,  and  W.  India  GOODS, 
which  they  will  sell  for  ready  pay,  at  as  low  a  rate  as  any  store  in 
the  Country. 

James  Brazer. 

Groton,  May  29,  1805. 

"  Squire  Brazer,"  as  he  was  generally  called,  was  a  man  of 
wealth  and  position.  He  was  one  of  the  founders  of  Groton 
Academy,  and  his  subscription  of  £ii,  to  the  building  fund 
in  the  year  1792  was  as  large  as  that  given  by  any  other  per- 
son. In  the  early  part  of  this  century  he  built  the  house  now 
belonging  to  the  Academy  and  situated  just  south  of  it,  where 
he  lived  until  his  death,  which  occurred  on  November  10, 
1 818.  His  widow,  also,  took  a  deep  interest  in  the  institu- 
tion, and  at  her  decease,  April  14,  1826,  bequeathed  to  it 
nearly  five  thousand  dollars. 

After  Mr.  Brazer's  death  the  store  was  moved  across  the 
street,  where  it  still  remains,  forming  the  wing  of  Gerrish's 
block.  The  post-office  was  in  the  north  end  of  it  during 
Mr.  Butler's  term  as  postmaster.  About  this  time  the  son, 
William  Farwell  Brazer,  built  a  store  nearly  opposite  to  the 
Academy,  which  he  kept  during  some  years.  It  was  made 
finally  into  a  dwelling-house,  and  occupied  by  the  late  Jere- 
miah Kilbourn,  whose  family  have  recently  sold  it  to  Charles 
Gerrish. 

James  Brazer's  house  was  built  on  the  site  of  one  burnt 
down  during  the  winter  season  a  year  or  two  previously.     At 


that  time  there  was  no  fire-engine  in  town,  and  the  neighbors 
had  to  fight  the  flames,  as  best  they  could,  with  snow  as  well 
as  water.  Loammi  Baldwin,  Jr.,  a  graduate  of  Harvard  Col- 
lege in  the  class  of  1800,  was  then  a  law  student  in  Timothy 
Bigelow's  office,  and  had  a  natural  taste  for  mechanics.  He 
was  so  impressed  with  the  need  of  an  engine  that  with  his 
own  hands  he  constructed  the  first  one  the  town  ever  had. 
This  identical  machine,  known  as  Torrent,  No.  i,  is  still 
serviceable  after  a  use  of  more  than  eighty  years,  and  will 
thfow  a  stream  of  water  over  the  highest  roof  in  the  village. 
It  was  made  in  Jonathan  Loring's  shop,  then  opposite  to  Mr. 
Boynton's  blacksmith  shop,  where  the  iron  work  was  done. 
The  tub  is  of  copper,  and  bears  the  date  of  1802.  Mr.  Bald- 
win, soon  after  this  time,  gave  up  the  profession  of  law,  and 
became,  like  his  father,  a  distinguished  civil  engineer. 

At  two  different  times  within  a  few  years,  Torrent,  No.  i, 
has  done  most  excellent  service  in  putting  out  fires,  and  it 
is  the  testimony  of  all  acquainted  with  the  facts,  that  on 
each  of  these  occasions  it  prevented  a  serious  conflagration. 
Notably  this  was  so  at  a  recent  fire  which  took  place  early  on 
Sunday  morning,  October  26,  1884,  when  a  dwelling-house, 
owned  by  Andrew  Robbins,  was  burned  down.  At  this  fire 
Mr.  Dix's  buildings,  in  very  close  proximity,  were  in  great 
danger,  but  they  were  saved  through  the  efforts  of  the  fire 
department  and  the  use  of  the  old  machine,  which  was  worked 
to  good  advantage  in  narrow  quarters,  where  the  other  engine 
could  not  be  taken. 

The  brick  store,  opposite  to  the  High  School,  was  built 
about  the  year  1835  by  Henry  Woods,  for  his  own  place  of 
business,  and  afterward  kept  by  him  and  George  S.  Boutwell, 
the  style  of  the  firm  being  Woods  and  Boutwell.  Mr.  Woods 
died  on  January  12,  1841  ;  and  he  was  succeeded  by  his  sur- 
viving partner,  who  carried  on  the  store  for  a  long  time,  even 
while  holding  the  highest  executive  position  in  the  State. 
In  the  spring  of  1855,  when  he  began  to  practise  law.  Gov- 
ernor Boutwell  sold  out  the  business  to  Brigham  and  Parker. 
The  post-office  was  in  this  building  during  the  years  1839 
and  1840,  and  until  April,  1841.     For  the  past  thirty  years  it 


has  been  occupied  by  various  firms,  and  now  is  kept  by  David 
Herbert  Shattuck  and  Company. 

During  the  last  war  with  England,  Eliphalet  Wheeler  had 
a  store  where  Miss  Betsey  Capell,  and  her  sisters,  Sarah  and 
Catherine,  in  more  modern  times,  kept  a  haberdasher's  shop. 
It  is  situated  opposite  to  the  Common,  and  is  now  used  as  a 
dwelling-house.  They  were  daughters  of  John  Capell,  who 
owned  the  saw-mill  and  grist-mill,  which  formerly  stood  on  the 
present  site  of  the  Tileston  and  Hollingsworth  paper-mills,  on 
the  Great  Road,  north  of  the  village.  Afterward  Wheeler 
and  his  brother,  Abner,  took  Major  Thomas  Gardner's  store, 
where  he  was  followed  by  William  F.  Brazer,  Park  and  Woods, 
Park  and  Potter,  Potter  and  Gerrish,  and  lastly  by  Charles 
Gerrish,  who  kept  it  for  more  than  thirty  years.  It  was  given 
up  as  a  store  in  July,  1884,  and  at  the  present  time  is  vacant. 
Soon  it  will  make  way  for  modern  improvements. 

Near  the  beginning  of  the  present  century  there  were  three 
military  companies  in  town  :  the  Artillery  company,  com- 
manded at  one  time  by  Captain  James  Lewis  ;  the  North 
company  by  Captain  Jonas  Gilson ;  and  the  South  company 
by  Captain  Abel  Tarbell.  Two  of  these  officers  were  soon 
promoted  in  the  regimental  service  :  Captain  Tarbell  to  a 
colonelcy,  and  Captain  Lewis  to  a  majorate.  Captain  Gilson 
resigned,  and  was  succeeded  by  Captain  Noah  Shattuck.  They 
had  their  spring  and  fall  training-days,  when  they  drilled  as  a 
battalion  on  the  Common,  —  there  were  no  trees  there  then, 
—  and  marched  through  the  village.  They  formed  a  very 
respectable  command,  and  sometimes  would  be  drawn  up  be- 
fore Squire  Brazer's  store,  and  at  other  times  before  Major 
Gardner's,  to  be  treated  with  toddy,  which  was  then  considered 
a  harmless  drink. 

David  Child  had  a  store,  about  the  beginning  of  the  cen- 
tury, at  the  south  corner  of  Main  and  Pleasant  Streets,  nearly 
opposite  to  the  site  of  the  Orthodox  Meeting-house,  though 
Pleasant  Street  was  not  then  laid  out.  It  was  subsequently 
occupied  by  Deacon  Jonathan  Stow  Adams,  then  by  Artemas 
Wood,  and  lastly  by  Milo  H.  Shattuck.  This  was  moved  off 
twelve  or  fifteen  years  ago,  and  a  spacious  building  put  up. 


a  few  rods  north,  on  the  old  tavern  site  across  the  way,  by 
Mr.  Shattuck,  who  still  carries  on  a  large  business. 

Alpheus  Richardson  kept  a  book-store,  about  the  year 
1815,  in  his  dwelling,  at  the  south  corner  of  Main  and  Elm 
Streets,  besides  having  a  book-bindery  in  the  same  building. 
Soon  afterward  an  L  was  added  to  the  house,  and  for  a  short 
time  he  carried  on  a  country  variety  store  in  connection  with 
his  other  business.  The  book-store  and  binder's  shop  were 
continued  until  about  1850.  It  is  said  that  this  house  was 
built  originally  by  Colonel  James  Prescott,  for  the  use  of  his 
son,  Abijah,  as  a  store  ;  but  it  never  was  so  occupied  by  him. 

Joseph  and  Phineas  Hemenway,  uncles  of  the  late  Augustus 
Hemenway,  of  Boston,  built  a  store  on  the  north  corner  of 
Main  and  Elm  Streets,  about  the  year  181 5,  where  they  car- 
ried on  a  trading  business.  They  were  succeeded  by  one 
Richardson,  then  by  David  Childs  ;  and  finally  by  John 
Hamilton  Spalter,  who  had  for  many  years  a  book-store  and 
binder's  shop  in  the  building,  which  is  now  used  as  a  dwelling- 
house.  At  the  present  time  Mr.  Spalter  is  living  in  Keene, 
New  Hampshire. 

About  the  year  1826,  General  Thomas  Adams  Staples  built 
and  kept  a  store  on  Main  Street,  directly  north  of  the  Ortho- 
dox Meeting-house.  He  was  followed  successively  by  Ben- 
jamin Franklin  Lawrence,  Henry  Hill,  and  Walter  Shattuck. 
At  one  time  the  style  of  the  firm  was  Shattuck,  Brown  and 
Company.  The  building  was  burned  down  very  early  on 
Tuesday  morning,  November  17,  1874,  and  its  site  is  now 
occupied  by  Dr.  David  Roscoe  Steere's  house. 

In  November,  1844,  a  large  building  was  moved  from  Hollis 
Street  to  the  corner  of  Main  and  Court  Streets.  It  was  put 
up  originally  as  a  meeting-house  for  the  Second  Adventists, 
or  Millerites  as  they  were  called  in  this  neighborhood,  after 
William  Miller,  one  of  the  founders  of  the  sect ;  and  during 
the  following  winter  and  spring,  it  was  fitted  up  in  a  commo- 
dious manner,  with  shops  in  the  basement  and  a  spacious  hall 
in  the  second  story.  The  building  was  known  as  Liberty 
Hall,  and  formed  a  conspicuous  structure  in  the  village.  It 
was  first  occupied  by  tenants  in  July,  1845.     The  post-office 


was  kept  there  while  Mr.  Lothrop  and  Mr.  Andruss  were  the 
postmasters.  It  was  used  as  a  shoe-store,  a  grocery,  and  a 
bakery,  when,  on  Sunday,  March  31,  1878,  it  was  burned  to 
the  ground. 

The  brick  store,  owned  by  the  Dix  family,  was  built  and 
kept  by  Aaron  Brown,  near  the  beginning  of  the  centuiry. 

He  was  followed  by  Moses  Carleton,  and  after  him  came 

and  Merriam,  and  then  Benjamin  P.  Dix.  It  is  situated  at 
the  corner  of  Main  Street  and  Broad-Meadow  Road,  and  is 
now  used  as  a  dwelling-house.  A  very  good  engraving  of  this 
building  is  given  in  The  Groton  Herald,  May  8,  1830,  which 
is  regarded  by  persons  who  remember  it  at  that  time  as  a 
faithful  representation,  though  it  has  since  undergone  some 
changes. 

Near  the  end  of  the  last  century  Major  William  Swan 
traded  in  the  house  now  occupied  by  Charles  Woolley,  Jr., 
north  of  the  Common,  near  the  old  burying-ground.  It  was 
Major  Swan  who  set  out  the  elms  in  front  of  this  house,  which 
was  the  Reverend  Dr.  Chaplin's  dwelling  for  many  years. 

At  the  beginning  of  this  century  two  daughters  of  Isaac 
Bowers,  a  son  of  Landlord  Bowers,  had  a  dry-goods  shop  in 
the  house  owned  and  occupied  by  the  late  Samuel  William 
Rowe,  Esq.  About  the  year  1825,  Walter  Shattuck  opened 
a  store  in  the  building  originally  intended  for  the  Presbyterian 
Church,  opposite  to  the  present  entrance  of  the  Groton  Cem- 
etery. There  was  formerly  a  store  kept  by  one  Mr.  Lewis, 
near  the  site  of  Captain  Asa  Stillman  Lawrence's  house,  north 
of  the  Town  Hall.  There  was  a  trader  in  town,  Thomas 
Sackville  Tufton  by  name,  who  died  in  the  year  1778,  though 
I  do  not  know  the  site  of  his  shop.  Captain  Samuel  Ward,  a 
native  of  Worcester,  and  an  officer  in  the  French  and  Indian 
War,  was  engaged  in  business  at  Groton  some  time  before  the 
Revolution.  He  removed  to  Lancaster,  where  at  one  time 
he  was  the  town-clerk,  and  died  there  on  August  14,  1826. 


THE    GROTON    POST-OFFICE. 

The  Groton  post-office  was  established  at  the  very  begin- 
ning of  the  present  century,  and  before  that  time  letters  in- 
tended for  this  town  were  sent  through  private  hands.  Previous 
to  the  Revolution  there  were  only  a  few  post-offices  in  the 
Province,  and  often  persons  in  distant  parts  of  Massachusetts 
received  their  correspondence  at  Boston.  In  the  Supplement 
to  The  Boston  Gazette,  February  9,  1756,  letters  are  advertised 
as  remaining  uncalled  for,  at  the  Boston  office,  addressed  to 
William  Lakin  and  Abigail  Parker,  both  of  Groton,  as  well  as 
to  Samuel  Manning,  Townsend,  William  Gleany,  Dunstable, 
and  Jonathan  Lawrence,  Littleton.  Nearly  five  months  after- 
ward letters — and  perhaps  these  identical  ones  —  are  adver- 
tised for  the  same  persons  in  The  Boston  Weekly  News-Letter, 
July  I,  1756,  as  still  uncalled  for.  The  name  of  David  Far- 
num,  America,  appears  also  in  this  list,  and  it  is  hoped  that 
wherever  he  was  he  received  the  missive.  The  names  of 
Oliver  Lack  (probably  intended  for  Lakin)  and  Ebenezer 
Parker,  both  of  this  town,  are  given  in  another  list  printed  in 
the  Gazette  of  June  28,  1762 ;  and  in  the  same  issue  one  is 
advertised  for  Samuel  Starling,  America.  In  the  Supplement 
to  the  Gazette,  October  10,  1768,  Ebenezer  Farnsworth,  Jr., 
and  George  Peirce,  of  Groton,  had  letters  advertised ;  and  in 
the  Gazette,  October  18,  1773,  the  names  of  Amos  Farnsworth, 
Jonas  Farnsworth,  and  William  Lawrence,  all  of  this  town, 
appear  in  the  list. 

I  find  no  record  of  a  post-rider  passing  through  Groton, 
during  the  period  immediately  preceding  the  establishment  of 
the  post-office  ;  but  there  was  doubtless  such  a  person  who 
used  to  ride  on  horseback,  equipped  with  saddle-bags,  and 
delivered  at  regular  intervals  the  weekly  newspapers  and  let- 
ters along  the  way.  In  the  year  1794,  according  to  the  His- 
tory of  New  Ipswich,  New  Hampshire  (page  129),  a  post-rider, 
by  the  name  of  Balch,  rode  from  Boston  to  Keene  one  week 
and  back  the  next.  Probably  he  passed  through  this  town, 
and  served  the  inhabitants  with  his  favors^ 


10 

Several  years  ago  I  procured,  through  the  kindness  of  Gen- 
eral Charles  Devens,  at  that  time  a  member  of  President 
Hayes's  Cabinet,  some  statistics  of  the  Groton  post-office, 
which  are  contained  in  the  following  letter:  — 

Post-Office  Department,  Appointment  Office, 

Washington,  D.  C,  September  3,  1877. 

Hon.  Charles  Devens,  Attorney- General,  Department  of  Justice. 

Sir,  —  I  have  to  acknowledge  the  receipt  of  a  communication 
from  Samuel  A.  Green,  of  Boston,  Massachusetts,  with  your  indorse- 
ment thereon,  requesting  to  be  furnished  with  a  list  of  postmasters 
at  the  office  of  Groton,  in  that  State,  from  the  date  of  its  establish- 
ment to  the  present  time. 

In  reply,  I  have  the  honor  to  inform  you,  that  the  fire  which  con- 
sumed the  department  building,  on  the  night  of  the  fifteenth  of 
December,  1836,  destroyed  three  of  the  earliest  record-books  of  this 
office ;  but  by  the  aid  of  the  auditor's  ledger-books,  it  is  ascertained 
that  the  office  began  to  render  accounts  on  the  first  of  January, 
1801,  but  the  exact  day  is  not  known.  Samuel  Dana  was  the  first 
postmaster,  and  the  following  list  furnishes  the  history  of  the  office, 
as  shown  by  the  old  records. 

Groton,    Middlesex   County,    Massachusetts.      Office    probably 
established  in   November,  1800.     Samuel  Dana  began  rendering 
accounts  January  i,  1801.     Wm.  M.  Richardson,  October  i,  1804. 
From  this  time  the  exact  dates  are  known. 

Abraham  Moore,  appointed  postmaster  January  31,  1812 

Eliphalet  Wheeler,  August  20,  1815. 

James  Lewis,  September  9,  1815. 

Caleb  Butler,  July  i,  1826. 

Henry  Woods,  January  15,  1839. 

George  S.  Boutwell,  January  22,  1841. 

Caleb  Butler,  April  15,  1841. 

Welcome  Lothrop,  December  21,  1846. 

Artemas  Wood,  February  22,  1849. 

George  H.  Brown,  May  4,  1849. 

Theodore  Andruss,  April  ii,  1853. 

George  W.  Fiske,  April  22,  1861. 

Henry  Woodcock,  February  13,  1867. 

Miss  Hattie  E.  Farnsworth,  June    11,  1869,  who   is   the 
present  incumbent. 


ir 

Each  postmaster  held  the  office  up  to  the  appointment  of  his 
successor,  but  it  is  probable  that  Mr.  Boutwell  and  Mr.  A.  Wood, 
although  regularly  appointed,  did  not  accept,  judging  by  the  dates 
of  the  next  postmasters. 

As  to  the  "  income  "  of  the  office,  to  which  allusion  is  made,  it  is 
very  difficult  to  obtain  any  of  the  amounts ;  but  the  first  year  and 
the  last  year  are  herewith  appended,  as  follows  :  — ■ 

(1801)  Fiscal  Year         (1876) 

First  quarter,  $1.91             First  quarter,  ^314.15 

Second     „  2.13             Second     „         296.94 

Third       „  2.93             Third        „         3oS-7i 

Fourth      „  5.29             Fourth      „         294.28 


For  the  year,     $12. 26  For  the  year,  ^1,211.08 

Trusting  the  foregoing,  which  is  believed  to  be  correct,  will  be 
acceptable  to  you,  I  am,  sir,  respectfully, 

Your  ob't  serv't, 

James  H.  Marr, 

Acting  rirst  Ass't  P.M.  General. 

It  will  be  seen  that  the  net  income  of  the  office,  during  the 
first  seventy-five  years  of  its  existence,  increased  one  hundred 
fold. 

This  letter  of  the  Acting  First  Assistant  Postmaster-General 
supplements  the  account  in  Butler's  Historyof  Groton  (pages 
249-251).  According  to  Mr.  Butler's  statement,  the  post- 
office  was  established  on  September  29,  1800,  and  the  Honor- 
able Samuel  Dana  was  appointed  the  first  postmaster.  No 
mail,  however,  was  delivered  at  the  office  until  the  last  week 
in  November.  For  a  while  it  came  to  Groton  by  the  way  of 
Leominster,  certainly  a  very  indirect  route.  This  fact  appears 
from  a  letter  written  to  Judge  Dana,  by  the  Postmaster-General, 
under  the  date  of  December  18,  1800,  apparently  in  answer  to 
a  request  to  have  the  mail  brought  directly  from  Boston.  In 
this  communication  the  writer  says:  — 

It  appears  to  me,  that  the  arrangement  which  has  been  made  for 
carrying  the  mail  to  Groton  is  sufficient  for  the  accommodation  of 
the  inha'bitants,  as  it  gives  them  the  opportunity  of  receiving  their 


12 

letters  regularly,  and  with  despatch,  once  a  week.  The  route  from 
Boston,  by  Leominster,  to  Groton  is  only  twenty  miles  farther  than 
by  the  direct  route,  and  the  delay  of  half  a  day,  which  is  occasioned 
thereby,  is  not  of  much  consequence  to  the  inhabitants  of  Groton. 
If  it  should  prove  that  Groton  produces  as  much  postage  as  Lan- 
caster and  Leominster,  the  new  contract  for  carrying  the  mail,  which 
is  to  be  in  operation  on  the  first  of  October  next,  will  be  made  by 
Concord  and  Groton  to  Walpole,  and  a  branch  from  Concord  to 
Marlborough. 

I  am,  respectfully,  sir,  your  obedient  servant, 

Jos.  Habersham. 

The  amount  of  postage  received  from  the  office,  after  de- 
ducting the  necessary  expenses,  including  the  postmaster's 
salary,  was,  for  the  first  year  after  its  establishment,  about 
twelve  dollars,  or  three  dollars  for  three  months.  In  the  year 
1802  it  was  thirty-six  dollars,  or  nine  dollars  for  three  months, 
a  large  proportional  increase.  At  this  time  the  mail  came 
once  a  week  only,  and  was  brought  by  the  stage-coach. 

Samuel  Dana,  the  first  postmaster,  was  a  prominent  lawyer 
at  the  time  of  his  appointment.  He  was  the  son  of  the  Rev- 
erend Samuel  Dana,  of  Groton,  and  born  in  this  town,  June 
26,  1767.  He  occupied  a  high  position  in  the  community, 
and  exerted  a  wide  influence  in  the  neighborhood.  At  a 
later  period  he  was  President  of  the  Massachusetts  Senate,  a 
member  of  Congress,  and  finally  Chief-Justice  of  the  Circuit 
Court  of  Common  Pleas.  He  died  at  Charlestown,  on  No- 
vember 20,  1835. 

Judge  Dana  kept  the  post-office  in  his  own  office,  which 
was  in  the  same  building  as  that  of  the  Honorable  Timothy 
Bigelow,  another  noted  lawyer.  These  eminent  men  were  on 
opposite  sides  of  the  same  entry,  and  generally  on  opposite 
sides  of  all  important  cases  in  the  northern  part  of  Mid- 
dlesex County.  The  building  stood  on  the  site  of  Governor 
Boutwell's  house,  and  is  still  remembered  as  the  medical 
office  of  the  venerable  Dr.  Amos  Bancroft.  It  was  afterward 
moved  away,  and  now  stands  near  the  railway-station,  where 
it  is  occupied  as  a  dwelling-house.  Judge  Dana  held  the 
position  during  four  years,  and  he  was  succeeded  by  William 


13 

Merchant  Richardson,  Esq.,  afterward  the  Chief -Justice  of  the 
Superior  Court  of  New  Hampshire.  Mr.  Richardson  was  a 
graduate  of  Harvard  College  in  the  class  of  1797,  and  at  the 
time  of  his  appointment  as  postmaster  had  recently  finished 
his  professional  studies  in  Groton,  under  the  guidance  of 
Judge  Dana.  After  his  admission  to  the  bar,  Mr.  Richardson 
entered  into  partnership  with  his  former  instructor,  succeed- 
ing him  as  postmaster  in  July,  1804;  and  the  office  was  still 
kept  in  the  same  building.  During  Judge  Richardson's  term, 
the  net  revenue  to  the  department  rose  from  nine  dollars  to 
about  twenty-eight  dollars  for  three  months.  He  held  the 
position  nearly  eight  years,  and  was  followed  by  Abraham 
Moore,  who  was  appointed  on  January  31,  1812. 

Mr.  Moore  was  a  native  of  Bolton,  Massachusetts,  where  he 
was  born  on  January  5,  1785.  He  graduated  at  Harvard  Col- 
lege in  the  class  of  1806,  and  studied  law  at  Groton  with  the 
Honorable  Timothy  Bigelow,  and  after  his  admission  to  the 
bar  settled  here  as  a  lawyer.  His  office  was  on  the  site  of 
the  north  end  of  Gerrish's  block,  and  it  was  here  that  the 
post-office  was  kept.  During  his  administration  the  average 
income  from  the  office  was  about  thirty-three  dollars  for  the 
quarter.  In  the  summer  of  181 5,  Mr.  Moore  resigned  the 
position  and  removed  to  Boston. 

Eliphalet  Wheeler,  who  kept  the  store  lately  occupied  by 
Mr.  Gerrish,  was  appointed  in  Mr.  Moore's  stead,  and  the 
post-office  was  transferred  to  his  place  of  business.  He,  how- 
ever, was  not  commissioned,  owing,  it  is  thought,  to  his  politi- 
cal views  ;  and  Major  James  Lewis,  who  was  sound  in  his 
politics,  received  the  appointment  in  his  stead.  Major  Lewis 
retained  Mr.  Wheeler  for  a  short  time  as  his  assistant,  and 
during  this  period  the  duties  were  performed  by  him  in  his 
own  store.  Shortly  afterward  Caleb  Butler,  Esq.,  was  ap- 
pointed the  assistant,  and  he  continued  to  hold  the  position 
for  eight  years.  During  this  time  the  business  was  carried 
on  in  Mr.  Butler's  law  office,  and  the  revenue  to  the  govern- 
ment reached  the  sum  of  fifty  dollars  a  quarter.  His  office 
was  then  in  a  small  building, — just  south  of  Mr.  Hoars 
tavern,  —  which  was  moved  away  about  the  year   1820,  and 


14 

taken  to  the  lot  where  Colonel  Needham's  house  now  stands, 
at  the  corner  of  Main  and  Hollis  Streets.  It  was  fitted  up 
as  a  dwelling,  and  subsequently  moved  away  again.  At  this 
time  the  old  store  of  Mr.  Brazer,  who  had  previously  died, 
was  brought  from  over  the  way,  and  occupied  by  Mr.  Butler, 
on  the  site  of  his  former  office. 

On  July  I,  1826,  Mr.  Butler,  who  had  been  Major  Lewis's 
assistant  for  many  years,  and  performed  most  of  the  duties  of 
the  office,  was  appointed  postmaster. 

Mr.  Butler  was  a  native  of  Pelham,  New  Hampshire,  where  he 
was  born  on  September  13,  1776,  and  a  graduate  of  Dartmouth 
College  in  the  class  of  1800.  He  had  been  the  preceptor  of 
Groton  Academy  for  some  years,  and  was  widely  known  as  a 
critical  scholar.  He  had  previously  studied  law  with  the  Honor- 
able Luther  Lawrence,  of  Groton,  though  his  subsequent  prac- 
tice was  more  in  drawing  up  papers  and  settling  estates  than 
in  attendance  at  courts.  His  name  is  now  identified  with  the 
town  as  its  historian.  During  his  term  of  office  as  postmaster, 
the  revenue  rose  from  fifty  dollars  to  one  hundred  and  ten 
dollars  a  quarter.  He  held  the  position  nearly  thirteen  years, 
to  the  entire  satisfaction  of  the  public  ;  but  for  political  heresy 
he  was  removed  on  January  15,  1839,  when  Henry  Woods  was 
appointed  his  successor. 

Mr.  Woods  held  the  office  until  his  death,  which  occurred 
on  January  12,  1841  ;  and  he  was  followed  by  the  Honorable 
George  S.  Boutwell,  since  the  Governor  of  the  Commonwealth 
and  a  member  of  the  United  States  Senate.  During  the 
administration  of  Mr.  Woods  and  Mr.  Boutwell,  the  office 
was  kept  in  the  brick  store,  opposite  to  the  present  High 
School. 

Upon  the  change  in  the  administration  of  the  National  Gov- 
ernment, Mr.  Butler  was  reinstated  in  office,  on  April  15, 
1841.  He  continued  to  hold  the  position  until  December  21, 
1846,  when  he  was  again  removed  for  political  reasons.  Mr. 
Butler  was  a  most  obliging  man,  and  his  removal  was  re- 
ceived by  the  public  with  general  regret.  During  his  two 
terms  he  filled  the  office  for  more  than  eighteen  years,  a  longer 
period  than  has  fallen  to  the  lot  of  any  other  postmaster  of 


15 

the  town.  Near  the  end  of  his  service  a  material  change 
was  made  in  the  rate  of  postage  on  letters  ;  and  in  his  His- 
tory (page  251)  he  thus  comments  on  it :  — 

"  The  experiment  of  a  cheap  rate  was  put  upon  trial.  From  May 
14,  1841,  to  December  31,  1844,  the  net  revenue  averaged  one 
hundred  and  twenty-four  dollars  and  seventy-one  cents  per  quarter. 
Under  the  new  law,  for  the  first  year  and  a  half,  the  revenue  has 
been  one  hundred  and  four  dollars  and  seventy-seven  cents  per 
quarter.  Had  the  former  rates  remained,  the  natural  increase  of 
business  should  have  raised  it  to  one  hundred  and  fifty  dollars  per 
quarter.  The  department,  which  for  some  years  before  had  fallen 
short  of  supporting  itself,  now  became  a  heavy  charge  upon  the 
treasury.  Whether  the  present  rates  will  eventually  raise  a  sufficient 
revenue  to  meet  the  expenditures,  remains  to  be  seen.  The  greatest 
difficulty  to  be  overcome  is  evasion  of  the  post-office  laws  and  fraud 
upon  the  department." 

Like  many  other  persons  of  that  period,  Mr.  Butler  did  not 
appreciate  the  fact  that  the  best  way  to  prevent  evasions  of 
the  law  is  to  reduce  the  rates  of  postage  so  low  that  it  will 
not  pay  to  run  the  risk  of  fraud. 

Captain  Welcome  Lothrop  succeeded  Mr.  Butler  as  post- 
master, and  during  his  administration  the  office  was  kept  in 
Liberty  Hall.  Captain  Lothrop  was  a  native  of  Easton,  Mas- 
sachusetts, and  a  land-surveyor  of  some  repute  in  this  neigh- 
borhood. Artemas  Wood  followed  him  by  appointment  on 
February  22,  1849;  but  he  never  entered  upon  the  duties  of 
his  office.  He  was  succeeded  by  George  Henry  Brown,  who 
had  published  The  Spirit  of  the  Times  —  a  political  news- 
paper—  during  the  presidential  canvass  of  1848,  and  in  this 
way  had  become  somewhat  prominent  as  a  local  politician. 
Mr.  Brown  was  appointed  on  May  4,  1849;  and  during  his 
term  the  office  was  kept  in  an  L  of  his  dwelling,  situated 
nearly  opposite  to  the  Orthodox  Meeting-house.  He  was 
afterward  the  postmaster  of  Ayer.  Mr.  Brown  was  followed 
by  Theodore  Andruss,  a  native  of  Orford,  New  Hampshire, 
who  was  appointed  on  April  11,  1853.  Mr.  Andruss  brought 
the  office  back  to  Liberty  Hall,  and  continued  to  be  the 
incumbent    until   April   22,    1861,  when    he   was   succeeded 


i6 

by  George  Washington  Fiske.  On  February  13,  1867,  Henry 
Woodcock  was  appointed  to  the  position,  and  the  office  was 
then  removed  to  the  Town  House,  where  most  excellent  ac- 
commodations were  given  to  the  public.  He  was  followed  on 
June  II,  1869,  by  Miss  Harriet  E.  Farnsworth,  now  Mrs. 
Marion  Putnam  ;  and  she  in  turn  was  succeeded  on  July  2, 
1880,  by  Mrs.  Christina  Dakin  (Caryl)  Fosdick,  the  widow  of 
Samuel  Woodbury  Fosdick,  and  the  present  incumbent.  Few 
towns  in  the  Commonwealth  can  present  such  an  array  of 
distinguished  men  among  their  postmasters  as  that  of  Groton, 
including,  as  it  does,  the  names  of  Judge  Dana,  Judge  Rich- 
ardson, Mr.  Butler,  and  Governor  Boutwell. 

The  office  is  still  kept  in  the  Town  House,  and  there  is  no 
reason  to  think  that  it  will  be  removed  from  the  spacious  and 
commodious  quarters  it  now  occupies,  for  a  long  time  to  come. 
This  public  building  was  erected  in  1859,  ^^^  the  first  town- 
meeting  was  held  within  its  walls,  on  Tuesday,  November  8, 
of  that  year.  The  High  School  was  first  opened  in  the  lower 
hall  on  Monday,  December  5,  and  the  examination  of  classes 
for  admission  took  place  three  days  previously,  on  Friday, 
December  2. 

West  Groton  is  a  small  settlement  that  has  sprung  up  in 
the  western  part  of  the  town,  dating  back  in  its  history  to  the 
last  century.  It  is  pleasantly  situated  on  the  banks  of  the 
Squannacook  River,  and  in  my  boyhood  was  known  as  Squan- 
nacook,  a  much  better  name  than  the  present  one.  It  is  to 
be  regretted  that  so  many  of  the  old  Indian  words,  which  have 
a  local  significance  and  smack  of  the  region,  should  have  been 
crowded  out  of  the  list  of  our  geographical  names.  There  is  a 
small  water-power  here,  and  formerly  a  saw-mill,  grist-mill,  and 
a  paper-mill  were  in  operation  ;  but  these  have  now  given  way 
to  a  factory  where  leather-board  is  made.  The  Peterborough 
and  Shirley  branch  of  the  Fitchburg  Railroad  passes  through 
the  place,  and  some  local  business  is  transacted  in  the  neigh- 
borhood. As  a  matter  of  course,  a  post-office  was  needed  in 
the  village,  and  one  was  established  on  March  19,  1850.  The 
first  person  to  fill  the  office  was  Adams  Archibald,  a  native  of 
Truro,  Nova  Scotia,  who  kept  it  in  the  railway-station. 


17 

The  following  is  a  list  of  the  postmasters,  with  the  dates  of 
their  appointment :  — 

Adams  Archibald,  March  19, 1850. 
Edmund  Blood,  May  25,  1868. 
Charles  Henry  Hill,  July  31,  18  71. 
George  Henry  Bixby,  July  11,  1878. 

During  the  postmastership  of  Mr.  Blood,  and  since  that 
time,  the  office  has  been  kept  in  a  store  near  the  station,  and 
for  a  long  while  the  only  one  in  the  place. 

A  post-office  was  established  at  South  Groton,  on  June  i, 
1849,  ^^'^  the  first  postmaster  was  Andrew  Boynton  Gardner. 
The  village  was  widely  known  as  Groton  Junction,  and 
resulted  from  the  intersection  of  several  railroads.  Here  six 
passenger-trains  coming  from  different  points  were  due  in 
the  same  station  at  the  same  time,  and  they  all  were  supposed 
to  leave  as  punctually. 

The  trains  on  the  Fitchburg  Railroad,  arriving  from  each 
direction,  and  likewise  the  trains  on  the  Worcester  and 
Nashua  Road  from  the  north  and  the  south,  passed  each  other 
at  this  place.  There  was  also  a  train  from  Lowell,  on  the 
Stony  Brook  Railroad,  and  another  on  the  Peterborough  and 
Shirley  branch,  coming  at  that  time  from  West  Townsend. 

A  busy  settlement  grew  up,  which  was  incorporated  as  a 
distinct  town  under  the  name  of  Ayer,  on  February  14,  1871, 
so  called  after  the  late  James  Cook  Ayer,  of  Lowell. 

The  following  is  a  list  of  the  postmasters,  with  the  dates  of 
their  appointment :  — 

Andrew  Boynton  Gardner,  June  i,  1849. 
Harvey  Alpheias  Woods,  August  11,  1853. 
George  Henry  Brown,  December  30,  1861. 
William  Holmes  Harlow,  December  5,  1862. 
George  Henry  Brown,  January  15,  1863. 
William  Holmes  Harlow,  July  18,  1865. 

The  name  of  the  post-office  was  changed  by  the  Department 
at  Washington,  from  South  Groton  to  Groton  Junction,  on 
March  i,  1862  ;  and  subsequently  this  again  was  changed  to 


i8 

Ayer,  on  March  22,  1871,  soon  after  the  incorporation  of  the 
town,  during  the  postmastership  of  Mr.  Harlow. 

By  the  postal  law  which  went  into  operation  on  October  i, 
1883,  the  postage  is  now  two  cents  to  any  part  of  the  United 
States,  on  all  letters  not  exceeding  half  an  ounce  in  weight. 
This  rate  certainly  seems  cheap  enough,  but  in  time  the  public 
will  demand  the  same  service  for  a  cent.  Less  than  forty 
years  ago  the  charge  was  five  cents  for  any  distance  not  ex- 
ceeding three  hundred  miles,  and  ten  cents  for  any  greater 
distance.  This  was  the  rate  established  by  the  law  which 
took  effect  on  July  i,  1845  ;  and  it  was  not  changed  until 
July  I,  185 1,  when  it  was  reduced  to  three  cents  on  single 
letters,  prepaid,  or  five  cents,  if  not  prepaid,  for  all  distances 
under  three  thousand  miles.  By  the  law  which  went  into 
operation  on  July  i,  1863,  prepayment  by  stamps  was  made 
compulsory,  the  rate  remaining  at  three  cents ;  though  a 
special  clause  was  inserted,  by  which  the  letters  of  soldiers 
or  sailors,  tbsn  fighting  for  the  Union  in  the  army  or  navy, 
might  go  without  prepayment. 

Closely  akin  to  the  post-ofi&ce  in  its  functions  is  the  service 
of  the  telegraph  and  the  telephone,  and  for  that  reason  I  add 
the  following  facts  :  — 

The  telegraph  office  was  opened  in  the  village  of  Groton 
on  Saturday,  March  20,  1880,  mainly  through  the  exertions 
of  the  late  Charles  Harrison  Waters  and  of  Francis  Marion 
Boutwell,  Esq.;  and  the  first  message  was  sent  to  Nashua. 
The  office  was  established  in  the  railway-station,  where  it  has 
since  remained,  and  the  first  operator  was  Miss  Etta  Augusta 
Shattuck. 

The  telephone  office  was  opened  in  the  village  on  Friday, 
April  29,  1 88 1.  It  was  in  the  building  at  the  south  corner 
of  Main  Street  and  Station  Avenue,  and  under  the  manage- 
ment of  Appleton  Howe  Torrey,  who  still  has  charge  of  it. 


GROTON    HISTORICAL   SERIES. 
No.  VIII. 


THE   OLD   TAVERNS   AND   STAGE-COACHES 
OF   GROTON. 


GROTON,    MASS. 
1885. 


GROTON,  MASSACHUSETTS,   1885. 
Historical  Series,  No.  VIH. 


THE   OLD   TAVERNS    AND   STAGE-COACHES   OF 
GROTON. 

By  Samuel  A.  Green. 

It  has  been  said  that  there  is  nothing  contrived  by  man 
which  has  produced  so  much  happiness  as  a  good  tavern. 
Without  granting  or  denying  the  statement,  all  will  agree  that 
many  good  times  have  been  passed  around  the  cheerful  hearth 
of  the  old-fashioned  inn. 

The  sites  of  the  earliest  taverns  of  Groton  cannot  easily  be 
identified,  but  the  names  of  some  of  the  landlords  are  found 
in  the  records  of  the  Middlesex  Court  of  Sessions,  —  now  at 
East  Cambridge,  —  when  they  were  licensed  as  inn-holders. 
At  that  period  no  great  preparations  were  made  in  the  small 
towns  for  lodging  strangers,  beyond  obtaining  the  necessary 
license,  and  guests  were  treated  like  members  of  the  family. 
Occasionally  a  farmer  would  keep  a  tavern  for  a  while,  and 
thus  make  a  market  for  his  home  products.  For  a  long  time 
Groton  was  a  frontier  settlement,  and  all  beyond  it  was  a 
wilderness.  The  travel  through  the  place  was  mainly  along 
the  circumference  of  civilization,  from  one  out-lying  town  to 
another,  and  there  was  but  little  patronage  for  public  houses. 
The  following  list  of  early  landlords  and  retailers  of  spirits 
is  taken  from  the  Court  records,  and  the  entries  are  made 
during  the  months  of  July,  August,  and  September  in  the 
respective  years. 


1699-  Joseph  Cady. 

1700.  Probably  no  license  granted. 

1701.  Joseph  Cady. 

1702.  Probably  no  license  granted. 

1703.  Samuel  Parker,  Nathan  Mors. 

1704.  Samuel  Parker. 

1705.  Samuel  Parker. 

1706.  Samuel  Parker. 

1707.  Samuel  Parker. 
1 70S.  Samuel  Parker. 

1709.  Probably  no  license  granted. 

1 710.  Samuel  Woods. 

171 1.  Mr.  Samuel  Woods. 

1712.  Probably  no  license  granted. 

1713.  Nathaniel  Woods. 

1714.  Nathaniel  Woods. 

1715.  Nathaniel  Woods. 

1 7 16.  Nathaniel  Woods. 

1717.  Nathaniel    Woods,  Eleazer    Robbins,  Eleazer   Green; 

James  Patterson,  retailer. 

1 7 18.  Mr.  Nathaniel  Woods,  Mr.  Eleazer  Robbins,  Mr.  Elea- 

zer Green. 

1719.  Mr.  Eleazer  Green,  Mr.  Nathaniel  Woods. 

1720.  Mr.  Eleazer  Green. 

1 72 1.  Mr.  David  Whetcomb,  Mr.  Eleazer  Green,  Mr.  Jona- 

than Hubbart. 

1722.  Mr.  Eleazer  Green,  Mr.  Jonathan  Hubbard. 

1723.  Mr.  Jonathan  Hubbard. 

1724.  Mr.  Jonathan  Hubbart,  Mr.  Joseph  Spaulding. 

1725.  Mr.  William  Tarbell. 

1726.  Mr.  Jonathan  Hubbard,  Mr.  WilHam  Tarbell. 

1727.  Mr.    Jonathan    Hubbard,   Mr.    William   Tarbell,   Mr. 

Josiah  Sautell. 

1728.  Mr.  Jonathan  Hubbard. 

1729.  Mr.  Jonathan  Hubbard. 

1730.  Mr.  Jonathan  Hubbard,  Mr.  Josiah  Sartel,  Nathaniel 

Sartel,  Esq. 

1731.  Nathaniel  Sartel,  Esq.,  Mr.  Jonathan  Hubbard. 
•  1732.     Nathaniel  Sartel,  Esq.,  Mr.  James  Parker. 

1733.     Nathaniel  Sartel,  Esq.,  Mr.  John  Bulkley. 


1734-  Nathaniel  Sartell,  Esq.,  Mr.  John  Bulkley,  Mr.  Benja- 
min Bancroft. 

1735.  Nathaniel  Sartell,  Esq.,  Mr.  Benjamin   Bancroft,   Mr. 

John  Bulkley. 

1736.  Nathaniel  Sartle,   Esq.,  Mr.   Benjamin  Bancroft,  Mr. 

John  Bulkley. 

1737.  Mr.  Benjamin  Bancroft,  Mr.  John  Bulkely. 

1738.  John    Bulkeley,    Captain    Samuel    Parker,     Jonathan 

Sheple. 

1739.  Captain    Samuel   Parker,    John   Bulkeley  ;    Jonathan 

Sheple,  Abraham  Moores,  retailers. 

1740.  John  Bulkeley,   Abraham  Moores,  William  Lawrence, 

Esq. 

1741.  Samuel  Parker,  John  Bulkley;  William  Lawrence,  Esq., 

Abraham  Moores,  retailers. 

1742.  Samuel  Parker,  John  Bulkley,  Abraham  Moores  ;  Will- 

iam Lawrence,  Esq.,  Thomas  Tarbell,  retailers. 

1743.  Samuel  Parker,  John  Bulkley,  Abraham  Moores,  James 

Lawrence;  William  Lawrence,  Esq.,  Thomas  Tarbell, 
retailers. 

1744.  Caleb  Trowbridge,  Jr.,   Isaac    Farnsworth,    Benjamin 

Bancroft,  John  Bulkley,  Samuel  Parker. 

1745.  Isaac  Green,  John  Bulkley,  Abraham  Moores,  James 

Lawrence ;  William  Lawrence,  Esq.,  Benjamin  Chase, 
retailers. 

1746.  Caleb  Trowbridge,  Jr.,  Benjamin  Bancroft,  John  Bulk- 

ley,  Samuel  Parker,  Amos  Lawrence. 

1747.  Isaac  Greene,  John  Bulkley,  Abraham  Moores,  James 

Lawrence;  John  Sheple,  Ezra  Farnsworth,  retailers. 

1748.  Capt.  Benjamin  Bancroft,  Capt.  John  Bulkley,  Abra- 

ham Moores,  Caleb  Trowbridge,  Jr.,  Amos  Lawrence. 

1749.  John    Bulkley,    Abraham   Moores,   James    Lawrence; 

Ezra  Farnsworth,  retailer. 

175°-  John  Bulkley,  Abraham  Moores,  James  Lawrence  ;  Ezra 
Farnsworth,  retailer. 

1751-  John  Bulkley,  Abraham  Moores,  James  Lawrence  ;  Ezra 
Farnsworth,  retailer. 

1752.  John  Bulkley,  Abraham  Moores,  James  Lawrence, 
James  Colburn,  Jr.,  William  White ;  Caleb  Trow- 
bridge, Jr.,  retailer. 


1753-  John  Bulkley,  Abraham  Moores,  Thomas  White,  Caleb 
Trowbridge,  Jr. ;  Josiah  Sartell,  retailer. 

175^.  John  Bulkley,  Abraham  Moores,  Thomas  White,  Caleb 
Trowbridge,  Jr.  ;  Josiah  Sartell,  John  Stevens,  Esq., 
retailers. 

1755-  John  Bulkeley,  Abraham  Moores,  Samuel  Bowers, 
Thomas  White  ;  John  Stevens,  Esq.,  Jonathan  Sar- 
tell, retailers. 

In  the  Journal  of  the  House  of  Representatives  (page  96), 
December  21,  1752,  is  a  petition  of  Caleb  Trowbridge,  Jr., 
of  Groton,  stating  that  — 

He  lives  upon  a  publick  Road  leading  from  Dunstable  to  Harvard, 
which  is  frequented  by  many  Travellers ;  that  the  publick  Houses 
on  said  Road  are  fifteen  Miles  distant  from  each  other ;  that  he 
has  only  Liberty  to  Retail,  yet  is  often  crowded  with  People  who 
want  necessary  Refreshment,  but  is  not  allowed  to  sell  it  to  them  ; 
he  therefore  prays  he  may  now  obtain  a  Licence  as  an  Innholder. 

Pass'd  in  Council,  viz.  In  Council,  December  21st  1752.  Read 
and  Ordered,  That  the  Justices  of  the  General  Sessions  of  the  Peace 
for  the  County  of  Middlesex,  be  and  they  hereby  are  allowed  to 
grant  the  Petitioner  a  License  to  be  an  Innholder,  if  they  see  Cause, 
at  their  Adjournment  on  Saturday  the  23d  Instant,  the  Time  for 
granting  Licences  being  elapsed  notwithstanding,  provided  the 
Petitioner  first  obtains  the  Approbation  of  the  Select-Men  of 
Groton  for  that  Purpose. 

Sent  down  for  Concurrence.     Read  and  concur'd. 

The  Trowbridge  tavern  cannot  now  be  identified  with 
certainty  ;  but  it  is  highly  probable  that  it  was  the  same 
as  the  Bowers  inn,  mentioned  in  the  next  paragraph. 

The  earliest  tavern  in  Groton,  of  which  there  is  any  posi- 
tive record  or  knowledge,  was  kept  by  Samuel  Bowers,  Jr.,  in 
the  house  lately  and  for  a  long  time  occupied  by  the  Champ- 
ney  family.  Mr.  Bowers  was  born  in  Groton  on  December 
21,  171 1,  and,  according  to  his  tombstone,  died  on  "the 
Sixteenth  Day  of  December  Anno  Domini  1768.  Half  a 
hour  after  Three  of   the  Clock  in  y*  Afternoon,  and  in  the 


5 

Fifty  Eight  year  of  his  age."  He  was  first  licensed  in 
the  year  1755,  and  was  known  in  the  neighborhood  as 
"  Land'urd  Bowers,"  —  the  innkeeper  of  that  period  being 
generally  addressed  by  the  title  of  landlord.  I  do  not  know 
who  succeeded  him  in  his  useful  and  important  functions. 

The  next  tavern  of  which  I  have  any  knowledge  was  the 
one  kept  by  Captain  Jonathan  Keep,  during  the  latter  part 
of  the  Revolution.  In  "  The  Independent  Chronicle  "  (Boston), 
February  15,  1781,  the  committee  of  the  General  Court  for 
the  sale  of  confiscated  property  in  Middlesex  County  adver- 
tise the  estate  of  Dr.  Joseph  Adams,  of  Townsend,  to  be  sold 
"  at  Mr.  Keeps,  innholder  in  Groton."  This  tavern  has  now 
been  kept  as  an  inn  during  more  than  a  century.  It  was 
originally  built  for  a  dwelling-house,  and,  before  the  Revolu- 
tion, was  occupied  by  the  Reverend  Samuel  Dana  ;  but  since 
that  time  it  has  been  lengthened  in  front  and  otherwise  con- 
siderably enlarged.  Captain  Keep  was  followed  by  the 
brothers  Isaiah  and  Joseph  Hall,  who  were  the  landlords 
as  early  as  the  year  1798.  They  were  succeeded  in  1825 
by  Joseph  Hoar,  who  had  just  sold  the  Emerson  tavern, 
at  the  other  end  of  the  village  street.  Excepting  the  year 
1836,  when  Moses  Gill  and  his  brother-in-law,  Henry  Lewis 
Lawrence,  were  the  landlords,  Mr.  Hoar  kept  it  until  the 
spring  of  1843,  when  he  sold  out  to  Thomas  Tread  well  Farns- 
worth.  It  was  then  conducted  as  a  temperance  house,  at 
that  time  considered  a  great  innovation  on  former  customs. 
After  a  short  period  it  was  sold  to  Daniel  Hunt,  who  kept  it 
until  1852;  and  he  was  followed  by  James  Minot  Colburn,  who 
had  it  for  two  years.  It  then  came  into  the  possession  of 
Joseph  Nelson  Hoar,  a  son  of  the  former  landlord,  who  took 
it  in  1854,  and  in  whose  family  it  has  since  remained.  Lat- 
terly it  has  been  managed  by  three  of  his  daughters,  and  is 
known  now  as  the  Central  House.  It  is  the  only  tavern  in 
the  village,  and  for  neatness  and  comfort  cannot  easily  be 
surpassed. 

In  a  list  of  innholders  printed  near  the  end  of  Isaiah 
Thomas's  Almanack  for  1785,  appears  the  name  of  Richard- 
son, whose  tavern  stood  on  the  present  site  of  the  Baptist 


church.  It  was  originally  the  house  owned  and  occupied  by 
the  Reverend  Gershom  Hobart,  which  had  been  considerably 
enlarged  by  additions  on  the  north  and  east  sides,  in  order 
to  make  it  more  suitable  for  its  new  purposes.  Mine  host 
was  Captain  Jephthah  Richardson,  who  died  on  October  9, 
1806.  His  father  was  Converse  Richardson,  who  had  pre- 
viously kept  a  small  inn  on  the  present  Elm  Street,  near  the 
corner  of  Pleasant.  It  was  in  this  Elm  Street  house  that 
Timothy  Bigelow,  the  rising  young  lawyer,  lived,  when  he 
first  came  to  Groton.  Within  a  few  years  this  building  has 
been  moved  away.  Soon  after  the  death  of  Captain  Jephthah 
Richardson,  the  tavern  was  sold  to  Timothy  Spaulding,  who 
carried  on  the  business  until  his  death,  which  occurred  on 
February  19,  1808.  Spaulding's  widow  subsequently  married 
John  Spalter,  who  was  the  landlord  for  a  short  time.  About 
1 8 12  the  house  was  rented  to  Dearborn  Emerson,  who  had 
been  a  driver  of  a  stage-coach,  as  well  as  the  owner  of  a  line. 
He  remained  in  possession  of  it  for  a  few  years. 

During  the  War  of  1812  it  was  an  inn  of  local  renown;  and 
a  Lieutenant  Chase  had  his  headquarters  here  for  a  while, 
when  recruiting  for  the  army.  He  raised  a  company  in  the 
neighborhood,  which  was  ordered  to  Sackett's  Harbor,  near 
the  foot  of  Lake  Ontario.  The  men  were  put  into  uniforms 
as  they  enlisted,  and  drilled  daily.  They  were  in  the  habit 
of  marching  through  the  village  streets  to  the  music  of  the 
spirit-stirring  drum  and  the  ear-piercing  fife;  and  occasionally 
they  were  invited  into  the  yard  of  some  hospitable  citizen,  who 
would  treat  them  to  "  the  cups  that  cheer  but  not  inebriate," 
when  taken  in  moderation.  William  Kemp  was  the  drummer, 
and  Wilder  Shepley  the  fifer,  bpth  noted  musicians  in  their 
day.  Sometimes  Moses  Kemp,  a  brother,  would  act  as 
fifer.  William  is  still  alive,  at  the  advanced  age  of  ninety- 
six  years,  and  gives  many  reminiscences  of  that  period. 
He  lives  with  his  son  James,  near  Squannacook,  in  the  house 
used  as  a  tavern  by  Amos  Adams  more  than  a  hundred  years 
ago.  Mr.  Kemp  was  born  at  Groton  on  May  8,  1789,  and 
began  to  drum  in  early  boyhood.  His  first  appearance  in 
the  public  service  was  during  the  year  1805,  as  drummer  of 


the  South  Company  of  Groton,  commanded  by  Luther  Law- 
rence, Esq.,  afterward  the  mayor  of  Lowell.  He  has  been 
the  father  of  nine  children,  and  has  had  thirty  grand-children, 
thirty-three  great-grandchildren,  and  one  great-great-grand- 
child. Even  now  he  can  handle  the  drumsticks  with  a  dex- 
terity rarely  equalled ;  and  within  a  short  time  I  have  seen 
him  give  an  exhibition  of  his  skill  which  would  reflect  credit 
on  a  much  younger  person.  Among  the  men  enlisted  here 
during  that  campaign  were  Marquis  D.  Farnsworth,  Aaron 
Lewis,  William  Shepley,  and  John  Woodward,  of  this  town  ; 
and  James  Adams,  and  his  son,  James,  Jr.,  of  Pepperell. 

During  his  boyhood  Mr.  Kemp  knew  Major  Daniel  Simpson, 
now  the  veteran  drummer  of  Boston,  whose  mother  was  Sarah," 
daughter  of  Job  and  Sarah  (Hartwell)  Shattuck,  of  Groton. 
The  Major  was  born  in  Boston,  on  September  29,  1790,  and 
for  one  of  his  age  is  still  quite  active.  In  former  years  he 
used  to  spend  considerable  time  at  Groton,  where  many  a 
trial  of  skill  between  the  two  drummers  has  taken  place. 
May  they  both  live  to  be  a  hundred  ! 

It  was  about  the  year  18 15  that  Dearborn  Emerson  left  the 
Richardson  tavern,  and  moved  down  the  street,  perhaps  thirty 
rods,  where  he  opened  another  public  house  on  the  present 
site  of  Milo  H.  Shattuck's  store.  The  old  tavern,  in  the 
meantime,  passed  into  the  hands  of  Daniel  Shattuck,  who 
kept  it  until  the  year  before  his  death,  which  occurred  on 
April  8,  1 83 1.  The  business  was  then  carried  on  during  a 
short  time  by  Samuel  Clark  Tenny,  who  has  the  following 
advertisement  in  "The  Groton  Herald,"  June  12,  1830:  — 

OLD   STAND. 

npHE  Subscriber  would  respectfully  inform  his  friends  and  the 
public  generally,  that  he  has  taken  the  Tavern  lately  occupied 
by  Mr.  Daniel  Shattuck,  in  Groton  ;  and  having  thoroughly  fitted 
up  the  same  for  the  reception  and  accommodation  of  travellers,  he 
flatters  himself  he  shall  obtain  a  share  of  their  custom. 

No  pains  shall  be  spared  to  give  satisfaction  to  all  those  who  may 

be  disposed  to  patronize  him. 

Samuel  C.  T£nny. 

Groton,  June  12,  1830. 


The  next  landlord  was  Lemuel  Lakin,  and  after  him  Fran- 
cis Shattuck,  a  son  of  Daniel,  for  another  brief  period.  About 
the  year  1833  it  was  given  up  entirely  as  a  public  house,  and 
thus  passed  away  an  old  landmark  widely  known  in  those 
times.  It  stood  well  out  on  the  present  road,  the  front  door 
facing  down  what  is  now  Main  Street,  the  upper  end  of  which 
then  had  no  existence.  In  approaching  the  tavern  from  the 
south,  the  road  went  up  Hollis  Street  and  turned  to  the  left 
somewhere  south  of  the  Burying-Ground.  The  house  after- 
ward was  cut  up  and  moved  off,  just  before  the  Baptist  meeting- 
house was  built.  My  earliest  recollections  carry  me  back 
faintly  to  the  time  when  it  was  last  used  as  a  tavern,  though 
•I  remember  distinctly  the  building  as  it  looked  before  it  was 
taken  away. 

Dearborn  Emerson  married  a  sister  of  Daniel  Brooks,  a 
large  owner  in  the  line  of  stage-coaches  running  through 
Groton  from  Boston  to  the  northward ;  and  this  family  con- 
nection was  of  great  service  to  him.  Jonas  Parker,  commonly 
known  as  "  Tecumseh "  Parker,  was  now  associated  with 
Emerson  in  keeping  the  new  hotel.  The  stage  business  was 
taken  away  from  the  Richardson  tavern,  and  transferred  to 
this  one.  The  house  was  enlarged,  spacious  barns  and  stables 
were  erected,  and  better  accommodations  given  to  man  and 
beast,  —  on  too  large  a  scale  for  profit,  it  seems,  as  Parker 
and  Emerson  failed  shortly  afterward.  This  was  in  the  spring 
of  1 81 8,  during  which  year  the  tavern  was  purchased  by 
Joseph  Hoar,  who  kept  it  a  little  more  than  six  years,  when 
he  sold  it  to  Amos  Alexander.  This  landlord,  after  a  long 
time,  was  succeeded  in  turn  by  Isaac  J.  Fox,  Horace  Brown, 
William  Childs,  Artemas  Brown,  John  McGilson,  Abijah 
Wright,  and  Moses  Gill.  It  was  given  up  as  a  hotel  in  1854, 
and  made  into  a  shoe-factory,  owned  by  Messrs.  Bigelow  and 
Randall ;  and  finally  it  was  burned  on  Wednesday  evening, 
December  19,  1855.  Mr.  Gill  had  the  house  for  seven  years, 
and  was  the  last  landlord.  He  then  opened  a  public  house 
directly  opposite  to  the  Orthodox  church,  and  called  it  The 
Globe,  which  he  kept  for  two  years.     He  was  succeeded  by 


Stephen  Woods,  who   remained  only  one   year,  after  which 
time  this  also  was  given  up  as  a  public  house. 

The  following  advertisement  in  "The  Groton  Herald," 
March  13,  1830,  shows  that  the  selectmen  of  the  town  at  that 
time,  wishing  to  be  impartial  in  distributing  their  official 
patronage,  used  to  meet  equally  at  all  the  taverns  in-  the  vil- 
lage for  the  transaction  of  public  business  :  — 

Stated  meetings  of  the  Selectmen. 

npHE  Selectmen  of  Groton  will  meet  on  the  last  Saturdays  of 
■^  each  month  the  present  municipal  year,  at  3  o'clock,  p.m- 
viz  :  —  At  Hoat's  Tavern  in  March,  April,  May,  and  June ;  at 
Alexander's  in  July,  August,  September,  and  October ;  and  at 
Shattuck's  in  November,  December,  January,  and  February. 

Caleb  Butler,  Chairman. 

Another  hostelry  was  the  Ridge  Hill  tavern,  situated  at 
the  Ridges,  three  miles  from  the  village,  on  the  Great  Road 
to  Boston.  This  was  built  about  the  year  1805,  and  much 
frequented  by  travellers  and  teamsters.  At  this  point  the 
roads  diverge  and  come  together  again  in  Lexington,  making 
two  routes  to  Boston.  It  was  claimed  by  interested  persons 
that  one  was  considerably  shorter  than  the  other,  —  though 
the  actual  difference  was  less  than  a  mile.  In  the  year  1824 
a  guide-board  was  set  up  at  the  crotch  of  the  roads,  proclaim- 
ing the  fact  that  the  distance  to  Lexington  through  Concord 
was  two  miles  longer  than  through  Carlisle.  Straightway  the 
storekeepers  and  innholders  along  the  Concord  road  published 
a  counter-statement,  that  it  had  been  measured  by  sworn 
surveyors,  and  the  distance  found  to  be  only  two  hundred  and 
and  thirty-six  rods  further  than  by  the  other  way. 

The  first  landlord  of  the  Ridge  Hill  tavern  was  Levi  Par- 
ker, noted  for  his  hearty  hospitality.  He  was  afterward 
deputy-sheriff  of  Middlesex  County,  and  lived  at  Westford. 
He  was  followed,  for  a  short  time,  by  John  Stevens,  and  then 
by  John  Hancock  Loring,  who  conducted  the  house  during 
many  years,  and  was  succeeded  by  his  son  Jefferson.     After 


12 


him  came  Henry  Lewis  Lawrence,  who  kept  it  during  one 
year ;  he  was  followed  by  his  brother-in-law,  Moses  Gill,  who 
took  the  tavern  in  April,  1837,  and  kept  it  just  five  years. 
When  Mr.  Gill  gave  up  the  house,  he  was  followed  by  one 
Langdon  for  a  short  time,  and  he  in  turn  by  Kimball  Farr  as 
the  landlord,  who  had  bought  it  the  year  previously,  and  who 
remained  in  charge  until  1868.  During  a  part  of  the  time 
when  the  place  was  managed  by  Mr.  Farr,  his  son  Augustus 
was  associated  with  him.  Mr.  Farr  sold  the  tavern  to  John 
Fuzzard,  a  native  of  Brighton,  England,  who  kept  it  as  the 
landlord  for  a  while,  and  is  still  the  owner  of  the  property. 
He  was  followed  by  Newell  M.  Jewett,  and  he  in  turn  by 
Stephen  Perkins,  a  native  of  York,  Maine,  who  took  it  in 
1880.  The  building  had  been  vacant  for  some  years  before 
that  time.  It  was  given  up  by  Mr.  Perkins  in  the  spring  of 
1884,  when  it  ceased  to  be  a  public  house,  and  was  occupied 
again  by  Mr.  Fuzzard  as  his  dwelling.  A  fair  used  to  be  held 
here  on  the  first  Tuesday  of  every  month  for  the  sale  of 
horses,  and  buyers  were  attracted  from  a  long  distance.  At 
one  time  this  property  was  owned  by  Judge  Samuel  Dana, 
who  sold  it  to  John  H.  Loring. 

As  early  as  the  year  1798,  there  was  a  tavern  about  a  mile 
from  the  Ridges,  toward  Groton.  It  was  kept  by  Stephen 
Farrar,  in  the  house  now  standing  near  where  the  brook 
crosses  the  Great  Road.  Afterward  one  Green  was  the  land- 
lord. The  house  known  as  the  "  Levi  Tufts  place,"  in  the 
same  neighborhood,  was  an  inn  during  the  early  part  of  this 
century,  conducted  by  Tilly  Buttrick.  Also  about  this  time, 
or  previously,  the  house  situated  south  of  Indian  Hill,  and  oc- 
cupied by  Charles  Prescott,  —  when  the  map  in  Mr.  Butler's 
History  was  made,  —  was  an  inn.  There  was  a  tavern  kept 
from  about  the  year  18 12  to  1818  by  a  Mr.  Page,  in  Mr.  Ger- 
rish's  house,  —  near  the  Unitarian  church  in  the  village, — 
which  was  built  by  Martin  Jennison,  about  1803.  There  was 
also  a  tavern,  near  the  present  paper-mills  of  Tileston  and  Hol- 
lingsworth,  kept  for  many  years  (1820-45)  by  Aaron  Lewis, 
and  after  him  for  a  short  time  by  A.  M.  Veazie.  It  was 
originally  the  house  of  John  Capell,  who  owned  the  saw-mill 


13 

and  grist-mill  in  the  immediate  neighborhood.  Amos  Adams 
had  an  inn  near  Sqi:annacook,  a  hundred  years  ago,  in  a  house 
now  owned  by  James  Kemp. 

Just  before  and  during  the  Revolution,  a  tavern  was  kept 
by  George  Peirce,  in  the  south  part  of  the  town,  within  the 
present  limits  of  Ayer.  This  landlord  was  perhaps  the  inn- 
holder  of  Littleton,  whose  name  appears  in  an  advertisement 
printed  on  the  first  page  of  "  The  Massachusetts  Gazette 
and  Boston  News-Letter,"  August  8,  1765.  Peirce's  house 
was  advertised  for  sale,  according  to  the  following  advertise- 
ment in  "The  Boston  Gazette,"  September  27,  1773  :  — 

To  be  Sold  at  PUBLIC  VENDUE,  to  the  highest  Bidder,  on 
Wednesday  the  3d  Day  of  November  next,  at  four  o'Clock  in  the 
Afternoon  (if  not  Sold  before  at  Private  Sale)  by  me  the  Subscriber, 
A  valuable  FARM  in  Groton,  in  the  County  of  Middlesex,  pleas- 
antly situated  on  the  great  County  Road,  leading  from  Crown  Point 
and  No.  4  to  Boston :  Said  Farm  contains  172  Acres  of  Upland 
and  Meadow,  with  the  bigger  Part  under  improvement,  with  a  large 
Dwelling  House  and  Barn,  and  Out  Houses,  together  with  a  good 
Grist  Mill  and  Saw  Mill,  the  latter  new  last  Year,  both  in  good 
Repair,  and  on  a  good  Stream,  and  within  a  few  Rods  of  the  House. 
Said  Farm  would  make  two  good  Livings,  and  wovild  sell  it  in  two 
Divisions,  or  together,  as  it  would  best  suit  the  Purchaser.  Said 
House  is  situated  very  conveniently  for  a  Tavern,  and  has  been 
improved  as  such  for  Ten  Years  past,  with  a  Number  of  other  Con- 
veniences, too  many  to  enumerate.  And  the  Purchaser  may  depend 
upon  having  a  good  warrantee  Deed  of  the  same,  and  the  bigger 
Part  of  the  Pay  made  very  easy,  on  good  Security.  The  whole  of 
the  Farming  Tools,  and  Part  of  the  Stock,  will  be  sold  as  above- 
mentioned,  at  the  Subscriber's  House  on  said  Farm. 

George  Peirce. 
Groton,  Aug.  30,  1773. 

The  grist-mill  and  saw-mill  mentioned  in  the  advertisement 
were  on  Nonacoicus  Brook.  In  the  Gazette,  November  15, 
1773,  another  notice  appears,  which  shows  that  the  tavern 
was  not  sold  at  the  time  originally  appointed.  It  is  as 
follows  :  — 


12 


The  Publick  are  hereby  Notified  that  iil^l  ^^'^  °^  ^^e  FARM 
in  Groton,  which  was  to  have  been  the  3d  l-"^^'^"*^.  °"  ^^^  P'"^™" 
isses,  at  the  House  of  Mr.  George  Peirce,  is'^^J,^^^  *°  ^^^ 
house  of  Mr.  Joseph  Moulton,  Innholder  in  Boston,  wTi€f£-il^^}J 
certainly  be  Sold  to  the  highest  Bidder,  on  Wednesday  the  ist 
Day  of  December  next,  at  4  o'Clock,  p.m. 

The  following  advertisement  is  found  in  "  The  Independent 
Chronicle"  (Boston),  September  19,  1808.  The  site  of  the 
farm  comes  now  within  the  limits  of  Ayer ;  Stone's  tavern 
was  afterward  kept  by  Moses  Day,  and  subsequently  burned, 
in  the  spring  of  1836. 

A    FARM  — for  Sale, 

CONTAINING  140  acres  of  Land,  situated  in  the  South  part  of 
Groton,  {Mass.)  with  a  new  and  well-finished  House,  Barn,  &  Out- 
Houses,  and  Aqueduct,  pleasantly  situated,  where  a  Tavern  has 
been  kept  for  the  last  seven  years ;  —  a  part  or  the  whole  will  be 
sold,  as  best  suits  the  purchaser.  For  further  particulars,  inquire 
of  THo's  B.  RAND  of  Charkstowti,  or  the  Subscriber,  living  on  the 
Premises. 

JESSE   STONE. 
Sept.  12. 

About  a  generation  ago  an  attempt  was  made  to  organize 
a  company  for  the  purpose  of  carrying  on  a  hotel  in  the  vil- 
lage, and  a  charter  was  obtained  from  the  Legislature.  The 
stock,  however,  was  not  fully  taken  up,  and  the  project  fell 
through.  Of  the  corporators,  Mr.  Potter  was  the  last  survivor, 
and  he  died  in  Cincinnati,  on  December  2,  1884.  Below  is 
a  copy  of  the  Act :  — 

An  Act  to  incorporate  the  Groton  Hotel  Company. 

BE  it  enacted  by  the  Senate  and  House  of  Representatives,  in  General 
Court  assembled,  and  by  the  authority  of  the  same,  as  follows : 

Sect.  i.  Luther  F.  Potter,  Nathaniel  P.  Smith,  Simeon  Ames, 
their  associates  and  successors,  are  hereby  made  a  corporation,  by 
the  name  of  the  Groton  Hotel  Company,  for  the  purpose  of  erecting, 
in  the  town  of  Groton,  buildings  necessary  and  convenient  for  a 
public  house,  with  all  the  powers  and  privileges,  and  subject  to  all 


13 

the  liabilities,  duties  and  restrictions,  set  forth  in  the  forty-fourth 
chapter  of  the  Revised  Statutes. 

Sect.  2.  Said  corporation  may  hold  such  real  and  personal 
property,  as  may  be  necessary  and  convenient  for  the  purposes 
aforesaid,  not  exceeding  in  amount  twenty  thousand  dollars :  pro- 
vided, that  no  shares  in  the  capital  stock  of  said  corporation  shall 
be  issued  for  a  less  sum  or  amount,  to  be  actually  paid  in  on  each, 
than  the  par  value  of  the  shares  which  shall  be  first  issued.  And 
if  any  ardent  spirits,  or  intoxicating  drinks  of  any  kind  whatever, 
shall  be  sold  by  said  company,  or  by  their  agents,  lessees,  or  persons 
in  their  employ,  contrary  to  law,  in  any  of  said  buildings,  then  this 
act  shall  be  void.     \_Approved  by  the  Governor,  May  2,  1850.] 

In  the  spring  of  1852,  a  charter  was  given  to  Benjamin 
Webb,  Daniel  D.  R.  Bowker,  and  their  associates,  for  the  pur- 
pose of  forming  a  corporation  to  carry  on  a  hotel  at  the  Mas- 
sapoag  Springs,  in  the  eastern  part  of  this  town ;  but  the 
project  fell  through.  It  was  to  be  called  the  Massapoag 
Spring  Hotel,  and  its  capital  stock  was  limited  to  $30,000. 
The  Act  was  approved  by  the  Governor,  on  May  18, 1852  ;  and 
it  contained  similar  conditions  to  those  mentioned  above  in 
regard  to  the  sale  of  liquors.  In  the  spring  of  1859,  an  Act 
was  passed  by  the  Legislature,  and  approved  by  the  Governor 
on  April  i,  incorporating  Abel  Prescott,  Harvey  A.  Woods, 
Levi  W.  Woods,  Stephen  Roberts,  and  Levi  W.  Phelps,  their 
associates  and  successors,  under  the  name  of  the  Groton  Junc- 
tion Hotel  Company,  for  the  purpose  of  erecting  a  hotel  at 
Groton  Junction,  now  known  as  Ayer.  The  capital  of  the 
Company  was  limited  to  $15,000,  but  the  stock  was  never 
taken.  These  enterprises  are  now  nearly  forgotten,  though 
the  mention  of  them  may  revive  the  recollections  of  elderly 
people. 


14 


THE   GROTON    STAGE-COACHES. 

During  the  first  half  of  the  present  century,  Groton  had  one 
characteristic  mark,,  closely  connected  with  the  old  taverns, 
which  it  no  longer  possesses.  It  was  a  radiating  centre  for 
different  lines  of  stage-coaches,  until  this  mode  of  travel  was 
superseded  by  the  swifter  one  of  the  railroad.  Wayfarers  from 
the  surrounding  towns  off  the  line  of  travel  came  hither  daily 
in  private  vehicles  to  engage  their  seats  and  take  their  pas- 
sage. During  many  years  the  stage-coaches  were  a  distinct- 
ive feature  of  the  place  ;  and  their  coming  and  going  were 
watched  with  great  interest,  and  created  the  excitement  of 
the  day.  In  early  times  the  drivers,  as  they  approached  the 
village,  would  blow  a  bugle  in  order  to  give  notice  of  their 
arrival ;  and  this  blast  was  the  signal  at  the  taverns  to  put 
the  food  on  the  table.  More  than  a  generation  has  now  passed 
away  since  these  coaches  were  wont  to  be  seen  in  the  village 
streets.  They  were  drawn  usually  by  four  horses,  and  in  bad 
going  by  six.  Here  a  change  of  coaches,  horses,  and  drivers 
was  made. 

The  stage-driver  of  former  times  belonged  to  a  class  of  men 
that  has  now  disappeared  from  the  community.  His  posi- 
tion was  one  of  considerable  responsibility.  This  important 
personage  was  well  known  along  the  route,  and  his  opinions 
were  always  quoted  with  respect.  I  easily  recall  the  familiar 
face  of  Aaron  Corey,  who  drove  the  accommodation  stage  to 
Boston  for  so  many  years.  He  was  a  careful  and  skilful 
driver,  and  a  man  of  most  obliging  disposition.  He  would  go 
out  of  his  way  to  bear  a  message  or  leave  a  newspaper  ;  but  his 
specialty  was  to  look  after  women  and  children  committed  to 
his  charge.  He  carried  also  packages  and  parcels,  and  largely 
what  to-day  is  intrusted  to  the  express.  I  recall,  too,  with 
pleasure  Horace  George,  another  driver,  popular  with  all  the 
boys,  because  in  sleighing  time  he  would  let  us  ride  on  the  rack 
behind,  and  even  slacken  the  speed  of  his  horses  so  as  to 
allow  us  to  catch  hold  of  the  straps.  In  youthful  dialect,  the 
practice  was  called  "  ketching  on  behind." 


IS 

Some  people  now  remember  the  scenes  of  life  and  activity 
that  used  to  be  witnessed  in  the  town  on  the  arrival  and  de- 
parture of  the  stages.  Some  remember,  too,  the  loud  snap 
of  the  whip  which  gave  increased  speed  to  the  horses,  as  they 
dashed  up  in  approved  style  to  the  stopping-place,  where  the 
loungers  were  collected  to  see  the  travellers,  and  listen  to  the 
gossip  which  fell  from  their  lips.  There  were  no  telegraphs 
then,  and  but  few  railroads  in  the  country.  The  papers  did 
not  gather  the  news  so  eagerly,  nor  spread  it  abroad  so 
promptly,  as  they  do  now  ;  and  items  of  intelligence  were 
carried  largely  by  word  of  mouth. 

The  earliest  line  of  stage-coaches  between  Boston  and 
Groton  was  the  one  mentioned  in  the  "  Columbian  Centinel," 
April  6,  1793.  The  advertisement  is  headed  "New  Line  of 
Stages,"  and  gives  notice  that  — 

A  Stage-Carriage  drives  from  Robbins'  Tavern,  at  Charles-River 
Bridge,  on  Monday  and  Friday,  in  each  week,  and  passing  through 
Concord  and  Groton,  arrives  at  Wyman's  tavern  in  Ashley  [Ashby  ?] 
in  the  evening  of  the  same  days  ;  and  after  exchanging  passengers 
there,  with  the  Stage-Carriage  from  Walpole,  it  returns  on  Tuesdays 
and  Saturdays,  by  the  same  route  to  Robbins' s. 

The  Charlestown  Carriage  drives  also  from  Robbins'  on  Wednes- 
day in  each  week,  and  passing  through  Concord  arrives  at  Richard- 
son's tavern,  in  Groton,  on  the  evening  of  the  same  day,  and  from 
thence  returns  on  Thursday  to  Robbins' . 

Another  Carriage  drives  from  Richardson' s  tavern  in  Groton,  on 
Monday  in  each  week,  at  six  o'clock  in  the  morning,  and  passing  by 
Richardsoti! s  tavern  in  Concord,  at  ten  o'clock  in  the  forenoon,  arrives 
at  Charlestown  at  three  o'clock  in  the  afternoon.  From  Charlestown 
it  drives  on  Tuesday  and  Thursday  in  each  week,  at  three  o'clock 
in  the  afternoon,  and  returns  back  as  far  as  Richardson's  tavern 
in  Concord — and  from  that  place  it  starts  at  8  o'clock  in  the  morn- 
ings, of  Wednesday  and  Friday,  and  runs  again  to  Charlestown. 
From  there  it  moves  at  six  o'clock  on  Saturday  morning,  and  returns 
to  Richardson' s  tavern  in  Groton,  in  the  evening  of  the  same  day. 


i6 

It  was  probably  one  of  these  "  Carriages,"  to  which  allusion 
is  made  in  Mr.  Winthrop's  Memoir  of  the  Honorable  Nathan 
Appleton,  as  follows  :  — 

At  early  dusk  on  some  October  or  November  evening,  in  the  year 
1794,  a  fresh,  vigorous,  bright-eyed  lad,  just  turned  of  fifteen,  might 
have  been  seen  alighting  from  a  stage-coach  near  Quaker  Lane,^  as 
it  was  then  called,  in  the  old  town  of  Boston.  He  had  been  two  days 
on  the  road  from  his  home  in  the  town  of  New  Ipswich,  in  the  State 
of  New  Hampshire.  On  the  last  of  the  two  days,  the  stage-coach 
had  brought  him  all  the  way  from  Groton  in  Massachusetts  ;  starting 
for  that  purpose  early  in  the  morning,  stopping  at  Concord  for  the 
passengers  to  dine,  trundling  them  through  Charlestown  about  the 
time  the  evening  lamps  were  lighted,  and  finishing  the  whole  distance 
of  rather  more  than  thirty  miles  in  season  for  supper.  For  his  first 
day's  journey,  there  had  been  no  such  eligible  and  expeditious  con- 
veyance. The  Boston  stage-coach,  in  those  days,  went  no  farther 
than  Groton  in  that  direction.  His  father's  farm-horse,  or  perhaps 
that  of  one  of  the  neighbors,  had  served  his  turn  for  the  first  six  or 
seven  miles  ;  his  little  brother  of  ten  years  old  having  followed  him 
as  far  as  Townsend,  to  ride  the  horse  home  again.  But  from  there 
he  had  trudged  along  to  Groton  on  foot,  with  a  bundle-handkerchief 
in  his  hand,  which  contained  all  the  wearing  apparel  he  had,  except 
what  was  on  his  back. 

[Proceedings  of  the  Massachusetts  Historical  Society,  v.  249,  250.] 


It  has  been  said  that  the  first  public  conveyance  between 
Boston  and  Groton  was  a  covered  wagon,  hung  on  chains  for 
thoroughbraces  ;  but  this  was  probably  subsequent  to  the 
time  of  the  advertisement.  It  was  owned  and  driven  by 
Lemuel  Lakin,  but  after  a  few  years  the  owner  sold  out  to 
Dearborn  Emerson. 

The  following  advertisement  from  the  "Columbian  Centi- 
nel,"  June  25,  1800,  will  give  a  notion  of  what  an  undertaking 
a  trip  to  Boston  was  at  the  beginning  of  the  century :  — 

'  Now  Congress  Street. 


17 


GROTON  STAGE. 

The  subscriber  respectfully  informs  the  public  that  he  drives  the 
Stage  from  Boston  to  Groton,  running  through  Lexington,  Concord, 
and  Littleton,  to  Groton :  Starts  from  Boston  every  Wednesday 
morning,  at  5  o'clock,  and  arrives  at  Groton  the  same  day  ;  Starts 
from  Groton  every  Monday  morning,  at  7  o'clock,  and  arrives  at 
Boston  the  same  day  at*4  o'clock.  Passage  through,  2  dols.  per 
mile,  4(f 

Danborn  Emerson. 

Seats  taken  at  Mr.  Silas  Dutton's  in  Royal  Exchange  Lane. 
Newspapers  supplied  on  the  road,  and  every  attention  paid  to  con- 
veyances. 

The  given-nanne  of  Emerson  was  Dearborn,  and  not  "  Dan- 
born,"  which  is  a  misprint.  Two  years  later  he  was  running 
a  stage-coach  from  Groton  to  New  Ipswich,  New  Hampshire; 
and  on  the  first  return  trip  he  brought  three  passengers,  — 
according  to  the  "History  of  New  Ipswich"  (page  129).  Emer- 
son was  a  noted  driver  in  his  day  ;  and  he  is  mentioned  with 
pleasant  recollections  by  the  Honorable  Abbott  Lawrence,  in 
an  after-dinner  speech  at  the  jubilee  of  Lawrence  Academy? 
on  July  12,  1854,  as  appears  from  the  published  account  of  the 
celebration.  Subsequently  he  was  the  landlord  of  one  of  the 
local  taverns. 

It  is  advertised  in  "  The  Massachusetts  Register,"  for  the 
year  1802,  that  the  — 

GROTON  Stage  sets  ofJ  from  J.  and  S.  Wheelock's  [Indian 
Queen  Inn],  No.  37,  Marlboro'-Street  [now  a  part  of  Washington 
Street,  Boston],  every  Wednesday  at  4  o'clock  in  the  morning,  and 
arrives  at  Groton  at  3  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  same  day ;  leaves 
Groton  every  Monday  at  4  o'clock  in  the  morning,  and  arrives  in 
Boston  at  6  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  same  day.     (Pages  19,  20.) 

It  seems  from  this  notice  that  it  took  three  hours  longer  to 
make  the  trip  down  to  Boston  than  up  to  Groton, —  of  which 
the  explanation  is  not  clear.     In  the  Register  for  1803,  a  semi- , 


i8 

weekly  line  is  advertised,  and  the  same  length  of  time  is  given 
for  making  the  trip  each  way  as  is  mentioned  in  the  Register 
of  the  preceding  year. 

About  the  year  1807  there  was  a  tri-weekly  line  of  coaches 
to  Boston,  and  as  early  as  1820  a  daily  line,  which  connected 
at  Groton  with  others  extending  into  New  Hampshire  and 
Vermont.  Soon  after  this  time  there  were  two  lines  to  Bos- 
ton, running  in  opposition  to  each  othsr,  —  one  known  as  the 
Union  and  Accommodation  Line,  and  the  other  as  the  Tele- 
graph and  Despatch. 

One  of  the  drivers  for  the  Telegraph  and  Despatch  line  was 
Phineas  Harrington,  popularly  known  along  the  road  as  "Phin" 
Harrington.  He  had  orders  to  take  but  eight  passengers  in  his 
coach,  and  the  trip  was  made  with  remarkable  speed  for  that 
period.  "  Phin  "  was  a  man  of  small  size  ;  and  the  story  used 
to  be  told  of  him  that,  on  cold  and  stormy  nights,  he  would 
get  inside  of  one  of  the  lamps  fixed  to  the  box,  in  order  to 
warm  his  feet  by  the  lighted  wick !  He  passed  almost  his 
whole  life  as  a  stage-man,  and  it  is  said  that  he  drove  for 
nearly  forty  years.  He  could  handle  the  reins  of  six  horses 
with  more  skill  than  any  other  driver  in  town. 

William  Shepard  and  Company  advertise  in  "The  Groton 
Herald,"  April  10,  1830,  their  accommodation  stage.  "Good 
Teams  and  Coaches  with  careful  and  obliging  drivers  will  be 
provided  by  the  subscribers."  Books  were  kept  in  Boston 
at  A.  M.  Brigham's,  No.  42  Hanover  Street,  and  in  Groton  at 
the  taverns  of  Amos  Alexander  and  Joseph  Hoar.  The  fare 
was  one  dollar,  and  the  coach  went  three  times  a  week. 

About  this  time  George  Flint  had  a  line  to  Nashua,  and 
John  Holt  another  to  Fitchburg.  They  advertise  together  in 
the  Herald,  May  i,  1830,  that  "no  pains  shall  be  spared 
to  accommodate  those  who  shall  favor  them  with  their  cus- 
tom, and  all  business  intrusted  to  their  care  will  be  faithfully 
attended  to."  The  first  stage-coach  from  this  town  to 
Lowell  began  to  run  about  the  year  1829,  and  John  Austin 
was  the  driver.  An  opposition  line  was  established  soon 
afterward,  and  kept  up  during  a  short  time,  until  a  com- 
promise   was  made  between    them.      Later,  John    Russ  was 


19 

the  owner  and  driver  of  the  line  to  Lowell,  and  still  later, 
John  M.  Maynard  the  owner.  Near  this  period  there  was  a 
coach  running  to  Worcester,  and  previously  one  to  Amherst, 
New  Hampshire. 

Fifty  years  ago  General  Thomas  Adams  Staples  was  a 
well-known  stage-proprietor.  He  was  a  man  of  large  frame 
and  fine  proportions,  and  is  still  remembered  by  many  resi- 
dents of  the  town.  He  was  born  in  Boston,  on  July  20,  1S04, 
and  died  at  Machias,  Maine,  on  November  13,  1880. 

The  following  is  a  list  of  some  of  the  old  drivers,  who  were 
well  known  along  their  respective  routes.  It  is  arranged  in 
no  particular  order  and  is  by  no  means  complete  ;  and  the 
dates  against  a  few  of  the  names  are  only  approximations  to 
the  time  when  each  one  sat  on  the  box. 

Lemuel  Lakin  was  among  the  earliest, ;  and  he  was  fol- 
lowed by  Dearborn  Emerson.  Daniel  Brooks  drove  to  Boston 
during  the  period  of  the  last  war  with  England,  and  probably 
later. 

Aaron  Corey  drove  the  accommodation  stage  to  Boston, 
through  Carlisle,  Bedford,  and  Lexington,  for  a  long  time,  and 
he  had  previously  driven  the  mail-coach.  He  was  succeeded 
by  his  son,  Calvin,  the  driver  for  a  few  years,  until  the  line 
was  given  up  in  1850.  Mr.  Corey,  the  father,  was  one  of  the 
veterans,  having  held  the  reins  during  thirty-two  years  ;  he 
died  March  15,  1857,  at  the  age  of  seventy-three. 

Isaac  Bullard  (1817-30), *William  Smart  (1825-30),  George 
Hunt,  Jonathan  Buttrick,  Obadiah  Kendall,  Albert  Hayden, 
Charles  Briggs,  Levi  Robbins,  James  Lord,  Frank  Brown,  Silas 
Burgess,  Augustus   Adams,  William  Dana,   Horace  Brown, 

Levi  Wheeler,  Timothy  Underwood, Bacon,  Horace 

George  (1838-45),  Lyman  William  Cushing  (1842-45),  and 
Joseph  Stewart,  —  these  drove  to  Boston.  After  the  stages 
were  taken  off,  "Joe"  Stewart  was  the  driver  of  the  passenger- 
coach  from  the  village  to  the  station  on  the  Fitchburg  Rail- 
road, which  ran  to  connect  with  the  three  daily  trains  for 
Boston.  The  station  was  three  miles  away,  and  now  within 
the  limits  of  Ayer. 

Among    the   drivers    to    Keene,    New    Hampshire,   were 


20 

Kimball  Danforth  (1817-40),  Ira  Brown,  Oliver  Scales, 
Amos  Nicholas,  Otis  Bardwell,  Abel  Marshall,  the  brothers 
Ira  and  Hiram  Hodgkins,  George  Brown,  Houghton  Law- 
rence, Palmer  Thomas,  Ira  Green,  Barney  Pike,  William 
Johnson,  Walter  Carleton,  and  John  Carleton.  There  were 
two  stage  routes  to  Keene,  both  going  as  far  as  West  Towns- 
end  in  common,  and  then  separating,  one  passing  through 
New  Ipswich  and  Jaffrey,  a  northerly  route,  while  the  other 
went  through  Ashby,  Rindge,  and  Fitzwilliam,  a  southerly 
one. 

Anson  Johnson  and  Beriah  Curtis  drove  to  Worcester ; 
Addison  Parker,  Henry  Lewis  Lawrence,  Stephen  Corbin, 
John  Webber,  and  his  son,  Ward,  drove  to  Lowell ;  the  broth- 
ers Abiel  and  Nathan  Fawcett,  Wilder  Proctor,  and  Abel 
Hamilton  Fuller,  to  Nashua. 

Micah  Ball,  who  came  from  Leominster  about  the  year  1824, 
drove  to  Amherst,  New  Hampshire,  and  after  him  Benjamin 
Lewis,  who  continued  to  drive  as  long  as  he  lived,  and  at  his 
death  the  line  was  given  up.  The  route  lay  through  Pepperell, 
Hollis,  and  Milford. 

The  forerunner  of  this  Amherst  stage  was  a  one-horse  ve- 
hicle, which  used  to  go  over  the  road  each  way  two  or  three 
times  a  week,  and  carry  the  mail.  It  began  to  run  about  the 
year  1820,  and  took  passengers  as  occasion  required. 

Other  reins-men  were  John  Chase,  Joel  Shattuck,  William 

Shattuck,  Moses  Titus,  Frank  Shattuck,  David  Coburn, 

Chickering,  Thomas  Emory,  and  William  Kemp,  Jr. 

The  sad  recollection  of  an  accident  at  Littleton,  resulting 
in  the  death  of  Silas  BuUard,  is  occasionally  revived  by  some 
of  the  older  people.  It  occurred  on  February  3,  1835,  and 
was  caused  by  the  upsetting  of  the  Groton  coach,  driven  by 
Samuel  Stone,  and  at  the  time  just  descending  the  hill  be- 
tween Littleton  Common  and  Nagog  Pond,  then  known  as 
Kimball's  Hill.  Mr.  Bullard  was  one  of  the  owners  of  the 
line,  and  a  brother  of  Isaac,  the  veteran  driver.  The  "  Colum- 
bian Centinel,"  February  5,  1835,  contains  the  following  ac- 
count of  the  affair  :  — 


21 


From  £?'iggs^s  News  Room  Bulletin. 

On  Tuesday  afternoon  [February  3],  as  the  Groton  and  Keene 
mail  stage  was  returning  to  this  city,  in  a  narrow  pass  of  the  road 
in  Littleton,  one  of  the  fore  wheels  of  the  stage  came  in  contact 
with  the  hind  wheel  of  a  wagon,  which  suddenly  overturned  the 
stage. — There  were  eleven  passengers  in  the  vehicle  at  the  time, 
who,  with  the  exception  of  Mr.  Silas  Bullard,  of  this  city,  and  Mr. 
Washington  Shepley,  of  Groton,  escaped  uninjured.  Mr.  Bullard 
was  seated  with  the  driver  at  the  time  of  the  accident,  and  was 
thrown,  with  great  violence,  to  the  ground,  the  stage  falling  imme- 
diately upon  him.  His  collar-bone  and  two  of  his  ribs  were  broken, 
shoulder  blade  dislocated,  and  otherwise  injured.  He  was  con- 
veyed to  a  private  dwelling,  where  he  has  the  best  medical  aid,  but 
his  recovery  is  very  doubtful.  Mr.  Shepley's  injuries  were  of,  an 
internal  nature,  but  not  such  as  to  prevent  his  immediate  return  to 
Groton.  A  passenger  states  that  no  blame  can  be  attached  to  the 
driver. 

Mr.  Bullard  died  on  February  5,  and  the  Centinel  of  the 
next  day  pays  a  worthy  tribute  to  his  character. 

Besides  the  stage-coaches  the  carrier  wagons  added  to  the 
business  of  Groton,  and  helped  largely  to  support  the  taverns. 
The  town  was  situated  on  one  of  the  main  thoroughfares  lead- 
ing from  Boston  to  the  northern  country,  comprising  an  im- 
portant part  of  New  Hampshire  and  Vermont,  and  extending 
into  Canada.  This  road  was  traversed  by  a  great  number  of 
wagons,  drawn  by  four  or  six  horses,  carrying  to  the  city  the 
various  products  of  the  country,  such  as  grain,  pork,  butter, 
cheese,  eggs,  venison,  hides  ;  and  returning  with  goods  found 
in  the  city,  such  as  molasses,  sugar,, New-England  rum,  coffee, 
tea,  nails,  iron,  cloths,  and  the  innumerable  articles  found  in 
the  country  stores,  to  be  distributed  among  the  towns  above 
here.  In  some  seasons  it  was  no  uncommon  sight  to  see 
forty  such  wagons  passing  through  the  village  in  one  day. 

In  addition  to  these  were  many  smaller  vehicles,  drawn  by 
one  or  two  horses,  to  say  nothing  of  the  private  carriages  of 
individuals  who  were  travelling  for  business  or  pleasure. 

For  many  of  the  facts  given  in  this  paper  I  am  indebted 


22 

to  Moses  Gill,  an  octogenarian  of  Groton,  whose  mind  is  cjear 
and  body  active  for  a  man  of  his  years.  Mr.  Gill  is  a  grand- 
son of  Lieutenant-Governor  Moses  Gill,  and  was  born  at 
Princeton,  on  March  6,  1800.  He  has  kept  several  public 
houses  in  Groton,  already  mentioned,  besides  the  old  brick 
tavern  situated  on  the  Lowell  road,  near  Long-sought-for 
Pond,  and  formerly  known  as  the  Half-way  House.  This 
hotel  came  within  the  limits  of  Westford,  and  was  kept  by 
Mr.  Gill  from  the  year  1842  to  1847.  In  his  day  he  has 
known  personally  seventy-five  landlords  doing  business  be- 
tween Davenport's  tavern  in  Cambridge,  —  which  formerly 
stood  opposite  to  the  once  celebrated  Porter's  hotel,  —  and 
Keene,  New  Hampshire ;  and  of  this  number,  only  seven 
are  thought  to  be  living  at  the  present  time. 


GROTON   HISTORICAL   SERIES. 
No.  IX. 


DISTRICT  SCHOOLS. 

PUBLIC   LIBRARY. 

MILITARY  MATTERS. 
FIRES   OCCURRING   IN    1829. 

THE  RINGING  OF  THE  NINE   O'CLOCK  BELL. 

MISTAKE  IN  THE  SPELLING  OF  A  NAME. 


GROTON,    MASS. 
1886. 


GROTON,  MASSACHUSETTS,   1886. 
Historical  Series,  No.  IX. 


GROTON    DISTRICT    SCHOOLS. 

The  earliest  public  document  of  the  town  is  a  pamphlet  en- 
titled :  Bye  Laws  |  of  |  Groton  |  relative  to  Schools  ;  |  and  | 
Instructions  |  of  |  the  School  Committee.  |  1805.  ||  Cambridge 
printed  by  William  Hilliard.  1806.  pp.  12  ;  to  which  are 
appended  the  "  Committee's  Instructions."  pp.  3.  It  appears 
to  be  in  the  nature  of  a  report,  which  was  accepted  at  a  town- 
meeting  held  on  November  18,  1805.  It  is  drawn  up  with 
considerable  care,  and  comprises  thirteen  Articles  for  the  gen- 
eral guidance  of  the  School  Committee.  Article  i  describes 
the  various  Districts,  and  gives  the  names  ofso  many  house- 
holders at  the  beginning  of  the  present  century,  —  of  which  a 
few  are  now  wholly  forgotten,  —  that  I  print  the  entire  Article 
in  order  to  revive  the  recollection  in  regard  to  the  others.  It 
is  given  line  for  line  with  the  original. 

The  sites  of  some  of  these  houses  may  be  learned  by  an 
examination  of  Mr.  Butler's  Map  of  Groton,  made  from  a  sur- 
vey during  the  years  1828  and  1829,  and  published  in  1830. 
The  dwellings  of  Abel  Prescott,  Jonas  Gilson,  Nehemiah 
Whitman,  Joseph  Sawtell,  and  William  Bancroft  all  appear, 
while  Joseph  Bennet's  house  is  represented  on  the  map  by 
"  Wid.  Bennett"  northwesterly  of  Baddacook  Pond;  Elisha 
Young's  by  Widow  Young,  who  lived  easterly  of  Long  Pond  ; 
and  Peter  Ames's  by  Bulkley  Ames,  Esq.,  near  Brown  Loaf. 
John  Fisk  dwelt  where  Stephen  Kendall  did,  when  the  Map 


was  made.  "  The  causeway,  called  Swill  Bridge,"  was  between 
the  homesteads  of  Eber  Woods,  Jr.,  and  Joel  Davis,  a  short 
distance  west  of  the  present  railroad  bridge  ;  "  Capell's  mills" 
were  near  the  site  of  the  Tileston  and  Hollingsworth  paper- 
mills  ;  Nod-road  led  from  Capell's  mills  to  the  district  known 
as  Nod,  in  the  vicinity  of  the  cross-roads  below  the  soapstone 
quarry  ;  "  Naumox  place"  is  in  the  neighborhood  of  a  long,  low 
hill  or  ridge,  known  as  Naumox,  west  of  the  road  to  East  Pep- 
perell,  near  the  Longley  monument,  and  running  parallel  with 
the  road;  "the  Presbyterian  Meeting  house "  stood  opposite 
to  the  present  entrance  of  the  Cemetery,  where  Walter  Shat- 
tuck  lived.  The  site  of  "the  brickyard,  near  Abel  Prescott's 
land,"  is  unknown  to  the  present  generation. 

Twelve  Article  i.   That  there  shall  continue  to  be  twelve  School 

defined  &  Districts  in  the  town,  except  as  herein  after  mentioned,  de- 
numbered,  fjnedby  the  limits  and  boundaries  herein  after  expressed,  and 
to  be  henceforward  called  and  known  by  the  numerical  de- 
nominations following. 

School  District  No.  I.  Beginning  at  the  Causeway  near 
to  and  northerly  of  Capt.  Jephthah  Richardson's  tavern, 
thence  running  southerly  and  southeastwardly,  as  the  Coun- 
ty road  goes,  to  the  brickyard,  near  Abel  Prescott's  land  ; 
extending  northerly  to  the  guide  post  in  the  crotch  of  the 
roads  northerly  of  the  house,  where  Isaac  Bowers  now  lives  ; 
westerly  towards  Jonathan  Farwell's  to  the  northeast  corner 
of  the  Farnsworths'  land;  easterly  to  the  crotch  of  the 
roads, ^  where  Jonas  Gilson  now  lives  ;  also  down  the  back 
road  from  the  Meeting  house  by  Peter  Ames'  house  to  Ne- 
hemiah  Whitman's  farm,  and  on  the  Harvard  road  to  the 
lane  south  of  the  dwelling  house  of  Joseph  Sawtell  2d,  and 
on  the  road  by  the  dwelling  house  of  Rufus  Moors  to  Jon- 
athan Fisk's  farm  ;  including  the  inhabitants  on  both  sides 
of  said  roads  except  Joel  Lawrence. 

No.  II.  Beginning  at  the  crotch  of  the  roads  near  the 
dwelling  house  of  Ebenezer  Hopkins,  thence  running  west- 
erly by  Deacon  Amos  Farnsworth's  house  to  Page's  bridge, 
so  called ;  thence,  as  the  County  road  goes,  to  the  crotch 

i  The  word  near  is  interlined  before  "  where  Jonas  Gilson  now  lives."  —  Ed. 


of  the  roads  near  Morgan  place,  so  called  ;  thence  by  Ma- 
jor Moors'  and  Levi  Stone's  to  the  crotch  of  the  roads  south 
of  John  Fisk's  house ;  thence  towards  Groton  Meeting 
house,  as  the  road  goes  till  it  comes  to  the  lane,  north  of 
Joseph  Allen's  house,  called  Russell's  lane ;  including  the 
inhabitants  on  both  sides  of  said  roads  and  within  said  lim- 
its, and  also  the  occupants  of  the  farm  owned  by  Joel  Law- 
rence, where  he  now  lives. 

No.  III.  Beginning  at  the  crotch  of  the  roads  westerly 
of  William  Bancroft's  house,  near  where  Ebenezer  Hopkins 
now  lives  ;  thence  running  northerly,  as  the  road  goes,  to 
Capt.  Levi  Kemp's,  including  said  Kemp's  farm,  and  ex- 
tending from  said  William  Bancroft's  house  to  the  cause- 
way, called  Swill  Bridge,  and  thence,  as  the  road  goes,  by 
Amos  Davis'  to  the  road  aforesaid,  and  extending  easterly 
by  Ezra  Farnsworth's  to  Broad  meadow,  and  from  Jonathan 
Farwell's  towards  Capt.  Richardson's  to  the  northeast  cor- 
ner of  the  Farnsworths'  land  ;  and  from  said  Kemp's  to 
Timothy  H.  Newman's  shop  ;  including  all  the  inhabitants 
on  both  sides  of  said  roads  and  within  said  limits,  except 
said  Newman. 

No.  IV.  Including  that  whole  section  of  the  town,  which 
lies  on  the  westerly  side  of  Nashua  river. 

No.  V.  Beginning  at  the  guide  post  in  the  crotch  of  the 
roads  between  Silas  Parker's  and  Isaac  Bowers',  thence  run- 
ning northerly,  as  the  road  goes,  by  Job  Shattuck's  to  Nau- 
mox  place,  where  Jonathan  Pratt  lately  lived,  and  from  the 
causeway,  near  Capt.  Richardson's  tavern,  by  Wilder  She- 
pie's  to  Capell's  mills,  at  the  bridge  over  Nashua  river ; 
and  so  down  the  river  to  include  William  Nutting's  farm, 
and  the  inhabitants  on  the  Nod-road,  so  called,  and  on  the 
road  from  said  William  Nutting's  to  Silas  Parker's,  and 
thence  by  James  Sheple's  to  Martin's  Pond,  inclufling  the  in- 
habitants on  both  sides  of  said  roads  and  within  said  limits, 
and  also  William  Farwell's  farm,  and  the  farm,  where  Oli- 
ver Lakin  lately  lived,  lying  easterly  of  said  limits. 

No.  VI.  Beginning  at  Naumox  place,  so  called,  and 
thence  running  northerly,  as  the  County  road  goes,  by  John 
Lawrence's  to  the  river,  and  thence,  as  the  road  goes,  by 
Lemuel  Lakin's  and  Ebenezer  Procter's  to  Dunstable  line, 


and  so  by  Dunstable  line  to  Thomas  Bennet's,  and  by  the 
road  leading-  over  Cold  spring,  so  called,  to  said  Naumox 
place ;  including  Capt.  Simeon  Williams'  farm,  lying  near 
said  limits,  and  all  the  inhabitants  on  both  sides  of  said  roads, 
and  within  the  limits  aforesaid. 

No.  VII.  Beginning  at  the  gravelly  hill  on  Dunstable 
road,  near  the  Presbyterian  Meeting  house,  thence  running 
easterly,  as  said  road  goes,  to  Dunstable  line,  and  bounding 
northerly  on  the  limits  of  School  District  No.  VI,  and  in- 
cluding all  the  inhabitants  on  both  sides  of  said  road,  and 
within  the  limits  aforesaid;  and  also  including  Ezekiel 
Fletcher's  farm,  so  called,  lying  southerly  of  said  road. 

No.  VIII.  Beginning  at  a  little  brook,  or  stream,  be- 
tween Joseph  Bennet's  house  and  the  house  of  Job  Shat- 
tuck  3d,  thence  running  easterly  and  northerly,  as  the  road 
goes,  by  the  farm,  where  Oliver  Fletcher  lately  lived,  to 
Dunstable  line ;  thence  running  easterly  by  Dunstable  line, 
southerly  by  Tyngsborough  line,  and  westerly  by  Westford 
line,  to  the  road  leading  by  David  Prescott's  house,  and  so 
on  by  said  road  leading  by  Timothy  Woods'  house  to  Bad- 
dacook  brook ;  including  all  the  inhabitants  on  both  sides 
of  said  roads  and  within  said  limits,  and  also  including  Eber 
Woods'  farm  on  the  north,  and  Jotham  Woods'  farm  on  the 
south,  of  said  limits. 

No.  IX.  Beginning  at  the  crotch  of  the  roads  west  of 
Jonas  Gilson's  house,  thence  running  northerly,  as  the  road 
goes,  to  Martin's  pond ;  thence  running  easterly,  as  the 
road  goes,  by  the  Widow  Susannah  Shed's  house  to  the  little 
brook,  or  stream,  between  the  houses  of  Joseph  Bennet  and 
Job  Shattuck  3d  ;  thence  running  southerly  by  the  house 
of  Phinehas  Parker  over  Baddacook  brook  to  Nahum  Woods' 
house,  including  said  Parker's  farm,  and  said  Woods'  farm  ; 
thence  to  Jonas  Green's  house,  including  the  land,  whereon 
he  now  lives  ;  thence  to  Amos  Ames'  house  ;  thence  to 
Nehemiah  Whitman's  house,  as  the  road  goes,  including 
said  Ames'  farm  and  said  Whitman's  farm  ;  thence  to  the 
place  of  beginning,  including  all  the  inhabitants  on  both 
sides  of  said  roads,  and  within  said  limits. 

No.  X.  Beginning  at  the  brickyard,  near  Abel  Prescott's 
land,  thence  running  southeasterly,  as  the  County  road  goes, 


5 

to  Littleton  line,  and  easterly,  as  the  County  road  goes,  to 
Westford  line,  and  northerly  down  Boiden's  lane  to  Amos 
Ames'  farm,  and  northeasterly,  as  the  town  way  goes,  by 
the  widow  Nash's  house,  and  the  house,  where  John  E.  Ross 
now  lives,  over  Brownloaf  brook  to  a  place,  called  the  Saw- 
mill dam ;  and  running  from  said  County  road  at  Stephen 
Farrar's  tavern  southerly  and  southwesterly,  as  the  road  goes, 
till  it  comes  to  Rufus  Moors'  farm  ;  including  all  the  in- 
habitants on  both  sides  of  said  roads  and  within  said  limits. 
No.  XI.  Beginning  at  Snake  hill,  so  called,  thence  run- 
ning southeasterly,  as  the  road  goes,  by  Sandy  pond,  till  it 
comestotheCounty  road  near  AaronBigelow's, thence  running 
westerly,  as  said  County  road  goes,  to  a  small  house,  where 
Oliver  Blood  3d  now  lives,  including  the  land,  which  he 
now  occupies,  and  running  from  said  Bigelow's  easterly,  as 
the  County  road  goes,  to  Littleton  line,  and  running  north- 
erly from  the  school  house  at  said  County  road,  near  where 
Caleb  Symmes  now  lives,  as  the  town  way  goes  by  Elisha 
Young's  to  Rocky  hill,  so  called,  near  Tobacco  pipe  plain  ; 
including  all  the  inhabitants  on  both  sides  of  said  roads  and 
within  said  limits  ;  and  also  including  the  occupants  of 
the  farm  lying  easterly  thereof,  formerly  owned  by  Daniel 
Farwell ;  and  also  including  all  the  inhabitants  living  south- 
erly of  the  County  road  aforesaid  to  Harvard  line. 

No.  XII.  Beginning  at  the  crotch  of  the  roads  near 
Morgan  place,  so  called,  thence  running  southeasterly,  as 
the  County  road  goes,  by  Stone's  sawmill,  so  called,  to  the 
small  house,  where  Oliver  Blood  3d  now  lives  ;  and  from 
said  sawmill  southerly,  as  the  County  road  goes,  to  Harvard 
line ;  including  all  the  inhabitants  on  both  sides  of  said 
roads,  and  living  southerly  and  westerly  thereof  to  the  lines 
of  Harvard  and  Shirley ;  and  also  including  all  the  inhabi- 
tants living  on  the  road  leading  from  the  crotch  of  the  roads 
south  of  John  Fisk's  house  to  Stone's  mill,  and  on  the  road 
leading  from  the  crotch  of  the  roads  aforesaid  to  John  Park's 
house,  and  all  within  the  limits  aforesaid. 


COMMITTEE'S    INSTRUCTIONS. 


AT  a  meeting  of   Groton    School   Committee  Nov.  30th 
A.  D.  1805, 

Voted  to  adopt  the  following  instructions,  viz. 

Preamble.  1  HE   school   committee  of   Groton,  deeply  im- 

pressed with  the  importance  of  proper  instruction  and  gov- 
ernment in  the  schools  in  this  town  to  the  rising  genera- 
tion, and  to  the  community  at  large,  considering  their  re- 
sponsibility for  the  promotion  of  the  most  useful  knowl- 
edge and  correct  morals  among  those,  who  attend  our 
schools,  and  having  a  due  predilection  for  ancient  sentiments, 
manners,  and  customs,  which,  in  the  opinion  of  the  great- 
est and  wisest  men,  are  built  on  the  soundest  principles  of 
reason  and  morality,  and  have  a  powerful  tendency  to  make 
society  virtuous  and  happy,  as  well  as  feeling  an  abhorrence 
of  the  absurdities  of  infidelity  and  the  spirit  of  innovation, 
which  threaten  ruin  to  all  social  order  and  religion,  think  it 
necessary,  in  discharge  of  their  duty,  to  give  the  following 
instructions  to  the  several  teachers  of  the  schools  in  said 
town,  which  they  require  them  strictly  to  observe,  viz. 
The  bible  I.  The  bible,  which  affords  the  best  lessons  of  morality 
in  schcrais.  ^"^  religion,  must  be  read  in  all  the  schools,  at  least  a  por- 
tion of  it,  in  the  forenoon,  and  another,  in  the  afternoon,  ei- 
ther by  the  Instructor,  or  by  a  class  of  such  scholars,  as  can 
read  with  propriety,  according  to  his  discretion.  All  those, 
who  can  read  well  enough  to  belong  to  the  bible  class,  must 
be  required  to  supply  themselves  with  bibles  for  their  use 
in  schools. 
Instructors  2.  The  Instructors  are  all  required  to  pray  with  their 
°  P'^Y'  respective  schools  at  the  opening  of  the  school  exercises,  in 
the  morning,  and  at  the  close  of  those  exercises  in  the  even- 
ing, immediately  after  reading  the  holy  scriptures,  either 
extemporaneously,  or  by  deliberately  and  solemnly  reading 
a  suitable  form  of  their  own  composition,  or  taken  from 
books  on  the  subject  of  prayer,  and  to  require  their  scholars 
to  rise  and  attend  with  sobriety  during  that  religious  ser- 


3.  The  Schoolmasters  are  carefully  to  inspect  the  man-  instruc- 
ners  of  their  pupils,  frequently  inculcating  lessons  of  virtue  ^"Jl  mo'-"'^" 
and  wisdom,  humanity  and  benevolence,  upon  them,  and  "'''y- 
constantly  correcting  all  the  vices,  which  they  perceive  in 

them  ;  always  considering,  that  morality  is  the  only  solid 
basis  of  a  good  education. 

4.  Next  to  morality  in  point  of  importance  is  the  knowl- 
edge of  the  English  language,  or  the  art  of  reading,  then 
writing,  and  the  knowledge  of  figures,  all  which  must  be 
attended  to  and  pursued  according  to  their  respective  utili- 
ty.    And  those,   who  write,  must  be  required  to  furnish  Pupils  to 

'  '  *■  be  suppli- 

themselves  with  proper  books,  and  carefully  preserve  their  edwith 
books  for  inspection  at  the  time  of  examination,  that  the  ^q"]j'"5 
committee  may  be  able  to  judge  of  the  improvements,  which 
they  have  severally  made. 

5.  Those,  intrusted  with  the  care  of  schools,  are  remind- Subordi- 
ed,  that  due  subordination  must  be  established  in  their  res- j^o^i^'^J  ™" 
pective  schools,  in  order  to  their  being  useful  and  respecta- 
ble.    Lenient  measures  will  be  preferred  to  coercive  and 
severe  ;  but  if  the  former  do  not  avail,  the  latter  must  be  ^"JJ[^  " 
adopted.     "  Foolishness  is  bound  in  the  heart  of  a  child, 

but  the  rod  of  correction  shall  drive  it  far  from  him." 

6.  Uniformity  of  books  in  all  the  schools  would  contribute  Uniformi- 
to  the  interest  of  learning,  as  well  as  to  the  convenience  recom-° 
and  relief  of  the  Instructors.     The  committee,  therefore,  ™™ded. 
recommend  the  following,  as  the  most  eligible,  viz  ;  Per- 
ry's Spelling  book  and  Dictionary,  Dana's   Selections,  A- 
merican  Preceptor,  Beauties  of  the  Bible,  Adams'  Correct 
Reader,  and  his  Arithmetic   (2d  or  3d  edit.),   Pike's  A- 
bridgement,  and  Alexander's  English  Grammar.^ 

7.  The  Schoolmasters  are  all  directed  to  read  these  in- instruc- 

.  .     .  .11  1  tions  to  be 

structions  to  their  respective  schools,  as  soon  as  may  be  con-  read, 
venient  after  receiving  them,  and  are  strictly  enjoined  to  re- 
turn the  copies  immediately  after  the  expiration  of  their  and  re- 
term  of  service  to  the  town  clerk,  in  order  to  be  entitled  to 
their  wages. 


A  true  copy, 

Attest    OLIVER   PRESCOTT, 


Clerk  of 
sd.  comm. 


1  Constitutions,  &=€.  interlined.  —  Ed. 


The  copy  of  this  edition  of  the  By-laws,  in  my  possession, 
is  bound  up  at  the  beginning  of  a  blank  book,  in  which  are 
kept  the  school  records  of  District  No.  ii,  from  March  25, 
1806,  to  January  25,  1838.  This  District  lay  in  the  southerly 
quarter  of  Groton,  and  constitutes  now  a  part  of  the  township 
of  Ayer.  The  book  contains  the  proceedings  of  the  various 
school  meetings  held  in  the  District,  and  gives  a  few  statistics 
in  regard  to  the  number  of  scholars,  etc.  There  is  a  second 
volume,  covering  the  period  from  March  7,  1838,  to  March  3, 
1869,  which  contains  similar  matter  to  the  first.  At  the  be- 
ginning of  the  book  is  bound  up  a  pamphlet  entitled  :  Ex- 
tracts I  from  the  |  Revised  Statutes  |  of  the  |  Commonwealth 
of  Massachusetts,  |  Chap.  XXIII.  |  together  with  the  By-laws 
of  the  I  Town  of  Groton,  |  in  relation  to  Schools.  ||  Lowell 
Journal  Press,  1837.  pp.  17.  This  pamphlet  also  describes 
the  limits  of  the  several  Districts  in  town,  as  they  existed  at 
the  time,  and  mentions  the  names  of  many  householders. 
These  two  volumes  will  soon  be  placed  in  the  Library  of  the 
Massachusetts  Historical  Society.  As  a  sample  of  their 
contents,  I  print  from  Volume  I.  the  proceedings  of  several 
meetings,  as  follows:  — 

At  a  School  Meeting  at  the  School-house  in  District  N°  1 1  in  the 
Southerly  part  of  Groton  legally  warned  &  assembled  this  25""  day 
of  March  1806.     The  following  Votes  were  passed.     Viz. 

ist.   Voted  &  Chose  M'  Saml  Farnsworth  Moderator. 

2d.    Voted  &  Chose  Caleb  Symmes  Clerk. 

3d.  Voted  &  Chose  Capt  Samson  Farnsworth  a  Committee  to 
hire  a  School  Mistress. 

4'i  Voted  that  the  Mistress'  board  be  put  up  to  the  lowest  bidder 
—  M'  Sam!  Peirce  being  the  lowest  bidder  the  Mistress  board  was 
struck  off  to  him  at  Ninety  Nine  Cents  a  Week. 

5*  Voted  that  the  school  begin  the  first  Monday  in  May  next. 

6"'  Voted  that  Capt.  Samson  Farnsworth  be  a  Committee  to 
warn  the  next  School  meeting. 

7"'  Voted  that  four  days  at  least  shall  be  a  legal  warning  :  for 
next  School  Meeting. 

8th  Voted  that  the  meeting  be  dissolved  &  it  is  dissolved 
accordingly. 

Attest.  Caleb  Symmes,  Clerk. 


At  a  School  Meeting  at  the  School  House  in  District  N°  ii  in 
the  Southerly  part  of  Groton  legally  warned  and  Assembled  this 
twenty  fifth  day  of  August  1806,  the  following  Votes  were  passed. 
Viz. 

ist.   Voted  &  Chose  Capt.  Samson  Farnsworth  Moderator. 

2.  Voted  that  the  old  School  House  be  sold  at  Auction  to  the 
highest  bidder.  M'  Elijah  Peirce  being  the  highest  bidder  it  was 
struck  off  to  him  at  thirty  two  Dollars. 

3.  Voted  that  the  building  a  new  School  house  be  put  up  at 
Auction  to  the  lowest  bidder.  M'  Samuel  Peirce  being  the  lowest 
bidder  it  was  struck  off  to  him  at  one  hundred  &  Ninety  eight 
Dollars. 

4*  Voted  &  Chose  M'  Elisha  Young  &  M'  Thomas  Gass  a  Com- 
mittee to  hire  a  School  Master. 

5*  Voted  that  the  Master's  Board  be  put  up  at  Auction  to  the 
lowest  Bidder. 

M'  Elijah  Peirce  being  the  lowest  bidder  the  Master's  Board  was 
struck  of  to  him  at  eight  shillings  &  six  pence  a  Week. 

6*  Voted  that  the  Wood  be  put  up  at  Auction  to.  the  lowest 
bidder. 

Caleb  Symmes  being  the  lowest  bidder  it  was  struck  off  to  him  at 
eight  shillings  &  six  pence  a  Cord. 

7"?  Voted  that  M'  Elisha  Young  be  a  Committee  to  measure  the 
Wood. 

8*  Voted  that  the  School  begin  the  first  Monday  in  January 
1807. 

9'!"  Voted  that  this  Meeting  be  dissolved  &  it  is  dissolved 
Accordingly. 

Attest  Caleb  Symmes,  Clerk. 

September  I5">  1806. 

This  day  I  sent  to  Oliver  Prescott  Esq  the  names  of  52  Children 
whose  Parents  belong  to  this  district  to  be  recorded.  &  1  Death. 


The  following  is  the  number  of  Children  resident  in  School  dis- 
trict N°  II  in  the  southerly  part  of  Groton  the  first  day  of  Septem- 
ber 1806.  that  are  upwards  of  4  &  under  18  &  twenty  one  Years  of 
Age  taken  in  the  Month  of  September  Agreeable  to  the  bye  Laws 
of  said  Town  by  Caleb  Symmes,  Clerk,  of  Said  District. 


lO 

Girls.  Boys. 

Elisha  Young  .  .     .  ...  .     .       4 

Samuel  Peirce       ...  .  ■       i  i 

Elijah  Peirce    ...  ....  2 

Henry  Farwell      .     .  .  2 

Joseph  Abbot 3 

Samuel  Farnsworth 2  2 

Caleb  Symmes      ...  3  3 

Capt.  Samson  Farnsworth  ....  ...  2 

Aaron  Williams .     .       i  i 

Wido'  Phebe  Crouch i  2 

Abel  Sawtel 3  2 

Oliver  Blood i 

John  Boit i 

Thomas  Gass .     .  2 

Joseph  Wyeth _£  _2^ 

23  19 

19 

42 

At  a  School  meeting  at  the  School  House  in  District  N°  11  in  the 
Southerly  part  of  Groton  legally  warned  &  assembled  this  twenty 
seventh  day  of  March  1807.  the  following  Votes  were  passed.    Viz. 

I  St.    Voted  &  Chose  M'  Elisha  Young,  Moderator. 

2d.   Voted  &  Chose  Caleb  Symmes,  Clerk. 

3d.  Voted  &  Chose  Caleb  Symmes  a  Committee  to  hire  a  School 
Mistress. 

4*  Voted  that  the  Mistress'  board  be  put  up  to  the  lowest  bidder. 
M'  Elijah  Peirce  being  the  lowest  bidder  it  was  struck  off  to  him  at 
one  Dollar  a  Week. 

5*   Voted  that  the  School  begin  the  first  monday  in  may  next. 

6'!"  Voted  that  this  meeting  be  dissolved  &  it  is  dissolved 
accordingly. 

Attest,  Caleb  Symmes,  Clerk. 

The  following  is  the  number  of  Children  resident  in  School  Dis- 
trict N°  1 1  in  the  southerly  part  of  Groton  the  first  day  of  Septem- 
ber, A.  D.  1807  that  are  upwards  of  4  and  under  18  &  21  Years  of 
age  taken  in  the  month  of  September  agreeably  to  the  bye  Laws  of 
said  Town  by  Caleb  Symmes,  Clerk  of  s''  District. 


II 


Girls.  Boys. 

I 


Samuel  Farnsworth i 

Caleb  Syitimes 3  2 

Capt.  Samson  Farnsworth 2 

Aaron  Williams i  i 

Thomas  Gass 2 

Joseph  Wyeth  ....          .     .               .     .     .  i  2 

Oliver  Blood     .     .  .2 

Abel  Sawtel 3  i 

Wid°  Phebe  Crouch i  2 

Elijah  Peirce .     .     .     .  i  2 

Samuel  Peirce i  i 

Elisha  Young .     .  4 

18  16 

Total 34 

At  a  School  meeting  at  the  house  in  District  N°  11  in  the  south- 
erly part  of  Groton  Legally  warned  and  assembled  this  third  day  of 
December  1807  the  following  Votes  were  passed     Viz 

ist   Voted  and  Chos  Elisha  young  moderator 

2  Voted  and  Chos  Samuel  Farnsworth  Clark 

3  Voted  and  Chos  Elisha  young  and  Elijah  parce  a  Commitee 
to  hire  a  master 

4  Voted  that  the  massters  board  be  put  up  at  auction  to  the 
lowest  bidder  Elijah  Parce  being  the  lowist  bidder  the  masters 
board  was  struck  of  to  him  at  one  Dollar  and  fifty  Cents  a  week 

5  Voted  that  the  School  should  begin  the  first  monday  in 
January 

6  Voted  that  the  squadron  would  find  thar  one  wood 

7  Voted  that  the  meeting  bee  dissolved  and  it  is  dissolved 
acordingley 

atest  Samuel  Farnsworth  Clerk  pro  tern 

At  a  School  meeting  in  the  School  House  in  district  N°,  in  the 
Southerly  part  of  Groton  legally  warned  &  assembled  this  twenty 
third  day  of  March  1808  the  following  Votes  were  passed,  viz. 

ist.   Voted  &  Chose  Capt.  Samson  Farnsworth  Moderator. 
2dly.    Voted  &  Chose  Caleb  Symmes,  Clerk. 
3d   Voted  &  chose  M'  Sam!  Farnsworth  a  Committee  to  hire  a 
School  Mistress. 


12 


4"'  Voted  that  the  Mistress'  board  be  put  up  at  auction  to  the 
lowest  bidder  M'  Samuel  Peirce  being  the  lowest  Bidder  it  was 
struck  o&  to  him  at  Ninety  nine  Cents  a  Week 

5th   Voted  that  the  School  begin  the  first  monday  in  May  next 

6*  Voted  &  Chose  Caleb  Symmes  &  M'  Samuel  Farnsworth  a 
Committee  to  find  out  if  possible,  who  it  is  that  has  damaged  the 
School  House  &  report 

7*  Voted  that  this  meeting  be  dissolved  &  it  is  dissolved 
accordingly. 

Attest  Caleb  Symmes,  Clerk. 

The  following  is  a  list  of  the  Number  of  Children  resident  in 
School-District  No.  11.  in  the  Southerly  part  of  Groton,  the  ist  Day 
of  September  1808  ;  that  are  above  4  years  of  age  &  under  the  age 
of  21  &  18.  taken  in  the  month  of  September  agreeably  to  the  bye 
laws  of  said  Town,  by  Caleb  Symmes  Cl'k  of  said  District. 


Samuel  Farnsworth     . 
Caleb  vSymmes   .... 
Capt.  Samson  Farnsworth 
Aaron  Williams 
Thomas  Gass     . 
Thomas  Wood  . 
Joseph  Wyeth    . 
Oliver  Blood .     . 
WidP  Phebe  Crouc 
Adam  Hill     . 
Abel  Sawtel  .     . 
Elijah  Peirce 
Samuel  Peirce   . 
Elisha  Youne 


Total 


Females. 

Mai 

I 

2 

2 

2 

I 

I 

: 

I 

I 

2 

I 

2 

2 

I 

2 

2 

I 

3 

I 

I 

2 

I 

2 

"16 

32 

22 

11 

At  a  School  meeting  in  the  School  House  in  District  No.  11,  in 
the  Southerly  part  of  Groton  legally  warn'd  and  assembled  this 
13*  day  of  October,  A.  D.  1808.  the  following  Votes  were  passed, 
Viz. 

ist.   Voted  &  chose  Capt.  Samson  Farnsworth,  Moderator. 

2'^  Voted  to  have  but  one  person  for  a  Committee  to  hire  a 
School-master. 

3^  Voted  &  chose  Mr.  Samuel  Farnsworth  a  Committee  to  hire 
a  School-master. 


13 

4*  Voted  that  the  Master's  board  be  put  up  at  Auction  to  the 
lowest  bidder. 

Mr  Samuel  Peirce  being  the  lowest  bidder  it  was  struck  off  to 
him  at  one  Dollar  &  fifty  Cents  a  week. 

5th.  Voted  that  the  School  begin  the  second  Monday  in  Novem- 
ber next. 

6th.  Voted  that  each  one  bring  a  load  of  Wood  to  the  School 
House  in  three  Weeks  from  this  day  &  that  each  one  cut  the  Wood 
he  brings 

7"'-  Voted  that  this  Meeting  be  dissolved,  and  it  is  dissolved 
accordingly. 

Attest.  Caleb  Symmes,  Clerk. 

In  the  year  1823  District  No.  10  was  divided,  forming  a 
new  district,  No.  13;  and  in  1828  District  No.  i  was  also 
divided,  making  No.  14,  —  the  line  of  division  being  James's 
Brook.  The  territory  north  of  the  brook  constituted  District 
No.  14,  while  the  part  south  of  it  continued  as  No.  i.  On 
March  7,  1870,  the  Selectmen  were  "directed  to  dispose  of 
School  Houses  Nos.  3  and  5,  according  to  their  discretion." 
Under  this  authority  No.  5  was  sold,  but  No.  3  was  kept,  and 
of  late  has  been  called  the  Lawrence  School,  whenever  it  has 
been  used. 

The  town  of  Ayer  was  incorporated  on  February  14,  1871, 
and  taken  for  the  most  part  from  the  town  of  Groton.  The 
new  township  included  Districts  Nos.  11  and  12;  and  soon 
afterward  the  method  of  designating  the  several  schools  by 
numbers  was  discontinued.  On  March  3,  1873,  a  committee 
was  appointed  to  suggest  suitable  names  for  the  different  dis- 
tricts, and  on  April  7,  1873,  they  made  a  report,  which  was 
adopted  by  the  town.  The  next  year,  however,  the  plan  was 
slightly  modified,  and  on  March  2,  1874,  the  town  voted  to 
change  the  names  so  as  to  read  as  follows  :  — 

No.  I,  Butler  School.  No.    8,  Trowbridge  School. 

No.  2,  Moors  School.  No.    9,  Willard  School. 

No.  4,  Dana  School.  No.  10,  Prescott  School. 

No.  6,  Hobart  School.  No.  13,  Chaplin  School. 

No.  7,  Chicopee  School.  No.  14,  Winthrop  School. 

West  Groton,  Tarbell  School. 


14 

These  names  were  all  closely  connected  either  with  the  his- 
tory of  the  town  or  with  the  neighborhood  of  the  schools.  In 
this  list  five  of  the  early  ministers  of  the  town  —  viz.,  Willard, 
Hobart,  Trowbridge,  Dana,  and  Chaplin  —  are  represented, 
but  the  names  are  applied  without  any  special  reference  to 
locality.  With  the  two  exceptions  of  John  Miller  and  Dudley 
Bradstreet,  the  list  includes  all  the  ministers  of  the  town 
during  the  time  it  formed  a  single  parish,  a  period  of  one  hun- 
dred and  seventy  years.  It  was  fit  that  Mr.  Butler's  name 
should  be  associated  with  one  of  the  school  Districts.  The 
historian  of  the  town  had  been  the  principal  of  the  Academy 
during  eleven  years,  though  not  in  continuous  succession. 
The  family  of  Moors  had  lived  for  a  long  time  in  the  neigh- 
borhood of  Schoolhouse  No.  2,  and  the  family  of  Tarbell  was 
closely  identified  with  the  village  of  West  Groton.  Deane 
Winthrop,  a  son  of  Governor  John,  was  one  of  the  original 
grantees  of  the  town,  and  his  name  stands  at  the  head  of  the 
earliest  list  of  Selectmen  appointed  by  the  General  Court. 
Colonel  William  Prescott,  the  commander  of  the  American 
forces  at  the  battle  of  Bunker  Hill,  was  born  in  Groton,  and 
his  family  name  has  always  been  a  distinguished  one  in  its 
annals.  Chicopee  is  an  old  and  familiar  designation  of  a 
district  in  the  north  part  of  the  town. 

It  is  worthy  of  note  that,  in  the  early  town-records,  the 
terms  "  angles  "  and  "  squadrons  "  were,  for  many  years,  used 
for  what  are  now  called  school  districts.  This  use  of  them 
did  not  disappear  until  the  latter  part  of  the  last  century. 

The  following  subscription  paper,  among  the  manuscripts 
of  the  Massachusetts  Historical  Society,  is  of  some  interest, 
in  connection  with  the  account  of  the  schools  given  by  Mr. 
Butler  on  page  219  of  his  History:  — 

Groton  Janf  yf  10*  1739. 

Wee  the  Subscribers  Do  Joyntly  &  Severally  Promis  To  pay 

or  Cause  to  be  paid  the  Severall  Sum  or  Sums  of  money  Perfixt  or 

Anex'd  to  Each  of  our   Names :    Respectively  To  be  Expended 

towards   the   Building   Finishing   Compleating   or   Erecting   of    a 


15 


Schoole  house  att  the  North  East  Corner  of  the  Town  of  Groton  : 
as  Witnes  our  hands  the  Day  &  year  first  above  written. 


John  Lakin 
John  Sheple 
Dudley  Bradstreet : 
William  Nutting : 
Jason  Williams 

2  : 

3  : 
I  : 

I— 
3- 

s 
O 

O 

0 

-  0- 

-  0- 

d 

0 

o 
o 

-0 

-o 

Peter  hobart 

3- 

-    0- 

-o 

Nathaniel  Larence  Junior 

o— 

-15- 

-0 

Jonas  Varnum 

I  — 

-lO 

o 

Nathaniel  Blood 

I— 

-10- 

-o 

Jeremiah  Shattuck 

3- 

-  o- 

-0 

i6 


GROTON    PUBLIC   LIBRARY. 

The  Groton  Public  Library  was  established  in  the  year 
1854,  and  started  at  the  suggestion  of  the  Honorable  Abbott 
Lawrence,  who  offered  to  give  the  sum  of  five  hundred  dol- 
lars for  that  purpose,  on  condition  the  town  would  appropriate 
the  same  amount.  The  following  letters,  found  among  the 
papers  of  Mr.  Lawrence  after  his  death,  and  now  among  the 
manuscripts  of  the  Boston  Public  Library,  are  connected  with 
its  history,  and  have  a  local  interest.  They  tell  their  own 
story,  and  need  no  further  introduction  from  me.  The  first 
letter  is  in  Mr.  Butler's  handwriting,  and,  from  the  style, 
evidently  his  composition. 

Groton,  February  13,  1854. 
Honored  Sir,  — 

Your  communication  of  the  3d  instant,  in  relation  to  establishing 
a  town  library  in  the  place  of  your  nativity,  has  been  received  and 
considered. 

Knowledge  and  virtue  generally  diffused  among  the  mass  of  the 
people,  are  elements  necessary  to  the  support  and  maintenance  of 
our  New  England  institutions,  —  civil,  moral,  ecclesiastical,  and 
social.  Books  are  the  customary  vehicles  of  conveying  knowledge 
to  the  mind.  Hence,  in  order  to  perpetuate  the  institutions,  privi- 
leges, and  advantages  of  which  we  find  ourselves  in  the  possession, 
to  improve,  enlarge,  and  transmit  them  to  generations  yet  to  come, 
in  purity,  books  best  adapted  to  the  purpose  should  be  made  acces- 
sible to  all,  and  all  should  be  encouraged  toljse  and  improve  them. 
Indeed,  if  a  well-selected  public  library  could  effect  nothing  more 
than  to  divert  the  minds  of  youth  from  the  mischievous  products  of 
morbid  imaginations  which  at  present  load  the  shelves  and  coun- 
ters of  our  book-shops,  and  to  give  a  taste  for  truthful  history,  biog- 
raphy, morality,  and  science,  as  in  progress  they  might  be  able  to 
comprehend,  an  invaluable  object  would  be  obtained  by  it. 

Individually  entertaining  these  views  on  the  subject,  your  gen- 
erous proposal  cannot  but  be  to  us  otherwise  than  most  accept- 
able ;  and  we  hope  and  trust  that  a  majority  at  least  of  our  fellow- 
townsmen,  entertaining  the  same  or  similar  views,  will  accept  your 


17 

munificence,  and  in  good  faith  fulfil  the  conditions  you  have  annexed. 
The  earliest  opportunity  shall  be  embraced  to  lay  the  matter  before 
the  people  in  their  municipal  capacity,  and  of  the  result  you  shall 
be  duly  apprised. 

We  deem  the  present  inhabitants  of  Groton  very  fortunate  in 
having  contemporary  natives  of  the  place  so  abundantly  able  and 
so  generously  disposed  to  afford  them  the  means  and  facilities 
of  acquiring  useful  knowledge  themselves,  and  of  educating  the 
generations  which  are  to  follow. 

With  sentiments  of  high  esteem,  and  of  grateful   acknowledg- 
ments for  your  beneficent  offer,  we  subscribe  ourselves 
Your  most  obedient  and  humble  servants, 

Geo.  S.  Boutwell, 
John  Boynton, 
Noah  Shattuck, 
Caleb  Butler, 

Joshua  Green. 
Hon.  Abbott  Lawrence. 

Groton,  March  13,  1854. 
Sir,  — 

I  have  the  honor,  in  pursuance  of  the  unanimous  vote  of  the 
inhabitants  of  Groton,  to  enclose  a  copy  of  the  proceedings  in  re- 
lation to  your  proposition  for  a  public  library  in  this  town. 
I  am,  with  much  respect, 

Your  obedient  servant, 

John  W.  Parker, 

Town  Clerk. 
To  the  Honorable  Abbott  Lawrence,  Boston. 

In  Town  Meeting,  Groton,  March  6,  1854. 
Whereas,  the  Honorable  Abbott   Lawrence   has   generously  pro- 
posed to  present  to  this  town  the  sum  of  five  hundred  dollars 
for  the  purpose  of  establishing  a  public  library,  and  whereas  it 
is  believed  that  such  an  institution  will  be  of  eminent  advantage 
to  this  and  succeeding  generations  :  therefore  — 
Resolved,  That  the  cordial  thanks  of  the  inhabitants  of  Groton 
be  presented  to  the  Honorable  Abbott  Lawrence  for  his  liberal 
proposition  in  aid  of  the  cause  of  education  and  good  morals. 

Resolved,  That  the  Town  Clerk  furnish  Mr.  Lawrence  with  a  copy 
of  the  proceedings  of  the  town. 


In  Town  Meeting,  Groton,  March  6,  1854. 

Resolved,  That  George  S.  Boutwell,  George  F.  Farley,  Joshua 
Green,  David  Fosdick,  and  John  Boynton  be  a  committee  with 
authority  to  appropriate  the  sum  of  five  hundred  dollars,  if  they  see 
fit,  for  the  foundation  of  a  public  library,  for  the  benefit  of  all  the 
inhabitants  of  the  town. 

Resolved,  That  said  library  be  subject  to  such  rules  and  regula- 
tions as  the  town  may  from  time  to  time  establish,  not  contrary  to 
the  Laws  of  the  Commonwealth. 

Resolved,  That  said  committee  confer  with  Mr.  Lawrence  in  rela- 
tion to  his  proposed  donation,  to  the  selection  of  books,  and  to 
such  other  matters  as  may  be  for  the  interest  of  the  library;  and 
that  said  committee  be  authorized  to  expend  the  money  appropri- 
ated to  this  object,  to  procure  a  suitable  room  for  the  accommoda- 
tion of  the  library,  and  also  to  prepare  and  present  to  the  town 
such  by-laws  as  they  may  deem  necessary  for  the  government  of 
said  library. 

Groton,  April  17,  1855. 
Honorable  Abbott  Lavi^rence,  — 

Sir,  —  Agreeably  to  your  generous  proposition  of  February  3, 
1854,  to  present  to  the  town  of  Groton  the  sum  of  five  hundred 
dollars,  to  establish  and  maintain  a  public  library,  upon  condition 
that  the  town  shall  raise  a  like  sum  for  the  same  purpose,  the  un- 
dersigned have  the  pleasure  to  inform  you  that  the  town  unani- 
mously voted  to  accept  the  condition,  and  appropriated  five  hundred 
dollars  for  that  object.  This  sum  has  now  been  expended,  and  the 
library  nearly  completed.  The  committee,  therefore,  take  the  lib- 
erty to  draw  on  you  for  five  hundred  dollars ;  and  they  have  no 
doubt  that  the  town  will  accept  your  further  proposition,  "  that  at 
any  time  within  three  years  from  this  date,  I  [you]  will  pay  another 
sum  of  five  hundred  dollars,  upon  condition  that  the  town  raise  the 
same  amount,  to  be  applied  to  the  purchase  of  books  for  the  said 
library." 

With  great  respect  and  esteem. 

Your  obedient  servants, 

Geo.  F.  Farley,      \ 

Geo.  S.  Boutwell,  f-      Committee  on  the 

Joshua  Green,        )  ^'^'"'^''-^  "f  *^'  ^own. 


19 

Mr.  Lawrence's  death  took  place  on  August  i8,  1855,  —  ^ 
few  months  after  the  date  of  this  letter,  —  which  event  pre- 
vented the  town  from  accepting  his  second  offer  of  another 
sum  of  the  same  amount,  under  a  similar  condition. 

The  library  now  contains  more  than  four  thousand  volumes, 
and  circulates  annually  not  far  from  ten  thousand  books.  Its 
first  catalogue  was  printed  in  the  year  1855,  a  second  in  1862, 
and  a  third  in  1875,  —  supplementary  to  which  there  appeared 
later  a  "  List  of  New  Books  for  1875  and  1876"  (pp.  12),  and 
a  "List  of  New  Books  for  1877  and  1878  "  (pp.  15). 

The  last  catalogue  was  published  in  1885,  making  a  volume, 
of  192  pages,  which  contains  this  article  as  an  Introduction. 

The  late  Willard  Dalrymple,  Esq.,  of  Charlestown,  is  an- 
other man  who  remembered  the  place  of  his  birth.  He  died 
on  July  26,  1884,  and  a  clause  in  his  will  reads  as  follows  :  — 

To  my  native  Town  of  Groton  aforesaid,  I  give  the  sum  of  four 
thousand  (4,000)  dollars,  to  be  known  as  the  ''  Dalrymple  Fund," 
of  which  the  income  only  of  two  thousand  (2,000)  dollars  shall  be 
applied  to  the  purchase  of  books  for  its  Public  Library,  and  the 
income  only,  of  two  thousand  (2,000)  dollars  shall  be  applied,  un- 
der the  direction  of  the  Overseers  of  the  Poor  of  said  town,  to  the 
treatment  of  worthy  American  citizens  of  said  town,  suffering  from 
disease  of  or  injury  to  the  eye. 

Akin  to  the  subject  of  the  Public  Library,  I  make  an 
extract  from  Mr.  Butler's  History  of  Groton,  as  follows :  — 

About  the  year  1796,  a  number  of  individuals  associated  for  the 
purpose  of  establishing  a  Social  Library  [in  Groton].  What  the 
number  of  the  associates  was,  or  of  the  books  with  which  they  com- 
menced, is  not  known ;  but  they  both  must  have  been  very  small, 
for  in  the  year  18 10,  when  they  assumed  a  corporate  form  under 
the  statute  of  March  3,  1798,  there  were  less  than  forty  members, 
and  only  one  hundred  and  thirty  volumes.  This  association  never 
after  received  any  material  increase  of  members  or  addition  to 
their  books. 

In  the  year  1828,  a  second  social  library  association  was  formed, 
and  a  subscription  for  the  purchase  of  books  made,  which  amounted 
to  about  $185.     Of  this  sum  Luther  Lawrence,  Esq.,  and  his  four 


20 

brothers,  though  not  at  the  time  residents  in  Groton,  contributed 
about  one  half.  The  selection  of  books  for  this  library  was  judi- 
cious, embracing  more  modern  publications,  and  those  better  adapted 
to  the  taste  and  instruction  of  readers  generally,  than  those  of  the 
first  library. 

The  proprietors  of  the  second  were  mostly  proprietors  of  the  first 
also  ;  and  the  natural  consequence  was,  the  first  was  almost  entirely 
neglected,  while  the  second  received  some  considerable  addition  in 
members  and  volumes.  Under  these  circumstances  committees 
were  chosen  by  each  association,  in  1830,  to  take  measures  to  unite 
the  two.  This  was  harmoniously  effected,  the  rights  and  privileges 
of  all  to  use  the  books  being  justly  and  equitably  preserved.  (Pages 
225,  226.) 


21 


GROTON   MILITARY   MATTERS. 

[This  article  and  the  two  following  ones  appeared  originally  in  "  The 
Groton  Landmark,''  and  now,  somewhat  revised,  they  are  reprinted  in  this 
Series.— S.  A.  G.] 

From  the  earliest  period  of  our  Colonial  history  training- 
days  were  appointed  by  the  General  Court  for  the  drilling  of 
soldiers  ;  and  at  intervals  the  companies  used  to  come  to- 
gether as  a  regiment  and  practise  military  exercises.  From 
this  custom  arose  the  modern  militia  muster. 

During  a  long  time,  and  particularly  in  the  early  part  of 
the  present  century,  many  such  musters  were  held  at  Groton. 
A  training-field  often  used  for  the  purpose  was  the  plain,  sit- 
uated near  Capell's  Mills,  a  mile  and  a  half  north  of  the  vil- 
lage. Sometimes  they  were  held  on  the  easterly  side  of  the 
Great  Road,  and  at  other  times  on  the  westerly  side.  During 
my  boyhood  musters  took  place,  twice  certainly,  on  the  east- 
ern slope  of  the  hill  on  the  south  side  of  the  Broad  Meadow 
Road  near  Farmers'  Row ;  and  also,  once  certainly,  in  the 
field  lying  southeast  of  Lawrence  Academy,  where  High 
Street  now  runs,  though  it  occurred  before  that  street  was 
laid  out.  Musters  have  been  held  on  land  back  of  Charles 
Jacobs's  house,  and  in  a  field  near  the  dwelling  where  Benja- 
min Moors  used  to  live,  close  by  James's  Brook  in  the  south 
part  of  the  town. 

A  well-known  military  company  of  the  Volunteer  Militia, 
and  one  of  the  oldest  in  the  State,  was  the  Groton  Artillery, 
organized  on  October  19,  1778,  with  William  Swan  as  its  first 
captain.  In  later  times,  known  as  Co.  B,  Sixth  Massachu- 
setts Militia  Regiment  of  Infantry,  it  took  part  in  the  War  of 
the  Rebellion.  It  went  into  the  public  service  on  the  memo- 
rable occasion  when  Governor  John  A.  Andrew  called  for 
three-months  men  to  go  to  Washington,  and  it  was  one  of 
the  companies  forming  the  Sixth  Massachusetts  MiHtia  Regi- 
ment  which   passed  through    Baltimore  on  April    19,   1861. 


22 


After  an  eventful  experience  at  the  outset,  the  regiment  re- 
turned to  Boston  on  August  i.  In  the  autumn  of  the  same 
year  the  Twenty-Sixth  was  recruited  in  Lowell,  the  Old  Sixth 
furnishing  the  nucleus,  and  they  left  Boston  for  Ship  Island, 
Mississippi  Sound,  on  November  21.  The  officers  in  the  two 
regiments  were  for  the  most  part  the  same ;  and  again  the 
Groton  Artillery  company  shared  the  lot  and  fortune  of  the 
new  organization.  It  formed  Co.  B,  and  served  with  dis- 
tinction during  three  years.  In  the  summer  of  1862,  after  a 
call  for  nine-months  men,  the  Sixth  Regiment  was  ordered 
into  camp  at  Lowell,  and  recruited  to  its  full  strength.  When 
it  left  for  Washington  on  September  i,  a  company  went  with 
it  which  was  an  offshoot  of  the  Groton  Artillery.  And  still 
later  the  same  regiment  was  mustered  into  service  for  one 
hundred  days,  on  July  20,  1864,  and  left  for  Washington  on 
the  same  day,  again  accompanied  by  the  representatives  of 
the  old  Artillery. 

Upon  the  re-organization  of  the  Massachusetts  Volunteer 
Militia,  under  Chapter  204,  Acts  of  1876,  by  an  order  dated 
July  14,  1876,  this  historic  organization  was  designated  Co.  F, 
Tenth  Regiment.  For  one  reason  or  another  its  former  life 
and  prosperity  now  seemed  to  desert  it,  and  by  an  order 
from  the  Adjutant  General's  ofi&ce,  under  date  of  August  15, 
1878,  the  company,  with  several  others  at  the  same  time,  was 
disbanded. 

Near  the  beginning  of  the  present  century  the  Governor  of 
the  Commonwealth  visited  Groton,  and  was  received  with 
military  honors  by  this  same  company.  The  fact  is  given  in 
the  "Columbian  Centinel,"  July  10,  1802,  as  follows:  — 

His  Excellency  Governor  Strong,  and  Lady,  are  on  a  tour  to 
the  western  part  of  the  State  of  New-Hampshire. 

We  hear  from  Groton,  that  on  Thursday  last  [July  8],  upon  the 
departure  of  Governor  Strong  from  that  place,  where  he  had  tar- 
ried the  preceding  night,  the  artillery  company  in  that  town,  com- 
manded by  Capt.  [James]  Lewis  fired  a  salute  of  sixteen  guns  in 
honor  of  the  Commander  in  Chief. 


23 

By  a  coincidence,  just  one  hundred  years  before  this  time, 
Joseph  Dudley,  Governor  of  the  Province,  visited  Groton,  and 
was  wrelcomed  with  a  military  reception.  In  the  autumn  of 
1702,  Chief  Justice  Samuel  Sewall  accompanied  Governor 
Dudley  through  Middlesex  County  on  a  tour  of  inspection  ; 
and  in  his  Diary,  under  date  of  October  28,  he  writes  :  — 

Went  to  Groton,  saw  Capt.  [Jonas]  Prescot  and  his  company  in 
Arms.  (Gov'  had  sent  to  them  from  Dunstable  that  [he]  would 
visit  them.)  Lancaster  is  about  12  Miles  Southward  from  Groton. 
Concord  is  16  Miles  f  and  Ten-Rod  from  Groton. 

[Massachusetts  Historical  Collections,  VI.  fifth  series,  67.] 

Captain  Prescott  was  a  blacksmith,  and  the  ancestor  of  a 
long  hne  of  distinguished  families.  He  was  the  grandfather 
of  Colonel  William  Prescott,  the  commander  of  the  American 
forces  at  Bunker  Hill,  who  was  himself  the  father  of  William 
Prescott,  the  lawyer  and  jurist,  and  the  grandfather  of  Wil- 
liam Hickling  Prescott,  the  historian. 


24 


FIRES   OCCURRING   IN    1829. 

In  the  year  1829  several  barns  were  burned  by  incendiaries 
at  Groton.  The  fires  all  occurred  at  different  times  during 
the  early  part  of  the  evening,  at  intervals  of  about  a  month  ; 
and  the  excitement  ran  so  high  over  the  matter  that  a  public 
meeting  of  citizens  was  held,  in  order  to  take  some  action  in 
regard  to  it.  In  the  village  and  neighborhood  the  town  was 
divided  into  districts  ;  and  watchmen  were  appointed  to  patrol 
the  streets  during  the  night  time. 

For  the  following  facts  I  am  indebted  to  Mr.  George 
Dexter  Brigham,  the  town  clerk,  who  distinctly  remembers 
the  events. 

Judge  James  Prescott's  barn,  situated  in  the  south  part  of 
the  village,  was  burned  on  the  evening  of  May  4,  which  was 
the  first  Monday  of  the  month  ;  and  the  fire  broke  out  just 
after  the  monthly  meeting  of  the  Torrent  engine  company, 
No.  I. 

John  Peabody's  barn,  near  the  Unitarian  meeting-house, 
was  burned  on  the  evening  of  June  i,  —  again  the  first  Mon- 
day of  the  month,  just  after  the  monthly  meeting  of  the  engine 
company. 

Judge  Samuel  Dana's  barn  near  the  north  end  of  Farmers' 
Row,  Major  Samuel  Lawrence's  two  barns  on  Farmers'  Row, 
and  Sewall  Rockwood's  at  Squannacook  —  or  West  Groton, 
as  it  is  now  called  —  were  also  burned  within  the  next  three 
or  four  months,  Mr.  Rockwood's  in  October.  The  third  fire, 
which  is  the  one  probably  that  burned  Judge  Dana's  barn, 
took  place  on  the  Sunday  evening  before  the  first  Monday  in 
July,  which  evening  came  on  the  5th  of  the  month. 


25 


THE   RINGING   OF   THE   NINE-O'CLOCK  BELL. 

The  custom  of  ringing  a  nine-o'clock  bell  in  the  evening 
was  kept  up  at  Groton  for  many  years,  and  it  was  not  finally 
discontinued  until  May,  i860.  During  a  considerable  period 
before  its  discontinuance,  the  bell  in  the  Unitarian  meeting- 
house was  rung  one  year,  and  then  the  bell  in  the  Ortho- 
dox meeting-house  the  next  year,  thus  alternating  with  each 
other.  The  usage  started  at  a  time  when  watches  were 
scarce  and  clocks  not  common,  and  the  ringing  was  the  signal, 
among  those  who  heard  it,  for  going  to  bed.  The  inhabitants 
in  general  had  no  other  means  of  telling  the  time,  and  they 
were  wont  to  keep  early  hours.  Sun-dials  were  not  in  com- 
mon use,  but  often  a  noon-mark  was  found  cut  in  the  floor  of 
many  a  kitchen.  In  the  early  days  of  our  Colonial  history 
there  was  a  law  against  the  selling  of  liquor  "  after  nine  of 
the  Clock  at  night ;  "  and  this  fact  may  have  had  some  con- 
nection with  the  custom. 

The  practice  of  tolling  the  bell  on  the  death  of  a  person  is 
also  passing  into  disuse.  After  the  bell  had  ceased  to  toll,  the 
age  of  the  decedent  was  struck  by  rapid  blows  in  succession. 
This  frequently  gave  to  the  neighborhood  a  clew  as  to  the 
person  who  had  died,  as  it  is  generally  known  in  a  small 
community  who  is  seriously  ill. 

Of  the  old  bell  in  the  Unitarian  meeting-house  a  story  is 
told,  which  is  without  doubt  apocryphal.  It  is  found  in 
Charles  James  Smith's  Annals  of  Hillsborough,  New  Hamp- 
shire (Sanbornton,  1841),  and  is  as  follows  :  — 

An  excellent  church  bell  designed  for  this  forest  girt  sanctuary 
was  purchased  by  Col.  Hill  [about  the  year  1745],  but  was  never 
brought  here  as  the  settlement  was  soon  after  abandoned,  and  the 
Meeting  house  burned.  The  chime  of  this  same  bell  has  long 
echoed  among  other  hills  than  these,  and  summoned  another  people 
than  this,  to  worship  the  God  of  their  fathers.  It  is  now  upon  one 
of  the  churches  in  Groton,  Mass.       Page  12.) 


26 


MISTAKE   IN   THE   SPELLING   OF   A   NAME. 

John  M.  Gilson  of  Groton,  Mass.  —  The  name  of  Mr.  Gilson 
having  been  printed  McGilson  in  the  Groton  Landmark,  his  son 
furnishes  an  item  to  that  newspaper,  May  2,  1885,  stating  that 
"  through  the  mistake  of  a  sign  painter  when  he  was  in  the  livery 
business  over  thirty  years  ago,  he  got  the  prefix  of  'Mc'  to  his 
name.  His  name,"  he  adds,  "  is  not  MeGilson  nor  McGilson,  but 
John  Mekeen  Gilson.'' 

The  editor  of  the  Register  has  been  informed  that  the  mistake 
of  the  sign  painter  caused  many  of  his  friends  to  suppose  his  name 
was  McGilson,  and  that  he  was  afterwards  generally  called  and 
addressed  as  McGilson. 

IFrom  The  New  England  Historical  and  Genealogical  Register  (XXXIX. 
287),  for  July,   1885.] 

So  general  was  the  impression  that  Mr.  Gilson's  name  was 
McGilson,  I  gave  it  as  such  in  a  list  of  tavern-keepers  printed 
in  the  last  number  of  this  Series. 

S.  A.  G. 


GROTON    HISTORICAL   SERIES. 
No.  X. 


THE    EARLIEST    CHURCH    RECORDS    IN 
GROTON. 


GROTON,    MASS. 

« 

1886. 


GROTON,   MASSACHUSETTS,    1886. 
Historical  Series,  No.  X. 


THE  EARLIEST  CHURCH    RECORDS   IN 
GROTON, 

CONTAINING  THE  MARRIAGES,  BAPTISMS,  AND  ADMISSIONS 
TO   THE   CHURCH,   ETC. 

The  earliest  book  of  church  records  in  Groton  was  begun 
by  the  Reverend  Dudley  Bradstreet,  fourth  minister  of  the 
town.  The  volume  was  missing  for  a  long  while,  though  the 
date  of  its  loss  is  unknown.  Three  years  ago  I  succeeded  in 
finding  it  many  miles  away,  in  the  possession  of  a  family  of 
Groton  origin,  from  whom  I  procured  it.  It  is  certain  that 
Mr.  Butler  used  it  when  he  wrote  his  History.  It  is  a  small 
quarto  volume,  with  a  parchment  cover,  containing  now 
55  pages.  Some  of  the  leaves  have  been  cut  out,  and 
others  have  been  badly  mutilated.  The  early  marriages,  bap- 
tisms, and  admissions  to  the  church  are  entered  for  the  most 
part  in  Latin,  but  the  remainder  of  the  record  is  mainly  in 
English.  The  various  entries  have  not  been  made  in  regular 
order,  but  for  the  convenience  of  use  they  are  now  arranged 
in  chronological  sequence.  The  large  figures  enclosed  within 
brackets  indicate  the  pages  of  the  record-book,  which  were  not 
originally  numbered ;  but  in  arranging  the  entries  they  are 
sometimes,  particularly  near  the  end,  thrown  out  of  place. 
Occasionally  I  have  inserted  in  the  text  the  names  of  persons 
or  places,  in  order  to  identify  them ;  but  in  all  cases  such 
additions  are  given  in  brackets. 

The  Reverend  Dudley  Bradstreet  was  the  son  of  Dudley 
Bradstreet,  of  Andover,  and  the  grandson  of  Governor  Simon 


Bradstreet.  He  was  born  at  Andover  on  April  27,  1678,  and 
graduated  at  Harvard  College  in  the  class  of  1698.  He  was 
the  first  master  of  the  grammar  school  in  his  native  town, 
where  he  was  teaching  as  early  as  the  year  1704,  and  perhaps 
earlier.  It  is  highly  probable  that  he  was  connected  with  this 
school  when  he  received  his  call  to  Groton.  Miss  Sarah 
Loring  Bailey,  in  her  "  Historical  Sketches  of  Andover," 
gives  some  facts  concerning  his  family. 

At  the  town  meeting  in  Woburn,  March,  1 703-4, — accord- 
ing to  the  Reverend  Samuel  Sewall's  History  of  that  town 
(pages  213,  214), — a  committee  were  chosen  to  provide  a 
teacher,  as  was  required  in  all  towns,  who  subsequently  re- 
ported to  the  Selectmen  that  they  had  made  an  unsuccessful 
application  to  the  College  authorities  for  a  candidate,  and 
then  had  gone  to  Andover  in  order  to  propose  to  Mr. 
Bradstreet,  who  had  agreed  to  come  until  they  could  procure 
another  teacher.  He  afterward  certified  that  he  had  been 
"  personally  at  Wooburne  at  the  time  of  Charlestown  Court," 
and  no  scholars  appearing  he  had  returned  home.  For  this 
service  they  paid  him  his  expenses,  and  eighteen  shillings  in 
silver  as  a  gratuity.  The  proceeding  was  an  artifice  on  the 
part  of  the  town  to  save  the  cost  of  a  schoolmaster  and  yet 
to  avoid  a  legal  presentment. 

Mr.  Bradstreet  married  Mary  Wainwright  on  May  4,  1704, 
and  had  three  sons,  Simon,  Dudley,  and  Samuel,  and  perhaps 
other  children  ;  of  these  Dudley  and  Samuel  were  born  at 
Groton.  He  was  preaching  here  as  early  as  March,  1706, 
and  was  ordained  on  November  27  of  the  same  year. 

The  following  references  to  Mr.  Bradstreet's  settlement 
are  found  in  "The  Early  Records  of  Groton,  Massachusetts, 
1662-1707"  (pages  128-130). 

At  a  town  meting  leagly  warned  in  Aprell  the  9  1 706  this  town 
did  by  uot  ass  you  may  see  on  the  othar  side  of  this  Leafe  and  all 
so  did  uot  that  they  would  giue  mr  Bradstret  one  hondred  pounds 
mor  as  money  to  satell  him  selfe  in  this  towne  our  minister  during 
life  Joseph  Lakin  Town  Clark  for  Groton 


The  following  entry  contains  the  paragraph  referred  to,  as 
"on  the  othar  side  of  this  Leafe." 

Groton  At  a  town  meting  legally  warned  this  Aprell  the  9  1706 
the  town  ded  By  uot  giue  Mr  bradstret  thre  scoar  pounds  thirty 
pounds  in  money  and  thirty  pounds  ass  money  in  priuison  ass 
foloeth  indon  come  2  shilings  one  bushil  and  ry  3  shilings  one 
bushil  and  Wheat  4  shilings  and  Porke  2  Pance  a  Pound  and  Beef 
ox  beef  a  3  hapenc  a  pound  and  i  fard[ing]  a  bound  for  cowbeefe 
for  Peeas  3  shilin  .  .  .  bushil 

and  at  the  same  meting  thay  did  all  so  chose  Insin  farnsworth 
Simon  Stone  Joseph  lakin  to  discorse  mr  bradstret  ass  the  town 
consarnin  his  sattlement  with  us  this  year 

Joseph  lakin  dark 

Groton  May  the  aight  day  1706  At  a  town  meting  legally 
worned  for  to  see  consarning  M'  brodstreets  settlement  the  town  ded 
by  uot  declare  that  thay  would  make  a  good  house  of  38  foot  long 
and  18  foot  wide  and  a  leantow  of  11  foot  wide  all  the  langht  of 
the  house  and  they  will  finish  it  comfortably  this  house  to  be  of 
14  foot  betwen  iants  Joseph  lakin  Clarck 

and  the  same  meting  ded  all  so  by  uot  declare  thay  would  buld  a 
good  letell  barne  for  a  mr  brodsteret 

Groton  May  the  aight  1706      at  the  same  meting  the  towne  did 
by  uot  chuse  a  comity  to  lat  out  M'  brodstreets  hous  and  barne  and 
to  by  a  place  for  the  minister  to  build 
the  men  chose  for  the  same 
Thomas  tarbol 
Joseph  lakin 
Danil  Cady 
Samuell  Parkar 
Nathanil  Wods 

Joseph  lakin  Clark 

Groton  June  the  20  day  1706  at  a  town  meting  leagaly  warned 
the  toown  did  declear  by  uot  that  thay  would  cleare  and  pay  with 
and  to  m'  Brodstret  this  halfe  year  Joseph  Lakin  clarck 

Groton  June  the  20  day  1706  At  a  town  meting  legaly  worned 
the  towne  did  declear  by  note  that  thay  woud  pay  the  one  halfe  of 
the  purch  of  that  place  which  We  are  about  to  by  of  Captin  Parker 

Joseph  Lakin  Town  Clarcke 


a  comity  for  1706 

this  towne 


Groton  June  the  20  day  1706  at  a  town  meting  legaly  worned 
the  town  did  agre  with  Zachariah  Sawtell  and  Sargent  lawrnc  for 
12  thousand  of  marchiantabel  brick  and  3  thousand  of  samman 
brick  the  12  thousand  at  18  shilins  par  thousand  and  the  3  thousand 
at  half  prise 

Groton  June  y"  20  1706  at  a  town  meting  legaly  warned  this 
towne  did  by  uot  giu  to  Jonathan  Kamp  that  contribuchan  money 
which  m'  Bradstrat  hath  now  in  hand 

Joseph  lakin  dark 

The  house  "  of  38  foot  long  and  18  foot  wide,"  built  under 
the  vote  of  May  8,  1706,  for  Mr.  Bradstreet's  occupation,  is 
still  standing  and  in  a  state  of  good  preservation.  It  is  situ- 
ated on  Hollis  Street,  southeasterly  of  the  Burying  Ground, 
and  was  occupied  by  A.  W.  Churchill  when  the  map — oppo- 
site to  page  247  —  in  Mr.  Butler's  History  was  made.  The 
bricks  ordered  by  the  town  on  June  20  were  intended,  doubt- 
less, for  this  dwelling.  The  house  is  now  owned  by  Charles 
Bradstreet  Baldwin,  and  its  present  measurements  conform 
very  nearly  to  the  dimensions,  as  given  in  the  records  ;  but 
the  lean-to  has  long  since  disappeared. 

In  the  summer  of  17 12  Mr.  Bradstreet  was  dismissed  from 
his  charge  in  this  town,  presumably  for  his  Episcopal  tenden- 
cies ;  and  soon  afterward  he  went  to  England  to  apply  for 
orders  in  the  Anglican  Church.  It  appears  from  a  copy  of 
the  original  document  in  Latin,  made  in  a  manuscript  volume 
by  President  John  Leverett  (page  90),  now  deposited  among 
the  archives  of  Harvard  University  in  the  College  Library, 
that  he  was  ordained  a  deacon  by  the  Bishop  of  London,  on 
April  18,  1714,  and  a  priest  one  week  later,  on  April  25. 
He  died  during  the  next  month,  only  two  or  three  weeks 
after  receiving  priestly  orders,  and  tidings  of  his  death 
reached  this  country  in  the  following  summer  Chief  Jus- 
tice Samuel  Sewall  writes  in  his  Diary,  under  the  date  of 
August  5,  1714,  —  when  the  ship  arrived,  bringing  the  news, 
—  that  "  Mr.  Dudley  Bradstreet  quickly  after  he  had  received 
Orders,  dy'd  of  the  small  Pocks."  An  allusion  to  Mr.  Brad- 
street is  found  in  Wilkins  Updike's  "  History  of  the  Episcopal 


s 

Church,  in  Narragansett,  Rhode  Island  "  (page  450),  where 
an  abstract  of  the  Proceedings  o-f  the  Society  for  the  Propa- 
gation of  the  Gospel  in  Foreign  Parts  is  given.  It  is  there 
stated :  — 

From  1 7 13  to  171 4. —  "For  Marblehead  or  Narragansett  was 
designed  the  Rev.  Mr.  Dudley  Bradstreet,  a  native  of  the  country, 
and  a  proselyte  of  their  way  by  education,  grandson  of  Governor 
Bradstreet." 

The  Reverend  Gershom  Rawlins,  a  graduate  of  Harvard 
College  in  the  class  of  1705,  officiated  at  Mr.  Bradstreet's 
funeral.  May  16,  1714  ;  and  on  the  next  day  he  wrote  to  the 
Bishop  of  London,  mentioning  the  fact.  The  letter  is  found 
in  the  "  Historical  Collections  relating  to  the  American 
Church  "   (III.  98,  99),  and  begins  :  — 

Sidney  Street,  near  Leicester  Fields 
May  17,  1714. 

My  Lord,  —  The  uneasiness  which  my  personal  address  seemed 
to  give  your  Lordship  yestermorn  has  obliged  me  to  take  this 
method  to  acquaint  your  Lordship  that  I  last  night  performed  y' 
last  office  for  my  late  friend  and  countryman  M'  Bradstreet  who  I 
may  venture  to  say  was  very  deserving  of  the  favour  and  esteem 
wherewith  your  Lordship  was  pleased  to  honour  him  whilst  alive. 
Your  Lordship  not  being  at  leisure  to  hear  me  explain  myself 
upon  the  favour  I  came  yesterday  to  entreat  for  him  since  his  death, 
I  beg  leave  to  do  it  here.  There  are  people  my  Lord  in  New  Eng- 
land who  will  not  fail  to  say  (perhaps  from  the  pulpit)  when  they 
hear  of  Mf  Bradstreet's  death,  that  it  was  a  Judgment  on  him  for 
his  Apostasy ;  for  so  they  qualify  conformity.  .  .  . 

Mr.  Bradstreet  died  of  small-pox,  which  was  the  reason  why 
he  was  buried  at  night.  His  family  were  with  him  in  London 
at  the  time,  and  were  left  in  destitute  circumstances.  Accord- 
ing to  Mr.  Rawlins's  letter,  they  were  probably  helped  by  the 
Society  for  the  Propagation  of  the  Gospel  in  Foreign  Parts, 
under  whose  auspices  Mr.  Bradstreet  had  gone  to  England. 

S.  A.  G. 


MEMORANDA  ON   COVER  AND   FIRST  PAGE   OF 
THE   MS.   BOOK. 


[Cover.] 

Dudley  Bradstreet  was  married  to  Mary 
Wainwright  May  4°  1704. 

[First  Page.] 

Simon  Bradstreet  borne  March  1°  IJOSjG 
Friday  at  Andover 

Baptizd  by  m\  Barnard  March  10°  following 

Dudley  Bradstreet    borne  at    Groton  March 
12°  friday  170718     Baptized  14°  Inst 

D.    Bradstreet 
Anno  EpochcB  Christiance 
M.DCCVII. 

Caleb   Trowbridge 

His  Book 

Thomas  Tarbell 

Townsend  Catharine 

Amen  ampng  y'  heathen 


THE  EARLIEST  CHURCH  RECORDS  IN 
GROTON. 


1707 


[2]  1706 

D.  Bradstreet  in  officium  Pastorale  apud  Grotonenses 
Nov,  27°  inauguratus. 

BAPTISMATA 

Dec.  21.     Lydia  Farnesworth,  filia  Benj.  &  Maria  Farnesworth 
Sarah  Longly  filia  Joannis  &  Sarase  Longly. 

Jan.  12.      Benj.  Stone  filius  Simonis  &  Saraa  Stone 

Unice  Gilson  filia  Joseph!  &  Elizabethse  Gilson 

Feb.  16.  *  Abigail  Green  filia  Eleaz'  &  Elizabethae  Green 

March  2.    Elizabetha  Holdin  Filia  Stephani  ac  Hanna  Holdin 
Hannah  Shattock  Filia  Joannis  &  Mariae  Shattock 
30     Timothaeus  Barron  Filius  Mosis  &  Sarase  Barron 
Jacobus  Scripture  filius  Samuelis  &  Saraae  Scripture 
Samuel  Barron  filius  Samuelis  &  Abigail  Barron 

April.  13    Isaac  Robbins  filius  Roberti  &  Marise  Robbins 
Amoz  Cady  filius  Danielis  &  Abigail  Cady 
Jonathan  filius  Ephraim  &  Maria  Pierce 
Jonathan  Fisk  filius  Jacobi  &  Tabithae  Fisk 
Aaron  Woods  filius  Nathanaelis"&  Eleonorse  Woods 
Eleazer  Tarbol  filius  Thomae  &  Eliz-  Tarbol  — 
Abigail  Filia  Samuelis  &  Hannae  Woods 
Joseph  Filius  Samuelis  &c  Hannse  Woods 
Thomas  Woods  Filius  Thomae  &  Hanna  Woods. 
Ebenezer  filius  Abrahee  &  Abigail  Lakin 
Henricus,  filius  Henrici  &  Abigail  Willard  Lancastriae 
Phineas    Farnesworth   filius  Jonathae   &  Ruth   Farnes- 
worth 


17 

June, 

.  2. 

— 

IS 

— 

29 

July 

13 

— 

24 

Aug? 

17 

Sep; 

21. 

Oct".  5         Jeremias  filius  Danielis  &  Saraae  Lawrance 

26       Simon  Filius  Ephraimi  &  Mariae  Pierce. 
Nov.  16.     Faith  Page  Filia  Jonath£e&  Mariae  Page. 

[3] 

1707 
Feb.  15      Guilielmus  Longly  Filius  Joannis  &  Saraae  Longly 
Eleonora  Davis  Filia  Nathanielis  &  Rosse  Davis 

—  29      Ebenezer  Gilson,  fil,  Joannis  Gilson  (defuncti)  &  Sara« 

Gilson 
March  14.  Dudleiius  Bradstreet  fil,  Dudleij  &  Mariae  Bradstreet 

—      20  Susannah  Filia  Samuelis  &  Susannae  Fisk. 
1708. 

April  ii.°    Sarah  Farnesworth  Filia  Joannis  &  Hannae  Farnesworth. 
May  9°       Experientia  filia  Samuelis  &  Susannas  Fisk. 
June  6        Hezekiah  Whetcomb  filius  Hezekiae  &  Hannse  Whetcomb 

Ruth  Shattock  filia  Guil.  Shattock  {Suo  yure) 
July  4         Hannah  Shattock  filia  Guil.  Shattock  (suo  Jure) 
Augt  22.     Lydia  Stone  filia  Simonis  &  Saras  Stone 
Sep''.'  5.      Isaac  Gilson,  filius  Josephi  &  Elizabeths  Gilson 

—  19      Elizabeth  Farnesworth  Filia  Ebenez.  &  Eliz^  Farnesworth 

Elisabetha  Bennet  filia  Jacobi  &  Hannas  Bennet 
1709 

Januar  30.  Jacobus  Green  filius  Eleaz.  &  Elisabeths  Green 
Feb.  27      Patientia  filia  Joannis  et  Mariae  Shattock 

Ruth  filia  Samuelis  &  Elisabeths  Shattock 
March  20  Maria  Derbyshire  filia  Joannis  &  Maris  Darbyshire 

Oliver  filius  Joannis  &  Maris  Derbyshire  (jure  Maris 
Derbyshire 
April  10.    Hannah  filia  Samuelis  &  Abigail  Barron 

24.    Samuel  Filius  Samuelis  &  Eliz'=  Cummins.  (Illegit.) 
May  8.       Joseph  Blood  filius  Josephi  &  Hanns  Blood  (Illegit :  jure 
matris) 
Maria  Blood  filia  Josephi  &  Hanns  Blood,  (jure  Matris) 
15.     Zerubbabel  Kemp  filius  Zerubbabel  &  Maris  Kemp 

Joannes  Kemp  filius  Zerubbabel  &  Maris  Kemp 
22      Isaaicus  Parker  filus  Isaaici  &  Ruths  Parker  (Illegit.) 
Martha  Woods  fiha  Samuelis  &  Hanns  Woods. 
Unice  Scripture  fiha  Samuelis  &  Saras  Scripture. 
29      Rachel  filia  Nathanielis  &  Ross  Davis. 
July  10       Moses  filius  Nathanielis  &  Eleanors  Woods. 


[4]     1709 

July  17       Elizabetha  Filia  Benjaminis  &  Elizabetha  Lakin  (Illegit) 

Sep'  4         Aaron  Farnesworth  filius  Benj?  et  Mariae  Farnesworth 

Nathan  Barron  filius  Mosis  &  Sarase  Barron 
Oct.  2.        Matthias    Farnesworth  filius  Ebenez'se   &  Eliz^  Farns- 
worth 
9         Priscilla  Farnesworth  filia  Jonathas  &  Ruthae  Farnes- 
1710.  worth 

Jan.  8.        Joannes  Longly  filius  Johannis  &  Saraae  Longly 
March  26.  Jonathan  Page  fil=  Jonathae  &  Mariae  Page 
Richardus  fiP  Rich"*  &  Saraae  Warner 

Catalog^  Infantium  q.  apud  Dunstable  S.  Baptismate  in 
Ecclesiam  admissi  fuere  April,  22?  17 10 

April  23°    Samuel  Cummins  fil,  Joannis  &  Priscillae  Cummins 

Oliver^  Cobourne  filius  Thomae  &  Marise  Cobourne 

Susannah  Blanchard )  j^,.     t         u-  »    «i--     t>i       i_     j 
\  filiae  Josephi  &  Abiae  Blanchard 
Jane  Blanchard  ) 

Abigail  Harrod  filius  \_sic\  Guilielmi  &  Esther  Harrod. 

1711 

Feb.  II.     Dorothea  Kemp,  Filia  Zerubbabel  &  Mariae  Kemp. 

March  4°   Wilhelmus  Parker  filius  Isaaici  &  Ruthse  Parker. 

April.  15.  Reuben  filius  Nathanielis  &  Eleonorae  Woods 

22.   Stephen  Barron  filius  Samuelis  &  Abigail  Barron 
29.  Maria  Prescot  Filia  Jonae,  &  Thankfull  Prescot 

May  27      Martha  Farneworth  Filia  Benjf  &  Mariae  Farneworth 

June  10.     Samuel  Bradstreet  filius  Dudleij  &  Mariae  Bradstreet 
Josephus 


Thomas 

Edvardus 

Hannah 

Elizabetha 

Maria 


►  Farwell  fil'.  Josephi  &  Hannaae  Farwell 


[5] 

July  22.  Jonathan  Boyden  filius  Jonathae  &  Elizabethae  Boyden 
Elizabetha  Boyden  filia  Jonathae  &  Elizabethae  Boyden 
Joannes  Farwell  filius  Josephi  &  Hannae  Farwell 

1 712  Martha  Davis  filia  Nathanielis  &  Rosse  Davis. 

Jan.  27       Jonas  Longly  filius  Joannis  &  Saraae  Longly. 


lO 

[6] 

March  2'?  1714''  Caleb  Trowbridge  In  Officium  Pastorale  fuit  apud 
Grotonenses  Inauguratus 

1715 

Aprill  10:  Josephus  Page  filius  Jonath'*  &  Marise  Page 
Sarah  Sawtell  filia  Zechar?  &  Merciae  Sawtell 

171S 

Aprill  1 7 :  Abigail  filia  Mosis  &  Saraae  Barron 

171S 

May  22       Sarah  Sanders  &  2  Liberi  Johannes  &  Elizebethg  Prior" 

Marit"'  Johan:  Page 

1715 

Jun  12""      Jonathan  Filius  NatW  &  Alis  Woods 

Martha  Filia  Jonath-'"  &  Elizab=  Boyden 

Guilielmus  Filius  GuilielT  &  Elizabeths  Farewell 

Sarah  Filia  Jonath'"  &  Marise  Nutting 
June  26      Jemima  filia  Johanis  Frost  &  uxoris 

[Ruth,  daughter  of]  Ebener  Nutting  &  Uxoris  [Ruth] 

1715 

T  (  Abigail  Filia  Roberti  &  Marise  Robbins 

Tune  10        -{         ^   „ 

^        I  Natha'-'  Filius  Nath!'  &  Rosae  Davis 

August  14  Hezekiah  Filius  Zorrubbabeli  &  Marias  Kamp 

Octob  9*  Prudentia  Filia  Thomae  &  Prudf  Lawrence 

Octob  23  Esther  Filia  Sam"  &  Esther  Bowers 

T-,  br  f  th  (  Dorcas  Filia  Benoni  &  Annee  Boynton 

g  1  Dorothy  Filia  Dorothse  Varnum  Vidua 

1715 

Jan:  i?  Shebuell  Filius  Shebi'  &  Marthse  Hobart 

Jan'y  8*      Ephaim  Filius  Simonis  &  [Sarah]  Stone 
March  25*  Isaacus  Fihus  Eleaz:  &  Elizab"',"^  Green 
Aprill  15    Sam'.'  filius  Sam"  &  Dorothae  Kemp 
Aprill  29    Sam?  filius  Saml'  &  Deborah  Parker 

[7]     1716 

May  2o'l'    Oliver  Filius  Calebi  &  Saraae  Trowbridge 
June  3:       Hannah  Filia  Danielis  &  Hannae  Nutting 
June  10      Miriam  Filia  Sam"i'  &  Susannse  Fisk 
July  I         Phebe  Filia  Abrahae  &  Abigailis  Lakain 

Lydia  Filia  Johannis  &  Saraae  Longley 
July  15       David  &  Jonathan  filii  Jacobi  &  Marias  Pattison  Gemini 


1 1 


Sep':  13 


Sep'.  16 
Sep'  30 


Novem'? 


Apud  Dunstable  Bap[t]ist 
Eleazer  Filius  Joseph!  &  Abias  Blanchard 
Josephus  Filius  Abr"'"  &  Marise  Taylor 
Sarah  Filia  Johannis  &  Saraae  Taylor 
Margaret  Filia  Jon'?  &  Margart  Robbins 
Martha  Filia  Thomae  &  Martha  Jewell 
Submitt  Filia  Jacobi  &  Abig"  Parker 
Lydia  Filia  Johannis  &  Ruthae  Frost 
Uriah  Filius  Ephr"?  &  [Abigail]  Sawtell 

r  Nath'^     \ 
1 1  ■<  Jacobus  V-  Filii 

( Enosh     )  Nath':'    &  [Anna  (Scripture)]   Law- 

■  Annah    \  rence 

Sarah      >-  Filise 
Marth     ) 
Novem^'iS':'"  William  Filius  Lydiae  Parker  vidT  uxoris  Nath"  Park 

Mor! 
1717 

March  3'' 
March  17 


Nehemiah  Filius  Josephi  &  [Jane]  Jewett 
Nehemiah  Filius  Shebu'l  &  Marthse  Hobart : 
(■  Josiah  Filius  Jacobi  &  Blood 

1  Susannah  Filia  Samuelis  &  Deborae  Parker 
r  Guilielmus  Shattuck  Jun' 
Aprill  14"^  }  Seth  Phillips  Ambo  Suo  Jure 

(  Daniel  Filius  Dan"  &  Hannas  Nutting 
Daniel  Filius  Josephi  &  [Hannah]  Farewell 
Sarah  Filia  Gu'  &  Tarbell 

Jerathmiel  Filius  Sam"  &  Esther  Bowers 
Gershom  Filius  Gershomi  &  [Lydia  (Nutting)]  Hobart 
.  John  Filius  Johannis  &  Ruthse  Bush 

1717 
Apud  Dunstab"  Baptism' 
Gvi!'  Filius  Moses  &  Sarae  Barron 
Dan':'  Filius  Dan'/  &  Abigl'  Shed 
Filius  Dan"  &  Abig'J  Shed 
Seth  Phillips  &  Willf  Shattuck  Jun  : 


Aprill  7'? 


June  30" 


Augv!  18'"  . 


[8] 


NovemY 
I?'" 


Nov*;'  24" 


(John 

t  Abig':' 


Fill :  Sam':'  &  [Elizabeth]  Shed 
Josiah  son  to  Joseph  &  Abigail  Parker 


1717" 

Jan7  12 

Feb.  2'':      Johannes  Filius  Gulielmi  &  MargarJ  Whittney 


12 

(  Simeon  filius  Jona"?'^  &  Ruthas  Farnworth 
Aprill  20?  <  Abigail  Filia  Eben^  &  Ruthse  Nutting 

(  Maria  Filia  Josephi  &  Mariae  Gilson 

May  11*:  Zecharias  Filius  Nath"!'  &  Eleonorae  Davis 

„  ,h     (  Elizebetha  Filia  Phinehas  &  [Abigail]  Parker 

^^''  ^^       i  Sarah  Filia  Sam'!=  &  [Martha  ?]  Shedd  Junf 

T  d      (  Leonardus  Filius  Phin*"?  &  [Abigail]  Parker 

June  22"      <  ■  .  -,°     .,,. 

(.  Isaacus  Films  Beth'*  &  [Lydia]  Phulips 

T  1    fith        /  Sarah  &  Unice  Filiae  Josiae  &  [Sarah]  Lakin 
^  ^     '         I  Dan'!  Shattuck  Filius  Gvi":  Shattuck 
July  27*     Sarah  Filia  Petri  &  Saraae  Hobart  Suo  Jure 

August  3?  Sarah  Filia  Zorrob''.'  &  Mariae  Kemp 
Sep^  28*     [Mary]  Fil  Thomae  &  Pruds  Lawrence 
Octob^  1 2'!'  Martha  Filia  Shebl'  &  Marthae  Hobart 
1719 

r  Filii  Benjamini  &  [Mehitabel]  Hedley 

May  3 if      I  Mehetabe"  Filia  Benja;"  Hedley  &  [Mehitabel]  his  wife 

(  Elizabeth  Filia  Abrahae  &  Elizebethae  Mor's 
[9]     1719 
August  9':"  Caleb  Filius  Caleb :  &  Hanns  Trowbridge 

Petrus  Filius  Jacobi  &  Abiga!  Parker 
August  16*  Elizabeth  Fiha  Guilielmi  &  Margarettae  Whitney 
1720 

Aprill  24*  I  ^^^^^^  Filius  Simonis  &  [Sarah]  Stone 
1  Amos  Filius  Seth:  &  [Lydia]  Phillips 
Nehemiah  &  Sarah  Trowbridge 
Novemb'  27*  Ann  Filia  Jacobi  &  Abigl'  Parker 
[10]      1723/4 

Feb'  23''     Isaac  son  of  Simon  &  Sarah  Stone  Jun' 
1728 

Mary  y=  Daughter  of  Benj'!  &  Mary  Parker 
David  y°  son  of  Eben'  &  Hannah  Prescott 
Jemima  y=  Daughter  of  Moses  &  Susanna  Willard 
Abigail  y^  Daughter  of  Dudley  &  Abigail  Bradstreet 
[11]     1728/9 
Feb7  23''    Silas  Filius  Jacobi  &  Abiga!  Parker 


June  30: 
also 


Jonathan 

NathP 

Fil:   <^ 


Abraha  &  Eliz*?  Mores      1 
Obadise  &  Rach!  Sawtell   I 
Luce        ""•    1   Benjf  &  Abig!  Prescott      f  Infantes 
Eunice  L  Sam!  &  Patience  Woods    J 

&  Ruth  The  Daughter  of  Zechar!'  &  Abig!  Lawrence  (Suo 
Jure) 


1 

/C12]     I73I 
ADrill    "■     I  Mary  Fil:  Benj^  &  Annae  Bancroft 
1  Eunice  Fil:  Benj*  &  Annse  Bennit 

1731 

Nouem''f'  14'^  John  ;  The  Son  of  Gershom  &  Lydiffi  Hobart 

Maria  filia  Caleb  &  Hannae  Trowbridge 
[13]     1731/2 
Feb"^  13     Nehem^  y=  Son  of  Isaac  &  Abigail  Woods 

Sam'"  son  of  Jacob  &  Ruth  Ames 
Feb7  27'!'  Nathl  Shepley  y=  son  of  Jonathan  &  Lydia  Shepley 
March  5*  Jn°  y=  son  of  Josiah  &  Eunice  Boyden 

John  y''  son  of  Jn?  Prat  &  Mihittabel  his  Wife 

1732/3  Sybill  y^  Daughter  of  Sam^'  &  Lydia  Tarbell 


July  3°'? 
JanT  28' 

[14] 


May  27*!'  1733 


June  3? 

June  10* 
August  19* 

[15]     1733 

Octobr  21  , 


NovT  as"" 
Decf  30* 

1733/4 
JanT  6'? 

Jan7  13* 


Joseph  son  of  Joseph  Gilson  Jun5  &  Mary  his  Wife 
Eunice  Daughter  of  Josiah  Boyden  &  Eunice  his 

Wife 
Mary  Daughter  of  Josiah  Tucker  &  Abigail  his 
Wife 
(  Eleazer  Filius  Gvilielmi  &  Hepzib";'^  Spaldin 
1  Sarah  Filia  Samuelis  &  Saraae  Hartwell 
j  Ruth  Filia  Jacobi  &  Sarase  Shattuck 
I  Mary  The  Daughter  of  Jn?  &  Mary  Scott 
Alithea  &  Esther  Fil:  Benjf  &  Elizeb*  Martin 
Jonathan  Filius  Mossis  &  Annae  Bennit 

Oliver  son  of  Obadiah  &  Hannah  Parker 
Henry  y°  son  of  Isaac  &  Abigail  Woods 
Sam"  son  of  Sam"  &  Annah  Wright 
Sybill  y°  daughter  of  Joseph  &  Mary  Stone 
f  Will""  son  of  Jonathan  &  Lydia  Shepley 
Lois  Daughter  of  John  &  Sarah  Holdin 
Dorothy  the  Daughter  of  Isaac  &  Dorothy  Gilson 
.  Elizabeth  y''  Daughter  of  John  &  Elizabeth  Shead 

Nath'.'  son  of  Nath"  &  Dorothy  Lawrence 

Annas  Searl  suo  Jure 

Jain   &  Rachel  Lakin  suo  Jure  —  also  Robert  son  of 

Robert  &  Sarah  Blood 
Mary  y'  Daughter  of  Jn?  Williams  &  [Margaret]  his  wife 


14 


Jan'''  20*    Margaret  y^  Servant  of  Sam"  Scripture  Jun^  Suo  Jure 
(  Subraitt  y"  Daughter  Edward  &  [Anna]  Farwell 
j  Abigail  y=  Daughter  of  Nathan  &  [Abial  (Yarrow)] 


Jan?  27' 
Feb?  3" 


Barron 
Ruth  Fil:  of  Isaac  Parker  Junf  [and  Mary,  his  wife.] 
Zechariah  &  Jer^  Lawrence  &  Simon  Laltin 
[William  ?  son]  of  James  Stone  ///  Also  Joseph  son  of 
Joseph  Wilson 
March  10*  Mary  filia  Johannis  &  [Elizabeth]  Ames  ///  Also  Sarah 

Daught  of  Sam'  &  Clark  of  Townshend 

March  17    Robertus    Filius    Johanis    &    Sarah    Longley  ///  also 

Hannah  filia  Guil  &  [Mary  (Farnsworth)]  Tarbel 
March  24  Mary  The  Daughter  of  James  &  Mary  Lawrence 
Aprill  28'!"  Mary    y"    daughter    of     Sam!'  &    Prudence    Cummins 
1*  Dom  :  Sterns  &c 

Ebenezer  &   Hannah  &  Ann   Fil :  Benj'^  Hadley 

&  [Mehitabel]  his  wife 
Sam?  son  of  Jonathan  Shead  &  Sarah  his  wife 


Feb?  lo'l 
March  3? 


May  5':"  1734 
[16] 


May 


1734 


August  25 


Sep'  if 

Sep!  S* 
Sep!  22? 
Sept  29 


Novr 


Nov! 


17" 


24: 


James  son  of  John  Pratt  &  [Mehitable  ?]  his  Wife 
Susannah  Daghter  of  Cornelius  &  [Sarah]  Whittney 
Elizabeth  daughter  of  Sam'.'  Shattuck  JunT  & 
his  Wife 
*■  Jain  Daughter  of  Stephen  &  Jain  Ames 

{Deliveranc  y"  Wife  of  William  Shattuck  suo  Jure 
Thomas  son  of  Nath"  Jr  &  Dorothy  Lawrence  Jun! 
Oliuer  son  of  Elias  &  Ruth  Eliot 
Dan!'  son  of  Dan!'  &  [Esther]  Sawtell 
-  Aaron  son  of  Ebenezer  &  Ruth  Nutting 
Richard  son  of  Will?  &  Holdin 

David  son  of  Jonathan  &  Mary  Pratt 
Elizabeth  y=  Daughter  of  John  &  [Abigail]  Buckley 
Elizabeth  daughter  of  Ebenezer  &  [Abigail]  Blood 
(  [Daniel]  son  of  David  &  [Elizabeth]  Sawtell 
(  Phebe  daughtf  of  Will"  &  Susannah  Lawrence 
Annas  Daughter  of  Ebenezer  &  Anias  Gilson 
Thomas  Trowbridge  ///  &  ///  Patience  y"  Daugh!  of  Jn» 

&  Ruth  Frost 
Deborah  Tarbel  Daughter  of  Sam!'  &  Lydia  Tarbell 
MoUe  y°  Daugh"  of  John  &  Mary  Page 


15 

Deer  i!'      Nehem?  son  of  Nath'J  &  Elizabeth  Nutting 

Zech  :^on  of  Zechf  &  [Abigail]  Sawtell  Jun' 
Abigail  DaughV  of  Matthias  &  Abig!  Farnwth 

Dec'  15*    Caleb  son  of  John  &  Joanna  Blood 

[17]  Feb  2^  William  son  of  Wijlf  &  Mary'Longley 

Feb7  9'?  1734/s  Lemuel  son  of  Sam'J  &  Sarah  Parker 

-.      V,    fith  J  David  son  of  Jer!"  &  Sarah  Shattuck 

(.  Rachell  Daughter  of  Stephen  &  Mary  Pierce 

173s 

March  30*  Ephr?  son  of  Hezekiah  &  Joanna  Sawtell 
Benj!^  son  of  Michael  &  Susannah  Gilson 
Bathsheba  daughter  of  Benj?  &  Mary  Bennit 
Sarah  Daughter  of  Nath"  &  Joanna  Parker 

A    '11  6""     I  Hannah  Fil.  Nath'!  &  Jain  Sawtell 

(Hanna  Fil:  Gulielmi  &  Hepzibethae  Spauldin 

Aprill  27*  Ruth  Daughter  of  Jacob  &  Ruth  Ames 

Abigail  Daughf  of  Flag  &  of  Dunstabl 

May  1 1*    Isaiah  son  of  Jason  &  Mary  Williams 

May  18')"    Jabez  son  of  Nath  &  Abigail  Holdin 

Eunice       (  Jacobi  &  Katharinae  Blood 

June  29*    Olive  Fil :  <  Josephi  &  Mari»  Farwell 
Luce  V.  Johannis  &  Saraae  Woods 

July  6'!"       Sarah  Fil  Gvilielmi  &  Simons 

July  13""     Jonas  Fil  Isac  &  Abigalae  Woods 

[35] 

173s 

(  Jacob    son  of  Obad'J  &  Joanna  Parker 

Octobr  12      <  Lydia         -p-,      Eleazer  &  Hanns 

(  Lydia  Jonae  &  Lydiae  Varnum 

Thomas  Trowbridge  son  of  Caleb  &  Hannah  Trow- 
bridge 
janry  —      John  son  of  John  &  Elizabeth  Burt 
Janry  25*  1735/6  Oliver  son  of  Jonathan  &  Lydia  Shepley 

John  son  of  Josiah  &  Eunice  Boyden 
Feb!  i':'        Thomas  son  of  James  &  Sarah  Shattuck 

j^  f  Mary  Daughter  of  Benj?  &  Anna  Bancroft 

~   ^'^  I  Rachel  Daughter  of  John  &  Elizabeth  Shead 


i6 


1736 
March  28* 


1736 

Sep!  5  ■■ 

Octr,  3" 


-  17" 


[36] 

Octob'  3 1 

Novr  1 4'!" 

Deer  s* 

—    19 

—   26 

Febr  6'^ 

-  13': 

—  20 

March  20"" 

1737 
April  12* 

April  14* 


,  Dan!'  Joseph!  &  Mariee  Gilson 

I  Jonathan  Fil  Jacobi  &  Wilson 

\  George  Georgii  &  Lesly 

V  Lucy  Daughf  of  Jonathan  &  Sarah  Green 
Calebs  Wife  &  Neh^  Trowbridge  before 
Cap'  Thomas  Tarbel  &  Abigail  his  Wife  Admitted  to 
full  Communion  —  Also  Sam"  Hobart  -  Oliver  Pres- 
cott    Jonathan  Farwel  &  Triphena  his  Wife 

Abigail  Daughter  of 
(  Benjamin  son  of  Will'?  &  Mary  Tarbel 
\  Will"  son  of  Jonathan  &  Sarah  Shead 
(.  Hannah  Daughter  of  Edward  &  [Anna]  Farwel 
r  Solomon    Son   of    Nathan  &    [Hannah   (Boynton)] 
<        Whipple 

(.  Mary  Daughter  of  Sam"  &  Elizabeth  Fisk 
Jacob  son  of  Stephen  &  [Rachel]  Pierce 
Mary  Daughter  of  Will"  &  Mary  Longley 
Sarah  Daughter  of  Amos  &  Lydia  Farnworth 
Joanna  Daughter  of  Nath"  &  Joanna  Parker 

f  Mary  Daughter  of  Matthias  &  Abigail  Farnworth 
I  Dinah  Daughter  of  Jonathan  &  Mary  Pratt 
Phinehas  son  of  Phinehas  &  [Mary  (Hubbard)]  Wait 
Elizabeth  Daughter  of  John  &  [Margaret]  Williams 
Jn?  son  of  John  &  Mary  Scott 
Submit  Daughter  of  Jn?  &  Mary  Page 
Isaac  son  of  Nath"  &  Dorothy  Lawrence 
Martha  Daughter  of  Will'?  &  Martha  Blood 
Abigail  Daught'  of  James  &  Mary  Stone 
AHs  Daught'  of  Ebenezer  &  Elizabeth  Jefts 
John  son  of  John  &  [Abigail]  Buckley 
Susannah  Daught!  of  Willf  &  Susannah  Parker 
r  Solomon  son  of  Thomas  &  Abigail  Tarbell 
J  Joseph  son  of  Nath'.'  &  Susannah  Smith 
I  Caleb  son  of  Isaac  &  Abigail  Woods 
L  John  son  of  John  &  Sarah  Cummins 

Hannah  Daughter  of  Jonathan  &  Russell 

James  son  of  James  &  Mary  Lawrence 


17 

May  2  2?      Abigail  &  Elizabeth  Daughters  of  Zechr  Lawrence  suo 
Jure 
Mary  Daughter  of  Josiah  &  Mary  Farnworth 

—  29*     Hannah  Daughter  of  Caleb  &  Hannah  Trowbridge 
1737 

June  12'!'      Solomon  son  of  Jeremiah  &  Sarah  [(Parker)  Shattuck.] 
Abel  son  of  Benjt  &  Emme  Stone 
Paul  son  of  John  &  Lydia  Fletcher 

—  19*      Phebe  Daugh'  of  Eben^  &  Ruth  Nutting 
[37] 

July  7'!"  1737  John  son  of  John  &  Sarah  Woods 
Josiah  son  of  Sam"  &  Anna  Wright 
Sarah  Daughter  of  Phinehas  &  Sarah  Burt 

—  14*  -  Abigail  Daughter  of  Will"  &  Simonds 
March  s*    Simon  sori  of  Simon  &  Susannah  Pierce 
March  12*  Sybill  Daughter  of  Joseph  &  Abigail  Parker 
1738 

May  28*    I  ^'^^"^  ^°^  °^  ^'^^"^  ^  ^^'■y  Longley 

(  Mary  Daught'  of  George  &  Lesley 

June  4?        Margaret  & 

{Abiah  —  Daughters  of  James  &  Irvine 

Mary  Daughter  of  Abraham  &  Elizabeth  Moar's 
Jonathan  son  of  Jonathan  &  Elizabeth  Gates 
Mary  Daughter  of  Josiah  &  Mary  Sawtell 
[38] 
1738 

August  2'?    Oliver  Trowbridge  2''  son  of  Caleb  &  Hannae 
1740 

i'"  June        abig^  Filia  Caleb  &  Hannae  Trowbridge 
[39] 

(  David  son  of  Jonathan  &  Sarah  Green 
May  lo*  1741  )  David  son  of  David  &  Abigail  Blood 

(  Will"  Son  of  Thomas  &  [Lydia]  Smith 
1741 
June  Johannes  son  of  Caleb  Trowbridge  Jun'  &  Elizabeth  &c 

Hannah  also  daghter  &c 
Feb?  28'!'  1741/2  Jonathan 

John  I  Fil :  Jonathse  &  Elizabethse  Shattuck 

Elizabeth  \  Qvis  q^  suo  Jure 

Ester 


i8 


&  Sarah — Filia  Johannae  &  Sarse  Lakin  suo  Jure 
also  David  —  Filius  Edvarda;  &  Hannae  Farwell 
&  Deborah  Filia  Simonis  &  Susannas  Pierce 


[18] 

1706 

Catalogus  eorum  q   Fcedus  Bap.  Recognovere. 

Deer  21. 

Joannes  &  Sarah  Longly 

Benja  &  Maria'  Fames  worth 

Jan  12. 

Joseph  &  Elizabetha  Gilson 

Feb  1 6 

Eleaz'  Green 

Mart.  2 

Joannes  Shattock 

1707 

Mart.  30 

Samuel  &  Sarah  Scripture 

— 

Moses  &  Sarah  Barron 

— 

Samuel  Barron 

April  13 

Robert*  Robbins. 

■  —     27 

Ephraim  Peirce 

June  2 

Jacobus  &  Tabitha  Fisk 

Nathanael  Woods.  — 

15 

Thomas  &  Ehz^  Tarbel 

July  13 

Thomas  &  Hannah  Woods 

—  27. 

Abraham  Lakin 

Sep^  21. 

Jonathan  Farnesworth. 

Oct?  5. 

Daniel  &  Sarah  Lawrance 

Nov.  16. 

Jonathan  Page 

Feb.  IS 

Nathanael  &  Rosa  Davis. 

—    29 

Sarah  Gilson,  vidua  Joannis  Gilson 

March  20  Samuel  &  Susannah  Fisk. 

1708 
June  6        Hezekiah  &  Hannah  Whetcomb. 

Ruth  Shattock. 
July  4°        Hannah  Shattock 
Sept.  19.     Jacobus  Bennet 

Ebenezer  &  Ehzabetha  Farnesworth 
Feb  27.      Samuel  Shattock 

1709 
April  24.    Samuel  &  Elizabetha  Cummins 
May  15.     Zerubbabel  &  Maria  Kemp. 
—   22.     Isaaicus  &  Ruth  Parkerus. 


19 

[19]     I7I0 

March  26.  Richardus  Warner. 
1711 

June  10.     Josephus  &  Hannah  Farwell 
Hi  sub  Dom:  Bradstreet 

1^  me     C  Trowbridge 
1715 

Marc  22     Sarah  Sanders 
June  26     John  Frost  &  Ruth  his  Wife 
August  2 1  Cornelius  Whittney  &  Sarah  his  Wife 
Octob'  g'!"  Thomas  Lawrence  &  Prudence  his  Wife 
171S'' 

Jan  I?        Shebuell  Hobart  &  Martha  his  Wife 
Aprill  29*  Sam"  Parker  &  Deborah  his  Wife 
June  3        Daniell  Nutting  Cum  Hannah  ;  Uxore  Ejus 
1716 

Novem*"  11  Nath"  Lawrence  &  [Anna]  his  Wife 
(  William  Tarbell  &  Mary  his  Wife 
I  Seth  Phillips  &  Will?  Shattuck  Juf 
Novem'^'  17  Daniell  Shed  &  Abigail  his  Wife 
1718 

Aprill  20'?  Josephus  Gilson  &  Maria  Ejus  Uxor 
May  20*    Sam"  Shed  JunT  &  [Martha  ?]  his  Wife 
June  22'*  The  Wife  of  Seth  Phillips 

T  1    ^th        f  Josiah  Lakin  &  [Lucy]  his  Wife 
••"^  1  Dan"  Shattuck 

July  2  7*     Petrus  Hobart  &  Sarah  Ejus  Uxor 
1719 

May  31      Abraham  Mores  &  Elizabeth  his  Wife 
August  16  Benj"  Parker  &  Mary  his  Wife 

Eleazr  Gilson  &  his  wife    Nath  Holdin  &  Wife 
[20]  Stephen  Holdin  &  his  wife  [Hannah.] 

John  Green  &  wife  [Hannah.] 

Eleazer  Green  Junf  &  his  wife 

Dan'.'  Boynton 

Benjamin  Bennitt  &  his  Wife 

Stephen  Boynton 

March  3''  James  Stone 

John  Wood  &  his  Wife  Sarah 

David  Pierce  &  Wife  Elizabeth 


20 

Thomas  Farwell  &  Elizabeth  his  Wife 

Moses  Bennit  &  Anna  his  Wife 

Michael  Gilson  &  wife  —  Gibson  &  wife 

Sam"  Fisk  —  wife  before 

John  Shepley  &  wife  —  John  Burt  &  his  Wife  —  Jer^ 
Shattuck  &  Wife 

John  B 

Dudley  Bradstreet 

Hepzebeth  Bush 

Hannah  y^  Wife  of  Timothy  Barron 
June  30'^    Moses  Willard    Wife  After 
[21]     1728/9 
March  2''    i  Eleazer  Tarbell  &  Elizabeth  his  Wife 

(,  Ruth  Lawrence  y"  Daughter  of  Zechar^ 
[23] 

1730  Reuben  Farnworth  &  his  Wife  —  Also  Phinehas  &  Wife 

—  Edward  Farwell 

Jacob  Lakin  &  Wife  &c     Josiah  Boyden  &  Wife 

Will"?  Spaldin  &  Wife 

Ebenezer  Lakin 

1733 

May  the  20*  Mary  y'^  Wife  of  Jn°  Nutting  Jun^ 

June  lo'!"   Jn?  Scott  &  Mary  his  Wife 

[26]  Ownd  Cov* 

Nov'  18'!'  1733  John  Shead  &  Elizabeth  his  Wife 

Dec'  30*     Annas  Searl 

1733 

Jan'?'  e*  Jain  &  Rachell  Lakin 

Jan'?  20'!'  Margaret  The  Servant  of  Sam"  Scripture  Junf 

Feb?  10*  Zech!-  &  Jer!"  Lawrence  &  Simon  Lakin  &  James  Law- 
rence &  his  wife 

May  31  Joseph  Wilson 

March  27  Sam"  Cummins  &  Prudence  his  wife 

May  12*  Stephen  Ames  &  Jain  his  wife 

John  Fletcher  &  his  wife 
1737 

May  22  Abigail  &  Elizabeth  y=  Daughters  of  ZecW  Lawrence 
[29] 

1741  David  Blood  &  wife 


21 

[24]  i7o6 

Confessiones  Src.  — 
Jan  12?  1706/7 
I.  Maria  Parker  vidua  (nunc  Joannis  Nutting  Vxor) 
no/Dvias  rea,  Sequentem  in  Ecclesia  Confessionem  exhibuit : 

In  quantum  magnam  perpetravi  nequitiam,  &  Scortatione  nefaria 
in  Deum  atrociter  peccavi  baud  Sine  magno  religionis  Christians 
dedecore,  necnon  Suino  Animae  meae  discrimine,  Simul  ac  Dei 
aperto  Populorum  Scandalo,  ac  dolore :  Spero  Ecquidem,  peccati 
ac  Amentiae  istius  nequissimi  Contritione  vera  Cor  meum  affectum 
esse.  Anima  mea  Onere  gravissimo  deprimitur,  quod  in  Dei 
foedere  Sanctissimo  tam  false  praevaricarem.  Deum  Coeli  ac 
Terrae  Effectorem  quam  Ardentissime  quam  diutissime  precibus 
petivi  Supplex  quod  veram,  piamq^  in  Animam  meam  Tristitiam 
infunderet,  Et  ut  vitae  Novitate,  ac  nova  obedientia  illi  obediam,  ope 
Sua  divina  me  peccatorem  feliciter  Secundaret. 

Mihi  maxime  est  in  Consolatium  fontem  esse  apertum  pro  pec- 
cato,  Et  pro  Seperatione  Ex  imunditia,  Et  obnixfe  precor  quod  in  isto 
fonte  me  purum  ex  imunditia  reddat  Dominus.  In  quantum  Lapsu 
meo  religionem  veram  Contumelia  affici  Populoq^  ac  Ecclesiae  Dei  fui 
offendiculo  humilem  me  reddat  Deus.  Imprimis  ac  Prae  caeteris  a 
Deo  quem  contumelia  affici  deinde  ab  Ecclesia,  populoq,  Dei  quibus 
fui  offendiculo  Condemnationem  impetro  et  imploro.  Deniq,  enixfe 
rogo  ut  pro  me  Deum  oretis  quod  (divina  Aspirante  Gratia)  Malas 
omnes  derelinquam  vias  et  ad  Jehovam  revertar,  ut  misereatur  mei ; 
&  ad  Deum  quia  plurimum  Condonat. 

[25] 

Octobr  8'^  1728 

Thos :  Pa — '  Ward  by  Eben'  Farnworth  &  Mores  Refusd  to 
come  to  Ch  Meting  at  my  house 

Octobr  11'"  1728  Suspended  /  L'  Hubb'^  LJ  Gilson  &  Will?  Law- 
rence appointed  to  Enquire  in  y^  Reports  &  Notifie  him  &c 

They  Reported  refused  to  Come —  the  Suspension  Renewd 

I  Desired  to  come  to  meet  —  but  would  not 
May  11*  1729  y=  Same  Committe  appointed  to  notifie  him  to  appear 

after  lecture  14* 

Reported  not  at  home  /  he  Told  Dea?  Longley  would  not 

attend 


22 


At  Church  Meeting  at  Pages  November  e'^iyso  Jn°  Stone  &  L'  Boy- 
den  Appointed  to  Notifie  him  to  atttend  y"=  next  meeting  after  Lec- 
ture ;  who  y"  Reported  they  had  seen  him  &  y'  s"!  he  would  come  — 
but  did  not  (was  desired  to  go  again)  he  Told  deac"  Farwoth  often 
should  not  put  by  any  business  to  wait  upon  y"  Church,  &  y'  had 
done  y"  no  harm  &  yy  had  no  business  with  him  &c 

The  same  Committee  Reported  y'^  next  Lecture  y'  had  been 
Again  —  but  did  not  come  however  after  Came  &  made  Satis- 
faction 

[30]  1706/7 

NUPTI^ 
1707 
Dec.  12.       Sam!  Farnesworth  de  Grotonia  Mariae  Willard  de  Lan- 

castria 
Jan.  3.  Johannes  Nutting  Mariae  Parker  (Ambo  de  Grotonia 

April  17.      Ebenezer    Farnesworth    Elizabeths    Whitney.     Ambo 
deG. 
—     24       Daniel  Cade  —  Abigaili  Cade,  Ambo  de  Grotonia 
1708.  1707/8. 

March  2.      Abraham    Byam  de  Chelmesfordia  &  Maria  Fisk   de 

Grotonia 
April  19?      Joannes  Kitteridge  de  Billericai  Mariae  Abbott  de  An- 

dover 
Sepf  28       Stephanus  Farr  de  Stow,  Saraae  Stone  de  Grotonia 

1708/9 
Febr.  j?       Isaaicus  Williams  de    Newtonise  Marthse  Whitney  de 

Grotonia 
May  17.       Ricardus  Warnerus  Saraae  Gilson  (Ambo  de  Grotonia) 

1710/11 
March  7°     Samuel  Chamberlain  de  Chelmsfordia  Annas  Gilson  de 
Grot. 
—     15      Guil.  Shattock,  Abigaili  Shattock.     Ambo  de  Grotonia. 
Ambo  Bastardi. 
Nov.  20       Joannes  Gosse  de  Lancastria  Maris  Woods  de  Grotonia 
Dec' 13        Ebenezer  Nutting  Ruths  Shattock.  Ambo  de  Grotonia. 

1712 
July  13.       Johannes  Blood  Joanns  Nutting  Ambo  de  Grotonia 

'■3 

March  24.   Jonathan  Lakin  Grotonise  Saras  Coree  (vid;  de  Concord 


23 

Oct?  13        Joannes  Chamberlain    Abagaili  Woods  ambo  de  Gro- 
tonia 

Hi  Per  Dom  :  Bradstreet 

Nupt :  Celebr :  &c  Per  me  C  Trowbridge 
1715 

Novem'i''29*  Johannes  Parker  Mariae  Bradstreet  ambo  De  Grotonia 
1715/16 

Jan7  24?     Josephus  Parker  Abigail!  Sawtell  Ambo  De  Grotonia 
May  15        Jonathan  Whitcomb  Delivf  Nutting  Ambo  De  Grotonia 
Nov  22        Johannes  Holding  Saraa  Davis  ambo  De  Grotonia 
[31] 

1716  1716 

Decem'^''2o*Guil™r  Lun  De  Dunstable  Rach"  Holding  De  Grotonia 
Jan?  if        Thomas  Tarbell  Abigaili  Parker  Ambo  De  Grotonia 
1717 

July  25         Benj"  Hazen  Elizabe"^  Blanchard  Ambo  De  Grotonia 
Novem'f  2  iV  Abraham  Mores  Elizebe""^  Gilson  Ambo  De  Grotonia 
Jan  14""       Josias  Sawtell  De  Lancastria  Lydiae  Parker  Vi'?  De  Gro- 
tonia 
1717 

Febf  12*      James  Lakin  to  Elizabeth  William  both  of  Groton 
1718 

Aprill  30"'   Jonas  Prescott  Jun5  Mariae  Page  Ambo  De  Grotonia 
Octob?  23'?  Benj"  Parker  Mariae  Sawtell  Ambo  de  Grotonia 
Decern'^'  1 1  Nath"  Holdin  Abigail  Stone  Ambo  De  grotonia 
1718/19 

March  24     Guilielmus  Shattuck  Deliv'  Pee's  Ambo  de  Grotonia 
1719 

May  6""        Eleazer  Gilson  Hannse  Farewell  Ambo  de  Grotonia 
May  22        Johannes  Parker  Joanns  Am's  Ambo  de  Grotonia 

/■  Eleazer  Nutting  Abigaili  Davis  Ambo  De  Grotonia 
June  23'?  -<  Jona*    Shattuck  Elizabeths   Chamberlain    Ambo   De 

(      Grotonia 
August  1 1*  Moses  Bennit  Annae  Blanchard  Ambo  De  Grotonia 
Sep:  2'^         Stephanus  Houldin  Hanns  Sawtell  ambo  de  Grotonia 
Nov*'  12*    Johannes  Spencer  Bethis  Kemp  Ambo  De  Grotonia 
Dec*;'  9t      Daniell  Pierce  Eleonorae  Boynton  Ambo  de  Grotonia 
dec:  24        Joseph  Farwell  Maria  Gilson  Ambo  de  grotonia 
March         Josias  Farnworth  Mariae  Pierce  ambo  de  Grotonia 


2d 


1720 

Octo*"  27 
Nov :  29"" 
Jan7  3'^ 

1721 
May  22"^ 

May  24^ 
June  if 

July  3I 

[32] 

Ocf^'  30'^ 
Nov'!'  16* 
172111 
Febr  if 
Feb:  7* 
March  S'!- 
1722 
Aprill  3"^ 
May  2^ 

May  30'!' 
June  27* 


Jona'l'  Parker  Sarge  Pierce  Ambo  de  Grotonia 
Sam"  Wood  to  Patience  Biggelo  Ambo  de  Grotonia 
Robert  Robbins  of  Littleton  to  Elizabeth  Cummins  of 
Groton  widdow 

Zechf  Maynard  of  Sudbury  to  Hannah  Waters  of  Gro- 
ton widow 
Eben"  Prescott  to  Hannah  Farnworth  both  of  Groton 
Dan"  Boynton  to  [Jemima]  Brown  ambo  de  grotonia 
Nath"  Woods  of  Groton  to  Sarah  Brown  of  Stow : 

Ephraim  Pierce  to  Esther  Sheadd  Both  of  Groton 
Obadiali  Sawtell  to  Rachell  Parker  both  of  Groton 

Richard  Price  to  Sarah  Coree  both  of  Groton 

Robert  Dixson  to  Abigail  Parker  Widdow  both  of  Groton 

Eleazer  Green  JunT  Annse  Tarbell  Am"?"  de  Groton"" 

Jonathan  Shead  to  Sarah  Barron  both  of  Groton 
Collins  Mores  of  Oxford  to  Bathsheba  Woods  of  Groton 

These  Sent  to  y^  Clark 
John   Blanchard   of   Dunstable   to    Mary    Sawtell    of 

Groton 
William  Lawrence  to  Susannah  Prescot  Ambo  de  Gro- 
tonia 
Joshua  Hutchins  to  Sarah  Shead  both  of  Groton 
'  John  Gilson  to  Mary  Shattuck  both  of  Groton 


July  12'!' 
Decem'5''  8 

Decern*;' 26*  John  Stone  Junr  To  Elizabeth  Farwell  both  of  Groton 

sent  to  Clark 


March  27* 
Aprill  30'!' 
May  22'? 
June  13* 
Dec'!'  24'^ 

1724 
July  7t 
Febry  25 


1723    Benj?  Bennitt  to  Mary  Lakin  both  of  Groton 
Thomas  Woods  to  Abigail  Chamberlain  both  of  Groton 
Isaac  Williams  to  Lydia  Shattuck 
Johannes  Davis  Rebeccae  Burt  ambo  de  Grotonia 
Thomas  Farwell  to  Elizabeth  Pierce  both  of  Groton 

sent  to  Clark 

Jerem?  Shattuck  to  Sarah  Parker  both  of  Groton 
Jonathan  Green  to  Sarah  Lakin  both  of  Groton 


25 

1725 

April  27*    John  Farmer  of  Billerica  to  Hannah  Woods  of  Groton 
June  3''        Johannes  Woods  Saraas  Longley  ambo  de  Grotonia 
June  15        David  Pierce  to  Elizabeth  Bowers  both  of  Groton 
Sep'  14^       Nath'!  Woods  to  y=  widdow  mary  Derbeshire  both  of 

Groton 
Sepf  2 if      Isaac  Woods  to  Abigail  Stevens  both  of  Groton 
Octobr  20    Dan"  Farneworth  to  y"  Widdow  Abigail  Shead  both  of 

Groton 
Decern*"  29""  Sam"  Tarbell  to  Lydia  Farnworth  both  of  Groton 
Janry  13*  1725^  Timothy  Barron  of  Groton  to  hannah  Fletcher  of 

Chelmsford 
[33] 

Jan7  27*     Sam^  Shattuck  Junr  to  Anna  Williams  both  of  Groton 
Jan7  27':''     Isaac  Lakin  to  Elizabeth  Shattuck  ambo  de  Grotonia 
Feb?  i6'?    Johannes  Shepley  Elizabeths  Boyden  ambo  de  Gro- 
tonia 
March  g'J'    Johannes  Burt  Elizabethse  Nutting  ambo  de  Grotonia 
1726 
Aprill  26*!'    Ezra  Farnworth  to  Elizabeth  Lakin 

Clerk 
Aprill  28'!"   Michael  Gilson  to  Susanna  Sawtell  both  of  Groton 
May  3if      Tim"'f>'  Spaldin  of  Chelmsford  to  Thank^f  Prescot  of 

Groton 
Nov*!'  22?    Jacobus  Shattuck  Sarase  Chamberlain  Ambo  de  Grotonia 
Decern*;' 28'!"  Jacobus  Stone  Mariae  Farwell  Ambo  de  Grotonia 
Jan7  12"'  /  1726^7  Sam'J  Fisk  to  Elizabeth  Parker  both  of  Groton 
March  9'!'     Will"?  Green  to  Hannah  Holdin  both  of  Groton 
March  21^'  Danl'  Davis  to  Lydia  Am's  Ambo  de  Gro? 
Aprill  2ot    Dudley  Bradstreet  to  Abigail  Lakin  both  of  Groton 
August  4*   Ebenezer  Hartwell  of  Concord  to  Rach"  Farnworth  of 

Groton 
Sept:  28*    Samf  Cummins  to  Sarah  Hastins  //  also  Moses  Willard 

to  Susannah  Hastins  All  of  Turkey  Hills  [Lunenburg] 
Nov";'  St      Jonas  Gilson  to  Han"?  Goodridge  ///  also  Jona*^"  Page 

to  Mary  Farnw*  all  of  Turkey  Hills 
Nov*;'  14'!'    Jacob  Ames  to  Ruth  Shattuck  both  of  Groton 
Novem*;'  23'*  Jn?  Grout  to  Joanna  Boynton  both  of  Turkey  Hills 
Dec*;'  20!''     Ebenf  Tarb'f  to  Eliza''?'  Bowers  both  of  Groton 
Feb?  27'!'  1727/8  Sam"  Davis  to  Sarah   Boynton  both  of  Turkey 

Hills 

4 


26 

Feb?  28'^  Dan!'  Sawtell  of  Groton  to  Esther  Heald  of  Concord 
May  9*  1728  Joseph  Stone  to  Mary  Prescott  ambo  de  Grotonia 
Sep?  26'!'      Joseph  Blanchard  of  Dunstab"  to  Rebeccah  Huburd  of 

Groton 
Octobr  11'!'  Jn°  Stevens  to  Martha  Farnworth  both  of  Groton 
Decern'?' 26*  Jonathan  Shepley  to  Lydia  Lakin  ambo  de  Grotonia 
1728/9 
Feb?'  4t      Nath'l  Lawrence  Junf  to  Dorothy  Chamberlain  both  of 

Groton 
March  24"  1729    Aaron    Farnworth   to    Hannah    Barron  both   of 

Groton 
[50] 

Octohf:  27'!'  Jn?  Lakin  to  Lydia  Parker  both  of  Groton 
Deer  i8'I'      Elias  Eliot  to  Ruth  Lawrence  both  of  Groton 
Dec';''  30"'    Ebenezer  Jefts  to  Elizabeth  Far-worth  both  of  Groton 
Jan?  7*  1729/30  Josiah  Boyden  to  Eunice  Parker  ambo  de  Grotonia 
Jan?  13'!"     Isaac  Gilson  to  Dorothy  Kemp  both  of  Groton. 
Jan  28'!"       Jacob  Lakin  to  Eunice  Lakin  both  of  Groton 
Feb?  2'!       Nathan  Barron  to  Abial  Yarrow  ambo  de  Grotonia. 
Febry:  24"'  Matthias  Farworth  to  Abigail  Shead  both  of  Groton 
May  7*  1730  Nathan  Whipple  to  Hannah  Boynton  both  of  Groton 
Janry  12""  1 730/1  Jonathan  Gates  of  Stow  to  Elizabeth  Farwel  of 

Groton 
Jan7  28'!'     Jonas  Varnum  to  Mary  Shepley  both  of  Groton 
Feb7  9*       Jer';  Norcross  of  Lunenburg  to  Faith  Page  of  Groton 
Febr?  11*    Phihf  Parker  Junf  to  Mary  Kemp  both  of  Groton 
March  26'!'  1731  Nath'J  Nutting  to  Elizabeth  Page  ambo  de  Grotonia 
Apri'J  14'?     Stephen  Ames  to  Jane  Robbins  both  of  Groton 
April  22''     Jn?  Fife  to  Jain  Irvine  both  of  Groton 
Aprill  27':''   David  Russell  to  Mary  Clark  both  of  Littleton 
May  is^f      Ephrf  Nutting  to  Lydia  Spaldin  both  of  Groton 
June  is'!'      Eleazer  Lawrence  Junf  of  Littleton  to  Lucy  Tuttle  of 

s*)  Town 
Novf  4'?        Jn°  Kemp  to  Sarah  Holdin  Ambo  De  Grotonia 
Novf  30'!]      Sam'J  Randal  of  Stow  to  Priscilla  Farnworth  of  Groton 
Jan?  5'!'  1 73 1/2  Shadrach   Whitney  of   North   Town   [Townsend] 

to  Prudence  Lawrence  of  Groton  wid. 
Jan:  6  Will^  Spaldin  to  Hepsibah  Blood  both  of  Groton 

Jan  13  Ebenez'  Lakin  to  Lydia  Lakin  both  of  Groton 


27 

[61] 

March  14:  1731/2  Phinehas  Wait  to  Mary  Hubbard  both  of  Groton 
Aprill  4*  1732  James  Horesley  of  North  Town  to  Exercise  Jewet  of 
Groton 

Clark 

Aprill  19'^  —  Jnf  Scott  to  Mary  Chamberlain  both  of  Groton 
Aprill  25"'  —  Jn?  Albee  to  Abigail  Searl  both  of  Northtown 
Aprill  26    —  Jonathan  Pratt  to  Mary  Bowers  both  of  Groton 
July  12*       Thomas  Merrifield  to  Mary  Anderson  both  of  Groton 
Octob'  26*  Ephraim  Cady  of  Killingley  to  Abigail  Barron  of  Groton 
Ditto  M'  Solomon  Prentice  of  Hassanamisco  [Grafton]  to  M" 

[Miss  ?]  Sarah  Sawtell  of  Groton 
NovT  2?        Dan"   Farmer   of   Lunenburg   to    Elizabeth   Wood   of 

Groton 
Novr  14'?     Jn?  Shead  to  Elizabeth  Shattuck  both  of  Groton 
Nov'  23?      Josiah  Willard  Jun'  of  Lunenburg  to  Hannah  Hubbard 

of  Groton 
Jan?  4'?  i732\3  Will"?  Longley  to  Mary  Parker  both  of  Groton 
Jan?  18*  1732/3  Sam"  Rite  to  Annah  Lawrence  both  of  Groton 
JanT3o*      Sam"  Cummins  to  Prudence  Lawrence  both  of  Groton 
Feb"^  20'!*     James  Lawrence  to  Mary  Martin  both  of  Groton 
June  2  if  1733  John  Goodridge  of  Lunenburg  to  Eunice  Scripture 

of  Groton     sent  Clark 
July  s'!"  1733  Amos  Woods  to  Hannah  Nutting  both  of  Groton 
SepI  12*      Jn?  Page  to  Mary  Parker  both  of  Groton 
Octob^  25""  James  Tufts  of  Medford  to  Phebee  Woods  of  Groton 
Novr  I?        Jonathan   Lampson   of   Concord   to   Elinor   Blood   of 

Groton 
Novf  22"*      Moses  Woods  to  Esther  Houghton  both  of  Groton 
Decf  6f        Nath"  Parker  to  Joanna  Stephens  both  of  Groton 
Jan7  23'?  1733/4  Ebenez'  Gilson  to  Annas  Searl  both  of  Groton 
[54]     1733/4 
Jan7  29*     Enoch  Lawrence  to  Sarah  Stevens  both  of  Groton 

sent  to  Clark 
Feb?  28'!"     Will"  Blanchard  of  Dunstable  to  Deliverance  Parker  of 

Groton 
SepJ  1 8'!'       Sam':'  Cummings  of  New-Sherbourn'  [Douglas]  to  Sarah 

Robbins  of  Groton 
Nov!;  7*        Simon  Lakin  to  Hannah  Butler  both  of  Groton 


28 

Decf  5t       Zecher'?   Lawrence   Jun^  to   Sarah   Lawrence   both   of 

Groton 

1734/S 

Febry  12*    Jonas  Varnum  to  Lydia  Boyden  both  of  Groton 

Sent  to  Town  Clark 
March  19'!"  Sam?  Bowers  Jun' to  Deborah  Farnworth  ■)    ,,     ,  „ 
March  20*  Amos  Farnworth  to  Lydia  Longley  —     ) 
Apill  if^     St.[ephen]  Barron  to  Sybill  Parker  both  of  Groton 
Novf  25*      Ebenr  Procter  of  Dunstable  to  Elizabeth  Blood  of  Groton 
Jan"?  2i'f  1735/6  Phinehas  Burts  to  Sarah  Bush  both  of  Groton 
Jan7  28*      —    John  Cummins  of  Groton  to  Sarah  Lawrence  of 

Littleton 
Feb?  1 1*     Will"?  Blood  to  Martha  Lawrence  both  of  Groton 
Feb?  25^     David  Shattuck  to  Dorothy  Varnum  both  of  Groton 
1736 

march  so'!"  Will?  Parker  to  Susannah  Kemp  both  of  Groton 
may  13""       Benjf  Stone  to  Emme  Parker  both  of  Groton 
June  23?      John  Fletcher  to  Lydia  Patch  both  of  Groton 
1736/7 

Jan?  13"*     Isaac  Nutting  to  Lydia  Nutting  both  of  Groton 
FebT  2?        Sam!'  Kemp  iii"^  to  Elizabeth  Gilson  both  of  Groton 

Sent  to  Clerk 
1736/7 

Capl  Jonathan  Boyden  to  Widdow  Lydia  Shep- 

ley 
(  James  Fisk  to  Lydia  Bennit  }-  ^ 

(  Jerem!'  Lawrence  to  Elizabeth  Chamberlain 
—     24     Will"  Farnworth  to  Ruth  Hobart 
April  13""     Josiah   Blogget   of  Dunstable   to  Jemima  Nutting  of 

Groton 
[55] 

May  26*  1737  Simon  Pierce  to  Susannah  Parker  both  of  Groton 
June  2?      —    Joseph  Sanderson  to  Ruth  Parker  both  of  Groton 

—  9*     * —    Sam^  Hartwell  to  Sarah  Holdin  both  of  Groton 
June  23?  Sam"  Farwell  to  Elizabeth  Moors  both  of  Groton 
July  s'!'       —    Joseph  Priest  Jun'  of  Harvard  to  Elizabeth  Atkin- 
son of  Groton 

—  2i=?      —    John  Kelsey  to  Elizabeth  Russel  Both  of  Groton 
Nov'  i"  Nehem^  Goold  to  Esther  Bowers  Ambo  de  Grotonia 
Nov'^  23''     —    Zorrob'.  Kemp  Jun'  to   Abigail   Lawrence  both  of 

Groton 


23" 


all  of 
Groton 


29 

Decf  6""      —    Joseph  Whittney  to  Abigail  Nutting  both  of  Groton 
Dec'  22'?       Benjf  Chandler  of  Suncook  to  Phaebe  Lakin  of  Groton 

1737/8 

JanT  iS""      Will"  Nutting  to  Jain  Boynton  both  of  Groton 

Feb?  22*?      James  Hartwell  of  Littleton  to  Jemima  Frost  of  Groton 

M  rch      "^    -1  ^^'"'^  Parker  Jun'  to  Mary  Lakin  both  of  Groton 

1  WillT  Knox  of  Suncook  to  Lydia  Irvine  of  Groton 
April  19*     David  Sanderson  to  Eunice  Warner  both  of  Groton 
August  29""  Nehem"?  Jewet  to  Lydia  Blood  :  both  of  Groton 
Sep?  18'!"       Caleb  Trowbridge  JunT  to  Elizab*  Houghton  both  of 
Groton 

—  28'?        Benjt  Wilson  to  Ruth  Bush  both  of  Groton 
Decf  5  -       John  Irvine  to  Mary  Gilson  Ambo  de  Grotonia 

1738/9 

Feb  if         John  Longley  Junf  to  Mary  Lawrence  both  of  Groton 

March  e'!"     Robert  Camell  of  Roxbury  to  Elizabeth  McDonnell  of 

Groton 
April  3'?        Aaron  Woods  to  Sarah  Boynton  both  of  Groton 

Sent  to  Clerk 
April  26*    James  Green  to  Sarah  Shattuck  both  of  Groton 
June:  7'!"       Shebuel  Hobart  Jun'  to  Esther  Parker  both  of  Groton 
June  26'!"      Isaac   Colburn    of   Dunstable  to  Abigail   Shattuck  of 

Groton 
,[34]     1739 

Oct'  II*      James  Park  to  Jain  Riche  both  of  Groton 
Novf  2 if     Joseph  Page  to  Abigail  Shead  both  of  Groton 
Decf  II*      John  Shattuck  to  Sarah  Hobart  both  of  Groton 

sent  to  Clerk  &  Paid  for 
1740 

ApH  2'?         Benj?  Hazen  to  Bette  Nutting  both  of  Groton 
May  I?        David  Blood  to  Abigail  Farnworth  both  of  Groton 
July  23"       Sam"  Bason  to  Sarah  Rice  vid".'  both  of  Groton 
August  4*   Daniel  Dugless  to  Lydia  Lakin  both  of  Groton 
Sep'  17*       Zech'  Lawrence  to  Lucy  Lakin  both  of  Groton 
Novf  II*     Willf  Kemp  to  Patience  Nutting  both  of  Groton 

Sent  to  Clerk 
March  5'!'  1 740/1  John  Burt  to  Barbara  Farmer  both  of  Groton 
May  s*        John  WilHams  Junf  of  Groton  to  Elizabeth  Cutter  of 

Charlstown 

—  13*      Uriah  Sawtel  to  Sarah  Martin  both  of  Groton 


30 

—  2st      Nath'J  Parker  Jun'  to  Eleoner  Walker  both  of  Groton 
June  I  iS      Reuben  Woods  to  y=  Widdow  Submit  Whitney  both  of 

Groton 
Sepf  i6*      Isaac  Phillips  to  Abigail  Nutting  both  of  Groton 
octr  6  Dan"  Shead  to  Mary  Tarbel  both  of  Groton  Wednesday 

Nov?  ii*     Josiah  Brown  of  Littleton  to  Anna  Farwell  of  Groton 

—  12*      Nathan  Rugg  of  Lancaster  to  Zeruiah  Frost  of  Groton 

John  Moshier  to  Elizabeth  Lawrence  both  of  Groton 
Novf  26'^      Elnathan  Blood  to  Elizabeth  Boynton  both  of  Groton 

Court  week 
Deer  8  John  Blood  Jun;  to  Abigail  Parker  both  of  Groton 

Jan7  14*  1741/2  Seth  Walker  Junr  to  Abig!  Holdin  both  of  Groton 

—  19*      Thomas  Tarbel  Junr  to  Esther  Smith  both  of  Groton 

•p  ,  ^    th    \  Ephraim  Divol  of  Lancast'  to  Elizabeth  Woods  of  Groton 

1  James  Blood  Jun'  to  Mary  Gilson  both  of  Groton 
March  4*    Peter  Parker  of  Groton  to  Prudence  Lawrence  of  Lit- 
tleton 

—  II     Thof  Fisk  to  Mary  Parker  both  of  Groton 

—  25     Thof  Patch  to  Anna  Gilson  both  of  Groton 
May  6  Will™  Sanderson  to  Sarah  Russel  both  of  Boston 
July  15         Jn?  Farwel  of  Harvard  to  Sarah  Sawtell  of  Groton 

—  22         Oliv"  Farwel  to  Rejoice  Preston  both  of  Groton 
Sep'  9*  1742  Jos^  Blood  Jun  to  Hannah  Blood  both  of  Groton 

[40] 

DeC;  9*  1742  Will™  Richardson  of  Townshend  to  Mary  Hobart  of 

Groton 
Dec  28*       Priamus  (Cap'  Boydens  Negro  man  servant  to  Margr| 

Molatto  formerly  servant  to  S.[amuel]   S.[cripture] 

both  of  Groton 
Jan7  27')'      Jonathan  Shattuck  Jun  To  Keziah  Farnworth  both  of 

Groton 

Feb?  8         Nathl'  Bowers  to  Elizab'."  Blood  1    „    r  ^ 

o       T         ,   x^    1  ,„■  ,  ,    ,,        T     .       /■  all  of  Groton 

—  28       Joseph  Dodge  to  Widd"  Mary  Irvine  J 

1743 

Aprill  26       {  J"^'^;  «°ldi"  t°  Debor^  Houghton  )  ^^  ^^  ^^^^^^ 

C  Timothy  Mores  to  Lydia  Nutting        ) 
July  i2">      Jonath"  Parker  to  Elen  Hunt  both  of  Groton 
July  27         Josiah    Farnworth   Jun'  to    Hannah    Buttrick   both   of 
Groton 


31 

Joseph  Stephens  of  New  Ipswich  so  called  to  Elizab* 
Sawtell  of  Groton 
DecT  2?        Sam';  Phillips  to  Abig!  Frost  both  of  Groton 

—  8*        Sam'.'  Flood  Resident  in  Andover  to  Triphena  Powers 

of  Groton 

—  13  Josiah  Nutting  to  Mary  Blood  both  of  Groton 

1743/4 

Janry  5*  David  Kemp  to  Hannah  Sawtel  both  of  Groton 

April  2j?  Thof  Jewett  of  Boxford  to  Martha  Hale  of  Groton 

June  12"'  Jn°  Courtney  to  Dorcas  Barney  both  Resident  in  Groton 

—  20  Benj?  Lawrence  to  Ruth  Dodge  both  of  Groton 
July  sf  Tho?  Lawrence  to  Sarah  Houghton  botlj  of  Groton 
Nov^  22''  Willf  Williams  to  Mary  Perkins  both  of  Groton 
Decf  4*  Isaac  Farnworth  to  Anna  Green  both  of  Groton 

—  6*  Sam"  Bloget  of  Westford  to  Sarah  Spencer  of  Groton 

—  18  Eph'?  Whitney  to  Esther  Woods  both  of  Groton 
JanT  i;""  James  Paterson  to  WiddT  Elizabeth  Bartlett  1    all  of 

Jeded*!  Jewet  to  Elizab'?  Shattuck  j  Groton 

sent  to  Clark 

march  19     Phinhf  Chamberlain  to  Lidia  Willm?  both  of  Groton 

174s 

April  2  Nathan  Hubburd  to  Mary  Paterson  both  of  Groton 

May  22''  Will?  Tarbal  JunT  to  Sarah  Woods  both  of  Groton 

June  27""  Moses  Blood  to  Elizabeth  Stone  both  of  Groton 

1745/6 

Jan7  29  Tho=  Williams  to  Mary  Rolf  both  of  Groton 

Febf  Jn°  Pratt  to  Hannah  Bowers  both  of  Groton 

ap?  I  si"  Robin  :  Lakin  to  Han?  Dodge  of  Gro' 

Jun:  17  Simeon  Blood  to  Sar"?  Gilson  of  Gr! 

Sept  17"'  Amos  Sawtel  to  Elizabeth  Fletcher  both  of  Groton 

Octr  g'!-  Sam"  Scripf  Jun'  to  Mary  Green  // 

nov:  4  W"  Deramp'!  to  Eliz'I"  Shead  both  of  Groton 

—  S  Jn?  Russell  to  Mary  Cranson  both  of  Groton 
Nov'  20""  Benj^  Swallow  to  Widd"  Hannah  Green 

Dec'  3''        Jn°  Chamberlain  Jun'  to  Rachel  Lawrence  )  all  of 
Josiah  Lawrence  to  Elizabeth  Lakin  J  Grot" 

Jan?  8'!'       Benj^  Bennt  Junf  to  Sar"?  Lakin  both  of  Grot 
Febf  17        Mos.  Ben'  Jun'  to  Sar?  Blood  both  of  Groton 

sent  to  Clark 


July  7* 

Sep^ 

i1 

Nov' 

lot 

— 

25 

■ — 

26 

Deer 

2 

— 

3 

— 

14 

32 

[41] 

April  2?     1747  WillT  Wallis  of  Townshend  to  Eunice  Nutting  of 
Groton 
_    20*     —    Jn°  Darby  of  Harvard  to  Widd"  Elizabeth  Holdin 
of  Groton 

—  23?     —    WillT  Scott  of   Dunstable  to  Mary  Derumple  of 

Groton 
June  25*      —     Hezek"?  Sawtel  Junf  of  Groton  to  Margaret  Dodge 
of  Lunenburg 

-  -  Jn°  Stone  Junr  to  Anna  Pratt  both  of  Groton 

-  David  Nutting  to  Rachel  Lakin  both  of  Groton 

-  Will?  Holdin  to  Annis  Nutting  both  of  Groton 

-  Oliver  Wheeler  of  Acton  to  Abig!  Woods  of  Groton 

-  Benj?  Wilson  to  Sarah  Whitney  both  Groton 

-  Abijah  Willard  of  Lancaster  to  Eliz'?  Prescott  of 
Groton 

-  David  Sawtd  Jun'  to  Rebeckah  Prat  both  of  Groton 

-  Moses  Wheeler  Late  of  Lunenburg  now  resident  in 

Groton  to  Elizabeth  Holdin  of  Groton 

—  30       —     Edmund  Bancroft  to  Elizabeth  atherton  both  of 

Groton 
Feb7  3         —     Moses  Wentworth  to  Mindwel  Stone  both  of  Groton 
Feb?  16       —     Ephraim  Chandler  of  Westford  to  Wid^  Abigail 

Blood  of  Groton 
May  12       1748  Josiah  Conant  to  Rachel  Hobart  of  Grotc^n 
July  7  —     Isr'J  Hobart  &  Anna  Lawrence  both  of  Groton 

Sep'  13        —     James    Stone   Jun'  &    Deborah   Nutting   both  of 

Groton 
Feb?  9         —    Jerahmeel  Powers  &  Eunice  Bennit  both  of  Groton 
March  if    —     William  Bush  &  Abial  Bennit  both  of  Groton 
April:  5  1749      Jason  Williams  &  Jemima  Nutting 
—     26     —    Johua  Bowers  &  Sarah  Earn  worth 

James  Robbinson 
Sent  to  Clark 
Octf  4t        —    Joseph  Fairbanks  of  Harvard  &  Abigail  Tarbel  of 

Groton 

—  18        —     Benjt  Bancroft  Jun'  &  Allis  Tarbel  both  of  Groton 
Dec:  6"^        —     Henry  Farwell  &  Lydia  Tarbel      )  , 

13  —     Jonath";  Sawtel  &  Mary  Holdin       >- of  Groton 

14  —     Oliver  Farnworth  &  Sarah  Tarbel  ) 

—  Sent  to  Clark  — 


March  22? 

July 

31V 

Novf 

8* 

— 

29'" 

Deer 

19 

— 

26 

Jan? 

10*1 

30 

Feb?  5 

, 

6 

33 

Eleaz'  Nutting  &  Sarah  Farnworth  both  of  Groton 
1750  Artemas  Ward  of  Shrewsbury  &  Sarah  Trowbridge 
of  Groton 

—  Jonath"  Pierce  &  Ruth  Gilson  both  of  Groton 

—  Josiah  Williams  &  Prudence  Nutting  both  of  Groton 

—  Eleazer  Green  Jun'  &  Sarah  Parker  both  of  Groton 

—  Will'?  Green  to  Ruth  Colburn 
1 750/1  Philemon  Holdin  &  Lucy  Walker 

Jonath?  Longley  &  Anna  Bancroft 
Bode  to  By  [negro  servants  ?] 
Amos  Holdin  to  Prudence  Holdin  . 


of  Groton 


sent  to  Clark 
9' 6'* 
March  6*  1750/1  Jonathan  Gilson  &  Susanna  Pierce  both  of  Groton 
—      13      —     Jonas  Prescott  Jun'  of  Westford  &  y"  WiddT  Re- 
becah  Parker  of  Groton 

1751  Moses  Haskel  of  Harvard  &  Anna  Tarbel  of  Groton 

—  Floyd  Pratt  of  Maldin  &  Lydia  Coffin  of  Groton 

—  Abel  Lawrence  &  Mary  Buckley  both  of  Groton 

—  Jonas  Longley  &  Esther  Paterson  both  of  Groton 

—  Bezaleel  Sawyer  of  Lancaster  &  Lois  Lawrence  of 
Groton 

1752  Ambros  Lakin  &  Dorothy  Gilson  of  Groton 

—  Benj?    Brooks    Jun'    of    Townsend    &    Elizabeth 
Green  "of  Groton 

—  Jeri"  Hobart  &  Hannah  Green  "\ 

—  Elnath?  Sawtel  &  Mary  Stone  I  of  Groton 

—  David  Stone  &  Lydia  Pratt       ) 

—  Jonathan  Adams  of  Concord  &  Submitt  Farwel  of 
Groton 

—  Joseph  Parkhurst  &   Deborah  Spaulding  both  of 
Groton 

Jos!"  Bennit  &  Margaret  Shattuck  of  Groton 
Josiah  Chamberlain  &  Hebsibah  Crecee  of  Groton 

Sent  to  Clark 

[Ju]ne  17?  1752  John  Solindine  &  Dorcas  Whipple      )  all  of  Gro- 
James  Prescott  &  Susanna  Lawrence  >        ton 
Peter  Hobart  &  Abigail  Lakin  Junr ) 
Jonath?  Farwell  &  Triphena  Frost    > 
Micah  Crecee  of  Groton  &  Catharine  Weatherbee 
of  Bolton 

5 


Sep! 

4'" 

Octr 

14'.^ 

Nov' 

14 

— 

20 

Deer 

17 

Jan'? 

16 

— 

22 

march  4* 

— 

s 

april 

I^' 

30'" 

may 

19"' 

— 

26 

June 

10 

[1] 

[Ju]ne  17 

— 

18 

Novr 

8f 

Novr 

22 

Dec 

20 

34 


March  7* 
Sep'  4* 

Oct'  24 
Novr  I'? 

—  22 
Dec'  17 

Jan'^  3" 

-  IS* 


March  7*'"  — 

—    19  — 

April    2°  — 

— i       lO  — 

May  29  — 

Dec'  12  — 

Jan"'  9  1755 


—    23 
Feb?'  20 


March  26  — 

—      27  — 

April  16  — 

May  29* 

July  9  — 
Sep' 9 


1753  Zechar^  Longley  &  Jemima  Moor's  both  of  Groton 

—  Sam"  Sawtel  &  widd'?    Lydia   Douglas  both   of 

Groton 

—  John  Tarbel  &  Sarah  Parker 

—  Caleb  Blood  &  Hannah  Holdin  )    ,  p^f-^^Qj^ 

—  John  Cragg  &  the  wid^  Jemima  Fisk  i 

—  James  Lock  Jun'  of  Townshed  &  Hannah  Farn- 

worth  of  Groton 

1754  David  Bennit  of  shirly  &  Elizabeth  Wait  of  Groton 

—  David  Gilson  of  Groton  to  Annis  Gilson  of  Pep- 

perrill  Distirct 

sent  to  y°  Clark 

Benaiah  Hutson  of  Peppril  &  Dorothy  Lawrence 

of  Groton 
Isaac  Lakin  Jun'  of  Groton  &  Mary  Lawrence 

of  Pepperrell 
Ebenez'  Severance  &  Widd"  Sarah  Bason  ■ 
Jonath"  Moor's  &  Sybil  Tarbel  I    all  of 

Eph™  Nutting  &  Jerusha  Parker  (  Groton 

Jonathan  Tarbel  &  Lydia  Farnworth 
Will-"  Parker  of  Groton  to  Widdr  Sarah  Richard- 
son of  Pepperrell  district 

Joseph  Bruce  of  Mendon  to  Elizabeth  Farn- 
worth of  Groton 
Nath"    Lakin  of   Pepperrill  District  to  Sybil 
Parker  of  Groton 
Ebenezer  Farnworth  Junf  &  Mary  Nickols  both 
of  Groton 

sent  to  Clark 

Cap'  Ephr""  Sawtel  &  widdr  Hannah 


all  of 
Groton 


Gilson 
i  Sam"  Cragg  &  Mary  Conn 
(  Sam"  Hobart  &  Ann  Bradstreet 
John  Stevens  of  Townshend  &  Susanah  Tarbel  of 

Groton 
i  Jonas  Sawtel  of  Groton  &  Elizabeth  Albe  of 
-;      Townshend 

(  Amos  Dole  of  Littleton  to  Molle  Page  of  Groton 
Jonath"  Stone  &  Susanna  Moor's 
John  Shepley  &  Abigail  Green  -  wils 
Daug* 


all  of 
Groton 


>  all  of  Groton 


35 

Oct'  23  Rev'!  M'  Joseph  Perry  of  Windsor  [Conn.j  & 

M"  Sarah  Lawrence  of  Groton  all  paid 

Jan?  22:  1756  Joshua  Nevers  Resident  in  Groton  &  y"  WiddT 
abigl  Sawtel,  of  y'  Same  Town 

Feb''' 26         —     Jonathan  Pratt  &  Lucy  Bradstreet ")    n    f  p     j. 

—  27         —    Will?  Lakin,  &  Priscilla  Am's        ) 

Sent  to  y=  Clark 
March  i"      —     Shattuck  Blood  &  Lydia  Nutijng 
—     II       — .     Jonath"  Shepley  &  Sarah  Green 
april  13  —     Henry  Woods  &  Deborah  Parker 

may  6  —    John  Ames  &  Susannah  Nutting 

—  26  —     Obadiah  Sawtel  of  Groton  &  Mary  Gould  of  Shirly 

District 

—  27  —    Peter  Gilson  &  Sybil  Whitney  both  of  Groton 
Sep'  30  —    Jona"  Bancroft  of  Danvers  to  Phebe  Lawrence  of 

Groton 
.  .  .  Harris  ....  Bula  Cory  both  of  Shirley  all 
Paid  &c 
April  17*  1760  John  Page  &  Widd'T  Martha  Green  —  i  D-r 

—  23       —  Doct'  Phinehas  Phelps  of  Lancaster  &  Sarah  Green 

of  Groton  —  Do 

—  24      —  Jonath"  Pratt  &  widd'T  Rachel  Nutting  Do 

Sent  to  the  Clark 
May  29        —  Joseph  Sawtel  &  Lydia  Jenkins  both  of  Groton    29' 
June  4         —  Silas  Barron  &  Rebekah  Parker  both  of  Groton  i  D-r 
June  26        —  Will"?  Farwel  &  Esther  Woods  both  of  Groton  —  \ 
August  20* —  Paul  Fletcher  of  Groton  &  Anna   wilerd  of  Lan- 

chester     4 :  D 
[42]     1707  _ 

Catalogus  eorum  q.  ad  Ccenam  dominicam  fu^re  admiss. 
June  8°        Samuel  Woods  &  Hannah  Woods,  uxor  ej=  Sam' 
1708 
May  9-         Maria  Bradstreet 

Thomas  &  Elizabetha  Tarbel 

Jonas  Prescott. 
1709 

May  8.         Hannah  Blood,  Uxor  Josephi  Blood. 
Oct?  9  Zerubabel  Kemp  &  Maria  Kemp. 

1711 
June.  17.     Jonathan  Boyden,  &  Elizabetha  Boyden  Vx.  Ej? 


36   ~ 


May  i'?  17 
June  16 

August  14 

Octob'  gf 
1716 

August  5* 


oct";'  7 


Decem'5'^  2 
1716/17 
Jan7  27"- 
1718 
Aprill  6* 

July  27? 

[43] 


15   Sarah  Trowbridge 
James  Robinson 

(  Ephraim  Sawtell  &  Elizabeth  his  Wife  & 
1  Mercy  The  Wife  of  John  Hall 
/  Moses  Barron  &  Sarah  his  Wife 
1  Jonath"  Farnworth  &  Ruth  his  Wife 
Lydia  Whittney  y=  Wife  of  Will'?  Whitney 
(  Sam"  Fisk  &  Susannah  his  Wife 
<  Richard  Warner 

C  Elizabeth  The  Wife  of  Benjamin  Lakin 
The  Wife  of  Ep*"  Philbrick 
The  Wife  of  Richard  Warner 
Esther  The  Wife  of  Sam"  Bowers 
Abigail  Uxor  Gvilf  Shattuck's  Jun 

The  Wife  of  Nathl'  Lawrence 


Elizab'!"  Uxor  Ebenf  Farnworth 

Maria  Farthworth  Uxor  Benj""!"  Farnworth 
Elizabeth  Uxor  Eleaz'  Green 
Maria  Uxor  Jon:  Prescott 
Sam"  Farworth 
James  Mirick 


Abigail  The  Wife  of  Benjaf  Prescott 
Obediah  Sawtell 
Uxor  Josephi  Gilson 


1721 
Sept  24 


The  Widdow  Mary  Shattuck 
Danjl       ^ 
Joseph     V  Farnworth 
&  Isaac  ) 

r  The  Wife  of  Joseph  Farwell 
November    ■}  The  Wife  of  James  Parker 
(  The  Wife  of  John  Frost 
Nathl'  Smith  & 
Jonath"  Farnworth  Jun' 


Novemb' 


1722 
May  13 
Jan?  i722\ 


John  Longley 

23    Ensign  Joseph  Gilson 


37 

Feb'  i7'N     Ebenezer  Prescott  &  Hantiah  his  Wife 
March  24""     William  Lawrence  &  Susannah  his  Wife 
Novem'i'  3''    Susannah  y°  wife  of  John  Solindine 
Novem*;'  17'!'  Jerem';  Farnworth 
January  12"^  Rachell  Farnworth 

1723/4 

March  3'?     John  Stone  Junf  &  [Elizabeth  (Farwell)]  his  wife 
Steven  Holdin  &  [Hannah  (Sawtell)]  his  wife 
The  wife  of  Benj?  Martin         Ebenezer  Farnworth 
Simon  Stone  Jun'  &  [Sarah]  his  Wife 

[44] 

Nov:  8'!"       John  Blood  &  Joanna  his  wife 

Febf  28'?      The  Widdow  Shead  The  Younger 

1726  Hannah  Fisk 

Aprill  24*   Abigail  Lakin     Ensigns  Daughter 

1727 

(  Shebuel  Hobart  &  [Martha]  his  wife 
'  "^     (  The  wife  of  Joseph  Farnworth 

1727/8 

March  3"*  Persons  Viz  Ensig"  Lakin  Benjf  Parker  &  Mary  his  Wife 
Abr!"  Moors  &  his  wife  y"  wife  of  Dudley  Bradstreet 
—  of  Ezra  Farnworth  —  of  Eleazer  Nutting  of  Gibson 
of  Joseph  Gilson  also  Sarah  Farnworth 

1728 

Aprill  28  Eleazer  Gilson  &  Wife  Jn°  Williams  &  his  wife  Ensign 
Page  &  his  wife  Eleazer  Nutting,  y"  wifes  of  Jonathan 
Nutting  Ebenzf  Blood  Eleazer  Green  Jun  Dauid 
Pierce  Jn°  Chamberlain.  //  12  in  all 

June  23'^  Thomas  Hubburd  Dan?  Nutting  Peter  Hobart  &  y' 
Wives  Jonathan  Nutting :  y"  Wives  of  Ebenezer  Nut- 
ting &  Jn?  Shipley  Jun  &  Nath!'  Blood  Jun'  Sarah 
Hobart 

August  18'!'  James  Nutting  &  Ephraim  Pierce  The  Wives  of  Will? 
Green  &  Jnf  Green  &  of  Joseph  Sanders 

Octob^  13*  James  Blood  &  his  Wife 

Feb:  2  David  Sawtell 

March  23^  The  Wives  of  Isaac  Parker  &  John  Bush  &  Nath'J 
Woods  Jun' 

May  iS'j-      Mich'J  Gilson  &  Wife 

July  13*       The  Wifes  of  Jn°  Hold^  of  Jn'J  Woods  &  of  Jona*,"  Shead 


38 

Gershum  Hobart  &  Wife 
Thomas  Farwel  &  his  Wife 

Sam"  Scripture  Sen' 

Benj?  Bennit 
James  Stone  &  Wife 
The  Wife  of  Doctr  Chase 
[45] 

Janry  2^       Jonas   Varnum  —  Moses   Woods  —  and   the   Wife   of 
Nathan  Whipple 
Bancroft  &  S!  Pierce  &  Obad!"  Parker  &  y'  Wives  from 
other  Churches  Embody'd  with  us 
1732 
October  29  Isaac  Parker  &  Jn?  Swallow 

Joseph  Stone  &  Mary  his  Wife 
Cap'  Shepley  &  Wife 

Will"?  Tarbell  &  Mary  his  Wife  &  David  Miriam 
Moses  Woods  his  Wife  Will""  Longley  Ebenezer  Sprague 
&  Wife  from  Dedham  Chh 

1735 

March  30*  Aaron  Whittemore  //  Pedagogue 

Nicholas  Bartlett 

1736 

Octob'  10*  John  Scott  &  [Mary  his]  Wife  //  &  Jonas  Longley 
John  Longley  Jun' 


[52] 

At  an  Associacon  of  Churches  at   Marlborough  July  16  :  1707 
To  the  Church  of  Christ  at  Groton 
Bretheren 

The  Consociation  of  Churches  is  a  Doctrine,  own'd  and  pleaded 
by  the  Rev?  Elders  Whome  God  honoured  greatly  by  making  them 
the  Happy  Instruments  of  Laying  the  foundations  of  the  Constitu- 
tions of  the  Churches  in  this  American  World.  The  Associated 
Pastors  of  13  churches  have  out  of  a  zeal  for  Gods  glory  and  their 
owne  and  their  churches  Good  and  benefit  Resolved  by  Divine 
Assistance  to  pursue  the  holy  instructions  left  them  by  those  wor- 
thy and  Learned  persons,  and  to  that  end  have  determin'd  not  to 
manage  any  thing  in  their  respective  churches  which  may  tend  to 
produce  any  Embroilment  in  them  without  the  Advice  of  those 
Pastors  with  whome  they  are  Associated  ;  and  accordingly  desire 


39 

the  Consent  of  the  Several  •  Churches  that  the  Council  to  advise  in 
and  about  such  Cases  shall  be  call'd  out  of  those  Churches  to  which 
the  Pastors  with  whome  their  Pastor  is  associated  doth  belong ; 
theref[ore]  it  is  with  you  tO'  Signifie  your  Consent  hereto. 

Joseph  Estabrook 

Moderator 
At  a  Church  meeting  at  Groton  July  21?  1707 
The    aboves?    Determination    was  then   Voted  in    this  Church 
Nemine  Contradicente  D.  Bradstreet 

[531 

Groton 
At  a  Church  meeting  February  2?  1707/8  — 
John  Farnesworth  was  duly  Elected  a  Deacon  for  the  Church  at 
Groton.  D.  Bradstreet. 

At  a  Church  meeting  May  14.  1708. 
Whereas  Some  wei-e  dissatisfied  at  the  Election  of  John  Farnes- 
worth as  Deacon  I  gave  liberty  of  a  new  Choyce  by  Papers  and 
s?  Farnesworth   was  Elected  by  a  Majority  of  three  Voices  and 
accordingly  Confirm'd 

Voted  that  if  Deacon  Whitney  cannot  Serve  at  y"  next  Sacram' 
that  he  deliver  the  Church  Vessells  to  Deacon  Farnesworth  for  the 
Churches  use. 

At  a  Church  meeting  March  10.  1708/9 
Voted  that  Deacon  Farnesworth  do  by  the  first  opportunity  pro- 
vide a  Table  Cloth,  and  Platter,  for  y"  more  decent  Celebration  of 
the  holy  Coinunion. 

At  a  church  meeting  Decemb!'  16.  r7og. 
Groton  Aprill  22'?  17 15  :  At  a  Church  Meeting 

Wheras  Dec"  Whittney  is  old,  &  Desirous  of  y°  Choice  of  An- 
other to  Officiate  in  his  Place  ;  &  Whereas  Dec"  John  Farnsworth 
is  Desirous  of  a  New  Choice ;  Unless  he  were  more  Unanimously 
Confirmd. 

The  Church  Did  Thereupon  Unanimously  Elect  or  make  Choice 
of  Simon  Stone  Sen-  &  Thomas  Tarbell  Sen  :  To  Officiate  as  Dea- 
cons in  y'  Church  of  Groton 

Caleb  Trowbribge  Pastor 
[46] 

1='  Sacrament  May  y=  i"  1718 

[A  half-page  here  in  the  original  left  blank.] 


40 

at  a  Church  Meeting  (Partly  for  y'  Purpose)  in  Groton  1722 
John  Longley  was  Chosen  Deacon 

Caleb  Trowbridge  Pastor 

Att  a  Church  Meeting  May  14*  1729  Dan"  Farworth  was  Chosen 
Deacon  by  a  Great  Majority 

Caleb  Trowbridge  Pastor  of  y"  Church 

At  a  Chii  Meeting  in  Groton  on  y=  14""  of  Sep'  1733 

Voted  —  That  Deac"  Longley  &  Brother  Ephr'"  Pierce,  be  a 
Committee,  as  Trustees  for  this  Church ;  to  Call  for,  &  to  Receiue 
of  Brother  Will?  Lawrence  {&  to  give  him  a  discharge  upon 
Receiving)  the  40-^  Legacy  y'  was  given  by  Mf  Jonathan  Lawrence 
in  his  last  Will  &  Testament  to  this  Church  (for  y°  Procuring  Some 
Silver  Vessell  or  vessels  for  y°  Lords  Table)  and  That  they  Lay 
out  y'=  s?  40^  in  Such  Manner  or  According  to  Such  Instructions  as 
this  Church  shall  give  Them :  Agreable  to  s?  Will. 

And  That  Brother  Will"  Lawrence  Joyn  w*  s?  Committee  in  TAus 
Laying  it  out 

Caleb  Trowbridge  Pasto[r] 

The  Same  Meeting  Put  to  Vote  by  hand  whether  y=  Brethren 
were  free  y'  Dan"  Farnworth  should  officiate  as  Deac"  in  this 
Church  :     Past  in  y=  Affirmative 

Caleb  Trowbridge 

[47] 

at  y'  same  meeting  Rachell  Hartwell  Enquir'd  of  why  so  Long 
Absent  from  Communion  of  this  Church  :  &  advised  Reform  by 
me  &c  Caleb  Trowbridge  &c 

At  y'  Meeting  Last  mentiond 

Put  to  Vote  Whither  y"  Brethren  y"  Present  were  free,  y'  Jonathan 
Farnworth  &  his  son  Jonathan  &  Simon  Stone  Jun'  should  be  Dis- 
missed from  this  Cht ;  in  order  to  Lie  in  the  foundation  of  a  Ch£ 
in  Harvard  or  Embody  w'  other  Christian  brethren  &  Professors 
There.     It  Past  in  the  Affirmative 

Caleb  Trowbridge  Pastor 

At  a  Church  Meeting  in  Groton,  Jan7  ii'!"  1733/4  Voted  That 
y'  Persons  appointed  (by  this  Church  at  y'  meeting  the  14*  of 
Sep^  Last)  to  Lay  out  the  40^  Legacy  given  to  this  Church  by 
m^  Jonathan  Lawrence  in  his  Last  Will  —  do  Lay  out  y=  s""  40^  for 
Procuring  some  Silver  Vessel  or  Vessels,  according  to  y'  Best  Pru- 
dence ;  or  as  upon  Proper  Enquiry  they  shall  think  will  be  most 
for  y'  honour  of  y-^  Donor :  as  well  as  of  the  Lords  Table,  And 


41 

Deliver  s^  Vessel  or  Vessels  to  this  Church  as  soon  as  they  can 
with  Conveniency. 

memorand"  y'  Churches  vote  ab^  y=  ministerial  Legacy  given  by 
s""  Lawrence  was  Put  into  W"  Lawrences  hand  by  the  Churche 
order:  I  gave  Bond  for  s°  Legacy  to  y=  Deacon  as  Trustees  &c 

Caleb  Trowbridge  Pastor 

After  some  time  The  Above  appointed  brought  2  Silver  Tankards 
to  y'  Churches  Acceptance  &  frely  giving  in  y'  time  &  Trouble 
Rec?  y=  Churches  Thanks 

Caleb  Trowbridge  Pastor 

Deac"  Farnworth  only  Surviving  of  y"  Trustees  to  whom  I  gave 
the  Bond  above-mentioned  y=  Church  in  y=  Year  1759  added  Decon 
Farwel  &  Deac"  Stone  to  Deac?  Farnworth  as  trustees  in  y"  Room 
of  Deac"  Stone  &  Deac"  Longley  deceas'd 

Caleb  Trowbridge  Pastor 

m'  Aaron  Whittemore  Dismis'  from  y=  Church  &  Recomended  &c 

C.  T.   Pastor 

March  g'f  1737/8  at  a  Church  Meeting  in  Groton  Voted  y"  y'  y= 
Deacons  of  s""  Church  be  Allow'd  for  y'  Trouble  in  Providing  for 
y'  Lords  table  five  shillings  for  Each  time  of  Providing  for  y-^  time 
past :  &  seven  shillings  &  six  pence  a  time  for  y"  future ;  till  fur- 
ther order  Caleb  Trowbridge  Pastor 

At  a  Cth  meet?  in  Groton  at  y'=  House  of  Jonath"  Page  Feb7  29'? 
1739/40  Voted  That  Whereas  it  has  been  (for  a  Considerable  time) 
a  Sort  of  Rule :  &  the  Practice  in  this  Clit :  respecting  Persons 
Suspected  of  Fornication :  That  such  of  them  as  had  been  married 
seven  months  before  they  \manuscript  here  torn  and  illegible']  Infants) 
had  been  by  the  Pastor  admitted  to  Covfa?iXit[torn  and illegiblel 
[48]  y?  to  one,  or  other,  of  yf  methods,  before  admission  &c  And  it 
heing  feared  by  me  that  this  Custom,  has  (on  the  one  hand)  Proved 
(with  some  of  the  less  Conscient;ious)  a  Prevailing  Temptation  to 
belye  y'  Consciences,  adding  Sin  to  Sin  :  and  being  thought  by  some 
an  Hardship  (on  the  other  hand)  upon  the  more  Consciencious  (and 
Doubted  at  least  whither  it  be  Right)  to  Compel  them  Publickly  to 
acknowledge,  what  is,  (if  not  absolutely  yet)  next  to  Impossible  to 
Convict  y?  of :  Therefore  tis  desired  y'  for  y"  future  (till  further 
Light  be  afforded)  in  such  like  Cases ;  the  Pastor  of  this  Church, 
admitt'them  to  desired  Priveledges  :  without  Compelling  y"  to  Either 
(Provided  in  the  Judgement  of  Charity  they  are  otherwise  Qualified) 
Desiring  &  Trusting  y'  he  will  Exhort  y""  to  Serious  Repentance 

6 


42 

(in  Case  they  are  Conscious  to  yllselves  of  Guilt)  and  That  he  will 
bring  them  to  declare  y!  they  have  Humbly  Begg'd  of  god  y°  Pardon 
of  all  known  Sins :  &  Promise  that  they  will  by  the  help  of  god 
be  upon  their  watch  against  sins  of  Uncleaness  in  Particular ;  as 
well  as  all  Sins  in  General  —  and  That  they  will  Study  to  know  : 
&  sett  themselves  to  -f  Practice  of  all  that  they  do,  or  shall  know,  to 
be  their  duty. 

Caleb  Trowbridge  Pastor 
at  a  meeting  of  y"  iV  Cliti  in  Groton  Voted  to  give  w'  Church 
stock  y>'  had  (viz?  1 6^-8^-3 '')  to  y=  2'?  Chi  ^  in  s?  Town  towards  fur- 
nishing y'  Commun"  Table 

also  voted  to  allow  y°  Deacons  &c.  i-^-o'-o''  old  tenor  for  y' 
Trouble  for  Each  time  of  Providing  for  the  Sacrament  for  y°  future 
till  further  order 

at   same   time  I.  S  satisfied  &c  as  to  all  articled  against  him 
Exhib  :  Causes  : 
Chi  Meefs^  Sep!  23'?  1742  James  Stone  Chosen  Deacon 
A.  D.  1748  voted  Each  Communicant  Contribute  is"*  old  Tenor 
&c 

Dismist  to  other  Churches  —  Cap'  Prescot  &  his  son  Eben'  &  f 

Wives  Capt  Jonath"  Hobart  &  his  Wife  —  Jona- 

th!"  Farnwth  &  his  son  Jonathan  &  Simon  Stone 

Jun;^  y=  Wives  of  sf  Jonath?  Farnorth  &  s?  Stone 

A.  D.  1759  Groton  Church  voted  y'  Each  Communicant  should 

allow  4  Coppers  for  Evry  Sacrament  for  i  year  —  not  Exceding  6 

months,  before  they  Pay  Part 

Caleb  Trowbridge 
Jan'f  25*  1760  Jn?  Cummings  Dismis'd  to  Littleton  Church  (,& 
his  Wife  sometime  before) 

C Trowbridge 

June    22'*  —  Hannah   y°  wife   of  Ebenezf  Gilson   Dismis'd  to 
Peppf  Church 

C.  Trowbridge 

1  A  Second  Church  was  organized  in  the  West  Parish  of  Groton,  now  Pep- 
perell,  in  the  year  1742. 


GROTON    HISTORICAL   SERIES. 

No.  XI. 


REMINISCENCES    OF   GROTO? 

During  the  Years  1839,  1840,  and  1841. 
Wiit\i   an  ^ppentiii. 


GROTON,    MASS. 
1886. 


GROTON,   MASSACHUSETTS,    t886. 
Historical  Series,  No.  XI. 


REMINISCENCES    OF    GROTON 

During  the  Years  1839,  1840,  and   1841. 


Beaver  Dam,  Wisconsin,  January  25,  1886. 

My  dear  Dr.  Green  : 

I  first  saw  Groton  in  the  autumn  of  1839.  Though  a 
native  of  the  grand  old  Puritan  State,  it  had  not  been  my 
good  fortune  to  see  any  of  its  Eastern  towns  or  cities.  My 
parents,  in  my  boyhood,  moved  from  Amherst,  Massachu- 
setts, the  place  of  my  birth,  to  Central  New  York.  Setting 
foot  in  Groton,  the  very  last  of  September  of  that  year,  I 
found  a  town  180  or  more  years  old;  population  upwards  of 
2,000.  And  it  had  the  prestige  of  being  originally  a  grant 
by  the  General  Court  —  in  part,  at  least  —  to  a  son  of  the 
first  Governor  of  the  Massachusetts  Colony  ;  also  the  added 
prestige  of  bearing  the  name  of  the  home-town  of  the  Win- 
throps  in  England.  I  liked  it.  Though  irregular,  and  set- 
ting at  defiance  all  laws  of  order,  —  though  antique  and 
quaint  in  its  architecture,  —  though  contrasting  strangely,  in 
nearly  every  particular,  with  Western  places,  yet  it  pleased 
me.  Its  position  was  elevated,  its  natural  charms  were 
many  ;  and  there  was  on  all  sides  an  air  of  solidity  and  com- 
fort. There  was  too,  in  its  way,  a  fair  show  of  the  aesthetic. 
It  hdd  three  churches,  —  Unitarian,  Orthodox,  and  Baptist ; 
and,  for  pastors,  the  Reverend  Messrs.  Wells,  Phelps,  and  San- 
derson. Besides,  it  had  a  structure  called  the  Hall,  used  for 
lectures  on  various  subjects.     It  was  by  itself,  quite  unpre- 


tentious,  still  roomy  and  pleasant.  Groton  Academy,  now 
known  as  Lawrence  Academy,  a  creditable  building,  and 
beautifully  situated,  Was  deservedly  a  pet  of  the  town.  I  say 
I  liked  it;  I  felt  at  home;  and  this  is  saying  not  a  httle  for 
a  strange  place. 

My  special  mission,  at  the  time,  was  in  the  interest  of  anti- 
slavery.  It  was  in  the  dark'  and  trying  days  of  the  cause. 
Late  in  the  preceding  summer,  the  Massachusetts  Anti-slav- 
ery Society  sent  an  agent  to  Central  New  York,  to  procure 
two  lecturers.  They  desired  a  layman  and  a  clergyman  of 
the  Orthodox  faith.  The  agent,  as  directed,  went  with  the 
proper  papers  to  the  Hon.  Gerrit  Smith,  of  Peterboro',  N.  Y., 
and  he,  after  due  consideration,  recommended  James  C.  Jack- 
son and  myself.  Mr.  Smith  and  I  were  neighbors —  that 
is,  of  neighboring  towns  ;  and,  if  I  may  assume  so  much, 
co-workers.  And  yet  I  was  much  earlier  in  the  cause  than 
he.  When  a  student,  and  before  Wm.  Lloyd  Garrison 
started  "The  Liberator,"  — a  mere  boy  so  to  speak,  —  I  took 
a  stand  for  the  enslaved.  A  little  work,  styled  "  Six  Months' 
Residence  in  Jamaica,"  by  an  English  physician,  first  opened 
to  me  the  enormities  of  slavery.  I  hated  it  from  that  hour ; 
fought  it  from  that  hour.  My  father,  however,  was  intensely 
devoted  to  Colonization.  So,  at  the  time,  was  Mr.  Smith, 
who,  afterwards,  was  Vice-President  of  the  American  Society. 
It  was  not  until  the  fall  of  1835  that  he  left  that  Society. 
The  circumstances  were  not  a  little  thrilling ;  they  revealed 
the  nobility  of  the  man.  A  large  Convention,  in  pursuance 
of  a  call,  met  at  the  city  of  Utica,  the  21st  day  of  October, 
1835,  —  the  self-same  day  the  great  and  heroic  Garrison  was 
mobbed  in  Boston,  —  to  form  a  New  York  State  Anti-slavery 
Society.  The  whole  State  was  represented,  and  by  some  of 
its  best  and  ablest  men.  Clergymen,  I  think,  predominated ; 
and  many  of  these  were  veterans.  It  was  my  privilege  to  be 
among  them,  though  one  of  the  youngest  of  the  number. 
Gerrit  Smith  was  there,  and  yet  as  an  outsider.  His  noble 
figure  was  in  the  assemblage.  Not  long,  however  ;  for,  while 
the  meeting  was  organizing,  a  mob  entered  the  church,  led  on 
by  a  Committee  of  twenty-five  leading  citizens  with  Congress- 


man  Beardsley  at  the  head,  and  assaulted  officers  and  mem- 
bers, not  sparing  the  old  and  gray-headed,  and  brutally  drove 
them  from  the  church.  Nor  was  this  all.  They  hunted  the 
flying  delegates  in  every  part  of  the  city,  inflicting  upon  them 
many  indignities  and  cruelties.  Mr.  Smith  saw  all ;  it  was 
a  revelation  to  him.  He  saw,  and  with  startled  eye,  the  real 
situation ;  and,  like  himself,  he  said  to  the  hunted  and  suf- 
fering delegates,  with  tremulous  tones:  "Gentlemen,  go  to 
my  Peterboro',  and  complete  your  organization ;  I  will  see 
that  you  are  protected." 

They  went  —  gladly,  gratefully  went;  and  yet,  all  through 
the  several  towns  passed  —  the  distance  was  some  thirty-five 
miles  —  they  were  pelted  with  brickbats  and  addled  eggs.  And 
when  gathered,  the  next  morning,  in  the  Presbyterian  Church 
of  that  rural  village,  —  the  home  of  the  great-hearted  philan- 
thropist,—  the  spectacle  presented  was  a  strange,  not  to  say  a 
sad  one.  The  church  was  packed  with  the  fugitive  delegates. 
And  numbers  of  them  were  seen  with  bandaged  faces  ;  while 
others,  cut  and  bruised,  made  no  attempt  at  concealment. 
It  was  an  unwonted  scene.  All  felt  that  martyr-times  had 
returned ;  and  no  one  could  forecast  what  was  to  follow. 
Every  hour  there  were  startling  rumors  that  the  baser  sort  of 
other  towns  were  to  make  a  combined  assault  upon  us.  It 
was  expected.  Such  a  thing  was  certainly  planned ;  yet  it 
failed  in  the  execution.  Mr.  Smith  was  too  strong  in  his  own 
section  of  the  State.  There  was  no  farther  disturbance.  The 
organization  was  effected.  The  State  Society  was  an  actual- 
ity ;  and,  more  than  this,  Gerrit  Smith  pledged  it  his  full 
and  hearty  support.  He  was  a  convert ;  and  his  speech, 
announcing  the  change,  was  one  of  surpassing  power.  It 
was,  of  course,  the  speech  of  the  occasion.  There  was  every- 
thing lifting  it  above  all  others.  The  speaker,  with  his  grand 
and  handsome  personahty ;  his  deep,  rich,  musical  voice ;  his 
pure,  Addisonian  style,  and  marvellous  magnetism,  was  sure 
not  to  be  second  in  that  or  any  other  Convention.  And 
then  the  circumstances  raised  him  above  himself.  His  great 
soul,  by  what  he  had  seen,  had  been  stirred  to  its  very  depths. 
He  had  come  to  see  slavery  as  it  was  ;  that  its  terrible  grip 


was  on  the  North,  as  well  as  on  the  South  ;  that  we  were  all 
slaves  ;  that  our  boasted  Freedom  was  nothing  but  a  myth ; 
that  the  right  to  assemble,  —  a  first  right  of  freemen, —  and 
in  the  supposed  Free  State  of  New  York,  was  stricken  down  ; 
and  with  it,  of  course,  the  right  of  Free  Speech.  And  all  at 
the  behest  of  slavery.  Slavery  was  all  and  in  all.  The  whole 
nation  was  at  its  feet !  He  saw  this ;  it  terrified  him  ;  it 
converted  him.  Of  course,  at  such  a  time,  he  not  only  ex- 
celled others,  but  excelled  himself :  no  words  can  describe  it ; 
no  words  can  set  forth  its  effects.  It  was  simply  overwhelm- 
ing ;  and,  as  might  have  been  expected  of  the  man,  he  at 
once  resigned  his  office  in  the  American  Colonization  So- 
ciety, and  at  the  same  time  sent  a  check  of  ;^  10,000,  to  pay 
the  sum  he  had  before  pledged  to  promote  its  objects.  Such 
was  his  high  sense  of  honor ;  and  let  it  be  added  that  Mr. 
Smith  was  much  older  in  Temperance  than  in  Anti^slavery. 
Among  the  earliest  was  he  in  this  great  reform.  Nor  was  he 
much  behind  in  Church  reform,  —  in  the  work  of  restoring 
Primitive  Unity.  In  a  large  Convention,  held  at  Syracuse  in 
1838,  he  read  a  paper  on  the  subject  of  great  ability  and 
force.  It  fell  to  me  to  draw  up,  and  present  to  the  same 
meeting,  the  Declaration  of  Principles.  A  broad  man  was 
Mr.  Smith  ;  hence  a  comprehensive  reformer.  He  set  him- 
self, with  all  his  great  strength  and  great  wealth,  against 
social  evils,  church  evils,  and  national  evils.  Grandly  good 
and  great  was  he  in  his  day. 

Recommendation  by  such  a  man  was  something.  So,  with 
me,  felt  my  friend  Jackson.  He  was  a  Christian  layman,  a 
student  of  medicine,  and  highly  gifted  as  a  speaker.  Few 
could  hold  and  stir  an  audience  as  he.  He  was  early  in 
the  cause  of  the  slave,  and  did  it  grand  service ;  so  in  the 
cause  of  Church  Unity.  We  had  toiled  much  together  in  both 
lines  of  reform.  He  is  now  the  celebrated  Dr.  Jackson,  of  the 
Dansville  (N.  Y.)  Water-Cure.  A  most  enviable  mark  has 
he  made  in  this  department,  as  in  the  advocacy  of  the  cause 
of  the  enslaved,  and  of  Primitive  Unity.  As  for  myself,  I  had 
been  pastor  for  some  time  of  the  Congregational  Church  of 
Cazenovia,  a  gem  of  a  town,  ten  miles  west  of  the  home  of 


Mr.  Smith:  had,  from  broken  health,  resigned.  The  duties 
at  home,  and  much  lecturing  abroad,  prostrated  me ;  my  phy- 
sician enjoined  rest.  I,  however,  chose  an  active  rest.  Hence 
travelled  much,  speaking  almost  incessantly  on  church  and 
national  reform :  saw,  too,  both  causes  advancing.  The 
leaven,  as  to  each,  was  working.  Whole  churches  took 
the  primitive  basis,  and  an  entire  Association,  which  was  my 
own.  And,  at  this  time,  a  grand  impetus  was  given  to  the 
movement  by  the  appearance  of  the  "Fraternal  Appeal"  of  the 
Reverend  Professor  Schmucker,  a  work  of  masterly  power, 
the  substance  of  which  found  its  way  into  the  Comprehensive 
Commentary,  edited  by  the  Reverend  Dr.  William  Jenks,  of 
Boston  ;  even  in  the  Baptist  edition.  There  it  stands  to-day. 
An  organ,  too,  was  created ;  a  paper  of  quite  an  extensive 
circulation.  This  was  known  as  "The  Union  Herald  ;"  pub- 
lished at  Cazenovia.  Its  editor,  the  Reverend  Luther  Myrick, 
was  an  evangelist  of  the  class  of  the  distinguished  Charles  G. 
Finney,  and  a  most  successful  one.  He  was  a  preacher  of 
rare  power ;  and  rich  spiritual  harvests  were  gathered  by  him. 
His  "  Herald "  had  no  uncertain  voice ;  and  it  spoke  as 
fearlessly  for  Freedom  as  for  Unity.  Hence,  and  naturally, 
the  friends  of  Church  Unity  were  the  friends  of  National 
Freedom. 

And  it  is  due  here  to  say,  and  I  take  profound  pleasure  in 
saying,  that  we  were  nobly  aided,  especially  in  the  anti-slavery 
reform,  by  Wm.  L.  Chaplin,  Esq.,  a  native  of  Groton,  and  a 
son  of  its  seventh  pastor.  An  able  man  was  he,  and  fearless 
as  able.  He  treated  the  question  from  the  standpoint  of  a 
lawyer,  and  with  marked  effectiveness.  His  blows  were 
heavy.  I  first  knew  of  him  in  the  county  of  Wm.  H.  Seward, 
—  the  county  of  Cayuga ;  the  home  of  the  great  Senator,  the 
first  advocate  of  the  Higher  Law,  and  the  masterly  Secretary 
of  State  during  the  Rebellion.  It  had  been  mine  to  break 
ground  on  the  subject  in  the  southern  portion  of  the  county, 
and  narrowly  to  escape  mobbing  in  one  of  its  towns.  Most 
welcome,  then,  was  the  presence  of  such  an  ally.  He  did 
right  good  work.  And  who  will  say  how  much  the  labor, 
thus  early  done,  and  at  his  very  door,  had  to  do  with  the 


6 

making,  in  this  matter,  of  Wm.  H.  Seward  ?  Be  this  as  it 
may,  special  thanks  were  due  Mr.  Chaplin  for  his  efificient 
aid,  and  to  Groton  for  giving  the  country  so  strong  and  fear- 
less an  advocate  of  Freedom.-' 

Mr.  Jackson  and  I  decided  to  go  East ;  and  yet  only  for 
three  months.  Our  young  families  were  left  behind.  After 
reaching  Boston,  and  speaking  in  a  oonvention  at  Taunton, 
we  were  assigned  our  particular  fields ;  more  properly,  per- 
haps, our  head-quarters.  He  was  to  go  to  the  County  of 
Essex,  and  I  to  that  of  Middlesex.  This  brought  me  for- 
tunately to  Groton,  and  to  the  charming  home  of  Dr.  Amos 
Farnsworth.  I  was  his  guest  by  virtue  of  his  membership 
in  the  Executive  Committee  of  the  State  Society.  And,  as 
intimated,  a  high  favor  it  was.  A  home,  indeed,  was  his. 
While  there  was  nothing  pretentious  about  it,  everything  was 
in  taste.  All  was  solidly  sensible.  He  had  buried  his  wife, 
and  yet  his  home  had  the  light  and  cheer  of  a  lovely  daugh- 
ter. There  were  two  sons  also,  and  of  promise  ;  one  of  them 
a  student  at  Cambridge.  Still,  he  himself  was  the  central 
charm.  He  was  tall  and  symmetrically  built ;  with  large  head, 
mild  eye,  broad,  expressive,  pleasant  face,  and  compressed  lips. 
Every  thing  indicated  strength  and  good-nature.  Brain  and 
heart  were  manifest.  With  the  elements  of  a  commander,  he 
had  the  gentleness  of  a  woman.  He  was  one  of  the  sunniest 
of  men.  Though  impressing  you  with  his  superiority,  you 
felt  wholly  at  ease  in  his  presence.  You  knew  him  at  once  ; 
could  trust  him  at  sight.  And  greatly  was  I  struck  with  his 
originality.  It  cropped  out  in  everything.  He  could  not 
think  in  a  groove,  or  act  in  a  groove  ;  no  copyist  could  he  be. 
In  the  rig  of  his  horse,  and  the  way  of  treating  him  on  a  trip, 
you  saw  it.  So,  and  more  strikingly,  in  his  treatment  of  vines 
and  fruit-trees,  and  the  preservation  of  their  products.  He 
had  Cato's  love  of  these  things  ;  had  means,  too.  Retired 
from  a  long  and  lucrative  practice  in  Boston,  he  was  able  to 
work  out  his  ideal.  Of  course,  he  had  the  best.  And  he  had 
a  method,  it  seemed,  strictly  his  own  of  preserving  the  same. 
I  own  I  was  not  a  little  irked  when  I  could  not  draw  from 
1  See  Appendix,  page  19. 


him  the  secret  of  this,  to  me,  surprising  preservation.  At  a 
select  party  at  his  house,  as  late  as  February,  I  think,  he  had 
on  his  table  watermelons  seemingly  as  fresh  as  when  taken 
from  the  vines,  also  choice  varieties  of  grapes  in  a  like  state. 
Pressing  him  for  the  secret,  I  got  this  in  reply :  "  The  Hon. 
George  Thompson  "  —  alluding  to  the  great  English  anti- 
slavery  orator  —  "  occupying  the  very  seat  you  occupy,  put  to 
me  the  same  question  ;  and  he  went  back  to  England  just  as 
wise  on  the  subject  as  when  he  came."  This,  I  knew,  was 
decisive.  Still,  it  did  not  seem  to  justify  the  withholding  of 
so  valuable  a  secret.^ 

The  same  was  sure  to  mark  him  in  the  treatment  of  disease. 
Though  of  the  regular  school,  he  came  to  see,  in  the  latter 
part  of  his  practice  at  least,  that  no  medicine  should  be  given 
in  fevers.  He  almost  startled  me  with  this  declaration,  on  our 
first  acquaintance.  I  thought,  indeed  said,  that,  if  his  fine 
daughter,  or  gifted  sister,  or  cherished  brother,  were  down 
with  the  typhoid,  he  would  give  some  medicine.  Quickly,  and 
somewhat  impatiently,  he  said  he  should  not.  Well,  he  was 
soon  put  to  the  test.  A  young  man  brought  the  disease  from 
Boston,  and  into  the  very  neighborhood  of  his  brother  Luke. 
The  young  man  died  —  his  mother  died  ;  and,  immediately 
after,  that  brother  was  down.  The  attack  was  a  severe  one. 
And,  to  my  eye,  the  case  for  days  seemed  hopeless.  I  said  as 
much  to  the  Doctor.  I  told  him,  and  with  emotion,  that  with- 
out medicine,  and  the  most  active  medicine,  his  brother  would 
die.  He  said,  with  an  emphasis  all  his  own,  he  would  not. 
And  he  did  not.  He  kept  up  his  negative  treatment,  and  the 
brother  recovered.  He  treated  some  other  cases  the  same,  and 
with  a  like  result.  He  did  this,  though  retired  from  practice  ; 
Drs.  Green,  the  Bancrofts,  father  and  son,  and  Stearns, 
were  the  regular  and  able  practising  physicians  at  the  time. 

Needless  is  it  to  add,  that  my  esteemed  host  was  a  man  of 
positive  convictions,  and  was  loyal  to  them.  He  could  not  be 
anything  else.  When  he  took  a  stand,  he  was  fixed  in  it ; 
when  he  set  his  foot  down,  it  was  down.  And  this  fitted  him 
for  his  time.  It  made  him  the  stalwart  reformer  he  was. 
1  See  Appendix,  page  20. 


8 

Now,  with  such  a  host,  I  was  sure  to  lack  nothing  in  my 
work.  He  not  only  arranged  my  places  and  times  of  speak- 
ing, but  dropped  me  down  at  the  several  points.  He  was 
ever  alert ;  preparing,  helping,  encouraging.  So  when  called 
to  other  parts  of  the  State.  His  optimism  never  failed.  His 
helpfulness  never  flagged.  It  was  easy  to  work ;  did  not  seem 
like  work.  The  time  passed  —  the  period  of  my  engagement 
—  almost  unconsciously.  Though  far  away  from  loved,  ones, 
the  three  months  quickly  sped.  I  may  not  go  into  the  details 
of  this  labor,  —  wish  I  might ;  it  had  some  marked  incidents. 
SufiSce  it  to  say,  it  seemed  quite  satisfactory  to  my  host  and 
to  the  Society  employing  me. 

And  here  a  Second  Act  begins.  As  my  special  mission  to 
Groton  was  now  full,  another  was  suggested  and  urged.  I 
had  incidentally,  and  perhaps  on  several  occasions,  given 
some  hints  as  to  the  Unity  of  the  Church.  My  heart  was 
full  of  it.  And  I  did  this  the  more  freely,  the  more  earnestly, 
from  the  fact  that  numbers  in  the  several  churches,  and,  as  it 
seemed  to  me,  their  best  members,  were  alienated  from  the 
same,  because  of  their  position  on  the  slavery  question.  The 
tie,  binding  them,  was  exceedingly  loose,  and  growing  daily 
looser.  It  was  getting  to  be  a  serious  question  whether  they 
could  continue  to  walk  with  them.  Conscience  was  awake  ; 
the  ethical  was  at  work.  But  what  could  they  do  ?  Where 
go  ?  They  could  not  cut  themselves  off  from  all  churches  — 
all  ordinances  — all  the  institutions  of  religion.  They  could 
not  do  this.  What,  then,  could  they  do  .'  Every  church  in 
the  place,  as  such,  was  in  the  wrong  on  the  question.  Hence 
no  door  was  open  to  them.  They  must  be  true  to  the  slave  — 
consistently  true ;  but  they  could  not  be  with  any  extant  church 
organization.  Here  they  stood  ;  here  they  stood,  longingly 
casting  about  for  a  church  home  where  they  might  dwell  in 
peace,  and  consistently  with  their  most  sacred  convictions. 
My  hints,  therefore,  were  eagerly  seized  as  pointers  to  the 
thing  needed ;  so  eagerly,  that  they  insisted  upon  my  giv- 
ing, before  leaving  for  my  home,  some  lectures  on  the  sub- 
ject. I  compHed  ;  I  lectured  an  entire  week.  First  looking 
at  the  Church,  as  it  came  from  the  hand  of  its  Divine  Founder  ; 


9 

then  at  the  inspired  injunctions  as  to  unity  ;  then  at  the  exam- 
ple of  the  Apostles,  and  the  first  Christians  ;  then  at  the  dire 
evils  of  sectarian  divisions ;  and,  finally,  answering  the  objec- 
tions to  a  return  to  Primitive  Unity.  The  whole  ground  was 
thus  covered. 

The  lectures  were  given  in  the  Hall,  before  noticed.  The 
place  had  become  familiar  to  me.  There  the  cause  of  the 
slave  could  have  a  hearing,  when  no  church  was  open  for 
the  purpose.  Indeed,  I  was  assured  that  the  place  was  spe- 
cially erected  on  this  account.  The  building,  during  the  de- 
livery of  the  lectures,  was  crowded.  All  classes  heard.  The 
clergymen  were  out,  and  seemed  eager,  and  even  approving, 
listeners.  There  might  have  been  dissenting  voices,  but  I 
heard  none.  It  was  approval  on  all  sides.  And  why  .'  The 
principles  themselves  admit  of  no  dissent.  Dissent  comes  in, 
if  at  all,  when  a  serious  attempt  is  made  to  carry  them  out. 
Here  the  trouble  begins.  Unity  is  a  nice  thing  —  a  beautiful 
thing  —  a  very  Christian  thing  —  everybody  likes  it ;  but  seek 
to  merge  the  churches  into  one,  to  bring  about  a  visible  unity, 
a  tangible  unity,  a  unity  the  world  can  see,  a  real  unity,  and 
the  whole  thing  is  changed.  They  want  oneness,  but  no 
visible  oneness  ;  unity,  but  no  organic  unity.  Still,  every  one 
knows,  every  one  admits,  that  such  was  the  unity  of  the 
Primitive  Church. 

Well,  the  lectures  meeting  with  so  wide  a  favor,  it  was 
natural  that  the  large  numbers  seeking  a  new  ecclesiastical 
home  should  rally  at  once,  and  gratefully,  to  the  Apostolic 
basis.  It  was  doubly  welcome.  They  could,  on  such  a  founda- 
tion, be  true  to  their  convictions  touching  slavery,  and  to  their 
new  convictions  touching  the  unity  of  the  Christian  Church. 
It  was,  in  this  view,  a  supremely  happy  hour  to  them. 

But  as  to  the  future.  Resolved  to  take  this  stand,  to 
plant  themselves  on  this  high  basis,  the  question  as  to  a 
leader  was  at  once  started.  A  leader,  a  pastor,  they  must 
have  ;  and,  to  my  great  surprise,  they  approached  me  on 
the  subject.  I  had  not  dreamed  of  such  a  thing.  My  field, 
I  had  felt,  was  at  the  West.  There  I  had  grown  up  ;  there 
been  trained  ;   there  were  the  loved  ones ;   there  the  noble 

2 


lO 

associates  in  Christian  and  reform  work  ;  there,  really,  all  my 
cherished  ties.  But  the  demand  was  imperative  ;  I  must  re- 
turn. I  did  return,  and  with  my  family :  it  was  in  January, 
1840. 

The  church  was  at  once  organized.  It  had,  for  materials, 
the  Farnsworths,  the  Cragins,  the  Dicksons,  the  Boutelles,  the 
Wheelers,  the  Ruggs,  the  Needhams,  the  Halls,  with  many 
others.  Mrs.  Rockwood,  daughter  of  Pastor  Chaplin  and  sis- 
ter of  William  L.,  now  living  at  Cortland,  Cortland  County, 
New  York,  upwards  of  one  hundred  years  old,  was  with  us, 
though  I  cannot  positively  say  she  was  a  member.  The  basis 
of  the  church  has  already  been  foreshadowed.  It  was  the 
agreements  of  Christians,  with  a  toleration  of  their  differences. 
No  narrower,  no  broader.  And  by  Christians  were  under- 
stood those  who  were  evangelical.  It  stopped  where  the 
Apostolic  Church  stopped.  Whatever  made  a  man  a  Chris- 
tian ;  whatever  entered  essentially  into  Christian  character ; 
whatever  was  so  as  understood  by  the  Evangelical  Churches, 
went  into  the  basis  of  that  church,  and  nothing  more.  There 
was  no  attempt  to  cut  down,  or  to  modify,  in  the  slightest 
degree,  the  system  known  as  Evangelical.  This  was  accepted 
in  its  entirety.  Is  one  a  Christian ;  is  he  one  as  understood 
by  the  Evangelical  Communions .'  — ^^«^,  just  that,  and  only 
that,  was  the  condition  of  admission.  It  was  really  the  same 
as  that  of  the  Evangelical  Alliance ;  the  same,  too,  as  that  of 
the  Young  Men's  Christian  Association.  And  in  these,  we 
are  sure,  we  see  the  Church  of  the  Future.  Such  was  the 
basis.  Planted  on  the  essentials  of  the  Christian  faith,  receiv- 
ing one  another  as  Christ  received  them,  love  was  to  pervade 
all,  and  fuse  all ;  to  be,  too,  the  bond  of  perfectness.  All  felt 
we  might  sing  with  Cowper  — 

"  Were  love,  in  these  the  world's  last  doting  years, 
As  frequent  as  the  want  of  it  appears. 
The  churches  warm'd,  they  would  no  longer  hold 
Such  frozen  figures,  stiff  as  they  are  cold  ; 
Relenting  forms  would  lose  their  power,  or  cease  ; 
And  e'en  the  dipped  and  sprinkled  live  in  peace  : 
Each  heart  would  quit  its  prison  in  the  breast. 
And  flow  in  free  communion  with  the  rest.'' 


II 

The  church  thus  started,  earnest  work  began.  A  powerful 
revival  soon  followed ;  large  numbers  were  added.  The 
church,  at  the  dawn  of  spring,  was  something  near  a  hundred 
strong ;  and,  of  the  new  recruits,  there  were  not  a  few  of 
interest.  I  wish  space  admitted  of  extended  mention.  I 
must  note  a  few. 

There  were  the  two  Bancrofts,  —  George  and  Henry.  These 
brothers  interested  me  at  first  sight.  As  in  the  case  of  our 
Lord,  on  meeting  the  young  man  in  the  Gospel,  I  loved  them. 
There  was  a  nobility  about  them,  an  affability  as  well,  that  in- 
stantly won  my  heart.  George  was  cut  out  for  an  orator  ;  had 
the  elements  for  one.  A  juster  self-estimation  and  the  proper 
training  would  have  made  him  eminent  as  such.  Henry  had 
fine  gifts,  though  different.  These  brothers,  together  with  their 
excellent  wives,  —  and  it  was  my  privilege  to  make  them  such, 
—  were  among  the  first  to  give  in  their  adhesion  to  the  cause. 
So  another  choice  young  man,  and  related  by  marriage,  John 
Robbins ;  he  really  was  slightly  in  advance  in  the  matter. 
There,  too,  was  George  Green,  the  baker,  an  avowed  sceptic, 
who  entered  the  ranks.  And  another  George,  quite  young, 
and  yet  of  promise, — George  S.  Gates.  Besides,  if  I  mistake 
not,  a  sprightly  young  man,  with  high  and  generous  aspira- 
tions, a  son  of  parents  referred  to,  —  Daniel  Needham.  There 
were  others  deserving  of  mention.  The  work  was  far-reach- 
ing. It  attracted  many  from  neighboring  towns,  especially 
from  Lowell ;  and  an  interest  appearing  in  that  city,  I  was 
invited  to  spend  there  some  two  weeks.  Most  satisfactory 
results  followed.  In  the  meantime  a  large  meeting  was  held 
at  Groton  in  the  church  of  the  Reverend  Mr.  Phelps,  with 
some  of  the  ablest  men  in  the  State  as  preachers.  It  was  a 
meeting  of  interest. 

Some  of  the  actors  in  those  scenes  come  back  to  me  with 
great  freshness.  Still,  nearly  all  are  dead.  Deacon  Cragin, 
with  his  winning  face,  is  one:  a  true  man,  and  Christian, 
was  he.  Luther  Boutelle  is  another  of  them  ;  he,  at  the 
time,  was  a  man  of  the  last.  So  was  Henry  Wilson,  of 
Natick.  But  he  was  before  his  Natick  brother  in  the  cause 
of  the  slave,  —  some  time  before.      He  was,  like  Wilson,  a 


12 

good  workman  ;  so  as  a  reformer ;  was  his  equal  in  devotion 
to  the  cause.  He  seemed  more  eager  to  mend  the  nation 
than  to  mend  boots  and  shoes.  A  vast  deal  of  this  mend- 
ing did  he ;  he  was  ever  at  it.  So  when  his  eyes  were 
opened  to  the  sin  and  evils  of  a  divided  Church ;  here  the 
same  earnestness  was  shown.  He  was  one  of  the  most  hope- 
ful of  men.  Better  than  medicine  was  it  to  go  into  his  shop ; 
his  large  hope  was  a  sure  cure  for  despondency :  I  speak 
from  experience.  Fitly  was  he  named  ;  for  he  had  the  hope, 
the  firmness,  the  persistence,  of  the  great  German  reformer. 
Nothing  could  dampen  his  ardor  or  shake  his  purpose  ;  and, 
in  the  power  of  speech,  he  developed  surprisingly.  He  con- 
tinues to  work  ;  seems  to  know  nothing  of  age.  He  is  ever 
moving,  —  keeps  all  the  wheels  of  life  running.  My  early 
love  for  this  man,  early  esteem,  abides  the  same  ;  though,  in 
later  years,  we  have  been  somewhat  divergent  in  view  and 
method.  I  love  him,  esteem  him,  for  his  sterling  qualities, 
and  high  and  varied  work. 

The  Wheelers  are  others.  Early  and  ardent  were  they 
in  the  work,  and  in  its  several  lines.  The  older,  however, 
charming  in  aspect  and  sweet  in  spirit,  early  fell  a  victim 
to  consumption  ;  but  Samuel  C.  was  spared,  and  rendered 
good  service.  Cheerful  and  earnest  was  he.  His  face  was 
an  inspiration  ;  he  kept  all  in  heart.  He  once  visited  me 
in  after  years ;  and  our  correspondence,  as  in  the  case  of 
Henry  Bancroft,  was  long  kept  up. 

But  one  of  the  most  marked  of  these  is  Elizabeth  Farns- 
worth;  she  would  be  marked  anywhere.  Remarkable  was 
her  brain-power  and  force  of  character.  Physically,  much  like 
her  brother  the  Doctor ;  mentally,  if  anything,  his  superior. 
She  was  capable  of  filling  any  position,  and  with  honor.  Her 
mind  was  decidedly  of  a  philosophical  cast ;  broad,  deep,  and 
intensely  clear.  She  was  quick  to  detect  error  and  to  see 
truth,  and  grandly  able  to  expose  the  one  and  defend  the 
other.  Her  pen  was  keen,  incisive,  strong ;  so  to  the  last.  I 
have  scores  of  her  letters,  which,  if  printed  in  a  volume,  would 
attract  wide  attention ;  and  age,  as  hinted,  had  no  power  to 
impair  that  pen.     Her  last  letters  to  me.  and  when  she  was 


13 

along  in  the  nineties,  are  as  racy,  trenchant,  and  nervous  as 
any  I  ever  received  from  her.  Her  penmanship,  too,  held 
much  the  same.  I  have  surprised  and  delighted  numbers  of 
my  friends  by  showing  them  these  letters.  The  like  none  of 
them  had  ever  seen.  She  was  early  a  Christian,  and  of  the 
Puritan  stamp.  Hers  was  the  faith  brought  in  the  "  May- 
flower." She,  too,  was  among  the  very  first  for  Freedom  and 
Church  Unity.  And,  in  keeping  with  her  character,  near 
the  close  of  her  life  she  generously  remembered  Lawrence 
Academy,  the  institution  to  which  she  felt  so  much  indebted. 
All  honor  to  a  town,  giving  birth,  rearing,  culture,  even 
limited  scope,  to  such  a  woman  as  Elizabeth  Farnsworth ! 
Would  that  some  able  pen  might  do  itself  the  credit,  the 
town"  the  favor,  and  the  subject  the  justice,  to  write  her  full 
history !  ^ 

It  was  somewhere,  in  this  connection,  I  first  made  the  ac- 
quaintance of  David  Fosdick,  who  had,  I  believe,  previously 
graduated  at  Amherst  and  Andover.  He  favorably  impressed 
me ;  his  face  amply  recommended  him.  Unlike  most  of 
his  rearing  and  culture,  he  seemed  in  sympathy  with  my 
work.  Though  not  making  himself  at  all  prominent,  he  was 
affording  quiet  proof  of  his  good-will.  This  was  help ;  a 
stimulus  indeed.  And  when,  after  me  and  on  the  same  field, 
he  made  a  most  worthy  attempt  against  sects,  and  in  behalf 
of  unity,  my  love  and  admiration  of  the  man  were  greatly 
increased.  True,  from  the  force  of  early  training,  and  subse- 
quent culture,  his  plan  of  union  differed  from  mine  ;  yet  I 
honored  and  admired  him  for  so  noble  an  attempt  in  his  own 
line  of  thought  and  belief.  It  was  eminently  praiseworthy. 
Besides,  the  few  discourses  he  kindly  sent  me,  so  able  and 
scholarly,  afforded  me  much  pleasure  and  profit. 

In  my  first  audiences  in  Groton,  I  noticed  a  young  man 
who  attracted  my  attention.  He  was,  I  should  say,  about 
twenty-two  years  of  age, — perhaps  slightly  older;  of  medium 
height,  spare,  erect,  trim,  dark,  with  a  well-formed  head,  and 
a  thoughtful  face.  He  was  serious,  always  attentive,  ever 
observant  of  the  proprieties  of  the  place.  He  was  evidently 
1  See  Appendix,  page  20. 


14 

present  to  hear ;  to  get  light,  if  it  was  to  be  shed.  These 
traits  so  impressed  me,  that  I  early  inquired  who  he  was.  I 
was  told  he  was  a  clerk  in  a  certain  store.  I  confess  to  a 
little  surprise ;  for  I  had  thought  that  studious  face  marked 
him  as  a  member  of  one  of  the  professions,  and  most  likely 
that  of  the  law.  But  I  found  that  my  information  was  cor- 
rect. I  met  him  often  afterwards  at  his  place  of  business. 
He  seemed  different  from  most  young  men.  He  was  not,  as 
I  remember,  very  much  in  society;  his  tastes  not  seeming  to 
run  that  way.  He  moved  more  by  himself ;  so  it  struck  me. 
He  was  evidently  a  young  man  of  books  ;  a  close  student.  I 
could  lay  no  claim  to  intimacy.  We  had  little  in  common,  as 
I  conceived,  either  in  politics,  ethics,  or  religion.  Still,  I  felt 
an  interest  in  him,  a  drawing  towards  him,  because  of  the 
qualities  stated  ;  and  this  was  increased  by  the  sad  death  of 
his  employer,  in  the  fall  of  1840.  Disappointment  as  to  the 
result  of  the  election,  in  that  memorable  struggle,  so  wrought 
upon  him  as  to  lead  him  to  end  his  own  days.  This  sad 
event  drew  to  the  young  man  more  attention,  and,  as  I  think, 
more  sympathy. 

But  for  a  season  I  lost  sight  of  him.  His  time  had  not  yet 
come.  Things  were  shaping  to  bring  him  to  the  surface,  but 
the  process  was  slow.  The  leaven  of  anti-slavery  was  silently 
at  work  in  the  Church  and  in  the  State  —  potentially  at  work ; 
and  yet  there  was  little  to  evidence  it.  God  was  preparing 
his  men  for  the  grand  struggle  coming ;  but  it  was  quite  away 
from  the  public  eye.  He  had  purposed  the  downfall  of  sla- 
very, and  he  had  his  chief  agents  in  a  course  of  training. 
They  would  appear  in  due  time ;  indeed,  surprise  the  nation 
and  the  world  when  the  crisis  came.  This  is  the  Divine  way 
of  working.  He  knows  what  he  will  do,  and  by  what  agen- 
cies he  will  do  it,  and  prepares  them  for  it.  When  needed, 
they  are  brought  forth.  They  are  no  accidents ;  they  are 
picked  and  trained  agents,  to  work  out  his  designs,  to 
achieve  grand  and  beneficent  results.  Lincoln  was  no  ac- 
cident ;  Grant  was  none ;  Seward  was  none ;  Sumner  was 
none  ;  Henry  Wilson  none  ;  neither  was  George  S.  Boutwell. 
They  were  chosen   men,  divinely  chosen,  and  fitted  before- 


IS 

hand  for  their  high  work.  All  went  to  the  anti-slavery 
school ;  all  learned  in  that  school  the  high  lesson  of  true 
Liberty.  Without  such  a  school,  the  country  and  the  world 
would  have  been  without  such  men. 

In  the  summer  of  1840,  a  Convention  was  held  at  Gro- 
ton  in  the  interest  of  Evangelical  Unity.  It  was,  I  think,  in 
August ;  it  was  held  in  the  Hall.  The  plan  was  early  formed. 
It  was  intended  to  be  like  that  already  noticed  at  Syracuse, 
N.  Y.,  in  1838.  And,  to  prepare  the  way,  as  well  as  to  pro- 
mote the  general  cause,  a  little  paper  was  started,  styled  "  The 
Church  Reformer."  It  did  not,  as  I  remember,  aim  at  per- 
manence ;  nor  was  it  entirely  regular  in  its  appearance.  The 
first  issue  was  devoted  largely  to  a  Plea  for  Unity  and  the 
Apostolic  Basis  of  such  Unity.  It  contained,  I  believe,  The 
Declaration  of  Principles  adopted  at  Syracuse.  In  it,  of 
course,  was  the  Call.  Not  a  copy  of  it,  to  my  great  regret, 
can  be  found ;  nor  of  any  subsequent  issue.  But  the  paper, 
especially  the  first  issue,  attracted  wide  attention.  It  drew 
forth  many  able  letters,  and  nearly  all  commendatory,  which 
appeared  in  after  issues.^ 

The  Convention  promised  to  be  a  large  one,  and  so  it 
proved.  The  season  was  charming ;  Groton  appeared  at  its 
best.  Representatives  gathered  from  most,  if  not  all,  of  the 
New  England  States.  New  York  was  represented.  Gerrit 
Smith  was  expected,  but  was  prevented.  The  Reverend 
Luther  Myrick,  editor  of  "  The  Union  Herald  "  was  present, 
and  did  himself  and  the  cause  great  credit.  The  Reverend 
A.  C.  Lord,  who  was  my  successor,  was  also  there,  and  shared 
creditably  in  the  proceedings.  Boston,  of  course,  was  present 
in  the  persons  of  some  of  its  stalwarts.  I  recall  Oliver  Johnson, 
the  anti-slavery  veteran  ;  Mrs.  Chapman,  one  of  the  foremost 
women  in  the  great  movement,  and  one  of  the  most  gifted  ; 
and  John  A.  Collins,  general  agent  of  the  State  Society. 
Theodore  Parker  was  present,  but  only  as  an  on-looker. 

The  Convention  was  enthusiastic  as  well  as  large.  It  con- 
tinued for  three  days.  It  was  not,  as  expected,  entirely  harmo- 
nious. The  Basis  of  Unity  was  the  matter  of  disagreement ; 
1  See  Appendix,  page  23. 


i6 

the  one  bone  of  contention.  But,  after  a  long  and  earnest 
discussion, — a  good-spirited  one,  too,  —  it  was  overwhelmingly 
settled  that  the  movement  contemplated  only  a  union  on  the 
Evangelical  Basis ;  that  it  simply  proposed  a  return  to  the 
Apostolic  model ;  that  it  was  not  to  alter  the  basis  of  that 
church,  or  to  widen  its  door,  or  to  modify  its  doctrines  oi 
its  ritual  or  even  its  polity ;  that  it  was  not  a  reform  in  any 
of  these  senses;  that  its  sole  object  was  the  restoration  ol 
Original  Church  Unity  ;  that  it  was  broad  in  this  sense,  and 
no  broader;  that  this  was  its  purpose,  justification,  commen- 
dation. Such  was  the  decision  reached,  and  by  a  most  deci- 
sive vote.  The  proceedings  were  published,  as  reported  by 
Mrs.  Chapman,  in  "The  Church  Reformer;"  but,  as  I  have 
said,  not  a  copy  have  I  been  able  to  find. 

I  will  add  —  yet  I  need  not  —  that  this  was  no  Anti-Church 
movement.  There  was,  and  nearly  synchronizing  with  it,  such 
a  movement.  It  was  provoked,  and  not  a  little  palliated,  by 
the  attitude  of  the  Church  toward  the  slave.  It  was  the  un- 
churchly  position  of  the  Church  that  occasioned  it.  And  it 
went  farther  —  went  farther  on  the  same  principle.  It  struck 
at  the  State.  It  was  Anti-State,  as  well  as  Anti-Church.  It 
struck  at  both,  and  logically  at  what  was  cherished  by  both. 
Even  the  Bible  did  not  escape.  It  was,  I  said,  provoked, 
and  in  a  degree  extenuated.  Not  justified  ;  for  the  abuse  ot 
a  thing  does  not  justify  its  destruction.  This  principle  car- 
ried out  would  leave  us  nothing ;  everything  would  perish. 
The  movement  at  Groton  had  no  manner  of  connection  with 
this.  It  was  as  far  from  it  —  using  the  Miltonic  measure- 
ment — 

"  As  from  the  centre  thrice  to  the  utmost  pole." 

The  idea  of  these  grand  but  mistaken  men  was  to  crush 
slavery  by  crushing  the  Church  and  the  State.  My  idea  was 
to  crush  it  through  them,  by  first  bringing  them  back  to  their 
normal  position.  Hence,  through  all  the  bitter  struggle,  I 
stood  by  the  Church  and  the  State;  stood  by  the  Church  to 
reconstruct  it  after  the  pattern  of  its  Divine  Founder,  and  by 
the  State  to  reconstruct  it  after  the  pattern  of  its  founders. 


17 

I  stood  by  both  for  reconstruction  after  the  original  models. 
Such  was  my  position.  Such  the  position  of  the  Church  at 
the  Hall. 

The  Convention  naturally  gave  a  new  impetus  to  the  cause ; 
gave  it  character  and  standing,  too.  There  were  calls  for  lec- 
tures on  all  sides.  They  were  given  —  given  very  exten- 
sively. And  so  continued  until  late  in  the  summer  of  1841. 
At  that  period,  two  gentlemen  appeared  at  the  hotel.  One 
was  the  Hon.  Wm.  H.  Stowell,  of  New  Bedford.  The  North 
Christian  Church  of  that  city,  and  the  largest  one  there,  had, 
after  serious  trouble,  dismissed  its  pastor,  and  not  only  desired 
a  new  one,  but  was  intent  upon  a  new  departure.  It  desired  an 
Orthodox  man  ;  I  was  the  one  sought.  I  assured  them  the 
thing  was  out  of  the  question  ;  that  I  could  not  possibly  leave 
my  position  and  work.  Then  they  said  they  would  stay  the 
remainder  of  the  season.  They  did  stay  several  days.  Finally 
they  pressed  me  to  spend  a  single  Sabbath  there ;  I  reluct- 
antly consented.  After  the  Sabbath,  a  unanimous  call  was 
extended.  Taking  two  weeks  to  consider,  I  at  last  accepted 
on  the  express  conditions  that  the  new  departure  should  be 
actualized,  and  that  I  should  have  the  cordial  co-operation  of 
the  church  in  my  two  lines  of  reform.  The  Reverend  A.  C. 
Lord,  as  stated,  was  brought  to  take  my  place.  He  was  a 
native  of  Rome,  N.  Y. ;  a  man  of  good  culture,  excellent 
spirit,  and  earnestly  devoted  to  Freedom  in  the  State  and 
Unity  in  the  Church. 

I  left  Groton  regretfully  in  September,  1841.  Many  ties 
and  tender  bound  me  to  the  place.  It  will  ever  have  a  charm 
—  a  special  one  —  as  the  birthplace  of  my  oldest  daughter, 
now  Mrs.  Stafford,  of  Chicago.  As  to  my  work  there,  I  did 
what  I  could.  There  were  faults  and  youthful  indiscretions  ; 
were  many.  Yet  I  have  nothing  to  take  back,  nothing  to 
modify,  as  to  principles  or  even  methods.  I  feel,  after  the 
lapse  of  forty-five  years,  that  they  were  right.  Nor  does  the 
seeming  failure,  in  the  slightest  degree,  lessen  this  conviction, 
Whittier  is  right  — 

3 


i8 

"  Thy  task  may  well  seem  over-hard, 
Who  scatterest  in  a  thankless  soil 
Thy  life  as  seed,  with  no  reward 
Save  that  which  duty  gives  to  toil. 
Vel  do  thy  work ;  it  shall  succeed 
In  thine  or  in  another's  day; 
And  if  denied  the  victor's  meed. 
Thou  shalt  not  lack  the  toiler's  pay." 

I  have  much   more   to  add  ;    but  your  space  and  patience 
have  already  been  sorely  taxed. 

Faithfully  yours, 

Silas  Hawley. 


APPENDIX. 


William  Lawrence  Chaplin  was  a  prominent  Abolition- 
ist in  the  early  days  of  Anti-slavery  agitation.  On  August  8, 
1850,  he  was  thrown  into  prison  at  Washington,  D.  C,  and 
treated  with  great  cruelty  and  indignity,  for  helping  two  run- 
away slaves  to  escape,  who  belonged  to  Messrs.  Toombs  and 
Stephens,  representatives  in  Congress  from  Georgia.  He  was 
subsequently  given  up  to  the  Maryland  authorities,  and  then 
confined  in  the  jail  at  Rockville,  the  shire-town  of  Montgomery 
County,  where  he  was  treated  with  much  kindness.  It  hap- 
pened, fortunately  for  him,  that  the  sheriff  of  this  county  was 
a  gentleman  and  a  Christian,  and  the  jailer  a  man  of  good 
feelings  and  humanity.  He  was  finally  released  on  very  heavy 
bail,  provided  by  his  friends  and  of  course  forfeited  by  him. 
A  pamphlet  was  published  soon  afterward,  giving  a  full  his- 
tory of  the  case,  which  was  entitled :  The  Case  |  of  |  William 
L.  Chaplin  ;  |  being  |  an  Appeal  |  to  all  |  Respecters  of  Law 
and  Justice,  |  against  |  the  cruel  and  oppressive  treatment  to 
which,  under  color  |  of  legal  proceedings,  he  has  been  sub- 
jected, in  the  |  District  of  Columbia  and  the  State  of  |  Mary- 
land. ||  Boston  :  Published  by  the  Chaplin  Committee  185 1. 
pp.  54. 

The  following  extract  is  taken  from  it :  — 

Thus,  after  an  imprisonment  of  six  weeks  at  AVashington,  and  of 
thirteen  weeks  more  at  Rockville,  was  Mr.  Chaplin  delivered  out  of 
the  hands  of  the  Philistines  ;  not,  however,  till  his  friends  had  paid 
for  him  the  enormous  ransom  of  $25,000.     (Page  49.) 

Mr,  Chaplin  was  the  son  of  the  Reverend  Daniel  and 
Susanna  (Prescott)  Chaplin,  and    born  at  Groton    on   Octo- 


20 

ber  27,  1796.  He  died  at  Cortland,  Cortland  County,  New 
York,  on  April  28,  1871.  In  speaking  of  him,  the  Reverend 
John  Todd,  D.D.,  who  was  the  colleague  and  successor  of  his 
father,  writes :  — 

He  was  the  youngest  son,  —  the  staff  of  the  old  man's  age.  He 
relinquished  all  hopes  and  openings  in  his  profession,  —  the  law, — 
that  he  might  comfort  and  support  his  aged  parents  on  their  way  to 
the  grave.  Most  dutifully  did  he  perform  every  filial  duty  till  he 
had  seen  his  parents  laid  in  the  tomb.  Dr.  James  P.  Chaplin,  of 
Cambridge,  so  successful  in  the  treatment  of  the  insane,  was  an 
older  brother;  and  his  grandfather  [great-uncle?].  Col.  Prescott, 
was  a  commander  at  the  battle  of  Bunker  Hill.     {Ibid.,  page  15.) 


Dr.  Amos  Farnsworth  was  the  son  of  Major  Amos  and 
Elizabeth  (Rockwood)  Farnsworth,  and  born  at  Groton  on 
August  30,  1788.  He  graduated  at  the  Harvard  Medical 
School  in  the  class  of  1813,  and  died  at  Roxbury  on  July  31, 
1 86 1.  He  was  a  man  of  marked  ability,  and  Mr.  Hawley's 
appreciation  of  his  character  is  eminently  just.  At  an  early 
period  he  espoused  the  cause  of  the  slave,  when  it  cost  a  man 
his  social  position  and  popularity  to  take  the  side  of  that 
unfortunate  class.  He  was  with  Mr.  Garrison  at  the  time 
of  the  "Garrison  Mob"  in  Boston,  October  21,  1835,  and  he 
also  helped  largely  to  furnish  the  means  for  starting  the 
"National  Anti-Slavery  Standard"  at  New  York.  Dr.  Farns- 
worth's  labors  in  the  anti-slavery  cause  are  noticed  in  the 
second  volume  of  Mr.  Garrison's  Life,  recently  published. 


The  following  tributes  to  Miss  Farnsworth's  character 
appeared  soon  after  her  death,  the  first  one  in  the  "  Boston 
Commonwealth,"  February  23,  1884,  and  the  other  in  the 
"Groton  Citizen,"  March,  1884:  — 

In  Groton,  2d  inst..  Miss  Elizabeth  Farnsworth,  aged  91  yrs.  3 
mos.,  daughter  of  Major  Amos  Farnsworth,  who  fought  at  Bunker 
Hill. 


21 

This  lady  was  a  rare  specimen  of  a  genuine  New  England  wo- 
man —  strong  in  intellect,  decided  and  independent  in  character,  of 
great  energy,  and  firm  in  her  religious  faith,  and  a  constant  reader 
of  the  best  books,  having  a  tenacious  memory  and  keeping  herself 
well  informed  of  things  occurring  all  over  the  world,  in  which  she 
retained  the  vivid  interest  of  a  young  person.  An  early  Garrison 
abolitionist  (as  were  her  whole  family),  she  was  in  sympathy  with 
all  reformatory  efforts,  including  those  to  secure  larger  rights  for 
women,  and  herself  voted  at  the  town  election  for  school  committee 
when  86.  She  excelled  as  a  most  ready  letter-writer,  and  wrote  a 
long  letter  the  very  morning  of  her  death,  which  occurred  suddenly 
of  heart  disease,  while  her  mind  was  bright  as  ever.  Among  her 
papers  has  been  found  the  following  letter  from  Mr.  Garrison,  writ- 
ten her  about  five  weeks  before  his  death,  dated  Roxbury,  April  19, 
1879.  After  acknowledging  some  gifts  for  the  suffering  colored 
people  in  Kansas,  he  says :  — 

"  It  would  be  indeed  a  most  pleasing  occurrence  to  me  if  I  could 
have  the  opportunity  of  seeing  you  face  to  face  and  conversing  with 
you  in  regard  to  things  past  and  present ;  but,  though  I  am  at  least 
twelve  years  your  junior,  my  health  is  so  far  affected  that  I  am 
obliged  to  keep  very  closely  to  my  home,  though  none  the  less  in 
favor  of  'immediate  and  unconditional  emancipation'  from  all  'the 
ills  that  flesh  is  heir  to  ; '  but  happily  that  will  be  realized  at  no  dis- 
tant day,  in  accordance  with  the  law  of  mortality.  I  bear  in  affec- 
tionate remembrance  your  deceased  brother.  Dr.  Amos  Farnsworth, 
whose  friendship  I  greatly  prized,  and  who  brought  to  the  support 
of  the  anti-slavery  cause  an  inflexible  purpose,  a  whole-souled  con- 
secration, a  warmly  sympathetic  spirit,  and  a  noble  disregard  of 
that  '  fear  of  man,  which  bringeth  a  snare.'  I  hope  to  clasp  hands 
with  him  on  another  plane  of  existence,  and  with  many  other  dear 
friends  and  co-workers,  who  have  preceded  me  in  the  matter  of 
translation  to  a  higher  life.  May  the  remainder  of  your  days  be 
without  any  drawback  and  yet  extended  to  a  centennial  period. 
"  Yours  with  profound  respect, 

"William  Lloyd  Garrison." 


22 


MISS    ELIZABETH    FARNSWORTH,; 

a  well-known  resident  of  Groton,  died  of  old  age  on  Saturday, 
February  2.  She  was  the  daughter  of  Major  Amos  and  Eliza- 
beth (Rockwood)  Farnsworth,  and  born  on  October  19,  1792.  She 
came  from  a  sturdy  stock,  both  physically  and  mentally;  and  rep- 
resentatives of  her  family  not  infrequently  have  reached  an  age 
upwards  of  ninety  years. 

Her  father  died  October  19,  1847,  aged  93  years,  6  months  and 
1  day;  and  her  mother  died  December  11,  1847,  aged  90  years,  7 
months  and  24  days,  each  one  at  the  time  of  death  the  oldest  person 
in  town. 

Her  brother  Luke  lived  to  be  over  90,  and  she  herself  at  the 
time  of  decease  was  91  years,  3  months  and  14  days.  Her  ancestry 
was  peculiarly  of  Groton  origin,  having  descended  from  families  who 
belonged  to  the  very  earliest  settlers  of  the  place,  including  among 
them  the  Rockwoods,  Longleys,  and  Prescotts.  She  was  the  last 
member  of  her  immediate  branch,  bearing  the  name,  who  lived  in 
the  town.  She  was  more  familiar  with  the  old  traditions  of  Groton 
than  any  person  living  at  the  present  time. 

Miss  Farnsworth  was  a  woman  of  strong  mental  qualities,  and 
took  active  interest  in  all  the  social  and  political  questions  of  the 
day.  She  was  a  constant  reader  of  the  newspapers,  and  kept  her- 
self informed  with  regard  to  current  news.  She  was  an  ardent 
advocate  of  temperance,  and  a  firm  believer  in  the  literal  inter- 
pretation of  the  Scriptures.  It  was  always  pleasant  to  talk  with 
her  on  these  subjects,  as  she  was  so  familiar  with  them,  and  ever 
ready  with  apt  quotations. 

In  her  girlhood  Miss  Farnsworth  was  a  scholar  at  the  Academy, 
having  attended  in  the  year  1804,  while  under  the  preceptorship  of 
Mr.  Butler.  At  that  time  the  institution  was  known  as  Groton 
Academy.  She  always  took  a  deep  interest  in  the  welfare  of  the 
school ;  and  only  last  October  she  sent  for  the  writer  of  these  lines 
and  told  him  that  she  did  not  expect  to  live  through  the  winter,  and 
desired  to  add  her  name  to  the  list  of  subscribers,  in  aid  of  the 
Academy  fund.  She  then  gave  him  the  sum  of  five  hundred  dollars 
for  that  object,  and  told  him  to  say  nothing  about  it  during  her 
life-time,  and  this  is  the  first  public  announcement  of  the  fact. 

S.  A,  G, 


23 


The  following  reference  to  the  Convention  is  found  in  the 
Life  of  William  Lloyd  Garrison,  written  by  his  sons,  and 
published  last  year  in  New  York.  A  fuller  account  is  given 
in  No.  IV.  of  this  Historical  Series  (page  13),  under  the  head 
of  "Two  Groton  Conventions." 

The  year  1840  was,  in  a  fermenting  period,  distinguished  for  the 
number  of  conventions,  of  every  species,  looking  to  the  ameliora- 
tion of  human  society.  One,  which  made  much  stir,  was  held  at 
Groton,  Mass.,  on  August  12  (while  Mr.  Garrison  was  on  the 
water),  being  called  by  the  friends  of  Christian  Union,  who  in- 
quired :  "  Is  the  outward  organization  of  the  Church  a  human  or 
a  divine  institution  ? "  Amos  Farnsworth  was  in  the  chair,  and 
among  other  Abolitionists  who  participated  were  A.  B.  Alcott,  J.  V. 
Himes,  and  Cyrus  M.  Burleigh.  But  also  one  remarked  the  Rev. 
George  Ripley,  the  future  founder  of  the  Brook  Farm  Commun- 
ity ;   Christopher  Pearce  Cranch ;   and  (as  the  report  read  in  the 

Liberator)   " Parker,  of  Roxbury,"   with  little-known  Second 

Adventists  and  "  Come-outers  "  (II.  421). 


REMINISCENCES   OF   THE   REV.    MR.   PATCH. 

By  the  kindness  of  Mr.  Hawley  I  am  allowed  to  make  an 
extract  from  a  letter,  dated  Stevens  Point,  Wisconsin,  February 
19,  1886,  and  written  to  him  by  the  Reverend  Jacob  Patch,  a 
native  of  Groton,  which  gives  some  of  his  early  recollections 
of  the  town. 

I  have  no  recollections  of  Groton  that  would  not  probably  be 
far  better  recollected  by  mfiny  who  are  now  living  there,  and  have 
kept  their  memory  fresh  by  passing  places  associated  with  interest- 
ing events,  and  by  hearing  over  and  over  again  a  recital  of  the 
otherwise  fading  scraps  of  history."  "Leaving  the  State  at  sixteen,  I 
had  only  a  boy's  interest  in  passing  events.     Dr.  Chaplin  had  grown 


24 

old,  and  as  the  art  of  dentistry  was  not  then  perfected,  old  people 
often  were  very  slow  and  measured  in  speech,  and  we  boys  were  in 
the  habit  of  doing  some  thinking  between  the  Doctor's  utterances, 
until  we  were  forced  to  sleep  by  being  compelled  to  sit  still  ;  and 
hence  when  John  Todd  came,  with  his  sparkling  thoughts  and  ear- 
nest gestures,  we  children  became  his  followers.  Dr.  Chaplin  seems 
to  have  been  of  the  Orthodox  faith,  and  so  he  was  in  heart  sym- 
pathy with  Mr.  Todd  and  his  followers.  But  the  women  and  chil- 
dren could  not  vote  in  church  matters,  and  the  poor  men  going 
with  the  Todd  party  were  out-voted,  and  voted  out  of  the  meeting- 
house by  those  who  had  adopted  the  Unitarian  views,  and  hence 
were  obliged,  though  not  well  able,  to  meet  the  cost  of  building  a 
house,  and  sustain  the  work  incident  to  the  separate  congregation. 
Those  were  times  of  highly  excited  feelings ;  and  then,  as  at  other 
times,  there  were  men  of  the  baser  sort,  who  had  not  intellect  and 
good  taste  enough  to  devise  any  better  way  to  express  their  zeal, 
who  would  take  out  the  linchpins  (they  did  not  have  burrs  or  nuts 
then  to  hold  the  wheels  on  their  carriages)  and  make  other  dis- 
arrangement of  harness  and  carriages  at  the  evening  meetings,  — 
and  these  feats  of  foolishness  and  danger  were  practised  upon  the 
Todd  party  without  retaliation.  The  most  impressive  event  of  the 
year  1829  or  about  that  time  was  the  burning  of  barns.^  I  do  not 
remember  how  many,  but  at  least  seven  valuable  barns  were  burned 
within  a  few  months,  and  there  seemed  to  be  no  discrimination  of 
party  in  politics  or  church.  The  whole  matter,  as  far  as  I  can 
remember,  was  without  explanation.  All  such  events,  you  readily 
see,  would  be  the  things  remembered  by  a  boy,  and  better  remem- 
bered, perhaps,  by  people  who  were  of  more  mature  age  at  the  time, 
and  are  still  living  with  their  faculties  unimpaired ;  so  please  do  not 
let  Dr.  Green  expect  me  to  contribute  anything  connected  with 
the  history  of  dear  old  Groton.  It  is  a  pleasure  to  see  the  name 
of  a  son  of  our  physician  of  olden  time  in  honor. 

1  See  No.  IX.  of  this  Historical  Series,  page  24. 


GROTON    HISTORICAL   SERIES. 
•  No.  XII. 


GROTON   DURING   THE   INDIAN   WARS. 

JOHN   PRESCOTT'S  AGREEMENT  WITH  THE  TOWf 

SIMON  WILLARD   AND   NONACOICUS   FARM. 

SAMUEL  CARTER,  FOURTH   MINISTER 
OF   GROTON. 


GROTON,    MASS. 
1886. 


GROTON,   MASSACHUSETTS,    1886. 
Historical  Series,  No.  XH. 


GROTON    DURING   THE    INDIAN   WARS. 

The  following  article  contains  certain  facts  not  mentioned 
in  "  Groton  during  the  Indian  Wars,"  and  is  intended  to 
supplenient  the  incidents  given  in  that  book. 

The  fullest  account  of  the  burning  of  Groton  by  the  In- 
dians, on  March  13,  1676,  is  found  in  the  Reverend  William 
Hubbard's  Narrative ;  ttiougR  there  is  a  good  deal  of  con- 
fusion and  uncertainty  in  the  dates,  so  far  as  they  relate  to  the 
relief  sent  to  the  town  and  the  removal  of  the  inhabitants  at 
that  time.  Various  attempts  have  been  made  by  different 
writers  to  reconcile  these  inconsistencies,  but  without  success. 
The  following  extracts  from  manuscripts,  hitherto  unpublished, 
throw  a  little  light  on  the  subject,  but  unfortunately  do  not 
solve  all  the  doubts.  The  first  one  is  from  a  paper  among  the 
Middlesex  Court  files  at  East  Cambridge. 

It  seems  that  Thomas  Danforth,  Register,  had  issued  a 
summons  to  the  constable  at  Watertown  to  warn  the  freemen 
of  that  town  to  choose  three  able  and  meet  men  to  serve  on 
the  jury  of  trials  ;  and  a  return  is  made  by  William  Bond, 
constable,  certifying  that  John  Bright  was  one  of  the  three 
men,  but  he  "  is  now  since  his  choyce  Impressed  to  helpe 
fetch  ye  poore  desstresed  people  from  Groatne."  The  cer- 
tificate is  dated  "151  7S-6,"  —  the  same  as  March  15,  1676, 
—  and  found  in  File  27,  No.  2,  Paper  6. 


The  other  extract  is  taken  from  a  letter  written  by  the 
Council  to  Major  Savage,  on  April  i,  1676,  and  now  among 
the  Massachusetts  Archives  (LXVIII.  192)  at  the  State 
House.     The  extract  is  as  follows  :  — 

The  Towne  of  Lancaster  is  wholy  deserted  Groton  can  abide 
no  longer  y°  Vntill  carts  bee  sent  To  bring  y*"  wch  wilbe  next  weeke, 
Chelmsfored  wee  fearre  will  bee  soone  nessecated  to  do  y'  like  and 
what  Meadfeld  and  other  froneters  towns  may  short  bee  put  vpon 
ye  Lord  know 

This  agrees  with  one  of  the  accounts  that  has  come  down 
from  early  times.  It  is  highly  probable,  however,  that  some 
of  the  families  left  the  place  immediately  after  the  destruction 
of  their  homes. 

At  this  assault  John  Morse  was  carried  off  by  the  Indians, 
as  a  prisoner,  and  taken  to  the  neighborhood  of  Wachusett 
mountain,  but  he  was  ransomed  soon  afterward  on  the  payment 
of  five  pounds  by  John  Hubbard,  of  Boston.  The  following 
extract  from  a  letter,  written  by  Daniel  Henchman,  June  2, 
1676,  helps  to  fix  the  date  of  his  release.  Probably  he  was 
not  delivered  up  until  the  money  was  forthcoming,  as  prison- 
ers were  a  cash  article,  worth  at  that  time  about  four  pounds  ; 
and  the  rum,  doubtless,  hastened  the  bargain.  Tom  Dublet, 
the  agent  in  the  affair,  was  a  friendly  Indian,  with  several 
"aliases,"  who  lived  at  Wamesit  on  the  Merrimack  River. 

Captain  Daniel  Henchman  writes,  under  the  date  of  June  2, 
1676: — 

Tom.  Dublet  went  a  way  soone  after  Mf  Clark  and  with  him 
Jonathan  Prescott,  Daniel  Champney  &  Josiah  White  carrying 
the  pay  for  Goodman  Moss  &  3  gallons  of  rum. 

[Massachusetts  Archives,  LXIX.  ii.] 

In  the  spring  of  1684,  eight  years  afterward,  Prescott  and 
Champney  signed  a  certificate  to  the  Council,  setting  forth 
the  valuable  services  of  the  Indian  in  securing  Morse's  free- 
dom, and  recommending  him  for  a  gratuity,  which  was  accord- 
ingly granted  by  that  body,  in  the  shape  of  two  coats.  The 
certificate  is  as  follows  :  — 


,  April  the  second  1684 

Whereas  wee  Peeter  Gardner,  Daniel  Chamney  &  Jonathan 
Prescot  were  Imployed  By  the  Hono'ed  Council  somtime  in  May  or 
June  1677  [1676  ?]  To  goe  vp  among  The  enimy  Indians  that  then 
quartered  in  the  woods  About  Watchuset  in  order  to  procure  the 
deliuery  of  Inglish  Captiues.  Wee  doe  Certify  that  Thomas  Dublet 
alius  Nepanet  was  our  interp'ter  &  helper  in  that  Affayre  ;  And 
that  hee  hadlaeene  a  jorney  before  that  time  to  treat  w*  the  enimy 
&  had  procured  them  to  meet  vs,  aboue  twenty  miles  from  ther 
quarters  for  the  sachem  met  vs  betwene  Concord  &  Groaten  ;  And 
at  that  time  old  Goodman  Moss  of  Waterton  [Groton  ?]  was  de- 
liuerd  to  vs  &  brought  home  &  haueing  By  order  paid  fower  pounds 
for  his  redempti[on]  w'^''  Thomas  Nepan[et]  had  bargaind  for  in  his 
forme [r]  jorney,  And  wee  further  say  y'  the  said  Tom  Nepanet 
carried  it  faithfully  in  that  matter  &  Deserues  satisfaction  for  his 
Trauile  &  Adventure  in  y'  dificult  time  &  wee  vnderstand  hee  hath 
receiued  no  satisfaction  for  that  seruice  hitherto,  therefore  wee 
humble  conceue  the  Honored  Councill  should  consider,  him  &  order 
him  to  receue  thirty  or  forty  shillings  for  that  Hazardoes  seruice  : 
And  In  testimony  of  the  Truth  of  this  certificate  wee  whose  names 
are  aboue  exp'sed  haue  hervnto  sett  o'  hands,  the  day  &  yeare 
aboue  written. 

To  bee  p'sented  To  the  Honble  Gouerno'  &  Councill  of  the  Mas- 
sachusetts Colony  ;  by  the  pson  Concerned. 

Jonathan  Prescott 
Danil  Chamne 

Edward  Rawson,  the  Secretary  of  the  Colony,  writes  under 
the  certificate  the  action  in  regard  to  it,  as  follows  :  — 

At  a  Council  held  at  Boston  the  8*  May  1684  In  Answer  to  the 
petition  of  Tho  Dublett  Indian  &  in  sattisfaction  for  his  paynes  & 
trauile  about  y'  procurme'  of  Goodman  Morses  freedom  from  y° 
Indians  Its  ordered  that  y'  Tresurer  Giue  him  two  Coates 

past 

E  R  S 
[Massachusetts  Archives,  XXX.  279.] 

The  Colonial  authorities  had  full  knowledge  of  the  intended 
attacks  on  the  several  towns  of  Lancaster,  Groton,  Marl- 
borough, Sudbury,  and  Medfield,  during  Philip's  War  ;  and 


4 

their  slow  action  in  meeting  the  danger  is  not  ''asy  to  ex- 
plain. Rumors  had  been  rife  among  the  settlers  that  dan- 
ger was  threatening,  and,  in  order  to  learn'  the  truth  of  these 
stories.  Governor  Leverett  concluded  to  send  out  spies.  For 
this  purpose  he  selected  James  Quanapaug  and  Job  Katena- 
nit,  two  friendly  Indians,  who  were  as  well  known  for  their 
personal  bravery  as  for  their  fidelity  to  the  English.  They 
started  at  once  on  the  service,  at  the  great  risk  of  their  lives, 
"  through  the  Woods  in  the  depth  of  Winter,"  says  Hubbard, 
in  his  Narrative,  "when  the  wayes  were  impassable  for  any 
other  sort  of  people  :  these  two,  by  name  Raines  and  J^ob  or- 
dered their  business  so  prudently,  as  that  they  were  admitted 
into  those  Indian  habitations,  as  Friends,  and  had  free  liberty 
of  Discourse  with  them  "  (page  76).  Quanapaug  returned 
some  time  before  the  other  spy,  and  reported  to  the  Council 
the  result  of  his  hazardous  journey,  which  is  found  in  a  com- 
munication, dated  January  24,  1675-6,  and  now  in  the  posses- 
sion of  the  Massachusetts  Historical  Society.     He  says  :  — 

And  this  Indian  [One-eyed  John,  or  Monaco]  told  mee,  they 
would  fall  upon  Lancast',  Groton,  Malborough,  Sudbury,  &  Mead- 
feild  ;  &  that  the  1°  thing  they  would  do  should  bee  to  cut  down 
Lancaster  bridge,  so  to  hinder  theire  flight,  &  assistance  coming  to 
them ;  &  that  they  intended  to  fall  upon  them  in  about  20  dayes 
time  from  wedensday  last. 

The  manuscript  is  printed  in  the  "  Collections  "  (VI.  205- 
208),  and  is  entitled  "  James  Quanapaug's  Information." 

This  intelligence  was  of  the  utmost  importance  to  the  in- 
habitants of  these  outlying  towns,  but  the  authorities  do  not 
appear  to  have  heeded  it.  If  prompt  action  had  been  taken, 
some  of  the  bloody  massacres  of  that  period  might  have  been 
averted.  Quanabaug  foretold,  almost  to  a  day,  the  attack 
on  Lancaster,  and  it  was  carried  out  exactly  as  he  predicted. 
His  paper  was  dated  January  24,  1675-6,  which  day  fell  on  a 
Monday,  and  the  preceding  Wednesday  came  on  January  19  ; 
twenty  days  from  that  Wednesday  would  bring  the  time  to 
February  8.  The  attack  came  on  the  loth,  which  would  be 
"about  twenty  days"  from  the  date  he  mentioned. 


No  attention  seems  to  have  been  paid  to  Quanabaug's 
timely  information,  until  the  return  of  Job,  the  other  spy, 
who  reached  Major  Gookin's  house  at  Cambridge,  completely 
exhausted  after  a  fatiguing  march  of  eighty  miles  through  the 
wilderness,  on  the  day  before  the  fatal  blow  was  struck,  and 
confirmed  the  fearful  news.  Then,  and  not  till  then,  was 
help  sent  to  the  beleaguered  garrison  at  Lancaster,  where 
in  one  house  fourteen  persons  were  killed  and  twenty  taken 
prisoners  during  this  assault,  though  the  relief  arrived  in  sea- 
son to  recapture  another  garrison  house. 

The  leader  of  this  attack  was  One-eyed  John,  the  same 
Indian  who  commanded  a  few  weeks  later  at  the  assault 
on  Groton.  He  was  a  vile  wretch,  who  met  his  well-merited 
fate  on  the  gallows  at  Boston,  on  September  26,  1676.  In 
a  letter  from  the  Reverend  Thomas  Gobbet,  of  Ipswich,  to 
Dr.  Increase  Mather,  dated  March  28,  1677,  the  writer  thus 
alludes  to  his  jeers  :  — 

y°  blasphemous  speeches  of  one  eyed  John  vttered  at  Groton  to 
Capt.  Parker  in  y'^  heareing  of  Diuerse  :  Boasting  how  many  places 
he  had  Burned,  &  sayeing  he  would  burne  Concord,  Watertowne 
Charlestowne  &c  Adding  :  And  Me  will  doe,  what  me  will  : 

[Hutchinson  Papers,  II.  leaf  288  verso,  in  the  office  of  the  Secretary  of  State.] 

At  this  period,  Captain  James  Parker,  of  Groton,  was  the 
most  prominent  man  in  town,  filling  many  civil  and  military 
positions.     Mr.  Butler,  in  his  History,  says  of  him  :  — 

He  was  successively  chosen  a  selectman  of  Groton  in  most  of  Ihe 
years  from  1662  to  1699,  when  chosen  for  the  last  time.  During 
this  period  he  was  moderator  of  most  of  the  town  meetings,  a  mem- 
ber and  chairman  of  all  important  committees,  chosen  to  locate 
highways,  lay  out  land,  establish  boundaries  of  the  town,  and  in 
fine,  to  transact  all  business  of  a  municipal,  parochial,  or  public 
nature.  He  was  a  very  active,  noted,  and,  as  is  presumed,  a  very 
brave  officer,  in  the  wars  with  the  Indians.     (Pages  281,  282.) 

It  appears  by  the  following  extract  from  a  letter  dated 
April  12,  1692,  that  he  at  this  time  had  charge  of  the  public 


6 

ammunition  stored  in    Groton.     Major   Tiiomas    Hinchman 
writing  to  the  Council  from  Chelmsford,  says  :  — 

I  desier  an  ordf  to  Cap^  Parker  for  some  shott  who  hath  a  Quan- 
tity of  y"  Cuntrys  stock  in  his  hand.  I  am  Advised  y'  Lancaster 
hunters  have  lately  been  w'^  a  copany  of  Indians  near  wachusett, 
y=  number  of  y"  is  Reported  to  be  about  300.  yy  Report  them- 
selves to  be  Albanians  Senecas  Maquas  w*  y'=  western  or  Connect- 
icut Indians,  This  vnusuall  Confluenc  of  so  many  Indians  makes 
many  to  suspect  &  fear  a  design  ag='  us.  I  doubt  not  but  y°  Coun- 
cil! will  satisfy  Themselves  about  it.  The  sould"  y'  I  Desier  will  be 
needed  in  Chelmsf  Groton  &  Lancaster : 

[Massachusetts  Archives,  XXXVII.  340.  ] 

The  following  extract  is  taken  from  an  undated  letter,  writ- 
ten by  John  Cotton,  the  minister  of  Plymouth,  to  his  wife, 
Mrs.  Joanna  Cotton,  then  visiting  at  Sandwich.  It  contains 
an  interesting  reference  to  the  Reverend  Mr.  Hobart's  son, 
who  was  carried  off  from  Groton  by  the  Indians,  on  July  27, 
1694.  There  has  long  been  a  tradition  that  one  of  Mr.  Ho- 
bart's children  lay  concealed,  during  the  assault,  under  a  tub 
in  the  cellar,  and  thus  was  saved  from  the  fury  of  the  savages. 
This  story  is  in  part  confirmed  by  the  letter,  though  it  turns 
out  to  have  been  the  maidservant,  and  not  one  of  the  children. 
Mr.  Cotton  writes  :  — 

I  thinke  I  forgot  to  tell  you  that  M'  Hobarts  lost  son  &  a  woman 
ran  away  &  gat  home,  the  Indians  being  drunk,  she  sayes  they  were 
30  &  the  English  were  neere  them,  had  they  come  a  little  further 
they  might  easily  have  taken  &  killed  them  all ;  Mr.  Hob's  maid  hid 
herselfe  under  a  tub  in  the  cellar,  the  Indians  were  there,  laid  their 
guns  on  the  tub,  smelt  her  not. 

At  the  bottom  of  the  letter  the  following  note  is  appended, 
in  the  Reverend  Thomas  Prince's  well-known  handwriting :  — 

July  27.  94.  Y°  Ind"^  sett  on  Groton  ;  killed  more  y"  20  carried 
away  more  y"  12  —  took  2  sons  of  y''  R  M'  Gershom  Hobart,  y° 
min'  &c. 

Mr.  Prince  adds,  also,  that  the  supposed  date  of' the  letter  is 
August,  1694,  —  which  conjecture  in  connection  with  another 


letter  from  Mr.  Cotton,  dated,  appears  to  be  confirmed.  If 
this  supposition  is  correct,  the  report  that  Mr.  Hobart's  cap- 
tured son  had  run  away  from  the  Indians  was  probably  false, 
as  Chief  Justice  Samuel  Sewall,  in  his  Diary,  under  the  date 
of  May  I,  1695,  says  that  young  Hobart  was  then  still  held  a 
prisoner  by  them. 

The  original  letter  is  found  among  the  manuscripts  of 
the  Massachusetts  Historical  Society,  in  the  volume  marked 
"Prince  Papers"  61.  D,  leaf  23.  Another  undated  letter, 
written  by  Mr.  Cotton,  in  the  same  volume  of  manuscripts, 
leaf  33,  contains  an  allusion  to  Bomazeen,  who  led  the  Indian 
forces  against  Groton  at  this  assault.  It  is  addressed  to  his 
son  Rowland,  the  minister  of  Sandwich,  and,  according  to  Mr. 
Prince,  was  written  on  June  10,  1695.  The  reference  is  as 
follows :  — 

The  8  captives  come  [torn  and  illegible]  g"  Bumbazeen  to  his 
face  in  court  as  a  capt  in  murthers  etc  at  Groton. 

At  the  bottom  of  this  letter  Mr.  Prince  has  written:  "95. 
May.  20.  y"  Indians  bring  8  captives  to  Pemaquid-Fort  &  obt' 
a  Truce  for  30  Days." 

All  the  contemporary  accounts  of  the  attack  of  July  27, 
1694,  state  that  thirteen  prisoners  were  taken  and  carried 
off,  but  Ann  Jenkins,  in  her  deposition,  printed  on  page  73  of 
"  Groton  during  the  Indian  Wars,"  says  that  only  twelve  cap- 
tives were  brought  back  by  the  Indian  leader.  It  is  highly 
probable  that  little  Betty  Longley  was  the  thirteenth.;  and 
tradition  says  that  she  perished  from  exposure,  soon  after 
she  was  taken. 

During  the  early  period  of  Massachusetts  history  there  were 
"  wars  and  rumors  of  wars,"  and  sometimes  the  rumors  pro- 
duced almost  as  much  consternation  as  the  actual  hostilities. 
In  common  with  other  outlying  places,  Groton  had  her  share 
of  vague  reports,  and  the  inhabitants  were  often  disturbed  b^ 
their  circulation.  General  Wait  Winthrop,  a  nephew  of  Deane 
Winthrop,  who  was  one  of  the  founders  of  this  town,  writes 


8 

from  Boston,  June  13,  1698,  to  his  brother  John,  in  New  Lon- 
don, Connecticut,  as  follows  :  — 

« 

We  haue  a  report  from  Hadly  of  Indians  and  French  coming 
upon  Deerfield,  Lancaster,  and  Groton ;  and  orders  are  giuen  to 
send  men  for  there  defence. 

[Massachusetts  Historical  Collections,  VIII.  fifth  series,  530.] 

Fortunately,  however,  there  does  not  seem  to  have  been  any 
good  foundation  for  the  report. 

A  few  years  after  this  time,  according  to  the  town  records,  a 
garrison  was  needed  at  Thomas  Chamberlain's  mill,  situated 
in  the  northerly  part  of  Groton.  Thomas  was  the  father  of 
John  Chamberlain,  who  was  noted  as  the  man  who  killed 
Paugus  in  Lovewell's  Fight  at  Pigwacket,  on  May  8,  1725. 
The  entry  in  the  records  is  as  follow^s  :  — 

Groton  may  the  8  1706  At  a  town  Meting  legaly  woned  thay 
ded  by  uot  declare  thay  would  and  doe  desire  that  Thomas  Cham- 
berill  mill  may  bee  up  helde  by  a  solgar  or  solgars  for  die  good  of 
the  town  by  a  patition  to  the  cort  or  athoratie 

Joseph  lakin  town  dark 

Thomas  Chamberlain  was  a  carpenter  and  miller,  and  lived 
about  a  quarter  of  a  mile  northerly  of  Wattle's  Pond,  on  the 
west  side  of  the  road  to  East  Pepperell.  He  is  supposed  to 
have  died  about  the  year  1709. 

If  Chamberlain's  mill  was  defended  by  a  garrison  at  this 
period,  it  was  probably  there  that  the  two  Newton  soldiers 
were  killed  on  July  21,  1706,  and  another  Newton  soldier  was 
captured  at  the  same  time.  The  account  is  given  on  page  92 
of  "  Groton  during  the  Indian  Wars."  Two  of  these  men 
were  brothers  by  the  name  of  Seager,  and  the  third  one  was 
Nathaniel  Healy.  It  was  Ebenezer  Seager  who  was  killed, 
and  probably  Henry  Seager,  Jr.,  who  was  taken  prisoner. 
They  had  been  dining  with  one  Blood,  and  families  of  this 
name  were  then  living  in  the  neighborhood.  Mr.  Butler,  in 
Ifis  History  (page  265),  mentions  the  fact  that  there  was  a 
large  number  of  persons  by  the  name  of  Blood  in  Groton,  and 
that  "  they  resided  in  the  north  part  of  the  town." 


9 

The  Reverend  Wilkes  Allen,  in  his  History  of  Chelmsford 
(page  35,  note),  states  that  Major  Tyng  was  wounded  by  the 
Indians  between  Groton  and  Concord  some  time  during  the 
year  171 1,  and  taken  to  the  latter  town,  where  he  died;  and 
further  on  in  the  same  work  (page  129,  note)  he  gives  the 
Christian  name  of  Major  Tyng,  which  was  William,  and  cor- 
rects the  date,  which  should  be  1710. 

The  following  article  contains  an  allusion  to  one  of  the  Tar- 
bell  captives,  and  is  found  in  "  The  Massachusetts  Gazette : 
and  The  Boston  Weekly  News-Letter,"  October  15,  1772.  It 
is  the  account  from  which  the  abridgment  was  made  that  ap- 
pears in  Farmer  and  Moore's  "  Collections  "  (Concord,  New 
Hampshire,  1822),  and  quoted  on  page  121  of  "  Groton  during 
the  Indian  Wars." 

Dartmouth-College  in  New-Hampshire ; 
September  21,  1772. 

THIS  Day  Mr.  Silvanus  Ripley,  and  his  Companion,  and  Inter- 
preter, Lieut.  Joseph  Taylor,  returned  from  their  Mission  to 
the  Indian  Tribes  in  Canada,  and  brought  with  them  ten  Children 
from  those  Tribes,  to  receive  an  Education  in  this  School ;  two  of 
which  are  Children  of  English  Captives,  who  were  taken  by  the 
Indians  in  former  Wars,  while  they  were  young,  and  naturalized ; 
and  these  Children  are  brought  up  in  the  Language,  and  Customs 
of  the  Indians.  The  great  forwardness  and  unanimity  of  their  chief 
Men,  when  they  were  called  in  Council  on  the  occasion,  to  have 
their  Children  come,  and  their  final  resolution  to  send  them,  not- 
withstanding the  most  forceable  opposition  their  Priest  made  to  it, 
the  Chearfulness,  orderly  and  good  Behaviour  of  the  Lads  on  their 
Way,  and  intire  satisfaction  on  their  arrival  Home  (as  they  called 
it)  and  the  Accounts  they  give  of  Numbers  of  their  Acquaintance 
which  they  have  left  behind,  who  desired  to  come  with  them  for  an 
Education,  and  may  be  expected  in  due  time,  and  all  this  from  a 
Thirst  for  Learning,  founded  partly  on  a  Conviction  of  the  Utility 
of  it,  which  they  have  got  by  observing  the  great  Advantage  which 
the  Learned  have,  above  others  they  have  lived  amongst,  and  only 
thro'  their  superior  Learning,  also  the  great  and  general  Veneration 
the  Chiefs  expressed  towards  the  benevolent,  and  charitable  Design 
of   this  Indian  School,  exhibit  a  truly  encouraging  Prospect  that 


lO 

God  yet  mercifully  designs  something  shall  be  done  in  that  Quar- 
ter for  the  Honor  of  his  great  Name.  Among  these  Children, 
is  a  Grandson  about  8  Years  old,  of  Mr.  Tarbull,  who  was  taken 
from  Groton  in  the  Province  of  the  Massachusetts-Bay,  about  68 
Years  ago,  when  he  was  about  lo  Years  old  ;  he  greatly  rejoiced 
to  see  them  on  this  Occasion,  and  earnestly  encouraged  his  Grand- 
son's coming :  the  old  Gentleman  is  hearty,  and  well,  and  is  the 
eldest  Chief  of  that  Village,  —  he  expressed  great  Affection  to  his 
Relations  in  New-England,  and  desired  they  might  be  informed  of 
his  Welfare,  and  also  that  he  had  a  Grandson  at  this  School,  —  also 
a  Grandson  of  Mrs.  Eunice  Williams,  who  was  captivated  with  her 
Father,  the  Rev.  Mr.  Williams  of  Deerfield,  in  the  Year  1704,  would 
have  come  with  them  ;  but  was  sick  with  the  Measels  ;  but  may  be 
expected  in  the  Spring,  if  they  meet  with  nothing  discouraging. 

N.  B.  The  Number  of  Indian  Children  now  in  this  School,  is 
17,  besides  one  that  is  put  out  to  a  private  Family,  on  account  of 
his  being  too  young  for  the  School. 

Naumox  is  an  additional  word  to  the  list  of  local  Indian 
names  printed  on  page  189  of  "Groton  during  the  Indian 
Wars."  It  is  applied  to  a  long  low  hill  or  ridge,  a  short  dis- 
tance west  of  the  road  to  East  Pepperell,  near  the  Longley 
monument,  and  running  parallel  with  the  road.  It  is  also 
used  in  connection  with  the  neighborhood.  Shepley  Hill  is 
another  long  low  ridge  in  close  proximity  to  Naumox,  and 
lying  to  the  west  of  it.  The  name  is  rarely  heard  at  the 
present  time,  though  it  was  in  use,  according  to  the  town 
records,  as  far  back  as  February  28,  1670 ;  and  I  mention  the 
fact  here,  in  order  to  extend  its  survival. 

The  inscriptions  on  the  three  monuments  erected  by  the 
town  in  the  autumn  of  1879,  and  formally  dedicated  on  Feb- 
ruary 20,  1880,  were  written  by  President  Eliot,  of  Harvard 
University.  The  original  draft  of  these  inscriptions,  and 
various  other  papers  connected  with  them,  are  now  preserved 
in  the  Boston  Public  Library,  bound  up  with  a  printed  copy  of 
the  Address  delivered  on  the  occasion  by  Samuel  A.  Green. 


1 1 


JOHN   PRESCOTT'S   AGREEMENT  WITH   THE 

TOWN. 

The  following  Agreement  made  between  John  Prescott,  of 
Lancaster,  and  a  committee  of  the  town  of  Groton,  concern- 
ing a  grist-mill,  is  found  in  the  Middlesex  Registry  of  Deeds 
(HI.  399,  400)  at  East  Cambridge.  My  attention  was  first 
called  to  it  by  the  Honorable  Henry  S.  Nourse,  of  Lancaster. 
The  committee  was  appointed  on  August  6,  1667,  and  author- 
ized to  make  "a  firme  bargaine"  with  Prescott.  See  the 
printed  edition  of  "  The  Early  Records  of  Groton,  Massachu- 
setts.    1662-1707  "  (pages  20,  2i). 

This  Indenture  made  the  twentyninth  day  of  Sep'  In  the  yeare  of 
our  Lord,  one  thousand  six  hundred  sixty  &  seaven.  Between 
John  Prescott  Sen'  of  Lanchaster  in  the  Coun  of  Midlesex  in  the 
Mattachusets  Colony  in  New  England  Blackesmith  on  the  one  party, 
and  James  Parker,  James  Knap,  John  Page,  and  EUiz  Barnes,  agents 
&  ffeoffees  in  trust  in  the  behalfe  of  the  Inhabitants  of  Grotton  in  the 
above  named  County  on  the  other  party,  Witnesseth  that  the  above 
named  John  Prescott  Senf  hath  covenanted,  granted  &  Comissoned, 
and  by  these  presents  for  him  the  said  John  Prescott,  his  heyers, 
executors,  and  administrate",  doth  fully,  clearly,  &  absolutely, 
coven',  grant,  and  condition  to  and  with  the  said  James  Parker, 
James  Knap,  John  Page,  and  Elliz  Barnes  to  Build  and  errect  in 
some  meet  place,  within  the  bounds  of  the  abovenamed  Towne  of 
Grotton,  a  good  &  sufficient  corne  mill  or  mills,  and  the  same  to 
finish  so  as  may  be  fitting  to  grind  the  corne  of  the  said  Towne,  by 
the  2g'^  of  SeptemB  next,  next  ensueing  the  date  hereof  or  within 
foureteen  dayes  after,  and  from  time  to  time  and  at  all  times  after 
the  errection  or  building  thereof  to  keep  and  maineteyne  the  said 
towne  mill  in  good  &  sufficient  repayre,  and  therewith  to  grind  the 
corne  all  and  eure  part  thereof,  that  shall  from  time  to  time  be 
thither  brought  by  the  Inhabitants  of  the  said  Towne  for  such  a 
reasonable  allowance  and  towle  as  the  law  of  the  Country  doth 


12 

pmitt,  and  at  such  seasonable  times,  as  shall  be  orderly  agreed 
upon  for  the  mutuall  accomodation  of  both  partyes  [inevitable 
causaltyes  by  fire,  water,  or  other  sudden  exegences  always  ex- 
cepted] in  wch  case  or  cases  the  sa""  John  Prescott  Senf  his  heyres, 
executors,  adinstrators,  &  assignes  of  the  said  mill  shall  from  time 
to  time  and  at  all  times  make  reparation  of  any  such  breach 
or  breaches  as  may  so  happen,  without  any  unnecessary  delay  or 
neglect. 

In  consideration  whereof  the  above  named  James  Parker,  James 
Knap,  John  Page,  &  EUiz  Barnes,  by  the  appoyntm',  and  in  the  be- 
halfe  of  the  Inhabitants  of  the  abovesaid  Towne  of  Grotton,  and  by 
the  Power  to  them  betrusted  and  given,  do  give  and  grant  unto  the 
said  John  Prescott  his  heyres  and  assignes  five  hundred  acres  of 
Lands  with  in  the  lirnitts  of  the  abovesaid  Grotton  Towne,  to  be 
layd  out  in  any  place  or  places  as  may  best  accomodate  the  said 
mill,  and  also  twenty  acres  of  meadow  land  in  any  place  not  yet  in 
propriety  at  the  choyce  of  the  said  John  Prescott,  also  free  liberty  to 
vse  and  improve  any  streame,  or  streames  of  water  within  the  said 
Towne,  and  to  raise  the  same  to  such  height  as  may  be  for  the  best 
good  of  the  said  mill  or  mills,  provided  he  destroy  not  any  mans 
property  already  layd  out,  Also  towards  the  building  of  the  said 
mills  or  mill,  two  dayes  worke  of  a  man  for  every  house  lott  or 
family  within  the  lirnitts  of  the  said  Towne,  and  at  such  time  or 
times  to  be  done  and  performed,  as  the  said  John  Prescott  shall  see 
meete,  to  call  for  the  same,  upon  reasonable  notice  given,  also  free- 
dome  and  release  from  all  taxes  and  rates  that  the  said  mill  and 
accomodations  of  lands  above  granted  may  at  any  time  be  lyable 
vnto  for  the  vse  of  the  said  Towne,  for  the  terme  of  Twenty  years 
next  ensueing  the  time  of  the  first  grinding  of  the  said  mill,  and 
finally  that  no  other  person  or  persons  whatsoever  shall  be  allowed 
or  prmitted  to  build  any  other  corne  mill  within  the  said  Towne, 
unless  he  will  do  it  for  his  owne  private  use  only  and  on  his  owne 
propriety.  To  haue  and  to  hold  the  above  granted  lands  and 
premisses,  and  eurie  pt  and  parcell  thereof  vnto  him  the  said  John 
Prescott  Senf  his  heyres  and  assignes  forever  to  his  and  their  only 
propper  vse  &  behooffe.  And  to  the  true  performance  hereof  both 
partyes  do  mutually  bynd  themselves  their  executo'"  &  adminis- 
trator each  to  other  firnly  by  these  p'sents. 

In  Witnes  whereof  the  abovenamed  partyes  haue  interchangeably 
put  their  hands  and  Seales  the  day  and  yeare  first  above  written. 


13 

In  line  ye  25  the  word  (one)  was  defaced,  before  this  Covenant 
was  signed  as  these  witnesses  can  testifie 

Sealed  &  deliu"*  John  Prescott 

In  p'sence  off  his  marke        &  a  Scale 

Samuel  Willard  James  Parker 

William  Lakin  James  Knap 

John  Page 
Elliz.  Barron 

This  Covenant  was  owned  by  the  partyes  Conc'ned  herein  the  i'.' 
of  the  s'l"  mo.  1668. 

Before  mee  Simon  Willaud  Assist' 

Entred  and  Recorded  Decemb.  30*  1669. 
By  Thomas  Danforth  Recordf 


14 


SIMON   WILLARD   AND   NONACOICUS   FARM. 

One  of  the  most  prominent  men  in  the  early  history  of  the 
Massachusetts  Colony  was  Major  Simon  Willard,  a  Kentish 
man  from  England.  He  had  lived  at  Concord,  Lancaster,  and 
Groton,  and  in  all  these  places  exerted  a  wide  influence.  He 
had  filled  various  civil  offices,  and  in  his  day  was  a  noted 
military  man.  For  his  public  services  the  General  Court,  at 
the  session  beginning  May  6,  1657,  granted  him  five  hundred 
acres  of  unappropriated  land,  wherever  he  could  find  it.  One 
year  later,  at  the  session  beginning  May  19,  1658,  after  the 
tract  had  been  selected,  a  definite  grant  was  rnade,  —  though 
under  a  misapprehension,  —  which  appears  to  have  been  in 
satisfaction,  in  part  at  least,  of  a  debt  due  Major  Willard  from 
John  Sagamore,  an  Indian  living  at  Pawtucket,  in  the  neigh- 
borhood of  the  present  city  of  Lowell,  though  sometimes 
mentioned  as  of  Groton.  The  land  lay  in  the  south  part  of 
Groton,  and  is  now  included  within  the  town  of  Ayer.  The 
entry  in  the  General  Court  Records  is  as  follows  :  — 

In  Answer  to  the  petition  of  Majo'  Symon  Willard  The  Court 
Judgeth  it  meete  to  graunt  his  Request  viz  a  farme  of  five  hundred 
Courts  Graunt  to  a-crcs  on  the  south  side  of  the  Riuer  that  Runneth 
Majo'  Sy-  from  Nashaway  [Lancaster]  to  Merremack  betweene 

mon  I  ar  .  Lancaster  &  Groten  &  is  In  satisfaction  of  a  debt  of 
forty  fewer  pounds  Jn°  Sagamore  of  Patuckett  doth  owe  to  him 
Provided  he  make  ouer  all  his  Right  title  &  Interest  in  the  execu- 
tion .  obtayned  agt  the  sajd  Sagamore  to  the  countrje  wch  was 
donne.     (IV.  281.) 

In  making  this  extract  and  the  next  one,  I  have  followed 
the  General  Court  Records  in  the  office  of  the  Secretary  of 
State.  The  volume  has  been  paged  differently  at  three  sep- 
arate times,  and  I  have  taken  the  paging  marked  with  red 
ink. 


15 

Major  Willard's  petition  for  five  hundred  acres  in  this  par- 
ticular locality  was  granted  by  the  General  Court  through  a 
mistake,  as  the  tract  of  land  had  been  previously  taken  up  by 
the  proprietors  of  Groton  Plantation,  though  no  proper  return 
had  been  made  to  the  Court.  This  neglect  or  oversight  led 
to  the  mistake,  which  was  recognized  years  later  and  rectified 
by  the  Legislature.  See  "  The  Boundary  Lines  of  Old  Gro- 
ton "  (pages  32,  33),  for  a  fuller  account  of  the  case. 

At  the  session  beginning  October  18,  1659,  the  survey  of 
the  tract  was  returned,  and  duly  approved  by  the  Court,  as 
follows :  — 

In  Obedience  to  the  act  or  Graunt  of  the  Honnored  Generall 
Court  of  the  Massachusett,  in  New  England  lajd  out  &  exactly  meas- 
Major  Wiilards  farme  """^d  ™ajor  Symon  willards  farme  .  conteyning 
of  500  acres  fiue  hundred  acres  scittuate  lying  and  being  for 

by  Groaten  &c.  ^^le  most  part,  On  the  East  side  of  Groaten  Riuer 

:^  betwixt  the  plantation  .  graunled  to  the  Inhabitants  of  Lancaster 
and  the  now  Inhabitants  of  Groten  at  the  place  wch  is  Called  by 
the  Indians  nanajcoyijcus  .  begining  at  the  great  riuer  side  .  about 
one  hundred  rodds  to  the  Nortward  of  nanajcoyijcus  brooke  be- 
gining wee  say  at  the  riuers  side  runing  a  due  east  Ijne  ninety 
fewer  rodds  there  making  an  angle  varying  forty  fiue  degrees . 
to  the  southward  then  Runing  one  mile  and  a  halfe  and  forty 
Rods  .  vpon  a  southeast  point  there  making  an  Angle  varying 
twenty  degrees  from  the  old  Ljne  .  Runing  on  that  point  sixty 
Rodds  .  there  making  an  Acute  Angle  of  sixty  degrees  .  Runing 
on  a  west  &  by  South  point  halfe  a  mile  there  making  an  angle 
varying  two  &  twenty  degrees  .  to  the  Northward  Runing  on  a 
west  &  by  North  point  one  mile  .  there  making  an  Angle  .  vary- 
ing thirty  three  degrees  from  the  old  ljne  .  Runing  on  a  north- 
west point  to  the  Riuer  It  being  seven  Score  Rods  .  and  from 
thence  vpon  a  streight  line  to  the  place  .  where  wee  begann .  wch 
last  ljne  doth  Crosse  Groten  Riuer  twice  . 

this  by  me  Thomas  Nojes 

The  Court  Allowes  &  Approoves  of  this  Returne  provided  the 
thirtje  acres  lajd  out  ouer  the  North  East  side  of  the  Riuer  be  left 
out  &  taken  on  some  other  part  of  the  Ijnes  &  that  there  be 
not .  aboue  one  hundred  acres  of  meadow  lajd  out  in  this  farme. 
(IV.  334-) 


i6 

About  the  year  1671,  Major  Willard  removed  to  Groton  from 
Lancaster,  where  he  bad  previously  lived  for  ten  or  twelve 
years,  and  built  a  house  on  this  tract  of  land,  —  now  situated 
in  the  town  of  Ayer,  and  then  known  as  Nonacoicus,  —  which 
he  continued  to  occupy  until  it  was  burnt  by  the  Indians 
during  Philip's  War.  It  is  said  to  have  been  the  first  house 
destroyed  in  the  assault  on  the  town.  At  a  town  meeting, 
held  on  October  14,  1672,  Major  Willard  was  made  a  free 
commoner  for  feed  for  cattle  and  for  wood  and  timber,  and  he 
must  have  been  a  resident  at  that  time.  His  place  was 
well  known,  and  often  the  rendezvous  of  troops  employed  in 
military  expeditions.  Soon  after  the  destruction  of  his  house 
he  removed  to  Charlestown,  where  he  died  on  April  24,  1676, 
only  a  few  weeks  after  Groton  was  abandoned.  The  outlines 
of  his  farm,  according  to  Noyes's  survey,  were  somewhat 
irregular,  but  they  can  still  be  traced,  in  part,  by  the  angular 
boundary  of  the  town  of  Ayer,  along  the  western  half  of  its 
southern  border.  Originally  Nonacoicus  included  the  district 
now  known  as  the  Old  Mill,  in  Harvard,  —  two  miles  away 
from  Willard's  farm,  —  where  Jonas  Prescott  had  his  grist- 
mill. John  Prescott,  of  Lancaster,  in  his  will,  dated  October 
8,  1673,  and  on  file  in  the  Middlesex  Probate  Office  at  East 
Cambridge,  says,  in  reference  to  his  third  son,  Jonas,  that 
"  he  hath  Receiued  a  full  Childs  portion  at  nonecoicus  in  a 
Come  mill  and  Lands  and  other  goods."  Singularly  enough, 
Mr.  Butler,  who  was  familiar  with  the  word,  called  it  Mona- 
focus,  and  in  his  History  (page  287)  so  prints  it.  The  name 
of  Nonacoicus  is  still  kept  up  in  the  neighborhood,  as  applied 
to  a  brook,  though  it  is  frequently  contracted  to  Coicus. 

In  the  summer  of  1674,  Major  Willard  conveyed  one  quarter 
part  of  the  Nonacoicus  grant  to  his  son  Henry,  and  in  the  fol- 
lowing year  another  quarter  to  his  son  Simon.  Both  these  sons 
afterward  reconveyed  their  respective  interests  to  the  mother, 
then  a  widow  and  administratrix  of  her  husband's  estate. 
The  original  deed  of  Major  Simon  Willard  to  his  son  Henry 
is  now  in  my  possession,  given  to  me  more  than  thirty-five 
years  ago  by  the  late  Honorable  John  Boynton,  of  Groton. 
A  copy  of  it  was  printed  in  "  The  New  England  Historical 


17 

and  Genealogical  Register"  {VII.  114),  for  April,  1S52;  and 
soon  afterward,  at  the  suggestion  of  the  late  Joseph  Willard, 
Esq.,  it  was  recorded  in  the  Middlesex  Registry  of  Deeds 
at  East  Cambridge.  The  deed  is  in  the  handwriting  of 
the  Reverend  Samuel  Willard,  then  of  Groton,  and  is  as 
follows :  — 

Wheras  upon  a  contract,  between  my  son  Henry  Willard,  & 
Mary  Lakin  daughter  of  sergeant  Jno  Lakin,  both  of  Groton,  I 
thought  meet  to  settle  somthing  upon  him  for  his  outward  subsist- 
ence :  I  doe  therfpre,  by  these  presents,  give,  grant,  aliene,  &  con- 
firme,  as  a  free  deed  of  gift,  without  any  entaile,  one  quartar  part 
of  my  farm  at  Nonacoiacus  in  an  equal  portion  &  proportion  to 
meadow,  entervaile,  &  upland,  with  all  the  appurtenances  therto 
belonging :  excepting  any  part  of  the  broken  up  land  from  coming 
into  the  division  of  the  said  quarter,  only  four  acres  of  broken  land 
hee  shall  have  freely  to  improve  for  a  yeer  or  two,  or  till  hee  bring 
some  of  his  own  into  tillage :  reserving  also  to  my  selfe  during  my 
life  all  the  ponds  &  swamps,  with  free  egresse  &  regresse,:  &  for 
his  quartar  part  of  meadow,  hee  shall  not  have  liberty,  during  my 
life,  to  hire  to  any  other,  till  I  have  the  forsaking  it,  on  reasonable 
terms  .  &  in  answer  to  his  desire,  I  grant  him  the  liberty  of  taking 
up  sixty  acres  of  his  proportion  of  upland,  entervail  &  meadow  neere 
the  river  in  an  entire  &  formable  body :  also,  as  to  that  part  of  his 
meadow  w'""  shall  fall  to  be  above  the  bridge,  I  reserve  liberty  of 
flowing,  &  damming  the  brooke,  for  the  subduing  of  meadow,  unto 
which  worke  hee  shall  contribute  proportionably  : 

To  the  said  Henry  Willard,  his  heirs,  execute",  administrate", 
&  assignes,  to  have,  &  to  hold,  to  occupye  &  possesse  for  ever, 
without  any  just  molestation,  encumbrance,  lawsuit,  whatsoever, 
from  mee,  my  heirs,  execute"  &  assignes  for  ever,  or  from  any 
former  alienation,  mortgaze,  deed  of  gift,  or  sale,  or  obligation  to 
any  person,  or  persons  whatsoever. 

In  Testimony  wherof  I  here  set  to  my  hand  &  scale,  this  six- 
teenth day  of  July  :  1674. 

Signed,  sealed,  dehvered 
In  presence  of:  Simon  Willard 

Cyprian  Steevens 
Beniamen  Allen 


Joseph  Willard,  Esq.,  in  the  "  Willard  Memoir  ;  or,  Life 
and  Times  of  Major  Simon  Willard  :  "  (Boston,  1858),  says  :  — 

A  plan  of  Danforth's  survey,  drawn  upon  parchment,  is  still  in 
existence,  the  property  of  a  citizen  of  Groton.  It  gives  the  position 
of  Major  Willard's  house,  the  course  of  Nashaway  River,  and 
Nonaicoicus  Brook ;  but  these  courses  are  laid  down  very  in- 
accurately. This  "Nonaicoicus  Farm"  —  at  a  distance  from  any 
village,  and,  until  recently,  having  but  few  inhabitants  —  is  now  a 
very  valuable  territory,  in  the  course  of  rapid  development  in 
population  and  wealth.  It  is  an  important  point  in  our  extended 
net-work  of  railroads.  The  station-house  at  "Groton  Junction" 
[now  AyerJ  is  upon  this  land,  and  it  is  the  centre  of  a  growing  busi- 
ness.    (Page  329.) 

Perhaps  the  plan  of  Danforth's  survey,  here  referred  to,  is 
the  one  given  in  "  The  Boundary  Lines  of  Old  Groton,"  and 
described  on  page  13  of  that  book,  though  the  site  of  Wil- 
lard's house  and  the  course  of  the  Nonacoicus  Brook  are  not 
shown  in  the  reproduction. 

At  the  time  of  his  death.  Major  Willard  owed  the  es- 
tate of  Hezekiah  Usher,  a  merchant  of  Boston,  the  sum  of 
;^272  2.S.  3^/.  ;  and  on  June  20,  1679,  the  widow  Willard,  in 
payment  of  the  debt,  sold  the  farm  to  the  Usher  heirs,  — 
three  quarters  to  Hezekiah  Usher,  Jr.,  and  one  quarter  to 
Samuel  Nowell,  who  had  married  the  widow  of  the  elder 
Usher.  The  record  of  the  deed  reads  "  of  all  that  farme  or 
Tract  of  Land  commonly  called  &  knowne  by  the  Name  of 
NONAICOICUS  farme."  Both  these  parcels  of  land  were 
afterward  conveyed,  on  May  11,  1687,  to  Jonathan  Tyng,  of 
Dunstable,  in  trust  for  his  son  John,  a  nephew  of  Hezekiah.  On 
December  3,  1713,  Tyng  in  his  own  name  transferred  the  farm 
to  William  Farwell  and  John  Sollendine,  both  of  Dunstable. 

Mr.  Butler,  in  his  History  (page  91),  mentions,  among  the 
garrisons  at  Groton  in  the  year  1692,  one  "  at  Mr.  Hezekiah 
Usher's  farm,"  where  there  were  stationed  three  soldiers,  be- 
sides Samuel  Bennett  and Bennett,  in  all  five  men. 

He  says  further,  that  "  the  location  of  Mr.  Usher's  farm  and 
the  Bennett's  is  not  known,"  but  he  inclines  to  the  opinion 
that  it  was  in  that  part  of  Groton  now  included  in  Littleton. 


19 

It  was,  in  fact,  the  Nonacoicus  farm,  which  then  belonged  to 
the  Usher  family  ;  and  the  Bennetts  undoubtedly  lived  in  the 
neighborhood.  There  is  a  brook  rising  near  the  Shaker 
Village  in  Harvard,  and  running  into  Spectacle  Pond,  which 
has  been  known  for  a  long  period  as  Bennett's  Brook ;  and  it 
is  highly  probable  that  it  took  its  name  from  this  family. 

Hezekiah  Usher,  Jr.,  who  owned  for  a  while  the  Willard 
farm,  married  Bridget  Hoar,  the  widow  of  President  Leonard 
Hoar  of  Harvard  College,  who  was  a  daughter  of  John  Lisle, 
one  of  the  Commissioners  of  the  Great  Seal  under  Cromwell ; 
but  the  marriage  was  not  a  happy  one.  She  left  him  and 
went  to  England  in  the  year  1687,  and  did  not  return  until 
after  his  death,  which  took  place  at  Lynn  on  July  11,  1697. 
Usher's  will  is  dated  Nonacoicus,  August  17,  1689,  and  in  it 
he  refers  very  plainly  to  his  domestic  troubles,  and  bitterly 
blames  his  absent  wife.  Usher  was  a  man  of  morbid  temper- 
ament and  hardly  responsible  for  what  he  wrote.  He  says 
himself,  that  some  people  may  attribute  his  will  "  to  melan- 
choly or  distractedness,"  which  is  probably  the  correct  way  of 
judging  him.  The  document  is  a  long  one  and  published  in 
full  in  "  The  Historical  Magazine "  (Morrisania,  N.  Y.)  for 
September,  1868  (pages  120-122).  The  following  is  an  extract 
taken  from  the  will,  on  file  in  the  Suffolk  County  Probate 
Office,  and  numbered  2382  :  — 

And  when  it  Shall  please  God  to  bring  my  change  on  me,  As  for 
my  body  I  desier  it  may  be  decently  buried.  And  not  much  Spent 
on  my  funirall,  for  I  haue  Seene  Some  that  haue  bene  Soe  Expen- 
ciue  at  there  funiralls  that  the  Living  haue  Suffered,  for  the  burieing 
of  the  Deceased  —  And  as  to  the  Dispose  of  my  outward  Es- 
tate—  in  the  first  place  I  desier  that  all  my  due  debts  Should  be 
payd  as  Soone  as  posibly  may  —  And  unto  my  Deere  wife  whome 
I  may  count  very  deere  to  me,  by  her  Loue  to  what  I  had,  But  not 
a  Reale  Loue  to  me  —  which  Should  a  counted  it  more  worth  then 
Anny  Other  outward  Enjoym'  —  And  for  her  coveteosnes  —  And 
over  Reaching  —  and  cuning — Impresion  —  That  hath  almost 
Ruinated  me,  by  a  Gentele  Behavior  hauing  Oyly  words  but  as  Sharp 
Swords  to  me,  whose  cuning  is  like  those  to  be  as  a  Angle  of  light 
to  Others,  but  wanting  Loue  and  charity  for  me.  And  like  S'  Edm° 


20 


to  oprese  the  people,  And  his  hand  not  to  be  Seene  in  it  and  don  by 
his  counsell  —And  —  therfor  —  I  doe  cut  her  off  from  y=  bene- 
fit of  all  my  Estate,  and  doe  not  bestow  any  thing  upon  her,  but 
what  the  Law  doth  allow.  Because  I  Looke  at  her  as  deceauable  in 
her  goeing  over  for  Engl"*,  geeting  &  grasping  all  her  Estate  into 
her  hand  and  of  mine.  And  what  Euer  don  for  her  by  me  to  be 
ungratefuU  —  And  her  Staying  away  to  be  a  Implicit  divorce,  which 
Looke  at  it  worse  then  a  pubhck  Divorce,  And  giues  the  power, 
in  to  y':  hands  of  women,  to  Userpe  the  power  out  of  y"  hands  of 
y".'  husbands  —  And  Rather  then  in  a  way  of  Humillity— to  Seek 
there  husband's  good,  if  they  can  Hue  comfortably  abroad  without 
them  —  they  Regard  not  the  troubles  or  Temptations  of  there  hus- 
bands at  home.  And  Soe  become  Seperate,  which  is  far  worse  then 

the  Doctrin  of  Divills  —  which  forbid  to  Marry But  as  to  her 

Daughter  Bridget,  if  her  Mother  had   not  bene  Soe  Undermining 
and  over  Reaching  for  her,  I  Should  abene  willing  to  haue  done 
what  I  could  for  her,  —  And  doe  giue  her  the  Tumbler  with  the 
Armes  of  a  Spread  Eagle  w*  two  heads  —  but —  I  think  one  head 
for  a  Body  is  Enough  —  And  the  Table  Cloth  of  the  best  Damaske 
And  the  Napknies  there  too,  —  And  this  my  will  I  make  to  be  a 
warning  to  those  women  that  haue  noe  Loue  for  there  Husbands  — 
but  to  what  they  haue  which  one  had  better  had  a  wife  that  had  not 
bene  worth  a  groat,  then  to  haue  one  that  hath  noe  Loue  for  him  — 
And  doe  desier  those  many  papers  y'  I  haue  write  as  to  the  Evill  of 
hauing  a  wife  only  in  Name,  And  to  Seeke  them  Selves  in  a  way  of 
Seperation  from  there  husbands  —  or  y"  Goverm'  of  wiues  to  there 
husbands  —  and  the  Duty  of  wiues  to  there  husbands  &c  that  they 
—  and  all  my  Lett's  —  Sent  to  Madam  Bridget  &c  that  they  might 
be  perused  by  Some  wise  Understanding  pious  person  —  that  wher 
any  thing  hath  bene'  Acted  by  my  Selfe  —  that  is  not  convenient, 
And  Something  may  be  aded  for  a  Suply  —  but  let  it  be  one  that 
is  for  men  to  beare  Rule  in  y"  owne  howses  —  that  it  may  be 
matter  of  Benefit,   to   Some  that  may  follow  affter  me,  for  which 
Ende  doe  propose,  that  he  or  they  might  have,  ;£'^o  or  ^^40  allowed 
him  or  them,  for  y"  compyling  of  y°  Same,  As  to  her  that  is  Reputed 
my  wife  if  She  acknowliges  any  thing  where  in  She  hath  don  amise, 
I  freely  forgiue  her  —  I  doe  not  Excuse  my  Selfe  altogether,  —  But 
my  Loue  to    her   &    Admiring    of  her   gentele    cariage    &c  —  it 
Occasioned  her  and  her  complyces  to  Userp  y'  power  over  me, 
whereby  I  haue  bene  cuningly  over  Reached,  in,  and  abused  Sever- 
all  wayes  —  And  therefor  propose  this  for  warning  to  others. 


21 


SAMUEL  CARTER,  FOURTH  MINISTER  OF 
GROTON. 

About  the  year  1690,  according  to  the  town  records, 
there  was  considerable  dissension  in  the  church  at  Groton, 
though  little  is  known  in  regard  to  the  details  or  merits  of  the 
trouble.  The  Reverend  Gershom  Hobart,  who  had  been  the 
minister  of  the  town  since  its  re-settlement  in  1678,  appears 
to  have  lived  unhappily  with  his  parishioners ;  and  near  this 
time  he  gave  up  his  charge,  though  he  subsequently  came 
back  again.  The  want  of  harmony  between  him  and  his 
flock  apparently  had  some  connection  with  the  amount  of  his 
salary  and  the  manner  of  paying  it.  During  this  period  a 
committee  was  appointed  by  the  town,  on  December  21,  1691, 
to  "  go  down  &  fach  up  som  meet  parsan  to  preach  to  us  & 
the  town  is  to  bare  the  charg."  One  week  afterward,  on 
December  28,  the  town  voted  that  "  thay  would  giue  to  the 
minister  m'  hancock  aight  pounds  money  for  the  first  quarter 
of  the  yere  and  pay  for  his  bord  besides  &  this  to  be  payed 
by  way  of  Raate."  Again,  three  months  later,  on  March  21, 
1692,  they  voted  to  give  "  to  master  hancock  the  full  som  of 
sixtey  pound  one  fourth  part  siluer  for  a  yers  salarey  for 
Preaching  in  order  to  ordnation  in  dew  time  and  the  other 
three  parts  in  pay  corn  or  prouishon  at  comon  prys  &  mr 
hancocock  bord  himsalf." 

Nearly  two  months  after  this  date,  on  May  16,  1692, 

the  inhabitants  of  the  town  being  mat  togather  this  day  to  con- 
sider of  som  tarmes  Rafaring  to  mr  hancock  wadges  for  praching  the 
word  of  god  to  us  &  thay  did  this  day  by  uoat  datarman  to  giue  mr 
hancock  fiue  pounds  in  money  for  his  praching  8  sabath  days  be- 
fore the  comminsment  and  pay  for  his  hording  and  then  if  he  pleas 
to  acsapt  of  the  towns  proposishans  in  order  to  satlment  in  dew 
time  wt  the  inhabitants  of  this  town  shall  Radely  acsapt  of  him  for 
our  minister  &c. 

Jonas  Prescott  town  dark 


22 


The  minister  referred  to  in  these  several  votes  was  the 
Reverend  John  Hancock,  sixth  child  of  Nathaniel  Hancock, 
of  Cambridge,  shoemaker.  He  graduated  at  Harvard  Col- 
lege in  the  class  of  1689,  and  was  teaching  the  Cambridge 
grammar  school  in  the  year  1 691,  just  before  he  began  to 
preach  in  Groton.  It  is  evident  that  he  declined  the  invi- 
tation given  him  by  the  town,  though  there  is  no  record  of 
it.  He  was  the  grandfather  of  John  Hancock,  Governor  of 
Massachusetts  and  signer  of  the  Declaration  of  Indepen- 
dence. 

During  the  next  autumn  the  town  invited  the  Reverend 
Samuel  Carter  to  be  their  settled  minister,  and  he  appears 
to  have  accepted  the  offer.  He  was  the  eldest  son  of  Thomas 
Carter,  first  minister  of  Woburn,  born  on  August  8,  1640, — 
though  there  is  some  doubt  as  to  the  place  of  his  birth,  —  and  a 
graduate  of  Harvard  College  in  the  class  of  1660.  On  the 
resettlement  of  Lancaster  in  the  year  1679,  after  its  destruc- 
tion by  the  Indians,  he  supplied  the  pulpit  in  that  town  for  a 
considerable  length  of  time,  and  from  Lancaster  he  came 
to  Groton.  The  entry  in  the  town  records  relating  to  his 
invitation  is  as  follows  :  — 

the  same  day  the  maiger  part  of  the  town  did  by  uoat  daclare  that 
thay  ware  wiling  for  mr  carter  to  com  forth  with  to  be  our  sailed 
minister  in  order  to  ordanation  in  dew  time     ockt :  21  :  1692 

At  the  same  meeting  the  town  did  agree  to  giue  mr  Carter  for 
this  prasant  yere  the  som  of  sixty  pounds  in  manar  as  foloweth  one 
fourth  money  the  other  part  in  corn  and  prouisione  at  town  pryse  to 
be  payed  the  one  half  by  the  first  of  march  and  before  as  he  need- 
eth  it  and  the  other  half  by  the  16.  of  saptem  naxt  insewing  after 
the  dat  hereof     ockt  2  :  1692 

Mr.  Carter  removed  to  Groton  soon  after  receiving  this  call, 
but  did  not  remain  long  over  his  pastoral  charge,  as  he  died  in 
the  autumn  of  1693.  According  to  papers  on  file  in  the  Mid- 
dlesex Probate  Office  at  East  Cambridge,  administration  on 
his  estate  was  granted  on  October  30,  1693 ;  and  in  the  in- 
ventory of  his  property,  dated  a  few  days  previously,  on 
October  17,  he  is  spoken  of  as  Mr.  Samuel  Carter,  late  of 


23 

Groton,  deceased.  Among  the  items  is  "Bookes''  to  the 
value  of  ;^i5  los.,  which  was  a  large  library  for  that  period ; 
and  among  the  debts  owed  by  the  estate  is  one  "  To  widow 
Locar  of  Groton,"  who  was  without  doubt  the  mother-in-law 
of  Jonas  Prescott,  a  former  townsman  of  Mr.  Carter  at 
Lancaster. 

Mr.  Carter's  name  appears  but  twice  in  the  town  records,  — 
the  two  instances  just  given,  —  and  nothing  whatever  is 
known  concerning  his  brief  ministry  in  Groton ;  but,  as  one 
of  the  pioneer  preachers  in  the  early  days  of  New  England 
life,  his  memory  deserves  to  be  cherished. 

S.  A.  G. 


GROTON    HISTORICAL   SERIES. 
No.  XIII. 


A   REGISTER 

OF 

BIRTHS,   DEATHS,  AND   MARRIAGES 

IN    GROTON, 

1664 — 1693, 

AND    OF    MARRIAGES, 

^1713—1793, 


A    LIST    OF    MARRIAGES    SENT    TO    THE    TOWN    CLERK    OF   GROTON, 

UNDER   CHAPTER   LXXXIV.  SECTION  4,  OF  THE  ACTS  OF  1857, 

AND   SOME   FROM    OTHER  SOURCES. 

WITH    AN    APPENDIX. 


GROTON,    MASS. 
1886. 


GROTON,   MASSACHUSETTS,    1886. 
Historical  Series,  No.  XHI. 


INTRODUCTION. 

At  a  very  early  period  in  the  history  of  the  Colony  of 
Massachusetts  Bay,  the  registration  of  births,  deaths,  and 
marriages  was  required  by  law.  At  the  session  of  the  Gen- 
eral Court,  beginning  May  6,  1657,  it  was  voted  that :  — 

This  Court  taking  into  theire  Consideracon  the  great  damage 
that  will  vnavoydeably  Acrue  to  the  Posteritje  of  this  Comon  wealth 
by  the  generall  neglect  of  observing,  the  lawe  Jnjoyning  a  Record 
of  all  births  deaths  &  marriages  w'hin  this  Collony  doe  therfore 
Order  that  hencforth  the  Clarks  of  the  writts  in  each  Toune  respec- 
tively take  due  Care  for  effecting  the  same  according  to  the  Intent 
of  the  aforesajd  lawe ;  And  In  Case  any  person  or  persons  shall 
neglect  theire  duty  required  by  the  sajd  lawe,  more  then  one  month 
after  any  birth  Death  or  marriage,  the  clarke  of  the  writts  shall  de- 
mand the  same  w*  twelve  pence  a  name  for  his  Care  and  paynes 
and  in  Case  any  shall  refuse  to  sattisfy  him  he  shall  then  Retourne 
the  names  of  such  person,  or  persons  to  the  next  magistrate  or 
Comissione's  of  the  Toune  where  such  persons  dwell  who  shall 
send  for  the  party  so  Refusing  and  in  Case  he  shall  persist  therein 
shall  give  order  to  the  counstable  to  levy  the  same.  And  if  any 
Clarke  of  the  writts  shall  neglect  his  duty  hereby  Injoyned  him  he 
shall  pay  the  following  pcenalty.  i  e  for  neglect  of  a  yearly  Retourne 
to  the  County  Court  five  pounds  and  for  neglect  of  Retourning  the 
name  of  any  person  Retburneable  by  this  lawe,  whither  borne  mar- 
rjed  or  Dead  more  than  thirty  dajes  before  his  Retourne  to  the 
County  Court  five  shillings. 

[General  Court  Records,  IV.  245.] 


In  accordance  with  this  requirement  the  births,  deaths,  and 
marriages  occurring  at  Groton  were  duly  recorded  in  the 
Middlesex  County  records  ;  and,  as  many  of  them  do  not 
appear  in  the  town  records,  they  are  now  printed  for  the  con- 
venience of  genealogical  students.  It  will  be  noticed  that 
the  earlier  ones  were  sent  to  the  recorder  by  James  Fiske, 
"  clerk,"  which  stands  for  clerk  of  the  writs,  as  he  was  not 
the  town  clerk  during  all  of  the  period  when  he  so  signs 
himself,  though  he  was  for  the  year  1665. 

Marriages  were  performed,  in  the  early  days  of  New  Eng- 
land, by  magistrates  only,  and  other  officers  appointed  for 
that  particular  purpose.  It  was  many  years  before  ministers 
of  the  Gospel  were  allowed  to  take  part  in  the  ceremony.  At 
a  town  meeting  held  in  Groton,  on  December  15,  1669,  the 
Selectmen  were  authorized  "  to  petition  to  the  [General]  Court 
for  one  to  marry  persons  in  our  towne"  ;  and  it  is  probable 
that,  before  this  time,  persons  wishing  to  be  joined  in  wed- 
lock were  obliged  either  to  go  elsewhere  in  order  to  carry  out 
their  intention,  or  a  magistrate  was  brought  for  the  occasion. 
The  population  of  the  town  was  small,  and  the  marriages  were 
few ;  and  before  this  date  only  eight  couples  are  found  re- 
corded as  of  Groton.  Presumably  these  marriages  took  place 
in  the  town  where  the  brides  severally  lived. 

The  following  list  of  early  births,  deaths,  and  marriages  is 
taken  from  two  record  books,  bound  in  parchment,  now  in  the 
office  of  the  clerk  of  Middlesex  County  Court  at  East  Cam- 
bridge, and  marked  respectively  Volumes  III.  and  IV.  The 
returns  for  the  years  1690-1693  are  found  in  the  Probate 
Records,  at  the  end  of  Volume  VI.  The  marriages  after 
January,  1745,  are  recorded  in  two  volumes,  lettered  on  the 
back  "Marriages.  No.  i."  and  "Marriages.  No.  2."  These 
entries  come  down  to  1793,  though  during  the  later  years  the 
list  is  not  complete.  After  each  return  I  have  given  within 
brackets  the  particular  volume  as  well  as  the  page,  where 
it  is  found  in  the  original  record.  In  all  the  other  instances 
an  exact  reference  is  made  to  the  various  sources  whence 
they  are  derived. 

S.    A.    G. 


I. 

A  REGISTER 

OF 

BIRTHS,    DEATHS,    AND     MARRIAGES 

IN    GROT  ON, 
1664-1693, 

AND    OF    MARRIAGES, 

1713-1793- 


GROTTON. 
OCTOB.  3.   1664. 


Sarah  daughter  of  Jn?  Laken  borne  february.  4*  1661. 
Sarah  daughter  of  Jn?  Nutting  borne  March.  29'^  1663. 
Thomas  sonne  of  Samuel  Woodes  borne  March.  9'^  1663. 
W"  Sonne  of  Jn°  Lakin  borne  May.  12*  1664. 

daughter  of  Samuel  Daves  borne  January.  31.  1662. 

Hannah  daughter  of  Nathaniel  Lauarnce  borne  July.  3*  1664. 
M''  Jn°.  Miller,  minister  of  Gods  holy  word  died.  June  12'!"  1663. 
Marah  daughter  of  Richard  Bloud  died  Aprill.  19*  1662. 
Elizabeth  the  wife  of  Jn°.  Laurance  died  August.  29*  1663. 
Jn°  Page  &  Faith  Dunster  were  marled  May  12'!"  1664. 
M'  Samuel  Willard  &  Abigail    Shearman   were   marled.    August. 
8*  1664. 

Receiued.  August.  8.  1664.  and  here  entred 

By  Tho  :  Danforth.  Record'' 

Abigaill  daughter  of  M'  Samuel  Willard  borne  July  5*  1665. 
Abraham  sonne  of  William  Laken  borne  January,  lo'?  1664. 
John  sonne  of  Samuel  Davis  borne  March.  10*  1664=1665 


John  Sonne  of  Jn°  Barron  Aprill.  4*  1665. 

Elizabeth  daughter  of  Daniel  Peirce  borne  May.  16'!'  1665. 

Grace  daughter  of  Elliz  Barron,  borne  July.  29'^  1665. 

Elizabeth  daughter  of  Samuel  Woods  Septemft.  i;'.*"  1665. 

William  sonne  of  William  Greene  July.  13*  1665. 

Jonathan  Sawtle,  &  Mary  his  wife  were  marled.  July.  3"?  1665. 

By  James  fiske  darke. 
Abigail  daughter  of  Jn°  Laurance  senf  borne  January.  9*  1666. 
Sarah  daughter  of  Joseph  Parker  borne  Noveraf   I6'^  1666. 
Joshua  sonne  of  Joshua  Whitney  borne.  June.  14*  1666. 
Thomas  Williams   and   Mary  [Holden]   his  wife  maried   August. 

ii'!-  1666. 
Thomas  Tarbole  &  Hannah  [Longley]  his  wife  maried.  June.  30* 
1666. 

By  James  fiske.  dark. 
15.  9.  1666. 

Entred  by  Thomas  Danforth.  Record''. 

[III.  45^7.] 

Thomas  Williams  &  Mary  [Holden]  his  wife  was  maried 

vpon  the  11'"  day  of  July,  1666.  Manages 

Thomas  Tarbole  &  Hannah  [Longley]  his  wife  was  maried  July. 
31.  1666. 

Abigail  daughter  of  John  Laurance  Senf  &  Susanna  Birthes 

his  wife,  borne.  January.  11*  1666.  S  iiS'Ll! 

Sarah  daughter  of  Joseph  Parker  borne,  novemB    &  these  should  be 

,^^      ^  , ,  entred  1665. 

16*  1666. 

Joshua  sonne  of  Joshua  Whitney  borne  June  I4'^  1666. 

"4  James  fiske  dark. 
Octob.  I.  66. 

Entred  by  Tho  :  Danforth  Record" 

It  will  be  noticed  that  these  returns  are  duplicated  among 
those  which  immediately  precede  them,  though  the  dates  do 
not  always  agree.  The  recorder's  supposition  is  undoubtedly 
correct,  that  the  births  belong  to  the  year  1665.  As  it 
stands,  the  record  of  Sarah  Parker's  birth  was  made  six 
weeks  before  the  event  took  place. 

[III.  74,  75.] 


5 

Daniel  Peirce,  sonne  of  Daniel  Peirce,  &  Eliza15.  his  wife  was 

borne.  28.  9*  1666. 
Joseph  Gelson  sonne  of  Joseph  Gelson  &   Mary  his  wife  borne. 

8.  I.  i66f 
Ebenezer  sonne  of  Jn°  &  Sarah  Nutting,  borne.  23.  8.  1666. 
Anna  daughter  of  Wiiim  Greene,  &  Mary  his  wife  borne.  12.  3. 

1667. 
Abigail  daughter  of  Jn?    Lakin  &  Marcy  his  wife   borne.   13.   i. 

i66f 
Samuel  sonne  of  Samuel  Leamond  &  Marcy  his  wife,  borne.   29. 

2.  67. 
Thomas  sonne  of  Thomas  Tarbole,  &  Anna  his  wife,  borne  July. 

6*  1667. 
Susanna  daughter  of  Jn°    Laurance,  &  Susanna   his  wife,  borne 

July.  3"?  1667. 
John  Sonne  of  Nathaniel  Laurance,  &  Sarah  his  wife,  borne  July, 

29*  1667. 
Sarah  daughter  of  Samuel  Davis,  &  Mary  his  wife,  borne.  12.  6. 

1667. 
Thomas  sonne  of  Thomas  Williams,  &  Mary  his  wife,  borne  17. 

I.  m°  6f 
Jn°  Laurance.  Sen'  died.  July.  11.  1667. 
By  James  fiske  darke 

Entred  by  Tho  :  Danforth  R. 

[III.  104.] 


Elizabeth  Baron  daughter  of  Jn?  Baron  borne  Sep'   28*  1667. 
Mary  daughter  of  Jonath.  Sawtle,  &  Mary  his  wife  borne.  Octoft. 

16.  1667.        ^ 
Joseph  sonne  of  Joseph  Morss,  &  Susanna  his  wife  borne.  Novem^. 

II.  1667. 
Mary  daughter  of  Robert  Parish,  &  Mary  his  wife  borne  Jan.  5. 

1667. 
Nathaniel  sonne  of  Samuel  Woods,  &  Ales  his  wife  borne.  March. 

25,  i66|. 
Mehetabel  Barron  daughter  of  EHz  Barron  borne  June.  22.  1668. 
John  Sonne  of  Daniel  Pearse  borne  August.  18.  1668. 
Samuel  sonne  of  M'  Samuel  Willard  borne  January.  25.  1667. 
Abraham  sonne  of  WiHm  Leakin,  borne  Sep'   11.  1667. 


James  Roberson,  &  Elizat.  [Farnsworth  ?]  his  wife  was  maryed 

January.  16.  1667, 
Grotton.  novemtt.  16.  1668.         f  James  ffiske 

Entred  by  Thomas  Danforth  Record"' 

[III.  144.] 


Sarah  Whitney  daughter  of  Joshua  Whitney  borne.  10.  of  Octob. 

1668. 
Elizabeth  daughter  of  James  Roberson.  borne.  OctoB.  3.  1668 
Jonathan  sonne  of  Jn°  Nutting  borne  17.  8.  68. 
Elizabeth  Sawtell  daughter  of  Jonathan  Sautle  borne,  febr.  3.  1668 
John  Williams  sonne  of  Thomas  Williams  borne  Novemft.  3.  1668. 
Jonathan  sonne  of  Samuel  Kemp  borne  Aprill.  6'!'  1668. 
Sarah  daughter  of  Joseph  Gilson  borne  June  25*  1669. 
Anna  daughter  of  Robert  Parish  borne  Aprill  2.  1669. 
John  Sonne  of  William  Greene,  borne  in  march.  1669. 
Timothy  Cooper,  &  Sarah  Morss  was  maryed  June.  2.  i66g, 
James  Bloud,  &  Elizabeth  Longly  was  maryed  SeptemB.  7*  1669. 
Mary  Martinn  wife  of  Wilim  Martin  deced,  August.  14*  1669, 

Entred  by  Thomas  Danforth  Record"' 

[III.  154.] 

Births 

John  Prage   [Page],  sonne  of  John  and  faith  )  ^ii^^^xn'  ^^.h  jggo 

Prage  was  borne.  j 

Samuel  farneworth,  sonne  of  Mathias  &  Mary  his  1  ^  ,  ,     „      ,, 
.^    ,  \  Octob.  8.  i66g. 

wife,  borne  )  ^ 

ElizaB.  sonne  [sic'X  of  Peleg,  &  Elizabeth  his  wife  )  t  ^r 

borne  ^}  Janu  :   9.  1669. 

ElizaB  :  Lakin  sonne  [«V]  of  W"  Lakin,  and  Lidea)  ^  a      rr 

,  -'  .  >  Janu :  8.   1660. 

was  borne  )  ■'  ^ 

Mary  daughter  of  M'  Samuel  Willard  and  Abigail)  „  ,  ,^ 

,.      °.,     ,  °      V  Octo:  10.  i66q. 

his  tvife,  borne  )  ^ 

W"  Longly  sonne  of  Jn"  Longly,  and  Scisely  his  >  ^  1  .  ^^ 

wife  borne  *  |        •        •  9- 

Hannah  daughter  of  Walter  Skenn'  and  Hannah  )  n,      , 

borne  }  ^^'""^  "•  '^^9- 

Moses  sonne  of  Jn°  Barron  borne.  March  26.  1669 

Mary  daughter  of  Nathaniel  Laurance  borne  March  3.  i6^§ 


Samuel  sonne  of  Samuel  Davis  borne  Janu.  8.  i66g. 

Timothy  Sonne  of  Timothy  Cooper,  &  of  Sarah  his  |  j^      ,  „. 

wife  borne  j  " 

Joseph  Sonne  of  John  Lakin  borne  Aprill.  14.  1670 

Mary  daughtr  of  Samuel  Woods  &  of  Ales  >  ,  .  ^         . 

,  .      °  Y  borne  August.  2.  1670. 

his  wife  ) 

Anna  daughter  of  Thomas  Tarbole,  and  of  Anna  |  ,  . 

his  wife  borne  I 

Richard  sonne  of  James  Bloud  &  Elizabeth  his  wife  )  ^^^  , 

borne  |  May.  29.  1670. 

Robert  sonne  of  Robert  Parish  borne  NovemB.  20.  1670. 

Samuel  sonne  of  Joseph  Morss.  borne  Septem.  4.  1670. 

Hannah  daughter  of  Jonathan  Sawtle,  and  of  Mary  \r\  ^  \.    (^     ^ 
his  wife  borne  I 

Manages.     Cornelius   Church   and   Mary  his  wife)  -,  , 

°  ,  ^  >  June.  4.  1670. 

were  maryed  ) 

Nathaniel  Bloud,  &  Hannah  fParkerl  )  t  ^ 

.       .  '  ^  -I  Hune.  13. 1670. 

his  wife  were  maryed  ) 

Deaths.     Richard  Bloud,  sonne  of  James  Bloud  died.  July.  8.  1670. 
Thomas  Parish  sonne  of  Robert  Parish  died  Aprill.  18. 
1668. 

By  James  fiske  clarke. 
[III.  194, 195.] 

Margarett  Longly  daughter  of  John  Longly.  borne.  Decemli.   28. 

1671. 
Abigail  farnworth  daughter  of  Mathyas  borne  January.  17*  1671. 
Anna  daughter  of  Nathaniel  bloud  borne.  March,  i.  1671. 
John  Cooper  sonne  of  Timothy  was  borne  March.  5.  167 1. 
Abigail  daughter  of  Jonathan  Sawtell  borne.  March.  5*  1671. 
Anna  daughter  of  Thomas  Smith  borne.  Aprill.  17*  1672. 
Samuel  sonne  of  John  Prage  [Page]  borne  June.  4.  1672. 
Eleazer  sonne  of  Wiilm  Greene  May  20*  1672. 
Elliz.  Barron  sonne  of  John  Barron  borne  June  14*  1672. 
Barnabas  Davis,  sonne  of  Samuel  Davis  borne.  Aprill.  17*  1672. 
Sarah  daughter  of  Nathaniel  Laurance  borne  May.  16.  1672 
Abigail  Woods,  daughter  of  Samuel  Woods  borne  August  19*  1672. 
Mary  Bloud  daughf  of  James  Bloud  borne  Sept.  i.  1672. 
Wiiim  Tarbole  sonne  of  Thomas  Tarbole  borne  Octo'B.  i.  1672. 


8 


WiHm  Longley  &  Lidea  his  wife  were  maryed  May.  15.  1672. 
Alexand'  Rouse,  &  Judah  [Cady]  his  wife  were  maryed.  May  15. 

1672. 
John  Sonne  of  Timothy  Cooper,  died.     Died  Aprill  28.  1672. 

Grotton.  10*  of  Decem15.  1672. 

By  James  ffiske  CI  : 

Anna  Parris  daughter  of  Robert  Parris  borne.  Sep'  lo'!"  1672. 
Benjamin  Laken.  sonne  of  John  Laken  borne,  Novemli.  6*   1672. 
Grace  Hall,  daught'  of  Christopher  Hall  borne.  novemB.  25'^  1672. 
Mary  Williams,  daughter  of  Thomas  Williams  borne,  febr.  3*  1672. 
Mary  Morss,  daught'  of  Joseph  Morss  borne  febr.  11*  1672. 
John  Boyden  sonne  of  Thomas  Boyden  borne  Decem'B.  6*  1672. 
Veseulah  Coles,  daughter  of  John  Coles  february.  20*  1672. 
Judeth  Rouss       )  daught"  of  Alexandf   Rouss. 
Elizabeth  Rouss  )  borne,  febr.  2.  1672. 

Timothy  Barron  sonne  of  Elliz  Barron  borne.  Aprill.  18*  1673. 
Sarah  daughter  of  Timothy  Cooper  borne.  March.  20*  167! 
John  Willard  sonne  of  M'  Samuel  Willard  SeptemB.  8*  1673. 
ElizaB:  Bloud,  daughtr  of  Nathaniel  Bloud,  borne  OctoB.  7*  1673. 
Mehettabell  Kemp,  daught'  of  Samuel  Kemp,  borne  June  4*  1673, 
Ephraim  Peirce  sonne  of  Daniel  Peirce,  borne  Octo :  15*  1673. 
WiHm  Martinn,  aged  ab'  76.  yeares  died  March  26*  1672. 
Wiiim  Lakin  aged  ab'  9 :  yeares  died  Decemft.  lo'^  1672. 
Judeth  Rouss,  )  daughters  of  Alexand':   Rouss 
ElizaB.  Rouss   j  died,  in  Aprill.  &  June.  1673. 

By  James  fiske.  d. 
16.  10.  73.  Entred  by  Thomas  Danforth  Record" 

[III.  221-223.] 

1674. 

Hannah  daught' of  Tho :  Williams  born        .     .       i.   12.  74     Born 

Lidea  daught'  of  W"  Longley  born.      . 

Elizaft.  daught'  of  M'  Sam'  Willard  born. 

Mary  daught'  of  Jonas  Prescott  born.- 

Mary  daught^  of  Tho  :  Tarbole  born. 

Sarah  daught'  of  Nath'J  Bloud  born     . 

Elizal).  daught'  of  James  Bloud  born. 

John  son  of  Timothy  Cooper  born.      . 

Hen  :  son  of  Hen :  Willard  born.     .     . 

ElizaB.  daught'  of  Alexander  Rouss  born. 


I. 

12. 

74 

I. 

I. 

71 

27. 

12. 

74 

3- 

12. 

74 

2. 

2. 

75 

17- 

2. 

75 

27. 

2. 

75 

5- 

3- 

75 

II. 

2. 

75 

23- 

3- 

75 

Jonathan  fEarnworth.  son  of  Mathias  Born    .     . 

Josiah  son  of  Daniel  Peirce  born 

Samuel  son  of  Sam!  Scripture  born      .... 

Borne.  Josiah  son  of  Jn°.  Leakin  born.  .  .  . 
William  son  of  W""  Longley  born.  .  . 
Eleazer  son  of  Phebe  Laurance  born.  . 
Mary  daught'  of  Joshua  Whitney  born. 

DEACED 

Dyed.     ElizaB.  Lawrence  aged  one  yeare  .     .     . 
Elizal5.  Rouss  ab!  5  :  yeare  old       .     .     . 
Hannah  Bloud  aged  one  yeare  .... 
^  James  ffisk  ( 

Born.     Mary  Longley  daught'  of  John  Longley. 
Sarah  daught'  of  Jonath.  Sawtell  born    . 
Hannah  daughf  of  Joseph  Morss  born  . 
Annah  daught'  of  Zach.  Sawtell  born 
Steeven  daught'  [sic]  of  Sam!  Davis  bom. 
James  son  of  Thomas  Smith  born      .     . 
Dorathy  Baron,  daught'  of  Elliz  Baron  born 
John  son  of  Joseph  Gilson  born    . 
Eliza^.  daught'  of  Nath"  Laurance. 
Hannah  daught'  of  W™  Sanders. 
Mary  daught'  of  Robert  Parris. 
Annah  daught'  of  Sam!  Woods  .     . 
Mary  daught'  of  John  Page  .     .     . 

DEACED 

Dyed.     Mary  Tarbole,  aged  54  deced 

Anna  wife  of  Elliz  Barron,  aged  37. 
Mary  wife  of  Tho  :  Parish,  aged.  23.  dyed 

MARIAGES. 

Maryed.    Hen:  Willard&  Mary  [Lakin]  his  wife  maryed  18.     5:74 
John  Nuttin,  &  Mary  his  wife  maryed  11.  10.  74 

f  James  ffisk  cl :  of  f  writts, 
Enti  by  T.  D.  R. 

[IV.  56,  56.] 


I. 

4-  75 

2-  3-  75 

4-  8.  75 

.  .  14. 

7-  75 

.  .  17. 

12.  75 

.  .  24. 

12.  75 

.  .   I. 

5-  75 

.  .  10. 

8.  75 

.  .  10. 

8.  75 

.  .   6. 

Clark 

II.  75 

.     .     10. 

II-  73 

24. 

12.  73 

•  . 

7- 

2.  74 

. 

14. 

1-71 

10. 

2.  74 

14. 

2.  74 

rn 

6. 

I.  74 

• 

23- 

2.  74 

• 

6. 

7-  74 

• 

8. 

3-  74 

. 

8. 

7-  74 

. 

18. 

7-  74 

• 

•   9- 

II.  74 

29. 

2.  74 

3- 

II-  73 

8. 

8  74 

10 

Births 
Sam'  son  of  Peleg  Laurance  and  Elizab.  his  wife  born. 

Octo.  i6.  ^671 

Eleazer  son  of  Peleg  Laurance,  &  ElizaB.  his  wife  born 


1680. 


febr.28.  ^.       .,    ^  ^^74- 

Jonath  :  son  of  Peleg  Laurance  &  Elizaft.  his  wife  born 

March.  29.  ^^79- 

Elizaft.  daught'  of  Josiah   Parker   and    ElizalS.   his  wife, 

born.  Aug.  31.  ^   ''9' 

Marah  daught'  of  Just.   Holden,  &  Marah  his  wife  born. 

A/r  1680. 

May  20. 

Mary  daught'  of   Nath'!  Bloud,  and  Anna  his  wife  born. 

A  1678. 

Apr.  17.  ' 

Nath"  son  of  Nath'!  Bloud,  and  Anna  his  wife  born  Jan.  16.      1679. 

Mary  Parker  daughf^  of  James  Parker  and  Mary  his  wife, 

born.  Sep'  21. 

John  son  of  Christopt.  Hall,  &  Sarah  his  wife  was  born. 

Apr.  9* 

Daniel  son  of  Enosh  Laurance,  &  Ruth  his  wife  was  born, 

March.  7.  1681 

Sarah  daught'  of  James  Nutting,  and  Lidea  his  wife,  born, 

March.  II.  1681. 

Abigail  daught'  of  Peleg  Laurance,  and  Eliza^.  his  wife, 

born.  OctoB.  6*  1681. 

John  son  of  Josiah  Parker,  &  Elizaft.  his  wife  born.  Apr.  13.       1681. 

Joseph  son  of  Nath'!  Bloud,  &  Anna  his  wife,  born,  feb- 

ruary  3.  1681. 

Anna  daught'  of  SamH  Holden,   and  Anna  his  wife.  born. 

March  i.  1682 

Joseph  farnuth  son  of  Mathias  farnuth  &  Sarah  his  wife. 

born.  Jan.  7.  1682.     And  dyed  ffebr.  2.  1682. 

Mary  Scripture,  daught'  of  Sam!  &  Elizali.  his  wife,  born. 

feb.  7.  1680. 

Sarah  daught'  of  Sam!  Scripture  and  Elizati.  his  wife  bom. 

feb.  8.  1682. 

Samuel  son  of  James  Parker,  &  Mary  his  wife  born  Sep'  22. 

Sarah  daught'  of  Josiah  Parker  &  Elizafe.  his  wife  born 

May.  I.  1683. 

Elnathan  son  of  Obadiah   Sawtell  and   Hannah  his  wife, 

born.  March  27,  1683. 


ii. 


1682. 


II 

Deborah  daught'  of  Nath"  Laurance  &  Sarah  his  wife  born 

March.  24.  1683  : 

Simon  son  of  Hen  :  Willard,  &  Mary  his  wife  born.  OctoB.  8.  1678. 

Mary  daughf  of  Hen.  Willard  born  Aug  :  3.  1680. 

John  son  of  Hen  :  Willard,  &  Mary  his  wife  born  Sept.  3.  1682. 

Deaced     W"  Longly  sen";  dyed.  Nov.  29.  1680. 

Anna  wife  of  Tho  :  Tarbole  JunT  dyed  Dec.  29.  1680. 

Sarah  wife  of  Chf  Hall,  dyedj.  Aug^iS.  j.682^- 

Nath"  Butterworth  dyed  Decern^.  29.  1682. 

By  James  Parker  cl. 
Grotton.  June  16.  1683. 

[IV.  75-77.] 

Births  &  Deaths  1683. 

Zechariah    Son  of   Enos  &  Ruth  Lawrance 

born.  16.  5.  83 

Darkis  daughter  of  Adam  &  Rebecca  Gold  born.     8.  7.  83 

Elizabeth  of  Will:  &  Mary  Green  born.  11.  i.  80 

Hannah  of  Willyam  &  Mary  Green  dyed  28.  11.  82 

Hannah  daughter  of  William  &  Mary  Green 

born.  10.  2.  83 

Richard  husband  of  Issable  Blood  dyed  7.  10.  83 

Bethiah  daughter  of  Samuel  &  Sarah  Kemp  born.    9.  5.83 
June.  16.  84.                             James  Parker   Clericus 
[IV.  88.] 

Births     Sarah,  Daughter  of  Jonah  &  Mary  Prescot,  born  May.  3? 

1686. 
Sarah,  Daughter  of  Alexander  &  Judith  Roues,  borh  July 

26'"  86. 
Lydia,  Daughter  of  James  &  Lydia  Nutting,  born  June. 

3'  86. 
Jeremiah,  son  of  Enosh  &   Ruth   Laurence,   born    May. 

I.  86. 
Anna,  Daughter  of  Elizer  &  Mehetabel  Parker,  born  April 

17*  86. 
Moses,  son  of  Joshua  Wheat  &  Elizabeth  his  wife,  born 

Sep.  86. 
James,  son  of  Samuel  &  Abigail  Parker,  born  April  28"*  86. 


12 


Elizabeth,  Daughter  of   ZecSi.    &   Elizabeth  Parker,  born 

April  10*  86. 
Elizabeth,  Daughter  of  James  &  Hannah  Cady,  born  April 

lo'"  86. 
Ezekiel  son  of  Daniel  &  Mary  Cady,  born  Sep'  iS*  86. 


Deaths.     Dorothy,  Daughter  of  Gershom  &  Sarah  Hobart,  Dyed 
June  lo*  1 686 
Jonathan  Mors  dyed  July  31*  86 

JosiAH  Parker  Ckr. 
Red  Decemfe  21?  86 
A  true  Coppy  Entred  &  Examin'd  By  Laur.  Hammond  Record: 

Marriages  Thomas  Tarball  &  Elizabeth  Wood,  both  of  Groton, 
Joyned  together  in  Marriage  before  M'.  Ja  Russell  Justice, 
Decern^.  1=.'  1686. 

Recorded  By  L.  Hammond  Rec. 

[For  other  marriages  of  this  period,  see  page  24  near  the  bottom.] 

Births     Joseph  sonne  of  W"  &  Deliverance  Langly,  borne  Janua.  6. 
i68f 
Jeremiah,  son  of  Peleg  &  Elizabeth  Lawrence,  borne  Janua. 

3-8f 
Abigail,  Daughter  of  Samuel  &  Elizabeth  Scripture  borne 

Janua.  28.  8f 
Abigail,  Daughter  of  Ephra  :  &  Elizab*  Philbrook,  borne 

March.  6.  8f 
Jonathan,  son  of  Samuel  &  Elizab"'  Church,  borne  Febru. 

12.  8f 
James,  sonne  of  James  &  Marah  Parker,  borne  March  24. 

8f 
Lidia,  Daught'  of  John  &  Marah  Paresh  borne  April  20. 

1687 
Hannah  Daught'  of  Nathaniel  &  Hannah  Laurence,  borne 

April  26.  87 


Deaths      Joseph,  sonne  of  Mathias  Farnworth  Dyed  Febru.  20.  8f 
Jeremiah,  son  of  Peleg  Laurence  Dyed  April  26.  87 


^3 

Births.     Simon,  sonne  of  Josiah  &  Elizabeth  Parker  borne  Aug^' 
27.87 
Josiah,  Sonne  of  Obadiah  &  Hannah  Sawtell  borne  Aug^.' 
14.87 

^  me  Josiah  Parker  Cler  for  Groton.j 
Red  &  Recorded  Sep!  6.  87.     By  L.  Hammond  Cler. 

[IV.  127.] 

Births      Thomas,  sonne  of   Thomas  &    Elizabeth  Tarbal,   borne 

September  13,  1687 
Abigail,  Daughter  of  John  &  Hannah  Farnworth,  borne. 

October  17,  87 
Nehemiah,  sonne  of  M'  Gersham  &  Sarah  Hubbert,  borne 

October.  24,  87 
Elizabeth,    Daughter   of    Elias    &    Sarah    Barron,    borne 

October  26,  87 
Josiah,  Sonne,  of  Mathias  &  Sarah  Farnworth,  borne  Feb- 
ruary 24,  1687 
Robert,  sonne  of  Samuel  &  Abigail  Parker,  borne  April 

2,  1688 
Aaron  sonne.  of  James  &  Hannah  Cadey,  borne  April  7, 

1688 
Edward,  sonne.  of  Zechariah  &  Elizabeth   Parker,   born 

April  23,  88 
Abigail,  Daughter,  of  Jonah  &  Mary  Prescot,  born  May 

8,  88 
Joseph,  Sonne  of  Peleg  &  Elizabeth  Lawrence,  born  June 

12,  88. 
Daniel,  sonne  of  Justin  &  Mary  Holden,  born  July  11,  88. 
Margaret,  Daughter  of  Zechariah  &  Anna   Sawtel,   born 

July  19,  88. 

Deaths      Elizabeth,  wife  of  Thomas  Woods,  Dyed  April  21,  88. 
John  sonne  of  Thomas  Woods,  Dyed  May  i,  88 
Samuel  sonne  of  Samuel  Holden,  Dyed  June  6,  88. 
Stephen  sonne  of  Stephen  Holden,  Dyed  July  28,  88. 
Amos  Sonne  of  John  Cadey,  Dyed  August  3,  88. 
Rec^.  &  Recorded,  Sep.  4.  1688. 

^  L.  Hammond  Cler. 
[IV.  168.] 


14 


GROTON  :  BIRTHS  AND  MARRIAGES  &C  :   1690 

Hannah  Daughter  of  John  and  Elisabeth  Comins  born.  May:  20* 

1690 
Benjamin  son  of  Zechariah  &  Elisabeth  Parker  born.  Aug^.'  18* 

1690 
Mathias  son  of  Mathias  &  Sarah  flarnworth  born  Aug':'  6""  1690 
Mary  of  James  and  Tabitha  ffisk  born  Sep'  ii""  1690 
Joseph  of  Joseph  and  Sarah  Cady  born  Octobf  3''  1690 
Mara  of  Nathan"  and  Anna  Laurance  born  OctobT  16""  1690 
Anna  of  Joseph  and  Elisabeth  Gilson  born  OctobT  2 2d  1690 
Mary  of  John  and  Mary  Green  born  Novemb?  3'^  1690 
Jolin  of  John  and  Mary  Shadduck  born  Jan.  6"'  1690 
Abraham  of  James  and  Mary  Parker  born  Jan.  4"^  1690 
Joanna  of  James  and  Lydia  Nutting  born.  Febr.  21.  1690/1. 
Elisabeth  of  John  &  Mary  Parrish  born.  March  :  13  1690/1 

MARRIAGES 

Joshua  Parker  and  Abigail  Mors  married  together  Septemb'  22  : 

1690 
James  Dutten  and  Mary  Robin  married  together  Decembf  9""  1690 

DEATHS 

Jonathan  Sawtell  Dyed:  July.  6"^  1690 

Barnabas  Dauis  Dyed  Aug=.'  12"'  1690 

Josiah  son  of  Obadiah  Sawtell  Dyed  Octobf  4"'  1690 

James  Cadey  Dyed  :  Decemb"^  2"!  1690 

Receiued  of  Josiah  Parker  Clerk  of  f  writts  for  Groton  16"' 
Ap'ill.  91  And  Entered  by  SaM^'-  Phipps  Record". 

1692  .  1693  BIRTHS 

Ruth  Daughter  of  James  and  Lydia  Nutting  Born.  Ap'ill  :  7"-  1693. 
Jonathan  Son  of  John  &  Joanna- Cady  Born  Jan.  22  :  1693 
Elisabeth  of  Ephraim  &  Elisabeth  ffilbrick  Born  Novembf  18"-  1693 
Daniel  Son  of  John  &  Hannah  ffarnworth  Born.  May:  ii">  1692 


15 


DEATHS. 

John  Barron  sen'  Died  Jan  :  i°  1693     1693 

July :  4'^  Reced  of  W"^  Longly  Town  Clerk  of  Groton  &  Entered 

By  Sam'^l  Phipps  Record'- 
[Probate  Records  VI.  18,  at  the  end  of  the  original  volume.] 

Middlesex  in  Groton 

The  accot.  of  Marriages  from  Justice  Prescott,  as  ffollows 

Sam"  Winter  of  Killingsly  [Conn.j    and   Elisabeth   Philbrook   of 
Groton  were  married  the  16*  Day  of  ffebruary  1713 

Gershom  Hobart  and  Lydia  Nutting  both  of  Groton  were  married 
y^  26*  Day  of  ffebru'^  in  the  year  1713 

W"  Powers  of  Concord  &  Lydia  Parham  of  Groton  were  married 
y°  16  Day  of  March  in  y°  year  17 13/4 

Thomas  Farr  &  Elisabeth  Powers  both  of  Nashobah  were  mar- 
ried y=  16  Day  of  March  in  y°  year  1713/4 

Joseph  Powers  and  Hannah  Whetcom  both  of  Nashoba  were  mar- 
ried y"  16  Day  of  March  in  -f  year  ^T^sIa- 

Joseph  Sanderson  &  Sarah    Page  both   of   Groton  were  married 

the  30  Day  of  July  in  y"  year 1714 

Reced  from  Joseph  Lakin,  Town  Clerk  for  Groton  — 

Reced  Decem' :  lo'!"  1717  &  Recorded 

by  Sam':^  Phipps.  Reg-  or  Record'' 

Jt :  The  acco'  of  Marriages  by  M'  Trowbridge 

John  Parker  and  Mary  Bradstreet  both  of  Groton  were  married  the 

29  Day  of  Nouember.  in  y"  year  1715 

Joseph  Parker  ju  :  and  Abigail  Sawtell  both  of  Groton  were  married 

the  24  Day  of  January  in  y"  year  17 15/16 

Jonathan  Whetcomb  and  Deliverance  Nutting  both  of  Groton  were 

married  the  15  Day  of  May  in  y^  year  1716. 

John  Holdin  &  Sarah  Davis  both  of  Groton  were  married  the  22d 

Day  of  November  in  y°  year 1716. 

William  Lun  of  Dunstable  and  Rachel  Holdin  of  Groton  were  mar- 
ried the  20  Day  of  Decern'  in  y"  year  17 16 
Thomas  Tarbell  and  Abigail  [Parker]  both  of  Groton  were  married 

the  first  Day  of  January  in  y°  year  1716/17 

Att :  Joseph  Lakin  Clerk 
se*"  10/1717/  Reced  &  accordingly  Entered 

By  Sam^^  Phipps  Cler  &'  Reg"- 


i6 


Memorandum 
bridge 

17 18  October  23"^ 
Decemb"'  ii'l' 
March  24* 

17 19  May  6* 
May:  22"* 
June  23'' 
Augst.  II* 
Septem'  2? 
Novemb'  12','' 
Decern'.  9"" 
Decembf  24"" 

1720.  Octobr  27"" 
Novemb'  29"* 
January  23"^ 

1721.  May  22^ 
May  24* 
June  1=.' 

July  3? 

Octob'  3ot 

Novembf  le* 

Febru':  1=' 
Febr.  7* 

March  S'!' 

1722    April  3'} 


of  Marriages  Celebrated  By  M'  Caleb  Trow- 

Benjamin  Parker  to  Mary  Sawtell 
Nathan"  Holding  to  Abigail  Stone 
William    Shattuck    to   Deliverance 

Pease 
Eleazer  Gilson  to  Hannah  Farwell 
John  Parker  to  Joanna  Am's  I  all  of 

Eleazer  Nutting  to  Abigail  Davis        f  Groton 
Moses  Bennit  to  Anna  Blanchard 
Stephen  Holdin  to  Hannah  Sawtell 
John  Spencer  to  Bethiah  Kemp 
Daniel  Pierce  to  Elenor  Boynton 
Joseph  Farwell  to  Mary  Gilson 


Jonathan   Parker    to    Sarah    Pierce    both    of 

Groton 
Sam"  Woods  to   Patience  Biggelow  both   of 

Groton 
Robert  Robins,  of  Littleton  to  y"  widow  Elisa- 
beth Cummins  of  Groton  ' —  1721  — 
ZechT    Maynard   To    the   Widow   Waters    of 

Groton 
Ebenezer  Prescott  to  Hannah  Farnworth  both 

of  Groton 
Daniel  Boynton  to  Jemimah  Brown  both    of 

Groton 
Nathn"   Woods   of   Groton    to   Sarah   Brown 

of  Stow 
Ephraim  Pierce  to  Easther  [Shedd]  both  of 

Groton 
Obadiah  Sawtle   to   Rachel    Parker  both   of 

Groton 
Richard  Rice  to  Sarah  Caree  both  of  Groton 
Robert   Dickson   to   Abigail   Parker.   Widow 

both  of  Groton 
Eleazer   Green   to   Annah    Tarbell    both   of 

Groton 
Jonathan  Shead  to  Sarah  Farnworth  both  of 

Groton 


17 


May  2"!  Collins  Mores  of  Oxford  to  Bathsheba  Woods 

of  Groton 
p'sons  married  by  Mr  Caleb  Trowbridge 
John  Blanchard  of  Dunstable  to  Mary  Sawtell 

of  Groton 
William  Lawrence  to  Susanna  Prescott  both 

of  Groton 
Joshua   Hutchins   to    Sarah    Shead   both   of 

Groton 
John  Gilson  to  Mary  Shattuck  both  of  Groton. 
Decemb'.  26"'  John  Stone  Jun'  to  Elisabeth  Farwell  both  of 

Groton 


May  30* 
June  27"" 
July  12* 
Decemb'  8* 


Groton  Decem'  21/1719 
These  may  Certifie  to  whome  it  may  Concern,  That  William 
Banks  of  Groton,  and  Hannah  Wansamug  late  of  Lancaster  both  in 
y°  County  of  Midd"  were  Joyned  in  marriage  the  21'''  day  of  De- 

cemb'  1719/  at  Groton 

p'  Fra  :  FuLLAM  Justice  of  Peace. 

All  these  marriages  Returned  June  11*  1723,  By  Joseph  Lakin 

late  Town  Clerk  for  Groton  being  entered  by  him     And  accordingly 

entered 

p'  Sam'-'-  Phipps  Cler  Pac" 

These  p'sons  whose  names  are  hereafter  mentioned  were  Joyned 
in  njarriage  by  the  Rev'*  M'  Caleb  Tro"  Bridge  of  Groton  in  y°  year 
1723  .  .  vizt 

Benj"  Bennit  to  Mary  Lakin 
Thomas  Wood  To  Abigail  Cham- 

berlin 
Isaac  Williams  To  Lydia  Shattuck 
John  Davis  to  Rebeckah  Burt 
Thomas  Farwell  to  Elisabeth  Pierce, 


March  y'=  27'!" 
April  30* 


May  the  22"! 
June  13* 
Decembr  24* 


all  of  Groton 
in  the  County 
of  Mida^ 


A  true  Coppy  Attest :  John  Longley,  Town  Clerk 
Midd" :  July  :  q'?"  1724  Reced  &  accordingly  Entered 

By  Sam'-'-  Phipps  Cler  PaC. 

These  following  persons  were  Joyned  in  Marriage  by  the  Rev- 
erend M'  Caleb  Trowbridge  of  Groton,  viz' 

3 


1724.  July  7*      Jeremiah  Shattuck  &  Sarah  Parker  both  of  Groton 

were  married 
Feb-^y  25  :  Jonathan  Green  &  Sarah  Lakin  both  of  Groton 
were  married 

1725.  April.  27  :  John  Farmer   of   Billerica  to  Hanah  Woods   of 

Groton  were  married 
June  :  3  :    John  Woods  &  Sarah  Longley  both  of  Groton 

were  married 
June  :  15  :  David  Peace  &  Elizebeth  Bowers  both  of  Groton 
were  married 

Entered  by  John  Longley  Town  Clerk 
Received  &  Entered  by  Sam'-  Phipps  Cler  Pac' 

[IV.  193,  194.] 

GROTON    MARRIAGES 

These  persons  hereafter  named  were  Joyned  in  Marriage  at  the 
respective  times  herein  mentioned  by  the  Reverend  M'  Caleb 
Trowbridge  of  Groton 

Nathaniel  Woods  to  the  Widow  Mary  Derbeshere  both  of  Groton 

June.  5*  1725. 
Isaac  Woods  to  Abigail  Stevens  both  of  Groton  Sep!  21.  1725. 

Daniel  Farnsworth  to  the  Widow  Abigail  Shead  both  of  Groton 

Octy  20.  1725 
Sam'  Tarbel  to  Lydia  Farnsworth  both  of  Groton 

December  .  19.  1725 
Timothy  Barron  to  Hafiah  Fletcher  both  of  Groton 

Jan'y  -  13.  1725/6 
Sam'  Shattuck  Jun'  to  Anna  Williams  both  of  Groton 

Jan'y  .  27.  1725/6 
Isaac  Lakin  to  Elizebeth  Shattuck  both  of  Groton  Jan'y  .  27.  1725/6 
John  Shipley  to  Eliz'.''  Boiden  both  of  Groton  Febru'y  .  16.  1725/6 
John  Burt  Jun'  to  Eliz*  Nutting  both  of  Groton  March.  9.  1725/6 
Ezra  Farnsworth  to  Elizebeth  Lakin  both  of  Groton  April .  26.  1726 
A  true  Copy        Att'  John  Longley  Town  Clerk 

Rec''  May  :  1726  &  Entered  By  Sam'-  Phipps  Cler  PaC 


19 


1726.  April.  28* 

May.  31=.' 

Nov^  22? 

Dec'  28* 

Jan'y.  12.  1726/7. 

March.  9* 

March.  21=? 

1727.  April  2o'^ 

August  4. 
Novem'  14. 
Deem'  20. 
Feb'y.  27*  1727/8, 
Feb'y  28* 

1728.  May  9* 

Sepe  26* 

Octobr  ii'? 

Decern''  26. 

Feb'y.  4'l'  1728/9. 

March  24. 

1729.    Octo'  27* 
Decern^  18'!' 
Decemb'  30. 


Michael  Gibson  to  Susannah  Sawtel  both 
of  Groton 

Timothy    Spaulding    of    Chelmsford    to 
Thankfull  Prescot  of  Groton 

James  Shattuck  to  Sarah  Cham- 
berlin 

James  Stone  to  Mary  Farwell 

Samuel  Fisk  to  Elizabeth  Par- 
ker I   all  of 

William     Green     to     Hannah  (   Groton 
Holding 

Daniel  Davis  to  Lydia  Ames 

Dudley   Bradstreet  to   Abigail 
Lakin  y^  4* 

Eben'  Hartwell  of  Concord  to  Rachael 
Farnsworth  of  Groton 

Jacob  Ames   to  Ruth  Shattuck  both  of 
Groton 

Eleazer  Tarbel  to  Elizebeth  Bowers  both 
of  Groton 

Samuel  Davis  to  Sarah  Boynton  both  of 
Turkey  Hills  [Lunenburg] 

Daniel  Sawtel  of  Groton  to  Esther  Heald 
of  Concord 

Josseph  Stone  to  Mary  Prescot  both  of 
Groton 

Joseph  Blanchard  of   Dunstable  to  Re- 
becca Hubbard  of  Groton 

John  Stevens  to  Martha  Farns- 
worth 

Jonathan     Shepley    to     Lydia 
Lakin 

Nath"  Lawrence  Jun'  to  Doro- 
thy Chamberlin  .  all  of 

Aaron  Farnsworth  to  Hannah  (Groton 
Barron 

John  Lakin  to  Lydia  Parker 

Elias  Elliot  to  Ruth  Laurence 

Ebenezer    Jefts    to    Elizabeth 
Farnsworth 


20 

Jan'y.  7.  1729/30     Josiah  Boyden  to  Eunice  Parker  ^  ^jj  ^£ 
Jan'y.  13.  Isaac  Gilson  to  Dorothy  Kemp  >-  Qj-oton 

Jan'y  28  Jacob  Lakin  to  Eunice  Lakin       ) 

Feb'y.  2?  .     Nathan  Barron  to  Abigail  Yar-  1 

row  I  all  of 

Feb'y.  24.  .     Mathias  Farnsworth  to  Abigail   |  Groton 

Shead  J 

March.  4.  1729/30.  The  foregoing  is  the  list  of  names  of  the  Per- 
sons that  were  joyned  in  marriage  By  the  Rev"*  M'  Caleb  Trow- 
bridge Pastor  of  the  Church  in  Groton  as  appears  by  certificate 
under  his  hand 

A  true  Copy  Att'  John  Langley  Town  Clerk 

The  Persons  hereafter  named  were  joyned  in  marriage  By  Benjamin 
Prescot  Esq'  as  appears  by  Certificate  under  his  hand  Viz' 

,  Hezekiah  Usher  &  Abigail  Cleveland  both  of  Charlestown 

June  20*  1728 
Thomas  Warlley  &  Mehetable  Yarrow  both  of  Dunstable  on 

the  11*  of  May  1729 

John  Wheelock  &  Martha  Woods  both  of  Lancaster 

Septm'  II.  1729 

A  true  Copy  Att'  John  Longley  Town  Clerk 

Rec*  &  Entered  By  Sam^  Phipps  Cler  Pa(f 

May.  7'f'  1730.         Nathan  Whipple   to   Hannah  Boynton   both  of 

Groton 
Jan'y  12  1730/1      Jonathan  Gates  of  Stow  to  Elizebeth  Farwell  of 

Groton 
Jan'y  28*  Jonas  Varnum  to  Mary  Shepley  both  of  Groton 

Feb'y-  9""  Jeremiah  Norcross  of  Lunenburgh  to  Faith  Page 

of  Groton 
Feb'y.  11*  Phinehas  Parker  Jun'  to  Mary  Kemp  both  of 

Groton 
March  26*  1731.     Nathanel  Nutting  to    Elizebeth   Page   both    of 

Groton 
April.  14*  Stephen  Ames  to  Jane  Robbins  both  of  Groton 

April  22?  John  Fife  to  Jane  Irvine  both  of  Groton 

April  27*     ■  David  Russel  to  Mary  Clark  both  of  Littleton 


I 

May.  13*  [1^31.]     Ephraim  Nutting   to  Lydia  Spaulding   both   of 

Groton 
June  25""  Eleazer  Lawrence  Jun'  to  Lucy  Tuttle  both  of 

Littleton 
Novem''4*  John  Kemp  to  Sarah  Holding  both  of  Groton 

Novem'  30""  Sam'  Randal  of  Stow  to  Priscilla  Farnworth  of 

Groton 
Jan'y  5*  1731/    ;      Shadrich  Whitney  of  North  Town  [Townsend] 

\  to  Prudence  Lawrence  of  Groton 

Jan'y  6""  William  Spaulding  to  Hepsibah  Blood  both  of 

1  Groton 

Jan'y  13*  '  Ebenezer  Lakin  to  Lydia  Lakin  both  of  Groton 

March  14. 1731/2   I  Phinehas  Wait  to  Mary  Hubbard  both  of  Groton 
April  4*  1732  J^mes  Horsley  of  North   Town  to  Experience 

\  Jewit  of  Groton 

These  were  Joyned  inVMarriage  by  the  Reverend  M'  Caleb  Trow- 
bridge of  Groton  as  by  his  Certificate  to  me  appears  as  Att^ 
Tho'  Tarbel  Town\p/erk. 

Repd  &  Entered  By  Sam^  Phipps  C/er  Fa" 

April.  19*  1732  John  Scott  to'jvlary  Chamberlin  both  of  Groton 
April  25*  John  Albee  to  Abigail  Searl  both  of  North  Town 

April  26""  Jonathan  Prat  to  Mary  Bowers  both  of  Groton 

July  12*  Thomas   Merryfiel^   to    Mary   Anderson    both   of 

Groton 
M'  Solomon  Prenticd,  of  Hassnamisco  to  M"  Sarah 

Sawtel  of  Groton 
Ephraim  Cady  of   Killingsly  [Conn.]    to   Abigail 
Barron  of  Groton 
Nov'  2''  Daniel  Farmer  of  Lunenburgh  to  Elizebeth  Woods 

of  Groton 
Nov'  1 4"'  John  Shead  to  Elizebeth  Shattuckboth  of  Groton 

Nov'  23'^  Josiah  Willard  Jun'  of   Lunenburgh   to   Hannah 

Hubbard  of  Groton 
Jan'y  4.  1732/3   William  Longley  to  Mary  Parker  both  of  Groton 
Jan'y  18*  1732/3.    Samuel   Wright   to   Annah    Lawrence   both  of 

Groton 
Jan'y  30  1732/3.     Samuel  Cummings  to  Prudence  Lawrence  both 
of  Groton 


Octob'  26" 


20 

Jany  7.  1729/30    Josiah  Boyden  to  Eunice  Parker  \  ^jj  ^^ 
Jan'y.  13.  Isaac  Gilson  to  Dorothy  Kemp  V  Qj.^^^^ 

Jan'y  28  Jacob  Lakin  to  Eunice  Lakin      ) 

Feb'y.  2'?  .     Nathan  Barron  to  Abigail  Yar- 

row 
Feb'y.  24.  .     Mathias  Farnsworth  to  Abigail 

Shead 


all  of 
Groton 


March.  4.  1729/30.  The  foregoing  is  the  list  of  names  of  the  Per- 
sons that  were  joyned  in  marriage  By  the  Rev"  M'  Caleb  Trow- 
bridge Pastor  of  the  Church  in  Groton  as  appears  by  certificate 
under  his  hand 

A  true  Copy  Att'  John  Langley  Town  Clerk 

The  Persons  hereafter  named  were  joyned  in  marriage  By  Benjamin 
Prescot  Esq'  as  appears  by  Certificate  under  his  hand  Viz' 

Hezekiah  Usher  &  Abigail  Cleveland  both  of  Charlestown 

June  20*  1728 
Thomas  Warlley  &  Mehetable  Yarrow  both  of  Dunstable  on 

the  ii""  of  May  1729 

John  Wheelock  &  Martha  Woods  both  of  Lancaster 

Septm'  II.  1729 

A  true  Copy  Att'  John  Longley  Town  Clerk 

Rec''  &  Entered  By  Sam'-  Phipps  Cler  Pac" 

May.  7*  1730.         Nathan  Whipple   to   Hannah  Boynton    both  of 

Groton 
Jan'y  12  1 730/1      Jonathan  Gates  of  Stow  to  Elizebeth  Farwell  of 

Groton 
Jan'y  28*  Jonas  Varnum  to  Mary  Shepley  both  of  Groton 

Feb'y.  g*  Jeremiah  Norcross  of  Lunenburgh  to  Faith  Page 

of  Groton 
Feb^y.  ii"-  Phinehas  Parker  Jun'  to  Mary  Kemp  both  of 

Groton 
March  26*  1731.    Nathanel  Nutting  to   Elizebeth   Page   both   of 

Groton 
April.  14'^  Stephen  Ames  to  Jane  Robbins  both  of  Groton 

April  22?  John  Fife  to  Jane  Irvine  both  of  Groton 

April  27'."  David  Russel  to  Mary  Clark  both  of  Littleton 


21 


June  25* 

Novem'  4* 
Novem'  30' 

Jan' 

Jan'y  6'" 

Jan'y  13* 


\ 


'ys'- 1731/  \ 


May.  iV*"  [i/7'i'-5^'J     Ephraim  Nutting   to  Lydia   Spaulding   both   of 
Groton 
Eleazer  Lawrence  Jun'  to  Lucy  Tuttle  both  of 

Littleton 
John  Kemp  to  Sarah  Holding  both  of  Groton 
Sam'  Randal  of  Stow  to  Priscilla  Farnworth  of 

Groton 
Shadrich  Whitney  of  North  Town  [Townsend] 

to  Prudence  Lawrence  of  Groton 
William  Spaulding  to  Hepsibah  Blood  both  of 
Groton 
;  Ebenezer  Lakin  to  Lydia  Lakin  both  of  Groton 
March  14.  i7'?i/2     IPhinehas  Wait  to  Mary  Hubbard  both  of  Groton 
Aoril  A*  17^2  fcames  Horsley  of  North   Town  to  Experience 

"t    Jewit  of  Groton 
-)i 
These  were  Joyned  in  -j^Marriage  by  the  Reverend  M'  Caleb  Trow- 
bridge of  Groton  aJjJ  by  his  Certificate  to  me  appears  as  Atf 
Tho'  Tarbel  Town  ^ierk. 

gj^d  &  Entered  By  Sam'-  Phipps  Cler  Pa" 


April.  19*  1732   John  Scott  toV^ary  Chamberlin  both  of  Groton 
April  25*  John  Albee  to  SPjigail  Searl  both  of  North  Town 

Jonathan  Prat  to V^ary  Bowers  both  of  Groton 
Thomas   Merryfiel^   to    Mary   Anderson    both   of 

Groton 
M'  Solomon  PrenticA  of  Hassnamisco  to  M'=  Sarah 

Sawtel  of  Grotoi! 
Ephraim  Cady  of   Ki\[lingsly  [Conn.J    to   Abigail 

Barron  of  Groton 
Daniel  Farmer  of  Lunejnburgh  to  Elizebeth  Woods 

of  Groton  \ 

John  Shead  to  Elizebettj  Shattuck'both  of  Groton 
Josiah  Willard  Jun'  o^  Lunenburgh   to   Hannah 
Hubbard  of  Groton\ 
Jan'y  4.  1732/3   William  Longley  to  MarV  Parker  both  of  Groton 
Jan'y  18*  1732/3.    Samuel   Wright   to    Annah    Lawrence    both   of 

Groton  1 

Jan'y  30  1732/3.     Samuel  Cummings  toi  Prudence  Lawrence  both 
of  Groton 


April  26'" 
July  12* 


Octob'  26" 

Nov^  2.^ 

Nov'  14"" 
Nov"  23" 


22 


Feb'y.  20.  1732/3.   James  Lawrence  to  Mary  Martin  bth  of  Groton 
June  21.  1733.        John  Goodridge  of  Lunenburgh  to  junice      ript- 

ure  of  Groton 
The  Persons  afore  named  were  Joyned  in  marriage  b^the  Reverend 
M'  Caleb  Trowbridge  of  Groton  at  the  times  ab-ve  mentioned 
as  by  his  Certificate  thereof  appears. 

Tho^  TaRjEL  Town  Clerk 


July  5.  1733.  Amos    Woods    to    Hannah    1  Atting    both     of 

Groton 
Sepf  12*  John  Page  to  Mary  Parker  bofi  of  Groton 

October  25*  James   Tufts   of  Medford  to  Phebe  Woods  of 

Groton 
Novem'  i"'  Jonathan  Larapson  of  Concord  to  Elinor  Blood 

of  Groton 
Novemb'  22".  Moses  Woods  to  Esther  Houghton  both  of  Groton 

Decm^  6.  Nathaniel  Parker  to  Joanna  Stephens  both  of 

Groton 
Jan'y  23'!  1733/4.    Ebenezer  Gilson  to  Annas  Searl  both  of  Groton 
Jan'y  29.  173/4.       Enoch   Lawrence   to    Sarali    Stephens   both    of 

Groton 
The  Persons  above  named  were  joyned  in  Marriage  by  the  Rev'^  M' 
Caleb  Trowbridge  of  Groton   at  y*"  several  times  above  men- 
tioned as  by  his  Certificate  to  me  appears 

'  Thomas  Tarbel  Town  Clerk 

The  aforegoing  Marriages  Rec'^  &  Entred 

f  Sam"-  Phipps  Cler  Pa(f 

[I^.  217-219.] 

GROT'ON    MARRIAGES 

Groton  Febr  21  :  1744/5.    i.To  M'  Tho=  Tarbel  Clerk  for  s?  Town 
Sir,    That  the  Persons  hereafter  named  were  (at  the  several  Times 
Set  against  their  respfective  names)  joyned  in  marriage  by  me 
the   Subscriber  is  hereby  certified  to  you  Caleb  Trowbridge 
Pastor  of  the  CM  inf.  s<i  Town 
Viz!  \ 

March  5*  1740/1.  John  Bjfurt  to  Barbara  Farmer  both  of  Groton 
May  5  :       —         John  ^^iHiams  jun5  of  Groton  to  Eliz^  Cutter  of 
Q  .harlestown 


/ 

[May]i3.[i74i-J 

—  25-      -- 

June  II.      — , 

SepK  1 6.  — 
Oct"  6.  — 
NovT  II.      — 


—  26.  — 
Dec?  8  :  — 
Janut  14  1 741/2 

—  19  — 
Febru^  4.     — 


March  4.  — 

—  II.  — 

—  25-  — 
May  6.  — 

July  15-  — 

—  22^!  — 

Septf  9.  — 

Dec'  9.  — 

—  28.  — 
Janul  27.  — 

Febr  8.  — 

—  21.  — 
April.  26.  1743. 

July  12.  — 

—  27.  — 


all  of 
Groton 


all  of 
Groton 


23 


Uriah  Sartle  to  Sarah  Martin 
Nathaniel    Parker.    Ju'    to    Eleanor 

Walker 
Reuben    Woods    to   Widow    Submit 

Whitney 
Isaac  Phillips  to  Abig!  Nutting 
Daniel  Shed  to  Mary  Tarbel 
Josiah  Brown  of  Littleton  to  Anna  Farwell  of 

Groton 
Nathan  Rugg  of  Lancaster  to  Zeruiah  Frost  of 

Groton 
John  Moshier  to  Elisabeth  Lawrence 
Elnathan  Blood  to  Elizt  Boynton 
John  Blood  to  Abigail  Parker 
Seta  Walker  Junf  to  Abigail  Holdin 
Thomas  Tarbel  Junr  to  Esther  Smith 
Ephraim  Divol  of  Lancaster  to  Eliz^  Woods  of 

Groton 
James  Blood  Jun'  to  Mary  Gilson  both  of  Groton 
Peter  Parker  of  Groton  to  Prudence  Lawrence 

of  Littreton 
Thomas  Fisk  to  Mary  Parker 
Thomas  Patch  to  Anna  Gillson 
William  Sanderson  to  Sarah  Russell 
John  Farwell   of   Harvard  to   Sarah   Sawtle  of 

Groton 
Oliver  Farwell  to  Rejoyce  Preston 
Joseph  Blood  Jun'  to  Hannah  Blood 
William   Richardson    of    Townshend 

Hobart  of  Groton. 
Priamus  Negro  (Cap'  Boydens  Slave)  to  Mar^ 

garet  Molatto  both  of  Groton. 
Jonathan  Shattuck  Junf  to  Kezia  Farns- 

worth 
Nathaniel  Bowers  to  Elizabeth  Blood 
Joseph  Dodge  to  y"  Widow  Mary  Irvine 
Jonathan  Holdin  to  Deborah  Houghton. 
Timothy  Moore  to  Lydia  Nutting 
Jonathan  Parker  to  Eleanor  Hunt 
Josiah    Farnsworth    Jun'   to    Hannah 

Buttrick 


all  of 
Groton 


I  all  of 
i  Groton 
to   Mary 


all  of 
Groton 


all  of 
Groton 


24 

Novf  10.  [1743.J     Joseph  Stephens  of  New  Ipswich  (sp  called)  to 

Elisabeth  Sawtle  of  Groton 
Deer  2.         —  Samuel  Phillips  to  Abigail  Frost  both  of  Groton 

—  8  —  Samuel  Flood  resident  in  Andover  to  Triphena 
— .  Powers  of  Groton. 

—  13.       —  Josiah  Nutting  to  Mary  Blood  both  of  Groton. 
Janut  5 :  1743/4.      David    Kemp     to     Hannah     Sawtle    both    of 

Groton. 
April  2.       —         Thomas  Jewett  of  Boxford  to  Martha  Hale  of 

Groton. 
June  12.      —         John  Courtney  to  Dorcas  Barney  both  resident 

in  Groton. 

—  20.       —  Benjamin  Lawrence  to  Ruth  Dodge 
July  3.         —          Thomas  Lawrence  to  Sarah  Houghton 
Novl  22.      —          William  Williams  to  Mary,  Perkins 
Deer  4.         —          Isaac  Farnsworth  to  Anna  Green 

—  6.        —         Samuel  Bloget   of  Westford  to  Sarah  Spencer 

—  of  Groton. 

—  18.       —  Ephraim  Whitney  to  Esther  Woods 
Jan'J  17  :  1744/5.     James  Paterson  to  the  Widow  ( 

^-  Elisabeth  Battlet  J 

—  —         Jedediah  Jewett  to  Elisabeth  Shattuck . 
March  19.   —  Phinehas  Chamberlain  to  Lydia  Wil- >| 

liams 
April  2.        —  Nathan  Hubburd  to  Mary  Paterson       V' 

May  22.      —  William  Tarbel  Junr  to  Sarah  Woods      ) 

June  27.      —  Moses  Blood  to  Elisabeth  Stone  J 

Rec''  August  29*  1745 

and  Entered  ?  Thad  Mason  C/er  Pad 
[IV.  283-285.] 

John  Fanworth  of  Groton  &  Hannah  Aldis  of  Dedham,  were 
joyned  in  marriage  December  8'!'  1686./ 

James  Blood  &  Abigail  Kemp,  both  of  Groton,  were  joyned  in 
marriage  December  20*  1686./ 

James  Fisk  &  Tabitha  Butterick,  both  of  Groton,  were  joyned  in 
marriage  February  2^.  i68f./ 

John  Laurance  &  Hannah  Tarbal,  both  of  Groton,  were  joyned  in 
marriage  November  9*  1687. 

By  Gersham  Hubert  Minisr  of  Groton 
[IV.  154.J 


all  of 
Groton 


all  of 
Groton 


25 

The  remaining  records  from  Volume  IV.  are  found  under 
the  headings  of  different  towns,  and  in  every  instance  the 
page  is  given  within  the  brackets. 

Christopher  Hall  of  Groton  &  Ruth  Garfield  of  Watertowne  were 
Joyned  in  marriage  February  2'!  i68|. 
—  [154.]  W"  Bond  Esq  justice  of  p. ■ 

William  Shattuck  Junf  of  Groton  &  Hannah  Underwood  of  Water- 
town,  were  Joined  in  Marriage  by  Justice  Wili?  Bond  March  19''' 
1687/8  —  [164.] 

Adam  Goold  of  Groton,  &  Hannah  Knight  of  Wooburn,  were 
joyned  in  marriage  by  y"  same  Minister  [Jabez  Fox,  of  Woburn,] 
September.  28.  1687./  —  [165.J 

John  Green  of  Groton,  &  Mary  Pierce  of  Watertown,  were  joyned 
in  Marriage  by  y''  same  Minister  [Joseph  Estabrook,  of  Concord,] 
December  25*  1688.—  [166.] 

John  Greene  of  Charlestown,  &  Patience  Daughter  of  Samuel 
Davis  of  Groton  joyned  in  Marriage  before  M'  Minot  of  Concord. 
-[189.J 
Jonathan  Kemp  of  Chelmsford  and  Sarah  Gil-  \ 

son   of   Groton   were  Married   by  Justice  \  Novem'  19*  17 18 

Minott — [200.]  ) 

Joseph  Farnsworth  of  Groton  &  Rebecca  Gibson  [of  Sudbury]  May. 

4.  1727. —[207  .J 
Samuel  Parker  of  Groton  and  Sarah  Houghton  )  t     r      o        ..      / 

of  Lancaster  were  married  —  [2 12. J  ) 

Joshua  Wheeler  of   Townshend  &  Mehetabel  Hadley  of  Groton 

were  Married  Jan'^  4'!'  1737/8  by  Phinehas  Hemenway  Pastor 

of  the  C—  in  Townshend.  —  [290-] 
Timothy  Whitney  lately  an   Inhabitent  of  Townshend  &   Submit 

Parker  of   Groton    were   married  by   the   Rev*  M''  Phinehas 

Hemenway  May  24'!'  1738.—  [290.] 
On  April.  14:  1747  were  lawfully  married  Jacob  Byam  of  Groton  & 

Sarah  Avery  of  Townshend.  as  attf  Phinehas  Hemenway  Pastor 

of  Townshend.  —  [291-] 
Benjamin  Farnsworth  of  Groton  &  Rebekah  Pratt  of  Maldon  were 

married  by  Mf  Jos  :  Emerson  the  19'?  of  May  1736.  —  [303.] 

After  this  date  the  list  of  marriages  is  found  in  the  two 
volumes  marked  respectively  "  Marriages.  No.  i."  and  "  Mar- 
riages. No.  2." 

4 


26 


GROTON    MARRIAGES 
Groton  March  2'?  1746  To  Mf:  Tho^  Tarbell  Clerk  of  Said  Town. 
I  do  hereby  certifie  you  that  the  Persons  under-named  were  joyned 
together  in  Marriage  (at  the  Several  Times  affixed  to  their  names) 

by  me  Caleb  Trowbridge  Pastor  of  a  Church  in  s'?  Town 
January  29'?"  1745  Tho^  Williams  &  Mercy  Rolf 
John  Pratt  &  Hannah  Bowers 
Robinson  Lakin  &  Hannah  Dodge 
Simeon  Blood  &  Sarah  Gillson 
Amos  Sawtell  &  Elisabeth  Fletcher 
Samuel  Scripture  Jun'  &  Mary  Green 
William  Derumple  &  Elisabeth  Shead 
John  Russell  &  Mary  Cranson 
Benj'^  Swallow  &y^WidT  Hannah  Green. 
John  Chamberlain  Junf  &  Rachel  Law- 
rence 
Jon"!  Lawrence  &  Elisabeth  I^akin 
Benjamin  Bennet  JunT  &  Sarah  Lakin 
Moses  Bennet  Junf  &  Sarah  Blood 
The  Persons  above  named  are  recorded  by  me  as  they  stand 
entred  in  Groton  Town  Book  for  Marriages  &c. 

Tho^  Tarbell   Town  Clerk 


Febr^  5  : 

April  15:  1746. 

June  17  : 

Sept?  17  : 

OcX".  9  : 

Nov!  4  : 

Nov?  S  : 

Novf  20. 

Dec;  3? 

Dec'  f. 

Januf  8 : 

Februf  1 7. 

all  of 
Groton 


March  3?  1746/7 
May  12*  1747 
May  14:  1747 
May  21  :  1747 
July  16  :  1747 


Zachariah  Shattuck,  Elisabeth  Fisk 
Silas  Blood,  Alathea  Martin 
Nathaniel  Shattuck,  Hannah  Simonds 
Amos  Taylor,  Bridget  Martin 
John  Green  Kezia  Shattuck 

Stephen  Foster  Sarah  Blood  AugV  5'/"  1 747 

Married  ^  me  Joseph  Emerson. 
The  within  Persons  are  recorded  by  me  in  Groton  Town  Book 
for  marriages  &c.  Thq-^.  Tarbell  Town-Clerk 

Groton     Februf  21:   1747.     To  M'  Tho=  Tarbell   Clerk  of  said 

Town   this  may  certifie  you  that  the  following  Couples 

were  joyned  in  Marriage  at  the  times  set  against  their 

Names)  by  me  Caleb  Trowbridge 

Pastor  of  the  C.";  in  Said  Town 
Viz? 

April  2^  1747     William  Wallis  of  Townshend  &  Eunice  Nutting  of 
Groton. 


July 
Sept" 

Nov^ 

7: 
I : 
10  : 

— 

25- 

26. 

Deer 

2. 

— 

3 

— 

14 

— 

30 

Febr 

u^S"} 

16. 

27 

[April]  20:  [1747.]  John  Derby  of  Harvard  &  Wid"  Elisabeth  Holdin 
of  Groton. 
23'?     —    William  Scott  of  Dunstable  &  Mary  Derumple  of 
Groton. 
June  25 :  Hezek^  Sawtell  Junf  of  Groton  &  Margaret  Dodge 

of  Lunenburgh. 
John  Stone  JunT  &  Anna  Pratt  )    11    f 

David  Nutting  &  Rachel  Lakin         >  p 
William  Holding  &  Annis  Nutting    ) 
Oliver  Wheeler  of  Acton  &  Abigail  Woods  of  Groton 
Benj';  Willson  &  Sarah  Whitney  both  of  Groton 
Abijah  Willard  of  Lancaster  &  Elisabeth  Prescott 
of  Groton. 
•     David  Sawtell  Junr  &  Rebekah  Pratt  both  of  Groton 
Moses  Wheeler  resident    in    Groton   &   Elisabeth 

Holdin  of  the  same  Town. 
Edmund  Bancroft  &  Elisabeth  Atherton  ■»  all  of 
Moses  Wentworth  &  Mindwell  Stone       |  Groton 
Ephraim  Chandler  of  Westford  &  Widow  Abigail 
Blood  of  Groton. 
The  Persons  above  named  are  recorded  by  me  as  they  Stand 
entered  in  Groton  Town  Book  for  Marriages  &c 

Tho^  Tarbell  Town  Clerk 
All  the  foregoing  were  rec"!  May  3"?  1 749 

and  recorded  by  me  Thad  Mason  Cler  PaC. 

Groton  April  28'!'  1749.  To  Cap^  Tho!  Tarbell  Clerk  of  said  Town 
I  do  certifie  you  that  the  Several  Couples  hereafter  named  were 
J03med  together  in  Marriage  (at  the  Several  Times  Set  against  their 
respective  Names)  by  me  Caleb  Trowbridge 

Pastor  of  the  first  Church  in  said  Town 
Viz; 

May  12  :  1748.     Josiah  Conant  &  Rachel  Hobart 
July  7.        —       Israel  Hobart  &  Anna  Lawrence 
Septr  13.    —       Jam?  Stone  Junf  &  Deborah  Nutting 
Febru'!  9  :  —       Jerahmeel  Bowers  &  Eunice  Bennit 
March  i :  —       William  Bush  &  Abiel  Bennit 
April  5  :  1749.     Jason  Williams  Jun'  &  Jemima  Nutting 
April  26  :  —       Joshua  Bowers  &  Sarah  Farnsworth 

A  true  Copy  from  Groton  Town  Book  of  Records  for  Marriages. 

Tho^  Tarbell  Town  Clerk 


all  of 
Groton 


28 

Groton  Febru?  24'^  1749.  To  Mf  Tho?  Tarbell  Town  Clerk  &c 
I  do  hereby  certifie  that  the  following  Couples  were  joyned  in  mar- 
riage (at  the  Several  Times  Set  against  their  Names  by  me 

Caleb  Trowbridge  Pastor  of  the  1?  C';''  in  Said  Town 

4 

Viz! 

Oct°4:    1749.     Joseph  Fairbanks  of  Harvard  &  Abigail  Tarbell  of 

Groton. 
Oct"  18.    —       Benj^  Bancroft  Jun":  &  Alls  Tarbell    ^ 
Dec'  6  :     —       Henry  Farwell  &  Lydia  Tarbell  I  all  of 

13     —       Jonathan  Sawtell  &  Mary  Holdin       [   Groton 
1 4'!'  —       Oliver  Farnsworth  &  Sarah  Tarbell  J 
A  true  Copy  from  the  Town  of  Groton  Book  of  Records  for  Mar- 
riages, Tho^  Tarbell  Town  Clerk 

MARRIAGES. 

William  Blood  to  Lucy  Fletcher  Janul  5*  1747/8 

Eleazer  Gillson  to  Mary  Hall  July  21:1 748 

Zachariah  Withe  to  Esther  Kemp  July  21  :  1748 

Samuel  Foster  [of  Boxfprd]  to  Jane  Boynton  Nov'  24  :  1 748 

James  Parker  to  Rebekah  Bulkley  Decern?  22  :  1748 

Abraham  Parker  to  Lois  Blood  March  16  :  1749. 

Jeremiah  Shattuck  Jun'  to  Lydia  Lakin,  Augs'  10  :  1749 

A  true  Copy  from  Groton  Town  Book  of  Records  for  Marriages. 

Tho^  Tarbell  Town  Clerk 
All  the  foregoing  were  rec'!  Februf  14  :  1750.  and  recorded  by  me 

Thad  Mason  Cler  Pac". 

Groton  Februf  8*  1750.     To  Cap!  Thof  Tarbell  Clerk  &c 

I  do  hereby  certifie  you,  that  I  Caleb  Trowbridge  have  joyned  in 

Marriage  the  following  Couples  at  the  several  Times  set  against 

their  respective  Names,  Viz' 

March  22I  1749.     Ebenezer  Nutting  &  Sarah  Farnsworth  both  of 

Groton 
July  31?  1750.         Artemas  Ward  of  Shrewsbury  &   Sarah  Trow- 
bridge of  Groton. 
Nov;  if  Jonathan  Peirce  &  Ruth  Gillson  1 

^g?  —  Josiah  Williams  &  Prudence  Nutting     I  all  of 

Dec!  19.    —  Eleazer  Green  Jun!  &  Sarah  Parker      [  Groton 

26*   —  William  Green  Jun'  &  Ruth  Colburn    J 


29 

Janutio'J"  [1750/1]     Philemon  Holdin  &  Lucy  Walker    ")    ,,    , 

30*      —  Jonathan  Longley&  Anna  Bancroft  >■ 

Febru?  6*     —         Amos  Holdin  &  Prudence  Holdin     )  "^^^o" 

Entred  in  Groton  Town  Book  of  Records  Tho?  Tarbell 

Groton  June  11*  1752.  To  M^  Tho^  Tarbell  Town  Clerk  for 
said  Town,  I  do  hereby  certifie  that  the  following  Couples  were 
joyned  in  marriage  to  each  other  at  the  Several  Times  Set  against 
their  Names,  by  me  Caleb  Trowbridge  Pastor  of  the  first  Church 
in  Groton,  —  Viz.' 

March  6  :  1750/1.     Jonathan  Gilson  &  Susannah  Peirce  both  of 
Groton 
13*  Jonas  Prescott  Jun'  of  Westford  &  the  Wid" 

Rebekah  Parker  of  Groton. 
Sept  4:  175 1.  Moses  Haskel  of  Harvard  &  Anna  Tarbel  of 

Groton 
OctoJ  14.    —  Floyd    Pratt   of   Maiden   &   Lydia    Coffin    of 

Groton 
Novf  14  :   —  Abel  Lawrence  &  Mary  Buckley        )  all  of 

20     —  Joseph  Longley  &  Esther  Paterson    J  Groton 

Decf  17:    —  Bezaleel  Sawyer  of  Lancaster  &  Lois  Lawrence 

of  Groton. 
Janu?  16  :  1752.        Ambrose  Lakin  &  Dorothy  Gillson  of  Groton 
22.  Benj?  Brooks  Jun'  of  Townshend  &  Elisabeth 

Green  of  Groton. 
March  4  :     —  Jerem!"  Hobart  &  Hannah  Green    \    ,,    , 

5'f'     —  Elnathan  Sawtell  &  Mary  Stone    V-  q^qj^jj 

April  i^'  David  Stone  &  Lydia  Pratt  ) 

April  30  :     —  Jonathan  Adams  of  Concord  &  Submit  Farwell 

of  Groton. 
May  19  :      —  Joseph  Parkhurst  &  Deborah  Spaul- 

ding 
26;      —  Joseph  Bennit&  Margaret  Shattuck 

June  10 :      —  Josiah    Chamberlain     &     Hepzibah 

Crecee 
Entred  in  Groton  Town  Book  of  Records 

Tho?  Tarbell 

Groton  Febru':  25^  1754.     To   Capt  Tho!  Tarbell  Town  Clerk 
&c  This   is  to  certifie  that   I    Caleb   Trowbridge    (Pastor   of   the 


all  of 
Groton 


30 

Church  in  said  Town)  did  joyn  in  Marriage  the  following  Couples 
at  the  Times  set  against  their  respective  Names  Viz? 


June 

17 

18: 

Novf 

8: 

22. 

Deer 

20: 

March  7 

Sept' 

4: 

Octf 

24. 

Novf 

il 

22? 

Deer.  17  :     — 
Januf  3?   1754 


IS'! 


of. 
Groton 


1752.      John  Sollendine  &  Dorcas  Whipple 

—  James  Prescott  &  Susanna  Lawrence 

—  Peter  Hobart  &  Abigail  Lakin 

—  Jonathan  Farwell  &  Triphena  Frost 

—  Micah  Crecee  of  Groton  &  Catharine  Wether- 

bee  of  Bolton 
1753.         Zachariah  Longley  &  Jemima  Moors 

—  Samuel    Sawtell   &    yf   Wid'T   Lydia 

Douglas  !       of 

—  John  Tarbell  &  Sarah  Parker  (  Groton 
Caleb  Blood  &  Hannah  Holden 
John  Craig  &  the  WidY  Jemima  Fisk 
James  Lock  Jun5   of  Townshend  &   Hannah 

Farnsworth  of  Groton. 
David  Bennit  of  the  District   of  Shirley  and 

Elisabeth  Wait  of  Groton. 
David  Gilson   of   Groton  &  Anna   Gilson    of 

Pepperrill  District 

Entred  in  Groton  Town  Book  of  Records 

Tho?  Tarbell 


Married  in  the  year  1750. 

Abel  Parker  to  Esther  Shattuck 
Jonathan  Shattuck  to  Elisabeth  Shattuck 

In  the  year  175 i 

John  Green  to  Susanna  Wood 

Richard  Adams  [of  Dunstable]  to  Lydia  Phillips 

Jacob  Ames  to  Sarah  Parker 

Amosa  Turner  [of  Lancaster]  to  Eunice  Sanderson 

James  Green  to  Elisabeth  Sheple 

John  Longley  to  Elisabeth  Paterson 

Oliver  Blood  to  Sarah  Darlin 


May 

10': 

Ag: 

16* 

Jan  : 

3l 

Jan  : 

17: 

Jan^ 

24* 

Feb 

14: 

July 

10* 

July 

16: 

Novf 

8: 

31 


In  the  year  1752 

Samuel  Gilson  to  Elisabeth  Shed  Feb  :  20. 

William  Elliot  to  Elisabeth  Williams  Mar:  19. 

^  me  Joseph  Emerson 
Entred  in  Groton  Book  of  Records      Tho^  Tarbell 


All  the  foregoing  were  reef  May  le*  1754 

&  Recorded  % 


Thad  Mason  Cler  Pac'. 


Groton  FebT  24'^  1755  To  Cap!  Tho=  Tarbell  Town  Clerk  These 
are  to  certifie  that  the  following  Couples  were  joyned  together  in 
Marriage  at  the  Time  Set  against  their  respective  Names  (by  me 
Caleb  Trowbridge  Pastor  of  the  Church  in  Said  Town  Viz' 


10. 
May  29. 
Deer  12* 
Janu*  9'f 


all  of 
Groton 


March  7  :  1754.   Benaiah  Hutson  of  Pepperrill  District  &  Dorothy 

Lawrence  of  Groton 
19':''     —     Isaac  Lakin  Jun'  of  Groton  &  Mary  Lawrence  of 

Pepperrill  &c* 
April  2"!        —     Ebenezer  Severance  &  y1  Wid"   Sarah 

Bacon 

—  Jonathan  Morse  &  Sybil  Tarbell 

—  Ephraim  Nutting  &  Jerusha  Parker 

—  Jonathan  Tarbell  &  Lydia  Farnsworth 
175s     William  Parker  of  Groton  &  y".  WidT  Sarah  Rich- 
ardson of  Pepperrill  &c^ 

'  Joseph  Bruce  of  Mendon  &  Elisabeth  Farnsworth 
of  Groton. 
Nathaniel  Lakin  of  Pepperrill  &  Sybil  Parker  of 
Groton 

Febr^  20  :  —       Eben'  Farnsworth  Junf  &  Mary  Nickolls  both  of 
Groton 


n'- 


To  Thadf  Mason  Esqr     This  may  certifie  you  that  the  Persons 
above  named  stand  recorded  with  me  as  they  are  above  entered 

Tho^  Tarbell  Town  Clerk 


Groton  Febru^  28'!'  1756.  To  Cap'  Thof  Tarbell  Town  Clerk 
This  is  to  certifie  you  that  the  following  Couples  were  joyned  in 
Marriage  (at  the  Several  Times  Set  against  their  respective  Names) 
by  me  Caleb  Trowbridge  Pastor  of  the  C'n^  in  Said  Town.  Viz' 


all  of 
Groton 


32 

March  26*  1755.     Cap'  Eph"?    Sawtell  &  y".  WidT  Han' 

Gilson 
27.  Samuel  Cragge  &  Mary  Conn 

Samuel  Hobart  &  Ann  Bradstreet 
April     16  :  John  Stevens  of  Townshend  &  Susanna  Tarbell 

of  Groton. 
May      29  :  Jonas  Sawtell  of  Groton  &  Elisabeth  Albee  of 

Townshend 
Amos  Dole  of  Littleton  &  Molly  Page  of  Groton. 
July       9  :  Jonathan  Stone  &  Susannah  Mores    }  all  of 

Sept'      9  John  Sheple  &  Abigail  Green  Junf     J  Groton 

Octor     s^-  Rev"!  My  Joseph  Perry  of  Windsor  [Conn.]  & 

M'f  Sarah  Lawrence  of  Groton 
Janu*  22f  1756.      Joshua  Nevers  resident  in  Groton  &  the  Wid" 

Abigail  Sawtell  of  Groton. 
Feb'5  26  :     —         Jonathan  Pratt  &  Lucy  Bradstreet  )  all  of 
Febr^  27  :     —         William  Lakin  &  Priscilla  Ames     j  Groton 

To  Thad?  Mason  Esq'     This  may  certifie  that  the   Persons  above 
named  Stand  recorded  upon  my  Book  as  they  are  entred  above 

Tho^.  Tarbell  Town  Clerk. 

Decembf  10.  1755.  This  may  certifie  that  I  married  Timothy  Stew- 
ard &  Esther  Taylor  both  of  Westford  on  the  Day 
aforesaid. 

John  Stevens  yus^..  Peace 

The  above  written  stands  entred  with  me  as  above 

Tho!  Tarbell  Town  Clerk 

All  the  foregoing  were  received  March  11'!'  1756  &  recorded 

f  Thad  Mason  Cler  Facf. 

To  Doct";  Oliver  Prescott  Town  Clerk, 

Sir,  I  have  Married  the  Persons  hereafter  named  at  the  Times 
specified.  SamV  Dana 

1765.    Sepf:  26.  William  Shed  to  Lydia  Farnsworth  both  of 

Groton 
Octr  9.  Samuel  Nutting  of  Waltham  to  Olive  Ames 

of  Groton. 
Nov:  26.  John   Peirce   of   Groton    to   Sarah    Biers   of 

Westborough 


33 


Decf   s- 

20. 

1766.    Janu?  30 : 

March  1 1 : 

18. 

25: 
Dec!  23. 
1767     Janu^  6. 

15- 
Febru!  2. 

3- 

18. 

Marcdi  19. 

Mays- 

June  16. 

July  23'? 

Octof  29. 

NovT   1 1 

26. 

Decembr  10. 

1768.    Febru^9. 


Samuel  Reed  Jun'  of  Lunenburgh  to  Mary 

Tarbell  of  Groton. 
Edward    Phelps   of    Leominster  to    Martha 

Farnsworth  of  Groton. 
Joseph  Rockwood  to  Sarah  Richardson  both 

of  Groton. 
Ephraim    Peirce    to    Esther    Stone  both   of 

Groton. 
Nathan  Whipple  to  Abigail  Bowers  both  of 

Groton. 
Nathan   Ball  of  Northborough  to  Elisabeth 

Reed  of  Groton. 
John  Whitaker  Juf  to  Thankful  Peirce  both 

of  Groton. 
James  Adams  to  Susanna  Jenkins  both  of 

Groton. 
Simon    Page    Junf   of    Shirley   to   Elisabeth 

Moores  of  Groton. 
Jonathan   Harris  of   Leominster  to  Hannah 

Robbins  of  Groton. 
Zachariah    Fitch    to   Sybill    Lakin   both    of 

Groton 
Ebenezer  Farnsworth  to  Sarah  Nicholls  both 

of  Groton 
Joseph   Hartwell   of    Littleton   to   Elisabeth 

Peirce  of  Groton 
Jonathan  Farnsworth  of  Harvard  to  Hannah 

Farwell  of  Groton. 
Aaron  Farnsworth  to  Sarah  Bennet  both  of 

Groton. 
David  Taylor  of  Concord  to  Sarah  Parker  of 

Groton. 
John  Page  to  Esther  Lawrence  both  of  Groton. 
Salmon  Stone  to  Susa  Page  both  of  Groton. 
Caleb  Woods  of  Groton  to  Betty  Cumings  of 

Holies. 
Thomas  Smith  of  Westford  to  Hannah  Saund- 
ers of  Groton. 
Daniel    Page    to   Abigail    Johnson   both    of 

Groton 


S 


34 


Jonas  Martial  of  Chelmsford  to  Mary  Parker 

of  Groton. 
Joseph   Korey  to   Catharine    Perry  both   of 

Groton. 
Jonathan  Lakin  to  Jemima  Williams  both  of 

Groton 
Thomas  Farrington  to  Betty  Woods  both  of 
Groton. 
Novembr  lo.     John  Woods  Junf  of  Groton  to  Hannah  Good- 
hue of  Westford. 
John  Bancroft  of  Woodstock  to  Eunice  Blood 

of  Groton 
Thomas    Gragg   to    Eunice    Lakin   both    of 

Groton 
Samuel  Parker  Jun'  of  Groton  to  Rebekah 

Hunt  of  Westford 
James   Blood   Junf   of   Groton    to   Elisabeth 

Jewett  of  Pepperrill. 
Phinehas  Page  of  Shirley  to  Hannah   Stone 

of  Groton 
Thomas   Chamberlain  to  Lydia  Adams  both 
of  Groton. 
To  Thaddeus  Mason  Esq  Clerk  for  the  County  of  Middlesex  &c, 
Sir.  the  within  is  a  List  of  Marriages  returned  to  me  by  the 
Rev"?  Samuel  Dana  of  Groton  and  they  are  entered  upon  the 
Town  Book  for  Groton 

Att^  Oliver  Prescott  Town  Clerk 
Middlesex  ss  :  March  9  :  1773.  Rec'}   &  recorded 

by  Thad  Mason  Cler  Pac'. 


[1768.  Feb.]  10. 
March  9. 
August  I : 
Octob":  6. 


17- 
Decembr  i. 
27. 
1769.    Janu':  12. 
Febru^  2"! 
May  9. 


To  the  Town  Clerk  of  Groton,  Sir,  I  have  Married  the  following 
Persons  at  the  Times  here  Specified. 


1769.   July  6. 

Augsl  31- 
Sept?   28. 

October  3. 
26. 


Cap:  Joseph  Sheple  to  Deborah  Bowers  both 

of  Groton. 
Israel  Hobart  to  Sarah  Nutting  both  of  Groton 
Levi    Kemp   to    Rebekah    Nevers    both    of 

Groton 
Peter  Fisk  to  Rachel  Kemp  both  of  Groton 
Isaac  Nutting  Ju^  to  Mary  Nutting  both  of 

Groton. 


35 


Novembr  15. 
21. 
DecembT  12. 
1770.    Febru?  8. 
June  6. 
Octo^  10. 
November  20 
Decemb'  6 


1770.  Decemb'  27. 

1771.  May  7. 

23- 
June  4. 


July  24'!' 

August  13. 

14. 

October.  3. 

1772     Janu!'  9. 
March  26. 


May  7. 


Jonathan  Boyden  to  Elisabeth  Sawtell  both  of 

Groton. 
Benjamin    Lawrence  of   Pepperrill   to  Sybill 

Parker  of  Groton. 
William  Button  of  New  Ipswich  to  Martha 

Parker  of  Groton. 
Peter  Swallow  of  Dunstable  to  Prudence  Stiles 

of  Groton. 
Samuel  Kemp,  3"^  of  Groton  10  Elisabeth  Kezer 

of  Shirley. 
Joseph  Simonds  to  Mitty  Cummings  both  of 

Groton 
,  Benjamin   Hazen   to  Lydia  Woods  both   of 

Groton. 
Isaac  Farwell  to  Lucy  Page  both  of  Groton 
Solomon  Farnsworth  to  Lucy  Farnsworth  both 

of  Groton 
Nathaniel  Melvin  of  New  Ipswich  to  Abigail 

Lakin  of  Groton 
Nathan  Korey  to  Molly  Green  both  of  Groton. 
Zachariah  Nutting  to  Eunice  Nutting  Daugh- 
ter to  Nathaniel  Nutting  both  of  Groton. 
Thomas  White  Junl  to  Ruth  Farnsworth  both 

of  Groton . 
Elisha  Rockwood  to  Abigail   Stone  both  of 

Groton. 
Reuben    Tucker    of    Townshend    to   Relief 

Farnsworth  of  Groton. 
Timothy  Woods  to  Elisabeth  Derumple  both 

of  Groton 
Samuel  Woods  Jun'  of  Littleton  to  Rebecca 

Brooks  of  Groton. 
Stephen   Lunn    of    New    Ipswich   to   Sybill 

Whitney  of  Pepperrill. 
Timothy    Farwell    to    Sarah    Page   both   of 

Groton. 
Jacob  Patch  to  Mary  Hazen  both  of  Groton 
Josiah   Warren    to    Sarah    Tarbell    both   of 

Groton. 
William  Beals  of  Westford  to  Anna  Woods  of 

Groton. 


36 

[i772-     May]  ii-        Jonathan  Wetherbee  of  Harvard  to  Abigail 
Farwell  of  Groton. 
20.        K  Samuel  Tuttle  of  Littleton  to  Mary  Law- 
rence of  Groton. 

To  Thaddeus  Mason  Esqf  Cler.  Pac?  for  the  County  of  Middle- 
sex, Sir,  The  within  is  a  Return  of  Marriages  by  the  Rev?  Samuel 
Dana  of  Groton  &  they  are  entered  upon  the  Town  Book  for 
Groton. 

Att'  Oliver  Prescott  Town  Clerk 

Middlesex  ss  :  Rec?  May  \<f^  1773.  and  recorded 

by  Thad  Mason  Cler  Pad 

A  Return  of  Marriages  Solemnized  by  the  Rev"!  Daniel  Chaplin  of 
Groton 

Isaac  Green  of  Ashby  to  Prudence  Ames  of 

Groton 
Eenr  Parkhurst  to  Elisabeth  Kendall  both  of 

Dunstable. 
John  Bowers  to  Lucy  Wheeler  both  of  Groton 
Ephraim  Stone  to  Sarah  Ames  both  of  Groton. 
Abel    Stevens   to   Deborah    Trufant   both   of 

Groton 
William  Sheple  Junf  to  Lydia  Tarbell  both  of 

Groton 
Joseph  Moores  of  Ringe  to  Emme  Hubbard  of 

Groton 
Jonathan  Stevens  to  Tryphena  Hobart  both  of 
Groton 
Decembf  25.    Asa  Shattuck  of  Pepperrill  to  Anna  Wright  of 
Groton 
1788.    Febru'  14:      John  Hadley  of  Gardner  to  Abig".  Prescott  of 
Groton 
18.       John  Scott  to  Bethia  Ames  both  of  Groton. 
22'J      Joseph  Sawtell  ■f.  to  Hannah  Kemp  both  of 
Groton. 
Febru^  28 :  Thomas  Farwell  Junf  of  Washington  to  Sally 

Wait  of  Groton. 
28.      Aaron   Burdo  of   Reading  to  Phebe   Leu   of 
Groton 


1786. 

Dec'  27. 

1787 

Febru'.  8 : 

April  12. 

June  18 : 

Septr  13. 

Sept'  20 : 

Oct"  II. 

Novr  2. 

37 

April  8.  William  Tarbell  to   Molly    Simonds   both  of 

Groton. 

A  true  Copy  tes'  Joseph  Shed  Town  Clerk 
Groton  May  23  :  1788. 
Middlesex  ss  :  May  27  :  1788,  Received  &  Recorded 

by  Thad  Mason  Cler  Fatf. 
[Marriages,  No.  i,  pages  104-115.] 

A  List  of  Marriages  returned  by  the  Rev?  Daniel  Chaplin 

1788.    July  10*  Benjamin  Morse  jun' to  Susanna  Trusant  both 

of  Groton. 
Sept'  10.  Samuel  Blood  to  Sarah  Bartlet  both  of  Groton. 

Novemb'  15  :    Ezekiel  Nutting  Jun'  to  Elisabeth  Holdin  both 

of  Groton. 
Ditto  25.  Samuel  Farnsworth  to  Bettsy  Fitch  both  of 

Groton. 
Decemb!  25  :    John  White   of   Pepperrill  to  Lydia  Farwell 

of  Groton  • 

A  true  Copy  Test         Joseph  Shed  Town  Clerk 

A  List  of  Marriages  returned  by  Ebenezer  Champney  Esqf 

1788.  June  25?         Jonathan    Blood    to    Mary    Gragg    both    of 

Groton. 

1789.  March  27!'       Oliver  Hartwell  to   Rachel  Shattuck  both  of 

Groton 
1789     Janu?  6  :  Ebenezer  Pratt  Jun^  to  Eunice  Hartwell  both 

of  Shirley 
March  28 :      Oliver    Fletcher    to    Mary    Parker    both    of 
Groton 

A  true  Copy.  Tes'  Joseph  Shed  Town  Clerk 

A  List  of  Marriages  returned  by  Israel  Hobart  Esq' 

Novemb^  18  :  1788.      Abel  Patch  of  Groton  to  Rebekah  Nutting  of 
Pepperrill. 

Groton  May  yf  S-  1789     A  true  Copy  Tes'  Joseph  Shed  2"own 
Clerk 
Middlesex  ss :  May  5  :  1789  Received  &  Recorded 

by  Thad  Mason  Cler  Facf 


/ 

38 

The  following  is  a  Copy  of  a  Return  of  Marriages  Solemnized  by  , 

the  Rev?  Daniel  Chaplin  ', 

April.  i6  :  1789  Richard  Briant  to  Mary  Whitney. 

Ditto  y=  30*  D?  Ephraim  Lawrence  to  Sally  Sartell. 

May  y?  7  :      D."  Samuel  Bancroft  to  Abigail  Child  j 

Ditto  y":  II  :  D°  Amos  Shed  to  Lucy  Tarbell 

Ditto  y'  28.  D°  Israel  Shattuck  to  Ede  Patch. 

June  7  :  1789.  Imlah  Parker  to  Anna  Ames. 

July  I.  Ditto  Thomas  Tarbell  to  Molly  Farnsworth. 

Aug'  20.  D'  Moses  Stone  to  Polly  Hamlen. 

D°  D°  D°  Abel  Dinsmore  to  Rachel  Fisk 

Septr  29'^  D°  Jonas  Baker  to  Susanna  Simonds. 

Novemb'  3.  D?  James  Ralph  to  Lucy  Kemp. 

D°  y=  9  :  D°.  Abel  Sartell  to  Sarah  Nutting. 

Janu'  13  :  1790.  Jonathan  Lawrence  to  Lydia  Tarbell 

D°  y*;  17  :  D°  Jacob  Rodiman  to  Abigail  Lawrence. 

D°  y":  25 :  D°  Reuben  Rice  to  Susanna  Craigg 

Febru'^  y":  4*  D°  Benjamin  Swan  to  Mary  Wait 

A  true  Copy  tes!  Joseph  Shed  Town  Clerk 
Groton  May  4'?  1790. 

N.  B.     No  return  from  any  Justice  of  the  Peace 
Middlesex  ss:  May  7*  1790  Received  &  recorded 

by  Thad  Mason  Cler  Pad 

A  list  of  the  Persons  returned  by  the  Rev"!  Daniel  Chaplin 

1790.    Apr.  12.  Oliver  Kemp  to  Lydia  Blood 

25.  Joseph  Trusant  Ju'  to  Anna  Bennett 

May  2.  Jonas  Gilson  to  Nabby  Green 

12  Eben.  Wood  JuT  to  Sarah  Farwell 

14.  Henry  Blood  to  Nabby  Lakin 

20*"  Eleazer  Davis  to  Betsy  Parker 

June  22.  Colson  Trusant  to  Maria  Page 

July  6.  David  Davis  to  Lucy  Farwell 

Sep'  16.  Sam'.  Dodge  to  Polly  Farnsworth 

30.  John  Lawrence  J'  to  Esther  Nutting 

Oct    17  Jotham  Woods  to  Mary  Gilson 

Nov  25  Eph.  Nutting  jr  to  Polly  Woods 

Dec.  14.  Joel  Lawrence  to  Ruth  Collier 


39 

1791     Feb.  I.       Jonathan  Shed  to  Nabby  Allen 

Mar.  29.     Eleazer  Hamlen  to  Sarah  Bancroft 
30.     Oliver  Page  to  Esther  Kemp 

A  true  Copy  Att?  Joseph  Shed  To  Clerk 

Dec.  2^.  1790    W?  Blood  to  Elizabeth  Ames,  were  married  by  W- 
Swan  EsqT 

A  true  Copy  Att?  Joseph  Shed  To  Clerk 

Middlesex  ss     Groton  March  26.  1793.    Then  was  joined  in  mar- 
riage by  me  the  Subscriber 

Asa  Bigsby  Jun  of  Westford  &  Lucy  Gillson  of  Groton  which  are 
all  the  persons  I  Have  married  the  year  past 

W??  Swan  Just  of  the  Peace 
A  true  Copy  Test 

Joseph  Shed  Town  Clerk 
[Marriages,  No.  2,  pages  104-106.] 


The  remaining  records  of  marriages  are  found  under  the 
headings  of  the  different  towns  where  they  took  place. 

NEWTON 

Rev?  Mf  Samuel  Dana  of  Groton  &  Miss  Anna  Kenrick  of  Newton 
were  married  May  6  :  1762 
[Marriages,  No.  i,  page  15.J 

WATERTOWN 

Nathaniel  Harris  of  Groton  &  Anna  Mead  of   Watertown  were 
joyned  in  Marriage   on  the  27*  day   of   Octof  1748   by  the 
Rev"?  W.  Seth  Storer  Minister  of  y1  Gospel 
[Marriages,  No.  i,  page  31.J 

Nathaniel  Smith  of  Groton  &  Priscilla  Harris  of  Watertown  were 
joyned  in  marriage  the  17*  day  of  Decf  1751  1*  the  Rev"!  W. 
Seth  Storer  Minister  of  y'  Gospel. 
[Marriages,  No.  i,  page  33.] 


40 

Oliver  Prescott  of  Groton  &  Lydia  Baldwin  of  Watertown  were 
joyned  in  marriage  on  the    I9'^  day  of   Febru^  1756,  ^  Seth 
Storer  Minister  of  the  Gospel 
[Marriages,  No.  i,  page  37.] 

CONCORD 

Ephraim  Robbins  of  Groton  &  Thankful  Ball  of  Concord  Decembr 
19:  1777. 
[Marriages,  No.  i,  page  64.J 

DUNSTABLE 

Peter  Parker  JunT  of   Groton  &  Mary  Butterfield   of    Dunstable 
Janu>:  3  :   1769 
[Marriages,  No.  1,  page  119. J 

LITTLETON 

Jonathan  Lawrence  of  Littleton  &  Lydia  Fletcher  of  Groton  were 
joyned  in  marriage  by  the  Revl  M'  Dan!  Rogers  of  Littleton 
by  his  Certificate  under  his  hand  Oct"  10  :  1754. 
[Marriages,  No.  i,  page  133.J 

Littleton  December  y=  i8*  1760     Then  Joseph  Hoar  of  Littleton  & 
Mary  Farwell  of  Groton  were  joyned  in  Marriage  by  the  Rev"? 
M^  Daniel  Rogers  as  by  Certificate  under  his  hand. 
[Marriages,  No.  i,  page  138.] 

BEDFORD 

Octob'  25  :  1774.    Nehemiah  Lawrence  of  Groton  and  Esther  Fitch 
of  Bedford  married. 
[Marriages,  No.  i,  page  190.J 

TOWNSHEND 

On  December  is'/-  1750  William  Stevens  of  Townshend  and  Sybill 
Farnsworth  of  Groton  were  lawfully  married  by  Phinehas 
Hemmenway  Pastor  of  Townshend 

Samuel  Manning  Town  Clerk 


41 

Townshend  December  is'!"  1750.  then  was  lawfully  married  Josiah 
Farwell  &  Lydia  Farnsworth  both  of  Groton,  by  John  Stevens 
Justice  of  Peace 

Samuel  Manning  Town  Clerk 

On  January  9*  1752.  were   lawfully  Married   Jonathan  Avery   of 
Townshend  &  Mary  Farnsworth  of  Groton  by  the  Rev'?  Phin': 
Hemmenway  Pastor  of  Townshend 
[Marriages,  No.i,  page  198.]         Samuel  Manning  Town  Clerk 

Mr.  Sawtelle,  in  his  History  of  Townsend  (pages  386,  387) 
gives  the  last  two  marriages  as  follows  :  — 

1750.     December   15,  Jonah    Farwell,  Groton,  Lydia   Farnsworth, 

Groton. 
1752.     January  9,  John  Avery,  Townsend,  Mary  Farnsworth,  Groton. 

LITTLETON 

Daniel  Stone  of  Groton  &  Martha  Lawrence  of  Littleton  on  the 
2/1^  day  of  Janu'y  1769  were  joyned  in  marriage  by  me 

Daniel  Rogers  Clerk. 

Matthias  Farnsworth  of  Groton  &  Sarah  Farnsworth  of  Harvard  on 
the  1 6*  day  of  Febru?  1769  were  joyned  in  Marriage,  by  me 

J.  D.  Rogers  yust.  Pa<f. 
[Marriages,  No.  i,  page  273.] 

Littleton  February  15  :  1770     Then  Mf  Ephraim  Kimball  of  Little- 
ton &  M"  Mary  Sartell  of  Groton  were  joyned  in  marriage  by 
the  Revi  M'  Daniel  Rogers,  as  by  a  certificate  under  his  hand 
[Marriages,  No.  i,  page  274.J 

January  yf  5?  1773    Then  W.  Isaac  Stone  of  Groton  &  Mf  Hannah 
Leighton  of  Littleton  were  joyned  in  marriage  by  the  Revi  M' 
Daniel  Rogers,  as  appears  by  his  Certificate 
[Marriages,  No.  i,  page  277.J 

BILLERICA 

Jonas  Priest  of  Groton  &  Martha  Durant  of  Billerica  were  married 
by  Mr  Cumings  Janut  17  :  1769 
[Marriages,  No.  1,  page  343.J 

6 


42 


DUNSTABLE 

David  Woods  of  Groton  &  Deborah   Swallow  of  Dunstable    De- 

cembf  y":  14'!'  1769. 
Solomon  Woods  of  Groton  &  Mary  Taylor  of  Dunstable  April  y' 

19.  1770. 
[Marriages,  No.  i,  page  418.] 

WESTFORD 

September  26  :  [1784.]  Isaac  Fletcher  of  Westford  to  Ruth  Peirce 
of  Groton 
[Marriages,  No.  r,  page  422.J 

Joseph  Rockwood  Junr  of  Groton  &  Lucy  Fletcher  of  Westford 
Novr  26  :  1789 
[Marriages,  No.  i,  page  42  4.  J 

Amos  Read  of  Westford  &  Rachael  Prescott  of  Groton  Febf  22  : 

1790. 
Enoch  Cook  of  Groton  &  Abigail   Butterfield  of  Westford  Septf 

26  :  1790 
[Marriages,  No.  i,  page  425. J 

LITTLETON 

This  may  certify  that  Henry   Davis  of  Groton  &  Mary  Tuttle  of 
Littleton  were  joined  in  marriage  by 

EDMiisfD  Foster  C. 
Littleton  12  Febru^  1782 
[Marriages,  No.  2,  page  51. J 

This  may  certify  that  James  Pool  of  Hollis  &  Mary  Richardson  of 
Grotori  were  joined  in  marriage  by 

Edmund  Foster  C. 
Littleton  24.  Nov5  1784 
[Marriages,  No.  2,  page  52.J 

SHIRLEY 

Febru°.  5  :  [1789.]     Abijah  Nutting  of  Groton  &  Eunice  Page  of 
Shirley. 
[Marriages,  No.  2,  page  91.  J 


43 


TOWNSHEND 

Oct  14.  [1773.]     Phinehas  Hemenway  with  Elizabeth  Taylor,  both 

of  Groton 
Ap!    [1776.J     Abel  Shattuck  of  Pepperrell  with  Hannah  Hobart  of 

Groton 
[Dec]  19  [1776.]     Nehemiah  Tarbell  with  Martha  Dodge,  both  of 

Groton 
[April]  29.  [1777.J     Mf  Robert  Ames  with  Mrs  Susanna  Warren 

both  of  Groton 
July,  [1778.]     Benj°  Lawrence  Junf  with  Rebeccah  Woods,  both  of 

Groton. 
[Marriages,  No.  2,  page  178.] 

AD.  1779.  "I  Benj  Hobart  of  Groton  with  Eliz.  Brooks  of  Towns- 
Jan  21.    )    hend 
June.  17.  [1779. J     Isaac  Warren  with  Eunice  Farnsworth,  both  of 

Groton 
Mar.  22.  [1781.J     Caleb  Blood  3''  of  Groton,  with  Hepzibah  Jewett 
of  Pepperrell 
[Marriages,  No.  2,  page  179.] 


44 


II. 

A  LIST  OF  MARRIAGES  SENT  TO  THE  TOWN  CLERK 
OF  GROTON,  UNDER  CHAPTER  LXXXIV.  SECTION  4, 
OF  THE  ACTS  OF  1857,  AND  SOME  FROM  OTHER 
SOURCES. 

An  Act  was  passed  by  the  General  Court  of  Massachusetts 
on  April  24,  1857,  which  required  every  town  clerk  in  the 
Commonwealth  to  make  a  certified  copy  of  the  record  of  all 
marriages  occurring  before  the  year  1800  in  his  town,  when- 
ever either  of  the  contracting  parties  lived  in  any  other  town, 
and  to  send  such  copy  to  the  clerk  of  that  town  to  be  duly  re- 
corded in  a  book  kept  for  the  purpose.  The  following  list  of 
marriages  is  taken  from  the  book  (pages  128-163)  kept  by 
the  town  clerk  of  Groton  in  accordance  with  the  requirements 
of  this  law,  and  marked  on  the  back,  "  Births  &  Deaths."  It 
is  by  no  means  complete,  as  many  marriages  not  recorded  here 
are  entered  in  the  county  records  during  the  same  period,  and 
vice  versa.  Whenever  the  record  is  duplicated,  I  have  omitted 
the  entry  found  in  the  town  book,  for  the  reason  that  this 
copy  was  made  at  a  much  later  date,  and  consequently  is 
more  liable  to  error.  In  a  few  instances,  where  the  names 
or  dates  differ,  I  have  given  both  forms  ;  but  in  such  cases 
I  have  mentioned  the  fact.  For  the  sake  of  convenience  I 
have  arranged  the  names  of   the  towns  alphabetically. 

ANDOVER. 

1713,  Feb.  12.  Samuel  Kemp  of  Groton  and  Sarah  Lacey  of 
Andover  were  married. 

1739.  July  3'!  Daniel  Farwell  of  Groton  and  Mary  More  of 
Andover,  by  Rev.  Samuel  Phillips. 

1758,  March  28.  William  Benit  of  Groton  and  Mrs.  Hannah 
Perrey  of  Andover,  by  Rev.  Samuel  Phillips. 


45 


ASHBURNHAM. 

Abel  Prescott  of  Groton  and  Hannah  Spaulding  of  Ashburnham 
were  married  Oct.  7,  1794,  by  Rev.  John  Gushing. 

BEDFORD. 

Nehemiah  Lawrence  of  Groton  &  Elizebeth  Fitch  of  Bedford 
were  Married  by  the  Rev.  Joseph  Penniman,  October  25*,  1774. 

The  county  records  give  her  name  as  Esther. 

BILLERICA. 

Joseph  Jewell  of  Groton  and  Mary  Saunders  of  Billerica,  Joined 
in  marriage  before  Mr.  Samuel  Ruggles,  Sept.  25,  1738. 

BOXFORD. 

Stephen  Holden  of  Groton  and  Sarah  Wheeler  of  Lunenburg 
were  joined  in  marriage  before  David  Wood,  Esq.,  March  21, 
1739- 

CAMBRIDGE. 

Mr.  Benj.  Prescott  of  Grouten  &  Mrs.  Abigail  Oliver  of  Cam- 
bridge were  married  12  June,  1718,  per  Jonathan  Pool,  Esq. 

1785,  Oct.  13.  Dr.  Eph"  Ware  of  Groton  &  Mrs.  Abigail  Gamage, 
By  Rev.  Timothy  Willard. 

CHARLESTOWN. 

William  Green  &  Mary  Barron  of  Groton,  joyned  in  marriage 
befor  the  Hon.  James  Russell,  Esq.,  Justice  of  the  peace,  June  the 
20'",  1705. 

Samuel  Comings  &  Elizabeth  Shed,  both  of  Groton,  married 
before  Edward  Emerson,  Esq.,  Justice  of  the  peace,  January  14*, 
1708/9. 

Jonathan  Nuttin  and  Mary  Green,  both  of  Groton,  joyned  in 
marriage  before  Mr.  Justice  Emerson,  June  i",  1710. 

Stephen  Holden  of  Groton  &  Sarah  Cressy  of  this  Town  were 
joyned  in  marriage  by  the  Rev.  Mr.  Hull  Abbot,  July  4""  1749. 


46 


CHELMSFORD. 

Daniel  Cadye  and  Mary  Green,  both  of  Groton,  entered  a  cove- 
nant of  Marriage  the  :  6*  ;  day  of  July  :  1683,  before  Samuel  Adams, 
Commissioner. 

John  Parise  of  Groton  and  Mary  the  daughter  of  John  Wattel  of 
Chelmsford  were  married  the  129:  December:  1685,  as  witness 
Samuel  Adams,  Commissioner. 

Samuel  the  son  of  Samuel  Wood  of  Groton  and  Hannah  the 
daughter  [of]  Joseph  Farwell  were  married  the  30  day  of  Decem- 
ber, 1685,  as  witness  Samuel  Adams,  Commissioner. 

William  Lakin  of  Groton  and  Elizabeth  the  daughter  of  James 
Robinson  of  Groton  were  married  the  4  January,  1685,  before 
Samuel  Adams,  Commissioner. 

Nicolas  Cady,  the  son  of  Nicolas  of  Groton,  entered  a  covenant 
of  Marriage  with  Porcine  the  daughter  of  William  Redland  of  Gro- 
ton, the  20  of  March,  1685,  before  Samuel  Adams,  Commissioner. 

Thomas  Blodget  of  Chelmsford  and  Mary  Druse  of  Groton  en- 
tered into  a  covenant  of  marriage  the  8  of  July,  1696,  before  M' 
Thomas  Clark. 

Robert  Robbins  and  Mary  Dill  entered  into  a  covenant  of  mar- 
riage before  Mr.  Thomas  Clark,  ye  27  of  March,  1697. 

William  Whitney  of  Groton  and  Lydia  Perham  of  Chelmsford 
entered  into  a  covenant  of  Marriage  before  Mr.  Thomas  Clark, 
March  the 

The  rest  of  the  date  is  wanting  ;  but  it  is  supposed  to  be 
1699  or  1700. 

Nathan  Ames  [of  Groton  &]  Lydia  Goodhue  was  married  April 
10,  1788.     Returned  by  Abisha  Grossman. 

Obediah  Parker  [of  Groton]  &  Ruth  Stevens,  Oct.  17,  1752 
New  Style  [by  the  Reverend  Ebenezer  Bridge]. 

Jeremiah  Hobart  &  Rebecca  Saunders,  March  4,  1776  [by  the 
Reverend  Ebenezer  Bridge]. 

CONCORD. 
Dec.  7*   1698.         John  Stone.  Groton. 

Sarah  Farnsworth.  "  Justice  Minot. 

Aug.  16*,  1699.     Thomas  Chamberlain.  |  Groton. 

Abigail  Nutting.  j        "  do. 


April  8*   1702.        Moses  Barrow.  )  Groton. 


47 

Oct.  5,  1699.     Jonas  Prescott.        ]  Groton. 

Thankful  Wheeler.  |  Concord.  Rev.  Jo'.  Easterbrook. 
Feb.  8'!-,  ifU.         Samuel  Scripture.     Groton. 

Mary  Green.     Watertown.  Justice  Minot. 

oton.  1 

Sarah  Power.     |        "       )  do. 

April  8*,  1702.      Daniel  Power.  Groton. 

Elizebeth  Whitcomb.    Lancaster.  do. 

April  15*   1706.     Joseph  Blood       |  Groton.       ■» 

Hannah  Sawyer  )  Lancaster,  j  do. 

Aug.  24*,  1706.      Thomas  Porter.       ■»  Billerica. 

Hepsibah  Sawtell.  )  Groton.  do. 

Sept.  23^.,  1706.      Benjamin  Lakin.  ■>  Groton. 

Elizebeth  Lakin.  j        "  do. 

Oct.  15,  1706.  Samuel  Warner.      Groton. 

Hannah  Cady.  "  do. 

Sept.  4*,  17 10.        Jonathan  Whitcomb.     Groton. 

Deborah  Scripture.  "  do. 

April  10,  17 13.       Ephraim  Sawtell.  Groton. 

Abigail  Farnsworth.  "  do. 

.  I  Grotc 

Abigail  Pierce.      )        "  do. 

Nov.  27'!',  1754.      Nathan  Wood.     Groton. 

Ann  Parker.  "  do. 

Dec.  25*,  1760.      Nathaniel  Blood.    |  Groton. 

Hannah  Shattuck.  j        "  do. 

May  10*,  1762.     •  Ebenezer  Parker.     Groton. 

Susanna  Loper.        Concord.     Rev.  Mr.  Bliss. 
Aug.  2,  1763.  John  Robbins.     Groton. 

Sarah  Gilson.  "  Ths.  Whiting,  Esq. 

Nov.  9%  1 769.        David  Archibald  |  Groton.  ) 

Hannah  Patch      j        "        )  * 

March  5*,  1777-     Thomas  Bond.     |  Groton. 

Esther  Merriam.  j  Concord.  Rev.  Jos.  Penniman. 
April  2"!,  1786.        Samuel  Bowers.  ">  Groton. 


Sept.  19'!",  1733.      Ezra  Farnsworth.  ■»  Groton. 


}: 


Lucy  Allen.  j  Concord.  J.  Cummings,  Esq. 

DEDHAM. 

Married  by  ye  Rev.  Mr.  Sam!  Dexter 
Hezekiah  Sprague  of  Groton  &  Elizebeth  Avery  of  Dedham. 
Oct.  30*   1729. 


48 


DRACUT. 

John  Varnum  of  Dracut  &  Dorathy  Prescout  of  Groton  were 
lawfully  married  in  November,  in  the  13*  day  in  the  year  1700. 

DUNSTABLE. 

David  Woods  of  Groton  &  Deborah  Swallow  of  Dunstable, 
April  19,  1770. 

The  county  records  give  the  date  of  this  marriage  as  De- 
cember 14,  1769. 

James  Pike  of  Groton  &  Ruth  Ingolls  of  Dunstable,  March  3'', 

1773- 

Jonathan  Bancroft  of  Dunstable  &   Martha  Green   of  Groton, 

May  20,  1773. 

FITCHBURG. 

Samuel  Dowse  of  Fitchburg  and  Eunice  Wentworth  of  Groton 
were  married  Jan'',  i'.',  1771,  by  Rev.  John  Payson. 

HARVARD. 

William  Bennet  of  Groton,  Mary  Atherton  of  Harvard,  by  Rev. 
John  Seccomb,  Nov.  ye  26,  1741. 

John  Frost,  Jr.,  of  Groton,  Mindwill  Bigelow  of  Harvard,  by 
Rev.  John  Seccomb,  Sept.  6,  1750. 

Ephraim  Read  of  Harvard,  Elizebeth  Pierce  of  Groton,  by  Rev. 
John  Seccomb,  May  4,  1757. 

Thomas  Farewell  of  Groton,  Sarah  Davis  of  Harvard,  by  Rev. 
Joseph  Wheeler,  Jan'!  3'',  1760. 

Silas  Rand  of  Harvard,  Sarah  Farwell  of  Groton,  by  Rev. 
Joseph  Wheeler,  Feb''.  22,  1763. 

Paul  Fletcher  of  Groton,  Abigail  Willard  of  Harvard,  by  Rev. 
Joseph  Wheeler,  March  8,  1764. 

William  Farwell  of  Groton,  Sybil  Farwell  of  Harvard,  by  Rev. 
Joseph  Wheeler,  Dec.  5,  1765. 

Silas  Stone  of  Groton,  Eunice  Fairbank  of  Harvard,  by  Rev. 
Joseph  Wheeler,  June  1%  1767. 

Thomas  Park  of  Groton,  Rosanna  Conn  of  Harvard,  by  Rev. 
Joseph  Wheeler,  May  3,  1768. 


49 


Edmund  Farwell  of  Groton,  Mary  Russell  of  Harvard,  by  Rev. 
Dana  Johnson,  July  15,  1773. 

Mathias  Farnsworth  of  Groton,  Azuba  Farnsworth  of  Harvard, 
by  Rev.  Dana  Johnson,  Feb.  21,  1776. 

Moses  Hale  of    Harvard,   Molly  Farwell   of  Groton,  by   Rev. 
Dana  Johnson,  April  10,  1776. 

Harbour  Farnsworth  of   Groton,  Lucy  Heald  of   Harvard,  by 
Joseph  Wheeler,  Justice  of  the  peace,  March  12,  1778. 

Samuel  Finney  of  Harvard,  Rhoda  Park  of  Groton,  by  Isaiah 
Parker,  April  24,  1780. 

Jonathan  Stone,  Jr.,  of  Groton,  Catherine  Willard  of  Harvard, 
by  Rev.  Ebenezer  Grosvenor,  July  2,  1786. 

John  Blanchard  of  Sutton,  Hulda  Carrol  of  Groton,  by  Josiah 
Whitney,  Esq.,  Sept.  26,  1786. 

Joshua  Davis  of   Groton,  Sybil  Patterson  of   Harvard,  by  the 
Reverend  William  Emerson,  August  3,  1793. 

Joseph  Sawtell  of  Groton,  Lucy  Farnsworth  of  Harvard,  by  the 
Reverend  W"  Emerson,  July  i,  1794. 


HAVERHILL. 

Francis  Worster  of  Groton  &  Mary  Simmons  of  Haverhill,  mar- 
ried April  II,  1775. 

LEOMINSTER. 

1744,   June  5.     Ezra  Hale  of  Leominster  and  Lydia  Frost  of 
Groton. 

1757,    April   6.      Edward    Phelps   of   Leominster   and    Martha 
Tarbell  of  Groton. 

Both  by  the  Reverend  John  Rodgers. 


LEXINGTON. 

Elisha  Corey  of   Groton  &  Mary  Munroe  of  Lexington   were 
Married  April  18,  1780. 

Samuel  Pierce  of  Groton  &  Sally  Farmer  of  Lexington  were 
joined  in  marriage  February  12,  1794. 

Both  by  the  Reverend  Jonas  Clark. 

7 


50 


LITTLETON. 


Israel  Hinds  of  Littleton  &  Sarah  Foster  of  Groton,  by  J. 
Dummer  Rogers,  Jus.  Peace,  Aug.  17,  1768. 

Benj.  Bancroft  of  Groton  &  Mrs.  Mary  Tuttle  of  Littleton,  by 
Rev.  Edmund  Foster,  Oct.  18,  1785. 

John  Farnsworth  of  Groton  &  Nancy  Baker  of  Littleton,  by 
Rev.  Edmund  Foster,  Dec.  29,  1789. 

Solomon  Stone  of  Groton  &  Hepsabah  Treadwell  of  Littleton, 
by  Rev.  Edmund  Foster,  Nov.  20,  1790. 

Jonathan  Wythe  of  Groton  &  Betsey  Warren  of  Groton,  by 
Sampson  Tuttle,  Esq.,  Dec.  3!  1799. 

LUNENBURG. 

Jonathan  Bennett  of  Groton  and  Mary  Going  of  Lunenburg 
were  married  October  yf  is*  1755,  by  the  Rev.  Mr.  David  Stearns, 
Minster  of  Lunenburg. 

Timothy  Darling  of  Lunenburg  and  Joanna  Blood  of  Groton 
were  married  FeW  8*,  1753,  by  the  Rev.  Mr.  David  Stearns, 
Minister  of  Lunenburg. 

John  Kelsey  of  Groton  and  Martha  Mc  Farlen  of  Lunenburg 
was  married  by  the  Rev.  Mr.  David  Stearns,  Minister  of  Lunen- 
burg, January  the  10"',  1739/40. 

Samuel  Larrabee  of  Lunenburg  and  Anne  Williams  of  Groton 
were  married  December  7,  1752,  by  the  Rev.  Mr.  David  Stearns, 
Minister  of  Lunenburg. 

Benj.  Larrabee  of  Lunenburg  and  Margaret  Williams  of  Groton 
were  married  December  7,  1752,  by  the  Rev.  Mr.  David  Stearns, 
Minister  of  Lunenburg. 

Nehemiah  Lane  of  Lunenburg  &  Sarah  Fletcher  of  Groton  were 
Married  April  17*,  1760,  by  the  Rev.  Mr.  David  Stearns,  Minister 
of  Lunenburg. 

William  Larkin  of  Lunenburg  &  Hannah  Farce  of  Groton  were 
Married  May  y"  7,  1761,  by  Edward  Hartwell,  Justice  of  the  Peace. 

John  Larrabee  of  Lunenburg  &  Abiel  Arvern  of  Groton  were 
Married  June  yf  ig'\  1760,  by  the  Rev.  Mr.  David  Stearns,  Minis- 
ter of  Lunenburg. 

Ebenezer  Pratt  of  Lunenburg  &  Lydia  Stone  of  Groton  were 
married  by  Edward  Hartwell,  Justice  of  ye  Peace,  September  ye 
22'',  1761. 


51 

Silas  Snow  of  Lunenburg  &  Anna  Farwell  of  Groton  were 
Married  November  ye  20*  1760,  by  the  Rev.  Mr.  David  Stearns, 
Minister  of  Lunenburg. 

Isaac  Forster,  JunI:,  &  Rachel  Fisk,  Groton,  Sept.  10,  1778. 

Daniel  Hart,  Jun^,  of  Groton  &  Polly  Marshall,  Lun.,  Sept.  13, 
1798. 

Levi  Carlisle  of  Groton  &  Polly  Billings,  Lunen.,  Octo.  7,  1798. 
[The  last  three  by  the  Reverend  Zabdiel  Adams.] 

MARLBOROUGH. 

John  Bush  and  Ruth  Nutting  of  Groton  were  married  Oct.  29'^ 
1712. 

MEDFORD. 

June  30,  1725.  Jonathan  Farnsworth  and  Mary  Burt,  both  of 
Groton. 

NEWBURY. 

Doctor  Ezekiel  Chase  of  Groton  &  Priscila  Merrill  of  Newbury 
were  joyned  together  in  marriage  May  ye  20*  1729,  by  ye  Rev.  Mr. 
John  Tufts. 

NORTON. 

June,  26  day,  1733.  Thomas  Cimber  of  Groton  and  Abigail 
Willis  of  Taunton  were  Joined  together  in  marriage  by  George 
Leonard,  Justice. 

PEPPERELL. 

1748.  Jan';  5.  William  Blood  &  Lucy  Fletcher  of  Groton,  by 
Rev.  Joseph  Emerson. 

July  21.  Eleazer  Gilson  &  Mary  Hall  of  Groton,  by  Rev. 
Joseph  Emerson. 

July  21.  Zachariah  Weath  &  Esther  Kemp  of  Groton,  by  Rev. 
Joseph  Emerson. 

Nov.  24.  Samuel  Foster  of  Boxford  &  Jane  Boynton  of  Groton, 
by  Rev.  Joseph  Emerson. 

Dec.  22.  James  Parker  &  Rebeckah  Bulkley  of  Groton,  by 
Rev.  Joseph  Emerson. 

1749.  March  10.  Abraham  Parker  &  Lois  Blood  of  Groton,  by 
Rev.  Joseph  Emerson. 


52 

Aug.  10.  Jeremiah  Shattuck  &  Lidia  Lakin  of  Groton,  by  Rev. 
Joseph  Emerson. 

1750.  Aug.  16.  John  Shattuck  &  Elizebelh  Shattuck  of  Groton, 
by  Rev.  Joseph  Emerson. 

1752.  June  25.  Ebenezer  Woods  &  Eunice  Boyden  of  Groton, 
by  Rev.  Joseph  Emerson. 

Dec.  12.  Solomon  Parker  &  Hepzibeth  Longlie  of  Groton,  by 
Rev.  Joseph  Emerson. 

1753.  Feb.  I.    Simon  Blood  &  Anna  Shattuck  of  Groton. 

Feb.  8.  George  Camel  of  Townsend  &  Mary  White  of  Groton, 
by  Rev.  Joseph  Emerson. 

Feb.  15.  John  Wallis  of  Townsend  &  Mary  White  of  Groton, 
by  Rev.  Joseph  Emerson. 

Sept.  13.  Simon  Green  of  Groton  &  Mary  Shattuck  of  Groton, 
by  Rev.  Joseph  Emerson. 

1756.  June  17.  John  Woods  &  Jerusha  Smith  of  Groton,  by 
Rev.  Joseph  Emerson. 

1757.  April  13.  Edmund  Parker  of  Pepperell  &  Elizebeth 
Green  of  Groton,  by  Rev.  Joseph  Emerson. 

1758.  April  25.  John  Chamberlain  of  Pepperell  &  Mary  Patch 
of  Groton,  by  Rev.  Joseph  Emerson. 

May  25.  Job  Shattuck  &  Sarah  Hartwell  of  Groton,  by  Rev. 
Joseph  Emerson. 

1759.  May  10.  Josiah  Boyden  of  Groton  &  Sarah  Nutting  of 
Pepperell,  by  Rev.  Joseph  Emerson. 

June  26.  Sam!  Kemp  &  Lydia  Phillips  of  Groton,  by  Rev. 
Joseph  Emerson. 

July  12.  Ebenezer  Gilson  of  Pepperel  &  Hannah  Darley  of 
Groton,  by  Rev.  Joseph  Emerson. 

1760.  Nov.  27.  Isaac  Baldwin  of  Groton  &  Elizebeth  Shattuck 
of  Pepperell,  by  Rev.  Joseph  Emerson. 

Dec.  II.  Ebenezer  Lakin  &  Eunice  Lakin  of  Groton,  by  Rev. 
Joseph  Emerson. 

1765.  Mar.  14.  Isaac  Corey  of  Groton  &  Lydia  Jewett  of 
Pepperell,  by  Rev.  Joseph  Emerson. 

1767.  Jan';  22.  Simeon  Nutting  of  Pepperell  &  Dorothy  Kemp 
of  Groton,  by  Rev.  Joseph  Emerson. 

Jan':  22.  Eleazer  Parker  of  Groton  [&]  Abigail  Lawrence  of 
Pepperell,  by  Rev.  Joseph  Emerson. 

1772.  June  22.  William  Colburn  of  Hollis  &  Anna  Farnsworth 
of  Groton,  by  Rev.  Joseph  Emerson. 


S3 

July  2.  David  Tarbell  to  Esther  Kemp  of  Groton,  by  Rev. 
Joseph  Emerson. 

July  15.  Samuel  Stills  of  Lyndboro  &  Susannah  Lakin  of 
Groton,  by  Rev.  Joseph  Emerson. 

1773.  Feb.  4.  David  Shedd  &  Lucy  Blood  of  Groton,  by  Rev. 
Joseph  Emerson. 

1774.  Feb.  I.  Jeremiah  Lawrence  of  Peppl  &  Anna  Woods  of 
Groton,  by  Rev.  Joseph  Emerson. 

1775.  May  4.  Abel  Kemp  &  Lucy  Pratt  of  Groton,  by  Rev. 
Joseph  Emerson. 

Sept.  5.  John  Pierce  &  Tabatha  Porter  of  Groton,  by  Rev. 
Joseph  Emerson. 

Sept.  5.  Thadeus  Bancroft  &  Bular  Foster  of  Groton,  by  Rev. 
Joseph  Emerson. 

Sept.  26.  John  Fisk  &  Anna  Blood  of  Groton,  by  Rev.  Joseph 
Emerson. 

Oct.  5.  Ezra  Pierce  &  Rebecca  Lawrence  of  Groton,  by  Rev. 
Joseph  Emerson. 

1780.  Jan';  18.  Zacheus  Farwell  of  Groton  &  Lydia  Gilson  of 
Pepperell,  by  Rev.  John  Bullard. 

Oct.  31.  Robinson  Lakin  of  Pepperell  &  Hepzibeth  Lakin  of 
Groton,  by  Rev.  John  Bullard. 

1783.  May  13.  Amaziah  Blood  of  Groton  &  Hannah  Green  of 
Pepperell,  by  Rev.  John  Bullard. 

May  2  1.  John  Nutting,  teftius,  Pepperell,  &  Sarah  Fisk  of 
Groton,  by  Rev.  John  Bullard. 

1784.  Nov.  17.  Benjamin  Woodward  of  Dunstable  &  Mary  Blood 
of  Groton,  by  Rev.  John  Bullard. 

Nov.  23.  Edward  Jewett  of  Pepperell  &  Maria  Blood  of  Groton, 
by  Rev.  John  Bullard. 

1786.  June  I.  John  Park,  Jun',  of  Groton  &  Lydia  Hamlin  of 
Howard,  by  Rev.  John  Bullard. 

1788.  Sept.  25.  Ezkiel  Shattuck  &  Prudence  Blood  of  Groton, 
by  Rev.  John  Bullard. 

1789.  June  25.  Caleb  Woods,  Jun',  of  Groton  &  Abig!  Woods  of 
Pepperell,  by  Rev.  John  Bullard. 

1791.  Dec.  29.  Sam!  Kemp  of  Groton  &  Hepz";  Shattuck  of 
Pepperell,  by  Rev.  John  Bullard. 

1792.  Feb.  21.  Nathaniel  Flitcher  of  Dunstable  &  Submit 
Blood  of  Groton,  by  Rev.  John  Bullard. 


54 

June  3.  Eben.  Blood  of  Groton  &  Sarah  Pierce  of  Pepperell,  by 
Rev.  John  Bullard. 

June  20.  Henry  Blood  of  Groton  &  Polly  Fisk  of  Pepperell,  by 
Rev.  John  Bullard. 

1794.  Mar.  5.  Lieut.  Benji' Whitney  of  Pepperell  &  Olive  Farns- 
worth  of  Groton,  by  Rev.  John  Bullard. 

Oct.  I.  Jonas  Lawrence  of  Pepperell  &  Betsey  Hazen  of  Groton, 
by  Rev.  John  Bullard. 

1796.  March  10.  Richard  Sawtell,  Jun':,  of  Groton  &  Sally 
Wear  of  Pepperell,  by  Rev.  John  Bullard. 

May  II.  Cor^  Simon  Gilson  of  Pepperell  &  Mindwell  Frost  of 
Groton,  by  Rev.  John  Bullard. 

1797.  Sam!  Cook  of  Groton  &  Sarah  Jewett  of  Pepperell,  by 
Rev.  John  Bullard. 

1798.  April  10.  John  Kemp  of  Groton  &  Sally  Shattuck  of 
Groton,  by  Rev.  John  Bullard. 

1798.  Nov.  8.  Sewell  Tarbell  of  Pepperell  &  Ruth  Kemp  of 
Groton,  by  Rev.  John  Bullard. 

Nov.  15.  Tim>'.  Blood  of  Groton  &  Sibbel  Woods  of  Pepperell, 
by  Rev.  John  Bullard. 

1799.  Jan*;  28.  Ebenezer  Pierce  of  Pepperell  &  Assineth  Blood 
of  Groton,  by  Rev.  John  Bullard. 

PLYMOUTH. 

Joseph  Croswell  of  Groton  &  Jerusha  Bartlet  of  Plymouth  were 
married  at  Plymouth  March  14"",  1744. 

READING. 

James  Benit  &  Hannah  Baret,  boath  of  Groaten,  were  married 
March  the  23'',  1703,  by  John  Brown,  Esq.,  one  of  her  Majesties' 
Justices  of  the  Peace,  Reading. 

The  Rev.  Joseph  Emerson  of  Groton  &  Miss  Abigail  Hays  of 
Reading  were  married  December  12"*,  1750. 

SHIRLEY. 

Jan.  27,  1763.  Samuel  Nichols  of  Groton  to  Elizebeth  Patterson 
of  Shirley,  by  Rev.  P.  Whitney. 

Aug.  1793.  Phineas  Nutting  of  Groton  to  Susa  Page  of 
Shirley. 


55 

Nov.  1796.  Phineas  Wait  of  Groton  to  Ruth  Bicknell  of 
Shirley. 

June  ye  16,  1796.  Mr.  Thomas  Hobart,  Jr.,  of  Groton  to  Susanna 
Patterson  of  Shirley,  by  Joshua  Longley,  Esq. 

SUTTON. 

Thomas  Burbank  of  Groton  and  Abigail  Woodbury  of  [Sutton] 
were  joined  together  in  marriage  April  5,  1780,  by  the  Rev.  David 
Hall,  Pastor  of  the  first  Chh.  in  Sutton. 

SWANSEA. 

Joshua  Chatman  of  Groton  and  Jemima  Slade  of  Swanzey  was 
married,  January  ye  27,  1783,  by  me,  Russell  Mason,  Pastor  of  a 
church  of  christ  in  Swanzey. 

Jacob  Avery  of  Groton,  Sylva  Eddy  of  Swanzey,  was  married 
June  the  4,  1753,  by  me,  Russell  Mason,  Elder  of  a  church  of 
Christ  in  Swanzey. 

TOWNSEND. 

Jan.  4*,  1737.  John  Wheeler  of  Townsend  &  Mehitable  Hadley 
of  Groton. 

March  i,  1737.  Jonathan  Stearns  of  Townsend  &  Anna  Sawtell 
of  Groton. 

Mr.  Sawtelle,  in  his  History  of  Townsend  (page  386),  has 
this  marriage  as  follows  :  "  1738.  March  i,  Jonathan  Stevens, 
Townsend,  Sarah  Sartell,  Groton." 

May  24,  1738.  Timothy  Whitney  of  Townsend  &  Submit  Parker, 
Groton. 

April  12,  1762.  Ephraim  Warner  of  Townsend  &  Sarah  Keazer 
of  Groton. 

June  13,  1765.  David  Brown  of  Groton  &  Lydia  Stevens  of 
Townsend,  by  Rev.  Sam".  Dix. 

Oct.  14,  1773.  Phineas  Hemingway  with  Elizebeth  Taylor,  both 
of  Groton,  by  Rev.  Sam!  Dix. 

April  19,  1776.  Abel  Shattuck  of  Pepperell  &  Hannah  Hobart 
of  Groton,  by  Rev.  S.  Dix. 

Dec.  3,  1776.  Nehemiah  Tarbell  &  Martha  Dodge,  both  of 
Groton,  by  Rev.  S.  Dix. 


S6 

The  County  records  do  not  give  the  date  of  the  last  two 
marriages  recorded  on  the  previous  page. 

April  29,  ,1777.  Robert  Ames  &  Susanna  Warren,  both  of 
Groton,  by  Rev.  S.  Dix. 

April  29,  1778.  Benj.  Lawrence,  Jr.,  with  Rebeckah  Woods,  both 
of  Groton,  by  Rev.  Sam!  Dix. 

June  7,  1779.  Isaac  Warren  &  Eunice  Farnsworth,  both  of  Gro- 
ton, by  Rev.  Sam!  Dix. 

March  22,  1792.  Reuben  Stevens  of  Groton  with  ThankfuU 
Rumrill  of  Townsend,  by  Rev.  Sam!  Dix. 

Aug.  15,  1792.  Parker  Wetherbee  of  Townsend  with  Roda 
Adams  of  Groton. 

Jan';  5,  1797.  Uzriel  Withee,  resident  in  Groton,  &  Elizebeth 
Stevens  of  this  Town,  by  Rev.  Sam!  Dix. 

WATERTOWN. 

17 1 1,  Dec^  5.  Eben'.  Prescott  of  Lancaster  &  Ruth  Hobart  of 
Groton,  by  Jonas  Bond,  Jus.  of  Peace. 

17 12,  Oct.  24.  John  Thatcher  of  Groton  &  Elizebeth  Morse  of 
Watertown,  by  Rev.  Samuel  Angier. 

WESTFORD. 

1733,  September  11*  Zecheriah  Sartel  of  Groton  to  Abigail 
Bigsby  of  Westford  by  Willard  Hall,  Pastor. 

1741,  May  20.  Lenard  Parker  to  Abigail  Parker,  both  of  Gro- 
ton, by  Jonas  Prescott,  Justice  of  the  peace. 

1741,  October  8.  Simon  Page  to  Hannah  Gilson,  both  of  Groton, 
by  Jonas  Prescott,  Justice  of  the  peace. 

1742,  February  18.  Isaac  Green  to  Marthy  Boyden,  both  of 
Groton,  by  Jonas  Prescott,  Justice  of  the  peace. 

1743,  January  11.  Gershom  Huboard  and  Mary  Townsend,  both 
of  Groton,  by  Jonas  Prescott,  Justice  of  the  peace. 

1744,  March  22"!  Mr.  David  Hubbard  and  Mrs.  Sarah  Parker, 
both  of  Groton,  by  Jonas  Prescott,  Justice  of  the  peace. 

1744,  May  30.  John  Cowdry  of  Billerica  and  Hannah  Davis  of 
Groton,  by  Jonas  Prescott,  Justice  of  the  peace. 

1744,  June  27.  Joseph  Shepley  and  Eunice  Parker,  both  of  Gro- 
ton, by  Jonas  Prescott,  Justice  of  the  peace. 


57 

1745)  June  13.  William  Preson  of  Groton  and  Ann  Gamble  of 
Winham,  by  Jonas  Prescott,  Justice  of  the  peace. 

1745,  August  13*  Robert  Parker  and  Deborah  Hubbard,  both  of 
Groton,  by  Jonas  Prescott,  Justice  of  the  peace. 

1746,  February  19.  Ebenezer  Prescott  of  Westford  to  Elizebeth 
Sprague  of  Groton,  by  Jonas  Prescott,  Justice  of  the  peace. 

1746,  May  29*  Clement  Blood  and  Eunice  Gilson,  both  of  Gro- 
ton, by  Jonas  Prescott,  Justice  of  the  piece. 

1746,  June  4.  Ebenezer  Patch  of  Groton  to  Sarah  Wright  of 
Westford,  by  Willard  Hall,  Pastor. 

1747,  September  22.  Samuel  Wood,  Jr.,  and  Tabitha  Wheeler, 
both  of  Groton,  by  Jonas  Prescott,  Justice  of  the  peace. 

1747,  October  20.  John  Gilson,  Jr.,  and  Hannah  Green,  both  of 
Groton,  by  Jonas  Prescott,  Justice  of  the  peace. 

1748,  May  26.  Isaac  Patch  of  Groton  and  Mary  Hastin  of  Dun- 
stable, by  Jonas  Prescott,  Justice  of  the  peace. 

1748,  June  29.  Col.  John  Bulkley  of  Groton  and  Mrs.  Mary 
Underwood  of  Westford,  by  Willard  Hall,  Pastor. 

1749,  February  16.  Jacob  Ames  and  Olive  Davise,  both  of  Gro- 
ton, by  Jonas  Prescott,  Justice  of  the  peace. 

1749,  April  12.  Josiah  Boyden  of  Groton  to  Jane  Read  of  West- 
ford, by  Willard  Hall,  Pastor. 

1749,  October  31.  Ebenezer  Kemp  and  Marah  Broadstreet,  both 
of  Groton,  by  Jonas  Prescott,  Justice  of  the  peace. 

1760,  November  27.  Daniel  Gilson  of  Groton,  and  Apphia  Kent 
of  Westford,  by  Willard  Hall,  Pastor. 

1765,  May  23.  Jonas  Stone  of  Groton  to  Rebecca  Fletcher  of 
Westford,  by  Willard  Hall,  Pastor. 

1769,  July  II.  Gershom  Hubbart  of  Groton  to  Phebe  Patch  of 
Westford,  by  Willard  Hall,  Pastor. 

1784,  January  20.  Lieut.  Thomas  Reed  of  Westford  to  Widr 
Phebe  Proctor  of  Groton,  by  Mathew  Scribner,  Minister. 

1786,  May  18.  Elijah  Nutting  of  Groton  to  Susanna  Foster  of 
Westford,  by  Mathew  Scribner,  Minister. 

1786,  April  28.  James  Snow  of  Westford  to  Sukey  Gilson  of 
Groton,  by  Caleb  Blake,  Pastor. 

1788,  March  18.  Jonathan  Swallow  of  Groton  to  Jemima  Wil- 
son of  Westford,  by  Mathew  Scribner,  Minister. 

1788,  May  12.  Isaiah  Hall  of  Groton  to  Hannah  Keep  of  West- 
ford, by  Mathew  Scribner,  Minister. 


58 

1797.  August  24.  Thaddeus  Carter  of  Sandy  Streem,  County  of 
Lincoln,  and  Betsy  Derumple  of  Groton,  by  Zac!  Wright,  Justice  of 
the  peace. 

1799,  September  22.  Bulkley  Ames  of  Groton  to  Lydia  Prescott 
of  Westford,  by  Caleb  Blake,  Pastor. 


WOBURN. 

Phineas  Parker  of  Groton  and  Elizebeth  Bowers  of  Lancaster 
were  Married  June  14,  1722. 

Mousall  Wright  of  Woburn  and  Susanna  Spaulding  of  Groton 
were  married  April  5*,  1733. 

Joseph  Lakin  [of  Groton]  was  married  to  Jerusha  Simonds  Oct. 
23''  1770. 

WORCESTER. 

Aaron  Farnsworth  of  Groton  &  Abigail  Johnson  of  Worcester 
were  joyned  in  marriage  by  me,  Thaddeus  Maccarty,  minister  of 
Worcester.     Sept.  17,  1767. 


APPENDIX. 


On  page  33  of  No.  X.  of  this  Historical  Series,  a  query 
was  raised  in  regard  to  the  meaning  of  the  following  entry 
among  the  marriages,  under  the  date  of  February  5,  1750-51, 
"  Bode  to  By  ; "  and  it  was  suggested  that  they  were  negro 
servants.  This  is  probably  the  true  explanation,  as  a  short 
time  previously  —  according  to  John  B.  Hill's  History  of 
Mason,  New  Hampshire — there  was  a  negro  slave  in  Groton 
by  the  name  of  Boad.  See  "The  Boundary  Lines  of  Old 
Groton  "  (page  37). 

In  No.  Xn.  of  this  Series  (page  21),  an  article  appears  on 
the  Reverend  Samuel  Carter  of  Groton  ;  and  akin  to  him  and 
Captain  James  Parker,  who  is  also  mentioned  in  the  same 
number  (page  5),  the  following  extract  is  made  from  "  The 
New  England  Historical  and  Genealogical  Register"  (XXX. 
236)  for  April,  1876.  It  was  written  by  the  late  Thomas  Bel- 
lows Wyman,  and  is  given  in  a  note  on  Captain  Parker. 

After  the  death  of  his  first  wife,  Elizabeth  Long,  who  long  con- 
tinued with  him  till  about  the  golden  period  of  wedded  life,  he  mar- 
ried Eunice  Carter,  formerly  Brooks,  the  widow  of  Samuel  Carter, 
son  of  Rev.  Thomas  Carter,  of  Woburn.  This  fact  is  developed  by 
a  clause  in  the  will  of  Sarah  Mousal,  her  relative,  widow  of  John 
Mousal,  Jr.,  in  1702.  Soon  after  this  date,  Capt.  Parker  having 
died  in  1701,  she  became  the  third  wife  of  John  Kendall  and  was 
surviving  him  in  1706. 


Thursday  last  [August  3]  died  at  his  Seat  in  Groton,  after  three  or 
four  Days  Illness,  the  Hon.  Benjamin  Prescot,  Esq  ;  Representative 
for  that  Town,  one  of  his  Majesty's  Justices  of  the  Peace  for  the 
County  of  Middlesex,  and  a  Special  Justice  of  the  Superiour  Court  of 
Judicature ;  a  Gentleman  greatly  lamented   by  all  that  knew  him. 

"The  Boston  Evening-Post,"  August  7,  1738. 


6o 


Boston,  Dec.  14. 

On  Monday  the  27th  ult  died  at  Groton,  after  a  few  days 
illness,  in  the  42d  year  of  his  age,  William  Bant,  Esq ;  formerly 
an  inhabitant  of  this  town.  In  this  gentleman  were  united  an  un- 
common assemblage  of  amiable  qualities.  —  In  his  family,  he  was 
a  most  affectionate  and  tender  husband  —  the  kindest  master,  and 
most  affable  and  obliging  friend.  He  possessed  that  share  of  good- 
nature and  ease  of  manners,  which  rendered  him  agreeable  at  the 
very  first  acquaintance  ;  and  by  a  sincerity  —  a  frankness,  and 
generosity  of  mind,  he  in  an  unusual  degree,  won  the  hearts  of 
those  who  more  particularly  knew  him.  —  His  actions  were  regulated 
by  the  strictest  rules  of  honor  &  integrity.  He  used  not  to  turn 
aside  from  beholding  the  sorrows  of  those  around  him.  From  his 
table,  the  poor  were  often  supplied  with  bread,  and  by  his  purse,  the 
wants  of  the  distressed  were  relieved.  —  He  was  a  firm  and  zealous 
friend  to  the  liberties  and  independence  of  America ;  and  was  much 
respected  in  that  part  of  the  country,  where  for  the  last  eighteen 
months  of  his  life,  he  has  resided. 

His  death  is  a  momento  [memento  ?]  of  the  shortness  and  un- 
certainty of  human  life,  and  should  teach  us  who  are  the  living, 
''  so  to  number  our  days  that  we  may  apply  our  hearts  unto  wis- 
dom." He  was  taken  away  suddenly  &  in  the  prime  of  life. 
There  is  this  consolation  left  his  friends,  that  he  did  not  live  un- 
mindful of  another  state ;  but  to  those  who  were  connected  with 
him  he  made  the  concerns  of  his  immortal  part,  the  subject  of 
much  conversation.  — ■ 

His  remains  were  intered  the  29th  ult.  and  followed  to  the 
grave  by  a  large  concourse  of  people  who  appeared  to  be  deeply 
affected  on  the  melancholy  occasion.  It  may  indeed  be  said,  that 
as  in  life  he  was  beloved,  so  at  his  death,  he  is  lamented  by  all 
who  knew  him.  —  He  has  left  behind  him  an  amiable  widow, 
whose  loss  is  inexpressible,  &  can  only  be  made  up  by  a  participa- 
tion of  that  good  which  religion  affords. 

O  thou  !  whose  sovereign  balm,  heals  ev'ry  smart, 

Pity  the  achings  of  a  widow's  heart ; 

And  to  thy  mercies  so  direct  her  mind, 

That  what  she  wants  on  earth,  she  may  in  heaven  find. 

"  The  Continental  Journal,  and  Weekly  Advertiser,"  December    14,  1780. 


6i 

Married — At  Groton,  on  Wednesday  the  20th  ult.  the  Hon. 
Caleb  Davis,  Esq  ;  to  Mrs.  Mary  Anne  Bant,  Widow  of  the  late 
Mr.  Wm.  Bant,  and  Daughter  of  Ezekiel  Lewis,  Esq ;  of  this 
Town. 

"The  Boston  Gazette,  and  the  Country  Journal,"  September  i,  1783. 

Died]  — In  this  town,  on  Friday  last  [January  12],  Mrs.  Mary- 
Anna  Davis,  Consort  of  the  Hon.  Caleb  Davis,  Esq. 
"The  Massachusetts  Gazette  "  (Boston),  January  16,  1787. 


The  following  death  is  found,  according  to  "  The  New 
England  Historical  and  Genealogical  Register"  (XIII.  56) 
for  January,  1859,  in  the  Danvers  Church  Records  :  — 

Oct.  II,  1694.  Eliz :  wife  to  Timothy  Allen  of  Groton  [aged]  70 
odd 


At  Concord,  in  the  Province  of  New-Hampshire,  Mrs.  Elizabeth 
Green,  aged  22  Years,  Wife  of  Peter  Green,  Esq;  of  that  Place, 
and  Youngest  Daughter  of  the  late  Col.  John  Bulkley,  of 
Groton. 

"  The  Massachusetts  Gazette  :  and  the  Boston  Weekly  News-Letter,"  Sep- 
tember 8,  1774. 

The  following  item  is  recorded  under  "  Deaths  "  in  the 
"Columbian  Centinel,"  March  16,  1793,  though  perhaps  it 
refers  to  Groton,  Connecticut :  — 

At  Groton,  Mrs.  Smith,  MX.  88  —  her  offspring  are,  10  chil- 
dren, 84  grand  do.  222  g»eat-grarid  do.  and  14  of  the  fifth  genera- 
tion —  in  all,  330. 

At  Sudbury,  Lieutenant  David  How,  to  Miss  Sibbil  Rockwood, 
of  Groton. 

"The  Independent  Chronicle:  and  the  Universal  Advertiser"  (Boston), 
March   14,  1796. 

The  following  record  of  marriages  is  taken  from  the  Rev- 
erend Edwin  R.  Hodgman's  History  of  Westford  (Lowell, 
1883),  and  found  between  pages  385  and  401  of  that  book. 


62 

By  Caleb  Blake,  Pastor. 
1800.   May  18,  David  Patch,  Groton,  S^lly  Heald,  Westford. 
1805.   March  3,  Theophilus  Bixby,  Westford,  Anna  Fisk,  Groton. 
1817.   July  3,  Asa  Bixby,  Jr.,  Mary  Gilson,  Groton. 

1821.  August  19,  Nathaniel  S.  Gilson,  Groton,  Nancy  B.  Hildreth, 

Westford. 

1822.  February  11,  Luther  Gilson,  Groton,  Patty  Blake,  Westford. 

By  Leonard  Luce,  Pastor. 
1832.    December   20,   Henry   L.   Lawrence,    Groton,    Martha   H. 

Leighton,  Westford. 
1841.   July  15,  John  H.  Spalter,  Groton,  Martha  Ann  Hildreth, 

Westford. 

By  Benjamin  Osgood,  Justice  of  the  Peace. 
1822.   December   9,    Henry    Mier,   Westford,   Elizabeth   Nutting, 
Groton. 

By  Ephraim  Abbot,  as  Justice  of  the  Peace. 
1841.   October  31,  Amos  Bancroft,  M.D.,  Groton,  Mary  Kneeland, 
Westford. 

Dr.  Bancroft's  first  marriage  also  is  recorded  (page  402),  as 
he  was  at  that  time  a  resident  of  Westford,  as  follows  :  "  1796. 
August  29,  Dr.  Amos  Bancroft,  Westford,  Abigail  Whiting, 
Hollis  ;  by  Oliver  Prescott,  Jr.,  Esq." 

By  the  Reverend  Daniel  Chaplin,  of  Groton. 
1780.   January  29,  Ezra  Prescott,  Groton,  Dolly  Wright,  Westford. 
1786.   April  19,  Joseph  Keyes,  Westford,  Sarah  Derumple,  Groton. 
1792.   November  22,  Philip  Robbins,  Westford,  Ruth  Pierce,  Groton. 
1795.   February  16,  Robert  Wilkinson,  'Westford,  Lydia  Sawtell, 
Groton. 
March  10,  Abel  Wright,  Westford,  Lefe  Trowbridge,  Groton. 
December   29,   Samuel   Reed,   Jr.,   Westford,   Polly   Fitch, 
resident  in  Groton. 

The  following  list  of  marriage  intentions  is  found  on  pages 
406-413,  though  the  marriages  are  not  entered  in  the  town 
records  as  having  taken  place  at  Westford.  The  first  two 
couples  certainly  were  married  at  Groton,  and  presumably 
some  of  the  others  were. 


63 

I7SO-    February    i6,   Jonas    Prescott,  Jr.,   and    Rebecca    Parker, 

Groton. 
1762.   April  10,  Lieut.  Joseph  Boynton  and  Sarah  Tarbel,  Groton. 
1766.   June  21,  Benjamin  Green,  Groton,  and  Ruth  Keep. 

July  25,  Ezekiel  Fletcher,  Groton,  and  Bridget  Parker. 

1779.  April  8,  Stephen  Read  and  Mary  Derumple,  Groton. 

1780.  April  24,  Ezra  Jewett,  Groton,  and  Wid,  Rebecca  Button. 
1792.   April  4,  Phillip  Robins  and  Wid.  Ruth  Peirce,  Groton. 
1804.   December  22,  Timothy  Cummings,  Jr.,  and  Betsey  Whitman, 

Groton. 
1806.   January  2,  John  Blodgett  and  Mary  Prescott,  Groton. 
1808.    April  22,  Ephraim  Heald,  Jr.,  and  Lydia  Patch,  Groton. 
18 13.   June  24,  Roswell  Read  and  Sybil  Gilson,  Groton. 


The  following  record  of  marriages  is  taken  from  Samuel  T. 
Worcester's  History  of  Hollis,  New  Hampshire  (Boston,  1879), 
scattered  along  between  pages  343  and  361. 

1756,  Apr.  20,  Nehemiah  Woods  of  Hollis  and  Sarah  Lakin  of 

Groton. 
1772,  Dec.  24,  John  Phelps,  Jun.,  of  Hollis  and  Mary  Lakin  of 

Groton. 
1776,  Sept.  10,  Josiah  Hobart  of  Groton  and  Lucy  Kendall  of  Hollis. 

1790,  July   2S,  Shubael   Hobart  of    Hollis   and   Wid.    Prudence 

Parker  of  Groton. 

1791,  Feb.  22,  Oliver  Prescott,  Jun.,  of  Groton  and  Nancy  Whiting 

of  Hollis. 
1824,  May  13,  Samuel  Colburn  of  Groton  and  Sarah  Woods  of 
Hollis. 

1827,  July  13,   Leonard   Chafin   of  Groton   and   Mary  Wright  of 

Hollis. 

1828,  Apr.  8,   Henry  Woods  of  Groton  and  Hannah  M.  Thayer 

of  Hollis. 
1837,  Oct.  12,  Rev.  Dudley  Phelps  of  Groton  and  Lucretia  G. 

Farley  of  Hollis. 
187 1,  June  14,  Norman  F.  Blood  of  Groton  and  Helen  A.  Smith  of 

Hollis. 
1877,  Sept.  3,  Albert  Kemp  of  Groton  and  Clara  M.  Truell  of  Hollis. 


64 

The  following  list  of  marriages,  taken  from  John  Boynton 
Hill's  History  of  Mason,  New  Hampshire  (Boston,  1858),  is 
found  between  pages  166  and  171  of  that  book. 

By  the  Reverend  Ebenezer  Hill. 
1792.    Feb.  16.   Jonas  Tarbell,  Groton,  Abigail  Hodgman. 
1817.   Nov.  25.  Amos  Davis,  Groton,  Hannah  Barrett. 
1822.    May  6.     Curtis  Lawrence,  Groton,  Lucy  Merriam. 

Also,  on  page  212  of  the  same  History,  the  following  one 
is  given:  "May  1841.  Oliver  H.  Pratt.  Catharine  War- 
ner, at  Groton,  Ms."  by  the  Reverend  Joseph  Bancroft  Hill. 


The  following  record  of  marriages  is  taken  from  Ithamar 
Bard  Sawtelle's  History  of  Townsend,  scattered  along  be- 
tween pages  385  and  427;  and  they  do  not  appear  either  in 
the  County  records  or  the  Groton  records. 

1737.   January  4,  Joshua  Wheeler,  Townsend,  Mehitabel  Hadley, 

Groton.     [By  the  Reverend  Phinehas  Hemenway.J 
1777.   May  6,  Joseph  Cummings,  Swansea,  N.  H.,  Lucy  Warren, 

Groton.     [By  the  Reverend  Samuel  Dix.J 
1792.   August   15,  Parker  Weatherbee,  Townsend,  Rhoda  Adams, 

Groton.     [By  the  Reverend  Samuel  Dix.J 
i8o3.    May    25,   David    Hazen,   Groton,   Jane   Turner.      [By   the 

Reverend  David  Palmer.] 
1818.    November  12,  John  Adams,  Groton,  Sally  Searle.     [By  the 

Reverend  David  Palmer.] 
1830.   October  14,  Luther  Boutelle,  Groton,  Hannah  Conant.     [By 

the  Reverend  David  Palmer.] 

1798.   Andrew  Dodge,  Groton,  Sally  Bowers,  Townsend. 
1798.   James  Giles,  Jr.,  Townsend,  Nabby  Fitch,  Groton. 
[The  last  two  by  the  Reverend  Daniel  Chaplin.] 

1753.   George  Campbell,  Townsend,  Mary  Wheeler,  Groton. 
John  Wallis,  Jr.,  Townsend,  Mary  White,  Groton. 
[The  last  two  by  the  Reverend  Joseph  Emerson.] 


GROTON    HISTORICAL   SERIES. 
No.  XIV. 


REVOLUTIONARY  ITEMS: 

Boston  Port  Bill,  Minute-Men,  &c.  Powder-Mill  at  Pepperell. 
Rev.  Samuel  Dana.  Abraham  Childs,  a  Revolutionary  Officer. 
A   Singular  Petition.     Absentees.     An  Exception. 

THE    PRESBYTERIAN    CONTROVERSY   IN   GROTON. 

PRESIDENT   DWIGHT'S   DESCRIPTION   OF  GROTON. 

MEMORANDA   BY   JOSEPH    FARWELL. 

THE   FIRST   OPERATION   UNDER   ETHER. 

A  JANUARY   THAW. 

THE   NEW  TESTAMENT   IN  A  BALE   OF  COTTON. 


GROTON,    MASS. 
1886. 


GROTON,   MASSACHUSETTS,    1886. 
Historical  Series,  No.  XIV. 


REVOLUTIONARY   ITEMS. 

BOSTON    PORT   BILL,    MINUTE-MEN,    &c. 

After  the  passage  of  the  bill,  in  the  spring  of  1774,  which 
shut  up  the  port  of  Boston,  the  eyes  of  all  New  England 
were  turned  toward  that  town,  and  in  her  needs  she  received 
the  warm  sympathy  of  the  whole  country.  Material  aid  came 
to  her  relief  in  many  forms ;  and  the  following  letter  from  the 
town  clerk  shows  what  the  people  of  Groton  did.  The  letter 
and  answer  are  found  in  the  Collections  of  the  Massachusetts 
Historical  Society,  fourth  series,  IV.  7-10. 

Groton,  June  28th,  1774. 

Gentlemen,  —  The  inhabitants  of  the  Town  of  Groton,  in 
general,  are  deeply  affected  with  a  sense  of  our  public  calamities, 
and  more  especially  the  distresses  of  our  brethren  in  the  Capital 
of  the  Province,  as  we  esteem  the  act  of  blocking  up  the  harbor 
of  Boston  replete  with  injustice  and  cruelty,  and  evidently  designed 
to  compel  the  inhabitants  thereof  to  submission  of  taxes  imposed 
upon  them  without  their  consent,  and  threatens  the  total  destruc- 
tion of  the  liberties  of  all  British  America.  We  ardently  desire  a 
happy  union  with  Great  Britain  and  the  Colonies,  and  shall  gladly 
adopt  every  measure  consistent  with  the  dignity  and  safety  of 
British  subjects  for  that  purpose. 

In  full  confidence  that  the  inhabitants  of  the  Town  of  Boston 
will,  in  general,  exhibit  examples  of  patience,  fortitude  and  per- 
severance, while  they  are  called  to  endure  this  oppression  for  the 
preservation  of  the  liberties  of  their  country,  and  in  token  of  our 


willingness  to  afford  all  suitable  relief  to  them  in  our  power,  a 
number  of  the  inhabitants  of  this  Town  have  subscribed,  and  this 
day  sent  forty  bushels  of  grain,  part  rye  and  part  Indian  corn,  to 
be  delivered  to  the  Overseers  of  the  Poor  of  said  Town  of  Boston, 
not  doubting  but  the  same  will  be  suitably  applied  for  that  pur- 
pose ;  and  we  earnestly  desire  you  virill  use  your  utmost  endeavor  to 
prevent  and  avoid  all  mobs,  riots,  and  tumults,  and  the  insulting  of 
private  persons  and  property.  And  while  the  farmers  are  cheer- 
fully resigning  part  of  their  substance  for  your  relief,  we  trust  the 
merchants  will  not  oppress  them  by  raising  upon  the  goods  which 
they  have  now  on  hand  and  heretofore  purchased.  And  may  God 
prosper  every  undertaking  which  tends  to  the  salvation  of  the 
people. 

We  are,  Gentlemen,  your  friends  and  fellow-countrymen.  In 
the  name  and  by  order  of  the  Committee  of  Correspondence  for 
the  Town  of  Groton. 

Oliver  Prescott,  Clerk. 
To  THE  Overseers  of  the  Town  of  Boston. 

The  reply  is  as  follows  :  — 

Boston,  July  5th,  1774. 

Sir,  —  Your  obliging  letter  directed  to  the  Overseers  of  the 
Poor  of  this  Town,  together  with  a  generous  present  from  a  num- 
ber of  the  inhabitants  of  the  Town  of  Groton,  for  the  relief  of  such 
inhabitants  of  this  Town  as  may  be  sufferers  by  the  Port  Bill,  is 
come  to  hand.  In  behalf  of  the  Committee  of  this  Town,  ap- 
pointed for  the  reception  of  such  kind  donations,  I  am  now  to 
return  to  you  and  the  rest  of  our  benefactors  the  most  sincere 
thanks.  The  gentlemen  may  be  assured  their  donations  will  be 
applied  to  the  purpose  they  intend.  We  are  much  obliged  to  you 
for  the  wise  cautions  given  in  your  letter,  and  we  shall  use  our 
best  endeavors  that  the  inhabitants  of  this  Town  may  endure  their 
sufferings  with  dignity,  that  the  glorious  cause  for  which  they  suf- 
fer may  not  be  reproached.  We  trust  that  the  non-consumption 
agreement,  which  we  hear  is  making  progress  in  the  country,  will 
put  it  out  of  the  power  of  any  of  the  merchants  to  take  unreason- 
able advantage  of  raising  the  prices  of  their  goods.  You  will 
however,  remember,  that  many  heavy  articles,  such  as  nails,  Uc., 
will  be  attended  with  considerable  charge  in  transporting 'them' 
from  Salem.     As  the  bearer  is  in  haste,  I  must  conclude,  with 


great  regard  for  your  Committee  of  Correspondence  and  the  in- 
habitants of  the  Town  of  Groton. 

Sir,  your  friend  and  fellow-countryman, 

Signed  by  order  of  the  Overseers  of  the  Poor, 

Sam.  Partridge. 

To  THE  Committee  of  the  Town  of  Groton, 
IN  Massachusetts. 

Before  the  beginning  of  actual  hostilities  during  the  Revo- 
lution, two  companies  of  minute-men  had  been  organized  in 
Groton ;  and,  at  the  desire  of  the  ofHcers,  the  Reverend 
Samuel  Webster,  of  Temple,  New  Hampshire,  preached  a 
sermon  before  them,  which  was  afterward  printed.  Its  title 
runs  thus: — 

Rabshakeh's  Proposals  |  Considered,  |  in  a  |  SERMON,  |  De- 
livered at  Groton  \  February  21,  1775.  |  At  the  Desire  of  the 
Officers  of  the  |  Companies  of  Minute  Men  in  that  |  Town.  |  By 
I  Samuel  Webster,  A.  M.  |  Pastor  of  the  Church  at  Temple,  | 
in  New-Hampshire.  ||  Boston  :  Printed  and  Sold  by  Edes  |  and 
Gill,  in  Queen-Street.     1775.     8vo.  pp.  30. 

The  sermon  is  singularly  meagre  in  details,  and  made  up 
largely  of  theological  opinion,  perhaps  as  valuable  now  as 
then,  but  not  so  highly  prized.  It  is  there  said  that  a  large 
majority  of  the  town,  agreeably  to  the  plan  of  the  Provincial 
Council,  had  promised  to  hold  themselves  in  prompt  readi- 
ness to  act  in  the  service  of  their  country. 

The  Reverend  Dr.  Jeremy  Belknap,  of  Boston,  makes  the 
following  entry  in  his  note-book,  which  is  printed  in  the 
Proceedings  of  the  Massachusetts  Historical  Society  (XIV. 
93)  for  June,  1875:  — 

A  negro  man  belonging  to  Groton,  took  aim  at  Major  Pitcairne, 
as  he  was  rallying  the  dispersed  British  Troops,  &  shot  him  thro' 
the  head,  he  was  brought  over  to  Boston  &  died  as  he  was  landing 
on  the  ferry  ways. 

According  to  the  Proceedings  of  the  same  Society  (XV. 
loi)  for  October,  1876,  the  parole  at  the  camp  in  Cambridge 


on  the  night  of  May  21,  1775,  was  "  Groton,"  and  the  counter- 
sign, "  Pepperell."  This  was,  undoubtedly,  in  compliment  to 
Colonel  William  Prescott,  a  native  of  Groton  and  a  resident 
of  Pepperell,  who  was  then  commanding  a  regiment  in  the 
Provincial  Army. 


POWDER-MILL   AT   PEPPERELL. 

The  following  letters,  written  during  the  Revolution  by  the 
Honorable  James  Prescott,  of  Groton,  are  found  among  the 
Massachusetts  Archives  at  the  State  House,  and  have  some 
local  interest.  At  that  period  Mr.  Prescott  was  a  prominent 
character  in  the  affairs  of  the  town,  and,  whatever  may  have 
been  his  accomplishments  in  the  way  of  spelling,  he  exerted 
a  wide  influence  in  all  public  matters.  He  filled  many  im- 
portant offices  ;  and  at  the  beginning  of  the  Revolution  he 
was  a  member  of  the  Provincial  Congress  and  of  the  Board 
of  War.  His  dwelling  stood  on  the  knoll,  perhaps  half  a 
mile  southeast  of  the  village,  on  the  Boston  road,  near  the 
house  of  the  late  Phineas  Gilman  Prescott. 

Groton  Apriel  2?  1778. 
Dear  Sir 

Yesterday  I  received  yours  of  the  26  :  of  March,  There  is  now 
in  the  House  159  bb'?  of  Powder,  it  will  hold  about  100  bb'?  more, 
the  Powder  you  mentiond  is  not  yet  arived,  the  Snow  fell  this  week 
with  us  8  Inches  Deep,  which  makes  it  Exceding  Bad  Carting. 

I  have  Got  50  or  60  Shirts  on  hand,  Several  webbs  out  in  Doing, 
but  when  they  will  be  Done  is  Very  uncertain,  also  about  thirty  p' 
of  Shoes  —  labour  is  so  Dear  now  I  have  Come  to  a  Stand  un- 
till  I  have  further  Directions  from  yf  Board,  I  will  Send  what  is 
on  hand  if  yf  Board  think  Best,  But  it  will  be  Very  Expencive  to 
Send  on  purpose,  therefore  Should  Chuse  to  wait  for  a  Convenient 
oppertunity. 

I  am  Still  lame,  But  Gitting  Better,  (Very  unhappy  night  to  me) 
the  Bisness  of  the  Board  is  Very  Extencive  &  Important,  I  know 
your  unwearied  pains  &  Labour  by  night  &  Day  to  Serve  both 
Publick  &  private,  without  Even  the  prospeck  of  reward. 


s 

hope  I  shall  Soon  be  able  to  attend  the  Board,  it  would  Give  me 
Grate  Pleasuer,  if  by  any  thing  I  Can  Do,  it  would  Contribet  to 
the  Publick  Good,  or  in  any  measuer  Serve  to  liten  your  heavy 
Burden 

I  am  Gen'  with  Sincear  regard 

your  most  obediant  Hum'  Ser! 

James  Prescott 

[Superscribed]  Hon'?  Presedent  of  the  Board  of  War 

Boston 
[Massachusetts  Archives,  CCV.  324.] 

Groton  24  :  of  July  1778 
Sir  Abner  Whitney  a  young  Gent"  Brought  up  by  M'  Lewis  ^ 

in  his  Shop  &  Counting  room  applied  to  me  for  Some  Imployment 
&  mentioned  that  he  had  heard  there  was  a  Vacancy  at  the  Board — 
he  is  Desireous  of  making  tryal  —  I  Can  recommend  him  as  Very 
Honest  faithfuU  young  man  may  be  Depended  upon  in  anything 
he  undertaks  if  it  is  agreeable  to  the  Board  to  take  him  into  there 
Service  upon  tryal  they  will  oblige  him  &  I  hope  he  may  Serve 
them  to  acceptance 

I  am  very  lame  again  the  old  wound  is  Broke  out  —  when  I  shall 
be  able  to  ride  to  Boston  is  uncertain 

I  am  with  respect  your  most 

obediant  Ser' 

James  Prescott 
Hon'.  Sam:  Phil:  Savage  Esq^ 

[Superscribed]  The  Hon'.  Presedent  of  the  Board  of  War 
[Massachusetts  Archives,  CCV.  407.] 

Groton  i6  :  of  Octo^  1778 
Sir 

I  have  Sent  15  Barrils  Powder  that  Quantity  I  Judged  a  full 
load  for  the  Horses  —  I  beleve  they  will  meet  with  Difficulty  to  git 
along  with  it  — 

agreeable  to  your  Desire  have  Cautioned  the  Gard  not  to  leave 
one  momint  hope  it  will  arrive  safe  — 

1  Mr.  Lewis  was  a  trader  of  Groton,  whose  shop  was  situated  a  short  distance 
north  of  the  site  of  the  Town  House.  See  No.  VH.  of  this  Historical  Series 
(page  8). 


you  have  Sent  me  a  wag?  But  no  tacklin  to  Draw  with  therefore  it 
will  be  useless  till  I  am  furnisht  no  Such  tackin  Can  be  got  here  — 

There  is  about  go  bar''  of  forrain  powder  left  &  40  of  Andover 
no  news  here,  am  Very  lame,  unable  to  ride  or  walk,  have  set  still 
almost  yf  whole  of  yf  time  since  I  Came  home 

my  Comple'f  to  the  Board 

I  am  with  respect  your  Hum'^  Ser! 

James  Prescott 
The  Hon.  Sam.  Phps  Savage  Esq^ 

[Superscribed]  Hon'.  Sam.  Phips  Savage  Esq^  . 

Presedent  of  the  Board  War 

Boston 
[Massachusetts  Archives,  CCV.  422.] 

Groton  5:  of  June  1779. 
Dear  Sir 

I  rec'?  yours  this  morning  at  three  o'Clock  by  M'.  Wendel  wherein 
you  request  me  to  Send  one  Hundred  Barrils  of  powder  —  I  have 
procuer"!  most  of  the  teems,  you  may  Expect  the  Powder  in  next 
Wensday  morning  very  Early,  the  teemsters  will  Expect  their 
money  paid  them  on  Delivering  the  powder  as  they  turn  out  at 
such  Season  &  no  warning. 

I  am  with  Grate  respect  your  most 

Obediant  Ser! 

James  Prescott 
Sam.  P:  Savage  Esq^ 

[Superscribed]  Sam.  P.  Savage  Esq^ 

Presedent  of  the  Board  of  War 
Boston 
[Massachusetts  Archives,  CCV.  473.] 

Groton  5:  of  June  1779 
Sir 

I  Send  you  100  Barrils  of  powder — the  teemsters  will  Expect 
their  money  if  it  will  be  Conveniant  for  the  Board  to  pay  them  as 
they  turn  out  in  this  Extraordinry  Bissey  Season  —  the  lowest  Sum 
I  Could  agree  for  the  Jorney  is  twenty  Shillings  p:  mile  the  amount 
is  40;^  Each  — 

I  have  Exerted  myself  &  hope  it  will  acceptable  —  in  Grate  hast 
am  your 

most  Obediant  Ser' 

James  Prescott 


N  B:  I  have  given  in  Charge  if  it  rains  to  Secure  y'  powed  in 
y?  Best  manner  they  Can  &  if  they  are  Detained  a  Day  on  their 
Jorney  by  reason  of  rain  they  are  to  have  the  addition  of  their 
Expenses  while  they  are  Detained 

The  Presedent  of  the  Board  of  War 

pray  yf  Board  to  give  order  for  my  Bag  of  Coffee  &  Caug  of  Rum 

[Massachusetts  Archives,  CCV.  480.] 

Groton  14:  of  July  1779 
Gen^ 

You  write  me  that  one  Barril  in  Bartlets  Cart  was  Broke,- 
and  was  one  thurd  out  when  it  arived,  and  Chuse  to  know  the 
State  of  facts  before  you  pay  him  —  I  was  present  when  the  ■ 
powder  was  loaded,  &  took  all  the  Care  I  Could  in  that  Hurry 
there  was  one  Barril  put  into  the  Cart  that  was  tender,  Bartlet  was 
Sum  Consernd  about  it  when  it  was  put  into  the  Cart,  it  was  well 
Stowed,  I  was  not  apprized  of  its  Being  so  week,  the  Barrils  have 
Stood  So  long  that  the  hoops  want  Driveing,  But  at  that  time 
Could  not  Git  a  Cooper  to  assist,  I  have  Sent  by  him  all  the  pow- 
der heretofore,  know  him  to  be  an  Honest  faithful!  man.  I  Do  not 
think  he  was  Negligent  or  Carless,  as  to  the  Barrils  not  being 
full,  is  no  rule  to  Judge  by,  for  when  I  opened  &  Shifted  the  pow- 
der, some  of  the  Barrils  wanted  about  1-3"!  &  1-4  of  being  full,  I 
am  Informed  the  Sittuation  of  the  Bar!  in  the  Cart  was  Such,  that 
the  Barl  Did  not  Burst,  but  one  head  Sprung  out  on  one  Side,  So 
that  the  loss  of  the  powder  was  not  very  Considerable,  I  shall  not 
be  at  Boston  Soon  is  accation  of  my  Giveing  you  the  trouble  of  this 
letter,  the  man  is  poor  &  wants  his  money,  if  you  Gentlemen  are 
Satisfied  that  he  was  not  in  fault  hope  you  will  Send  him  the  money 
by  the  Barer  hereof  —  Doer  Prescott  — 

I  am  with  real  Regard  your  Frind 
&  very  Hum'  Ser! 

James  Prescott 
The  Board  of  War 

[Superscribed]  The  Presedent  of  the  Board  of  War    Boston 
[Massachusetts  Archives,  CCV.  484.] 

Groton  20;  of  July  1779 
Gentle"  » 

I  Red  your  favour  of  the  19*  Instant  at  Nine  o'Clock  in  the 
Evening,  agreeable  to  your  Desire  Send  you  a  return  of  the  powder 


8 

in  the  magasine^  at  Groton,  there  is  33  Barrels  of  foreign  &  16  of 
american  powder,  in  the  whole  49,  it  is  very  rainny  this  morning  ; 
Shall  Dispatch  the  messenger  as  soon  as  he  Can  ride,  am  much 
obliged  to  you  for  the  Newspaper, 

I  Rejoyce  to  here  the  fleet  have  Sail^  Sincerely  hope  they  will 
meet  with  the  Desired  Suckcess 

I  am  with  Gratest  respect 

Gen'  your  most  obliged  Hum'  Ser! 

James  Prescott 
The  Board  of  War 
[Massachusetts  Archives,  CCV.  485.] 

Groton  g:  of  August  1779 
Sir 

You  wrote  me  to  Send  you  a  load  of  powder  in  the  Cover''. 
Wagon  now  with  me,  which  I  Cant  Complie  with,  for  I  have  no 
tacklin  Sent  with  it  to  Draw  by,  therefore  if  I  Send  the  powder  as 
you  propose  I  must  Git  Some  Horse  tackin  fitted  for  that  purpose 
only  which  will  be  an  Expence  I  wish  to  avoide,  I  suppose  you  may 
Send  two  of  Co'-'  Revers  Soldiers  with  4:  or  5  of  your  Horses,  let 
them  ride  two  &  lead  the  others  with  Sutable  tackin  to  Draw  by  in 
a  bagg  &c.  I  have  Got  the  Sadie  for  the  Horse  that  Goes  behind 
only  Bring  the  tackin  for  the  other  Horses,  this  I  think  will  be  the 
Best  way  &  most  Saving  to  the  publick,  But  you  are  Good  Judges 
of  this  matter  &  will  Direct  as  you  think  proper,  if  you  think  Best 
not  to  Send  for  it  in  the  way  I  have  propose?  Give  me  a  line  &  I 
will  Send  you  the  powder  without  delay —  Doer  Lawrence  has  De- 
liver'' the  fifteen  Barr's  you  mention"!  in  your  last  Shall  send  your 
letter  now  rel  Immediatly  agreeable  to  your  request  — 

I  hope  with  you  we  Shall  Soon  hear  Good  news  from  Penobscot, 
I  sincerely  wish  Suckcess  to  American  Arms  which  way  So  ever 
they  are  turn"? 

I  am  with  real  resp! 

Your  most  obediant  Ser' 

James  Prescott 
Sam.  P.  Savage  Esqr 

[Superscribed]  Sam'  P.  Savage  Esq^ 

Presedent  of  the  Board  War 
Boston 

[Massachusetts  Archives,  CGV.  493.] 

1  For  an  account  of  the  magazine,  see  No.  V.  of  this  Historical  Series 
(pages  16-1S) 


9 

State  of  the  powder  mill  at  Pepperrell  is  as  follows  Built  on  a 
Large  Stream,  a  full  Supply  of  Water  —  goes  with  sixty  Pestles  — 
said  mill  is  thirty  Eight  feet  in  length  &  twenty  Eight  feet  in  wedth 
well  Covered  :  now  fitt  for  use  with  a  little  repairing  of  the  Sives 
&c  and  some  other  of  its  Utenciles  ;  A  Drying  House  built  near 
by ;  prepaired  for  Clarifying  yf  Nitre  &  Drying  &  Stoaring  yf  Pow- 
der &c.  Have  made  only  about  two  Tuns  of  powder  for  this  State 
IS?  of  which  I  deposited  in  the  Magaziene  last  Week  at  Groton  ac- 
cording to  order  of  Board  of  War.  about  25?  now  at  y'  mill  not 
proof,  by  reason  of  )'f  Nitre  &  Sulpher  not  being  pure,  as  Colo: 
Burbeek  Certifies  :  (tho  well  made  &  dryed)  For  further  Informa- 
tion See  General  Prescotts  Letter. 

Gentm.  Your  most  Obed'  hum''  Serv! 
to  Serve  You  in  what  I  may 

Ephm  Lawrence 
Pepperrell  Aug'  12.  1779. 

To  Honrab'  Sam'.'  Phil:  Savage  Prest.  to  Communicate 
[Massachusetts  Archives,  CCV.  501.] 

This  powder-mil]  was  situated  near  the  west  end  of  the 
upper  bridge  over  the  Nashua  River  in  the  village  of  East 
Pepperell.  It  stood  close  to  the  present  site  of  the  brick 
counting-house  of  the  paper-mills,  and  the  water  power  was 
afterward  used  for  a  fulling-mill.  The  drying-house  was  on 
the  opposite  side  of  the  road.  Ephraim  Lawrence,  who  signs 
the  statement,  was  a  physician  at  Pepperell,  and  probably  in 
charge  of  the  mill.  He  was  a  son  of  Deacon  Peleg  and  Ruth 
Lawrence  ;  and  at  his  death  he  left  a  large  family  of  children, 
among  whom  was  the  late  Dr.  Ebenezer  Lawrence,  of  Hamp- 
ton, New  Hampshire. 

When  the  Revolution  broke  out.  Dr.  Oliver  Prescott,  the 
youngest  brother  of  James,  who  wrote  the  preceding  letters, 
and  of  William,  the  hero  of  Bunker  Hill,  was  perhaps  the 
most  noted  as  well  as  the  most  influential  man  in  Groton. 
He  was  a  graduate  of  Harvard  College  in  the  class  of  1750, 
and  a  member  of  various  scientific  societies.  The  following 
suggestion  made  by  him  to  the  Committee  of  Safety  is  found 
in  Peter  Force's  "American  Archives,"  fourth  series  (H. 
385):- 


10 

Groton,  April  24,  1775. 

Gentlemen  :  I  think  if  an  order  should  pass  for  the  establish- 
ment of  a  Town  Guard,  to  be  kept  in  a  prudent  manner,  in  every 
Town  in  this  Province,  it  would  have  a  great  tendency  to  deter  and 
detect  villains  and  their  accomplices.  The  passes  that  people  bring 
this  way  are  generally  without  date,  or  assignment  to  any  person  or 
place,  so  that  a  man  may  pass  to  Africa  with  the  same  order.  Par- 
don my  freedom,  and  allow  me  to  subscribe,  gentlemen,  your  most 
obedient,  very  humble  servant, 

Oliver  Prescott. 

To  THE  Committee  of  Safety. 

Another  letter  written  by  Dr.  Prescott,  who  at  this  time 
was  a  Brigadier  General,  is  preserved  among  the  Shattuck 
Manuscripts  of  the  New  England  Historic,  Genealogical  Soci- 
ety. It  gives  some  interesting  facts  concerning  the  Middlesex 
militia,  and  is  as  follows  :  — 

Sir, 

In  persuance  of  your  orders  Rec"!  the  14*  I  have  caused  the 
militia  of  the  County  of  Middlesex  to  be  mustered  and  have 
caused  to  be  Drafted  therefrom  every  fifth  able  bodied  man  under 
fifty  years  of  age  &c  agreeable  to  the  Resolves  of  the  Gen!  Assem- 
bly of  this  State  of  the  12*  instant,  and  formed  the  s"!  men  into 
Companies  and  appointed  their  Respective  Officers  in  the  following 
manner,  viz. 

N°  I.  Cambridge    33  men  Cap!  John  Walton  of  Cambridge 

Charlestown    7  i^'  L' 

Maiden  9  2"?  D° 

Medford        13 

62. 

N°  2.  Watertown  15  Cap!  Edward  Fuller  of  Newton 

Newton  19  i«  L!  Josiah  Capen  of  Watertown 

Waltham  13  2".  D°  Isaac  Hager  of  Waltham 

Weston  18 

65- 


II 


N°3- 

Woburti 

20 

Reading 

26 

Wilmington 

13 

Stoneham 

4 
63. 

N°4. 

Concord 

23 

Lexington 

16 

Acton 

IS 

Lincoln 

12 

Cap'  Samuel  Belnap  of  Woburn 


D? 


Cap'  Simon  Hunt  of  Acton 

i'^'  L'  Samuel  Heald  of  Concord 

2"!  D?  Eben'  White  of  Lexington 


66. 

N".  s-  Sudbury  35 
Marlboro  3 1 
Stow  16 

82. 

N°  6.  Framingham  27 
Sherburn        15 

Hopkinston  20 
HoUiston  15 
Natick  9 

86. 


Cap'  Amasa  Cranson  of  Marlboro 
i"  U  Nath'.'  Sergeant  of  Stow 
2I  D°  NathV  Smith  of  Sudbury 


Cap'  Aaron  Gardner  of  Sherburn 
i^'  L'  Lawssen  Buckminister  of  Fra- 
mingham 
2I  D?  Isaac  Clark  of  Hopkinton. 


N°  7.  Groton  27 

Pepperrell  1 7 
Townshend  15 
Ashby  8 

69. 

N".  8.  Chelmsford  21 

Dunstable  12 

Dracutt  18 

Westford  18 


Cap'  Thomas  Warren  of  Townshend 
i^'  L'  James  Lawrance  of  Pepperrell 
2"^  D?  Joseph  Rockwood  of  Groton 


Cap^  Zach.  Wright  of  Westford 
1='  L'  Nath".'  Holden  of  Dunstable 
2=!  D';  Rob'  Spaulding  of  Chelmsford 


69. 


12 

N°  9.  Billerica  22  Cap'  Solomon  Kidder  of  Billerica 

Tukesbury  12  i'^'  L'  Daniel  Kimball  of  Littleton 

Bedford  10  2^  Df  Tim°  Rogers  of  Tukesbury 

Littleton  12 
Shirley  9 

65- 

I  have  also  formed  the  afores'!  Companies  into  one  Reg!  and 
appointed 

Eleazer  Brooks  Esq'  of  Lincoln  to  be  the  Col? 
Micah  Stone  Esqf  of  Framingham  L!  Col? 
Eben'  Bancroft  Esq'  of  Dunstable  Major 
Mi:  Moses  Adams  of  Framingham  Chaplain 
M'  Joseph  Hunt  of  Acton  Surgeon 

Mate 
Daniel  Loring  of  Sudbury  Adjut. 
Samuel  Hartwell  of  Lincoln  Quartermaster 

I  have  directed  the  s'!  Col?  Brooks  to  order  the  several  Captains 
afores*!  td  march  their  Respective  Companies,  as  soon  as  possible,  in 
the  best  &  most  proper  Road,  to  Horse  Neck  [West  Greenwich, 
Connecticut],  according  to  the  Resolves  of  the  GenI  Assembly  of 
this  State,  &  agreeable  to  the  Directions  and  for  the  purposes 
therein  Expressed.  Col?  Brooks  informs  me  this  day  that  he  hath 
given  marching  orders  for  Saturday  next  for  the  whole  Regt 

I  am,  Sir,  with  the  greatest  Respect,  your  most  obedient  and  very 

hbl  Ser! 

Oliver  Prescott 
Groton  SepU  26*  1776. 

N.  B.  Col?  Thatcher  &  Col?  Fox  Engaged  to  fill  up  their  Com- 
panies and  Return  the  Names  of  the  Lieut?  before  the  Time 
appointed  to  march. 

[To]  Generall  [James]  Warren 


13 


REV.    SAMUEL   DANA. 


It  is  well  known  that  the  Reverend  Samuel  Dana,  minister 
of  Groton  from  the  year  1761  to  1775,  at  the  outbreak  of  the 
Revolution,  was  in  sympathy  with  the  Crown.  His  political 
views  made  him  unpopular,  and  caused  his  dismissal  from  the 
parish.  An  account  of  the  difificulties  is  given  in  Mr.  Butler's 
History  (pages  179-181).  The  following  notice,  by  no  means 
clearly  expressed,  is  found  in  "  The  New-England  Chronicle  : 
or,  the  Essex  Gazette,"  June  8,  1775  :  — 

Groton,  May  15th,  1775. 
The  Inhabitants  of  Groton  in  Town-Meeting  assembled,  the 
Rev.  Samuel  Dana  offered  that  to  the  Town  with  Regard  to  his 
polidcal  Principles  and  Conduct,  with  which  the  Town  voted  them- 
selves fully  satisfied,  and  that  he  ought  to  enjoy  the  Privileges 
of  Society  in  common  with  other  Members,  and  we  hope  this,  with 
the  following  by  him  subscribed,  will  be  fully  satisfactory  to  the 
Publick. 

Oliver  Frescott,        ") 

<v  n        ..j         ■       Committee  of 

James  Frescott,  -^ 

Josiah  Sartell,         I   Correspondence 
Isaac  Farnsworth, 
Moses  Child,  J 

I  The  Subscriber,  being  deeply  affected  with  the  Miseries  bro't 
on  this  Country,  by  a  horrid  Thirst  for  ill-got  Wealth  and  uncon- 
stitutional Power  —  and  lamenting  my  Unhappiness,  in  being  left 
to  adopt  Principles  in  Politics  different  from  the  Generality  of  my 
Countrymen  ;  and  thence  to  conduct  in  a  Manner  that  has  but  too 
justly  excited  the  Jealousy  and  Resentment  of  the  true  Sons  of 
Liberty  against  me,  earnestly  desirous,  at  the  same  Time,  to  give 
them  all  the  Satisfaction  in  my  Power;  do  hereby  sincerely  ask 
Forgiveness  of  all  such  for  whatever  I  have  said  or  done,  that  had 
the  least  Tendency  to  the  Injury  of  my  Country,  assuring  them  that 
it  is  my  full  Purpose,  in  my  proper  Sphere,  to  unite  with  them,  in  all 
those  laudable  andfit  Measures,  that  have  been  recommended  by 
the   Continental  and  Provincial   Congresses,  for  the   Salvation   of 


for 
Groton. 


14 

this  Country,  hoping  my   future    Conversation   and    Conduct  will 
fully  prove  the  Uprightness  of  my  present  Professions. 

SAMUEL    DANA. 
Groton,  May  22,  1775. 

"  The  Essex  Gazette  "  newspaper,  at  the  beginning  of  the 
Revolution,  wras  removed  from  Salem  to  Cambridge,  where  it 
was  published  under  the  name  of  "  The  New-England  Chron- 
icle :  or,  the  Essex  Gazette."  It  was  printed  in  Stoughton 
Hall,  Harvard  College,  and  the  first  number  under  its  new 
title  appeared  on  May  12,  1775. 

The  following  paper  is  found  in  Peter  Force's  "  American 
Archives,"  fourth  series  (H.  11 09) :  — 

To  the    Honourable  Gentlejnen  of  the  Provincial  Congress  of  New- 
Hampshire  ; 

That  whereas,  Jason  Russell  and  John  Tarbell,  both  of  Mason, 
in  said  Province,  did,  in  a  felonious  manner,  on  or  about  the  20th 
of  May  last,  retire  to  a  pasture  in  said  Town  belonging  to  Samuel 
Dana,  of  Groton,  and  took  from  thence  a  three  year  heifer,  and 
killed  and  converted  it  to  their  own  use ;  whereupon,  early  notice 
being  given  to  the  Committee  for  said  Town,  they  met,  and  required 
of  the  offenders  full  satisfaction  therefor,  but  each  of  them  per- 
emptorily refusing  to  comply  therewith  :  The  advice  of  Committees 
from  the  neighbouring  Towns  being  called  in,  viz :  New-Ipswich 
and  Temple,  and  the  criminals  being  cited  to  appear  before  said 
Committees,  not  only  neglected  to  make  their  appearance  before 
us,  but,  as  we  learn,  have  fled  to  the  Army;  and  finding  ourselves 
unable  to  settle  the  unhappy  difficulty  by  reason  of  their  escape, 
came  into  the  following  Resolution,  viz  : 

Resolved,  To  refer  the  matter  to  your  judicious  consideration, 

begging  that  you  will,   in   your  wisdom,   take   cognizance   of  the 

offence,  and  deal  with  them  in  this  and  in  such  like  case  for  the 

future. 

Ephraim  Adams,  Chairman. 

David  Blodgett,  Scribe. 
Mason,  June  26,  1775- 

It  is  probable  that  Mr.  Dana's  tory  proclivities  at  this  period 
had  some  connection  with  the  affair  ;  John  Tarbell,  who  is 
mentioned  in  the  preamble,  was  of  Groton  descent. 


IS 


ABRAHAM    CHILDS,   A   REVOLUTIONARY   OFFICER. 

The  following  notice  of  an  old  citizen  appeared  in  the  "  Co- 
lumbian Centinel,"  January  ii,  1834.  Captain  Childs  built 
during  the  last  century  and  occupied  the  house  in  Groton 
where  Charles  Woolley,  now  of  Waltham,  lived  for  so  long 
a  time,  situated  on  School  Street,  near  Hollis  Street.  He 
bought  the  parcel  of  land  of  Jephtha  Richardson,  a  tavern- 
keeper  and  son  of  Converse  Richardson,  a  blacksmith,  who 
before  this  time  had  a  shop  on  it,  nearly  opposite  to  the 
site  of  Nathaniel  Livermore's  house.  Captain  Childs's  eldest 
son,  David,  married  Mrs.  Susanna  (Bentley)  Woolley,  widow 
of  the  late  Captain  Charles  Woolley,  as  her  second  husband. 

There  are  still  a  few  persons  in  town  who  remember  the 
subject  of  this  article,  which  was  written  by  the  late  George 
Fowle,  a  schoolmaster  of  Boston,  from  facts  furnished  by  the 
present  Mr.  Woolley.  Such  biographical  sketches  of  Revo- 
lutionary characters  are  always  of  value,  inasmuch  as  they 
have  an  interest  for  the  inhabitants  of  the  town  as  well  as 
for  the  local  historian.  Captain  Childs's  wife  was  Rebecca 
Stowell,  of  Waltham,  who  died  on  November  14,  1830.  He 
spelled  his  surname  with  a  final  "  s,"  but  the  children 
dropped  it. 

The  following  very  interesting  sketch  of  one  of  our  Revolution- 
ary heroes,  from  a  correspondent,  will  be  read  with  great  interest. 
Such  characters  add  a  degree  of  romance  to  the  history  of  the 
Revolution. 

Biographical  Sketch  of  Capt.  Abraham  Child. 

Died,  at  Groton,  (Mass)  on  Friday,  the  3d  inst.,  after  a  short 
indisposition,  Capt.  Abraham  Child,  aged  92.  The  remnant  of 
our  revolutionary  worthies  is  fast  disappearing,  and  it  is  useful 
to  collect  their  testimony  of  the  '  heroic  age '  of  our  fathers,  as  each 
assists  in  bringing  the  struggle  more  home  to  our  bosoms.  The 
subject  of  this  sketch  was  born  at  Waltham,  August  12,  1741. 
The  estate  on  which  he  was  born,  has  been  in  the  possession  of  the 


\6 

same  family  for  more  than  a  century  —  a  fact  worthy  of  notice,  as 
evincing  the  sound  judgment  and  untiring  industry,  which  are  pecu- 
liar traits  of  their  character. 

At  the  age  of  fifteen,  Abraham  was  apprenticed  to  a  blacksmith, 
with  whom  he  continued  2  years  ;  when,  no  longer  controlling  his 
patriotic  ardor,  he  joined  the  company  of  Capt.  William  Jones,  of 
Medford,  in  the  regiment  of  Col.  Saltonstall,  of  Haverhill,  and 
marched  to  join  the  army  under  General  Amherst,  appointed  to 
invade  Canada.  After  aiding  in  the  captures  of  Ticonderoga  and 
Crown  Point,  and  being  engaged  in  several  skirmishes,  he  wintered 
with  the  army  at  Crown  Point,  1760.  Marching  in  the  spring  upon 
Montreal,  they  were  compelled,  after  a  severe  action  at  Silsery,  to 
fall  back  upon  Quebec ;  from  whence,  finally  concentrating  their 
forces  und«r  Amherst,  upon  Montreal,  the  reduction  of  Canada  was 
effected,  and  our  soldier  enabled  to  resume  his  trade,  at  which  he 
continued  until  1762,  when  he  again  entered  the  service  under  Capt. 
William  Baldwin,  of  Chelmsford,  of  Col.  Hoar's  regiment,  marched 
to  Boston,  took  shipping  to  Halifax,  and  thence  sailed  to  aid  in  the 
reduction  of  some  French  posts  in  the  Gulf  of  St.  Lawrence.  Upon 
the  accomplishment  of  which,  returning  to  Halifax,  he  there  spent 
the  winter,  working  at  his  trade.  At  the  peace  of  '63,  he  returned 
home.  In  1767,  he  married  one,  whose  subsequent  conduct  proved 
her  a  fit  partner  for  a  "  Son  of  Liberty."  In  1774,  when  the  Pro- 
vincial Congress  deemed  it  necessary  to  organize  more  thoroughly 
a  military  force,  he  was  appointed  Lieutenant  of  Capt.  Abijah's 
Child's  company  of  '  Minute  Men.'  In  the  following  year  he 
warmly  engaged  in  the  pursuit  of  the  English  at  the  battle  of  Lex^ 
ington.  Then  entering  the  States'  service  for  8  months,  as  Lieuten- 
ant of  Captain  J.  Williams's  company,  in  Col.  Baldwin's  regiment, 
he  assisted  in  proving  "  Yankee  Cowardice  "  upon  Bunker's  Hill, 
At  the  expiration  of  his  time  lie  enlisted  for  one  year.  After  the 
evacuation  of  Boston  he  marched  to  New  York,  and  suffered  at  the 
defeat  of  Long  Island,  in  the  summer  of  '76,  Retreating  with 
the  main  army  through  the  Jerseys,  into  Pennsylvania,  he  was  one  of 
that  determined  band,  which,  headed  by  Washington,  resolved  to 
turn  the  current  of  success,  or  perish  ere  their  country's  chains  were 
rivetted.  Victory  at  Trenton  crowning  the  endeavor,  our  soldier 
returned  home  with  the  rank  of  Captain  in  Colonel  Western's 
regiment.  In  1777  he  took  command  of  300  men,  whom  he  had 
assisted  in   recruiting,   and   joined   General  Gates  in   time  to  aid 


"7 

at  the  capture  of  Burgoyne.  Returning  to  the  main  army,  he 
passed  the  winter  at  Valley  Forge,  where  he  endured  hardships, 
compared  with  which,  his  former  sufferings  were  pleasures.  But 
the  following  summer,  as  he  stated,  he  thoroughly  warmed  himself 
at  Monmouth.  Water  not  being  attainable,  his  soldiers  stove  in  a 
hogshead  of  brandy,  and  madly  assuaged  their  overpowering  thirst, 
without  more  effect  arising  therefrom,  than  if  it  had  been  so  much 
water. 

In  1779  he  was  appointed  to  the  command  of  a  company  of  Light 
Infantry,  under  Major  William  Hull ;  and  on  the  15th  July,  as 
senior  Captain  of  the  Infantry,  he  headed  the  assault  at  the  storm- 
ing of  Stoney  Point.  General  Wayne,  to  prevent  the  possibility  of 
early  discovery,  ordered  the  muskets  to  be  unloaded,  and  the  flints 
withdrawn.  Advancing  thus  in  solid  columns  to  the  assault,  they 
suddenly  displayed  [deployed  ?]  to  the  right  and  left,  sprang  boldly 
to  the  walls,  under  a  murderous  fire  of  grape  and  musketry  from  the 
now  aroused  Britons,  and  gained  the  ramparts  with  the  exulting 
shout  of  "  Hurrah !  the  fort  is  ours  ! "  We  have  the  authority  of 
the  late  General  Hull,  to  state,  that  the  first  man  who  gained  the 
rampart  and  raised  the  cry  of  victory,  was  our  enthusiastic  Captain. 
In  the  act  of  parrying  a  thrust  from  a  British  officer,  Captain  Child 
received  a  slight  wound  in  the  hand,  which  was  the  only  injury 
he  received  through  all  his  campaigns. 

Soon  after  this,  domestic  affairs  imperiously  calling  for  his  pres- 
ence, he  bade  a  final  adieu  to  the  army.  His  wife,  meanwhile,  had 
nobly  proved  herself  the  virtuous  and  patriotic  matron.  She  had 
almost,  through  her  own  exertions,  (her  husband's  pay  being  almost 
nominal,)  clothed  and  maintained  her  children  comfortably  —  had 
educated  them  as  well  as  the  times  admitted,  (several  of  them  in 
after  years  taught  our  country  schools,)  and  indeed,  to  the  time  of 
her  death,  in  183 1,  proved  herself  worthy  of  those  times  of  closest 
trial.  After  residing  several  years  in  Wendall,  he  removed  in  1795, 
to  Groton,  Mass.  In  1818  he  applied  for,  and  received,  the  half- 
pay  pension.  During  the  remainder  of  his  eventful  life,  beloved 
and  respected,  he  calmly  pursued  his  course,  retaining  all  his  facul- 
ties and  strength  to  the  last,  and  finally  expired  — 

"  Like  one  who  wraps  the  drapery  of  his  couch 
"  About  him,  and  lies  down  to  pleasant  dreams." 


A   SINGULAR   PETITION. 

The  following  paper  is  found  among  the  manuscripts  of 
the  Massachusetts  Historical  Society:  — 

COLONEL   READ  — 
Sir 

Wbereas  we  your  unworthy  Petitioners,  having  Sometime  since 
made  choice  of  a  Number  of  Persons  for  officers  in  this  2-  Company 
in  your  Hon"  Rigem^nt ;  and  having  Since,  been  more  fully  ac- 
quainted with  Said  Persons  conduct,  &  capacities  for  Such  offices  ; 
we  beg  Leave  to  Inform  your  Honf  that  it  is  our  oppinion,  that 
Some  of  Said  men  who  have  been  unadvisedly  chosen  by  this  com- 
pany, are  men  of  Such  Low,  and  week  capacities,  that  they  are 
neither  capable  of  doing  Service  to  your  Honour,  or  of  diseplining 
of  us,  (their  Soldiers,)  Neither  of  advancing  the  Noble  cause  of 
Liberty,  (in  which  we  voluntarily  &  chearfully  engage  ;)  we  there- 
fore humbly  confess,  we  have  chosen  men  to  Stand  in  offices,  in 
your  Hon'?  Regiment,  which  (upon  further  consideration)  we  think, 
are  not  Suitable  Persons  for  Such  offices  :  —  Therefore,  may  it  Please 
your  Honnour,  to  grant  this  company  the  liberty  of  a  New  choice 
of  officers  in  this  company :  (viz)  the  North-end  company  of  Gro- 
ton)  — For  in  So  doing  your  Hon'  will  much  Gratifie  us  your  un- 
worthy Petitioners  of  S"?  Company  ;  and  Shall  have  our  best  endeav- 
ours to  Promote  &  advance  your  Honour  ;  and  the  Noble  Cause  of 
Liberty  in  which  we  chearfully  Engage  — 

Jacob  Parker  Jacob  Williams 

Nathaniel  Shattuck  Levi  Parker 

John  Hazen  Dauid  Woods 

William  Farwell  William  Derumple 

Benj*  Hazen  Jonathan  Woods 

Dauid  Hazen  Reuben  Cumings 

Ezekiel  Nutting  Samuel  Boyden 

EzEKiEL  Nutting  Ju^  Bejamin  Simson 
Asa  Porter 

Groten  may  y=  p.'  1776 


19 


ABSENTEES. 


Notice  is  hereby  given,  that  on  Monday  the  27th  day  of  March 
next,  at  i  o'clock  afternoonj  will  be  leased  at  public  auction,  by  the 
committee  of  safety,  &c.  for  the  town  of  Groton,  to  the  highest 
bidder,  for  one  year,  from  the  ist  day  of  April  next,  all  the  real 

estate  of  Mn Martin,  an  absentee,  lying  in  the  said  town  of 

Groton  jthe  vendu  tobe  at  the  dwelling  house  on  the  premises. 

Groton,  Feb.  23d,  1780. 

"  The  Boston  Gazette,  and  the  Country  Journal,"  February  28,  1780. 

This  farm  is  advertised  again  in  the  same  newspaper  of 
February  26,  1781,  to  be  leased  for  one  year ;  and  Martin's 
Christian  name  is  given  as  William. 

Charles  Ward  Apthorp,  of  New  York,  was  another  absen- 
tee, who  owned  real  estate  in  Groton,  which  is  advertised  in 
the  same  journal  of  December  24,  178 1.  It  is  described  as 
"A  messuage  and  tract  of  land  situate  in  Groton,  in  said 
[Middlesex]  County,  containing  about  one  hundred  and  seven 
acres,  with  the  houses,  barns,  and  buildings  thereon,  being 
bounded  southwesterly  on  Samuel  Farw'elFs  land,  northerly 
on  land  of  Matthias  Farnsworth,  easterly' on  Little  Pond, 
southerly  by  Common  Land." 


AN   EXCEPTION. 

The  record  of  Groton  men  who  enlisted  during  the  Revo- 
lution was  highly  creditable  to  the  town,  and  there  is  no  rea- 
son why  the  exceptions  should  be  kept  back.  Her  soldiers 
served  throughout  the  war  with  honor  and  distinction  ;  and 
the  following  item  from  "  The  Independent  Chronicle,  and 
the  Universal  Advertiser"  (Boston),  May  22,  1777,  does  not 
materially  affect  their  good  name  and  reputation :  — 

At  a  General  Court  Martial,  held  in  this  Town  last  Week,  by 
Order  of  General  Heath,  Lieut.  Col.  Thomas  Farrington,  of  Groton, 


20 

State  of  Massachusetts,  being  found  guilty  of  receiving  and  passing 
counterfeit  Money,  knowing  it  to  be  such,  was  unanimously  ad- 
judged to  be  discharged  from  the  Army,  and  rendered  incapable 
of  acting  any  more  as  an  Officer  in  the  Continental  Service.  He 
was  committed  to  Goal  on  Monday  last,  to  be  dealt  with  by  the 
Civil  Law,  according  to  his  atrocious  Crime. 

Farrington,  I  fear,  was  a  man  of  bad  reputation  ;  and  the 
following  declaration,  found  in  "  The  Boston-Gazette,  and 
Country  Journal,"  July  7,  1777,  does  not  add  to  his  character: 

Boston,  July  5,  1777. 

I  THOMAS  FARRINGTON,  of  Groton,  in  the  County  of  Mid- 
dlesex, and  State  of  the  Massachusetts-Bay,  in  New- England, 
Esquire,  of  lawful  age,  testify  and  declare.  That  whereas  it  hath 
been  publicly,  and  by  many  persons  reported,  that  William  Smith, 
of  Fish-Kills,  in  the  State  of  New- York,  Esquire,  lately  employed 
in  the  Continental  service  As  an  engineer,  hath  been  concerned, 
either  in  counterfeiting,  altering,  or  passing  bills  in  imitation  of 
bills  of  the  Continental  currency,  and  that  I  know  him  to  be,  in 
some  way  or  other,  concerned  as  aforesaid.  I  hereby  publish  to 
the  world,  that  I  never  ^knew  the  said  William  Smith  concerned 
either  in  counterfeiting,  altering,  or  passing  any  such  bills,  or  any 
other,  but  such  as  he  might  lawfully  pass  to  any  person  whatsoever  ; 
and  that  I  never  had  any  reason  to  think  that  he  hath  been  con- 
cerned in  any  such  mal-practices,  either  directly  or  indirectly  :  And 
I  further  declare,  that  I  cannot  account  for  the  forementioned  report, 
concerning  said  Smith's  being  any  way  concerned  with  counterfeit 
money  than  this,  viz.  I  was  once  in  company  with  said  Smith  at  a 
public  house  in  Medford,  in  the  County  of  Middlesex  aforesaid,  and 
when  the  said  Smith  there  opened  his  pocket-book  to  pay  his  reck- 
oning, I  thought  I  saw  one  or  more  bills  therein  of  the  Continental 
currency,  which  at  the  distance  I  stood  from  him  appeared  to  me 
to  have  a  pale  complexion,  which  made  me  suspect  them  to  be 
counterfeits  ;  but  I  have  no  reason  to  think  that  the  said  Smith 
knew  them  to  be  so,  or  that  the  said  Smith  was  ever  concerned 
either  directly  or  indirectly,  in  counterfeiting,  altering  or  passing 
any  bill  or  bills  in  imitation  of  any  bill  or  bills  of  public  credit 
whatsoever,  as  before  by  me  declared, 

THO.   FARRINGTON. 


21 

Mass.  State,  Suffolk  County,  \  '  I  "Homas  Farrington  personally 
Boston,  July  5,  1777.  !      L       appeared,  and  made  oath  to 

the  truth  of  the  within  written  declaration  by  him  subscribed  : 
Taken  at  the  request  of  the  within-named  William  Smith,  Esq ; 
in  perpetuam  rei  meroriam  [memoriam  ?]. 

r~     ,         Sam.  Pemberton,  >  Justices  of  the  Peace 
Cor  m.  '  y  •" 

Joseph  Gardner,  j   and  of  the  Quorum. 


THE    PRESBYTERIAN    CONTROVERSY    IN 
GROTON. 

An  attempt  was  made  more  than  a  century  ago  to  form  a 
second  religious  society  in  Groton.  A  considerable  number 
of  persons  who  had  become  dissatisfied  with  Dr.  Chaplin's 
preaching  wished  to  establish  a  society  of  the  Presbyterian 
denomination.  The  movement  naturally  met  with  a  good 
deal  of  opposition  on  the  part  of  the  First  Parish,  but  in 
due  time  the  seceders  were  incorporated  by  the  General 
Court  as  a  distinct  society.  In  the  Act  of  incorporation 
fifty-eight  persons  are  mentioned  by  name,  who  probably 
represented  nearly  as  many  families,  from  which  fact  it  may 
be  inferred  that  they  constituted  no  mere  faction  of  the  First 
Parish,  but  were  highly  respectable  in  numbers. 

A  few  years  ago  Mr.  Jeremiah  Colburn,  of  Boston,  kindly 
gave  me  some  papers  connected  with  this  controversy,  which 
have  since  been  placed  in  the  library  of  the  Massachusetts 
Historical  Society.  Among  them  is  a  fragment  of  a  petition 
addressed  to  the  "Rev?  Nat"  Whittaker  D.D.  Pastor  of  a 
Church  in  Salem  and  Moderator  of  the  Salem  Presbytery. 
To  be  communicated,"  and  ending  in  these  words :  — 

We  therefore  humbly  request  the  candid  attention  of  the  Pres- 
bitery,  of  which  you  are  Moderator,  to  our  circumstances;  that  we 
may  be  received,  (if  we  have  done  nothing  to  bar  our  admission) 


22 

under  their  Care  and  be  directed  in  the  ways  of  Peace,  and  har- 
mony and  enabled;  henceforward  to  walk,  not  only  in  the  faith,  but 
in  the  Order  of  the  gospel  ;  till  we  shall' happily  arrive  to  that 
blessed  place  where  all  will  live  and  all  love  thro'  the  Influence  of 
the  Spirit  of  that  dread  being  who  is  the  God  of  Order  and  not  of 
Confusion  and  the  Merit  of  that  divine  person  who  is  the  Prince 
of  peace  and  head  over  all  things  to  the  Church,  and  your  Peti- 
tioners as  in  duty  bound  shall  ever  pray. 

JosiAH  Sartell  (and  others.) 

Mr.  Butler,  in  his  History  (page  187),  gives  the  copy  of  a 
paper,  dated  Salem,  September  11,  1783,  which  is  without 
doubt  the  answer  to  this  petition. 

Another  document  among  these  manuscripts  is  an  attested 
extract  from  the  minutes  of  the  Presbytery.  The  resolution 
and  vote,  given  in  the  History  of  Groton  (pages  190,  191), 
were  passed  without  doubt  in  consequence  of  the  action  taken 
by  that  body.     The  following  is  a  copy :  ■ — 

The  Presbytery  Commonly  Called  the  Salem  Presbytery  being 
met  at  the  Presbyterian  Meeting  house  in  Groton  June  9*  1784 
Took  into  Consideration  the  request  of  a  Society  in  Groton  accord- 
ing to  appointment  at  a  former  Meeting,  and  upon  a  review  of  the 
Minutes  made  at  said  former  meeting  find  that  there  is  an  Error 
inadvertently  made  in  S''  Minute  as  it  may  import  that  the  Presby- 
tery Recieved  Said  Society  under  their  Care  and  Patronage  When 
the  Whole  Society  was  Confessed  under  the  Censure  of  the  C- 
in  Groton  at  the  time  of  there  being  recived  by  the  Presbytery. 
Whereas  the  fact  was  that  Three  only  of  S*?  Society  were  at  that 
time  under  the  Censure  of  Said  C'^i,  and  now  the  Presbytery  after 
Mature  Consideration  of  the  Circumstances  and  Situation  of  S"" 
Society  Do  adjudge  them  a  regular  Presbyterian  Society,  Confirm 
them  as  part  of  this  Body  and  Recommend  them  as  Such  to  all 
our  Presbyterian  Brethren  with  Whom  they  may  in  the  Course  of 
Providence  have  Concern. 

And  with  Regard  to  the  Three  members  who  were  under  Cen- 
sure of  the  S'3  C-i!  in  Groton  The  Presbytery  Considered  their  Case 
and  the  Said  C"-i  altho  Desird  thereto  by  Letter  to  them  addressed 
from  the  Presbytery  haueing  declined  to  give  the  Presbytery  any 
light  respecting  the  Ground  of  their  Censure  and  the  Presbytery 


23 

not  being  able  to  Discover  any  Ground  Pretended  for  the  Same  Ex- 
cept their  having  Used  their  Christian  Liberty  in  joining  Said  Society 
Do  Judge  that  the  Said  Censured  Members  ought  to  be  Consid- 
ered by  Said  Society  as  in  Good  Standing  in  the  Church  of  Christ 
and  Treated  by  them  and  all  other  Christian  Professors  accordingly. 

And  ,as  the  Said  Society  will  have  a  right  to  Admit  members 
of  their  Communion  in  future  according  to  the  rules  of  the  Gospel 
We  recommend  to  them  to  Cultivate  a  harmony  with  our  Congre- 
gational Brethren  to  be  Cautious  of  Recieving  any  unless  to  occa- 
sional Commuinion  Who  are  not  of  the  Presbyterian  Perswasion  and 
Espacially  to  reject  all  Whose  moral  Charactor  is  Such  as  to  bring 
Discredit  on  Religion  in  General  or  to  the  Presbyterian  Interest  in 
Particular. 

order  that  the  Rev-  M'  Chaplin  be  Served  with  a  Copy  of  this 
Minute  as  Soon  as  may  be. 

Extracted  from  the  Minutes 

a  true  Copy  Test  Jn?  Strickland,  Pres".  Clk 

Groton  June  25">  1784 

The  following  is  a  copy  of  the  enactment  previously  al- 
luded to :  — 

An  Act  for  incorporating  a  Number  of  the  Inhabitants  of  the 
Town  of  Groton,  in  the  County  of  Middlesex,  of  the  Presbyterian 
Denomination,  into  a  separate  Parish. 

Whereas  a  number  of  the  inhabitants  of  the  town  of  Groton, 
have  petitioned  this  Court  to  be  incorporated,  for  the  reasons  expressed 
in  their  petition,  and  it  appearing  to  this  Court  reasonable  that  the 
prayer  be  granted  : 

Be  it  therefore  enacted  by  the  Senate,  and  House  of  Representatives 
in  General  Court  assembled,  and  by  the  authority  of  the  same.  That 
jFoseph  Sheple,  yason  Williams,  Daniel  Williams,  Lemuel  Blood, 
Moses  Child,  Amasa  Gillson,  David  Hazen,  Ezekiel  Nutting,  jun. 
Solomon  Gillson,  Thomas  Gragg,  Levi  Lakin,  David  Lakin,  fob 
Shattuck,  jun.  Isaac  Lakin,  Isaac  Lakin,  jun.  Ezekiel  Nutting,  Ben- 
jamin Lawrence,  Andrew  Dodge,  Samuel  Gragg,  Caleb  A.  Willard, 
Oliver  Fletcher,  John  Nutting,  Amos  Woods,  Levi  Barker,  Silas 
Blood,  Oliver  Patch,  jfohn  Lawrence,  yohn  Gragg,  Jonathan  Pratt, 
Oliver  Lakin,  Benjamin  Hazen,  Nehemiah  Gillson,  John  Hazen, 
Nathaniel  Green,  Jonas  Green,  John  Woods,  Jacob  Lakin  Parker, 


24 

Oliver  Fletcher,  jun.  Jacob  Gragg,  James  Sheple,  Wilder  Sheple,  John 
Trowbridge,  Isaac  Lawrence,  Elisha  Hoit,  Thomas  Trowbridge,  John 
Johnson,  Simeon  Williams,  Ezra  Farnsworth,  Royal  Blood,  James 
Woods,  Ebenezer  Stacy,  Sadoc  Fletcher,  Jonathan  Sheple,  Nathaniel 
Sartell,  Thomas  Nutting,  Oliver  Lakin,  jun.  Salmon  Lawrence  and 
Benjamin  Parker  petitioners,  and  inhabitants  of  the  said  town  of 
Groton,  together  with  their  polls  and  estates,  be,  and  hereby  are 
incorporated  into  a  seperate  parish,  or  society,  by  the  name  of  the 
presbyterian  parish  or  society,  in  the  said  town  of  Groton,  with  all 
the  priviledges,  powers  and  immunities  which  other  parishes  in  this 
Commonwealth,  are  intitled  to  by  law  ;  they  the  said  parish  or 
society  making  provision  for,  and  maintaining  the  public  worship  of 
God,  in  the  said  parish  or  society,  according  to  the  presbyterian 
rules  and  discipline. 

And  be  it  fjurther  enacted  by  the  authority  aforesaid.  That  when 
any  person  or  persons  in  either  parish  of  the  said  town  of  Groton, 
shall  be  inclined  to  join  with  his  or  their  families,  to  the  other 
parish  in  said  town,  he  or  they  shall  have  full  liberty  so  to  do : 
Provided  he  or  they  signify  the  same. in  writing,  lodged  with  the 
Town  Clerk,  three  months  before  he  or  they,  and  their  estates, 
shall  be  considered  as  belonging  to  such  parish  as  aforesaid. 

And  be  it  further  enacted  by  the  authority  aforesaid.  That  the 
members  of  each  respective  parish,  and  their  families,  shall  be 
deemed  and  considered  as  continuing  members  of  their  respective 
parishes,  until  they  shall  signify  their  determination  to  the  contrary 
in  manner  as  above  expressed. 

And  be  it  further  enacted  by  the  authority  aforesaid.  That  Israel 
Hobart,  Esq.  be,  and  hereby  is  authorized  to  issue  his  warrant 
directed  to  some  principal  member  of  the  said  presbyterian  parish 
or  society,  requiring  him  to  warn  the  members  of  the  said  parish  or 
society,  qualified  to  vote  in  parish  affairs,  to  assemble  at  some 
suitable  time  and  place  in  the  said  town,  to  choose  such  officers  as 
parishes  are  by  law  required  to  choose  in  the  month  of  March  or 
April,  annually,  and  to  transact  all  matters  and  things  necessary  to 
be  done  in  the  said  parish. 

[This  act  passed  November  19,  1788.] 

In  the  earlier  days  of  the  Presbyterian  Society,  the  Rev- 
erend Samuel  Dana,  who  had  previously  been  settled  over 
the  First  Parish,  was   the  minister   for   a  year  and  a  half. 


25 

After  he  gave  up  the  charge,  the  Society  does  not  appear  to 
have  had  any  regular  preacher.  During  its  existence  the 
treasurers  were  Captain  Joseph  Sheple,  Oliver  Fletcher, 
Samuel  Gragg,  and  Jacob  Lakin  Parker.  As  late  as  April 
27,  1799,  a  committee  was  appointed  to  audit  the  accounts  of 
the  last-named  treasurer,  and  probably  soon  afterward  the 
parish  dissolved.  Their  place  of  worship  was  situated  at  the 
fork  of  the  roads,  opposite  to  the  entrance  of  the  Cemetery. 


PRESIDENT    DWIGHT'S    DESCRIPTION    OF 
GRDTON. 

In  the  autumn  of  1797  President  Timothy  Dwight  of  Yale 
College  made  a  journey  to  the  White  Mountains,  which  at 
that  time  was  a  considerable  undertaking.  Some  years  later 
an  account  of  the  trip  was  published  in  his  "  Travels  in  New- 
England  and  New- York"  (London,  1823),  a  work  of  four  vol- 
umes. On  his  return  from  the  White  Mountains  he  passed 
through  Groton,  and  the  following  is  his  account  of  the 
town  :  — 

After  dinner,  we  rode  through  a  part  of  Dunstable  (Mass.),  and 
arrived  at  Groton  in  the  beginning  of  the  evening  [October  12]. 

Dunstable  is  a  small  town,  near  the  noi»th-west  corner  of  Mid- 
dlesex County,  which  contained,  in  1790,  59  houses,  and  380  in- 
habitants ;  in  1800,  75  houses,  and  485  inhabitants;  and,  in  1810, 
475  inhabitants.  The  surface  here  began  to  swell,  and  to  be  cov- 
ered with  oak,  walnut,  and  chestnut.  A  better  husbandry  soon 
appeared,  exhibiting  proofs  of  thrift  and  prosperity.  These  appear- 
ances increased  till  we  arrived  at  Groton,  where  we  found  again  the 
good  land,  and  the  substantial  farming  character,  so  remarkable  in 
the  county  of  Worcester. 

Groton,  in  the  early  periods  of  its  settlement,  experienced  its 
share  of  Indian  depredations.  It  was  incorporated  in  1655.  In 
1676,  a  body  of  savages  entered  it  on  the  2d  of  March,  plundered 
several  houses,  and  carried  off  a  number  of  cattle.     On  the  9th 

4 


26 

they  ambushed  four  men,  who  were  driving  their  carts,  killed  one, 
and  took  a  second;  but,  while  they  were  disputing  about  the  manner 
of  putting  him  to  death,  he  escaped.  On  the  13th  about  four  hun- 
dred of  these  people  assaulted  Groton  again.  The  inhabitants, 
alarmed  by  the  recent  destruction  of  Lancaster,  had  retreated  into 
five  garrisoned  houses.  Four  of  these  were  within  musket  shot  of 
each  other.  The  fifth  stood  at  a  distance  of  a  mile.  Between  the 
four  neighbouring  ones  were  gathered  all  the  cattle  belonging  to  the 
inhabitants. 

In  the  morning  two  of  the  Indians  showed  themselves  behind  a 
hill,  near  one  of  the  four  garrisons,  with  an  intention  to  decoy  the 
inhabitants  out  of  their  fortifications.  The  alarm  was  immediately 
given.  A  considerable  part  of  the  men  in  this  garrison,  and  several 
from  the  next,  imprudently  went  out  to  surprise  them  ;  when  a 
large  body,  who  had  been  lying  in  ambush  for  this  purpose,  arose 
instantaneously,  and  fired  upon  them.  The  English  fled.  An- 
other party  of  the  Indians,  at  the  same  time,  came  upon  the  rear  of 
the  nearest  garrison,  thus  deprived  of  its  defence,  and  began  to 
pull  down  the  palisades.  The  flying  English  retreated  to  the  next 
garrison ;  and  the  women  and  children,  forsaken  as  they  were, 
escaped,  under  the  protection  of  Providence,  to  the  same  place  of 
safety.  The  ungarrisoned  houses  in  the  town  were  then  set  on  fire 
by  the  savages. 

In  a  similar  manner  they  attempted  to  surprise  the  solitary  gar- 
rison ;  one  of  their  people  being  employed  to  decoy  the  English  out 
of  it  into  an  ambush  in  the  neighbourhood.  The  watch,  however, 
discovering  the  ambush,  gave  the  alarm,  and  prevented  the  mis- 
chief intended.  The  next  day  the  Indians  withdrew,  having  burnt 
about  forty  dwelling  houses,  and  the  church,  together  with  barns 
and  out-houses.  John  Monoco,  their  leader,  during  the  preceding 
day,  with  the  same  spirit,  which  is  exhibited  with  so  much  vanity 
and  haughtiness  in  the  proclamations  of  General  Burgoyne,  the 
Duke  of  Brunswick  when  entering  France,  and  General  Le  Clerc 
when  attacking  St.  Domingo,  insulted  the  inhabitants  of  Groton  with 
his  former  exploits  in  burning  Lancaster  and  Medfield  ;  threatened 
that  he  would  burn  Groton,  Chelmsford,  Concord,  and  Boston  ; 
and  declared,  amid  many  taunts  and  blasphemies,  that  he  could  do 
whatever  he  pleased.  His  threatening  against  Groton  he  executed  ; 
but,  instead  of  burning  the  other  towns,  he  was  taken  a  prisoner 
a  few  months  afterwards,  led  through  the  streets  of  Boston  with  a 


27 

halter  about  his  neck,  and  hanged.  His  three  compeers  in  haughti- 
ness met  with  a  fate,  differing  in  form  from  his ;  but,  by  the  inglo- 
rious and  miserable  end  of  their  efforts,  are  exhibited  to  mankind 
as  solemn  monitions  of  the  madness,  as  well  as  impiety,  of  arrogat- 
ing to  a  human  arm  that  disposal  of  events,  which  belongs  only  to 
God.  One  would  think,  that  Sennacherib  and  Rabshakeh  had  long 
since  taught  this  lesson  effectually.  For  Monoco  ignorance  may  be 
pleaded ;  for  the  Christian  boasters  there  is  no  excuse. 

As  we  arrived  at  Groton  in  the  evening,  and  left  it  early  in  the 
morning,  and  as  our  road  passed  by  the  body  of  the  town  at  some 
distance  on  the  right,  we  had  no  opportunity  of  observing  it  par- 
ticularly. As  we  saw  it,  it  appeared  to  be  a  very  pretty  village, 
pleasantly  situated  on  an  easy  slope,  and  containing  a  considerable 
number  of  good  houses,  a  church,  and  an  academy.  The  country 
around  it  was  apparently  fertile.  In  1790,  the  number  of  inhabit- 
ants was  1,840  ;  in  1800,  1,802  ;  and,  in  1810,  1,886.  The  number 
of  houses,  in  1800,  was  230.  It  includes  two  congregations ;  one 
of  them  a  Presbyterian  proper.     (II.  237-239.) 

President  Dwight  left  Groton  on  the  morning  of  October 
13,  and  journeyed  through  Shirley,  Lancaster,  Sterling,  and 
Princeton  to  Rutland  in  Worcester  County,  where  he  passed 
the  night ;  and  he  writes  that  he  "  found  much  less  agreeable 
fare  in  our  inn,  than  we  had  met  with  at  Groton  the  preceding 
evening."  While  in  this  town  he  probably  tarried  at  Richard- 
son's tavern,!  g^  noted  public  house  of  that  day,  situated  where 
the  Baptist  Meeting-house  now  stands,  and  on  leaving  the 
village  he  passed  along  Pleasant  Street  and  Farmers'  Row ; 
and  this  would  agree  with  his  description  of  the  road  that  it 
went  to  the  right  of  "  the  body  of  the  town."  A  brief  ac- 
count of  the  Presbyterian  congregation,  alluded  to  in  President 
Dwight's  last  paragraph,  is  given  in  the  present  Number  of 
this  Series  (pages  21-25). 

1  See  No.  VIII.  of  this  Historical  Series  (pages  5,  6),  for  an  account  of  the 
tavern. 


28 


MEMORANDA   BY   JOSEPH    FARWELL. 

The  following  memoranda  are  taken  from  a  note-book  kept 
by  Joseph  Farwell,  of  Groton,  and  now  in  the  possession  of 
one  of  his  descendants,  Deacon  Joseph  Farwell,  of  Hyde  Park, 
Massachusetts.  They  have  previously  been  copied  by  me 
and  printed  in  "  The  New  England  Historical  and  Genealogical 
Register"  (XXXV.  275,  276),  for  July,  1881.  The  first  entries 
were  made  in  the  year  1710,  and  relate  to  work  done  by 
Farwell.  On  the  fly-leaf  is  written,  "Joseph  ffarwell  his  book 
if  I  it  luse  and  you  it  find  giue  it  me  for  it  is  mine."  The 
next  leaf  contains  "An  acompt  of  y^  Berth  of  Joseph  farwells 
Childeren,"  as  follows  :  — 

Joseph  farwell  Born  August :  5  :  1696 
Thomas  farwell  Born  October  :  11  :  1698 
Hannah  farwell  Born  May  :  6:   1701 
Elisabeth  farwell  Born  December  :  31  :  1704 
Edward  farwell  Born  July  :  12  :  1706 
Mary  farwell  Born  Feb'^  :  1  :  1 709 
John  farwell  Born  June  :  23:  17 11 

Sarah  farwell  born  ieh'^  the  26""  and  died  July  the  4*  172 1 
Joseph  Farwell  the  son  of  Joseph  and  Hannah  Farwell  was  born 
the  :  24 :  5 ;   1670 

Near  the  middle  of  the  book  the  following  record  is  found, 
in  another  handwriting :  — 

The  Birth  of  the  Children  of  Joseph  Farwell  and  Mary  Farwell 
who  wear  Married  Dece"'  y'=  24:   1719. 

Anna  Farwell  Born  February  y''  19*  1721 
Isaac  Farwell  Born  March  y'  6*  1723 
Joseph  Farwell  Born  September  y'=  20*  1725 
Jonathan  Farwell  Born  May  y''  15*  1730 
Thomas  Farwell  Born  July  y"  31*  1733 
Olive  Farwell  Born  June  y"  24"'  1735 
Mary  Farwell  Born  September  y'  4""  1738 
Susannah  Farwell  Born  August  y"  8*  1742 


29 

Jon'  Farwell  Departed  Life  Nou'"  y"  29  1761  being  30  years  & 
14  Days  old 

Isaac  Farwell  son  of  Joseph  and  Mary  Farwell  Dep""  May  y°  18* 
1740  Being  17  year  two  months  and  12  Days  old 

Joseph  Farwell  Juner  son  of  Jo^  &  Mary  Dep'  August,  y"  27. 
1758  being  32  years  11  months  and  7  Days  old 

The  following  notes  are  found  on  different  leaves,  scattered 
throughout  the  book,  as  they  were  left  blank  by  the  original 
writer :  — 

Joseph  Farwell  his  Book     1745 

March  y"  10*  1745  Our  men  went  out  of  Groton  for  Cap  Prtoon 
and  the  City  was  taken  y"  18  day  of  June  1745 

August  y°  4*  1745  We  Began  to  sing  the  psalms  in  the  meeting 
house  by  Course  [subsequently  the  following  was  written  underneath'\ 
and  sang  them  throw  August  y°  30""  1752  and  began  and  sung  the 
first  psalm  the  first  Sabbath  in  September  1752  \_and  in  another 
place"]  And  sung  the  Last  psalm  the  Last  Sabbath  in  March  1760 
and  began  and  sang  the  first  psalm  y°  first  Sabbath  in  April  1760 

May  10*  1749     pece  was  proclam*"  in  Boston  in  New  England 

Groton  June  y'=  29  1750  I  was  c[h]ose  in'°  the  office  of  a  deacon 
in  the  first  Church  in  Groton  a  for  said'  and  on  the  first  Sabath 
July  1750  waited  on  that  Duty 

in  Groton  January  the  22,  1750-1  their  was  a  grate  storm  of  Rain 
and  wind  to  that  Degree  that  it  Blew  down  4  Barns  and  one  house 
and  Rent  a  Grate  Number  of  Barns  and  other  Buldings  to  that 
Degree  that  the  oldest  person  Now  Living  Cant  Rember  the  Like 

May  the  22''  1754  we  Began  to  Rais  our  New  meeting  House 
and  finished  it  on  Satterday  the  25* 

May  y*^  30"^  ^754  Our  Solders  went  out  of  Groton  to  Boston  in 
order  forts  Cumber  Land 

August  y°  18  1754  vpon  the  Lords  Day  mrs  Sarah  Dicxinson. 
was  taken  into  our  Church  the  first  person  that  was  taken  into  the 
Church  in  the  New  meeting  House 

November  y'  15  1754  the  first  Sacrement  of  the  Lords  supper 
was  Administred  in  the  New  meeting  House 

November  :  y"  18"'  1755.  their  was  a  tearable  Earth  quake  about 
20  minets  after  4  in  the  morning. 

on  Munday  the  26  of  July  1756  my  house  was  burnt  down  and  the 
most  of  my  house  hold  s[t]uff  burnt  up  [subsequently  the  following 


30 

was  written]  and  on  Wedensday  the  24  of  Nouember  we  mov"*  into 
the  New  house 

May  y=  24  1758  Cap'  thomas  Lawrance  went  out  of  groton  in 
order  for  Canada  and  was  slain  in  battle  the  20.  Day  of  July  1758 

August.  y=  10  1763  peace  was  proclaimed  in  Boston  with  the 
French. 

March  -f  28.  1766  Zachariah  Longley  was  chosen  a  Deacon  in 
y°  first  Church  in  Groton. 

December  y=  30.  1773  Isaac  Farnsworth  and  Ben=  Bancroft  wear 
chosen  Deacons  in  the  Church  of  Groton. 

Apriel  y"  19*  1775,  the  Reggulars  Came  to  Concord  &  kil"*  two 
men  &  our  men  followed  them  to  Charlstown  &  kil"  and  wounded 
and  took  Captive  Betwen  three  &  400 


THE   FIRST   OPERATION   UNDER   ETHER. 

A  LTFE  of  Dr.  Wm.  T.  G.  Morton,  of  Boston,  the  discoverer 
of  the  anaesthetic  properties  of  sulphuric  ether,  was  published 
at  New  York  in  the  year  1859.-  I*  was  written  by  Dr.  Nathan 
Payson  Rice,  and  is  entitled  "  Trials  of  a  Public  Benefactor,  as 
illustrated  in  the  Discovery  of  Etherization."  In  this  book  is 
given  an  account  of  the  first  operation  ever  performed  on  a 
patient,  while  under  the  influence  of  ether,  which  was  the 
extraction  of  a  tooth.  The  subject  was  Ebenezer  Hopkins 
Frost,  a  native  of  Groton  now  dead,  who  is  still  remembered 
by  many  persons.  He  was  a  son  of  Solomon  and  Dorcas 
(Hopkins)  Frost,  and  born  on  December  7, 1824.  He  became 
quite  noted  as  a  singer  and  teacher  of  music,  and  was  a 
member  of  the  Handel  and  Haydn  Society  in  Boston. 

Dr.  Morton  tried  first  on  himself  the  experiment  of  inhaling 
ether,  and  after  describing  the  effect  it  produced,  he  goes  on 
to  say :  — 

Delighted  with  the  success  of  this  experiment,  I  immediately 
announced  the  result  to  the  persons  employed  in  my  establishment, 
and  waited  impatiently  for  some  one  upon  whom  I  could  make  a 


31 

fuller  trial.  Toward  evening,  a  man,  residing  in  Boston,  came  in, 
suffering  great  pain,  and  wishing  to  have  a  tooth  extracted.  He 
was  afraid  of  the  operation,  and  asked  if  he  could  be  mesmerized. 
I  told  him  I  had  something  better,  and  saturating  my  handkerchief, 
gave  it  to  him  to  inhale.  He  became  unconscious  almost  im- 
mediately. It  was  dark,  and  Dr.  Hayden  held  the  lamp,  while  I 
extracted  a  firmly-rooted  bicuspid  tooth.  There  was  not  much  altera- 
tion in  the  pulse,  and  no  relaxation  of  the  muscles.  He  recovered 
in  a  minute,  and  knew  nothing  of  what  had  been  done  to  him.  He 
remained  for  some  time  talking  about  the  experiment.  This  was 
on  the  30th  of  September,  1846.  This  I  consider  to  be  the  first 
demonstration  of  this  new  fact  in  science.  I  have  heard  of  no  one 
who  can  prove  an  earlier  demonstration.  If  any  one  can  do  so, 
I  yield  to  him  the  point  of  priority  of  time  (pages  62,  63). 

Immediately  after  the  operation  Frost  gave  a  certificate 
corroborating  these  statements,  which  is  printed  in  the  book, 
and  signed  by  him  as  then  living  at  No.  42  Prince  Street, 
Boston.  Nearly  twenty  years  afterward  he  died  at  Fitchburg, 
on  September  7,  1865. 


A   JANUARY   THAW. 

Since  our  last  we  have  receiv'd  further  Accounts  of  the  Damges 
sustain'd  in  the  last  Storm, 

Particularly  from  Westerly  in  Rhode  Island  Colony,  we  hear  a 
house  was  blown  down,  and  one  Man  kill'd  ;  and  from  Lancaster, 
that  a  Barn  there  was  blown  down,  and  a  Horse  and  six  Sheep 
kill'd. 

Also  from  Groton  in  the  County  of  Middlesex,  that  on  [Wednes- 
day] the  1 6th  Instant,  there  was  a  very  great  Flood,  such  as  not 
been  known  for  several  Years  past,  and  that  many  Hundred  Pounds 
Damage  has  been  done  thereby  to  the  Bridges,  &c.  it  took  the 
Bridge  which  stood  a  cross  Lancaster-River,  so  called,  intirely  off  ; 
which  is  the  fourth  Bridge  the  Town  of  Groton  has  built  in  about 
28  Years  last  past. 

"  The  Boston  Weekly  News-Letter,"  January  31,  1751. 


32 

It  is  highly  probable  that  it  was  during  this  freshet  that 
the  "  neck  "  on  the  Nashua  River  was  broken  through.  See 
No.  V.  of  this  Historical  Series  (page  20),  for  an  account  of 
the  disaster ;  and  see  also  page  29  of  the  present  Number 
for  a'  contemporary  reference  to  the  storm,  where  the  date  is 
given  as  January  22,  but  this  perhaps  was  the  time  of  entry  in 
the  note-book.  The  island  made  by  the  cutting  contains  not 
far  from  twenty  acres  of  land  ;  and  it  is  now  owned  by  Colo- 
nel Daniel  Needham,  who  bought  it,  on  August  10,  1885,  of 
John  MeKeen  Gilson,  who  in  his  turn  bought  it,  on  June  i, 
1855,  of  the  late  Miss  Elizabeth  Farnsworth,  who  had  in- 
herited it  from  her  father,  Major  Amos  Farnsworth. 


THE    NEW    TESTAMENT    IN    A    BALE    OF 
COTTON. 

I  HAVE  lately  seen  a  copy  of  the  New  Testament  that  was 
published  at  Groton  in  the  year  1846,  by  Alpheus  Richardson. 
It  was  found,  during  the  summer  of  i860,  in  a  bale  of  cotton 
at  the  Penacook  Mills  in  Fisherville  (now  Penacook),  New 
Hampshire.  The  question  naturally  arises.  How  did  the  book 
get  there  ?  Slavery  then  prevailed  at  the  South  where  the 
cotton  was  grown ;  and  perhaps  some  poor  negro  left  it  in 
his  basket, — but  this  is  all  conjecture.  The  little  volume 
now  belongs  to  Miss  Lilian  Lawrence  Richardson,  of  Jamaica 
Plain,  a  daughter  of  the  late  William  Henry  Richardson,  who 
was  a  son  of  the  publisher.  The  following  is  a  copy  of  the 
titlepage  :    the   |  NEW  TESTAMENT  |  OF    OUR  |   lord    and 

SAVIOUR  I  JESUS  CHRIST,  I  TRANSLATED  OUT  OF  |  SC^© 
©KJffilBai  ©S(EeE;  I  AND  WITH  I  THE  FORMER  TRANSLA- 
TIONS DILIGENTLY  |  COMPARED  AND  REVISED.  ||  Stereotyped  by 
Luther  Roby,   Concord,  N.  H.  \  GROTON,   MS.      published 

BY  A.  RICHARDSON.       1846.       l6m0,  pp.  254. 

A  letter  from  Fisherville  on  the  fourth  page  of  the  "  Boston 
Daily  Journal,"  September  3,  i860,  mentions  the  finding  of 
this  stray  volume. 


GROTON    HISTORICAL   SERIES. 
No.  XV. 


THE   GEOGRAPHY   OF   GROTON. 

A   LIST  OF  THE  TOWN-CLERKS   OF   GROTON. 

STATION-MASTERS. 


GROTON,    MASS. 
1886. 


GROTON,   MASSACHUSETTS,    1886. 
Historical  Series,  No.  XV. 


THE   GEOGRAPHY  OF   GROTON. 

[The  following  paper  was  prepared  for  the  use  of  the  members  of 
The  Appalachian  Mountain  Club,  on  their  visit  to  Groton,  Saturday, 
September  18,  1886.] 

RIVERS. 

In  early  times,  before  the  original  Plantation  had  been  cut 
up  in  order  to  form  other  towns,  the  Nashua  River  flowed 
through  the  township  of  Groton  for  a  distance  of  ten  miles 
or  more,  and  nearly  bisected  its  territory  ;  while  to-day  its 
course  within  the  town's  limits  is  hardly  more  than  three 
miles.  This  river  is  formed  by  the  union  of  two  branches, 
known  respectively  as  the  North  Branch  and  the  South 
Branch,  which  come  together  at  Lancaster.  The  former  has 
its  source  in  Ashburnham,  near  the  foot  of  the  Watatuck 
Mountain,  and  in  Westminster,  and  passes  through  Fitchburg 
and  Leominster  ;  while  the  latter  rises,  in  the  neighborhood 
of  the  Wachusett  Mountain,  at  Princeton,  and  among  the  hills 
of  Rutland  and  Holden,  and  passes  through  West  Boylston 
and  Clinton.  Both  these  branches  for  a  considerable  distance 
above  their  confluence  are  known  also  as  the  Nashua.  The 
stream  at  Groton  is  about  one  hundred  feet  above  tide-water. 

At  a  very  early  period  the  Nashua  River  was  sometimes 
called  the  Penacook,  and  at  other  times  the  Groton  River. 
In  Thomas  Noyes's  survey  of  the  grant  of  Major  Simon 
Willard's  farm  in  the  autumn  of  1659,  the  land  is  described 
as  "  lying  and  being  for  the  most  part  on  the  east  side  of 


Groaten  Riuer."  And,  again,  at  the  session  beginning  on 
September  6,  1676,  the  approval  of  the  General  Court  was 
given  to  Jonathan  Danforth's  survey  of  lands  laid  out  to 
William  Hauthorne,  "  lying  in  the  wilderness  ;  on  the  North 
of  Groaten  Riuer  at  a  place  called  by  the  Indians  Wistequas- 
suck,"  now  within  the  limits  of  Townsend.  At  a  later  period  it 
was  more  frequently  referred  to  as  the  Lancaster  River  ;  and 
it  is  likely  that  the  stream  bore  different  names  at  different 
places  along  its  course  even  at  the  same  time.  In  the  record 
of  "  The  lands  of  Mr.  Samuell  Willard,  which  is  layd  out  to 
him  in  the  towne  of  Grotten,"  on  September  29, 1680,  reference 
is  made  to  the  Nashawag  River,  —  another  form  of  spelling. 

The  Squannacook  River  forms  the  divisional  line  with 
Shirley  for  perhaps  four  miles,  which  is  the  whole  distance  of 
contact  with  that  town.  This  stream  rises  in  Ashby  and 
flows  through  Townsend  and  by  West  Groton,  emptying  into 
the  Nashua.  The  name  is  found  in  the  Proprietors'  records 
as  early  as  the  spring  of  1684. 

PONDS. 

Baddacook  Pond  —  lies  about  two  miles  from  the  village 
near  the  Lowell  road.  It  covers  an  area  of  103  acres,  and  is 
the  largest  pond  in  the  town.  It  is  mentioned  in  the  record 
of  James  Parker's  land  under  the  date  of  July  6,  1666. 

Outlet :  Baddacook  Brook,  which  flows  into  Cow  Pond. 

Cady  Pond  —  a  small  and  deep  pond,  covering  perhaps  two 
acres,  lying  less  than  a  mile  from  the  village  in  a  southeasterly 
direction,  near  the  Boston  road.  It  was  named  after  Nicolas 
Cady,  one  of  the  early  settlers,  who  owned  land  in  the 
neighborhood.  This  pond  and  Flat  Pond,  both  very  small, 
are  the  only  ones  in  the  town  whose  waters  ultimately  reach 
the  Nashua  River. 

Outlet  :  a  small  unnamed  brook  running  southwesterly 
into  James's  Brook. 

Cow  Pond  —  sometimes  called  Whitney's  Pond,  in  the 
easterly  part  of  the  town,  covering  an  area  of  71  acres.     Cow 


Pond  Meadow  is  mentioned  in  the  record  of  Ralph  Reed's 
land  before  the  year  1664. 

Outlet:  Cow  Pond  Brook,  which  flows  into  Massapoag  Pond. 

Duck  Pond  —  near  the  Ridges,  east  of  Knop's  Pond,  and 
separated  from  it  by  a  ridge  only  —  lies  perhaps  half  a  mile 
south  of  Cow  Pond.     It  covers  55  acres,  and  has  no  outlet. 

Flat  Pond  —  a  small  sheet  of  water  near  the  Throne,  in 
the  west  part  of  the  town. 

Outlet :  a  small  unnamed  brook  into  the  Squannacook  River. 

Forge  Pond  —  in  Westford,  covering  an  area  of  143  acres. 
In  very  early  times  it  was  called  Stony  Brook  Pond. 

Outlet :  Stony  Brook,  which  empties  into  the  Merrimack 
River  at  North  Chelmsford. 

Half-Moon  Pond  —  a  small  pond  in  the  upper  part  of  the 
meadow,  which  lies  south  of  the  Hillside  Road. 

Knop's  Pond  —  near  the  Ridges,  west  of  Duck  Pond,  and 
is  of  the  same  size  as  that  pond,  covering  55  acres.  So  called 
from  James  Knapp,  or  Knop,  an  early  settler  who  owned  land 
in  the  neighborhood. 

Outlet :  a  brook  into  Cow  Pond. 

Long  Pond  —  lies  on  the  southern  border  of  the  town, 
partly  in  Groton,  but  mostly  in  Ayer,  covering  45  acres. 
Outlet  :  a  brook  into  Sandy  Pond. 

Martin's  Pond  —  near  the  foot  of  Gibbet  Hill,  on  its 
northerly  side  —  covers  i6f  acres  ;  it  was  named  after  William 
Martin,  an  early  settler.  In  the  record  of  James  Parker's 
land,  on  July  6,  1666,  "  the  pond  called  Goodman  Martin's 
Pond  "  is  mentioned.  The  following  Article,  found  in  the  war- 
rant for  the  town-meeting  held  on  September  17,  1792,  seems 
to  show  that  the  outlet  of  the  pond  was  formerly  through  Hog 
Swamp  and  Half-Moon  Meadow  into  James's  Brook,  though 
there  is  now  no  other  evidence  to  confirm  this  view. 


Art.  8.  To  see  if  the  Town  will  order  the  water  running  from 
Martin's  Pond  to  be  turned  into  the  old  Channel  as  it  formerly 
used  to  run,  through  the  Town,  and  appoint  some  proper  person  or 
persons  to  remove  the  obstructions  and  Effect  the  Business. 

In  the  proceedings  of  the  meeting,  it  is  recorded  that 
this  Article  was  "  Past  in  the  Negative."  A  measurement  of 
the  pond  was  lately  made,  when  frozen  over,  which  proves  it 
to  be  much  smaller  than  it  was  a  half  century  ago. 

Outlet :  Martin's  Pond  Brook  into  the  outlet  of  Knop's 
Pond,  half  way  between  that  pond  and  Cow  Pond. 

Massapoag  Pond  —  on  the  eastern  border  of  the  town,  but 
lies  mostly  in  Dunstable  and  Tyngsborough,  covering  an 
area  of  56  acres.  It  is  now  used  as  a  storage  basin  of  water 
by  the  Vale  Mills  Manufacturing  Company  of  Nashua,  New 
Hampshire,  and  in  dry  seasons  it  is  drawn  upon  for  a  supply. 

Outlet :  Salmon  Brook,  which  empties  into  the  Merrimack 
River  at  Nashua. 

Sandy  Pond  —  lying  wholly  in  Ayer,  and  covering  80 
acres.  A  large  quantity  of  ice  is  taken  from  its  surface  in 
the  winter,  the  ice-houses  on  its  borders  being  connected 
with  the  Fitchburg  Railroad  by  a  branch  road. 

Outlet:  Sandy  Pond  Brook,  which  flows  into  Nonacoicus 
Brook. 

Springy  Pond  —  a  small  sheet  of  water  connected  with 
Knop's  Pond  by  a  brook. 

Wattle's  Pond  —  three  miles  north  of  the  village,  on  the 
road  to  East  Pepperell,  with  no  outlet.  The  origin  of  the 
name  is  unknown. 

In  this  list  of  ponds  I  have  included  two  or  three  which 
now  lie  wholly  in  other  towns,  inasmuch  as  they  are  fre- 
quently mentioned  in  the  Groton  records.  The  area  of  the 
ponds,  with  the  exception  of  Martin's  Pond,  is  taken  from  the 


5 

Fourth  Annual  Report  of  the  State  Board  of  Health  of  Massa- 
chusetts (January,  1873),  as  given  on  pages  124  and  125. 

A  story  is  told  relative  to  Massapoag  Pond,  based  on  tradi- 
tion, which  probably  has  no  real  foundation.  It  is  said 
that  — 

Its  outlet  was  on  the  easterly  side,  and  as  it  was  the  reservoir 
into  which  Cowpond  brook  poured  its  waters,  a  considerable  mill- 
stream  issued  from  it.     The  waters  passed  without  any  rapids  for  a 
considerable  distance,  affording  no  favorable  site  for  a  mill.     The 
north  end  of  the  pond  was  bounded  by  a  ridge  of  loose  sand,  rising 
but  little  above  the  surface  of  the  water,  and  being  about  six  rods 
only  in  width  ;   on  the  opposite  side  of  which  was  a  descent  of  about 
forty  feet.     Here  then,  was  an  eligible  spot  for  an  overshot  mill. 
At  a  town  meeting  held  May  21,  1688,  a  grant  was  made  to  Sam- 
uel Adams  of  a  small  pond  near  Buck  meadow,  and  leave  given 
to  drain  it  by  a  brook  running  into  "  Tyng's  cove."     At  the  same 
meeting,  for  the  encouragement  of  any  who  would  set  up  iron-works 
at  Massapoag,  a  grant  was  offered  of  the  wood  on  the  easterly  side 
of  Unquetenassett  brook.     It  is  said  that  Adams,  who  is  supposed 
to  have  accepted  the  grant,  erected  a  grist-mill  at  the  site  above- 
mentioned,  conducting  the  water  across  the  sand-bank  to  the  flume 
of  his  mill.     At  the  time  of  a  flood  about  the  year  1700,  (the  pre- 
cise time  is  not  known,)  a  breach  was  made  across  the  sand-bank, 
and  it  being  very  loose  and  moveable,  the  whole  bank  was  soon  torn 
down  by  the  water  to  the  depth  of  more  than  thirty  feet :  and  con- 
sequently a  sheet  of  water  of  that  depth,  where  the  pond  was  so 
deep,  and  where  of  less  depth  the  whole  water  upon  the  surface, 
flowed  suddenly  off   (all  in  one  night,)  with  irresistible  violence. 
The  mill  of  course  was  demolished,  and  the  stones,  though  dili- 
gently sought  for,  and  even  the  skill  of  the  famous  Moll  Pitcher,  of 
Lynn,  employed  in  the  search,  have  never  yet  been  found.     The 
bottom  of  the  pond  being  uneven,  fish  in  abundance  were  left  in  the 
cavities,  which  were  easily  taken,  and  the  inhabitants  of  the  neigh- 
boring towns,  as  well  as  of  Groton,  came  and  carried  off  loads  of 
them.     Where  the  water  formerly  issued  from  the  pond,  a  small 
brook  now  runs  in,  and  the  outlet  is,  at  the  place  of  disruption, 
called  the  "gulf."     The  water  finds  its  way  into  the  old  channel, 
two  or  three  miles  from  the  pond,  in  a  north-westerly  direction  from 
Dunstable  meeting-house. 

[Butler's  History  of  Groton,  pages  246,  247.] 


The  name  of  Buck  Meadow,  which  has  been  in  use  for 
more  than  two  centuries,  is  firmly  established,  and  the  site 
well  known.  The  meadow  lies  near  Lovewell's  Pond,  for- 
merly within  the  limits  of  Groton,  but  now  in  Nashua;  and 
Adams's  mill  stood  undoubtedly  at  the  outlet  of  this  pond, 
where  there  is  a  small  water-power.  This  theory  would  tally 
with  the  town-records ;  and  furthermore  a  tradition  is  still 
extant  that  there  was  once  a  mill  in  the  neighborhood.  Love- 
well's  Pond  is  much  smaller  than  Massapoag,  and  at  that  time 
probably  had  no  designation.  It  was  named  after  Captain 
John  Lovewell,  who  was  killed  by  the  Indians  on  May  8,  1725. 
The  following  is  the  entry  in  the  records  :  — 

May:  21.  1688  The  inhabitants  of  Groton  Granted  to  Samull 
Adams  y"  pond  that  lyes  neare  buck  medow  which  hath  its  outlet 
into  the  medow  known  by  y"  name  of  Tyngs  Couee  and  the 
swampy  land  adioyeng  ther  to  prouided  y°  sd  land  do  not  exceed 
fifteen  accers  ; 

atest ;  Josiah  Parker  Clarke 
and  sd  adams  hath  liberty  to  drean  the  s"*  pond  at  y"  small  brook 
that  unes  in  to  Tyng's  Coue  prouided  sd  Adames  macks  good  all 
daraeges  that  shall  be  don  ther  by 

f 

There  are  now  three  small  brooks  running  into  Massapoag 
Pond  on  the  easterly  side,  and  their  fall  is  too  great  for  any 
one  of  them  ever  to  have  been  the  old  outlet  of  the  pond. 
Furthermore,  it  would  have  been  impossible  by  any  of  these 
brooks  to  drain  the  pond  (which  even  at  the  present  time  cov- 
ers 56  acres)  without  causing  too  great  damage  for  Adams  to 
make  good.  There  is  no  indication  along  their  banks  that 
they  have  been  much  larger  streams  than  they  are  to-day. 
While  the  formation  of  the  banks  at  the  mouth  of  the  pond, 
or  the  "gulf,"  so  called,  is  peculiar,  there  are  no  signs  that  the 
water-line  was  ever  any  higher  than  it  is  at  the  present  time. 
None  of  the  local  antiquaries  are  able  to  identify  Tyng's 
Cove,  which  is  a  name  undoubtedly  derived  from  Jonathan 
Tyng,  one  of  the  earliest  settlers  of  Dunstable. 

At  the  same  town-meeting,  held  on  May  21,  1688,  the 
inhabitants  of  Groton  — 


Deed  then  by  the  maior  uoat  grant  for  the  incoregment  of  such 
men  as  will  set  up  loran  works  at  masabog  pond  ;  that  thay  shall 
haue  y"  ues  &  improument  of  the  woods  and  timbr  y'  is  now  com- 
mon one  the  est  sid  of  uncuttanaset  brook  and  so  to  nashua  riuer 
and  groton  line  est  ward  &  south  ward  to  good  man  greens' 
masabog  medow.  .  .  . 

I  give  this  extract  from  the  town-records  in  order  to  show 
that  the  inhabitants  at  that  period  knew  the  pond  by  its 
present  name  ;  and  if  they  had  seen  fit  then  to  grant  Adams 
any  special  privilege  connected  with  it,  they  would  have  called 
it  "  Massapoag,"  and  would  not  have  said  "y°  pond  that  lyes 
neare  buck  medow." 


HILLS. 

Barralock  Hill  —  is  mentioned  in  the  record  of  Samuel 
Woods's  lands ;  but  I  am  unable  to  identify  it.  Perhaps  it  is 
the  hill  due  north  of  Baddacook  Pond. 

Brown  Loaf  Hill  —  commonly  called  Brown  Loaf —  is 
a  handsome,  symmetrical  hill  standing  alone,  more  than  a  mile 
from  the  village,  near  the  Lowell  road.  Brown  Loaf  Hill 
Meadow  is  mentioned  in  the  description  of  Joseph  Parker's 
lands,  December  2,  1664,  which  would  imply  that  the  hill  was 
so  named  before  that  time.  Brown  Loaf  Hill  is  also  men- 
tioned in  the  record  of  James  Parker's  lands  made  on  July  6, 
1666;  and  Brownloafe  Playne  and  Brownloaf  Hill  are  given 
in  the  record  of  James  Fisk's  lands  in  John  Morse's  hand- 
writing, of  which  the  date  is  absent,  but  which  was  certainly 
made  at  a  very  early  period. 

Chestnut  Hills  —  the  range  lying  northerly  of  Martin's 
Pond ;  so  called  from  the  abundant  growth  of  chestnut-trees 
on  its  sides. 

Clay- Pit  Hill  —  the  small  hill  at  the  corner  of  the  East 
Pepperell  road  and  Break  Neck. 


Gibbet  Hill  —  a  noted  landmark,  overlooking  the  village 
on  its  easterly  side.  It  is  mentioned  in  the  land-grant  of 
Sergeant  James  Parker,  which  was  entered  in  the  town- 
records  by  Richard  Sawtell,  the  first  town-clerk  who  filled 
the  office,  from  June,  1662,  to  January,  1664-65.  The  tradi- 
tion is  that  the  hill  was  so  called  from  the  fact  that  once  an 
Indian  was  gibbeted  on  its  top.  If  this  ever  occurred,  it  must 
have  happened  before  Sawtell's  term  of  office.  The  town 
was  incorporated  by  the  General  Court  on  May  25,  1655.  but 
no  public  records  are  known  to  have  been  kept  before  June 
23,  1662. 

Horse  Hill  —  in  the  eastern  part  of  the  town,  nearMassa- 
poag  Pond.  It  lies  partly  in  Dunstable,  and  is  covered  with 
woods. 

Indian  Hill,  or  Hills — the  range  beginning  near  James's 
Brook,  a  mile  south  of  the  village,  and  running  in  an  easterly 
direction  on  the  south  side  of  the  Great  Road  to  Boston. 

Naumox  —  a  low  hill  or  ridge  a  short  distance  west  of  the 
road  to  East  Pepperell,  near  the  Longley  monument,  and  run- 
ning parallel  with  the  road.  The  name  is  also  used  in  con- 
nection with  the  neighborhood. 

Prospect  Hill  —  very  near  Cady  Pond,  and  east  of  it; 
perhaps  250  feet  or  more  above  the  Nashua,  and  said  to  be 
the  highest  elevation  in  the  town. 

Ridge  Hill,  or  The  Ridges  —  the  name  of  a  peculiar 
ridge,  three  miles  southeasterly  from  the  village,  along  which 
the  Great  Road  runs.  It  also  gave  the  name  to  a  tavern  for- 
merly kept  in  the  immediate  neighborhood. 

Rocky  Hill— there  are  two  hills  of  this  name,  one  lying 
northeasterly  of  Baddacook  Pond,  near  the  old  District  School- 
house  No.  VIII.  (now  the  Trowbridge  School),  which  is  also 
known  as  the  Rocky  Hill  School ;  and  the  other  situated  in 
he  southeast  part  of  the  town,  between  Long  Pond  and  the 


Ridges.     A  visit    to  either  of  these   hills   will  show  why  it 
was  so  called. 

Sand  Hill  —  a  small  elevation  on  the  road  to  East  Pep- 
perell,  below  the  Longley  monument,  near  the  place  where 
the  Nashua  road  branches  off. 

Shepley  Hill  —  lies  west  of  the  East  Pepperell  road,  near 
Naumox.  The  name  is  rarely  heard  now,  though  it  was  in 
use  as  far  back  as  February  28,  1670,  —  evidently  so  called 
from  the  Shepley  family. 

Snake  Hill  —  in  the  south  part  of  the  town,  but  lies 
mostly  in  Ayer.  Rattlesnakes  have  been  killed  on  it  within 
the  memory  of  the  present  generation. 

The  Throne  —  a  high  hill  in  the  western  part  of  the  town, 
—  on  the  summit  of  which  is  a  level  field  of  perhaps  sixty 
acres,  containing  a  small  pond,  —  near  the  Townsend  line. 
A  map  of  Groton  resembles  a  tea-kettle,  the  portion  west  of 
the  Nashua  River  forming  the  spout ;  and  the  Throne  comes 
in  the  spout. 

MEADOWS. 

The  early  settlers  of  Groton,  according  to  the  town-records, 
had  many  parcels  of  meadow  allotted  to  them  in  the  assign- 
ment of  land.  Sergeant  James  Parker  owned  in  twenty  differ- 
ent meadows,  and  the  other  settlers  also  were  large  owners. 
It  is  probable  that  they  did  not  attach  the  same  signification 
to  the  word  "  meadow  "  which  now  belongs  to  it  in  New  Eng- 
land, where  it  means  low,  swampy  land,  without  regard  to  the 
mowing.  They  called  by  this  name  all  grass-land  that  was 
annually  mown  for  hay,  and  especially  that  by  the  side  of 
a  river  or  brook ;  and  this  meaning  of  the  word  was  and  still  is 
the  common  one  in  England,  whence  they  brought  their  lan- 
guage. They  sometimes  spoke  of  a  "  swamp,"  meaning  by  it 
what  we  call  a  "  bog ; "  but  much  of  this  kind  of  land  has  since 
been  reclaimed,  and  is  known  with  us  as  "  meadow."  As  a  mat- 


10 

ter  of  fact  it  happened  that  the  lands  which  could  be  mown 
for  the  fodder  were  low  lands,  and  it  would  require  perhaps 
less  than  a  generation  to  transfer  the  meaning  of  mowing 
lands  to  the  low  lands,  which  were  nearly  the  only  ones  that 
could  be  mown  in  the  early  days  of  the  Colony.  This  expla- 
nation will  make  clear  the  following  vote  of  the  town,  passed 
on  February  i8,  1 680-81 :  — 

At  the  same  meeting  it  was  agreed  vpon  and  voted  that  M'  Hub- 
berd  should  haue  all  the  comon  which  was  capable  to  mak  medow 
in  swan  pond  medow  vp  to  the  vpland  for  seauen  acre  and  a  halfe 
for  to  mak  vp  his  fifteen  acres  of  medow 

The  following  names  of  meadows  are  found  in  the  town- 
records,  and  in  a  few  instances  I  have  indicated  their  locality : 

Accident ;  Angle,  in  the  northerly  part  of  the  town ;  Big 
Spring,  in  the  neighborhood  of  Hawtree  Brook  ;  Broad,  imme- 
diately west  of  the  village ;  Brook  ;  Brown  Loaf,  east  of  the 
hill ;  Buck,  now  lying  within  the  limits  of  Nashua,  New 
Hampshire  ;  Burnt,  in  the  vicinity  of  Baddacook  Pond  ;  Cow 
Pond,  near  the  pond  of  that  name  ;  East ;  Ferney,  near  Brown 
Loaf  ;  Flaggy,  to  the  southward  of  the  Baddacook  road,  near 
the  pond  ;  Flax ;  Great  Flaggy,  presumably  near  Flaggy,  and 
perhaps  the  same ;  Great  Half-Moon,  the  same  as  Half-Moon, 
which  lies  east  of  the  village  ;  Little  Buck,  probably  a  part 
of  Buck  Meadow ;  Little  Half-Moon,  a  part  of  Half-Moon, 
being  an  offshoot  from  it ;  Lodge  ;  Long ;  Maple ;  Massapoag, 
evidently  near  Massapoag  Pond  ;  New  Angle  ;  Pine  ;  Plain  ; 
Pretty  ;  Providence  ;  Quasoponagon,  "  on  the  other  sid  of  the 
riuer,"  near  the  Red  Bridge,  through  which  Wrangling  Brook 
runs ;  Reedy,  known  by  this  name  to-day,  lying  north  of  the 
Reedy  Meadow  Road  ;  Rock,  south  of  Snake  Hill ;  Sallo,  per- 
haps Sallow,  a  kind  of  willow ;  Sedge ;  Skull,  through  which 
Unquetenassett  Brook  runs,  near  the  Dunstable  line  ;  Sledge, 
north  of  Reedy  Meadow,  near  the  Sledges  ;  South ;  South 
Brook  ;  Spang ;  Spot ;  Spring ;  Spruce ;  Swamp ;  Swan  Pond  ; 
and  Weavers. 

In  the  record  of  Daniel  Pearse's  land,  by  William  Longley, 
town-clerk,  on  July  6,  1666,  reference  is  made  to  "the  iland 


II 

lying  within  the  meadow  called  Litle  Halfe  Moone  Meadow." 
This  land  now  belongs  to  Governor  Boutwell ;  and  I  am  in- 
formed by  his  son,  Francis  M.  Boutwell,  Esq.,  that  there  is 
upon  it  a  small  elevation,  which  is  always  spoken  of  as  the 
island, —  undoubtedly  a  survival  of  the  expression  applied  to 
it  when  more  or  less  surrounded  by  water. 

BROOKS. 

Cold  Spring  Brook  —  a  small  brook,  rising  in  Cold  Spring 
"  on  y°  Left  hand  of  the  high  way  that  goe  to  Reedy  medow." 
It  runs  across  the  Nashua  road,  the  East  Pepperell  road, 
through  Hazen  Swamp  and  Libby  Lobby  Moat,  into  the 
Nashua  River. 

Cow  Pond  Brook  —  has  its  source  in  Cow  Pond  Meadows 
and  Cow  Pond,  and  empties  into  Massapoag  Pond.  Formerly 
there  was  a  dam  between  the  meadows  and  the  pond,  where 
there  was  a  saw-mill ;  and  later  on  the  same  site  a  paper-mill, 
which  disappeared  about  thirty-five  years  ago. 

James's  Brook  —  one  of  the  longest  brooks  within  the 
limits  of  the  town.  It  takes  its  rise  in  Half-Moon  Meadow, 
crosses  Main  Street  in  the  village,  and  runs  southerly  and 
westerly  for  three  or  four  miles  into  the  Nashua  River.  At 
its  mouth  is  the  beginning  of  the  line  separating  the  town  of 
Ayer  from  Groton.  Formerly  there  was  a  tannery  on  the 
banks  of  the  brook,  near  Indian  Hill,  known  as  Dix's  tan- 
nery ;  and  a  mile  below,  on  land  of  the  late  Benjamin  Moors, 
east  of  the  road,  at  one  time  there  was  a  mill,  —  but  now 
no  traces  of  either  are  left.  The  stream  took  its  name  from 
Captain  James  Parker,  one  of  the  early  settlers.  It  empties 
into  the  Nashua  River,  nearly  opposite  to  the  mouth  of  the 
Squannacook. 

Hawtree  Brook  —  in  the  northerly  part  of  the  town,  near 
Chicopee  Row;  after  it  unites  with  Walnut  Run  and  two 
or  three  other  small  streams,  it  forms  Unquetenassett  Brook. 


12 


In  the  early  records  of  the  town  the  Hawtrees  are  frequently 
spoken  of,  which  refer  to  the  neighborhood  of  this  brook. 

NoNACOicus  Brook  —  frequently  contracted  into  Coicus  — 
was  formerly  a  noted  stream  in  Groton ;  but  now  no  part  of  it 
comes  within  the  limits  of  the  town.  It  has  its  source  in  Har- 
vard, and  runs  northerly  and  then  westerly,  passing  through 
the  village  of  Ayer,  and  emptying  into  the  Nashua.  It  receives 
as  a  tributary,  Sandy  Pond  Brook.  On  this  stream  John 
Prescott,  about  the  year  1667,  built  his  mill  for  grinding  and 
sawing,  of  which  the  site  was  originally  in  Groton,  but  is  now 
in  Harvard.    The  neighborhood  is  still  called  the  Old  Mill. 

Reedy  Meadow  Brook  —  rises  in  Reedy  Meadow  and 
flows  northerly,  emptying  into  the  Nashua  River  below  East 
Pepperell.     It  is  sometimes  called  Johnson's  Brook. 

Sandy  Pond  Brook  —  wholly  in  Ayer,  the  outlet  of  Sandy 
Pond,  flowing  into  Nonacoicus  Brook. 

Sedge  Brook  —  a  small  brook  from  Sedge  Meadow,  run- 
ning into  Reedy  Meadow  Brook. 

Stony  Brook  —  in  Westford,  the  outlet  of  Forge  Pond. 
It  was  on  this  stream  that  John  Prescott  built  a  mill  about 
the  year  1683.  See  "The  Early  Records  of  Groton"  under 
the  dates  of  June  15,  1680,  June  13,  1681,  and  April  25,  1682  ; 
also  the  agreement  following  the  record  of  the  meeting  held 
on  June  25,  1683. 

Swan  Brook  —  mentioned  in  the  early  records,  but  I  can- 
not identify  it  beyond  a  doubt.  Perhaps  it  was  the  brook 
near  the  divisional  line  between  Groton  and  Westford,  which 
flows  into  Forge  Pond.  See  the  record  of  James  Knop's 
lands,  made  on  January  3,  1669. 

TuiTY  Brook  —  contracted  from  Gratuity  —  a  very  small 
stream  which  rises  near  the  head  of  Farmers'  Row  and  runs 


13 

through   Hazle  Grove  into  the  Nashua  River  below  Fitch's 
Bridge. 

Unquetenassett  Brook  —  often  called  Unkety  —  a  stream 
formed  by  the  union  of  Walnut  Run,  Hawtree  Brook,  and 
one  or  two  small  tributaries,  and  running  northerly  through 
Skull  Meadow  and  that  part  of  Dunstable  formerly  Groton 
into  the  Nashua. 

Waii^nut  Run  —  a  brook  issuing  from  the  sides  of  the 
Chestnut  Hills,  and  uniting  with  Hawtree  Brook  and  one  or 
two  other  streams,  forms  the  Unquetenassett. 

Also  the  name  of  a  place  —  perhaps  it  was  the  mouth  of  a 
stream  —  on  the  Nashua  River  where  in  olden  times  there 
was  a  bridge.  It  stood  farther  up  the  river  than  Fitch's 
Bridge. 

Wrangling  Brook  —  in  West  Groton,  a  mile  and  a  half 
in  length  —  meanders  through  Quasoponagon  Meadow,  and 
then  empties  into  the  Nashua  a  short  distance  below  the  Red 
Bridge. 

ROADS. 

Baddacook  Pond  Road  —  a  continuation  of  the  Martin's 
Pond  Road  to  the  neighborhood  of  the  pond. 

Break  Neck  —  the  short  strip  of  road  from  the  East  Pep- 
perell  road  to  Common  Street,  south  of  the  soapstone  quarry. 

Chicopee  Row,  or  Road  —  running  north  for  three  miles 
from  the  Cemetery.  This  district  is  known  as  Chicopee,  a 
name  given  long  ago. 

Farmers'  Row  —  applied  to  the  road  on  the  height  of  land 
west  of  the  village.  It  begins  at  the  west  end  of  Pleasant 
Street  and  runs  in  a  southerly  direction  for  two  miles,  passing 
by  the  Groton  School. 


14 

Great  Road  —  one  of  the  principal  thoroughfares  between 
Boston  and  parts  of  New  Hampshire  and  Vermont.  The 
section  of  the  road  through  the  village  is  known  as  Main 
Street. 

Hillside  Road  —  the  highway  along  the  southern  slope 
of  the  Indian  Hills. 

Love  Lane  —  the  highway  from  the  Lowell  road,  near  the 
First  Parish  Meeting-house,  to  the  Great  Road  near  Cady 
Pond. 

Martin's  Pond  Road  —  the  highway  from  the  site  of  the 
first  meeting-house  to  the  neighborhood  of  the  pond,  where 
it  becomes  the  Baddacook  Pond  Road. 

Reedy  Meadow  Road  —  from  the  Nashua  road  to  Chico- 
pee  Row,  immediately  south  of  Reedy  Meadow. 

Squash  Path  —  through  the  woods  from  the  East  Pep- 
perell  road  to  the  Nashua  road  —  a  short  distance  beyond 
Cold  Spring  Brook. 

Tuity  Road  —  a  contraction  of  Gratuity  Road  —  the  road 
leading  to  Fitch's  Bridge  from  the  Great  Road  near  the  Rail- 
road Bridge,  half  a  mile  north  of  the  village.  The  name  had 
its  origin  in  the  early  history  of  the  town,  when  grants  of 
land  were  made  to  the  inhabitants  as  gratuities.  Tuity 
Brook,  a  very  small  stream,  crosses  this  road  and  empties 
into  the  Nashua  River,  below  Fitch's  Bridge. 

MI  S  CELLANEOUS. 

Blood's  Fordway  —  near  the  covered  bridge  in  East  Pep- 
perell,  which  is  often  called  Jewett's  Bridge. 

Brickyard  —  on  the  north  side  of  the  Great  Road,  about 
a  mile  from  the  First  Parish  Meeting-house.     It  was  much 


IS 

used  during  the  last  century  ;  and  probably  was  the  place 
where  the  bricks  were  made  for  the  parsonage,  as  mentioned 
in  the  town-records,  June  20,  1706.  Only  a  few  traces  of  it 
are  now  left,  though  a  clump  of  elms  by  the  roadside  is  a 
good  guide  to  the  site. 

Brown  Loaf  Plain  —  to  the  west  of  Brown  Loaf. 

Community  —  the  name  of  a  district  or  neighborhood  be- 
yond the  Groton  School,  where  many  of  the  residents  for- 
merly held  similar  religious  views.  It  had  its  origin  about 
forty  years  ago,  when  the  Second  Adventists,  or  "  Millerites," 
gave  up  their  regular  services  in  the  village. 

Dead  River  —  the  old  course  of  the  Nashua  River,  around 
the  island  which  was  formed  by  the  cutting  through  of  the 
"  neck."  See  No.  V.  of  this  Historical  Series  (page  20),  also 
No.  XIV  (page  31). 

Deep  Soil  —  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  race-course,  in 
Hazle  Grove  ;  so  called  on  the  lucus  a  non  lucendo  principle. 

Fitch's  Bridge  —  over  the  Nashua  River,  a  mile  and  a 
quarter  below  the  Red  Bridge. 

General  Field  —  often  mentioned  in  the  early  town- 
records,  refers  to  land  owned  in  severalty  by  the  proprietors 
of  Groton,  who  kept  it  as  one  field,  for  reasons  not  now  under- 
stood. It  was  upland,  and  lay  in  the  southwest  part  of  the 
town,  near  the  river.  It  appears  to  have  been  allotted  to  the 
proprietors,  according  to  the  number  of  acre-rights  which  each 
one  owned.  Perhaps  it  was  land  already  cleared  when  the 
first  settlers  came. 

The  Gift  ^^  a  parcel  of  land  near  Reedy  Meadow,  not 
accurately  identified. 

The  Hawtrees  —  mentioned  several  times  in  the  early 
records,  and  referring,  doubtless,  to  some  native  shrubs  or 


i6 

trees ;  for  instance,  Zachery  Sawtell  had  meadow-land  "  Neare 
the  hawtrees"  confirmed  to  him  on  November  i8,  1670.  It 
evidently  became  the  name  of  a  limited  district  or  neighbor- 
hood in  the  north  part  of  the  town,  and  from  it  undoubtedly 
Hawtree  Brook  was  named.  Professor  Asa  Gray,  the  dis- 
tinguished botanist,  writes  me  that  there  are  three  or  four 
species  of  wild  hawthorn  in  Massachusetts.  He  says  :  "  One 
of  the  forms  of  the  Black  or  Pear  Thorn  {Cratcsgus  tomentosd) 
would  be  the  likeliest  for  Groton,  or  perhaps  the  Cockspur 
Thorn.  The  former  has  the  more  edible  fruit,  and  would  be 
sure  to  attract  attention." 

Hazen  Swamp  —  near  the  mouth  of  Cold  Spring  Brook. 

Hazle  Grove  —  the  neighborhood  of  the  east  bank  of  the 
Nashua  River  above  Fitch's  Bridge. 

HicKs's  Hole  —  a  small  piece  of  meadow,  lying  north  of 
Reedy  Meadow. 

High  Plain  —  on  the  north  side  of  the  Baddacook  road, 
in  the  neighborhood  of  the  pond.  It  lies  in  the  angle  of  the 
roads,  west  of  the  house  of  John  Johnson,  Jr.,  as  laid  down  on 
the  map  of  Groton,  made  from  a  survey  during  the  years  1828 
and  1829. 

Hog  Swamp  —  lying  between  the  westerly  side  of  Martin's 
Pond  and  Martin's  Pond  Road.  Governor  Boutwell's  private 
way  to  the  Chestnut  Hills  passes  through  it. 

Hoyt's  Wharf  —  the  name  of  a  place  on  Cow  Pond  Brook 
where  one  Hoyt  formerly  kept  his  boat.  It  was  near  the 
house  of  Samuel  Hazen,  —  as  laid  down  on  Mr.  Butler's  map 
of  Groton,  made  from  a  survey  during  the  years  1828  and 
1829,  —  nearly  a  mile  north  of  Cow  Pond. 

The  Island  —  a  small,  though  prominent,  hill  in  the  meadow 
south  of  Hillside  Road ;  undoubtedly  once  surrounded  by 
water. 


17 

Jamaica  —  the  name  of  a  small  patch  of  meadow  behind 
the  hills  on  the  west  side  of  Chicopee  Row. 

LiBBY  Lobby  Moat  —  below  the  Ox  Bow,  opening  into 
the  Nashua  River.  This  word  is  probably  another  form  of 
Loblolly,  in  use  at  the  South,  and  denoting  wet  land. 

Lily  Moat  —  on  the  east  side  of  the  Nashua  and  south  of 
the  road,  near  the  Red  Bridge. 

Madagascar  —  the  name  of  the  district  where  the  paper- 
mill  formerly  stood  on  the  brook,  between  Cow  Pond  and 
Knop's  Pond. 

Nod  —  the  district  lying  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  four 
corners,  below  the  soapstone  quarry.  The  road  from  the 
Hollingsworth  Paper-mills  to  this  place  is  called  the  Nod 
Road. 

Ox  Bow —  the  bend  of  the  Nashua  River,  in  the  northerly 
part  of  the  town,  below  the  Lawrence  pasture. 

Paugus  Hole  —  in  Paugus  Brook,  on  the  west  side  of 
Brown  Loaf,  where,  it  is  said,  the  body  of  Paugus's  descend- 
ant, who  came  to  kill  Chamberlain,  was  sunk,  after  he  himself 
was  killed. 

Pine  Plain  —  probably  near  the  Nashua  River,  and  perhaps 
on  the  westerly  side.  In  December,  1673,  Joseph  Morse  had 
meadow-lands  on  the  Pine  Plain,  "  neare  the  fordway." 

Punch  Bowl  —  one  of  several  natural  depressions  near 
the  Lowell  road,  below  Brown  Loaf.  The  name  is  also  ap- 
plied to  the  neighborhood. 

Red  Bridge  —  over  the  Nashua  River,  on  the  road  to 
West  Groton. 


Sledges  —  the  name  of  a  meadow  northeast  of  Reedy 
Meadow,  mentioned  in  the  early  records,  where  John  Lakin 
owned  land.  Mr.  Butler,  in  his  History  (page  273),  says  that 
"  this  word  seems  to  signify  strips  of  meadow  or  parcels  of 
low  lands  abounding  in  iron  ore."  Bog-iron  is  found  in  that 
quarter  of  the  town,  and  in  old  times  was  worked  by  a  com- 
pany formed  for  that  purpose. 

Sodom  —  the  district  in  the  northeast  part  of  the  town, 
near  the  Townsend  line.  The  name  refers  to  the  quality  of 
the  soil,  and  not  to  the  character  of  the  inhabitants. 

Squannacook  —  an  Indian  word,  the  old  name  of  West 
Groton. 

Stony  Fordway,  or  Wading-Place  —  near  the  site  of  the 
HoUingsworth  Paper-mills,  on  the  Nashua  River,  a  mile  and 
a  half  northwesterly  of  the  village. 

Swill  Bridge  —  was  between  the  homesteads  of  Eber 
Woods,  Jr.,  and  Joel  Davis,  —  as  given  on  Mr.  Butler's  map 
of  Groton,  from  a  survey  made  in  the  years  1828  and  1829, — 
a  short  distance  west  of  the  present  railroad  bridge.  Origi- 
nally it  was  a  causeway,  perhaps  twenty  rods  in  length,  over 
the  southerly  end  of  Broad  Meadow,  though  now  it  is  a  solid 
road. 

Thomas  Tarbell's  Fordway  —  was  between  where  the 
Red  Bridge  now  stands,  and  Fitch's  Bridge,  which  is  a  mile 
and  a  quarter  below. 

Tobacco  Pipe  Plain  —  on  both  sides  of  the  road  from  the 
Ridges  to  Sandy  Pond,  near  Rocky  Hill.  It  is  mentioned  in 
the  "  Bye-Laws  of  Groton  relative  to  Schools  ;  and  Instruc- 
tions of  the  School  Committee,  1805,"  and  in  old  deeds. 


19 


A   LIST   OF   THE   TOWN-CLERKS   OF   GROTON, 

FROM    THE    YEAR    1 662    TO    THE    PRESENT   TIME,   WITH    THE 
DATES   OF  THEIR  ELECTION  AND   TERMS   OF   SERVICE. 


In  this  list  the  years  are  given  according  to  the  new  style 
of  reckoning,  and  in  specifying  dates,  small  fractions  of  years 
are  overlooked.  The  town  was  attacked  by  the  Indians  in 
the  spring  of  1676,  and  abandoned  by  the  inhabitants  until 
March,   1678. 

The  earliest  records  of  the  town  were  written  by  Richard 
Sawtell,  and  begin  on  June  23,  1662,  though  his  election  as 
town-clerk  was  not  recorded  until  December  24,  1662.  During 
the  period  since  that  date,  there  have  been  thirty-four  town- 
clerks,  of  whom  four,  namely,  Jonathan  Morse,  William  Long- 
ley,  Jr.,  James  Blanchard,  and  Samuel  Rockwood,  died  while 
in  office,  —  Longley  being  killed  by  the  Indians,  on  July  27, 
1694.  During  the  early  part  of  1682  Captain  James  Parker, 
Richard  Blood,  and  Jonas  Prescott  made  entries  in  the  records, 
though  no  one  of  them  appears  to  have  been  at  the  time  town- 
clerk.  Jonathan  Morse  was  the  first  who  signed  the  records 
with  his  name,  though  the  practice  with  him  was  not  con- 
stant. William  Longley,  William  Longley,  Jr.,  and  John 
Longley  were  representatives  of  three  successive  generations 
in  the  same  family,  being  father,  son,  and  grandson.  On 
December  g,  1687,  William  Longley,  Jr.,  was  chosen  clerk,  but 
he  acted  as  such  during  only  a  part  of  the  next  town-meeting 
on  May  21,  1688,  when  he  was  followed  by  Josiah  Parker, 
who  made  the  entry  for  so  much  of  that  meeting  as  occurred 
after  his  election.      Mr.  Brigham,  the  present  occupant,  has 


20 


filled  the  position  for  more  than  thirty-one  years  continuously, 
—  by  far  the  longest  term  of  service  of  any  town-clerk.  Joseph 
Lakin,  with  a  record  of  seventeen  years,  comes  next  to  him 
in  length  of  time.  Of  all  the  persons  mentioned  in  the  list, 
only  the  last  three  are  now  living,  namely,  Mr.  Boutwell,  Mr. 
Parker,  and  Mr.  Brigham  ;  and  their  combined  term  of  ser- 
vice covers  just  forty  years.  Since  the  death  of  Mr.  Park, 
which  took  place  on  September  23,  1875,  these  three  have 
been  the  only  survivors.  Mr.  Butler  died  on  October  7,  1854, 
and  Mr.  Boynton  on  November  30,  1854,  —  less  than  eight 
weeks  apart. 


December  24,  1662 
January  27,  1665 
December    2,    1665 

"  II,  1667 

November  11,  1668 

"  10,  1669 

1678 

December  23,  1679 

1682 

December  10,  1686 

9,  1687 

May  21,  1688  .     . 

December  10,  1691 

"  12,  1692 


March  4,  1695  .     . 

"      3i  1696  •     • 
December  10,  1696 
March  8,  1 704  . 

"      5,  1706  . 

"      5>  1723  ■ 

"      7,  1727  . 

"      5,1728. 

"      3>  '73°  • 

"      2,  1731  . 

"  5,  1734  ■ 

"  5,  1745  • 

"  I,  1757 

"  5,  1765  . 

"  3,  1778  • 


Richard  Sawtell 

James  Fisk  . 

William  Longley 

John  Page    .     . 

Richard  Blood  . 

John  Morse 

(Town  abandoned 

James  Parker 

John  Morse 

Jonathan  Morse  (died  July  31,  1686) 


Josiah  Parker 
William  Longley, 
Josiah  Parker  . 
Jonas  Prescott 
William  Longley, 

1694)  .     .     . 
James  Blanchard 
Jonas  Prescott 
James  Blanchard 
Thomas  Tarbell 
Joseph  Lakin  . 
John  Longley  . 
Joseph  Lakin    . 
John  Longley  .     . 
Jonathan  Sheple 
Thomas  Tarbell,  Jr. 
Jonathan  Sheple  . 
Thomas  Tarbell,  Jr. 
Abel  Lawrence 
Oliver  Prescott     . 
Isaac  Farnsworth 


during  two  years 


) 


1678,  1679. 
1680,  1681. 
1 682-1 686. 
1686,  1687. 
Jr.,  1688  (a  short  time  only). 
1688-1691. 
1692. 


Jr.  (killed  July  27 


(died  Feb.,  1704) 


1 662- 1 664. 

1665. 

1666,  1667. 

1668. 

1669. 

1670-1676. 


1693,  1694. 

1695. 

1696. 

1 697- 1 704. 

1704,  1705. 

1 706-1 722. 

1723-1726. 

1727. 

1728,  1729. 

1730. 

1731-1733- 

1734-1744- 

1745-1756. 

1757-1764- 

1765-1777. 

1778-1781. 


21 


March 

5. 

1782 

a 

2, 

1784 

a 

I. 

178s 

11 

I, 

1785 

" 

4, 

1788 

li 

10, 

1788 

(C 

3, 

1795 

a 

s, 

1799 

June 

18, 

1804 

March  5, 

i8n 

(f 

7, 

181S 

t( 

3, 

1818 

ti 

2, 

1819 

a 

3, 

1823 

it 

6, 

1832 

u 

4, 

1834 

« 

6, 

1837 

« 

3, 

1846 

" 

4, 

1851 

It 

5- 

185s 

Abel  Bancroft 1782,  1783. 

Jonathan  Keep 1784. 

Abel  Bancroft  was  chosen,  but  declined. 

Isaac  Farnsworth 1 785-1 787. 

Nathaniel  Sartel  was  chosen,  but  declined. 

Joseph  Shed 1788-1794. 

Samuel  Lawrence 1 795-1798 

Samuel  Rockwood  (died  May  29, 1804)  1799-1804, 

Oliver  Prescott,  Jr 1804-1810 

Joseph  Mansfield 1811-1814. 

Caleb  Butler 1815-1817, 

Joseph  Mansfield 1818. 

Noah  Shattuck 1819-1822, 

Caleb  Butler 1823-1831 

John  Boynton 1832,  1833 

John  Gray  Park 1834- 1836. 

,  John  Boynton 1837-1845 

.  George  Sewall  Boutwell     ....  1846-1850. 

.  John  Warren  Parker 1851-1854, 

.  George  Dexter  Brigham     ....  1855- 


An  Alphabetical  List  of  the  Town- Clerks,  with  the  Dates  of 
their  First  Election  and  their  Terms  of  Service. 


March  5,  1782  .     . 

"      4-  169s  •    • 

November  1 1,  1668 

March  3,  1846  .  . 
"  6,  1832  .  . 
"  5,1855-  • 
"  7,  181S  ■  ■ 
"      3,  1778 .     • 

January  27,  1665  . 

March  2,  1784  .     . 
"      5,  1706  .     . 
"      I,  1757  ■ 
"      3.  1795  ■     • 
"     S,  1723  •    • 

December   2,   1665 
"  9,    1687 

March  5,  181 1  .     . 

November  10,  1669 
1682 


Bancroft,  Abel 1782,  1783. 

Blanchard,  James     ....   1695,  1697-1704. 

Blood,  Richard 1669. 

Boutwell,  George  Sewall 1846-1850. 

Boynton,  John      .     .     .    1832,  i§63,  1837-1845. 
Brigham,  George  Dexter  ....   1855- 
Butler,  Caleb  ....    1815-1817,  1823-1831. 
Farnsworth,  Isaac    .     .    1778-1781,  1785-1787. 

Fisk,  James 1665. 

Keep,  Jonathan 1784. 

Lakin,  Joseph 1706-1722,1727. 

Lawrence,  Abel 1757-1764. 

Lawrence,  Samuel 1 795-1798. 

Longley,  John .     .     .     .    1723-1726,1728,1729. 

Longley,  WilUam 1666,  1667. 

Longley,  William,  Jr.  .  .  .  1688,  1693,  1694. 
Mansfield,  Joseph  ....  1811-1814,  1818. 
Morse,  John  ....  1670-1676,  1680,  1681. 
Morse,  Jonathan 1682-1686. 


22 


December  ii,  1667 
March  4,  1834  .     . 
1678  .     . 
March  4,  1851  .     . 
December  10,  1686 
"  10,  1691 

March  ;,  1765 
June  18,  1804 
March  5,  1799 

"      4,  1788 
December  24,  1662 
March  2,  1819 

"    10,  1788 

"  3,  1730 
•'  8,  1704 
"      2,  1731 


Page,  John       .     .  1668. 

Park,  John  Gray 1834-1836, 

Parker,  James 1678,  1679 

Parker,  John  Warren 1851-1854, 

Parker,  Josiah 1686-1691 

Prescott,  Jonas 1692,  1696, 

Prescott,  Oliver 1 765-1777 

Prescott,  Oliver,  Jr 1804-1810 

Rockwood,  Samuel 1799-1804 

Sartel,  Nathaniel      .     .     .      Dechned  to  serve 
Sawtell,  Richard  .......   1662-1664, 

Shattuck,  Noah 1819-1822, 

Shed,  Joseph 1 788-1 794, 

Sheple,  Jonathan 1730,1734-1744. 

Tarbell,  Thomas 1704,1705 

Tarbell,  Thomas,  Jr.      .     1731-1733,  1745-1756 


STATION-MASTERS. 

The  first  station-master  of  the  Worcester  and  Nashua 
Railroad,  in  the  village  of  Groton,  was  Artemas  Wood,  who 
served  in  that  capacity  from  the  opening  of  the  road  on 
December  18,  1848,,  till  September  i,  1862,  when  he  was  suc- 
ceeded by  John  Warren  Parker,  who  held  the  position  until 
August  16,  1886,  —  a  period  of  nearly  twenty-four  years. 


ERRATA   IN   NO.   XIII.   OF  THIS   SERIES. 

Page  8,  line  17  from  the  bottom,  for  "  9  :  yeares  "  read  "  91 .  yeares." 
Page  46,  line  15  from  the  top,  for  "  Porcine  "  read  "  Parcime." 


GROTON    HISTORICAL   SERIES. 
No.  XVI. 


NEW   CHAPTER    IN    THE    HISTORY    OF    THE 
CONCORD    FIGHT. 

LIST   OF   GROTON    SUBSCRIBERS    TO    IMPORTANT 

BOOKS,   ETC. 

PEPPERELL    FEVER. 

NAOMI   FARWELL,   THE   HERMITESS. 
THE   GILSON   FAMILY. 

THE   TOWN-CLOCK. 

LIFE   IN   THE   WILDERNESS. 
A   STRAY   COW. 


GROTON,    MASS. 
1886. 


GROTON,   MASSACHUSETTS,    1886. 
Historical  Series,  No.  XVI. 


NEW   CHAPTER   IN   THE   HISTORY   OF   THE 
CONCORD    FIGHT: 

GROTON   MINUTE-MEN  AT   THE  NORTH   BRIDGE, 
APRIL  19,  1775. 

[The  following  paper,  by  William  Willder  Wheildon,  Esq.,  of 
Concord,  was  read  at  a  meeting  of  The  Bostonian  Society,  on  April  14, 
1885.     It  is  now,  with  his  permission,  reprinted  in  this  Historical  Series. 

S.  A.  G.] 

It  is  not  very  remarkable,  perhaps,  that  the  centennial 
period  since  the  beginning  of  the  Revolutionary  War  should 
be  the  occasion  of  bringing  to  light  some  new  matter  in  rela- 
tion to  its  early  incidents,  in  regard  to  which  more  or  less 
secrecy  w^as  preserved  and  names  withheld  at  the  time.  It 
seems,  from  evidence  which  has  lately  come  to  the  knowledge 
of  the  writer,  by  a  casually  dropped  remark  concerning  the 
Concord  fight,  that  the  alarm  of  the  movement  of  General 
Gage  to  seize  the  cannon,  stores,  and  ammunition  in  Concord 
was  more  widely  known  in  Middlesex  County  than  heretofore 
supposed.  It  appears,  from  the  testimony  of  Mr.  Artemas 
Wright,  of  Ayer,  who  is  a  grandson  of  Mr.  Nathan  Corey, 
of  Groton,  that  there  were  several  members  of  the  Groton 
company  of  minute-men  at  Concord,  on  the  morning  of  the 
19th  of  April,  who  were  in  the  fight  at  the  North  Bridge,  and 
joined  in  the  pursuit  of  the  British  troops  in  the  retreat  to 
Lexington. 


MR.  WRIGHT'S   STORY. 

Mr.  Wright  says,  his  grandfather  repeatedly  told  him  the 
story,  and  often  talked  of  the  scenes  of  that  day.  A  part  of 
his  narration  was,  that  on  the  day  before  the  Concord  fight, 
April  1 8,  while  he  was  ploughing  in  his  field,  some  distance 
from  the  middle  of  the  town,  he  received  notice  of  a  meeting 
of  the  minute-men,  which,  of  course,  demanded  immediate 
attention.  It  was  in  the  afternoon,  toward  evening,  when  he 
received  the  notification.  He  at  once  unhitched  his  plough, 
drove  his  oxen  home,  took  down  his  gun  and  belt,  told  his 
wife  Molly,  as  he  called  her,  that  he  was  going  away  and  could 
not  tell  when  he  should  come  back,  and  that  she  must  take 
care  of  the  oxen.  He  then  hastened  to  the  middle  of  the 
town  and  joined  his  comrades  who  had  assembled  there. 

The  circumstance  which  had  induced  them  to  call  the  meet- 
ing was  the  arrival  of  some  brass  cannon  from  Concord.  Of 
course  the  presence  of  these  immediately  gave  rise  to  discus- 
sion and  speculation  as  to  the  cause  and  the  reason  of  their 
being  sent  to  Groton  from  Concord.  Various  suggestions 
were  made,  the  most  prominent  of  which  was  a  proposition 
that  the  company  should  proceed  at  once  to  Concord  ;  but 
this,  when  put  to  vote,  was  determined  in  the  negative,  most 
of  the  members  preferring  to  wait  for  further  intelligence. 

This  conclusion,  it  seems,  was  not  entirely  satisfactory  to 
all  the  members  of  the  company,  and  some  of  them  determined 
to  go  at  once  ;  so  that,  as  the  story  is  related  to  the  writer, 
nine  of  them,  with  young  Corey  among  the  number,  started 
for  Concord  the  same  evening.  They  travelled  all  night, 
carrying  lighted  pine  torches  a  part  of  the  way,  and  reached 
Concord  at  an  early  hour  in  the  morning,  entering  one  side  of 
the  town  some  hours  before  the  British  troops  entered  upon 
the  other.  Mr.  Corey  said  they  all  went  and  got  some  break- 
fast at  the  house  of  Colonel  Barrett,  which  was  afterwards 
visited  by  the  British  troops  in  search  of  the  cannon,  ammuni- 
tion, and  stores,  most  of  which  had  been  fortunately  removed, 
the  day  before,  to  places  of  safety.  After  getting  somethihg 
to  eat  they  proceeded  toward  the  centre  of  the  town,  and  soon 


joined  the  men  of  Concord,  and  finally  were  in  the  ranks  of 
the  minute-men,  at  or  near  the  North  Bridge,  where  the  fight 
with  the  British  troops  occurred.  They  continued  with  the 
minute-men,  and  followed  the  retreating  troops  to  Lexington, 
or  beyond. 

This  is  the  story  related  by  Mr.  Wright,  as  often  repeated 
to  him  by  his  grandfather  Corey  ;  and  this,  according  to  the 
accepted  history  of  the  time,  and  as  at  present  understood, 
appeared  to  the  writer,  on  the  instant,  as  wholly  improbable. 
It  must  still  remain  so,  unless  it  can  be  explained  and  ac- 
counted for  in  the  transactions  and  events  of  the  period. 

The  objection  to  be  met  and  answered  is,  How  could  the 
people  of  Groton,  thirty  miles  from  Boston,  at  about  the  time 
the  British  troops  were  moving  toward  their  boats,  on  the 
evening  of  the  i8th,  know  anything  of  General  Gage's  purpose 
or  design  to  visit  Concord .-'  Of  course  they  knew  nothing, 
excepting  such  information  as  the  presence  of  the  brass  can- 
non, which  had  arrived  among  them,  indicated.  Probably  the 
men  who  conveyed  the  cannon  from  Concord  could  not  ex- 
plain the  matter,  and  yet  it  may  possibly  be  true  that  they 
had  learned  before  they  left  Concord,  or  suspected,  the  reason 
why  they  were  sent ;  and,  if  so,  would  be  sure  to  communicate 
it  to  the  people  of  Groton.  This,  when  we  come  to  think  of 
it,  is  not  very  improbable,  although  no  reason  is  given  in  the 
votes  of  the  Committee  for  their  action.  However  this  may 
be,  the  improbable  story  of  Mr.  Wright  may  possibly  be  ex- 
plained and  accounted  for  by  the  action  of  the  Committee  of 
Safety  in  the  matter,  by  showing  that  the  cannon  were  sent 
to  Groton,  and  why  they  came  to  be  sent  there  at  that  par- 
ticular time. 

EXPLANATION    OF   THE   STORY. 

Almost  every  person  familiar  with  the  history  of  this  pe- 
riod would,  on  the  instant,  reject  the  story  as  a  fiction,  and 
nothing  but  entire  confidence  in  the  truthfulness  of  the 
party  referred  to,  and  the  little  probability  there  is  of  his 
being  able  to  invent  such  a  relation,  induced  the  writer  to 
give  it  a  moment's  consideration.     Turning   the   history  of 


the  period  over  in  our  mind,  the  points  of  which  were  very 
familiar,  we  thought  we  could  see  a  possible  explanation  of 
the  matter,  as  a  consequence  of  the  cautionary  action  of 
Warren,  and  the  important  services  rendered  at  this  time  by 
Paul  Revere. 

It  is  well  known  to  most  readers  and  students,  who  are 
familiar  with  the  history  of  this  period,  that  Doctor  Warren, 
so  far  as  is  known  by  his  own  inclination,  remained  in  Boston 
while  the  Provincial  Congress  was  in  session  at  Concord,  ex- 
pressly to  observe  the  action  and  movements  of  General  Gage 
in  this  trying  period.  In  consequence  of  some  of  these  move- 
ments, especially  that  of  launching  the  transport  boats  pre- 
paratory for  use,  and  taking  the  Grenadiers  and  Light 
Infantry  off  duty,  Warren  determined  to  send  notice  of  them, 
and  of  the  preparations  being  made,  as  he  believed,  to  cap- 
ture the  stores  at  Concord,  to  Hancock  and  Adams,  then  at 
Lexington. 

This  message  was  sent  by  Paul  Revere,  on  Sunday,  the 
i6th  of  April,  1775,  to  the  effect  that  the  British  were  pre- 
paring for  an  excursion  into  the  country,  and  it  was  at  once 
understood  that  the  stores  and  ammunition  collected  at  Con- 
cord were  the  object.  Revere  delivered  his  message  promptly 
at  Lexington,  and  returned  in  the  afternoon,  when,  before 
going  across  the  river  from  Charlestown,  he  made  his  ar- 
rangements about  the  signal-lanterns  with  Colonel  Conant, — 
a  matter  which,  no  doubt,  he  had  determined  and  arranged 
in  his  own  mind  during  his  solitary  ride  from  Lexington. 

ACTION  OF  THE  COMMITTEE  OF  SAFETY. 

The  Provincial  Congress,  which  had  been  in  session  at 
Concord,  adjourned  on  Saturday,  the  15th  of  April,  but  the 
Committees  of  Safety  and  Supplies,  who  had  control  of  the 
military,  and  other  public  matters  pertaining  thereto,  did  not 
adjourn  finally  on  that  day.  They  remained  at  Concord,  and 
held  an  important  meeting  on  Monday  morning,  the  17th, 
and,  no  doubt,  commenced  their  proceedings  without  waiting 
for  the   arrival  of  Hancock  from   Lexington,  where  he  had 


5 

gone  with    Sam  Adams   each   night  during  the   session  of 
Congress. 

The  first  votes  which  the  Committees  passed,  according  to 
the  record  of  their  meetings,  were  as  follows  :  — 

Voted,  that  two  four-pounders,  now  at  Concord,  be  mounted  by 
the  Committee  of  Supplies,  and  that  Colonel  Barrett  be  desired  to 
raise  an  Artillery  Company,  to  join  the  Army  when  raised,  etc. ; 
and,  also,  that  an  instructor  for  the  use  of  the  cannon  be  appointed, 
to  be  put  directly  in  pay. 

Voted,  unanimously,  that  £6,  lawful  money,  be  a  Captain's  pay 
in  an  Artillery  Company  ;  that  the  ist  and  2d  Lieutenants  have 
£4.  5s. ;  that  the  Sergeants  have  42s.  per  month,  etc. 

Voted,  that  when  these  Committees  adjourn,  it  be  to  Mr. 
Wetherby's,  at  the  Black  Horse,  Menotomy,  on  Wednesday,  at 
10  o'clock. 

After  these  votes  were  passed,  it  is  supposed  and  believed 
John  Hancock  arrived  from  Lexington  and  joined  the  Com- 
mittee in  their  meeting.  Of  course  he  immediately  communi- 
cated to  them  the  important  intelligence  which  he  had  received 
from  Dr.  Warren  the  day  before,  so  that,  without  any  recon- 
sideration of  the  votes  just  passed,  any  adjournment  or  recess, 
the  record  shows  that  they  continued  the  meeting  and  passed 
the  following  votes :  — 

Voted,  that  the  four  six-pounders  be  transported  to  Groton,  and 
put  under  the  care  of  Colonel  Prescott. 

Voted,  that  two  seven-inch  brass  mortars  be  transported  to 
Acton. 

Voted,  that  the  two  Committees  adjourn  to  Mr.  Wetherby's,  at 
Menotomy,  [at]  ten  o'clock.     [Not  Wednesday,  as  first  voted.] 

The  next  day  (Tuesday)  a  meeting  was  held,  and  it  was 
voted  that  "  the  two  brass  two-pounders,  and  two  brass  three- 
pounders,  be  under  the  care  of  the  Boston  Company  of 
Artillery,  and  of  Captain  Robinson's  (Company)." 

What  finally  was  the  disposition  of  these  cannon  we  have 
no  means  of  knowing  ;  but,  when  the  approach  of  the  British 


troops  became  known,  Dr.   Ripley,  in  his  "  History  of  the 
Fight  at  Concord,"  says  :  — 

A  considerable  number  of  them  (Concord  minute-men)  were 
ordered  to  assist  the  citizens  who  were  actively  engaged  in  remov- 
ing and  secreting  cannon,  military  stores,  and  provisions.  The 
cannon  were  nearly  all  conveyed  to  a  distance,  some  to  adjacent 
towns,  and  some  were  buried  in  the  ground,  and  some  under  heaps 
of  manure. 

Numerous  other  votes  wrere  passed  for  the  removal  and 
secretion  of  ammunition,  provisions,  etc.,  and  the  Committee 
adjourned  to  the  next  day. 

On  Wednesday  (19th)  the  Committee  continued  its  session, 
at  Menotomy  (West  Cambridge,  now  Arlington),  and  passed 
additional  votes  on  the  same  subject. 

Thus  were  the  votes  first  passed,  before  the  arrival  of  John 
Hancock,  rescinded  ;  and,  of  course,  the  cannon  were  not 
mounted,  no  Artillery  Company  was  formed,  nor  teacher 
employed  for  their  instruction. 

All  this  was  the  result  of  the  information  from  Dr.  Warren, 
brought  to  Lexington  by  Paul  Revere ;  to  Concord  by  John 
Hancock,  and,  we  may  almost  say,  carried  to  Groton  by  the 
cannon  !  It  is  believed  that  no  other  explanation  can  be  given 
of  the  discrepancies  in  these  votes,  so  entirely  different  and 
adverse  to  each  other,  than  that  which  has  been  suggested ; 
namely,  the  arrival  of  Mr.  Hancock  after  the  passage  of  the 
first-named  votes,  and  the  intelligence  brought  by  him  of 
General  Gage's  movements  at  Boston. 

SENDING  THE   CANNON   TO   GROTON. 

In  accordance  with  the  final  votes  of  the  Committee,  the 
next  morning  (Tuesday  i8th)  the  cannon  were  promptly  on 
their  way  to  Groton,  and  arrived  there  late  in  the  afternoon, 
while  at  Boston  the  British  troops  were  getting  ready  to  em- 
bark in  their  boats  for  the  opposite  side  of  the  river,  on  their 
way  to  Concord. 

In  view  of  what  has  been  said,  it  may  now  be  pretty  con- 
fidently asked.  What  information  did  the  appearance  of  these 


cannon  at  Groton  communicate  to  the  people,  and  especially 
the  minute-men  of  that  town  ?  It  will  be  recollected  that 
only  a  short  time  before  this  (26th  of  February),  General  Gage 
had  sent  Colonel  Leslie  to  Salem  to  seize  some  pieces  of 
cannon  there,  which  he  failed  to  secure,  and  this  was  probably 
known  to  the  people  of  Groton  at  this  time.  There  cannot  be 
a  doubt,  therefore,  putting  these  two  things  together,  as  to  the 
story  the  presence  of  these  cannon  told,  even  if  the  men  who 
carried  them  had  been  speechless. 

ACTION   OF  THE   GROTON  MEN. 

The  proceedings  and  action  which  followed,  on  the  part  of 
the  Groton  minute-men,  were  both  natural  and  reasonable, 
and  fully  authorized  the  action  of  the  volunteers,  even  suppos- 
ing they  were  moved  by  curiosity  alone,  —  a  mere  desire  to 
see  British  soldiers.  The  minute-men,  as  we  have  stated, 
were  promptly  called  together,  and  some  of  them  determined 
to  go  to  Concord  that  night  ;  and,  while  Colonel  Smith  was 
moving  his  troops  over  the  Cambridge  marshes  and  swamps, 
these  patriots  were  on  their  way  to  meet  them  at  Concord 
bridge,  without  knowing  who  they  were  to  meet  or  what  was 
in  store  for  them.  What  followed  has  been  stated.  The 
Groton  minute-men  arrived,  and  were  among  their  brethren 
of  Concord,  Acton,  Carlisle,  Lincoln,  and  Bedford,  in  follow- 
ing and  harassing  the  retreating  troops;  and  it  would  seem, 
from  the  relation  which  we  have  given,  that  the  improbability 
of  Mr.  Wright's  story  has  been  removed  :  the  cannon  certainly 
went  to  Groton,  and  almost  as  certainly  the  Groton  minute- 
men  came  to  Concord.  The  minute-men  of  the  other  towns 
named  were  notified  of  the  coming  of  the  British  troops  by 
special  messengers.  The  cannon  sent  to  Acton,  no  doubt, 
upon  their  arrival  there  on  Tuesday  (i8th),  told  the  same  story 
as  did  the  cannon  at  Groton  ;  but,  being  so  near  to  Concord, 
the  citizens  very  naturally  concluded  that  if  they  were  wanted 
word  would  be  sent  to  them  at  the  earliest  moment,  is  was 
the  case ;  but  the  Groton  men,  though  few  in  number,  were 
the  first  to  arrive. 


Mr.  Corey,  who  used  to  tell  his  story  in  relation  to  the 
Concord  fight  to  his  grandchildren  in  his  talk  about  the  war, 
continued  in  the  service  of  his  country,  and  prior  to  his  death 
a  pension  was  granted  to  him  (or  aftei'wards  to  his  widow) ; 
but  nothing  was  ever  received  by  either  of  them. 

CONFIRMATORY   EVIDENCE. 

Since  the  first  mention  of  this  subject  by  the  writer.  Dr. 
Samuel  A.  Green,  a  native  of  Groton,  has  published  a  hand- 
some volume,  entitled  "  Epitaphs  from  the  Old  Burying 
Ground  in  Groton,  Mass."  One  of  the  inscriptions,  found 
upon  the  monument  to  the  memory  of  Captain  Abraham 
Child,  contains  the  following  sentence  :  "  He  was  a  Lieutenant 
among  the  minute  men,  and  aided  in  the  Concord  fight 
and  the  battle  of  Bunker  Hill,  1775."  The  remainder  of  the 
inscription  shows  that  Captain  Child  went  through  the  war 
with  Washington,  and  was  the  oldest  Captain  in  the  service 
at  the  capture  of  Stony  Point,  in  1779.  He  was  just  the  man 
for  a  night  expedition  to  Concord. 

Mr.  George  William  Curtis,  in  speaking  of  this  incident  in 
the  history  of  the  Concord  fight,  in  a  letter  to  the  writer,  says  : 
"  Your  new  chapter  throws  light  upon  the  tradition  of  the 
horsemen  at  Acton  rousing  the  house  with  the  news  after 
midnight  on  the  i8th.  The  whole  legend  is  very  interesting." 
And,  we  may  add,  seems  to  be  confirmed  most  unexpectedly 
from  various  quarters.  The  Groton  men,  of  course,  came 
down  through  Acton,  probably  after  midnight,  and  no  doubt, 
with  or  without  their  burning  torches,  produced  some  excite- 
ment on  the  road. 

IMPORTANCE   OF  THE   SERVICE   OF  WARREN  AND   REVERE. 

One  result  of  this  story  is  particularly  worthy  of  notice,  since 
it  shows  very  clearly  what  has  scarcely  ever  been  considered, 
or,  in  fact,  alluded  to,  and  that  is  the  importance  of  the  ser- 
vice rendered  by  Paul  Revere  in  his  journey  to  Lexington,  on 
Sunday  prior  to  the  much  more   celebrated   midnight  ride 


which  followed  it.  The  story  of  this  ride,  quiet  and  peaceful 
as  it  was,  has  never  been  immortalized  in  the  lines  of  the  poet ; 
yet  it  shows  very  clearly  that  the  preservation  of  the  cannon, 
—  nearly  all  that  the  Colony  possessed  at  that  time,  —  and 
probably  the  largest  portion  of  the  ammunition  and  stores 
at  Concord,  were  saved,  as  we  have  seen,  by  the  cautionary 
measures  of  Dr.  Warren,  and  the  essential  service  of  Paul 
Revere,  on  the  Sunday  previous  to  the  fight  at  Concord 
bridge. 

Revere  himself  makes  but  very  slight  mention  of  this  Sun- 
day ride.     He  simply  says  :  — 

The  Sunday  before,  by  desire  of  Dr.  Warren,  I  had  been  to 
Lexington,  to  Messrs.  Hancock  and  Adams,  who  were  at  the  Rev. 
Mr.  Clark's.  I  returned  at  night  through  Charlestown  ;  there  I 
agreed  with  a  Colonel  Conant,  and  other  gentlemen,  that  if  the  Brit- 
ish went  out  by  water,  we  would  show  two  lanterns  in  the  North 
Church  Steeple,  and  if  by  land,  one,  as  a  signal;  for  we  were  appre- 
hensive it  would  be  difficult  to  cross  the  Charles  River,  or  get  over 
Boston  Neck. 

[Revere's  letter  to  Dr.  Belknap.] 

We  see  now  more  clearly  than  ever  before,  the  importance 
of  Paul  Revere's  first  ride  to  Lexington. 


NOTE. 

Since  this  paper  was  read  before  the  Bostonian  Society,  Mr. 
Wright  has  informed  the  writer  that  his  grandfather,  after  he  had 
told  him  the  story  about  the  Concord  fight,  gave  to  him  an  old 
powder-horn  which  he  had  used  during  the  war.  This  powder- 
horn,  he  said,  he  took  from  a  British  soldier  who  had  been  shot  on 
the  retreat  to  Lexington,  and  whose  body  was  lying  by  the  roadside 
in  Lincoln.  Some  of  the  other  men,  he  said,  took  off  his  boots  and 
some  of  his  clothes.  The  powder-horn,  Mr.  Wright  says,  was  quite 
a  nice  piece  of  work,  and  held  just  one  pound  of  powder.  It  had  a 
peculiar  stopper  (probably  a  spring  snapper,  like  some  now  known), 
and  at  the  larger  end,  on  the  under  side  (when  hung  over  the 
shoulder),  was  engraved  the  English  coat  of  arms,  and  on  the  upper 


lO 

side,  what  Mr.  Wright  says  they  call  the  British  Ensign.  The  bot- 
tom of  the  horn  was  made  of  brass,  saucer-shaped,  with  a  hole  half 
an  inch  in  diameter,  in  the  centre,  serving  as  a  tunnel  to  pour  in 
the  powder,  with  a  wooden  stopper.  The  horn  had  been  used  by 
Mr.  Wright  and  his  brother,  in  their  hunting  excursions,  for  many 
years,  and  they  agree  perfectly  in  the  description  of  it.  It  was 
finally  lost,  by  the  brother  who  owned  it,  in  the  burning  of  his  house 
some  years  ago. 

After  having  written  the  above,  the  writer  was  informed  by  Mr. 
Winsor,  librarian  of  Harvard  College,  that  there  was  a  powder-horn 
somewhat  answering  the  above  description  in  possession  of  the 
Massachusetts  Historical  Society.  The  next  day  (June  ii,  1885) 
the  writer  visited  the  rooms  of  the  Society,  in  Boston,  and  was 
shown  by  Dr.  Green,  the  librarian,  several  old  powder-horns  of  a 
similar  character,  all  of  them  quite  elaborately  engraved  and  similar 
in  many  respects  apparently  to  that  described  by  Mr.  Wright,  with 
the  exception  that  these  all  appeared  to  be  American  powder-horns, 
as  one  of  them  seemed  to  say,  "  To  be  used  in  the  cause  of  liberty." 
Mr.  Wright's  story  of  this  old  powder-horn  which  he  had,  and  the 
way  his  grandfather  came  into  possession  of  it,  and  its  distinct 
resemblance  to  those  in  use  at  the  time,  give  additional  weight  and 
interest  to  the  original  story  that  the  Groton  men  were  in  the  Con- 
cord fight  on  the  19th  of  April,  1775.  The  dead  soldier  was  prob- 
ably one  of  those  buried  in  the  Lincoln  graveyard. 


II 


LIST  OF  GROTON  SUBSCRIBERS  TO  IMPOR- 
TANT BOOKS,  ETC. 

PRINCE'S  ANNALS. 

In  the  year  1736  the  Reverend  Thomas  Prince,  of  Boston, 
published  "  A  Chronological  History  of  New-England  in  the 
Form  of  Annals  :"  to  which  the  Introduction  alone,  "Contain- 
ing a  brief  Epitome  of  the  most  remarkable  Transactions  and 
Events  Abroad,  from  the  Creation  : "  comprises  more  than  a 
third  of  the  volume.  This  book  was  followed  by  three  thin 
numbers,  which  form  a  second  volume.  The  work  began 
with  Adam  ;  but  so  much  space  was  devoted  to  the  Greek  and 
Roman  empires  and  to  Great  Britain  that  the  Annals  come 
down  only  to  the  year  1733.  It  was  evidently  the  intention 
of  the  author  to  give  some  account  of  the  older  New  England 
towns.  In  an  advertisement  on  the  last  page  of  Number  2, 
Volume  II.,  he  says  :  ■ — 

Having  no  Accounts  from  those  ancient  Towns,  viz.  Newtown, 
Groton,  Chelmsford,  Billerica,  Woburn,  Dunstable  and  Manchester, 
in  the  Massachusetts;  nor  of  Saybrook,  New-Haven,  Fairfield  nor 
Stamford  in  Connecticut  ;  nor  of  Bristol  in  the  ancient  Plimouth 
Patent ;  The  Rev.  Ministers  of  those  Towns  are  earnestly  intreated 
to  Enquire  of  their  Records,  Grave-Stones  and  ancient  People,  and  send 
the  Remarkables  of  their  History  from  the  Beginning  in  a  Crono- 
logical  Order ;  to  the  Compiler  of  these  Annals  with  all  convenient 
Expedition. 

Mr.  Prince  was  eminent  as  a  preacher  and  a  man  of  learn- 
ing, and  for  many  years  the  minister  of  the  Old  South 
Church.  A  list  of  the  subscribers  is  printed  at  the  beginning 
of  the  book  ;  and  these  names  may  justly  be  regarded  as  rep- 
resenting at  that  period  the  literary  class  of  New  England. 
Among  them  are  those  of  "Benjamin  Prescot  of  Groton, 
Esq ;  "  and  ''  Nathanael  Sartle  ^Groton,  Esg ;  ." 


12 

Brief  notices  of  some  of  these  subscribers  appeared  many- 
years  ago  in  "  The  New  England  Historical  and  Genealogical 
Register;"  and  I  copy  from  Volume  VI.  (July,  1852)  of  that 
periodical  the  following  sketches  then  given  of  Mr.  Prescott 
and  Mr.  Sartle:  — 

Prescott,  Hon.  Benjamin,  born  in  Groton,  4  Jan.  1695-6,  mar. 
II  June,  1 7 18,  Abigail,  dau.  of  Hon.  Thomas  Oliver  of  Cambridge, 
and  died  3  Aug.  1738,  aged  43  years.  He  was  the  third  son 
(twelfth  child)  of  Jonas  Prescott  of  Groton,  who,  born  in  Lancas- 
ter, Mass.  June,  1648  —  was  the  third  son  (seventh  child)  of  John 
Prescott  of  Lancashire,  England,  who  married  in  England,  Mary 
Platts  of  Yorkshire,  and  in  England  several  of  their  children  were 
born.  John  Prescott  went  first  to  Barbadoes,  (it  is  said)  and 
owned  lands  there  in  1638.  About  1640  he  came  to  New  England, 
and  after  remaining  some  time  in  Charlestown  and  Watertown,  set- 
tled in  Lancaster,  where  he  had  a  good  estate.  He  was  one  of  the 
first  settlers  of  Lancaster,  which  is  said  to  have  been  so  named  in 
compliment  to  him. 

Benjamin  Prescott,  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  in  1717  ap- 
pointed a  lieutenant  of  the  first  company  of  foot;  in  1723,  being 
then  27  years  of  age,  he  first  represented  the  town  of  Groton  in  the 
General  Court,  where  he  remained  eight  years.  In  1724,  he  was 
commissioned  a  Justice  of  the  Peace,  and  afterward  Quorum  unus  ; 
in  1732  a  Lieutenant  Colonel  in  a  Middlesex  and  Worcester  regi- 
ment ;  in  1735  a  Justice  of  the  Superior  Court,  and  in  1738,  the 
year  of  his  death,  he  was  chosen  to  represent  the  Province  at  the 
Court  of  Great  Britain,  which  office  he  declined,  giving  as  a  reason, 
that  he  had  never  had  the  small  pox.  The  Hon.  Edmund  Quincy 
was  chosen  in  his  stead,  and  died  on  his  Mission,  of  the  disease 
which  Mr.  Prescott  feared  would  prove  fatal  to  himself. 

Hon.  Benjamin  P.  wa?  father  of  the  Hon.  James,  Col.  William, 
and  the  Hon.  Oliver  Prescott,  M.  D.  He  was  grandfather  of  the 
late  Judge  William  Prescott  of  Boston,  and  great-grandfather  of 
W.  H.  P.,  the  historian.  f.  w.  p. 

Another  notice  of  Benjamin  Prescott,  Esq.,  has  been  received, 
and  though  a  very  good  one,  this  is  considered  as  preferable, 
the  principal  early  fact[s]  being  from  original  MSS.  preserved  in 
that  branch  of  the  family  represented  by  the  above  subscriber 
(page  274).  j3_ 


13 

The  initials  F.  W.  P.  are  those  of  Frederick  Wilham 
Prescott,  a  grandson  of  Dr.  Oliver  Prescott,  Senior,  and  D.  is 
the  signature  of  Samuel  G.  Drake. 

Sartle,  (properly  Sartell)  Nathaniel,  of  Groton,  Esq.  —  was 
born  in  Scotland  or  England.  He  came  over,  with  his  wife  Sarah 
and  several  children,  about  1720.  He  was  probably  master  and 
owner  of  his  vessel.  By  his  will,  made  in  1710,  at  Gosport,  Eng., 
in  favor  of  his  wife,  it  appears  that  he  was  then  about  to  proceed 
on  one  of  his  trips  to  America.  In  his  will,  he  is  called  of  Gosport, 
sometime  of  Charlestown  in  the  Colony  of  N.  E.  The  notary 
wrote  his  name  Nathaniel  Sattle,  and  he  so  signed  it,  perhaps  to 
avoid  a  new  copy,  or  thinking  the  will  would  probably  never  be 
used.  When  offered  for  probate  it  was  opposed  by  his  son  Josiah, 
on  account  of  its  signature  and  old  date ;  but  he  finally  withdrew 
his  objections.  On  a  voyage  in  17 18,  he  was  shipwrecked,  and 
wrote  the  following  memorandum  in  his  Bible:  —  "Feb.  ye  14, 
1 7 18, 1  was  cast  on  the  rocks  of  Quibberone,  near  Bellisle,  in  the  bay 
of  Resimea,  all  my  men  lost.  N.  Sartell."  —  Expecting  that  all 
hands  would  be  lost,  and  wishing  to  inform  his  family  of  his  fate, 
he  headed  up  the  Bible  in  a  cask,  and  threw  it  overboard.  When 
the  vessel  went  in  pieces,  he  took  the  cabin  boy  on  his  back,  and 
swam  to  a  rock.  The  boy  perished  in  the  night,  but  he  was  taken 
the  next  morning,  nearly  exhausted,  from  the  rock,  by  some  fisher- 
men. The  Bible  also  was  saved,  and  is  now  in  the  possession  of 
Charles  J.  F.  Binney,  Esq.  It  is  a  large  Bible,  with  oak  covers  half 
an  inch  thick,  covered  with  embossed  leather,  and  having  thick 
wrought  brass  clasps.  His  wife  sent  a  vessel  in  search  of  him. 
Mr.  Sartell  was  wealthy,  and  seems  to  have  been  a  leading  man  in 
the  town  of  Groton.  He  d.  Jan.  i6th,  1741,  ae.  60.  Though  he  lost 
large  quantities  of  silver  and  merchandize  by  the  wreck,  he  left  at 
his  death  a  valuable  property.  He  left  vyarehouses,  houses,  lands 
and  other  property  at  Charlestown,  valued  at  ;^ii2o;  property  in 
Groton  ;^3848  ;  silver  ^47  ;  14  gilt  leather  chair  bottoms;  books; 
surveying  instruments  etc. 

There  was  early  at  Watertown  a  Richard  Sawtell.  His  will, 
dated  1692,  mentions  lands  in  Watertown  and  Groton.  He  was 
probably  related  to  the  Groton  Sazc/tells,  who  are  said  to  have  been 
a  distinct  family  from  the  Sartells  of  that  place. 

Nathaniel  and  Sarah  Sartell  had  ch. :  —  I.  Nathaniel,  who  was 
lost   at  sea  before    1742,  leaving   2    children,  viz:    i.  Nathaniel, 


14 

whose  descendants  reside  in  Groton  and  Pepperell,  and  2,  Hannah, 
who  m.  Hercules  Bacon  of  Charlestown  ;  H.  yosiah,  who  m.  Mary 
Green,  and  lived  in  Groton  ;  his  children,  two  sons  and  two  daugh- 
ters, died  young,  and  he  left  a  considerable  estate  to  the  church 
and  town  of  Groton;  HI.  Margaret,  m. Gibbs,  of  Charles- 
town  ;  IV.  Sarah,  m.  Rev.  Solomon  Prentice,  of  Grafton,  and  after- 
wards of  Hull,  and  had  ten  children.  —  Compiled  from  memoranda, 
by  C.  y.  F.  Binney,  Esq.  and  Miss  \Clarissd\  Butler  of  Groton. 

Nathaniel  Sartle,  Esq.,  of  Groton,  was  very  probably  a  grandson 
of  Richard  Sawtell,  an  early  settler  of  Watertown,  and  probably  a 
son  of  Zachariah  Sawtel  of  Groton.  \Dr.  H.  Bond's  Ms.  Letteri] 
He  was  a  representative  in  the  Gen.  Court  in  1733,  1739,  and  1741, 
and  is  often  mentioned  in  the  journals  of  that  body  (pages  274, 
27s).  D. 

WILLARD'S    BODY    OF   DIVINITY. 

The  Rev.  Samuel  Willard,  minister  of  Groton  before  its 
destruction  by  the  Indians  in  March,  1676,  wrote  a  book, 
which  was  not  published  until  the  year  1726,  long  after  the 
author's  death.  It  is  a  heavy  theological  work  entitled  "A 
Compleat  Body  of  Divinity "  (Boston),  which  no  one  of  the 
present  century,  probably,  ever  read.  It  is  a  folio  (pp.  914), 
and  the  largest  volume  which  at  that  time  had  been  printed 
in  America.  In  the  list  of  subscribers  at  the  beginning  of 
the  book  appears  the  name  of  the  "  Rev.  Mr.  Caleb  Trow- 
bridge, of  Groton"  one  of  Mr.  Willard's  successors  in  the 
ministry. 

BELKNAP'S  HISTORY   OF  NEW   HAMPSHIRE,   AND   BELKNAP'S 
AMERICAN    BIOGRAPHY. 

In  "  A  Catalogue  of  Subscribers  "  to  Belknap's  History,  as 
printed  at  the  end  of  the  third  volume  of  that  work  (Bos- 
ton, 1792),  Oliver  Prescott's  name  appears;  and  in  a  manu- 
script list,  made  by  Belknap  and  now  in  the  Library  of  the 
Massachusetts  Historical  Society,  of  the  subscribers  to  his 
"  American  Biography,"  are  given  the  following :  — 

Timothy  Bigelow,  Groton.  Samuel  Dana,  Groton. 


IS 

The  name  of  S.  Jackson  Prescott,  Harvard  College  (class  of 
1795),  a  native  of  Groton  and  a  son  of  Dr.  Oliver  Prescott 
(H.  C.  1750),  also  appears  in  the  list. 

SHAKESPEARE'S   DRAMATIC   WORKS. 

In  the  year  1804  the  first  Boston  edition  of  Shakespeare's 
"  Dramatic  Works "  was  completed,  in  eight  volumes,  of 
which  Volume  I.  appeared  in  1802.  At  the  end  of  the  last 
one  is  printed  a  list  of  the  subscribers  to  the  work,  in  which 
are  the  following  names  :  — 

Caleb  Butler,  Precept.  Groton  Acad.        Stephen  Minott,  Groton. 

Martin  Jenison,  Groton.  Dr.  Oliver  Prescott,  jun.  Esq.  Groton. 

Luther  Lawrence,  Groton.  Alpheus  Richardson,  Groton. 

AMERICAN   MEDICAL  BIOGRAPHY. 

At  the  end  of  the  second  volume  of  Dr.  James  Thacher's 
American  Medical  Biography  (Boston,  1828)  are  printed  the 
names  of  the  subscribers  ;  and  among  them  are  the  following 
Groton  physicians :  Amos  Bancroft,  Micah  Eldredge,  and 
Joshua  Green. 

BUNKER   HILL   MONUMENT. 

In  the  year  1824  the  Bunker  Hill  Monument  Association 
issued  an  address  to  the  different  towns  of  the  Commonwealth, 
calling  for  subscriptions  in  aid  of  their  undertaking.  It  set 
forth  the  fact  that  all  persons  who  subscribed  five  dollars  or 
more  would  become  members  of  the  Society,  and  receive  a 
certificate  containing  an  engraved  sketch  of  the  Battle  of 
Bunker  Hill.  In  a  pamphlet  entitled  an  "  Act  of  Incorpora- 
tion, By-laws,  and  a  List  of  the  Original  Members  of  the 
Bunker  Hill  Monument  Association  :  with  a  statement,  shew- 
ing the  magnitude  and  progress  of  the  work,  and  a  copy  of 
the  original  estimate.  Compiled  for  the  use  of  the  Members  " 
(Boston  :  1830),  — a  list  is  printed  of  all  who  subscribed,  with 
the  amount  given.  The  Groton  names  are  found  on  pages 
49  and  50,  as  follows  :  — 


i6 


Bancroft,  Amos      .     .     .     . 

^S 

Lewis,  James 

^S 

Butler,  Caleb 

s 

Moors,  Benjamin  . 

s 

Chase,  William  .... 

5 

Prescott,  Susan      .     .     . 

s 

Dickson,  Walter     .     .     . 

5 

Peabody,  John 

s 

Dana,  Samuel    .... 

•     9 

Park,  Stuart  J.  .     .     . 

10 

Dana,  Rebecca  .... 

5 

Park,  John,  jr 

5 

Farnsworth,  James      .     .     . 

lO 

Russell,  Bradford  .     .     . 

S 

Farnsworth,  Ezra  .     . 

5 

Richardson,  Alpheus 

5 

Farnsworth,  Thomas  .     . 

5 

Rockwood,  Samuel     .     . 

5 

Farnsworth,  Amos      .     . 

5 

Rockwood,  Sewall      .     . 

S 

Jacobs,  Sylvester    .     .     . 

S 

Seaver,  Norman     .     .     . 

5 

Lawrence,  L.     .     .     . 

5 

Shattuck,  Noah      .     .     . 

5 

Lawrence,  Luther  -     .     . 

'3 

Shaw,  Mary  B 

•    S 

Lawrence,  Lucy      .     .     . 

5 

Tarbel,  Abel      .... 

■     5 

Lawrence,  Rufus  B.    .     . 

S 

Woods,  Henry  .... 

•     S 

Lawrence,  Samuel       .     . 

■    5 

Woods,  Samson     .     .     . 

5 

Lawrence,  Susanna     .     . 

5 

Amos  Farnsworth  and  Samuel  Lawrence  were  in  the  battle 
as  soldiers  ;  and  Samson  Woods  was  also  present,  as  a  boy 
of  fourteen  years,  in  attendance  on  his  father,  Henry  Woods, 
who  was  the  major  of  Colonel  Prescott's  regiment.  Samson 
died  on  February  8,  1826,  —  which,  perhaps,  gives  an  approxi- 
mation to  the  time  when  these  subscriptions  were  made. 


PEPPERELL   FEVER. 

Many  years  ago  there  prevailed  in  Pepperell  an  intermittent 
fever  which  was  exceedingly  fatal.  Mr.  Butler  in  his  History 
(pages  349-351)  refers  to  the  sickness,  and  gives  some  facts 
concerning  it.  The  disease  broke  out  in  the  year  1755,  and 
raged  during  the  summer  and  autumn  for  several  years.  It 
seemed  to  bafHe  the  skill  of  the  physicians,  and  all  attempts 
to  subdue  it  were  fruitless.  It  was  caused,  probably,  by  a 
dam  built  across  the  Nissitissett  River  in  order  to  overflow 
a  swamp  and  kill  some  dogwood  ;  the  water  being  afterward 
drawn  off,  the  vegetable  matter  was  left  to  decompose  under 


17 

the  hot  rays  of  the  sun,  and  to  taint  the  air  with  malaria.  It 
is  said  that  during  the  four  years  while  the  epidemic  pre- 
vailed, no  fewer  than  540  persons  were  taken  down  with  the 
disease,  of  whom  103  died,  including  64  adults. 

In  the  year  1838  there  was  published  at  Boston  a  volume 
entitled  "  Boylston  Prize  Dissertations  for  the  Years  1836  and 
1837,"  by  Oliver  Wendell  Holmes,  M.  D.  One  of  these  dis- 
sertations related  to  indigenous  intermittent  fever  in  New 
England,  —  a  disease  known  popularly  as  fever  and  ague,  — 
concerning  which  the  author  had  collected  many  interesting 
facts  and  traditions.  Among  them  is  the  following  account 
by  Dr.  Samuel  Emerson,  of  Kennebunk,  Maine,  which  was 
furnished  one  of  Dr.  Holmes's  correspondents,  in  consequence 
of  inquiries  relating  to  the  subject. 

Your  request  brings  to  my  recollection  an  important  historical 
fact,  which  ought  not  to  be  suffered  to  go  down  to  the  shades  of 
oblivion.  When  I  was  a  pupil  of  old  Doctor  Oliver  Prescott,  in 
Groton,  in  the  county  of  Middlesex,  when  visiting  a  patient  in 
Pepperell,  the  next  town  to  Groton,  and  bordering  on  the  State 
line,  we  passed  a  small  river,  called  Nissitisset  by  the  Indians, 
and  which  still  keeps  the  name.  This  beautiful  stream  has  its 
rise  in  a  pond  on  the  northern  side  of  the  above-mentioned  State 
line,  in  the  town  of  Brookline,  in  N.  H.,  called  Mosquatannipus, 
meanders  through  a  very  rich  valley  seven  or  eight  miles,  and  pours 
its  limpid  waters  into  the  Nashua.  'I  his  short  description  of 
the  geography  of  that  little  stream,  though  apparently  irrelevant 
to  the  answer  to  your  letter,  yet  will  be  explained  in  the  sequel  as 
necessary  and  important.  In  the  course  of  our  professional  ride, 
the  Doctor  entertained  me  highly  by  the  following  account :  — 
When  I  was  a  young  man,  and  but  just  commenced  practice,  I 
visited  an  old  and  highly  respectable  physician,  then  living  in 
Concord.  Being  a  distant  relative,  by  the  name  of  Abel  Prescott, 
he  was  kind  enough  to  take  a  deep  interest  in  my  success  in  ac- 
quiring medical  eminence  and  prosperity.  He  says  to  me,  "  Kins- 
man, a  great  proportion  of  my  practice  has  been  in  intermittent 
fevers,  for  thirty  or  forty  years ;  one  third  part  of  your  business,  at 
least,  is  the  same;  but  the  time  is  not  far  distant  when  this  section 
of  the  country  will  be  visited  by  a  very  fatal  malignant  fever,  after 
which,  the  fever  and  ague  will  quit  this  part,  and  probably  all  New 


England,  for  ever."  The  event  proved  the  prediction  to  be  history. 
A  man  lived  upon  Nissitisset  river,  about  the  central  point  from 
its  source  in  the  pond,  and  its  exit  in  the  Nashua.  He  owned 
a  rich  tract  of  intervale  land  covered  with  a  poisonous  shrub  called 
dogwood,  or  white  sumach  (the  Linnsean  name  I  do  not  recollect). 
The  proprietor  being  subject  to  eruptions,  from  working  among  ivy 
or  dogwood,  built  a  dam  across  the  river,  in  order  to  flow  this  in- 
tervale, and  clear  it  from  the  deleterious  vegetable  he  so  much 
feared.  The  flowing  was  continued  long  enough  to  effect  his 
purpose,  and  then  drawn  off  early  in  summer.  The  dead  brush 
was  cleared  away,  and  the  sun  let  in  upon  the  rich  soil.  In  a 
short  time  after  this,  the  man,  his  wife,  and  several  children  were 
attacked  by  a  disease  which  the  Doctor  called  a  putrid  malignant 
nervous  fever ;  the  vulgar  name  was  the  Pepperell  fever,  from  the 
place  of  its  origin.  This  horrid  distemper  began  its  attack  with 
a  high  degree  of  inflammation  of  the  brain,  and  raving  delirium, 
which  made  short  work  of  every  member  of  the  above  family, 
spread  rapidly  in  the  vicinity  with  equal  fatality,  and  extended 
through  a  great  part  of  Middlesex  [County]  in  Mass.  and  Hills- 
borough [County]  in  N.  H.  The  Doctor  informed  me  that  he 
had  lost  every  patient  for  some  time,  and  nothing  that  he  could 
oppose  to  the  progress  of  the  deadly  ravager  had  any  effect,  till, 
being  called  to  a  girl  about  fourteen,  he  applied  a  large  epispastic 
to  the  back  of  her  neck ;  her  tossing  and  struggling  through  the 
night,  notwithstanding  the  best  exertions  of  faithful  watchers,  kept  a 
constant  motion  from  evening,  when  it  was  applied,  till  near  morn- 
ing, when  she  lay  still  and  fell  asleep.  Upon  examining  the  blister 
in  the  morning,  the  Doctor  found  a  complete  vesication  the  whole 
length  of  the  spine.  This  was  the  first  patient  that  recovered. 
From  this  the  Doctor  shaped  his  course,  and  lost  few  or  none 
afterwards.  My  father's  house  is  only  three  miles  from  the  spot 
where  this  disease  originated,  and  I  have  his  testimony  to  the 
above  facts,  which  took  place  in  the  year  1760,  which  was  four 
years  before  my  birth  ;  and  from  that  period  the  object  of  our 
inquiry  has  never  appeared,  and  I  can  truly  assert  that  I  have 
never  seen  a  case  of  pure  intermittent  except  those  which  have 
been  imported  from  a  warmer  climate. 

I  urged  Dr.  Prescott  to  write  and  preserve  a  faithful  detail  of 
this  interesting  piece  of  medical  history  before  his  death ;  but  he 
never  did.  After  his  death,  I  repeatedly  requested  his  son 
[Dr.  Oliver  Prescott,  Jr.],  who  was  two  years  my  senior,  but  never 


19 

could  induce  him  to  undertake  the  work,  though  he  felt  the  im- 
portance of  it  as  much  as  I  did.  After  the  death  of  my  very  dear 
friend  and  fellow  student,  there  remained  no  one  but  myself;  and 
I  am  very  glad  that  you,  my  dear  sir,  have  put  me  up  to  my  duty, 
and  I  wish  it  was  done  in  a  better  style,  though  not  much  ought 
to  be  expected  from  an  old  man  of  seventy-two.  There  is  nothing 
to  recommend  this  relation  of  facts  but  truth,  which  I  have  as 
carefully  adhered  to  as  the  strong  impressions  upon  my  memory 
would  enable  me  to  do  (pages  112-115). 

The  following  statement  is  found  in  a  letter  written  to 
Dr.  Holmes  by  Dr.  James  Jackson,  of  Boston :  — 

The  late  Judge  Samuel  Dana,  of  Groton,  stated  to  me  about 
five  years  ago,  that  he  had  received  from  his  father,^  or  possibly 
his  grandfather,  who,  as  I  understood,  was  formerly  a  clergyman 
in  that  place,  the  following  information.  He  stated  that  when  he 
first  settled  in  Groton,  intermittent  fevers  prevailed  in  a  certain 
part  of  the  town,  which  was  described  as  being  at  that  time  wet, 
but  subsequently  drained  and  cultivated.  Judge  Dana  entered  into 
some  particulars  on  this  point,  and  he  evidently  understood  the 
subject  of  which  he  was  speaking,  so  that  it  left  no  doubt  in  my 
mind  as  to  the  nature  of  the  disease  (pages  115,  116). 

On  January  3,  1760,  a  day  of  thanksgiving  was  set  apart  at 
Pepperell  by  the  Reverend  Joseph  Emerson  and  his  church 
"to  commemorate  the  goodness  of  God  to  them  the  year  past, 
especially  in  the  removal  of  sickness  and  the  return  of  so  many 
soldiers  from  the  army."  In  the  sermon  preached  on  this 
occasion  Mr.  Emerson  says  :  "  It  pleased  God,  in  the  summer 
of  I7$S,  to  visit  us  with  that  grievous  fever,  by  which  we  have 
suffered  so  much,  and  which  hath,  from  its  beginning  with  us, 
obtained  the  name  of  the  Pepperell  fever!'  After  enumerating 
its  ravages,  he  sums  up  the  whole  in  these  words : 

In  the  four  years  above  mentioned,  there  were  about  540  persons 
sick;  103  died,  of  whom  16  were  soldiers  from  home,  or  just  after 
their  return  ;  no  less  than  48  heads  of  families  ;  64  grown  persons. 
How  great  was  our  distress  for  two  years,  especially  in  the  height  of 
the  sickness,  and  we,  notwithstanding,  obliged  to  find  our  quota  for 

1  The  Reverend  Samuel  Dana,  of  Groton,  was  the  father,  and  not  the  grand- 
father, of  Judge  Samuel  Dana. 


20 

the  war !  I  know  not  that  we  were  eased  more  than  a  single  man, 
excepting  the  time  of  the  general  alarm,  when  fort  William  Henry 
was  besieged,  in  1757,  when  our  proportion  was  above  twenty  men, 
at  which  time  there  were  not  so  many  able  to  bear  arms  in  the 
place,  besides  those  who  were  necessarily  taken  up  in  attending  on 
the  sick  in  their  own  families,  the  field  officers  were  so  good  as  not 
to  call  for  any.  One  of  the  years,  there  were  near  200  confined  at 
the  same  time.  Your  pastor  at  the  point  of  death,  and  then  con- 
fined from  the  house  of  God  for  four  months.  And  of  this  large 
number  who  have  been  sick,  I  know  not  of  ten  persons  who  have 
been  visited  with  the  same  distemper  twice.  Nor  should  we  forget 
the  bounty  we  received  by  order  of  authority,  namely,  fifty  pounds, 
to  be  distributed  amongst  the  greatest  sufferers.  (History  of  Groton, 
page  35°-) 

It  is  now  difficult  to  appreciate  fully  all  the  hardships  of 
the  early  settlers ;  besides  other  dangers,  they  were  exposed 
to  certain  forms  of  insidious  disease,  happily  little  known  to 
the  present  generation  of  this  neighborhood. 


NAOMI    FARWELL,  THE   HERMITESS. 

Fifty  years  ago  Naomi  Farwell  lived  on  the  farm  now 
adjoining  the  south  side  of  the  Groton  Cemetery.  The 
mere  mention  of  her  name  will  call  up  many  associations  in 
the  minds  of  a  few  survivors  who  long  since  used  to  go 
"a-chestnutting"  on  her  grounds.  She  was  a  daughter  of 
William  and  Esther  (Woods)  Farwell,  and  born  on  August  16, 
1769.  Mr.  Butler,  referring  to  her  in  his  History  (page  269), 
says  that  she  "'  sustained  a  character  somewhat  noted,  on 
account  of  her  solitary  and  unsocial  habits  and  manners, 
which  gave  her  the  title  of  hermitess.  She  lived  with  her 
father  and  mother,  while  they  lived,  in  a  poor  small  house, 
about  a  mile  north  of  the  village,  and  after  their  decease 
entirely  alone,  in  the  same  place.  She  inherited  from  her 
father,  of  whom  she  was  the  sole  heir,  a  farm  of  about  eighty 
acres  of  good  land,  upon  and  at  the  foot  of  '  Chestnut  Hills,' 


21 

a  large  portion  of  which  had  never  been  stripped  of  its  native 
forest  trees."  Her  death  took  place  on  Monday,  January  i, 
1838,  and,  owing  to  the  peculiar  circumstances  attending  it, 
caused  considerable  excitement  in  town.  The  following  obitu- 
ary notice  in  the  Saturday  "  Evening  Gazette  "  (Boston),  Jan- 
uary 20,  1838,  gives  a  few  facts  concerning  her  life  that  have 
long  been  forgotten  by  most  persons,  though  the  statement 
there  made,  that  her  house  was  half  a  mile  distant  from  any 
other  dwelling,  is  somewhat  inaccurate. 

Miss  Naomi  Farwell,  the  celebrated  Hermitess,  died  at  Groton, 
CMass.)  on  the  ist  instant,  aged  68  years.  Since  the  death  of  her 
father,  William  Farwell,  in  1819,  this  eccentric  woman  had  lived 
entirely  secluded  from  the  world ;  no  other  human  being  dwelt 
beneath  her  roof,  for  her  cold  and  decided  reply  to  a  female  who 
offered  the  services  of  a  companion,  put  to  flight  even  the  affection 
of  friendship  —  "I'll  keep  no  one  for  their  pretty  looks,"  drily 
adding,  "friends  have  large  mouths!"  The  estate  which  she  in- 
herited consists  of  about  seventy  acres  of  excellent  land  in  the 
bosom  of  "  Chestnut  Hills,"  together  with  fifteen  acres  of  meadow 
in  the  vicinity  of  "  Half  Moon."  She  has  kept  usually  about  ten 
head  of  neat  cattle,  and  other  stock  in  proportion,  of  all  which  and 
other  domestic  concerns  she  had  the  sole  care.  Her  agricultural 
labors  were  constant  and  unremitting,  hiring  no  aid  but  at  the 
season  of  ploughing  and  mowing.  The  seclusion  of  her  abode, 
being  half  a  mile  distant  from  any  other  dwelling,  her  eccentric 
habits,  and  the  romantic  beauty  of  the  walks  over  her  domain, 
altogether  rendered  a  stroll  through  harmonious  grounds  the  favor- 
ite promenade  of  all  the  sentimental  lads  and  lasses  of  Groton 
Academy.  It  was  seldom  she  noticed  any  one,  farther  than  by  a 
cold  glance  from  beneath  her  brows. 

The  writer  of  this  sketch  well  remembers  the  first  visit  which  he 
paid  her.  In  an  unwonted  fit  of  kindness,  she  invited  him  into  her 
kitchen,  and  as  an  inestimable  favor,  bestowed  upon  him  a  handful 
of  chestnuts !  Long  did  the  writer's  grinders  give  twinges  of  keen 
remembrance  of  (hat  gift,  for  the  nuts  were  "veterans  of  half  a 
century !  "  Still,  down  they  must  go,  and  down  they  went,  though 
"  with  many  a  dreary  pause  between."  She  would  hardly  be  con- 
sidered as  miserly  in  her  disposition,  but  rather  strictly  economical, 
by  which  means  she  soon  cleared  her  estate  from  the  mortgages 


22 

with  which  it  was  embarrassed  at  the  death  of  her  father.  She 
seldom  left  her  own  premises,  having  never  been  out  of  Groton 
but  once,  when  she  was  persuaded  to  visit  a  cousin  in  Harvard  ; 
and  but  once  only  had  she  seen  the  Nashua  river,  although  within 
two  miles  of  her  cottage.  Her  reverence  for  the  memory  of  her 
father  almost  approached  the  superstitious.  By  her  desire,  his 
remains  were  buried  under  a  favorite  peach  tree,  within  a  rod  of 
her  dwelling  ;  yet  still,  as  if  in  strict  keeping  with  her  odd  character, 
the  fragrance  of  her  pig-stye  breathed  forth  from  the  one  side, 
while  the  odors  of  her  cow-yard  were  wafted  from  the  other  —  both 
in  immediate  contiguity  with  her  hallowed  spot !  Thus  she  lived 
until  the  last  severe  winter,  when  not  having  been  seen  for  many 
days,  her  cottage  was  forcibly  entered,  and  she  was  found  to  be 
ill  and  helpless ;  and  in  this  condition  her  extremities  were  so 
frozen,  that  she  would  have  died,  had  not  aid  arrived.  From  this 
exposure  she  never  fully  recovered.  Her  broken  constitution 
yielded  to  a  late  attack  of  cold,  and  her  days  of  cheerless  solitude 
are  ended.  —  Poor  Naomi !  You  rejoiced  many  young  hearts  with 
fancied  views  into  futurity;  —  may  your  now  actual  view  be  the 
fullness  of  rejoicing ! 

Groton. 


THE   GILSON   FAMILY. 

Michael  Gilson,  mentioned  in  the  paragraph  below,  a 
son  of  Michael  and  Susannah  (Sawtell)  Gilson,  of  Groton, 
was  born  on  February  24,  1730-31.  His  father  removed  to 
the  Connecticut  Valley,  now  the  neighborhood  of  Charlestown, 
New  Hampshire,  probably  during  the  period  when  several 
Groton  families,  including  the  Farnsworths,  the  Parkers,  and 
the  Sawtells,  went  to  that  remote  frontier,  —  which  was  about 
the  year  1740.  It  is  a  curious  fact  to  note  that  the  name  of 
Sawtell  has  there  since  become  Sartwell.  On  May  9,  1750, 
young  Michael  chose  his  mother  for  a  guardian,  when,  accord- 
ing to  the  Hampshire  County  Probate  Records,  he  was  living 
in  the  Province  of  New  Hampshire,  above  Northfield  ;  and  pre- 
sumably at  that  time  his  father  was  dead.  See  David  Jillson's 
"  Genealogy  of  the  Gillson  and  Jillson  Family  "  (page  246;. 


23 

Fort  Dummer  was  situated  on  the  west  bank  of  the  Con- 
necticut River,  now  within  the  limits  of  Brattleborough,  Ver- 
mont. The  four  townships  in  this  neighborhood,  on  the  east 
bank  of  the  river,  before  they  received  their  names,  were  num- 
bered in  their  geographical  order,  and  known  by  their  numbers 
alone.  They  come  now  within  the  State  of  New  Hampshire, 
—  Township  No.  i  being  known  as  Chesterfield;  No.  2,  as 
Westmoreland  ;  No.  3,  as  Walpole ;  and  No.  4,  as  Charles- 
town. 

Last  Monday  Se'nnight  [March  6],  as  one  Michael  Gilson  was 
going  from  Fort-Dummer  to  Numb.  2  [Westmoreland],  when  he 
came  to  the  House  of  Mr.  Moore,  at  a  Place  called  West-River, 
about  three  Miles  above  Fort-Dummer,  he  found  Capt.  Fairbanks 
Moore  and  his  Son  Benjamin  dead,  and  saw  the  House  near  where 
they  lay,  on  Fire  ;  when  the  said  Gilson  immediately  returned  back 
to  the  Fort  to  acquaint  them  of  the  Affair ;  upon  which  two  Men 
went  with  him  to  the  Place  where  the  said  Moore  lay,  to  see  if  they 
could  discover  the  Enemy,  but  the  Snow  being  hard,  they  could  not 
track  them.  The  Wife  and  Children  of  the  said  Benjamin  are 
missing,  and  suppos'd  either  to  be  burnt  in  the  House,  or  carried 
off  by  the  Enemy. 

[The  Boston  News-Letter,  March  16,  1758.] 


THE   TOWN-CLOCK. 

The  old  town-clock  on  the  First  Parish  Meeting-house,  so 
familiar  to  every  man,  woman,  and  child  in  Groton,  was  made 
by  James  Ridgway,  and  placed  in  the  tower  some  time  dur- 
ing the  spring  of  1809.  Mr.  Ridgway  was  a  silversmith  and 
clockmaker,  who  during  the  period  of  the  War  with  England 
carried  on  a  large  business  in  this  neighborhood.  His  shop 
was  situated  on  Main  Street,  nearly  opposite  to  the  present 
tavern  ;  but  it  has  long  since  disappeared.  He  subsequently 
removed  to  Keene,  New  Hampshire,  where  he  lived  for  many 
years. 


24 

Article  VII.  in  the  warrant  for  the  March  town  meeting, 
dated  February  20,  1809,  is  : 

To  grant  so  much  money  as  the  town  shall  think  fit  towards 
providing  a  Clock  to  be  put  up  in  the  Meeting-house,  in  addition  to 
what  has  already  been  subscribed  for  that  purpose,  &  to  order  a 
suitable  room  to  be  prepared  for  it,  &  to  act  thereon  as  the  town 
shall  think  proper. 

The  action  taken  on  this  Article  at  the  town-meeting  held 
on  March  7,  was  : 

Voted  that  a  sum  not  exceeding  seventy  Dollars  be  granted 
for  the  purpose  of  erecting  a  Town  Clock,  to  be  paid  after  the 
s'?  Clock  is  Compleated  to  the  satisfaction  of  the  Selectmen.  The 
latter  part  of  this  Article  was  passed  over,  it  being  considered 
more  proper  for  the  Parish  to  prepare  a  suitable  room  for  s'^  Clock, 
and  an  Article  having  been  Inserted  in  their  Warrant  for  this 
purpose. 

The  bell  on  the  same  church  was  made  in  the  year  1819  by 
Revere  and  Son,  Boston,  and,  according  to  an  inscription  cast 
on  its  surface,  the  weight  is  1128  pounds. 


LIFE   IN   THE   WILDERNESS. 

The  late  John  Langdon  Sibley,  for  many  years  the  Librarian 
of  Harvard  College,  wrote  a  History  of  Union,  Maine,  his 
native  town  ;  and,  in  it,  he  thus  refers  to  a  Groton  family : 

There  was  also  engaged  in  the  business  [of  making  shingles] 
a  family  named  Lakin,  from  Groton,  Mass.  The  husband  and  the 
wife,  in  the  winter  season,  would  go  into  the  woods,  and,  one  at 
each  handle  of  a  long  saw,  work  hard  through  the  day,  cutting 
trees  into  blocks.  It  may  be  doubted  which  of  the  two  was  the 
most  expert  in  splitting  and  finishing  them.  And  often  has  the 
wife  come  to  the  Common  —  eight  miles  —  on  horseback,  with  a 
child  in  her  arms,  and  a  heavy  bunch  of  shingles  on  each  side  of 
her  horse,  balanced  by  means  of  ropes  and  withes  across  the  beast's 


25 

back.  Under  the  ropes  and  withes,  to  prevent  them  from  cutting 
the  horse,  was  a  bag  of  hay.  To  all  these  was  superadded  a  meal- 
bag,  containing  a  jug  for  rum  or  molasses,  or  some  other  articles 
then  deemed  necessary  for  a  family  (pages  loo,  loi). 


A   STRAY  COW. 

The  customs  and  habits  of  the  last  century  are  well  depicted 
in  the  newspapers  of  that  period.  The  following  advertise- 
ment in  "The  Boston  Gazette,' or  Weekly  Journal,"  March  i8, 
1746,  shows  that  the  owner  of  a  stray  cow  had  some  hopes  of 
finding  her,  nine  months  after  she  was  lost,  —  which  to  the 
present  generation  would  seem  a  rather  futile  chance.  The 
two  persons  mentioned  in  the  notice  were  brothers  probably, 
and  sons  of  Joseph  Priest,  of  Waltham.  See  Dr.  Henry  Bond's 
History  of  Watertown  (page  408).  In  December,  1747,  Joseph 
Priest  appears  to  have  been  living  at  Groton,  according  to  a 
"covenant"  printed  in  "The  Boundary  Lines  of  Old  Groton" 
(pages  82-84). 

Stray'd  last  July  from  Mr.  John  Priest  of  Groton,  a  large  brindle 
Cow,  with  some  white  Spots  about  her,  having  the  Letter  W  mark'd 
with  an  hot  Iron  on  one  Horn,  about  7  Years  old.  Whoever  shall 
give  Information  of  her,  either  to  yohn  Priest  aforesaid,  or  to  jFonas 
Priest  of  Waltham  shall  be  well  rewarded. 


GROTON    HISTORICAL   SERIES. 
No.  XVII. 


AN    OLD    HOUSE,  AND   SOME   OF   ITS   OCCUPANTS. 
TWO   BALLOON   DESCENTS   IN   GROTON. 
TUNES   CALLED    "GROTON." 

JOHN   BULKLEY'S   DEATH. 
DR.   WM.   DOUGLASS'S  SUMMARY. 

THE   SOUTH   MILITARY   COMPANY. 

A  PROVINCIAL   NOTE-FORGER. 
COMMODORE   BAINBRIDGE   AND   THE   LAKIN    FARM. 
MISS   CLARISSA  BUTLER. 

REVOLUTIONARY   SOLDIERS. 

THE   INDIAN   ATTACK   OF  JULY   27,  1694. 


GROTON,    MASS. 
1886. 


GROTON,   MASSACHUSETTS,   1886. 
Historical  Series,  No.  XVII. 


AN  OLD  HOUSE,  AND   SOME  OF   ITS 
OCCUPANTS. 

During  the  summer  of  1876  there  was  printed  for  private 
circulation  a  book  entitled  "Journal  of  a  Tour  to  Niagara 
Falls  in  the  year  1805,"  by  Timothy  Bigelow.  (Boston :  octavo, 
pp.  XX,  121.)  It  is  an  interesting  volume,  with  an  introduc- 
tion by  Abbott  Lawrence,  a  grandson  of  Mr.  Bigelow.  The 
writer  of  the  Journal  was  a  distinguished  lawyer,  living  in 
Groton  at  the  time,  and  he  tells  how  he  set  out  from  Boston, 
on  July  8,  1805,  with  four  companions,  and  travelled  through 
the  interior  of  the  State  of  New  York,  then  almost  a  wil- 
derness, but  now  teeming  with  thrifty  towns  and  cities.  The 
party  returned  by  the  way  of  Montreal,  having  been  absent 
just  six  weeks  and  having  travelled  1355  miles  during  the 
trip.  Mr.  Bigelow  makes  the  following  entry  near  the  end  of 
the  Journal :  — 

To  Batchelder's  in  New  Ipswich  [New  HampshireJ,  a  very  good 
house,  to  sleep,  ten  miles.  We  arrived  here  between  four  and  five 
o'clock ;  and,  as  we  were  now  within  twenty  miles  of  Groton,  we 
had  sufficient  time  to  have  gone  there  this  afternoon.  But  this  was 
the  place  established  for  the  stage  to  stop  at  over  night ;  and,  as 
the  horses  were  tired,  we  could  not  persuade  the  driver  to  proceed. 
Not  being  able  to  procure  any  other  conveyance,  we  submitted  to 
the  necessity  of  passing  the  night  here. 

Sunday,  August  i8th.  Regularly,  the  stage  does  not  go  from  this 
place  till  Monday  morning ;  but,  impatient  of  being  longer  detained 


here,  we  prevailed  on  the  driver  for  some  additional  fare  to  proceed 
with  us  this  morning,  and  we  arrived  at  my  house  in  Groton  in  con- 
venient season  to  dine.  Here  we  adjusted  our  money  concerns, 
which  we  effected  with  great  facility,  in  consequence  of  the  simple 
method  which  we  had  adopted  at  first.  This  was  no  other  than  to 
take  an  account  of  the  sum  which  each  one  had,  deducting  from 
that  the  sum  each  now  had  left,  and  adding  all  the  balances  to- 
gether gave  the  whole  expense,  and  enabled  us  to  complete  a  settle- 
ment in  a  few  minutes.  The  expense  to  each  one  was  short  of  one 
hundred  and  seventy  dollars  (pages  120,  121). 

Timothy  Bigelow  was  the  eldest  son  of  Timothy  and  Anna 
(Andrews)  Bigelow,^  and  born  at  Worcester,  on  April  30,  1767. 
He  was  fitted  for  Harvard  College  under  the  tuition  of  Ben- 
jamin Lincoln  and  of  the  celebrated  Samuel  Dexter,  then  a 
law-student  at  Worcester.  He  graduated  with  high  rank  at 
Cambridge  in  the  class  of  1786,  and  entered  at  once  upon  the 
study  of  his  profession,  in  the  office  of  Levi  Lincoln,  the  elder. 
Admitted  to  the  bar  in  the  year  1789,  he  began  the  practice 
of  law  at  Groton,  living  in  the  house  then  occupied  by  Mrs. 
Converse  Richardson,  where  he  also  had  his  office.  The  dwell- 
ing was  situated  on  the  south  side  of  what  is  now  Elm  Street, 
near  the  corner  of  Pleasant  Street,  though  it  was  moved  away 
in  the  autumn  of  i86o,  to  a  lot  near  the  head  of  the  old  Jen- 
kins road,  recently  discontinued.  It  is  said  that  he  sat  in  his 
office  six  weeks  without  taking  a  fee,  and  then  he  received  a 
pistareen!  He  was  married  on  September  3,  1791,  to  Lucy, 
daughter  of  Dr.  Oliver  and  Lydia  (Baldwin)  Prescott,  who  was 
born  on  March  13, 1771.  After  his  marriage  he  removed  to  the 
house  standing,  until  the  summer  of  1875,  between  Governor 
Boutwell's  dwelling  and  Mr.  Graves's.  Mr.  Bigelow  soon  ac- 
quired a  wide  reputation  and  a  large  practice,  by  no  means  con- 
fined to  Middlesex  County.  Many  young  men  came  to  Groton, 
in  order  to  study  law  under  his  tuition,  and  not  a  few  of 
them  afterward  became  eminent  in  their  profession.  Among 
them  were  the  following:  John  Harris,  Judge  of  the  Supreme 

1  Mr.  Bigelow's  father  died  at  Worcester  on  March  31,  1790,  aged  50  years- 
his  mother  died  at  Groton  on  August  2,  1809,  aged  69,  and  lies  buried  in  the 
Lawrence  lot  at  the  Groton  Cemetery. 


Court  of  New  Hampshire ;  Thomas  Rice,  of  Winslow,  Maine, 
Member  of  Congress ;  John  Locke,  of  Ashby,  Member  of 
Congress  ;  Joseph  Locke,  Judge  of  the  PoHce  Court  of  Low- 
ell for  thirteen  years  ;  John  Leighton  Tuttle  ;  Asahel  Stearns, 
University  Professor  of  Law  in  the  Harvard  Law  School ; 
John  Varnum,  of  Haverhill,  Member  of  Congress  ;  Loammi 
Baldwin,  who  afterward  became  a  distinguished  civil  engi- 
neer ;  John  Park  Little,  of  Gorham,  Maine ;  Tyler  Bigelow, 
of  Watertown ;  Luther  Lawrence,  of  Groton,  and  afterward 
of  Lowell,  where  he  died  as  Mayor  of  the  city  April  17, 
1839;  John  Stuart  and  Augustus  Peabody,  both  of  the  Suf- 
folk Bar ;  and  Abraham  Moore,  of  Groton. 

Mr.  Bigelow  took  an  active  part  in  politics,  and  for  many 
years  was  a  member  of  the  Massachusetts  House  of  Repre- 
sentatives, chosen  first  by  the  town  of  Groton,  and  afterward 
the  town  of  Medford,  where  he  was  then  living.  During 
eleven  years  at  different  times,  he  was  Speaker  of  this  branch 
of  the  Legislature,  the  longest  term  of  service  in  that  capacity 
ever  held  by  one  person. 

Amid  the  engrossing  duties  of  his  profession  Mr.  Bigelow 
found  time  for  occasional  literary  work.  While  living  at 
Groton  he  delivered  the  Oration  before  the  Phi  Beta  Kappa 
Society  at  Cambridge,  July  21,  1796;  a  Funeral  Oration 
on  Samuel  Dana,  at  one  time  minister  of  Groton,  before  the 
Benevolent  Lodge  of  Free  and  Accepted  Masons,  at  Amherst, 
New  Hampshire,  April  4,  1798  ;  and  a  Eulogy  on  Wash- 
ington before  the  Columbian  Lodge  of  Masons,  at  Boston, 
February  II,  1800, — all  which  addresses  have  been  printed. 
In  the  year  1806  he  removed  to  Medford,  where  he  died  on 
May  18,  1821. 

The  house  at  Groton,  in  which  Mr.  Bigelow  lived  after  his 
marriage,  was  built  probably  before  the  Revolution,  and  moved 
from  its  old  site  during  the  summer  of  1875,  when  it  was 
made  into  two  dwellings,  now  standing  on  the  southerly  side 
of  Court  Street,  near  its  western  end,  though  one  is  around 
the  corner.  It  was  known  to  the  present  generation  as  the 
Dr.  Amos  Bancroft  house  ;  and  I  remember  distinctly,  as  a 
boy  more  than  forty  years  ago,  that  it  took  fire  very  early  one 


morning,  and  came  near  being  burnt  to  the  ground.  Nothing 
but  the  active  and  intelligent  service  of  the  two  engine  com- 
panies and  the  Groton  Fire  Club  saved  it  from  utter  destruc- 
tion. It  has  been  occupied  by  so  many  notable  families,  that  a 
few  facts  concerning  them  may  be  deemed  worthy  of  record. 

The  first  occupant  of  this  historical  building,  of  whom  I 
can  find  any  trace,  was  Ebenezer  Champney,  a  descendant  of 
Richard,  who  came  from  Lancashire  in  England  during  the 
early  days  of  the  Colony,  and  settled  at  Cambridge.  Ebenezer 
was  born  at  Cambridge  in  April,  1744,  and  graduated  at  Har- 
vard College  in  the  class  of  1762.  He  at  first  thought  of 
entering  the  ministry,  and  to  that  end  studied  under  the 
direction  of  Parson  Trowbridge,  of  Groton,  whose  daughter 
he  subsequently  married.  Soon  afterward  leaving  this  pro- 
fession he  took  up  the  study  of  law,  and  in  the  year  1764  was 
admitted  to  the  bar  at  Portsmouth,  New  Hampshire.  He 
then  opened  an  office  at  New  Ipswich,  where  he  began  to 
practise;  and  in  the  year  1775  he  was  appointed  Judge  of 
Probate  for  Hillsborough  County,  New  Hampshire.  In  the 
spring  of  1783  he  came  back  to  Groton  and  remained  until 
1 789,  when  he  again  returned  to  New  Ipswich. 

During  the  excitement  of  Shays's  Rebellion  in  the  year 
1786,  owing  to  some  spite  which  the  insurgents  had  against 
Judge  Champney,  an  attempt  was  made  to  burn  his  office. 
Combustibles  ready  for  use  were  found  concealed  under  the 
building ;  but  fortunately  the  plot  was  discovered  in  time  to 
defeat  its  object.  The  office  stood  on  the  south  side  of  the 
house,  and  was  afterward  used  by  Mr.  Bigelow  and  Mr.  Law- 
rence, and  later  by  Dr.  Amos  Bancroft.  Subsequently  it 
was  moved  across  the  street,  and  placed  in  a  corner  of  Dr. 
Amos  B.  Bancroft's  garden,  a  short  distance  north  of  the 
present  Town  House;  after  which  it  was  again  moved  to 
the  rear  of  his  dwelling,  and  still  later  to  the  neighborhood 
of  the  railroad  station,  where  it  now  stands. 

According  to  the  town-records,  Mr.  Champney  was  married 
on  October  9,  1764,  to  Abigail,  daughter  of  the  Reverend 
Caleb  and  Hannah  (Walter)  Trowbridge ;  and  they  had  seven 
children,  of  whom  three  died  during  infancy.     By  this  mar- 


riage  he  became  connected  with  the  distinguished  families  of 
the  Cottons  and  the  Mathers.  His  wife  was  born  on  Novem- 
ber 30,  1740,  and  died  on  October  23,  1775.  In  November, 
1778,  he  was  married,  secondly,  to  Abigail  Parker,  a  daughter 
of  Samuel  Parker,  who  had  gone  from  Groton  to  New  Ipswich 
as  early  as  the  year  1760;  and  by  this  marriage  he  had  four 
children.  The  second  wife  died  in  the  year  1 790 ;  and  in 
March,  1796,  he  was  married,  thirdly,  to  Susan  Wyman,  who 
died  in  the  following  September.  Hannah,  a  daughter  by  the 
first  wife,  married  the  Honorable  James  Prescott,  Jr.  Ben- 
jamin, Judge  Champney's  eldest  child,  —  who  was  born  on 
August  20,  1764,  according  to  the  History  of  New  Ipswich 
(page  347),  —  studied  law  with  his  father,  and  after  his  admis- 
sion to  the  bar  opened  an  office  with  him  at  Groton,  during 
the  year  1786.  Here  the  son  remained  until  1792,  when  he 
joined  his  father  at  New  Ipswich,  who  had  removed  there 
three  years  previously. 

Judge  Champney  had  a  large  practice  and  exercised  a  wide 
influence  in  this  neighborhood.  During  the  earlier  years  of 
his  professional  life,  while  living  at  New  Ipswich,  he  was  the 
only  lawyer  between  Groton  and  Keene.  He  died  on  Septem- 
ber 10,  1810,  at  the  age  of  66  years. 

The  house  was  next  occupied  by  Mr.  Bigelow  ;  and  here 
his  children  were  born,  including  the  late  Reverend  Andrew 
Bigelow,  D.D.,  and  the  late  Honorable  John  Prescott  Bigelow, 
both  graduates  of  Harvard  College,  and  distinguished  men 
in  their  respective  callings.  The  latter  son  was  the  Secre- 
tary of  the  Commonwealth  during  seven  years  from  1836  to 
1843  inclusive,  and  the  Mayor  of  Boston  during  three  years 
from  1849  to  185 1  inclusive.  Two  of  the  former  Mayors  of 
Boston  have  been  natives  of  Groton,  and  their  birthplaces 
were  within  a  few  rods  of  each  other. 

Mr.  Bigelow  was  followed  by  Luther  Lawrence,  Esq.,  who 
lived  in  the  house  until  November,  181 1,  when  his  new  dwell- 
ing was  completed,  which  is  the  one  now  owned  and  occupied 
by  Eliel  Shumway.  Mr.  Lawrence  was  a  native  of  Groton, 
where  he  was  born  on  September  28,  1778,  and  a  graduate 
of  Harvard  College  in  the  class  of   1801.     He  studied  law 


with  Mr.  Bigelow,  and  afterward,  on  June  2,  1805,  married 
Mr.  Bigelow's  younger  sister,  Lucy,  who  was  born  at  Wor- 
cester, on  May  13,  1774,  and  died  in  Boston,  on  October  6, 
1856.  For  many  years  he  was  a  member  of  the  Legislature, 
and  at  one  time  Speaker  of  the  House  of  Representatives. 

It  is  somewhat  remarkable  that  two  Speakers  of  the  Massa- 
chusetts House  should  have  been  residents  of  Groton,  and 
still  more  so  that  both  should  have  lived  here  in  the  same 
dwelling.  The  coincidence  is  by  no  means  weakened  by 
the  fact  that  Governor  Boutwell,  the  present  owner  of  the 
place,  was  once  the  democratic  candidate  for  the  same  office, 
when  the  Legislature  met  on  January  6,  1847,  and  he  also  was 
a  resident  of  the  town  at  that  time.  It  may  be  worthy  of 
note  that  another  Speaker,  the  Honorable  Timothy  Fuller, 
the  father  of  Margaret,  who  is  known  as  the  Countess  d'  Ossoli, 
was  a  citizen  of  Groton  for  some  years  before  his  death,  which 
took  place  on  October  i,  1835. 

Mr.  Lawrence  had  a  large  and  successful  practice  in  Groton, 
and  among  the  students  who  read  law  in  his  office  may  be 
mentioned :  Henry  Adams  Bullard,  and  his  brother  Royal,  — 
sons  of  the  Reverend  John  Bullard,  of  Pepperell,  —  Jonathan 
Porter,  George  Frederick  Farley,  Augustus  Thorndike,  Ed- 
ward St.  Loe  Livermore,  Jr.,  Norman  Seaver,  and  William 
Amory.  Subsequently,  during  the  spring  of  183 1,  he  removed 
to  Lowell,  then  recently  incorporated,  where  seven  years  later 
he  became  the  Mayor  of  the  city.  He  was  killed  on  April  17, 
1839,  by  falling  into  a  wheel-pit,  while  showing  the  large  mill 
of  the  Middlesex  Company  to  his  friend  and  kinsman,  Tyler 
Bigelow,  Esq.,  of  Watertown. 

The  next  occupant  of  the  house  was  Dr.  Amos  Bancroft, 
a  physician  widely  known  in  Middlesex  County.  He  was 
the  son  of  Edmund  and  Rachel  (Howard  |  Barron)  Ban- 
croft, of  Pepperell,  where  he  was  born  on  May  23,  1767.  He 
graduated  at  Harvard  College  in  the  class  of  1791,  and  studied 
medicine  with  Dr.  Isaac  Hurd,  of  Concord,  and  Dr.  Oliver 
Prescott,  Jr.,  of  Groton.  He  began  the  practice  of  his  profes- 
sion at  Westford,  but  soon  afterward  went  to  Weston,  where 
he  remained  until  the  year  181 1,  when  he  removed  to  Groton. 


He  was  married  on  August  29,  1796,  to  Abigail  Whiting,  of 
HoUis,  New  Hampshire.  After  her  death  which  occurred  at 
Weston,  on  December  4,  1799,  when  she  was  28  years  old, 
he  was  married,  secondly,  on  October  7,  1800,  to  Sarah, 
daughter  of  Henry  and  Faith  (Savage)  Bass,  of  Boston,  who 
was  born  on  April  21,  1768,  and  died  on  April  30,  1837. 

He  was  married,  thirdly,  on  October  17,  1839,  to  Eliza 
Doane,  of  Boston,  who  died  on  November  11,  1840;  and 
on  October  31,  1841,  he  was  married,  fourthly,  to  Mary 
Kneeland,  of  Westford,  a  cousin  of  his  first  wife,  who  sur- 
vived him  many  years.  She  was  born  at  Westford  on  Febru- 
ary 25,  1789,  and  died  at  Groton  on  April  22,  1862,  aged  73 
years. 

Dr.  Bancroft  had  a  large  practice  and  at  various  times  a 
considerable  number  of  medical  students  under  his  charge, 
including  among  them  James  Freeman  Dana  and  Samuel 
Luther  Dana,  grandsons  of  the  Reverend  Samuel  Dana,  a 
former  minister  of  the  town.  He  was  frequently  called  in 
consultation,  sometimes  at  a  long  distance  from  home.  In 
those  days  there  were  no  railroads,  and  travelling  was  at- 
tended with  many  difficulties.  During  the  winter,  when  the 
roads  were  blocked  up  with  snow,  sometimes  he  was  obliged 
to  travel  on  snow-shoes ;  and  often,  his  patients  living  many 
miles  apart,  he  would  be  absent  from  home  several  days  at  a 
time.  To  add  to  his  discomfort  on  such  occasions,  it  was 
difficult  to  obtain  proper  food,  though  there  were  at  that 
period  but  few  dwellings  where  he  could  not  procure  some 
New  England  rum  or  other  spirit  to  help  restore  exhausted 
nature. 

His  intimacy  with  some  of  the  physicians  of  Boston  and 
its  neighborhood,  and  his  punctual  attendance  at  the  meet- 
ings of  the  Massachusetts  Medical  Society,  of  which  asso- 
ciation he  was  a  Councillor,  obliged  him  to  make  frequent 
journeys  to  that  city,  which  were  always  taken  with  his  own 
horse  and  chaise  or  sulky. 

A  story  is  told  of  him  that  he  stopped  late  one  evening 
at  the  Ridge  Hill  tavern,  in  order  to  see  a  patient.  Passing 
through  the  bar-room  he  noticed  two  evil-looking  men,  who 


8 

eyed  him  suspiciously,  and  when  going  out,  after  his  visit  was 
made,  he  looked  for  them,  but  they  were  gone.  The  road 
from  the  tavern  was  lonely,  and  the  village  three  miles  away. 
As  he  had  considerable  money  about  him,  he  felt  some  mis- 
givings, which  proved  not  to  be  groundless,  for  he  had  no 
sooner  reached  a  particularly  secluded  spot,  when  these  very 
men  stepped  out  of  the  undergrowth  by  the  roadside  and 
tried  to  stop  his  horse.  One  of  them  snatched  at  the  bridle, 
but  missed  it,  as  the  horse  threw  up  his  head  at  the  time ; 
and  Dr.  Bancroft,  whipping  the  animal,  left  the  men  far  behind, 
but  not  before  a  bullet  had  pierced  the  back  of  the  sulky,  and 
whizzed  close  by  his  ear. 

Dr.  Bancroft  rarely  left  home  for  pleasure,  but  in  the  year 
1829  his  health  demanded  a  change,  and  in  company  with  a 
brother  he  went  West  in  order  to  visit  a  half-sister,  Mrs.  Mary 
(Bancroft)  Dana,  then  living  at  Marietta,  Ohio.  It  was  a 
long  and  tedious  journey,  but  the  trip  benefited  him. 

Dr.  Bancroft  was  a  member  of  the  First  Parish  Church 
(Unitarian)  in  Groton,  and  one  of  the  eight  mentioned  in  Mr. 
Butler's  History  (page  197),  who  received  a  note  of  pretended 
excommunication  from  the  seceders.  He  was  a  constant 
attendant  on  the  Sunday  exercises  until  his  hearing  became 
much  impaired.  His  health  was  never  strong;  but  the  severe 
attacks  of  illness  to  which  he  was  subject  decreased  in  fre- 
quency as  his  years  advanced.  On  July  12,  1848,  while 
walking  down  State  Street  in  Boston,  he  stepped  from  the 
sidewalk  in  order  to  cross  the  way,  when  a  wagon  coming 
rapidly  knocked  him  down,  and  injured  him  so  severely  that 
he  died  a  few  hours  later.  The  following  account  of  the 
mishap  appears  in  the  "Daily  Evening  Transcript"  of  that 
day. 

Serious  Accident.  As  the  venerable  Dr.  Amos  Bancroft,  of 
Groton,  was  crossing  State  street  this  morning  at  11  o'clock'  he 
was  struck  in  the  head  by  the  shaft  of  a  wagon  driven  through'  the 
street  by  D.  Lawrence,  Dover,  N.  H.,  knocked  down,  and  ren- 
dered senseless  by  the  shock.  He  was  taken  up  and  carried  to 
the  apothecary  shop  of  Dr.  Brown  by  police  officer  Whiting,  and 
Dr.  Shattuck  and  other  physicians  who  happened  to  be  near  were 


9 

promptly  on  hand  to  render  aid  and  assistance.  He  was  taken  to 
No.  I  Crescent  Place,  where  every  aid  possible  for  his  relief  will  be 
administered.  He  bled  profusely  from  the  ear,  and  it  is  feared  he 
is  fatally  injured.  Dr.  Bancroft  is  77  years  of  age,  and  partially 
deaf,  and  of  defective  eye  sight.  The  last  information  we  had.  Dr. 
B.  had  partially  recovered  his  senses,  but  was  very  weak  from  the 
great  loss  of  blood. 

The  homestead  passed  next  into  the  hands  of  Dr.  Ban- 
croft's eldest  son,  Charles,  who  lived  there  until  his  death, 
which  took  place  on  July  22,  1873.  Charles  was  the  father 
of  Colonel  William  Amos  Bancroft,  a  graduate  of  Harvard 
College  in  the  class  of  1878,  who  a  few  years  ago  was  some- 
what noted  in  college  circles  as  an  oarsman,  and  who  at 
the  present  time  is  the  Superintendent  of  the  Cambridge 
Railroad  Company. 

Amos  Bigelow  Bancroft  was  another  son  of  Dr.  Arnos ;  he 
was  born  at  Groton,  on  April  3,  181 1,  and  graduated  at  Har- 
vard College  in  the  class  of  1831.  He  studied  medicine 
with  Dr.  George  Cheyne  Shattuck,  of  Boston,  and  in  the 
year  1834  began  the  practice  of  his  profession  at  Groton. 
Here  he  remained  until  the  spring  of  1853,  when  he  removed 
to  Charlestown,  and  became  associated  with  Dr.  Jonathan 
Wheeler  Bemis.  While  living  in  Charlestown  he  was  physi- 
cian to  the  State  Prison  during  more  than  ten  years.  Under 
the  administration  of  General  Grant  he  was  appointed  Super- 
intendent and  Surgeon  in  charge  of  the  Marine  Hospital  at 
Chelsea,  which  position  he  held  from  August  i,  1869,  to  June 
30,  1877,  when  he  took  up  his  residence  in  Boston.  While 
travelling  abroad  with  his  family,  he  died  in  Florence,  Italy, 
on  November  8,  1879,  much  lamented  by  a  wide  circle  of 
friends  and  patients  at  home,  —  leaving  a  widow  and  two 
daughters  to  mourn  his  loss. 

The  estate  was  then  bought  by  the  Honorable  George  S. 
Boutwell,  in  whose  possession  it  now  remains,  though  the 
house  was  moved  away,  as  before  stated,  during  the  summer 
of  1875.  The  large  barn  on  the  place  was  burned  in  the 
afternoon  of  May  8,  1876,  and  thus  disappeared  the  last 
vestige  of  an  interesting  old  landmark  of  Groton. 


lO 


TWO   BALLOON   DESCENTS   IN  GROTON. 

It  is  said  that  lightning  never  strikes  twice  in  the  same 
place ;  but  from  the  following  it  seems  that  balloons  some- 
times come  down  in  the  same  neighborhood. 

On  July  4,  i860,  as  a  part  of  the  usual  city  celebration  on 
that  day,  a  balloon  ascension  was  made  from  Boston  Common 
by  Samuel  King,  in  company  with  his  sister  Mrs.  Porter,  and 
Edwin  Bradbury  Haskell,  of  "  The  Boston  Herald  "  newspaper. 
The  party  left  the  Common,  shortly  after  six  o'clock  in  the 
afternoon,  in  the  balloon  known  as  "  The  Queen  of  the  Air  ; " 
and  the  descent  was  made  a  little  after  one  o'clock  in  the 
morning,  on  the  hill,  immediately  south  of  Snake  Hill  and 
contiguous  to  it,  in  the  open  field  behind  Sumner  Graves's 
house,  in  the  south  part  of  Groton.  The  "Boston  Daily 
Advertiser,"  July  6,  i860,  gives  the  following  account  of 
the  trip :  — 

"  The  Queen  of  the  Air "  went  over  the  harbor,  Charlestown, 
Cambridge,  through  the  valley  of  Charles  river,  touching  a  ledge 
in  Waltham,  and  finally  landed  in  Groton,  at  one  o'clock  yesterday 
morning.  At  the  time  they  landed,  it  was  rainy  and  uncomfortable. 
The  aeronauts  were  unfortunate  in  getting  shelter.  After  applying 
to  several  of  the  residents,  finally  they  found  a  good  Samaritan  in 
the  person  of  Mr.  Valencourt  Stone,  who  came  out  with  a  lantern, 
and  piloted  the  balloonists  to  his  house,  and  paid  them  great 
attention. 

Eleven  years  later,  the  same  aeronaut  made  an  ascent  from 
Fitchburg,  on  September  27,  1871,  under  the  patronage  of 
the  Worcester  North  Agricultural  Society,  and  came  down 
on  this  identical  hill.  The  landing  was  made  near  Mr. 
Graves's  house,  on  the  west  side  of  the  road  to  Harvard,  while 
the  previous  landing  was  on  the  east  side  of  the  road,  nearer 
the  summit.  His  descent  at  this  particular  spot  was  not  influ- 
enced by  design,  any  further  than  that  it  was  a  cleared  field, 
and  a  good  place  to  alight.  On  the  first  occasion  Mr.  King 
came  down  in  the  night  time,  and,  of  course,  received  no  clear 


II 

impressions  of  the  neighborhood.  Approaching  the  hill  during 
the  second  trip,  he  did  not  recognize  it  as  the  place  of  his 
former  landing;  nor  was  he  aware  of  the  fact,  until  told  by 
one  of  the  bystanders,  after  the  descent. 

I  remember  seeing  the  balloon,  on  the  afternoon  in  ques- 
tion, floating  along  through  the  air,  just  before  the  descent, 
at  which  time  Mr.  King  was  busily  engaged  in  waving  the 
American  flag,  distinctly  visible  to  a  large  number  of  be- 
holders gazing  at  the  novel  sight. 

"The  Fitchburg  Reveille,"  September  28,  1871,  has  the 
following  account  of  the  start :  — 

The  Balloon  Ascension,  which  had  been  announced  for  Tues- 
day [September  26],  but  failed  to  come  off,  took  place  at  a  quarter 
to  five  o'clock  [on  Wednesday].  The  airship,  with  its  solitary 
passenger,  rose  gracefully  and  sailed  rapidly  away  in  an  easterly 
direction,  wafted  by  the  light,  west  wind,  which  was  blowing  at  the 
time.  We  learn  by  telegraph,  that  Prof.  King  landed  safely  near 
Groton  Junction. 

"The  Fitchburg  Sentinel,"  September  30,  gives  this  ver- 
sion :  — 

The  balloon  ascension  which  had  been  postponed  from  the 
previous  day  [Tuesday]  on  account  of  the  rain,  took  place  at  a 
quarter  to  five  [on  Wednesday].  Prof.  King,  the  aeronaut,  after 
leaving  terra  firma  in  his  Air-ship  "  Aurora,"  rose  to  the  height 
of  about  half  a  mile,  and  then  borne  by  a  slight  breeze,  floated 
slowly  off  to  the  eastward,  and  after  an  hour's  sail,  landed  in  the 
town  of  Ayer,  without  mishap. 

It  is  certainly  a  singular  coincidence  that  an  aeronaut, 
going  up  from  Boston  Common,  and  sailing  westward,  in  a 
circuitous  direction,  should  make  a  descent  on  a  hill  thirty 
miles  away ;  and  that  the  same  man,  some  years  later,  going 
up  from  Fitchburg  and  sailing  eastward,  should  come  down 
on  that  identical  hill,  twelve  miles  away  from  the  starting- 
point,  —  and  this  without  any  design  or  intention  on  his  part. 
It  seems  to  have  been  one  of  those  accidents,  which  illustrate 
the  French  proverb  that  "  Nothing  is  more  probable  than  the 
improbable." 


12 


TUNES   CALLED   "GROTON." 

A  SINGING-BOOK,  entitled  "  Indian  Melodies,"  was  published 
at  New  York,  in  the  year  1845,  containing  a  tune  called 
"  Groton."  The  compiler  of  the  work  was  Thomas  Commock, 
a  Narragansett  Indian,  then  living  at  Manchester,  Wisconsin 
Territory ;  and,  in  a  note  after  the  Preface,  he  says  that  all 
the  tunes  mentioned  in  the  book,  as  well  as  their  names,  are 
Indian,  which  is  a  mistake.  Groton  is  an  old  English  word, 
in  use  more  than  eight  hundred  years  ago,  and  its  Latin  form 
is  found  in  Domesday  Book. 

There  are  several  tunes  called  "  Groton,"  given  in  different 
singing-books,  but  the  earliest  one  that  I  can  find  is  in  "  The 
Rural  Harmony,"  by  Jacob  Kimball,  Jr.,  published  at  Bos- 
ton, in  the  year  1793.  It  is  in  common  metre;  and  I  am 
inclined  to  think  that  the  author  of  the  work  wrote  it  himself. 
Mr.  Kimball  was  born  at  Topsfield,  Massachusetts,  on  Feb- 
ruary 15,  1761,  and  graduated  at  Harvard  College  in  the  class 
of  1780.  He  read  law  with  Judge  William  Wetmore,  of 
Salem,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  the  year  1795.  Before 
studying  his  profession  he  was  a  school-master  and  a  some- 
what noted  composer  of  music.  He  wrote  quite  a  number  of 
tunes,  and  a  few  of  them  were  named  after  the  towns  where 
he  taught  singing.  At  one  time  he  lived  in  Amherst,  New 
Hampshire;  and  perhaps  while  there  he  named  this  tune 
after  the  town  of  Groton.  He  died  at  Topsfield,  on  July  24, 
1826. 

In  Andrew  Law's  "  Harmonic  Companion  "  (Philadelphia, 
copyrighted  1807)  is  a  long  metre  tune  called  "  Groton."  In 
"The  Choir"  (Boston,  1833),  second  edition,  by  Lowell  Ma- 
son, another  one,  in  particular  metre,  is  given;  and  in  "The 
Massachusetts  Collection  of  Psalmody"  (Boston,  1840),  second 
edition,  by  George  James  Webb,  is  still  another,  in  long 
metre. 


13 


JOHN   BULKLEY'S   DEATH. 

On  Thursday  the  3d  Instant  died,  of  the  Strangury,  Colonel  John 
BuLKLEY  of  Groton,  JEt.  69,  —  having  suffered  with  surprizing 
Fortitude  that  most  painful  Disease  upwards  of  eleven  Days. 

"  The  Massachusetts  Gazette  :  and  the  Boston  Weekly  News-Letter,"  De- 
cember 17,  1772. 


DR.   WM.   DOUGLASS'S   SUMMARY. 

Many  plants  were  brought  originally  to  New  England 
'from  other  countries  for  their  medical  virtues,  and  many  were 
introduced  by  chance.  Some  have  multiplied  so  rapidly  and 
grown  so  plentifully  in  the  fields  and  by  the  roadside,  that 
they  are  now  considered  common  weeds.  Wormwood,  tansy, 
chamomile,  yarrow,  dandelion,  burdock,  plantain,  catnip,  and 
mint,  all  came  here  by  importation.  These  foreign  plants 
made  their  way  into  the  interior,  as  fast  as  civilization  ex- 
tended in  that  direction.  Dr.  William  Douglass,  in  "A  Sum- 
mary, Historical  and  Political,  Of  the  first  Planting,  progressive 
Improvements,  and  present  State  of  the  British  Settlements 
in  North- America,"  first  published  at  Boston, — Volume  I. 
in  the  year  1749,  and  Volume  II.  in  1753, —  says  :  — 

Near  Boston  and  other  great  Towns,  some  Field  Plants  which 
accidentally  have  been  imported  from  Europe,  spread  much,  and 
are  a  great  Nusance  in  Pastures,  ...  at  present  they  have  spread 
Inland  from  Boston,  about  30  Miles  (II.  207). 

According  to  this  statement,  the  pioneers  of  some  of  these 
foreign  weeds  had  reached  Groton  near  the  middle  of  the  last 
century.  Dr.  Douglass  gives  another  fact  about  the  town, 
which  is  worth  preserving.     He  says  :  — 

There  are  some  actual  Surveys  of  Extents  which  ought  not  to  be 
lost  in  Oblivion  ;  as  for  Instance,  from  Merrimack  River  due  West 


14 

to  Groton  Meeting-House  are  12  miles ;  from  Groton  Meeting 
House  (as  surveyed  by  Col.  Stoddard,  Major  Fulham,  and  Mr. 
Dwight,  by  Order  of  the  General  Assembly)  to  Northfield  Meeting- 
House  W.  16  d.  N.  by  Compass,  are  41  Miles  and  half ;  from  Deer- 
field  Meeting-House  near  Connecticut  River,  a  little  higher  [lower  ?], 
to  Albany  Church  upon  the  West  Side  of  Hudson's  river,  W.  12  and 
half  d.  N.  are  57  Miles  20  Rod.  From  such  actual  Surveys  the 
publick  Roads  may  be  laid  out  to  better  Advantage  than  at  pres- 
ent :  For  Instance,  the  present  Road  from  Boston  to  Albany  (this  is 
the  Road  to  Monreal  in  Canada)  by  Way  of  Springfield,  the  Hous- 
atonicks,  and  Kinderhook  is  about  200  miles ;  a  new  and  better 
Road,  but  not  as  yet  well  improv'd,  is  via  Lancaster  and  Nichawog 
[Petersham]  to  Sunderland  upon  Connecticut  River  84  Miles,  and 
from  Deerfield  a  little  higher  to  Albany  are  57  Miles,  being  in  all 
only  about  150  Miles  (I.  425  note). 

Such  surveys,  as  those  mentioned  in  this  extract,  were  o& 
more  value  to  the  public,  before  the  days  of  railroads,  than 
they  are  now ;  but,  as  the  author  says,  they  "  ought  not  to  be 
lost  in  Oblivion." 


THE   SOUTH   MILITARY   COMPANY. 

The  following  copies  of  original  papers  were  given  me, 
some  years  ago,  by  Dr.  John  S.  H.  Fogg,  of  South  Boston,  in 
whose  possession  they  were  at  that  time.  They  relate  to  the 
South  Company  of  Groton,  then  commanded  by  Captain 
Timothy  Bigelow,  who  afterward  became  Speaker  of  the 
Massachusetts  House  of  Representatives,  as  also  did  Luther 
Lawrence,  to  whom  one  of  the  warrants  is  addressed.  Tyler 
Bigelow,  one  of  the  private  soldiers,  was  a  cousin  and  subse- 
quently a  brother-in-law  of  Captain  Timothy,  and  the  father 
of  the  late  Honorable  George  Tyler  Bigelow,  formerly  Chief 
Justice  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  Massachusetts.  Loammi 
Baldwin,  Jr.,  another  private,  was  afterward  a  distinguished 
civil  engineer,  who  built  the  Government  dry  docks  at  Charles- 
town  and  at  Norfolk,  Virginia.     For  many  years  there  were 


15 


three  military  companies  in  the  town,  known  respectively  as 
the  North  Company,  the  South  Company,  and  the  Groton 
Artillery;  and  occasionally  they  would  parade  together  through 
the  village  streets,  and  drill  as  a  battalion. 


Middlesex  ss.     To  John  Reed  sergeant.     Greeting. 
In   the  name  of  the  Commonwealth  of  Massachusetts  you 
required  to  notify  and  warn 


are 


Joseph  Stone  sergeant. 
Sam!  Reed  sergeant. 
Saml.  Paine  sergeant. 
Rufus  Moors  corporal. 
Thomas  Mead  corporal 
Peter  Chase  corporal. 
Jonas  Trowbridge  fifer 
John  Fitch  fifer. 
Josiah  Hazen  fifer 
John  Kemp  drummer 
Amos  Davis  Jr.  drummer 
John  Adams  Jr.  drummer 
Benj°  Buttriclc 
Thaddeus  Bailey 
Timothy  Blood 
Oliver  Blood  3* 
Jonathan  Bennet 
Edward  Bolton 
Johnathan  Cooper 
Samuel  Cooke 
Moses  Chase. 
Samuel  Dodge 
Abel  Davis 
Ephraim  Farnsworth. 


Ezra  Farnsworth. 
Abel  Farnesworth. 
David  Fletcher. 
Eli  Flint. 
Benj°  Farnsworth 
Stephen  Farrar. 
Henry  Farwell  Jr. 
Silas  Farwell. 
Sam'.  Farnsworth 
Zachariah  Fitch  Jr. 
Thomas  Gass. 
Phineas  Gould 
Nathan  Hubbard  Jr. 
Daniel  Hart 
Elias  Hart 
Joseph  Hemenway 
Amos  Harris. 
Noah  Humphreys 
James  Kendall 
Ebenezer  Lampson. 
Amos  Lampson  Jr. 
Abel  Morse 
Abijah  Nutting 
Phinehas  Nutting. 


Jonathan  Nutting 
Moses  Nutting 
Hezekiah  Spaulding 
Thomas  Bennett  Jr. 
Simon  Page  Jr. 
John  Parke. 
Elijah  Paine. 
John  Robbins  Jr. 
John  Rockwood 
Alpheus  Richardson. 
Amos  Stone  Jr. 
Caleb  Symmes 
Phineas  Stone. 
Sylvanus  Smith. 
Abraham  Symonds. 
William  Symonds. 
Abel  Swallow. 
Joseph  Sawtell  3* 
Peter  Tarbell 
John  Trufant. 
Amos  Tarbell 
Joseph  Wright 
Asa  Wheeler 
Parker  Wetherbee. 


All  belonging  to  the  South  Company  in  Groton,  in  said  County 
commanded  by  me  of  which  Company  you  are  the  first  sergeant 
and  clerk,  to  appear  on  the  publick  parade,  or  training  field,  in  said 
Groton  on  Thursday  the  4""  day  of  July  next,  at  one  of  the  clock  in 
the  afternoon,  with  their  arms  and  equipments  compleat,  for  the  pur- 
pose of  military  instruction  and  exercise.  And  in  case  you  cannot 
conveniently  notify  and  warn  the  said  persons  as  aforesaid  yourself 
you  are  to  cause  the  same  to  be  done  by  some  other  non-com- 
missioned officer  belonging  to  said  company,  by  giving  them,  or  some 
of  them,  orders  for  that  purpose  in  my  name.     Hereof  fail  not,  and 


i6 

make  return  of  this  warrant  with  your  doings  thereon  to  myself  at 

or  before   said   day.      Given  under  my  hand  &  seal  this  4*  day 

of  May  in  the  year  of  our  Lord  one  thousand  seven  hundred  and 

ninety  nine. 

Timothy  Bjgelow  Captain. 

Groton,  June  25*  1799. 

In  obedience  to  the  within  warrant  I  have  notified  and  warned 
all  the  within  named  persons  (or  caused  the  same  to  be  done  by  a 
sergeant)  to  appear  at  the  time  and  place. 

John  Reed. 

Middlesex  ss.    To  Luther  Lawrence     Greeting. 
In  the  name  of  the  Commonwealth  of  Massachusetts  you  are 
required  to  notify  and  warn 

Amos  Davis  Drummer  James  Farnsworth. 

David  Darling  Jonas  Phillips 

Joseph  Bullard  Isaac  Hall 

William  Shiple  Eli  Faulkner 

Timothy  H.  Newman  Samuel  Phips 

Benjamin  Page  Jun^  Daniel  Swallow 

Phinehas  Gould  William  Stearns 

Aaron  Jewett.  Abel  Holden 

James  Kendall  Jabez  Parker 

Lommi  Baldwin  Jun'  Asa  Jinneson 

Tyler  Bigelow  Stephen  Kemp. 

William  Lawrence  John  Wright. 

Ezra  Farnsworth  Daniel  Richardson 
David  Fletcher 

All  belonging  to  the  South  company  in  Groton  in  said  County 
commanded  by  me  of  which  you  are  also  a  member  to  appear  on 
the  public  parade  or  training  field  in  said  Groton  on  Tuesday  the 
third  day  of  May  next  at  one  of  the  clock  in  the  afternoon  with 
their  arms  and  equipments  compleat  for  the  purpose  of  exami- 
nation and  view  of  arms,  and  for  military  instruction  and  exercise. 
Hereof  fail  not  and  make  due  return  of  this  order  to  myself  or  the 
commanding  officer  at  said  time  and  place.  Given  under  my  hand 
and  seal  this  eleventh  day  of  April  in  the  year  of  our  Lord  one 
thousand  eight  hundred  and  three 

Timothy  Bigelov/  Captain 


17 

Middlesex  ss.    Groton  April  28.  1803. 

In  obedience  to  the  within  warrant  I  have  given  legal  notice  to 
all  the  persons  within  mentioned  (except  Amos  Davis,  Tyler  Bige- 
low,  and  Daniel  Richardson  who  are  out  of  town)  to  appear  at  the 
time  and  place  within  mentioned  for  the  purposes  within  mentioned. 

Luther  Lawrence. 


A   PROVINCIAL   NOTE-FORGER. 

Last  Friday  a  Man  who  calls  himself  Shebuel  Hubbard,  and 
says  he  belongs  to  Groton,  was  apprehended  and  sent  to  Goal ;  he 
having  in  a  different  Dress,  and  by  different  Names,  viz.  Parker, 
Parks  and  Fairbanks,  four  Times  receiv'd  Warrants  or  Orders 
from  the  Committee  appointed  by  the  General  Court  for  receiving 
and  burning  the  Bills  of  Credit  of  this  Province,  to  the  Treasurer, 
for  Nineteen  Pounds  and  some  odd  Shillings,  old  Tenor  each, 
which  he  wickedly  alter'd  into  Ninety  Pounds,  letting  the  odd  Sum 
stand ;  three  of  which  being  paid  in  Silver,  a  Discovery  of  the 
Fraud  was  made ;  and  notwithstanding  Enquiry  was  made  after 
him,  having  got  a  fourth  Order  just  before  by  a  different  Name  and 
in  a  different  Habit,  he  had  the  Confidence  to  go  to  the  Treasury 
to  get  it  exchang'd,  where  he  was  immediately  siez'd.  Upon  his 
Examination  he  made  many  trifling  Excuses  ;  but  the  Cheat  appear- 
ing so  very  plain,  he  at  last  confess'd  the  whole,  and  that  the 
Money  was  at  his  Lodgings,  to  which  he  directed  the  Sheriff,  where 
was  found  Ninety  Dollars,  besides  Coppers,  and  sundry  other 
Things. 

"The  Boston  Weekly  News-Letter,"  September  13,  1750. 

This  Day  Shebuel  Hubbard  of  Groton  is  to  stand  two  Hours  in 
the  Pillory,  pursuant  to  a  Sentence  of  the  Superiour  Court,  for  alter- 
ing and  forgeing  several  Warrants  from  the  Committee,  to  the  Treas- 
urer, for  exchanging  Bills  of  this  Province  for  Dollars,  as  mention'd 
in  the  public  Prints  some  Time  since :  He  is  likewise  to  suffer 
three  Months  Imprisonment. 

"  The  Boston  Weekly  News-Letter,"  December  13,  1750. 


i8 


COMMODORE    BAINBRIDGE    AND    THE 
LAKIN    FARM. 

Many  years  ago  Commodore  William  Bainbridge,  one  of 
the  heroes  of  the  American  navy  during  the  last  war  with 
England,  owned  an  undivided  third  of  a  farm  of  220  acres  in 
Groton,  which  was  used  for  sheep  raising.  It  has  since  been 
known  as  the  David  Lakin  place,  and  is  situated  on  the  road 
leading,  from  the  beginning  of  Farmers'  Row  to  the  Great 
Road,  just  below  the  railroad  bridge,  half  a  mile  north  of  the 
Baptist  Meeting-House.  It  extended  from  the  Jenkins  road 
on  its  southerly  border  to  the  Great  Road  on  its  northerly  ; 
and  on  this  farm  Mr.  Lakin  took  care  of  the  paupers  before 
the  town  had  an  alms-house.  The  Jenkins  road  was  so  called 
from  a  man  who  lived  in  that  neighborhood,  previous  to  the 
Revolution  ;  but,  by  a  recent  vote  of  the  town  on  April  6, 
1885,  it  has  been  closed  to  the  public  travel  on  account  of  its 
proximity  to  the  Nashua  River,  and  the  consequent  danger 
arising  therefrom. 

According  to  the  record  in  the  Middlesex  Registry  of  Deeds 
(Book  CCXXIII.  page  115)  at  East  Cambridge,  Commodore 
Bainbridge  sold  his  interest  in  the  place,  on  July  2,  1817,  to 
John  Lakin.  During  four  years  before  this  time,  in  con- 
nection with  Robert  C.  Ludlow,  of  Charlestown,  and  Charles 
W.  Green,  of  Boston,  Bainbridge  had  owned  several  parcels 
of  land  in  the  vicinity,  which,  presumably,  were  used  for 
sheep-raising  purposes,  and  perhaps  made  up  this  farm. 
John  Lakin  died  on  August  6,  18 17,  at  the  age  of  34  years; 
and  the  place  was  then  carried  on  by  a  brother,  David 
Lakin,  Jr.,  who  subsequently  married  John's  widow. 

This  family  of  Lakins  was  descended  from  William,  an 
original  settler  of  the  town,  who  died  here  on  December  10, 
1672,  aged  91  years.  I  have  seen  a  deed,  now  in  the  pos- 
session of  Charles  Gerrish,  dated  1696  and  signed  by  John 
Lakin,  a  grandson  of  William,  giving  to  his  son  Benjamin, 
land  lying  "  nigh  the  River  at  Nod."    This  deed,  which  is 


19 

duly  recorded  at  East  Cambridge,  mentions  "  Nommucks," 
and  also  speaks  of  the  "  Lower  sledge  "  and  "  Smith's  sledge," 
different  parcels  of  land  in  the  same  neighborhood.  These 
patches,  and  perhaps  others,  probably  comprised  what  was 
known  then  as  "  the  sledges."  Nod  and  Naumox  are  names 
of  places  used  at  a  very  early  period  in  the  annals  of  the 
town.  See  No.  XV.  (pages  8,  17,  18)  of  this  Historical 
Series,  for  a  reference  to  these  locaHties. 

Theodore  Bainbridge,  of  Philadelphia,  was  attending  school 
at  Groton  Academy  in  the  year  1815  ;  and  I  am  told  that  he 
was  a  nephew  of  the  Commodore. 

Mrs.  William  Gragg  Blood  (formerly  Mrs.  John  Lawrence), 
of  East  Pepperell,  a  daughter  of  John  Lakin,  tells  me  that  she 
remembers  distinctly  the  time  when  Commodore  Bainbridge 
owned  an  interest  in  the  farm,  which  he  would  visit  occasion- 
ally, and  give  general  directions  in  regard  to  its  management. 
At  certain  seasons  there  were,  according  to  her  recollection, 
as  many  as  2000  sheep  and  lambs  on  the  place,  which  were 
raised  more  for  the  fleece  than  the  mutton.  At  that  period 
every  farmer's  wife  had  a  loom,  and  homespun  fabric  was 
used  in  every  household ;  but,  independently  of  this,  large 
mills  were  then  projected,  and  manufactures  were  slowly 
creeping  into  New  England,  at  Waltham  and  elsewhere,  thus 
creating  a  demand  for  wool.  It  was  thought  that  merino 
sheep-raising  was  to  be  a  great  industry,  which  the  actual 
result  did  not  bear  out. 

In  former  times  many  wild  pigeons  were  caught  in  this 
neighborhood,  during  the  harvest  season,  by  means  of  nets  ; 
and  in  other  country  towns  generally,  until  the  whistle  of  the 
locomotive,  and  the  growing  settlements,  drove  away  these 
birds  from  their  old  haunts.  To  such  an  extent  was  the  busi- 
ness carried  on  in  Massachusetts  that  as  late  as  March  13^ 
1849,  the  General  Court  passed  "An  Act  for  the  protec- 
tion of  Pigeon  Beds,"  as  the  places  were  called  to  which 
the  birds  were  tolled.  During  my  boyhood  there  were  on  this 
farm  a  pigeon  stand  or  roost,  and  a  pigeon  bed,  near  the  Tuity 
Road,  where  David  Lakin,  Jr.,  in  the  season  used  to  catch 
large  numbers  and  sell  them  in  the  village. 


20 


MISS   CLARISSA    BUTLER. 

Groton  was  one  of  the  earliest  towns  in  the  Common- 
wealth to  choose  a  woman  as  a  member  of  the  school  com- 
mittee. When  the  legality  of  the  measure  was  first  discussed 
in  the  State,  it  met  with  considerable  opposition,  which  the 
General  Court  promptly  decided  on  June  30,  1874,  by  the 
following  brief  enactment :  — 

No  person  shall  be  deemed  to  be  ineligible  to  serve  upon  a 
school  committee  by  reason  of  sex. 

Before  the  passage  of  this  Act,  however,  the  town  had 
chosen,  on  March  3,  1873,  Miss  Clarissa  Butler  and  Mrs.  Mary 
T.  Shumway  as  members  of  the  school  board.  Miss  Butler's 
labors  in  this  new  capacity  were  cut  short  by  her  untimely 
death  on  December  22,  1875.  The  following  tribute  to  her 
memory  was  paid  by  the  writer  of  these  lines,  who  remembers 
her  with  the  pleasantest  recollections  as  the  teacher  of  the  first 
school  which  he  ever  attended  :  — 

Miss  Clarissa  Butler  of  Groton  died  in  this  city  last  Wednesday, 
after  a  long  illness.  She  was  a  native  of  Groton  and  a  daughter 
of  the  late  Caleb  Butler,  esq.,  the  historian  of  the  town.  She  will 
be  greatly  missed  by  her  neighbors  and  townfolks,  as  she  occupied 
a  position  of  remarkable  usefulness.  For  the  last  forty  years  she 
has  been  closely  connected  with  the  local  charities  and  the  ques- 
tions of  public  education,  and  she  has  been  so  capable  in  whatever 
duties  she  has  undertaken  that  it  will  be  difficult  for  any  one  to 
fill  her  place.  She  inherited  her  father's  antiquarian  taste,  and 
was  more  familiar  with  the  history  of  the  town  than  any  other 
person.  At  one  time  she  was  the  preceptress  of  Lawrence  Acad- 
emy, and  of  late  years  has  served  as  a  member  of  the  school 
committee,  where  her  opinions  were  always  justly  treated  with  great 
deference.  She  took  an  active  interest  in  the  Groton  public  library, 
and  made  her  influence  tell  in  various  directions  for  the  benefit  of 
the  town.  Her  loss  will  be  felt  in  many  different  walks  of  life. 
Apart,  however,  from  her  cultivation  and  strength  of  mind,  she  will 
be  remembered  best  for  her  conscientious  and  Christian  life. 
"  Boston  Daily  Advertiser,"  December  27,  1875. 


21 

The  school  committee,  of  which  body  she  was  the  secretary, 
passed  a  resolution  on  January  8,  1876,  commemorating  her 
worth,  which  is  printed  in  their  Report  for  the  school  year 
1875-6  (page  19). 

For  many  years  her  father,  Caleb  Butler,  was  associated  in 
many  ways  with  the  history  of  Groton,  and  his  name  is  now 
identified  with  three  schools  kept  in  the  High  School  building, 
known  respectively  as  the  Butler  Grammar,  the  Butler  Inter- 
mediate, and  the  Butler  Primary.  It  was  given  by  a  vote  of 
the  town,  on  March  2,  1874;  and  since  the  daughter's  death 
the  name  has  an  increased  claim  to  be  remembered  by  all  who 
value  the  cause  of  public  education. 

The  building,  known  as  the  High  School,  was  erected  in 
the  year  1870,  at  a  cost  of  $32,000,  and  now  forms  a  con- 
spicuous feature  in  the  appearance  of  the  village.  It  is  con- 
structed of  brick  and  trimmed  with  freestone.  A  view  of  the 
building,  with  a  plan  and  a  full  description,  is  given  in  the 
"Thirty-Sixth  Annual  Report  of  the  Board  of  Education" 
(January,  1873),  where  it  appears  on  pages  120-122  of  the 
General  Agent's  report. 


REVOLUTIONARY    SOLDIERS. 

In  Hawley,  Mr.  Joseph  Longley,  born  in  Groton,  Mass.,  Aug. 
17,  1744.  He  was  great  grandson  to  William  Longley,  who,  with 
a  part  of  his  family,  were  killed  at  Groton,  by  the  Indians,  in  1684 
[1694?]  — grandson  to  John  Longley,  who  was  Captain  five  years 
in  Canada  —  and  son  to  Joseph  Longley,  who  was  mortally  wounded 
in  the  battle  and  defeat  of  Fort  William  Henry,  1758.  When  16, 
he  was  in  the  French  war  one  year  and  helped  to  build  the  stone 
barracks  at  Crown  Point,  1760.  He  was  five  years  in  the  revolu- 
tionary war  for  Independence.  In  the  first  eight  months'  service, 
1775.  At  Ticonderoga  in  '76.  At  the  capture  of  Burgoyne,  '77. 
In  December  following,  while  in  the  van  of  100  volunteers,  under 
Maj.  Hull,  pursuing  a  foraging  party,  32  were  cut  off  by  the  British 
cavalry,  near  Derby,  deprived  of  their  blankets,  and  put  in  prison 
at  Philadelphia,  where  more  than  half  died  of  cold,  hunger,  and 
disease.     In  April,  '78,  he,  with  others,  were  put  on  board  a  prison 


22 

ship  for  New  York,  where  he  was  exchanged  in  July,  and  soon 
after  joined  his  regiment,  and  was  in  the  battle  in  Rhode  Island, 
and  in  that  signal  retreat,  under  Gen.  Sullivan. 
"The  Massachusetts  Spy"  (Worcester),  August  24,  1836. 

According  to  the  genealogical  tables  in  the  Appendix  to 
Mr.  Butler's  History  (page  417),  Joseph  Longley  was  born  on 
August  6,  1744.  The  date  of  his  death  was  July  8,  1836, 
according  to  the  American  Almanac  for  the  year  1837,  where 
the  following  notice  of  him  appears  under  the  head  of  "  Amer- 
ican Obituary,"  though  his  Christian  name  is  erroneously 
given  as  William  :  — 

July  8.  —  At  Hawley,  Mass.,  aged  92,  William  \_ Joseph?']  Longley, 
who  was  one  year  in  the  French  war,  and  5  years  in  the  revo- 
lutionary war  (page  304). 

William  was  an  elder  brother  of  Edmund  Longley,  who 
was  born  at  Groton,  on  October  31,  1746,  of  whom  a  bio- 
graphical sketch  appears  in  the  American  Almanac  for  the 
year  1844,  under  the  head  of  "American  Obituary  for  1842," 
as  follows  :  — 

Nov.  29.  —  In  Hawley,  Ms.,  Edmund  Longley,  Esq.,  aged  96. 
He  erected  the  first  framed  house  in  H.  (then  called  No.  7,)  and 
removed  his  family  into  it  in  1781.  He  was  sent  for  many  years 
to  the  General  Court ;  was  the  first  Plantation  and  Town  Clerk ; 
held  the  offices  of  Town  Clerk,  Selectman,  and  Treasurer ;  was  a 
Justice  of  the  Peace  for  nearly  50  years,  and  was  both  a  soldier 
and  an  officer  in  the  revolutionary  war  (page  313). 

At  Groton  15th  inst,  William  Blodgett,  formerly  of  Tyngsboro', 
a  revolutionary  pensioner,  at  the  age  of  90  years  and  8  months. 
His  descendants  were  6  children,  37  grand-children,  23  great- 
grand-children,  and  one  of  the  fifth  generation.  He  entered  the 
army  at  the  age  of  16  years,  and  was  one  of  the  number  to  guard 
Burgoyne's  Troops  at  Winter  Hill  ;  he  afterwards  shipped  on  board 
a  Letter  of  Marque  on  a  trading  voyage  in  1782.  On  his  return 
home  in  the  brig  Iris,  of  Boston,  they  captured  at  the  mouth  of 
James  river,  in  Virginia,  an  English  brig  mounting  16  guns,  with 
about  100  prisoners,  among  whom  were  30  Americans  in  irons. 
On  the  2d  day  after  the  battle,  they  encountered  a  storm  which 
drove  the  American  brig  and  the  prize  both  on  shore,  and  dashed 


23 

them  in  pieces,  and  all  was  lost  except  the  crews,  which  were  saved 
by  the  inhabitants.     He  next  entered  the  service  of  his  Savior,  and 
remained  in  his  service  about  60  years,   and  as  he  entered  the 
threshhold  of  eternity,  he  repeated  the  following  lines  : 
"  I'm  not  ashamed  to  own  ray  Lord, 
Or  to  defend  his  cause, 
Maintain  the  honor  of  his  word, 
The  glory  of  his  cross." 
"  The  Boston  Daily  Atlas/'  November  22,  1852. 

Died  in  Groton,  August  2d  [185 1],  Mr.  William  Tarbell,  one  of 
the  last  of  the  Revolutionary  patriots,  aged  87.  Mr.  Tarbell  joined 
the  army  when  quite  young,  and  was  with  General  Washington 
during  the  last  three  years  of  the  war,  but  having  been  appointed 
to  draw  plans  and  paint  sketches  of  the  various  battle  fields  and 
encampments,  by  the  commander-in-chief,  he  was  never  in  any 
action  during  that  time.  He  was  with  the  army  during  its  encamp- 
ment at  Valley  Forge,  and  his  picture  of  this  camp  ground,  which 
was  painted  in  the  log  house  then  occupied  by  Gen.  Washington,  is 
now  in  possession  of  his  son  in  Boston,  and  though  much  faded,  is 
still  an  object  of  great  interest. 

"  Springfield  Daily  Republican,"  exact  date  uncertain. 

Stevens,  Maj.  Thomas,  Brooksville,  Me.,  7  May;  in  his  90th 
year.  He  was  a  native  of  Groton,  Mass.,  and  a  soldier  of  the 
Revolution. 

"  The  New  England  Historical  and  Genealogical  Register  "  (VII.  295),  for 
July,  1853. 


THE   INDIAN   ATTACK   OF  JULY  27,  1694. 

The  following  extract  is  taken  from  Captain  Lawrence 
Hammond's  diary,  which  was  given  to  the  Massachusetts 
Historical  Society  with  the  Belknap  Collection,  on  March  11, 
1858.  The  entry  is  found  under  the  date  of  July  27,  1694, 
and  furnishes  some  details,  hitherto  unknown,  of  the  attack 
made  at  that  time. 

The  Indians  Set  upon  Groton  burnt  2  Houses,  kild  22  persons  — 
found  dead,  13  more  missing,  they  were  pursued  by  about  100 
Horse  but  they  returned  without  finding  them. 


GROTON    HISTORICAL   SERIES. 
No.  XVIII. 


THE    GROTON    BI-CENTENNIAL   CELEBRATION. 

A   COMMEMORATION,  JULY  4,  1876. 

Groton  Burned  by  the  Indians,  1676. 
Declaration  of  Independence,  1776. 

SAMUEL   LAWRENCE'S   RECOLLECTIONS. 

TAX   ON   UNAPPROPRIATED   LANDS. 
JOHN   DERBYSHIRE. 
CHAISES  AND    "CHAIRS"    IN    GROTON. 
SLAVERY   IN   GROTON. 

ITEMS   FROM   VARIOUS   SOURCES. 
DEATHS. 


GROTON,    MASS. 
1886. 


GROTON,   MASSACHUSETTS,    1886. 
Historical  Series,  No.  XVHI. 


THE  GROTON  BI-CENTENNIAL  CELEBRATION. 
October  31,  1855. 

The  two-hundredth  anniversary  of  the  settlement  of  Groton 
was  duly  celebrated  on  Wednesday,  October  31,  1855,  when 
an  historical  address  was  delivered  by  the  Reverend  Arthur 
Buckminster  Fuller,  of  Manchester,  New  Hampshire.  The 
town  was  incorporated  by  the  General  Court,  on  May  25, 
1655  ;  but  it  was  not  intended  that  the  exact  date  of  the  first 
settlement  should  be  commemorated,  only  so  far  as  the  year 
was  concerned.  The  day,  finally  selected,  came  just  after  the 
harvest  season,  when  the  convenience  of  the  inhabitants  was 
best  suited,  and  in  the  middle  of  a  week,  which  was  another 
element  in  the  decision. 

The  first  meeting  to  consider  the  subject  was  held  in 
Liberty  Hall,  on  May  21,  1855  ;  and  the  call  was  signed  by 
nineteen  persons,  who  very  largely  represented,  by  name  and 
direct  descent,  the  original  settlers  of  the  town.  Of  these 
signers  three  are  still  living,  namely,  Asa  Stillman  Lawrence, 
William  Livermore,  and  Zara  Patch.  Further  action  in  the 
matter  was  deferred  until  the  autumn.  At  that  time  Liberty 
Hall  stood  on  the  northerly  corner  of  Main  and  Court  Streets, 
but  the  building  was  burned  to  the  ground  on  Sunday,  March 
31,  1878. 


The  following  is  a  copy  of  the  notice: 


ANNIVERSARY 

OF    THE    SETTLEMENT    OF 

GROTON ! 


The  citizens  of  Groton,  who  desire  to  notice  by  appropriate 
ceremonies,  the  second  Centennial  Anniversary  of  the  settlement 
of  the  Town,  are  invited  to  meet  at  LIBERTY  HALL,  on  MON- 
DAY the  2ist  inst,  at  7  1-2  o'clock  P.  M. 


Stuart  J.  Park, 
Ezra  Farnsworth, 
Luther  Gilson, 
Noah  Shattuck, 
Asa  Shipley, 
Geo.  Farnsworth, 

May  19,  1855. 


Abel  Farnsworth, 
Asa  Lawrence, 
George  Shattuck, 
William  Shattuck, 
A.  S.  Lawrence, 
Sam'l  W.  Rowe, 
Nathaniel  Stone. 


Joshua  Gilson, 
Wm.  Livermore, 
Calvin  Childs, 
Zara  Patch, 
P.  G.  Prescott, 
Charles  Prescott, 


-Brown's  Press,  Groton  Junction. — 


No  further  action  in  regard  to  the  matter  appears  to  have 
been  taken  until  September  27,  the  date  of  a  subscription 
paper,  which  was  circulated  in  order  to  raise  money  for  meet- 
ing the  necessary  expenses.  It  was  headed  by  Walter  Shat- 
tuck, who  put  down  the  sum  of  twenty-five  dollars  ($25.00)  ; 
and  he  was  followed  by  others  with  smaller  amounts. 

A  meeting  of  the  citizens  was  held,  agreeably  to  public 
notice,  at  Mr.  Hoar's  tavern,  on  October  6,  —  with  Walter 
Shattuck  as  Chairman,  and  George  Henry  Brown  as  Secre- 
tary, —  when  it  was  definitely  voted  to  have  a  celebration  ; 
and  two  committees  were  also  appointed.  Another  meeting 
was  held,  according  to  adjournment,  on  October  9,  when 
reports  were  heard,  and  a  Committee  of  Arrangements  ap- 
pointed. As  an  outcome  of  this  meeting  the  following  cir- 
cular, now  reprinted  in  fac-simile,  was  sent  to  all  persons 
supposed  to  have  an  interest  in  the  town  :  — 


B!-CEHTHHHIAL  CELEBBATtOH 
OF   THE   SETTLEMENT  OF   GROTON. 


At  a  meeting  of  the  citizens  of  Groton,  held 
on  the  gth  inst.,  it  was  unanimously  voted  to 
commemorate  the  Two  Hundredth  Anniversary 
of  the  settlement  of  the  Town,  by  appropriate 
festivities,  and  the  undersigned  were  chosen  a 
Committee  to  carry  out  the  wishes  of  the  peo- 
ple. We  would  therefore,  cordially  invite  all 
natives,  former  residents,  and  others  interested, 
to  meet  and  participate  with  us  in  a  Jubilee 
Gathering,  on  Wednesday,  Oct.  T^ist  inst. 

A  Procession  will  be  formed  at  lo  o'clock 
A.  M.,  at  Liberty  Hall,  under  the  direction  of 
E.  S.  Clark,  Esq.,  Chief  Marshal,  and  proceed, 
escorted  by  a  Band,  Cavalcade,  Military,  &c., 
to  the  Orthodox  Meeting  House,  where  an  Ad- 
dress will  be  given  by  Rev.  Arthur  B.  Fuller, 
of  Boston.  After  the  exercises  at  the  Church 
the  procession  will  repair  to  one  of  Yale's 
Tents,  where  a  suitable  Dinner  will  be  provided 
at  One  Dollar  a  ticket. 

Hon.  Geo.  S.  Boutwell  will  preside  on  the 
occasion,  and  Speeches,  Sentiments,  &c.  may  be  expected  from  dis- 
tinguished gentlemen. 

It  is  desirable  that  this  Jubilee  be  a  social  family  greeting  of  the 
sons  and  daughters  of  old  Groton  ;  —  a  day  that  may  be  kept  long 
in  remembrance,  so  that  when  future  generations  behold  the  Third 
Centennial  return  of  the  memorable  event,  they  may  see  that  we 
held  dear  in  our  hearts,  the  foundations  of  the  town  of  our  birth  or 
adoption. 

COMMITTEE      OF     ARRANOEMENTS; 


GROTON,  OCT.  31,  18SS. 


WALTER  SHATTUCK,  Chairman. 
GEORGE  H.  BROWN,  Secretary. 
ALDEN  WARREN,  Treasurer. 
SAMUEL  W.  ROWE, 
WILLIAM  LIVERMORE, 
EUSIBIUS  S.  CLARK, 


CURTIS   LAWRENCE, 
JOHN   W.  PARKER, 
ISAIAH   L.  CRAGIN, 
ELIEL  SHUMWAY, 
EBENEZER   SAWTELL. 


"Tickets  will  remain  on  sale  until  Saturday  previous  to  the 
celebration,  in  all  towns  whose  present  domain  or  any  part  thereof, 
was  included  in  the  original  Groton  Grant.  Persons  at  a  distance, 
and  all  others,  wishing  for  tickets,  must  make  application  to  the 
Chairman  or  Secretary,  before  the  27th  inst. 


Other  meetings  of  the  citizens  and  of  the  Committee  of 
Arrangements  were  subsequently  held,  but  the  business 
transacted  was  of  a  routine  character. 

The  Reverend  Arthur  B.  Fuller,  the  orator  of  the  day,  was 
a  son  of  the  Honorable  Timothy  Fuller,  who  passed  the  latter 
days  of  his  life  at  Groton.  The  son  spent  his  boyhood  in  the 
town,  attending  school  at  Groton  Academy,  and  graduated  at 
Harvard  College  in  the  class  of  1843.  He  was  born  at  Cam- 
bridgeport  on  August  10,  1822,  and  killed  in  the  battle  of 
Fredericksburg,  Virginia,  on  December  11,  1862.  It  was  the 
intention  of  the  Committee  of  Arrangements  to  publish  Mr. 
Fuller's  Address,  as  well  as  the  other  proceedings  of  the  cele- 
bration, but  for  some  reason  this  was  not  carried  out.  A 
copy  of  the  Address  was  furnished  Mr.  Brown,  the  Secretary 
of  the  Committee,  and  other  papers  relating  to  the  occasion 
were  collected  by  him  with  reference  to  their  publication. 
After  his  death ^  on  May  3,  1865,  these  papers  were  given  to 
me  by  his  widow ;  and  subsequently,  at  my  request,  the 
Address  was  printed  in  "  The  Weekly  Public  Spirit  "  (Groton 
Junction),  beginning  with  the  issue  of  March  31,  1870,  and 
running  through  three  other  numbers.  These  various  manu- 
scripts have  since  been  carefully  arranged  and  bound,  and 
they  are  now  placed  in  the  Library  of  the  Massachusetts 
Historical  Society. 

The  following  is  a  copy  of  the  Order  of  Exercises  at  the 
celebration  :  — 

^  A  biographical  sketch  of  Mr.  Brown  appears  in  "  The  New  England  Histori- 
cal and  Genealogical  Register  "  (XX.  84,  85)  for  January,  1866,  where  a  reference 
is  made  to  these  papers. 


BI-CENTENNIAL 

CELEBRATION  OF  THE  SETTLEMENT  OF 

G  R  O  T  O  N, 

V/EDNESDAY,    OCT.   31,    1855. 


PRESIDENT   OF    THE   DAY, 
Geo.  S,  Boutwell. 
VICE  PRESIDENTS. 
Stuart  J.  Park,  Noah  Shattuck,  Abel  Tar- 
bell,  Ezra  Farnsworth,  Asa  Lawrence,  John 
H.  Loring,  Nathaniel  Stone,  P.  G.  Prescott, 
Joshua  Green,  Rufus  Moors,  John  Rock- 
wood,  Nathaniel  Sawtel],  Joseph   F.  Hall, 
Jr.,  Harvey  A.  Woods,  Peter  Nutting,  Cal- 
vin Blood. 

MARSHALS. 
E.  S.  CLARK,  Chief  Marshal. 

Aids. 
Nonnan  Smith,  Samuel  A.  Green, 

Aldeu  Warren,  Geo.  W.  Bancroft, 

Geo.  H.  Brown,  John  W.  Parker. 

The  morning  will  be  ushered  in  by  the 
firing  of  salutes. 

At  10  o'clock  the  Procession  will  be 
formed  at  Liberty  Hall,  and  escorted  to  the 
Orthodox  Meeting  House,  in  the  following 
order. 

Chief  Marshal. 

Cavalcade. 

Lowell  Comet  Band. 

Groton  Artillery. 

Prescott  Guards. 

Continentals. 

Shirley  Fire  Company. 

Committee  of  Arrangements. 

President,  Orator  and  Chaplain. 

Invited  Guests. 

Vice  Presidents  and  Toast  Master. 

Clergymen  of  the  Town, 

The  Singers. 

Masonic  Lodge. 

Citizens    of    PepperelJ,    Shirley,    Harvard, 

Westford,  Dunstable,  Nashua,  Groton. 

'  Citizens  from  other  towns. 


EXERCISES   AT   THE   CHURCH.^ 

Voluntary  on  the  Organ . 

Anthem  —  O  Praise  ye  the  Lord  ! 

Prayer. 

ODE. 
By  Miss  Emily  E.  Poor. 

Tune  — Benevento. 
Roll  ye  back  0  !  stormy  Past ! 

O  !  for  one  brief  hour  roll  back  ! 
Sound  aloud  the  bugle  note, 
The  call  to  arms  from  cannon's  throat. 
The  war-whoop's  wild  terrific  sound, 
The  battle  thundering  o'er  the  ground. 
So  gloomily,  so  fearfully. 
From  mount  to  mount  rebound  ! 

And  return  O  !  Freedom's  dawn. 
As  ye  gleamed  from  out  the  cloud  ! 

Reddening  faint  the  sea  girt  town. 

Gilding  bright  its  triple  crown  ' 
And  widening,  spread  your  golden  rays. 
Till  every  hill-top  catch  the  blaze 
And  gloriously,  and  dazzlingly. 

Thy  sun,  light  all  our  days  ! 

Shades  of  our  immortal  sires  ! 

Come  and  dwell  with  us  to  day ; 
Hear  the  thanks  thy  children  raise, 
As  brave  liberty  they  praise  ; 

Bought  by  wounds  and  blood  and  tears, 

Shed  in  far  off  vanished  years, 
So  bravely  and  so  manfully, 
Mid  hostile  and  savage  jeers  I 

No  bright  gleam  of  steel  is  here, 
Flashing  fearfully  to  day  ! 

Indian's  hate  is  buried  deep, 

In  death's  embrace  their  warriors  sleep, 
With  peace  and  love  our  homes  are  blest, 
We  rise  in  joy,  and  sink  to  rest. 
As  quietly,  as  peacefully, 

As  light  fades  in  the  West  I 


God's  best  blessings  on  thy  race, 
Rest  O  1  Pilgrim  Sire  of  Old ! 

Where  the  red  man  used  to  roam 

Smiles  the  village  and  the  home ; 
Where  once  rang  the  war  whoop  fell, 
Sounds  the  peaceful,  Sabbath  bell, 
Plaintively  or  merrily 

The  christian's  chime  or  knell ! 

Fare  ye  well  O  !  Stormy  hours, 
Of  two  hundred  yeairs  ago  ! 

We  now  hail  the  time  so  grand. 

In  store  for  this  our  native  land. 
If  you,  sons,  be  true  and  brave. 
Restoring  freedom  to  the  slave. 
And  loyally  and  faithfully. 

Your  country's  honor  save ! 

We  to  the  dim  past  belong ; 

Let  its  grand  immortal  song 
Sound  along  time's  flowing  wave, 
All  the  words  of  true  and  brave ; 

Genius  fold  o'er  them  its  wing. 

And  entranced  sit  and  sing. 
And  lovingly  and  faithfully 
The  world  its  tribute  bring  ! 

Address  by  Rev.  A.  B.  FULLER. 

ORIGINAL   HYMN. 

Tune  Old  Hundred. 

To  thee,  our  God,  we  come  this  day, 

Our  vows  of  gratitude  to  pay  ; 
To  praise  thy  name  for  mercies  past 

And  at  thy  feet  our  offering  cast. 

Thou  wast  our  fathers'  guard  and  guide  ; 

Thou    led'st    them  safe    through    storm 
and  tide  ; 
And  here  midst  wild  and  savage  foes. 

Their  choral  song  of  faith  arose. 

A  small  and  feeble  band  they  came  ; 

Thou  wast  their  shield  in  cloud  and  flame ; 
Those  true,  brave  hearts  made  thee  their 
stay; 

Thy  care  preserved  them  day  by  day. 

A  mighty  nation  now  we  stand. 
Upheld  by  thy  protecting  hand  ; 

Our  empire  spreads  from  sea  to  sea, 
A  glorious  gift  0  Lord  from  thee  ! 


Oppression  may  it  cast  away, 
Mild  and  benignant  be  its  sway  ; 

To  the  wide  world  thy  blessings  spread. 
And  gospel  light  and  freedom  shed  I 

Benediction. 

After  the  exercises  in  the  Church  tha 
procession  will  repair  to  Yale's  Mammoth 
Tent,  where  a  Banquet  will  be  provided. 

After  the  removal  of  the  cloth,  speeches 
sentiments,  vocal  and  instrumental  milsic, 
&c.,  may  be  expected ;  the  festivities  closing 
with  the  following,  to  be  sung  by  the  people. 

SONG. 

By  Miss  Emily  E.  Poor. 

Tune  Auld  Lang  Syne. 
The  hunter's  moon  shone  down  last  night 

Upon  Wachusett's  brow, 
Just  as  it  shed  its  silver  light 

Two  Hundred  years  ago. 
But  then  it  gleamed  on  armed  men. 

In  battle's  fierce  array  ; 
On  Indian  hosts  by  stream  and  glen  — 

How  changed  the  scene  to  day. 

The  leaves  are  rustling  as  we  tread 

Within  the  forest's  bound  ; 
A  gold  and  crimson  shroud  they  spread 

O'er  many  a  lowly  mound  — 
Where  sleep  the  foemen  side  by  side. 

As  they  in  battle  fell  — 
And  o'er  them  flows  time's  silent  tide. 

And  tolls  its  mystic  bell  ! 

The  red  man  here  had  hunted  wild 

For  many  a  circling  year  ; 
And  on  these  plains  had  taught  his  child 

To  chase  the  flying  deer. 
What  wonder  that  he  prized  these  hills 

Which  girdled  round  his  home  ; 
The  forests  and  the  gushing  rills. 

By  which  he  loved  to  roam. 

0  !  Fierce  and  deadly  was  his  hate, 

For  white  men  brave  and  bold  ; 
As  dimly  he  foresaw  his  fate 

To  fade  like  autumn  gold. 
A  generous  heart  will  mourn  the  fall 

E'en  of  a  foeman  brave, 
And  gaze  with  sorrow  at  the  pall 

Which  hides  a  nation's  grave. 


The  hunter's  moon  shone  down  last  night 

On  peaceful  happy  homes  ; 
No  war  fires  dim  its  golden  light, 

No  steel  clad  warrior  roams. 
Silent  as  death  the  scene  so  fair, 

All  sunk  in  deep  repose, 
And  nought  disturbs  the  midnight  air, 

But  streamlet  as  it  flows. 


And  when  this  morn  awoke  to  life 

The  landscape  sleeping  dim ; 
Instead  of  sounds  of  war  and  strife, 

Arose  the  morning  hymn. 
And  autumn's  breeze  will  bear  to  day. 

To  our  fathers  listening  ears. 
The  song  of  praise  and  grateful  lay. 

For  all  their  toils  and  tears  ! 


Of  those  who  acted  as  Vice-Presidents  Joseph  F.  Hall  and 
Harvey  A.  Woods  alone  survive  ;  and  of  the  Aids  to  the 
Chief  Marshal  all,  with  the  exception  of  Mr.  Brown,  are  alive 
at  the  present  time. 

The  following  account  of  the  celebration  appeared  in  the 
evening  edition  of  the  "  Boston  Daily  Journal,"  November  3, 
1855  ;  and  another  account,  somewhat  fuller,  was  printed  in 
the  '"  Worcester  Transcript,"  November  2,  1855  :  — 


THE  JUBILEE  AT   GROTON. 

To  the  Editor  of  the  Boston  jFournal  : 

There  was  a  great  gathering  at  Groton  on  Wednesday,  of  the 
sons  and  daughters  of  that  noted  and  ancient  town.  It  was  the 
two  hundredth  anniversary  of  the  settlement  of  the  town,  and 
the  people  of  all  the  neighboring  villages  came  flocking  in  at  an 
early  hour  to  see  and  hear.  The  day  was  a  charming  one,  and  at 
sunrise  was  ushered  in  by  the  firing  of  salutes  and  ringing  of  bells. 

The  procession  was  one  of  the  great  features  of  the  occasion. 
It  consisted,  besides  the  officers,  singers,  &c.,  of  the  day,  of  a  cav- 
alcade of  young  men,  Groton  Artillery,  with  their  heavy  field  pieces, 
(the  oldest  company,  save  one,  in  the  State,)  Prescott  Guards,  the 
Continentals,  dressed  in  old  Continental  fashion,  and  a  company 
representing  the  Indians  of  olden  times,  with  bows  and  arrows, 
tomahawks,  and  other  warlike  implements  —  the  best  imitation  of 
a  tribe  of  Indians  we  ever  saw.  Next  came  the  Shirley  Fire  Com- 
pany, with  their  beautiful  machine  decorated  with  flags,  flowers,  &c., 
and  the  citizens  of  Shirley,  Pepperell,  Westford,  Littleton,  Dunstable 
and  Nashua,  towns  comprising  a  large  portion  of  what  was  once 
Groton. 

The  exercises  at  the  church  were  very  interesting.  The  house 
was  completely  filled,  and  many  were  disappointed,  not  being  able  to 


gain  entrance.  The  address  by  Rev.  A.  B.  Fuller  of  this  city,  was 
a  beautiful  production,  and  abounded  with  interesting  facts  con- 
nected with  the  early  history  of  Groton.  The  beautiful  and  appro- 
priate ode  and  hymn,  written  by  Miss  Emily  E.  Poor,  was  sung  by 
the  different  choirs  of  the  village  with  much  taste  and  effect. 
Seated  on  {he  floor  around  the  pulpit  of  the  church  were  the  chief 
and  braves  of  the  tribe  of  Indians,  which  added  much  interest  to 
the  scene. 

Yale's  mammoth  tent,  in  which  the  tables  were  set,  was  taste- 
fully trimmed  with  national  colors,  flowers,  &c.,  and  the  sides 
adorned  with  various  mottos  and  names  of  the  early  settlers.  Up- 
wards of  eleven  hundred  people  sat  down  to  the  repast,  which  was" 
acknowledged  to  be  the  most  sumptuous  and  substantial  dinner 
ever  got  up  for  a  country  celebration,  and  one  that  reflects  great 
credit  on  Messrs.  Fuller  and  Gill  who  provided  it. 

Ex-Governor  Boutwell  presided  on  the  occasion,  assisted  by  six- 
teen Vice  Presidents,  and  Rev.  James  Means  as  toast  master.  Mr. 
B.  welcomed  the  guests,  in  an  exceedingly  neat  and  pertinent 
address.  Speeches  followed  from  Rev.  Mr.  Barry,  author  of  the 
able  History  of  Massachusetts,  Mr.  Fuller,  the  orator  of  the  day. 
Rev.  Messrs.  Chandler  of  Shirley,  Nightingale  and  Bulkley  of  Gro- 
ton, and  Anderson  of  Brooklyn,  N.  Y.  Highly  interesting  letters 
were  read  from  Messrs.  Edward  Everett,  Robert  C.  Winthrop, 
Wm.  H.  Prescott,  Judge  Hoar,  John  P.  Bigelow  and  others,  and 
among  the  sentiments  was  one  to  the  memory  of  Mr.  Butler,  the 
historian  of  Groton,  which  was  most  beautifully  responded  to  by  the 
Band,  who  played  Mr.  Butler's  favorite  tune  —  "  old  Brattle  Street." 

Owing  to  the  lateness  of  the  hour,  and  departure  of  the  cars, 
several  gentlemen,  among  whom  were  Richard  Frothingham,  Jr., 
Esq.  of  Charlestown,  Gen.  Jas.  Dana  and  others,  were  prevented 
from  speaking,  and  so  the  continuance  of  "  friendly  greetings  "  was 
concluded  by  singing  an  original  song  to  the  tune  of  "  Auld  Lang 
Syne"  by  all  the  people.  The  meeting  was  then  adjourned  for  one 
hundred  years !  We  learn  that  the  address,  speeches,  &c.,  are  to 
be  published  in  pamphlet  form. 


A   COMMEMORATION,  JULY  4,  1876. 

Groton  Burned  by  the  Indians,  1676. 
Declaration  of  Independence,  1776. 

The  town  of  Groton  celebrated  the  Centennial  Anniversary 
of  the  Independence  of  the  United  States,  on  July  4,  1876, 
when  an  historical  address  by  Dr.  Samuel  A.  Green,  and  a 
poem  by  the  Reverend  J.  M.  L.  Babcock,  were  delivered.  The 
address  was  published  in  the  Proceedings  of  the  celebration, 
but  the  poem  was  omitted,  as  Mr.  Babcock  then  declined  to 
furnish  a  copy.  During  the  last  year,  at  my  request,  the 
author,  who  is  a  practical  printer,  kindly  struck  off  fifty  copies 
himself,  which  have  since  been  placed  in  various  public  libra- 
ries. With  his  permission  I  now  re-print  the  poem  in  this 
Series  ;  and  without  his  knowledge  I  add  the  following  bio- 
graphical sketch. 

John  Martin  Luther  Babcock,  a  son  of  James  and  Han- 
nah (Rice)  Babcock,  was  born  at  Andover,  Oxford  County, 
Maine,  on  September  29,  1822.  His  father's  family  removed 
to  Boston  in  the  year  1825,  where  he  remained  until  1846. 
He  then  passed  two  years  at  Plaistow,  New  Hampshire,  after 
which  he  went  to  Wilmot  in  the  same  State,  where  he  studied 
for  the  Baptist  ministry.  He  entered  the  clerical  profession 
in  1852,  though  not  ordained  until  January,  1854.  He  held 
pastorates  at  Strafford,  Vermont,  at  Farmington  and  Effing- 
ham, both  in  New  Hampshire,  and  at  Buxton,  Maine.  He 
now  changed  his  denominational  relations,  and  entered  the 
Unitarian  pulpit,  being  settled,  successively,  at  Lancaster, 
New  Hampshire,  and  at  Groton.  He  was  installed  over  the 
First  Parish  in  Groton,  on  April  26,  1871,  and  received  his 
dismission  on  August  31,  1874,  since  which  time  he  has  given 
up  preaching.  In  the  year  1875  he  founded  "  The  New  Age," 
a  newpaper  devoted  to  the  interests  of  labor  and  social 
reform,  which  was  continued  for  two  years. 

Mr.  Babcock  was  married  on  November  30,  1843,  to  Martha 
Day  Ayer,  of  Plaistow,  New  Hampshire,  who  died  on  January 


lO 

26,  1846,  leaving  a  daughter,  Martha  Anna,  now  Mrs.  Cyrus 
Sanborn  Langley,  of  Wilmot.  He  was  married,  secondly,  on 
April  5,  1849,  to  Miriam  Clement  Tewksbury,  of  Wilmot,  by 
whom  he  has  had  seven  children,  five  girls  and  two  boys. 
Two  of  the  daughters  by  the  last  marriage  died  in  infancy,  and 
the  others  are  now  Mrs.  William  Wilson  Moore,  of  Bedford, 
New  Hampshire,  Mrs.  Ellis  Boyden  McKenzie,  of  Boston,  and 
Mrs.  Joseph  Dillaway  Sawyer,  of  New  York.  Since  leaving 
Groton  Mr.  Babcock  has  resided  in  Cambridge  and  Boston. 

POEM. 

Down  through  the  ages  ran  the  stream  of  Time, 

Through  many  an  ancient  and  historic  clime  ; 

But  where  its  earlier  currents  darkling  passed, 

One  baleful  spectre  all  the  world  o'ercast. 

On  every  shore  Time's  turbid  waters  lave 

Man  droops  and  dies  —  a  victim  and  a  slave  t 

In  every  land  the  deadly  altars  rise, 

That  Power  may  feast  on  human  sacrifice ! 

Yet  not  a  ruin  of  that  olden  day 

That  does  not  whisper,  through  its  dark  decay,  — 

"  Where'er  the  slaughtered  human  victim  lies, 

The  Power  that  crushed  him  fades  and  wastes  and  dies  !  " 

On  waves  of  carnage  see  Assyria  ride. 

Only  to  sink  beneath  its  crimson  tide  ! 

Thebes'  power,  once  symbolled  by  its  hundred  gates, 

Fell  pitiless  before  the  maddened  fates  ! 

Palmyra's  gorgeous  splendors  blazed  afar  ; 

And  yet,  despite  its  triumphs  won  in  war, 

And  all  the  glories  of  Zenobia's  fame, 

It  sank  into  its  grave,  without  a  name  ! 

And  Rome  and  Athens  but  repeat  the  tale,  — 

Vain  Art  and  Force,  where  Justice,  Freedom,  fail  ! 

Out  of  their  mouldering  graves  to  us  they  call,  — 

"  Grandeur  without  Humanity  must  fall  !  " 

The  Age  of  Matter  !  crushing  human  hearts 
Beneath  the  empire  of  its  marble  marts  ! 
Dooming  its  millions  in  despair  to  die 
To  lift  Rhodes'  mute  Colossus  to  the  sky  ! 


ri 

Building  its  gloomy  pyramids,  which  stand 

As  monuments  to  mark  a  wasted  land, 

And  tell  to  after  times  what  withering  blight 

Falls  on  the  Power  which  quenches  Freedom's  light ! 

And  when,  from  Nature's  sacred  depths  profound, 

Did  Manhood  rise,  erect,  with  glory  crowned  ? 

'T  was  not  when  life  was  wildly  but  to  roam. 

And  man,  the  savage,  made  the  caves  his  home  ; 

'T  was  not  when  one  might  over  millions  reign, 

And  deal  his  curse  of  bondage,  woe,  and  pain  ; 

'T  was  not  when  men,  untouched  by  Freedom's  flame. 

Were  tyrants'  counters  in  Ambition's  game, — 

But  when  a  new  sun  burst  the  shades  of  night, 

P'looding  the  hemispheres  with  golden  light, 

In  the  redeeming  truth  that  man  alone 

Is  sovereign  and  divine,  —  not  crosier,  sword,  or  throne  ! 

'T  was  but  a  word,  breathed  on  this  Western  shore,  — 

A  sound  prophetic,  and  unheard  before,  — 

But  the  winds  bore  it  o'er  the  Atlantic  surge. 

And  human  hearts  rejoiced  to  earth's  remotest  verge. 

The  toiling  peasant  on  the  banks  of  Seine 

Felt  a  new  passion  thrilling  every  vein  : 

And  the  warm  heart  of  brave  and  chivalrous  France 

Hailed  it  the  signal  of  a  new  advance  ! 

Sclavonic  forests  echoed  with  the  word, 

The  old  Teutonic  blood  anew  was  stirred  { 

The  magic  strain  was  heard  by  Tiber's  stream, 

Sounding  more  glories  than  the  Gra.cchi's  dream  ! 

At  Valley  Forge,  through  blood-tracked  winter  snows. 

It  bore  the  soldier,  victor  yet  to  be  ! 
That  prophet-word  has  bafifled  Freedom's  foes, 

And  broke  a  sceptre  —  set  a  people  free  ! 
'T  was  but  a  word  the  millions  leaped  to  hear,  -^ 
"  All  men  are  equal  !  "  ^  but  it  carried  cheer 
To  ever}'  heart  oppressed  by  cruel  power, 
And  promised  for  the  race  a  happier  hour. 
A  thrill  of  joy  through  all  the  nations  ran,  — 
The  Age  of  Matter  passed,  and  dawned  the  Age  of  Man  ! 


12 


Since  that  bright  morning  came,  an  hundred  years 

Have  rolled  away  j  and  now  to  us  appears 

The  ripening  fruit  of  that  wind-wafted  seed, 

In  thought  inspiring  and  in  noble  deed. 

A  nation  finds  in  Liberty  its  trust,  — 

Slaves  now  are  men,  and  thrones  are  in  the  dust ! 

We  lay  our  tributes  on  our  Fathers'  graves ; 
But,  while  the  flag  they  bore  yet  freely  waves, 
A  nobler  height  than  theirs  't  is  yours  to  gain,  — 
New  trophies  of  the  heart,  new  conquests  of  the  brain. 
What  higher  honor  have  you  power  to  give 
Than  prove  that  still  their  truth  and  spirit  live  ? 
Save  that  their  purpose  in  your  lives  is  seen. 
What  do  these  offerings  to  their  memory  mean  ? 
Would  you  be  like  them  ?     Squander  not  your  day 
In  traversing  for  nought  their  beaten  way  ; 
Their  sacred  footprints  !  —  let  them  only  stand 
To  mark  your  progress  in  our  wide-spread  land. 
Tell  me  of  one  was  not  iconoclast  — 
Breaking  forever  with  the  murky  Past  ! 
What  time  their  flag  was  on  these  shores  unfurled. 
When  they  a  New  Age  gave  a  waiting  world  ; 
What  time  the  Mayflower  wedded  Plymouth  Rock,  • 
Whose  infant  struggled,  in  this  new-found  clime. 
For  fifteen  decades,  in  the  womb  of  Time  ; 
Then,  like  Jove's  daughter,  to  the  astonished  earth 
Sprang  forth  a  nation,  full-grown  at  its  birth  !  — • 
What  was  their  key,  the  Future  to  unlock  ? 
What  but  the  legend,  —  urgent  now  to  you,  — 
"  The  Old  must  pass  away,  and  all  be  New !  " 

Here  on  this  spot,  where  we  have  loved  to  dwell,  — 
Where  every  verdant  field,  and  hill,  and  vale, 
Glows  in  the  light  of  some  heroic  tale,  — 

With  grateful  hearts  our  Fathers'  deeds  we  tell. 

The  pioneers,  whose  courage  cleared  the  way 

Which  leaves  smooth  paths  for  tender  feet  to-day  ! 

The  perils  of  the  wilderness  embraced, 

The  horrors  of  a  savage  warfare  faced  ; 


13 

Defied  the  bloody  torrent  when  it  came  ; 
Saw  their  homes  sink  in  one  wild  gulf  of  flame  ! 
Then  gathered  round  the  blackened  ruins  —  still 
With  heart  undaunted  and  unyielding  will ; 
Once  more  the  roof-tree  raised,  the  walls  upreared, 
On  the  fair  soil  even  danger  had  endeared. 
For  ancient  forests  gave  us  fruitful  fields  ; 
Garnered  for  us  the  treasures  Nature  yields  ; 
Planted  the  trees  beneath  whose  shade  we  rest ; 
Prepared  the  heritage  which  makes  us  blest ! 
These  deeds,  recounted  on  this  festal  day, 
Live  in  bright  fame  ;  and,  when  we  pass  away, 
Happy  for  us  if  at  our  setting  sun 
The  work  they  left  us  be  as  truly  done. 

Our  Fathers  !  —  not  the  votive  wreath  alone 

Shall  crown  their  merit ;  not  the  chiselled  stone 

Alone  record  their  worth,  —  in  every  heart 

Their  virtues  live,  of  our  own  lives  a  part. 

Their  fame  immortal  —  though  their  forms  unseen  — 

We  'II  cherish  still,  —  we  '11  keep  their  memory  green  ! 


SAMUEL  LAWRENCE'S  RECOLLECTIONS. 

The  following  reminiscences  were  written  at  my  request, 
nearly  ten  years  ago,  by  the  late  Samuel  Lawrence,  who  was 
born  at  Grotom  on  January  15,  1801,  and  died  at  Stockbridge 
on  March  18,  1880.  He  was  the  youngest  child  of  Major 
Samuel  and  Susanna  (Parker)  Lawrence,  and  the  last  survivor 
of  his  generation. 

My  earliest  recollection  of  Groton  is  the  death  of  Capt.  Henry 
Farwell  in  the  year  1804.  Dr.  Chaplin  was  the  only  minister.  Hon. 
Timothy  Bigelow,  one  of  the  most  prominent  lawyers  of  the  State, 
resided  there,  and  being  a  graduate  of  Harvard  College,  as  was  Dr. 
Chaplin,  our  winter  district  schoolmasters  were  all  from  Cam- 
bridge.    Dr.  Oliver  Prescott  was  the  oldest  physician.    There  were 


14 

three  stores  ;  their  owners  were  called  merchants  with  great  pro- 
priety, for  the  number  of  articles  they  dealt  in  was  never  dreamed 
of  by  the  merchants  of  Tyre  or  Venice.  Squire  Brazer  was  the 
richest  and  most  important ;  he  was  quite  old  and  corpulent,  with 
reddish  face,  and  wore  a  blue  broad-tail  dress-coat,  with  bright 
brass  buttons  two  inches  in  diameter,  white  vest  and  cravat,  and 
deep  ruffled  shirt,  with  black  trousers,  a  high-crowned  hat  with  very 
broad  brim.  In  the  course  of  my  life  I  have  seen  some  of  the 
mercantile  magnates  of  Europe  and  this  country,  such  as  the 
Barings  and  Rothschilds,  Stephen  Girard  and  Astor,  but  I  have 
never  been  so  impressed  as  when  in  the  presence  of  Squire  Brazer. 
My  most  painful  early  memories  are  with  the  bitterly  cold  church, 
where  there  was  no  stove  or  furnace  in  winter. 

There  were  two  grist  and  saw  mills,  Capell's  on  the  Nashua  and 
Tarbell's  on  the  SquannacooK;  on  the  last  named  river  was  also  a 
carding  and  clothing  mill  of  the  three  brothers  Rockwood.  At  that 
time  all  farmers  kept  sheep  for  food,  but  mainly  for  clothing.  The 
wool  was  scoured  in  the  family,  carded  into  rolls  about  eighteen 
inches  long  and  two  inches  in  diameter  by  the  Rockwoods,  spun  in 
the  family  on  a  stand-up  wheel,  backward  and  forward  movement  of 
the  spinner,  and  generally  woven  into  flannel  by  the  same  person, 
milled  into  cloth,  dyed  and  finished  by  the  Rockwoods.  Some- 
times a  portion  of  wool  was  dyed  a  dark  color,  and  mixed  with 
white  wool  to  get  a  pepper  and  salt  color.  The  flannels  for  both 
sexes  were  made  in  the  family,  as  well  as  sheets  for  winter.  Flax 
was  universally  raised,  rotted  (stiff  covering  over  the  fibre),  broken 
and  hetchelled,  and  spun  on  the  small  wheel  with  power  from  the 
foot,  making  linen  thread,  which  was  woven  into  fabrics  for  domestic 
use.  The  tow  from  the  flax  after  hetchelling  was  made  into  a 
coarse  fabric  for  men's  frocks  and  trousers.  Men's  and  women's 
underclothing,  beyond  the  linen  alluded  to,  was  from  the  East 
Indies.  A  cotton  fabric  from  China,  called  nankeen  (nankin),  was 
much  used  in  summer  by  gentlemen.  Carpets  made  from  rags 
were  very  common.  I  do  not  think  there  was  any  other  kind  in 
Groton,  and  not  one  piano. 

The  habit  then  was  for  all  who  could  get  it  to  use  spirits,  and  drink 
some  before  dinner, — even  the  most  temperate.  The  better  class 
drank  West  India  rum,  and  the  poorer  class  New  England  rum. 
French  brandy  was  seldom  taken.  Cider  was  universally  used  till 
the  temperance  movement  was  started  about  the  year  1817.     Dr. 


IS 

Woods,  of  Andover,  one  of  the  leaders  in  this  cause,  told  me 
forty  years  afterward  the  reason  he  engaged  in  it  so  actively 
was  that  he  saw  such  abuse  of  ardent  spirits  among  ministers ;  for 
he  knew  forty-four  who  drank  so  much  as  to  affect  their  brains, 
and  he  had  assisted  in  putting  four  to  bed  on  occasions  like 
ordinations. 

At  the  period  above  mentioned  there  was  neither  a  woollen  or 
cotton  mill  in  the  State,  and  but  few  turnpikes ;  the  Middlesex 
canal  had  just  been  opened  from  Chelmsford  to  Charlestown. 

The  mode  of  living  in  Groton  was  economical  in  the  extreme. 
Books  were  rare  indeed,  few  were  published  in  the  State,  and 
Paternoster  Row  was  on  the  titlepage  of  all  the  juvenile  literature 
of  that  period. 

In  my  earliest  years  my  father's  house  was  thronged  by  Revolu- 
tionary officers  and  soldiers,  and  I  beard  so  much  that  I  almost 
thought  I  was  at  Bunker  Hill  on  the  glorious  Seventeenth.  My 
father  was  an  orderly  to  Col.  Prescott,  and  knew  all  about  the 
doings  at  Cambridge  after  the  troops  arrived  there  till  they  went 
to  Bunker  Hill.  These  soldiers  acted  like  veterans  in  consequence 
of  their  two  months'  daily  drilling.  Enough  has  not  been  said 
on  this  point.  The  claim  of  Gen.  Putnam's  admirers  never  was 
dreamed  of  till  long  after  both  generals  had  been  dead. 

S.  L. 

Stockbridge,  Sept.  5th,  1877. 


TAX   ON    UNAPPROPRIATED   LANDS. 

The  following  advertisement  appears  in  "  The  Boston 
Gazette,  or  Weekly  Journal,"  April  23,  1745.  It  shows  how 
much  the  tax  was  at  that  time  on  unappropriated  land  in  the 
west  Precinct  or  Parish  of  Groton,  which  is  now  known  as 
Pepperell :  — 

Notice  is  hereby  given  to  the  Proprietors  of  Groton  in  the 
County  of  Middlesex,  that  they  shew  Cause,  if  any  they  have, 
on  the  second  Wednesday  of  the  next  May  Sessions  of  the  Great 
and  General  Court,  why  all  the  unappropriated  Lands  in  the  West 
Precinct  in  said  Town,  should  not  be  rated  at  two  Pence  per  Annum 
per  Acre  for  three  Years  next  coming. 


i6 


JOHN  DERBYSHIRE. 

Mr.  Butler,  in  the  genealogical  Appendix  to  his  History 
(page  394),  mentions  the  family  of  "  John  Darby  and  Mary," 
and  in  the  next  page  gives  that  of  "  John  Derbyshire  and 
Mary,"  as  if  they  were  different  families.  They  were,  how- 
ever, undoubtedly  one  and  the  same.  This  view  is  confirmed 
by  the  name  of  the  wife,  the  dates  of  the  birth  of  the  children, 
and  the  tendency  in  former  times  to  cut  words  short.  Before 
coming  to  Groton,  John  lived  at  Dunstable,  where  other  chil- 
dren had  been  born  (Fox's  History  of  Dunstable,  page  242). 
I  have  seen  a  deed  given  by  him  to  John  Shipley,  dated 
March  25,  1710,  which  was  signed  John  Darbeysher,  to  which 
he  affixed  his  mark ;  and  in  the  text  of  the  deed  the  name  is 
written  Darbeyshaer. 

The  following  petition,  found  among  the  Massachusetts 
Archives  (IX.  164),  shows  that  John  and  Mary  were  not 
happy  in  their  marriage  relations,  and  furthermore  it  shows 
how  domestic  affairs,  during  the  last  century,  were  sometimes 
brought  before  the  Governor  and  Council.  If  family  quarrels 
were  now  passed  upon  by  the  same  authorities,  there  would 
be  but  little  time  left  for  public  business." 

To  his  Excellency  the  Governour  and  the  Honourable  the  Coun- 
cil of  her  Majestyes  Province  of  the  Massachusetts  Bay  in  N. 
England 

The  humble  Petition  of  John  Derbyshire  of  Groton  Sheweth 

That  whereas  yo'  petitioners  wife  hath  for  the  Space  of  Two 
years  Last  past  Seperated  herself  from  yo'  petition',  living  Some- 
times out  of  the  Towne,  but  at  p'sent  in  it,  yet  wholly  refusing  to 
take  care  of  her  family  or  to  returne  to  yo'  petition',  after  y=  Utmost 
Endeavours  and  perswasions  of  her  Neighbours  to  returne  to  her 
Charge  which  is  to  the  almost  Utter  Undoing  of  your  Poor  petitioner 
and  his  Family. 

Wherefore  yof  humble  petitioner  intreats  the  Honourable  Board 
would  be  pleased  to  take  cognisance  of  his  Cause,  and  that  if  pos- 
sible his  wife  might  be  reduced  to  her  duty,  and  your  petitioner 
shall  as  in  duty  bound  forever  pray  &c. 

J  his  marlce  t-. 

OHN      rj     Derbyshire 
Groton  Oct"  12  1710 


17 

Nathaniel  Woods  was  married  to  the  widow  Mary  Derbe- 
shere,  according  to  the  County  records,  on  June  5,  1725,  but 
according  to  the  church  records,  on  September  14,  1725. 

Here  are  two  other  instances  of  domestic  infelicity,  where 
the  husbands  for  redress  had  recourse  to  the  public  prints, 
which  is  more  in  accordance  with  modern  customs :  — 

TJT'Hereas  Ann  the  wife  of  me  William  Preston  of  Groton  in  the 
County  of  Middlesex,  hath  unjustly  eloped  from  me  and  my 
Family,  and  by  the  bad  Advice  of  evil-minded  Persons  hath  threatned 
to  injure  me  by  running  me  in  Debt,  &=€. 

THESE  are  therefore  to  caution  all  Persons  against  trusting  or 
giving  any  Credit  whatsoever  to  her  the  said  Ann  upon  my  Accompt, 
for  I  hereby  signify  that  I  will  not  pay  any  Debt  she  shall  contract 
from  the  Date  hereof,  unless  she  speedily  returns,  and  will  be  a 
loving  and  dutiful  Wife ;  if  so  she  will  be  kindly  receiv'd, 

As  witness  my  Hand, 
Sept.  26,  1745.  William  Preston: 

"  The  Boston-  Weekly  News  Letter,"  September  26,  1745. 

Groton,  December  20th,  1748. 

Notice  is  hereby  given  to  all  Persons,  That  whereas  Ruth 
Woods,  the  Wife  of  Nathaniel  Woods,  of  said  Groton,  Yeo- 
man, has  greatly  misbehaved  her  self,  and  run  him  in  Debt  without 
his  Order,  and  so  behaves  her  self,  that  he  cant  live  with  her, 
therefore  all  Persons  are  hereby  forbid  to  trade  any  Thing  with 
her,  for  if  they  do,  I  will  not  pay  one  Penny 

Nath.  Woods. 

"  The  Boston  Gazette,  or  Weekly  Journal,"  December  27,  1748. 


CHAISES   AND   "CHAIRS"   IN   GROTON. 

During  the  last  century  there  was  a  vehicle,  which  long 
since  passed  out  of  use,  known  as  a  "  chair."  It  resembled  a 
chaise  with  the  top  taken  off,  and  was  generally  wide  enough 
to  carry  two  persons.  References  to  these  vehicles  may  be 
found  in  "  Groton  during  the  Indian  Wars  "  (pages  158-160). 


On  June  15,  1753,  the  General  Court  of  Massachusetts 
passed  an  Act  for  granting  the  sum  of  ;^i,500  to  encourage 
the  manufacture  of  linen  ;  and  in  order  to  raise  this  amount  a 
tax  was  levied  "on  every  coach,  chariot,  chaise,  calash  and 
chair"  within  the  province.  The  tax  on  a  coach  was  ten 
shillings ;  a  chariot,  five  shillings ;  a  chaise,  three  shillings ; 
a  calash  and  a  chair,  two  shillings  each.  For  the  purpose  of 
carrying  out  this  law  returns  were  made,  during  several  years, 
of  all  the  carriages  in  the  several  towns ;  and  according  to  a 
table  prepared  from  these  returns,  there  was  one  chair  at 
Groton  in  the  year  1753  ;  none  in  1754  and  1755  ;  and  three 
in  1756  and  1757.  At  this  period  there  was  no  other  carriage, 
besides  these  chairs,  kept  in  the  town.  (Massachusetts  Ar- 
chives, CXXI.  326,  329,  340.) 

The  Reverend  Nathaniel  Bouton,  D.D.,  in  his  History  of 
Concord,  New  Hampshire  (page  513),  mentions  among  the 
earliest  chaises  owned  in  that  town  one  that  had  belonged, 
just  before  the  Revolution,  to  Colonel  Peter  Green.  It  had 
come  to  him  from  the  estate  of  his  father-in-law  Colonel  John 
Bulkley,  of  Groton,  who  died  on  December  3,  1772.  This 
was,  probably,  also  one  of  the  earliest  chaises  in  Groton.  For 
a  reference  to  Mrs.  Peter  Green,  as  well  as  to  her  father. 
Colonel  Bulkley,  see  No.  XHI.  (page  61)  and  No.  XVH. 
(page  13)  of  this  Historical  Series. 


SLAVERY   IN   GROTON. 

During  a  long  period  before  the  Revolution,  Groton  had 
one  element  in  her  population  which  does  not  now  exist,  and 
which  to-day  has  disappeared  from  almost  the  whole  civilized 
world.  At  the  beginning  of  the  year  1755  there  were  fourteen 
negro  slaves  in  town,  seven  men  and  seven  women,  who  were 
sixteen  years  old  or  upwards.  At  that  time  Townsend  had 
three  slaves,  two  men  and  one  woman;  Shirley  had  one,  a 
man ;  and  Pepperell  made  no  return  of  having  any.     West- 


19 

ford  had  five,  but  the  sex  is  not  given.  These  facts  are 
gathered  from  a  census  of  negro  slaves  in  Massachusetts, 
ordered  by  the  Province,  which  is  published  in  the  third 
volume,  second  series,  of  the  Collections  of  the  Massachusetts 
Historical  Society  (pages  95-97). 

William  Banks,  a  negro  or  mulatto,  was  married  at  Groton 
on  December  21,  1719,  by  Francis  Fullam,  a  Justice  of  Peace,' 
to  Hannah  Wansamug.  See  No.  XHI.  of  this  Historical 
Series  (page  17).  William  appears  to  have  been  a  slave 
belonging  to  Eleazer  Robbins,  of  Groton,  and  Hannah  was  an 
Indian,  who  is  called  in  the  records  "  late  of  Lancaster  ;"  but 
unfortunately  the  marriage  was  not  a  happy  one.  With  all 
confidence  in  her  husband,  the  wife  bought  his  freedom,  when 
he  proved  false  to  his  plight  and  promise,  and  deserted  her. 
The  story,  told  in  her  own  words,  is  found  in  the  Journal  of 
the  Massachusetts  House  of  Representatives,  June  13,  1724 
(page  39). 

A  Petition  of  Hannah  Banks  Indian,  shewing  that  she  bought  of 
Eleazer  Robbins  of  Groton  his  Servant  Man's  Time,  and  gave  a 
Bond  of  /.  15  for  Payment  of  the  same,  that  afterwards  she  married 
the  said  Servant  Man,  who  is  since  absconded,  and  the  said  Rob- 
bins hath  put  the  said  Bond  in  Suit,  and  cast  the  Petitioner  into 
Prison  in  Boston,  that  the  Principal  Debt  with  the  Charges  hath 
arisen  to  /.  25  which  yir.  Edward  Ruggles  of  Roxbury  hath  paid  for 
her,  praying  this  Court  would  please  to  enable  the  said  Edward 
Ruggles  to  Sell  such  a  part  of  her  Land  in  Natick,  as  will  satisfy 
him  for  his  advance  of  said  Twenty  Five  Pounds. 

Read  and  committed  to  the  Committee  for  Petitions. 

The  following  advertisement,  not  an  unusual  one  for  that 
period,  appears  in  "  The  Boston  Evening-Post,"  July  30; 
1739:  — 

RAN  away  from  his  Master,  Mr.  John  Woods  of  Groton,  on 
Thursday  the  \2th  of  this  Instant  July,  a  Negro  Man  Servant 
named  Caesar,  about  22  Years  of  Age,  a  pretty  short  well  sett  Fellow. 
He  carried  with  him  a  Blue  Coat  and  Jacket,  a  pair  of  Tow 
Breeches,  a  Castor  Hat,  Stockings  and  Shoes  of  his  own,  and  a  Blue 


20 

Cloth  Coat  with  flower' d  Metal  Buttons,  a  white  flower' d  Jacket,  a 
good  Sever  Hat,  a  Gray  Wigg,  and  a  pair  of  new  Shoes  of  his 
Master's,  with  some  other  Things.  It  is  suspected  there  is  some  white 
Person  that  may  be  with  him,  or  design  to  make  Use  of  his  Master's 
Apparel  above  described. 

Whoever  shall  take  up  the  said  Servant,  and  bring  hiin  to  his  above- 
said  Master  in  Groton,  or  be  a  Means  of  convicting  any  Person  or 
Confederate  ifjith  said  Servant  as  above  suspected,  shall  have  Five 
Pounds  Reward  for  each  of  them,  and  all  necessary  Charges  paid. 

The  following  marriage  is  entered  in  the  church  records 
under  the  date  December  28,  1742:  '' Priamus  (Cap'  Boy- 
dens  Negro  man  servantQ]  to  Margr?  Molatto  formerly  servant 
to  S.  S.  both  of  Groton".  It  is  also  recorded  that  Margaret, 
the  servant  of  Samuel  Scripture,  Jr.,  was  baptized  on  January 
30,  1733-4,  and  that  she  owned  the  church  covenant  at  the 
same  time.  See  No.  X.  of  this  Historical  Series  (pages  14, 
20,  and  30).  The  last  entry  shows  that  the  initials  "  S.  S." 
mentioned  above  stand  for  Samuel  Scripture,  Jr.  This  negro 
couple  was  afterward  blessed  with  a  family  of  children,  and 
they  lived  on  the  west  side  of  the  Nashua  River,  a  short  dis- 
tance north  of  the  county  road  to  Townsend.  His  surname 
wa?  Lew  or  Lue,  and  his  given  name  became  contracted  into 
Primus  ;  and  to  this  day  the  rise  of  ground,  near  the  place 
where  the  Pepperell  road  leaves  the  main  road,  is  known  as 
Primus  Hill,  so  called  after  him.  Mr.  Butler  thinks  that 
perhaps  Margaret's  name  was  Lew.  See  his  History  (page 
454).  Their  oldest  child,  —  Zelah,  a  corruption  of  Barzillai, 
—  born  at  Groton  on  November  5,  1743,  was  a  famous 
musician,  who  lived  at  Dracut,  and  the  father  of  numerous 
children  who  were  also  musicians.  He  was  a  fifer  in  Captain 
John  Ford's  company  of  the  27th  Massachusetts  Regiment  in 
service  at  the  siege  of  Boston,  and  was  present  at  the  Battle 
of  Bunker  Hill. 

About  the  year  1740  there  was  a  negro  slave  in  Groton  by 
the  name  of  Bead,  who  used  to  look  after  the  cattle  sent  up 
to  Groton  Gore  in  the  spring  to  be  pastured  during  the  sum- 
mer. See  "The  Boundary  Lines  of  Old  Groton  "  (page  37), 
and  No.  XHI.  of  this  Historical  Series  (page  59).  In  the 
year  1761  Abraham  Moors  owned  a  slave  named  Zebina. 


21 

Akin  to  the  subject  of  slavery  in  Groton  is  this  item  from 
"The  Groton  Landmark,"  November  14,  1885  :  — 

Gov.  Boutwell  has  in  an  old  scrap-book  the  following  interesting 

Memorandum : 

August,  1856. 

Noah  Shattuck,  esq.,  informs  me  that  there  were  eleven  slaves  in 
Groton  when  slavery  was  abolished,  and  he  mentioned  the  follow- 
ing names  :  Chloe  Williams,  Phillis  Cutler,  Phillis  Sartell,^  Ichabod 
Davis,  Fanny  Borden  and  William  Case.  Phineas  Wait  also 
owned   one  slave. 

Noah  Shattuck,  a  son  of  Job  and  Sarah  (Hartwell)  Shat- 
tuck, was  born  on  August  30,  1772,  and  died  on  September 
28,  1858. 

Slavery  was  never  formally  abolished  in  Massachusetts,  but 
it  was  held  by  the  courts  that  the  Bill  of  Rights  contained  in 
the  Constitution,  which  was  adopted  in  the  year  1 780,  swept 
away  this  last  vestige  of  feudalism. 


ITEMS   FROM   VARIOUS   SOURCES. 

We  hear  from  Dunstable,  That  a  sorrowful  Accident  happen'd 
there  as  they  were  raising  the  Frame  for  a  new  Meeting-House 
in  that  Town  Yesterday  was  sev'night  —  Two  Men,  assisting  in 
the  Work  fell,  from  a  Spar,  and  one  of  them  (Abiel  Richardson  of 
Groton)  had  his  Brains  dash'd  out,  his  Head  in  the  Fall  striking 
upon  a  Rock,  so  that  he  expir'd  immediately ;  the  other  was  much 
bruis'd,  but  'tis  tho't  will  recover. 

"The  Boston  Weekly  News-Letter,"  July  26,  1753. 

Some  Days  ago  a  young  Man  at  Work  in  a  new  House  at  Groton, 
catching  hold  on  a  wrong  Rope,  fell  from  the  Top  to  the  Bottom, 
and  was  kill'd  in  a  Moment. 

"  The  Boston  Gazette,  or.  Weekly  Advertiser,"  November  5,  1754. 

We  also  hear,  that  several  Persons  have  lately  been  taken  up  at 
Groton,  on  Suspicion  of  counterfeiting  the  Bills  of  Credit  of  the 

'  Owned  by  Joseph  Sartell. 


22 

Province  of  New- Hampshire.     One  of  the  Gang  is  now  in  our  Goal, 
for  attempting  to  put  off  some  of  the  said  Counterfeits  in  this 
Town. 
"The  Boston  Gazette,  or,  Weekly  Advertiser,"  February  ii,  1755. 

A  Petition  of  Jonathan  Sheple  of  Groton,  in  the  County  of 
Middlesex,  setting  forth,  that  about  four  Years  ago,  he  was  several 
Times  presented  by  the  Grand-Jury  for  not  attending  the  public 
Worship  of  God,  but  being  at  that  Time  over-borne  with  Melan- 
cholly,  under  his  then  distressing  Circumstances,  and  bereaved  of 
the  proper  Exercise  of  his  Reason,  he  forfeited  his  Recognizances, 
for  satisfying  which,  and  the  other  Costs  attending  the  said  Pre- 
sentments, he  has  been  since  obliged  to  make  Sale  of  his  Dwelling- 
place  ;  and  praying  that  the  Money  paid  by  him,  being  still  in  the 
Clerk's  Hands,  he  may  be  allowed  to  receive  back  again. 

Read,  and  Ordered,  That  Col.  Lawrence,  Col.  Clap,  and  Mr. 
Prentice,  be  a  Committee  to  consider  this  Petition,  and  Report 
thereon. 

Journal  of  the  House  o£  Representatives,  January  8,  1757  (page  241). 

Last  Wednesday  [June  3,]  the  Rev.  Mr.  Samuel  Dana  was  or- 
dained Pastor  to  the  first  Church  in  Groton .  The  Rev.  Mr.  Rogers 
of  Littleton  began  with  Prayer,  the  Rev.  Mr.  Appleton  of  Cambridge 
preached  from  Levit.  X.  3.  the  Rev.  Mr.  Parker  of  Dracut  gave  the 
Charge,  and  the  Rev.  Mr.  Hall  of  Wesford  gave  the  Right  Hand  of 
Fellowship. 

"  The  Boston  Gazette,  and  Country  Journal,"  June  8,  1761. 


DEATHS. 


At  Amherst,  N.  H.  Mr.  John  Parks,  of  Groton,  (Mass.)  He, 
as  master  workman  in  building  the  stone  gaol  in  Amherst,  was 
unfortunately  wounded  by  a  large  stone  falling  on  the  end  of  a  pry, 
which  struck  him  on  the  head  and  stomach,  and  occasioned  his 
death  the  third  day  after.  He  was  the  master  workman  in  building 
the  gaols  in  this  town  and  Concord. 
"  Thomas's  Massachusetts  Spy  :  or.  The  Worcester  Gazette,"  August  29,  1793. 


23 

At  Groton,  the  13th  inst  Miss  Grace  Whiting,  ^t.  27,  daughter 
to  Capt.  Leonard  Whiting,  of  HoUis,  N.  H. 

"  The  Independent  Chronicle :  and  the  Universal  Advertiser  "  (Boston),  Octo- 
ber 31,  1796. 

At  Groton,  on  the  ist  inst.  Mrs.  Lovina  Tarbell,  wife  of  Mr.  Abel 
Tarbell,  and  daughter  of  Joshua  Longley,  Esq.  of  Shirley,  JEt,  22 
years.  —  Having  been  in  good  health,  and  without  any  previous 
complaint,  fell  on  the  floor,  and  expired  in  a  few  minutes.  Her 
death  is  severely  felt  in  the  family,  and  greatly  lamented  by  her 
acquaintance. 

"  Columbian  Centinel  &  Massachusetts  Federalist"  (Boston),  October  8,  1803. 

In  Groton  [January  9],  Lieut.  William  Parker,  a  revolutionary 
soldier,  aged  71. 
"  Columbian  Centinel "  (Boston),  January  24,  1833. 

In  Groton,  Mr.  David  Wilson,  a  revolutionary  soldier,  aged  90. 
His  death  was  occasioned  by  falling  into  the  fire,  supposed  in  a  fit. 
"Columbian  Centinel"  (Boston),  February  23,  1833. 


According  to  an  advertisement  in  "  The  Continental  Jour- 
nal, and  Weekly  Advertiser"  (Boston),  May  29,  1777,  John 
Williams,  of  Groton,  was  engaged  at  that  time  in  recruiting 
for  Colonel  Rufus  Putnam's  regiment ;  and  according  to  the 
same  newspaper,  three  weeks  later  (June  19),  the  town  of 
Groton  was  to  receive  ninety-eight  bushels  of  salt  out  of  the 
public  stores  belonging  to  the  State. 

Captain  John  Williams  was  a  son  of  John  and  Elizabeth 
(Cutter)  Williams,  and  born  on  July  4,  1746.  He  died  on 
July  I,  1822. 


GROTON    HISTORICAL   SERIES. 
No.  XIX. 


GENERAL   GRANT'S  VISIT   TO    GROTON. 

OLD   MILL^SITES   IN    GROTON. 

BILLERICA   BRIDGE. 
WILLIAM    NUTTING. 

THE   FIRST   CHURCH   AT  WEST   GROTON. 

DANIEL   FARMER   AND   ELEAZER   PRIEST. 
THE   FARRINGTON   FAMILY. 

BURNING   OF  JUDGE   DANA'S   BARN. 


GROTON,    MASS. 
1887. 


GROTON,   MASSACHUSETTS,    1887. 
Historical  Series,  No.  XIX. 


GENERAL   GRANT'S   VISIT  TO   GROTON. 

The  visit  of  the  President  of  the  United  States  will  long 
be  memorable  in  the  annals  of  Groton.  General  Grant  passed 
the  night  of  Wednesday,  June  16,  1869,  at  the  house  of  Gov- 
ernor Boutwell,  where  on  the  next  day  he  held  a  pubhc  recep- 
tion, which  was  attended  by  a  large  gathering.  People  poured 
into  the  village  from  all  the  neighborhood,  and  never  before 
was  there  so  great  an  assemblage  of  persons  within  the  limits 
of  the  town.  No  accident  occurred  to  mar  the  festivities,  and 
everything  passed  off  satisfactorily,  thus  making  the  occasion 
a  complete  success. 

A  musical  festival,  known  as  the  Peace  Jubilee,  had  begun 
in  Boston  on  Tuesday,  June  15,  which  lasted  five  days.  It 
was  intended  to  celebrate  the  downfall  of  the  Rebellion  and 
the  restoration  of  peace  and  good  will  in  all  parts  of  the 
country,  which  at  that  time  so  recently  had  been  rent  asunder 
by  Civil  War.  Several  thousand  voices  sang  in  the  chorus, 
and  the  audiences  were  correspondingly  large.  A  building 
known  as  the  Coliseum  was  erected  for  the  special  occasion. 
General  Grant  attended  the  concert  in  the  afternoon  of  the 
second  day  of  the  Jubilee,  in  company  with  Governor  Boutwell, 
a  member  of  his  Cabinet,  and  with  other  distinguished  guests. 
After  a  dinner  in  the  evening  given  by  the  city  of  Boston, 
a  special  train  was  despatched  to  Groton,  which  bore  the 
President  and  his  party. 


The  following  accounts  of  his  visit  were  published  at  the 
time  in  the  "Boston  Daily  Advertiser"  and  the  "Spring- 
field Daily  Republican." 

THE  PRESIDENT   AT    GROTON. 

The  President  and  his  party  left  the  supper  room  of  the  Revere 
House  at  a  few  minutes  before  eight  o'clock  last  evening,  and  after 
a  few  minutes'  conversation  in  the  ladies'  parlor,  proceeded  to  the 
Fitchburg  Railroad  station,  where  a  special  train  awaited  his 
arrival.  The  party  consisted  of  the  President,  U.  S.  Grant,  jr.. 
Secretary  Boutwell,  Governor  Claflin,  Ralph  Waldo  Emerson, 
Hon.  J.  M.  S.  Williams,  Dr.  S.  A.  Green,  Colonel  Daniel  Need- 
ham  and  wife,  Mrs.  McAfee  and  Mrs.  Wellington  of  Groton,  Gen- 
eral A.  B.  Underwood  and  the  Rev.  William  Clark,  chaplain  of 
the  New  Hampshire  legislature.  The  President  was  loudly  cheered 
as  he  entered  the  cars,  where  Mr.  P.  S.  Gilmore  had  a  brief  inter- 
view with  the  President.  The  train  made  brief  stops  at  Waltham, 
Concord  and  South  Acton,  and  at  each  of  these  stations  the  Presi- 
dent bowed  his  acknowledgments  to  the  gathered  crowds,  and 
shook  hands  with  hundreds  from  the  car  window.  During  a  large 
portion  of  the  journey  to  Concord  the  President  conversed  freely 
with  Mr.  Emerson,  chiefly  on  educational  matters,  and  the  two 
distinguished  gentlemen  evidently  enjoyed  the  interview. 

At  the  Groton  Junction  station  a  great  crowd  was  gathered,  and 
great  enthusiasm  was  manifested  when  the  President  made  his 
appearance.  After  a  little  delay  he  proceeded  with  Secretary 
Boutwell  and  a  select  party  to  Groton  Centre,  where  he  passed  the 
night  as  the  Secretary's  guest.  A  salute  of  guns  greeted  his 
arrival,  and  the  whole  town  was  in  a  state  of  excitement.  A  public 
reception  is  to  be  held  at  the  Town  Hall,  at  half-past  nine  o'clock 
this  morning)  when  an  immense  gathering  is  expected. 

The  genial  and  frank  conversation  of  the  President  while  on  the 
train,  showed  that  when  inclined  to  be  communicative  he  has  no 
lack  of  words  to  express  his  ideas.  He  gave  many  little  war  inci- 
dents bearing  upon  different  officers,  and  in  the  course  of  some 
remarks  made  in  reference  to  General  Sherman,  he  said  that  he 
considered  him  fully  capable  of  commanding  any  army  that  the 
country  could  raise  and  against  any  nation  with  which  we  should 
ever  be  called  to  fight ;  that  he  had  sound  judgment,  great  nerve, 


and  was  always  ready  to  do  what  he  was  ordered  to  do,  even  when 
against  his  personal  wishes,  and  never  grumbled.  In  a  remark 
made  to  Governor  Claflin  concerning  the  election  of  last  fall,  he 
said  that  Massachusetts  entered  into  the  contest  as  if  she  had  not 
a  vote  to  lose  —  as  if  she  was  a  doubtful  State ;  and  this  compli- 
ment was  well  responded  to  by  different  gentlemen  present.  It 
may  be  said,  in  brief,  that  the  President  greatly  enjoyed  his  visit  to 
Boston,  and  that  all  the  arrangements  made  for  his  benefit  were 
highly  satisfactory  to  him. 

The  President  leaves  for  Worcester  today  at  12.30  p.  m.,  the  hos- 
pitalities of  that  city  having  been  tendered  him  yesterday  by  Mayor 
Blake.  He  will  remain  in  the  city  but  a  few  hours,  returning  to 
New  York  by  the  afternoon  train.  He  will  be  received  by  the  city 
government,  and  escorted  through  the  principal  streets  by  the  mili- 
tary, the  Highland  Cadets  and  the  Grand  Array  of  the  Republic. 
He  will  review  the  public  schools,  and  partake  of  a  collation  at 
the  Bay  State  House.  Secretary  Boutwell  will  accompany  the  Presi- 
dent to  Worcester,  but  will  return  to  Groton  in  the  evening. 

"  Boston  Daily  Advertiser,"  Thursday  morning,  June  17,  1869. 


GEN.   GRANT   IN    MIDDLESEX. 

The  announcement  that  the  president,  after  his  holiday  in 
Boston,  was  to  visit  the  secretary  of  the  treasury  at  his  home  in 
Groton,  seemed  at  first  a  little  surprising,  especially  to  the  Bostoni- 
ans,  who  could  hardly  bear  the  thought  of  so  distinguished  a  man 
sleeping  anywhere  but  under  the  shadow  of  the  state  house.  But 
the  reason  for  it  was  a  very  good  one,  —  to  visit  and  pay  honor  to 
the  county  and  the  precise  region  which,  on  the  opening  of  the 
rebellion,  sent  the  first  soldiers  to  defend  the  capital  of  the  nation. 
It  was  from  Acton  and  Groton,  and  the  neighboring  towns,  that 
the  Sixth  regiment  went  forth  on  the  i6th  of  April,  1861,  and  it 
was  the  farmers  and  mechanics  of  Middlesex  that,  on  the  19th  of 
April,  shed  their  blood  in  Baltimore,  as  their  grandfathers  had  at 
Concord  and  Lexington  on  another  19th  of  April  eighty-six  years 
before.  When  the  Essex  county  men  and  the  New  York  Seventh 
got  to  Washington  on  the  25th  of  April,  they  found  the  townsmen 
of  Secretary  Boutwell  quartered  in  the  Senate  chamber,  having 
been  the  first  of  the  volunteers  to  reach  the  capital.  Close  behind 
them  came  the  Fifth  regiment,  also  Middlesex  men,  who  marched 


away  from  their  homes  while  their  neighbors  of  the  Sixth  were 
breaking  through  the  Baltimore  mob,  and  joined  them  on  Capitol 
Hill  before  there  was  any  chance  for  further  fighting. 

It  was  these  men,  their  widows  and  children,  their  fathers, 
brothers  and  townsmen  who  crowded  about  the  train  that  carried 
the  great  general  of  the  war  through  the  length  of  Middlesex 
county  on  Wednesday  evening.  As  he  left  the  Fitchburg  railroad 
station  he  passed  along  the  side  of  Bunker  Hill ;  through  Cam- 
bridge, where  Washington  encamped  with  his  besieging  army  ;  not 
far  from  Lexington,  over  the  meadows  of  Concord,  and  amid  the 
hills  and  woods  of  Acton,  whose  "embattled  farmers"  fired  the 
famous  shot  in  1776.  In  all  these  -  towns  the  monuments  of 
the  old  war  and  the  new  might  be  seen  standing  in  sight  of  each 
other,  —  the  granite  of  their  sides  not  more  firm  and  durable  than 
the  loyalty  of  the  people  who  built  them  to  the  cause  of  freedom 
and  their  country.  It  was  a  little  after  8  o'clock  when  the  special 
train  carrying  Gen.  Grant  and  his  son,  Secretary  Boutwell,  Gov. 
Claflin,  Mr.  Emerson  of  Concord,  Dr.  S.  A.  Gr^en  of  Groton,  and 
a  few  others,  left  Boston  for  the  old  village  of  Groton,  where  Mr. 
Boutwell's  home  and  farm  are.  The  train  made  brief  stops  at 
Waltham,  Concord  and  South  Acton,  and  at  each  of  these  stations 
the  president  bowed  his  acknowledgments  to  the  gathered  crowds, 
and  shook  hands  with  hundreds  from  the  car  window.  During  a 
large  portion  of  the  journey  to  Concord  the  president  conversed 
freely  with  Mr.  Emerson,  chiefly  on  educational  matters,  but  he 
spoke  frankly  also  of  incidents  of  the  war.  In  regard  to  his  com- 
panion in  arms.  Gen.  Sherman,  he  declared  that  he  was  fully  ca- 
pable of  commanding  any  army  that  the  country  could'  raise,  and 
against  any  nation  with  which  we  should  ever  be  called  to  fight ; 
that  he  had  sound  judgment,  great  nerve,  and  was  always  ready  to 
do  what  he  was  ordered  to  do,  even  when  against  his  personal 
wishes,  and  never  grumbled.  In  a  remark  made  to  Gov.  Claflin 
concerning  the  election  of  last  fall,  he  said  that  Massachusetts 
entered  into  the  contest  as  if  she  had  not  a  vote  to  lose  —  as  if 
she  was  a  doubtful  state ;  and  in  all  that  was  said  he  showed  that 
he  was  well  aware  of  the  part  taken  by  Massachusetts  in  the  war, 
and  in  the  political  sequel  thereto. 

Indeed  the  president  had  already  shown  his  appreciation  of 
Massachusetts  and  of  Middlesex  county  by  his  choice  of  cabinet 
officers.  In  his  detour  of  Wednesday  and  Thursday  he  visited  the 
homes  of  his  attorney-general  and  his  secretary  of  the  treasury,  — 


5 

places  within  fifteen  miles  of  each  other,  and  in  those  rural  com- 
munities of  our  state,  where,  more  than  in  our  cities  and  larger 
towns,  the  old  fashioned  spirit  of  Massachusetts  abides  and  pre- 
vails. It  is  not  often  that  a  president  of  the  United  States  visits 
such  communities,  or  chooses  from  them  his  cabinet  ministers,  but 
when  he  does  so  it  is  a  sign  that  he  values  the  Puritan  virtues,  and 
takes  pleasure  in  seeing  the  plain  people  among  whom  they  have 
longest  held  sway.  This  is  the  way  we  interpret  Gen.  Grant's 
visit  to  Middlesex ;  though  it  may  also  have  been  intended  as  a 
mark  of  the  special  trust  which  he  reposes  in  his  secretary  of  the 
treasury,  who  well  deserves  it. 

"  Springfield  Daily  Republican,"  Friday  morning,  June  l8,  1869. 


OLD   MILL-SITES   IN   GROTON. 

The  distinct  traces  of  an  old  dam  on  James's  Brook  at 
Groton  are  to  be  seen  on  the  easterly  side  of  the  road  to  Ayer, 
near  the  extreme  limits  of  the  town.  They  are  found  on  the 
farm,  known  formerly  as  the  Benjamin  Moors  place,  but 
latterly  owned  by  Nathan  F.  Culver.  The  excavations  of 
earth,  below  the  dam,  for  the  purpose  of  filling-in  the  stones, 
are  clearly  visible  ;  and  even  the  size  of  the  mill-pond  can  be 
made  out.  None  of  the  aged  people,  whose  recollection  goes 
back  to  the  early  part  of  the  present  century,  could  tell  any- 
thing in  regard  to  the  mill  that  stood  on  this  site.  It  is  not 
mentioned  by  Dr.  Oliver  Prescott,  Jr.,  in  his  survey  of  the 
town  made  in  the  year  1794,  which  carefully  notes  all  the 
mills  at  that  time.  James's  Brook  was  once  a  much  larger 
stream  than  it  is  now,  and  in  particular  places  furnished  con- 
siderable water-power. 

This  farm  was  bought  of  John  Farnsworth,  by  Abraham 
Moors,  the  grandfather  of  Benjamin  ;  and  the  deed,  dated 
February  5,  1 716-17,  is  duly  recorded  in  the  Middlesex 
Registry  of  Deeds  (Book  XXIII.  page  47)  at  East  Cambridge. 
From  this  record  the  following  description  of  land  is  taken, 
which  furnishes  a  clew  to  the  desired  information  :  — 


Several  parcels  of  upland  &  Swampy  Low  land  all  Situate  lying 
&  being  within  the  Bounds  and  Limits  of  the  Township  of  Groton 
in  the  county  and  province  afores'd  containing  in  all  by  Estimation 
One  hundred  &  Sixty  acres  more  or  less  Improv"  Thirty  acres  more 
or  less  of  mill  pond  Swamp  &  upland  with  a  three  quarter  part  of 
an  Old  Saw  mill  thereupon  [the  Italics  are  mine]  now  standing 
and  it  is  Bound  Northwardly  upon  a  high  way  that  leadeth  to  a 
farm  that  is  called  by  the  Name  of  Coycus  ffarm  Eastwardly  with 
the  Lands  of  Josiah  Farnsworth  Southerly  upon  Davis's  Land  & 
Westerly  upon  Saw  mill  Lands  &c. 

Here  we  have  a  distinct  reference  to  this  very  mill,  which 
identifies  it  beyond  doubt ;  and  it  is  interesting  to  note  that 
even  then,  a  hundred  and  seventy  years  ago,  it  was  called  "  an- 
Old  Saw  mill."  "  Coycus  ffarm  "  is  the  abbreviated  spelling 
of  Nonacoicus  farm,  which  had  previously  belonged  to  Major 
Simon  Willard.  The  highway,  mentioned  in  the  description, 
is  the  present  road  from  Groton  to  Ayer.  A  record  of  John 
Farnsworth's  lands  in  the  Middlesex  Registry  of  Deeds 
(XIII.  336),  on  May  10,  1700,  refers  to  his  "Saw  Mill  Land," 
which  was  without  question  this  parcel,  showing  that  he 
owned  it  at  that  time. 

Going  back  to  a  still  earlier  date,  in  a  description  of  Farns- 
worth's lands,  on  December  9,  1680,  as  found  in  "The  Early 
Records  of  Groton"  (page  182),  reference  is  made  to  "a  pece 
of  swamp  land,  lyeing  betwixt  the  pond  at  John  Page's  saw- 
mill and  the  bridg  that  goe  to  Nonicoycus,  bounded  round 
by  the  town's  comon  land."  Undoubtedly  Page's  saw-mill, 
here  mentioned,  was  the  same  as  Farnsworth's,  as  the  sites  of 
the  two  appear  to  be  identical ;  and  "  the  bridg  that  goe  to 
Nonicoycus  "  is  still  standing  over  James's  Brook,  very  near 
the  bed  of  the  old  mill-pond.  Page's  mill  was  built  probably 
soon  after  the  re-settlement  of  the  town  in  the  year  1678 ; 
and  this  dam  furnishes,  perhaps,  the  earliest  trace  of  man's 
work  that  can  be  identified  within  the  limits  of  Groton  or  its 
neighborhood. 

Many  years  ago  John  Chamberlain  had  a  saw-mill  on  Mar- 
tin's Pond  Brook,  near  the  foot  of  Brown  Loaf,  on  its  north- 
erly side.     He   was  known  about  here  as- "  Paugus  John," 


from  the  fact  of  his  kiUing  the  Indian  chief  Paugus,  in  Love- 
well's  -Fight  at  Pequawket,  on  May  8,  1725.  An  account  of  this 
action  is  found  in  Chapter  IV.  of  "  Groton  during  the  Indian 
Wars."  Even  now  there  is  a  deep  place  in  Paugus  Brook, 
known  as  Paugus  Hole,  on  the  west  side  of  Brown  Loaf,  where, 
it  is  said,  the  body  of  Paugus's  descendant,  who  came  to  kill 
Chamberlain,  many  years  after ,  the  Fight,  was  sunk,  after  he 
himself  was  killed.  A  small  elm  stands  on  the  south  bank  of 
the  brook,  very  near  the  place.  Chamberlain  is  supposed  to 
have  died  about  the  year  1756,  though  no  record  of  his  death 
is  found.  The  appraisal  of  his  property  was  made  on  March 
31,  1756,  according  to  papers  in  the  Middlesex  Probate  Office 
at  East  Cambridge.  The  old  mill-race  is  still  to  be  seen  ;  and 
only  a  few  weeks  ago,  in  company  with  Francis  M.  Boutwell, 
Esq.,  I  examined  the  site.  The  mill  is  not  mentioned  by  Dr. 
Oliver  Prescott,  Jr.,  in  his  survey  of  1794,  and,  of  course,  was 
not  standing  at  that  time.  It  was  sold  by  Joseph  Gilson,  Jr., 
husbandman,  to  Eleazer  Gilson,  cooper,  February  13,  1716- 
17,  as  recorded  in  the  Middlesex  Registry  of  Deeds  (XIX. 
131,  132).  The  land  is  described  as  lying  on  both  sides  of 
"  Brownlofe  Brook,"  and  bounded  westerly  by  the  road  leading 
to  John  Chamberlain's  corn-mill,  which  at  that  time  was  the 
mill  mentioned  in  the  next  paragraph.  There  has  been,  how- 
ever, a  grist-mill  on  or  very  near  the  sahie  spot  in  modern 
days,  which  was  built  by  George  Russell  about  the  year 
1870  ;  but  this  was  carried  away  during  a  freshet  in  March, 

1877. 

A  grist-mill  stood  for  a  long  period  on  Baddacook  Pond 
Brook,  about  two  miles  and  a  half  from  the  Unitarian  Meeting- 
House,  on  the  Lowell  road.  It  is  given  by  Dr.  Oliver  Pres- 
cott, Jr.,  on  his  plan  of  1794,  and  was  standing  in  the  early 
part  of  the  last  century.  John  Chamberlain,  yeoman,  con- 
veyed it  to  Eleazer  Gilson,  February  13,  1716-17, — the  same 
day  that  Joseph  Gilson,  Jr.,  sold  his  mill  to  Gilson,  as  re- 
corded above.  The  grantor  afterward  became  the  famous 
Indian  fighter,  as  previously  stated.  The  land  is  described 
as  lying  on  the  southerly  side  of  "  Battecook  Medow,"  and 
from    the   description   the   road    ran    then  as   it   does   now. 


8 

When  Mr.  Butler's  map  was  made,  from  a  survey  during  the 
years  1828  and  1829,  the  mill  belonged  to  Amelia  Woods, 
and  before  that  had  been  owned  successively  by  her  father 
and  brother,  Nahum  and  Nahum,  Jr.  It  was  taken  down 
about  i860,  having  for  several  years  previously  fallen  into 
disuse. 

Eleazer  Gilson  appears  to  have  been  a  large  owner  of  mill- 
property  at  an  early  period  in  the  history  of  Groton.  He 
bought  of  Isaac  Parker,  December  7,  1726,  a  saw-mill  situated 
on  Mulpus  Brook,  as  recorded  in  the  Middlesex  Registry  of 
Deeds  (XXVI.  336).  In  modern  times  he  would  have  made 
his  mark  as  an  extensive  manufacturer  or  a  railroad  magnate. 

During  my  boyhood  there  was  a  mill  for  grinding  and  saw- 
ing at  West  Groton,  — or  Squannacook,  as  it  was  then  called  ; 
but  this  was  taken  down  many  years  since.  It  was  first  built 
by  John  Tarbell,  the  father  of  the  late  Colonel  Abel  Tarbell, 
who  died  on  October  19,  i860,  at  the  advanced  age  of  86 
years.  John  died  on  September  9,  1802,  aged  79.  A  mill  for 
the  manufacture  of  leather-board  now  occupies  the  site. 

There  was  also  another  mill  for  grinding  and  sawing,  where 
the  Hollingsworth  paper-mills  now  stand,  on  the  Great  Road 
north  of  the  village.  At  the  end  of  the  last  century  it  was 
owned  by  John  Capell,  but  it  disappeared  a  long  time  ago,  in 
order  to  make  way  for  the  new  buildings.  Both  these  grist- 
mills, last  mentioned,  are  given  on  Dr.  Prescott's  plan  of  1794. 


BILLERICA   BRIDGE. 

At  an  early  period  in  our  colonial  history  the  travel  from 
Groton  to  Boston  went  by  a  circuitous  route  through  Chelms- 
ford and  Billerica,  where  there  was  a  bridge  over  the  Concord 
River,  built  by  several  towns,  —  of  which  Groton  was  one, — 
and  supported  jointly  by  them  for  many  years.  The  Reverend 
Henry  Allen  Hazen,  in  his  "  History  of  Billerica  "  (page  98), 
says  that  the  town  of  Groton  paid  toward  the  repairs  of  the 


bridge  in  the  year  1665  the  sum  of  £l  14J.  jd.  out  of  a 
total  of  ;^2i  2s.  2d. —  probably  the  first  assessment  paid  by 
the  town,  though  there  is  no  allusion  to  the  matter  in  the 
town-records,  which  are  not  entirely  complete  at  this  period. 
On  March  12,  1665-6,  the  Selectmen  of  Chelmsford  gave 
notice  to  the  town  of  Billerica  that  they  would  no  longer  help 
keep  the  bridge  in  repair,  whereupon  it  was  voted  by  the 
Selectmen  of  Billerica  that  they  would  take  up  some  of  the 
planks  and  thus  stop  all  travel,  which  was  undoubtedly  done. 
How  long  the  bridge  remained  impassable,  or  how  long  the 
difHcult^  continued,  there  is  no  record  ;  but  probably  the 
trouble  was  not  settled  until  the  General  Court,  twenty 
months  later,  interposed  its  power  and  decided  the  matter. 
At  its  session  beginning  on  October  9,  1667,  it  is  recorded  : 

In  Answer  to  a  motion  made  by  the  Deputjes  of  Billirica  & 
Chelmsford  in  refferenc  to  the  bridge  ouer  Billirica  Riuer  —  It  is 
Ordered  by  this  Court  thatt  according  to  the  Agreement  of  the 
Comittee  of  the  Generall  Court  &  Comitte  of  that  Countje  respect- 
ing bridges  bearing  date  Aprill  17.  1660  the  sajd  bridge  shall  be 
repayred  &  vpholden  by  the  Tounes  of  Billirica  chelmsford  & 
Groaten.  &  all  such  ffarmes  as  are  there  granted  when  they  shall 
be  Improoued  in  proportion  to  their  Country  rates.  &  shall  be  freed 
from  the  majntenanc  of  all  other  bridges  excepting  only  in  their 
oune  Tounes. 

[General  Court  Records,  IV.  Part  a,  591.] 

In  carrying  out  this  order,  which  had  reference  only  to  the 
repairing  of  the  bridge,  the  County  Court  at  Charlestown,  on 
December  17,  1667,  appointed  a  commission  of  four  men,  —  of 
whom  Captain  James  Parker,  of  Groton,  was  one,  —  who  were 
authorized  to  make  a  contract  "  with  some  able  and  honest 
artificer ''  for  building  it  anew ;  and  accordingly  to  that  end 
they  made  an  agreement  with  Job  Lane,  of  Billerica.  The 
written  contract  containing  all  the  specifications  in  detail  is 
still  preserved  ;  and  it  stipulated  that  the  Groton  payments, 
if  Lane  so  chose,  should  be  delivered  near  the  bridge,  while 
it  was  building,  and  after  that  in  Billerica.  The  work  was  to 
be  done  before  September  29,  1668. 


lO 

In  the  year  1676,  —  according  to  Mr.  Hazen's  History  (page 
99),^ — the  complaints  about  the  bridge  were  repeated,  and 
there  was  again  united  action  of  the  towns  in  repairing  it ; 
but  probably  at  this  time  Groton  was  relieved  of  all  assess- 
ments, as  the  town  was  then  deserted.  During  the  next 
twenty  years  no  further  complaint  is  recorded ;  but  at  the 
end  of  this  period  (probably  in  the  year  1698)  the  bridge  was 
swept  away  by  a  flood.  Then  another  controversy  arose  on 
the  old  subject  of  proportioning  the  expense  ;  and  in  order 
to  settle  the  difficulty  a  request  was  sent  out  at  this  time  by 
the  Selectmen  of  Chelmsford  to  the  towns  of  Groton,  Dun- 
stable, and  Billerica,  asking  them  to  appoint  a  committee,  who 
should  be  authorized  to  meet  and  act  in  the  matter.  Accord- 
ingly a  meeting  was  held,  probably  at  Chelmsford,  when 
Thomas  Williams  and  James  Blanchard,  the  town  clerk,  were 
present,  representing  the  town  of  Groton.  (History  of  Bil- 
lerica, page  100.)  One  result  of  this  consultation  was  to 
change  the  location  of  the  bridge  and  place  it  more  than  a 
mile  farther  up  the  river.  The  following  entries  in  the 
Groton  town-records  probably  refer  to  a  subsequent  meeting 
of  the  committee,  which  soon  followed  the  first,  when  there 
was  evidently  a  hitch  in  the  proceedings  :  — 

december  21  at  a  town  meting  legely  warned  the  town  did  then 
uote  and  declare  that  y°  will  chuse  to  men  for  to  be  the  towns 
agents  for  to  maniadge  the  case  a  bought  the  brigde  and  for  to 
imply  a  lawyer  in  the  behalfe  of  the  town  and  that  y"  will  raise 
money  for  to  bare  the  charge  of  said  men 

James  Blanchard  town  dark 

at  a  town  meting  legely  warning  december:  21  1698.  capSn 
Prascott  was  chosen  for  to  go  to  chelmsford  to  meett  with  the 
commety  and  insign  farnworth  was  chosen  for  to  go  with  him  to 
chamesford.  James  Blanchard  towti  Clarke 

december:  21  1698  at  a  town  meting  legelly  warned  the  town 
did  uote  and  chuse  capt  prescott  and  insign  farnworth  to  go  to 
Chelmsford  to  mete  with  the  commete  and  to  act  in  the  towns 
be  halfe  acording  to  there  best  discrestion  refering  to  bill  area 
tiridg  James  Blanchard  town  Clark 


II 

December  21 :  1698  :  at  a  town  metinge  legally  warn  the  town 
did  chuse  capt  prescott  and  Insign  farnworth  to  be  the  to  men  for 
to  acte  in  the  towns  be  halfe  for  to  do  the  work  Spock  of  in  the 
other  uot  James  Blanchard  town  Cla\rK\ 

The  bridge  was  built  on  the  new  site  some  time  during  the 
year  1699,  but  for  one  rekson  or  another  now  unexplained, 
the  town  of  Groton  refused  to  pay  the  amount  assessed  as 
her  share  of  the  expense,  and  recourse  was  again  had  to  the 
General  Court.  At  the  session  beginning  on  May  31,  1699, 
and  continued  by  several  prorogations  until  March  13,  1699- 
1700,  the  following  enactment  was  passed:  — 

An  Act  relating  to  ISfllerira  Bridge,  in  the  County  of  JHililileaeaf. 

'Y^OR  Issuing  of  the  Controversie  between  the  Towns  of  Groton, 
-*-  Billerica  and  Chelmsford,  and  the  Inhabitants  of  the  Farms 
Adjacent,  arising  by  reason  of  the  refusal  or  neglect  of  the  Agents  for 
the  Town  ^Groton  aforesaid,  to  pay  the  Sum  set  and  proportioned  on 
their  Town,  for  and  towards  the  Erecting  and  Building  of  the  Bridge 
in  the  said  Town  of  Billerica,  in  the  County  of  Middlesex  ;  which 
ought  in  Equity  to  have  been  paid;  the  Sum  being  Twenty  Four 
Pounds,  and  Ten  Shillings. 

•pc  it  ©nactcb  bg  lijs  (fice^cntg  tlje  dootrnonr,  ffiottncil  anii 
PtpregetttattDts  in  deneral  (Eonrt  3'«si«inblel),  anb  bg  tl)c  |itttl)orttB 
of  tlje  same,  That  the  Court  of  Quarter  Sessions  of  the  Peace,  to  be 
holden  at  Concord,  in  the  said  County  of  Middlesex,  on  the  Second 
Tuesday  oijune  next,  are  hereby  ordered  and  impowred  to  issue  and 
send  forth  a  Warrant  to  the  Select-men  or  Assessors  of  the  said 
Town  of  Groton,  Requiring  them  forthwith  to  Levy  and  Assess  the 
said  Sum  of  Twenty  Four  Pounds,  and  Ten  Shillings  Money,  on  the 
Inhabitants  of  their  Town  according  to  Law  ;  and  with  the  Assess- 
ment to  deliver  a  Warrant  to  the  Constable  of  their  Town,  Re- 
quiring him  to  Collect  and  Gather  the  same ;  and  the  said  Sum  so 
Collected,  to  deliver  and  pay  in  unto  Major  Thomas  Hinksman, 
Major  Jonathan  Tinge,  and  Mr.  yohn  Lane,  Undertakers  for  the 
Building  of  the  Bridge  lately  Erected  in  Billerica  above-said ;  and 
the  said  Constable  to  pay  in  the  said  Sum,  and  issue  and  settle 
his  Accompt  with  the  said  Undertakers,  at  or  before  the  First  Day 
of  August  next.     And  Groton  shall  not  be  liable  to  Contribute  any 


12 

thing  further  toward  the  Repair  or  Rebuilding  the  said  Bridge  at 
any  time  for  the  future  ;  unless  the  General  Court  or  Assembly 
shall  Order  the  same. 

"  Acts  and  Laws,  of  her  Majesties  Province  of  the  Massachusetts-Bay  in  New- 
England"  (Boston,  1714),  page  129. 

The  town's  exemption  from  liabilities  on  account  of  the 
bridge,  as  implied  in  the  last  clause,  however,  did  not  last 
long,  as  in  the  course  of  a  few  years  this  paragraph  was 
repealed.  At  the  session  of  the  General  Court  beginning 
on  May  30,  1716,  the  following  enactment  was  passed:  — 

An  Act  relating  to  the  great  Bridge  in  Billerica. 

JJT'HEREAS  the  Agents  for  the  Towns  0/ Billerica.  and  Chelms- 
'  '''^  ford,  by  Direction  of  the  said  Towns  in  their  Petition  to  this 
Court  at  their  present  Session,  have  shewed  forth,  that  there  is  a  Great 
Bridge  erected  over  Concord-River,  in  the  Township  of  Billerica,  and 
that  the  said  Bridge  was  built  by  the  Towns  of  Billerica,  Chelmsford 
and  Groton  ;  and  according  to  a  former  Settlement  made  by  a  Com- 
mittee appointed  for  the  Settlement  of  the  Charge  of  the  Bridges  in  the 
County  of  Middlesex.  But  the  Town  of  Groton,  upon  Application 
to  this  Court  in  1699,  did  obtaifi  a  Discharge  from  either  building  or 
repairing  for  thefuttire,  without  further  Order  from  this  Court.  And 
further  it  was  alledged  in  the  said  Petition,  that  the  said  Bridge  is 
fallen  into  such  Decay,  that  it  is  no  Ways  profitable  to  Repair,  or  safe 
to  Improve  any  longer  as  it  now  is,  but  that  the  same  must  of  Necessity 
be  new-built ;  and  that  it  is  apprehended  the  Charge  will  be  so  great 
that  the  Burthen  will  be  too  heavy  for  Billerica  and  Chelmsford  to 
bear,  for  the  Reasons  therein  given,  which,  more  properly  ought  to  come 
under  Consideration  of  the  justices  of  the  Court  of  General  Session 
of  the  Peace  in  the  County  of  Middlesex  : 

■pe  tt  tl)er£fore  betlartb  anJ)  enattcl)  bp  tljc  I)OttOttrablc  tl)c  ILtctxttnattt 
(floDernottr,  fflottnttl  anb  Jleprwcntatiuc!!,  in  (!5entral  fflourt  assemblcb, 
anb  bg  tl)e  |Cntl)orit5  of  tl)e  game,  That  the  Matters  contained  in  the 
said  Petition  be  referred  to  the  Consideration  of  the  Justices  of  the 
Court  of  General  Sessions  of  the  Peace  for  the  said  County  of 
Middlesex,  at  their  Quarter  Sessions ;  who  are  hereby  fully  author- 
ized and  impowred  to  take  such  Order  about  the  said  Bridge  from 
Time  to  Time,  and  at  all  Times  hereafter,  as  shall  be  judged  meet 


13 

and  convenient,  and  to  settle  the  Charge  of  the  same,  upon  any,  or 
every  the  Towns  of  the  said  County.  And  the  Paragraph  in  the 
Law  exempting  the  Town  of  Groton,  from  the  Charge  of  the  said 
Bridge,  is  hereby  repealed,  and  made  null  and  void. 

"  Acts  and  Laws,  of  his  Majesty's  Province  of  the  Massachusetts-Bay  in  New- 
England  "  (Boston,  1759),  page  191. 

How  long  after  this  time  the  tovi^n  was  called  upon  to  help 
support  the  bridge,  I  am  unable  to  say,  but  probably  not 
for  many  years.  The  line  of  travel  from  Groton  gradually 
worked  its  way  to  Boston  in  a  straighter  direction,  and  left 
the  Billerica  bridge  eight  or  ten  miles  to  the  northward. 


WILLIAM   NUTTING. 

The  following  article,  taken  from  "  The  Advance  "  (Chicago), 
October  23,  1884,  shows  some  ot  the  hardships  of  every-day 
life  during  the  period  just  after  the  Revolution.  William 
Nutting,  the  writer  of  the  journal,  was  a  son  of  William  and 
Joan  (Boynton)  Nutting,  and  one  of  ten  children  ;  he  was 
born  at  Groton  on  July  10,  1752,  and  died  on  April  18,  1832. 
The  statement  is  probably  incorrect  that  he  was  a  minute- 
man  at  Lexington.  He  was  a  descendant  of  John  Nutting, 
an  original  proprietor  of  the  tovsrn,  who  was  the  common 
ancestor  of  the  different  families  in  this  neighborhood  bearing 
the  name. 

HOW   THEY   RAISED   THE   WIND   A   HUNDRED   YEARS   AGO. 
BY  REV.   J.   K.    NUTTING. 

Shays's  Rebellion  and  its  Causes. 

We  who  talk  about  "  the  dollar  of  our  daddies  "  can  scarcely  con- 
ceive with  what  difficulty  the  said  daddies,  or  their  daddies,  managed 
to  get  a  few  of  the  said  dollars  into  their  possession. 

In  Groton,  about  thirty  miles  northwest  of  Boston,  lived  William 
N ,  a  "minute-man  "  at  Lexington,  and  afterward  more  or  less 


14 

in  the  Revolutionary  army,  from  which  he  appears  to  have  returned 
home  in  1777,  to  care  for  his  aged  and  widowed  mother.  He  was 
at  this  time  twenty-five  years  old.  His  diary,  which  is  before  me, 
records  the  principal  events  of  every  day  for  a  period  of  more  than 
twenty-five  years  longer.  Besides  carrying  on  a  farm  of  more  than 
two  hundred  acres,  and  clearing  a  smaller  one  in  New  Hampshire, 
he  was  in  demand  as  a  school  teacher  every  winter,  and  turned 
rainy  days  to  account  by  making  plows  (such  plows  !  I  remember 
some  of  them,  —  but  the  best  then  known),  yokes,  "slays,''  etc.,  for 
himself  and  neighbors.  When  such  jobs  gave  out,  he  made  shoes 
for  his  family  and  the  general  market.  As  recreations,  he  "  exer- 
cised "  with  "ye  matross  company"  (what,  pray,  could  that  be  ? )  ^ 
or  showed  his  prowess  in  "ye  singing  meeting,"  where  he  played  a 
singular  bass-viol,  shaped  like  the  longitudinal  half  of  a  dash-churn. 
(He  made  shoes  to  pay  for  it,  I  believe.)  He  even  composed  music, 
"  to  be  sung  in  ye  congregation,"  some  of  which  occasionally  still 
appears  in  modern  choir-books.  But  the  great  events  of  his  diary 
are  the  "journeys,"  which  he  usually  arranged  so  as  to  combine 
business  with  pleasure.  I  give  below  the  account  of  one  of  them. 
A  few  weeks  previous  is  the  following  entry:  — 

Nov.  30,  1786.  Capt.  Job  Shattuck  was  taken  by  a  party  of  horsemen 
from  Boston,  &c.  [really,  most  of  the  party  were  Groton  men],  sent  by 
authority  to  apprehend  him  for  opposing  ye  government  &c.  —  He  in  at- 
tempting to  kill  Capt.  Reed  with  his  sword  [?],  who  was  one  of  ye  party, 
rec'd  a  bad  wound  with  a  cutlass  in  his  knee-joint,  but  was  carried  and 
committed  to  Boston  Gaol,  with  Oliver  Parker  &  Benj.  Page  &c.  for  like 
offences. 

The  offences  were  those  committed  in  the  so-called  Shays's  Re- 
bellion, in  which  Shattuck  was  a  prominent  leader.  The  movement 
was  caused  by  the  terrible  distress  consequent  upon  the  depreciation 
of  paper  money,  and  had  for  its  purpose  the  prevention  of  the  col- 
lection of  debts  by  law.  Shattuck  and  the  rest  were  soon  set  at 
liberty.  The  record  below  will  exemplify  the  financial  condition  of 
that  period : 

Frid.  Deer.  \st  and  Sat.  id.  We  made  shoes.  Stacie  has  made  4  pr 
men's  shoes  and  2  pr  women's  shoes  and  I  have  made  4  pr  do.  =  10  pr  to 
carry  into  ye  country  to  sell,  &c. 

1  Matross.  One  of  the  soldiers  in  a  train  of  artillery,  who  are  next  to  the 
gunners,  and  assist  them  in  loading,  firing,  and  sponging  the  guns.  —  Webster. 
It  is  now  obsolete  as  an  English  word. 


IS 

In  the  meantime  the  female  part  of  the  household  were  busy 
knitting  stockings.  Having  agreed  with  Lieut.  Rockwood  to  teach 
ye  school  in  that  "  squadron  "  (district)  for  "  9  Doll  per  month  and 
board  myself,  or  38  shillings  &  bee  boarded,"  the  author  of  the 
diary  "  fixt  his  slay  with  a  lumber-box  &c.,"  and  "  got  Maj.  Swan's 
horse,  and  borrowed  some  baggs  &c.,"  "  for  a  journey  to  No  4." 

Tues.  ()th  yany  1787.  We  sat  out  on  our  journey  about  noon.  Drove 
to  Capt.   Wyman's  in  Ashby  and  put  up  and  stabled  our  horses  @  2d. 

1  mug  cyder  4d.  lodged  @  i  s-2d. 

Wed.  \oth.  We  drove  to  Baker's  7  m  before  breakfast.  Had  left  a 
boy  with  provisions  &c.  Hired  a  boy  and  sent  back  [with  extra  horse  |. 
Gave  sd  boy  10  d.     «     «     *     *     Drove  to  Mr.  Woodward's  in  Marlborp' 

2  m  beyond  ye  meeting  house.  I  put  up  one  of  my  horses  to  my  hay 
[brought  along  !]  and  the  other  three  were  put  up  to  Woodward's  hay  ® 
9d.     Lodging  3d. 

\Uh.  We  drove  to  Goldsmith's  to  dinner,  i  mug  flip.  Drove  to  Sar- 
tell.     Drank  l  mug  cyder.     Went  to  uncle  Holden's  to  stay  all  night. 

\ith.  Went  to  Dusten's  for  dinner,  yn  [then]  to  Weathersfield  [Vt.] 
Staid  at  Abel's  [Abel  N ,  a  brother  of  the  journalist]. 

\yh.  [Sales  began!]  Rec'd  2  buslils  wheat  for  i  pr.  calf-skin  pumps. 
To  rec.  4  bu.  corn  from  Abel  for  i  pr  thick  shoes  sold  to  Timo'y  Holden. 
Reed  2^  bu.  wheat  of  Capt.  Burlingam  for  i  pr  large  shoes. 

Sund.  14//^.     Had  no  meeting. 

15M.  Released  3^^  bu  corn  to  Timo'  Holden  and  took  back  pr  thick 
shoes. 

\(ith.  Went  to  Windsor.  Sold  I  pr  thick  shoes,  rec'd  i^  bu  wheat. 
Sold  I  pr  stockings,  rec'd  i^.  bu  flax-seed.  Went  to  Clermont  (Clare- 
mont,  N.  H.).     Staid  at  Dustins.     Rec'd  i^  bu  wheat  for  i  pr  shoes. 

17M.  Went  out  to  ye  east  of  Clermont,  sold  nothing!  Went  to 
Weathersfield. 

18M.  Staid  at  brother's,  mended  some  shoes  sledded  some  wood,  &c. 
Reed  of  brother,  for  shoes,  2  bu  rye,  i  Y^  bu  peas  @  4  s.  per  bu,  yi  bu  flax- 
seed 2  s.  &  I  bu  corn  2  s.  He  paid  i  s.  to  a  blacksmith  for  mending  my 
slay,  ye  whole  17  s. 

Frid\f)th.     Went  to  Dustins. 

Sat  10th.     Went  to  Cornish  &  back. 

Sund  2\st.  To  meeting  in  ye  forenoon  at  Capt.  Cook's  [no  church 
yet].  Heard  Mr.  Carpenter,  concerning  ye  work  of  Electing  Love, 
"Who  shall  lay  anything  to  ye  charge  of  God's  elect  &c.''  Afternoon 
heard  Mr.  Pickring  at  Mr.  Higby's,  on  farewell,  be  perfect  &c. 

So  the  entries  proceed.  The  sale  of  those  ten  pairs  of  shoes  and 
"some  stockings  "  must  have  involved  more  than  two  hundred  miles 
of  travel,  and  more  than  two  weeks'  time,  with  expenses  averaging 


i6 

about  two  shillings  a  day  for  the  part  of  the  time  not  spe.nt  with 
relatives.  Except  the  first  three  days,  it  does  not  appear  that  any 
money  was  used.  Provisions  and  even  hay  were  carried  along,  and 
lodging  was  paid  for  in  rye,  wheat,  flax-seed  or  corn  —  so  many 
quarts  of  either  as  would  satisfy  the  score.  No  money  was  received 
from  the  sales,  either.  A  bushel  and  a  half  of  wheat,  or  two  of  rye 
or  corn,  was  the  price  of  a  pair  of  shoes.  The  "  lumber-box  "  was 
the  purse  —  into  which  went  the  grain,  flaxseed,  flax,  pork  (8  lbs. 
salt  pork  in  one  place,  3  lbs.  fresh  pork  in  another),  and  so  on, 
and  out  of  which  came  the  dribbles  of  payment  for  expenses. 

The  final  procedure  was  to  convey  the  produce  to  Boston,  where, 
at  some  price,  it  was  at  length  turned  into  money,  or  once  more  ex- 
changed for  goods.  This  involved  two  days  more  of  time,  after 
which  the  whilom  trader  was  ready  to  begin  teaching,  "  at  nine 
dollars  a  month  and  board  myself."  But  let  no  one  imagine  that 
this  immense  salary  was  received  in  money.  At  the  next  town 
meeting  after  the  school  closed,  the  teacher  presented  his  certifi- 
cate, showing  in  what  "  squadron "  and  how  long  he  had  taught, 
and  was  paid  "  a  part "  in  a  town  order !  This  order  could  be  used 
in  paying  "  rates  "  (taxes),  or  sold  for  what  it  would  fetch  ! 

In  such  a  state  of  things,  is  it  any  wonder  that  honest  but  igno- 
rant men  determined  that  the  collection  of  debts — most  of  them 
of  long  standing  —  should  be  stopped?  Especially  since  a  judg- 
ment for  debt  involved  a  lodgment  in  "  gaol "  for  the  impoverished 
debtor  ! 

Yet  there  was  money  enough.  It  is  part  of  the  family  tradition 
that  on  one  occasion  the  author  of  this  curious  diary  had  so  much 
of  it  that  he  lavished  ''  a  chaise  box  full  of  it "  for  a  single  cow  ! 
The  slight  defect  in  the  money  thus  plenty  consisted  in  the  fact  that 
it  was  truly  "  fiat  money,"  issued  by  government,  and  having  no 
value  either  in  itself  or  as  a  representative  of  gold  or  silver,  —  simply 
a  promise  from  a  party  known  to  be  bankrupt. 

Rochester,  Mich. 


17 


THE   FIRST   CHURCH   AT   WEST    GROTON. 

The  following  account  of  the  gathering  of  a  religious  so- 
ciety at  West  Groton,  and  the  dedication  of  their  house  of 
worship,  is  taken  from  the  "  Zion's  Herald  "  (Boston),  Octo- 
ber 14,  1885 : — 

The  editor  of  this  paper  [Reverend  Bradford  K.  Peirce]  was  in- 
vited to  preach  the  sermon  at  the  dedication  of  a  house  of  worship 
in  West  Groton,  Mass.,  last  Wednesday  [October  7].  This  village 
has  been  connected  with  Ayer  Junction,  and  a  minister  fi^om  the 
Conference  has  supplied  both  preaching  places.  Worship  is  held 
in  a  hall  in  Ayer,  and  had  a  very  incommodious  room  heretofore 
for  its  services  in  West  Groton.  This  year  one  of  our  enterprising 
and  devoted  young  men,  Rev.  H.  G.  Buckingham,  has  been  the 
pastor  of  the  circuit.  There  is  no  church  edifice  in  West  Groton. 
The  church  members,  of  various  orders,  are  connected  with  distant 
bodies.  The  village  is  small,  and  there  was  little  wealth  that 
could  be  summoned  in  aid  of  a  new  religious  enterprise.  The 
neighbors  met  together  and  opened  a  subscription  which  proved 
much  larger  than  their  anticipations.  And  now  they  have  a  beau- 
tiful church,  of  the  Queen  Anne  style,  neatly  furnished,  seating 
three  hundred  when  crowded,  with  a  pleasant  toned  bell,  and 
without  debt.  No  separate  church  has  been  organized,  but  they 
heartily  invite  the  Methodist  ministry  and  enjoy  its  forms  of  ser- 
vice and  administration  of  the  ordinances.  The  ritual  of  the 
church  was  used  as  the  form  of  dedication.  The  house  was  filled 
on  the  occasion.  The  Congregational,  Baptist  and  Episcopal  min- 
istry were  represented.  Rev.  Bros.  Gould  and_  Ichabod  Marcy, 
with  these  brethren  from  sister  churches,  assisted  in  the  exercises 
of  the  occasion.  Everybody  seemed  to  feel  that  the  neat  little 
chapel  was  a  great  benediction  to  the  village.  We  trust  a  blessed 
revival  of  religion  will  show  that  the  divine  seal  is  set  upon  the 
enterprise. 


DANIEL   FARMER   AND   ELEAZER   PRIEST. 

The  following  petitions,  hitherto  unprinted,  are  found  among 
the  Archives  at  the  State  House,  and  furnish  a  few  facts  re- 
lating to  the  military  service  of  two  Groton  soldiers.  The 
place  mentioned  in  both  papers  as  "  No.  4"  is  now  known  as 
Charlestown,  New  Hampshire.  Fort  Shirley  was  situated 
within  the  present  limits  of  Heath,  Massachusetts  ;  Fort 
Dummer  within  those  of  Brattleborough,  Vermont ;  and 
Colonel  Hendill's  Fort  —  or  more  properly  Hinsdale's  ■ — 
stood  in  the  present  town  of  Hinsdale,  New  Hampshire. 
Captain  Willard,  mentioned  in  the  first  paper,  was  Josiah,  a 
son  of  Henry  Willard,  who  previously  had  been  an  inhabitant 
of  Groton.  He  was  during  many  years  the  commander  of 
Fort  Dummer,  though  for  a  few  months  in  the  year  1747, 
covering  the  period  of  this  letter,  he  had  been  relieved  by 
Lieutenant  Dudley  Bradstreet,  a  native  of  Groton  and  a  son 
of  the  Reverend  Dudley  Bradstreet,  a  former  minister  of  the 
town. 

Province  of  the    \  To  His  Exellencey  William  Shirley 
Massachutes      >  Esqr  Captain  Generall  and 

Bay.  )  Cciijmander  in  Cheif  in  and  over 

His  majesties  Province  of  the  Massachuttes  Bay  to  the  Hon—  his 
majesties  Council  and  house  of  Representatives  now  Setting  at 
Boston. 

The  Petition  of  Daniel  Farmer  of  Groton  in  the  County  of 
middJ  Husband  man  Humbly  Shueth  that  your  Poor  Petitioner  hes 
ben  in  the  Service  of  his  King  and  Cuntrey  for  the  Space  of  four 
years  Past,  and  was  at  the  Seige  of  Louisburg  and  afterwards  In- 
listed  him  Self  into  the  Canada  Service  &  hes  ben  Boath  on  the 
Eastern  and  Western  frontiers  and  in  march  Last  Inlisted  him  Self 
as  a  Volinteir  for  three  years  under  the  Command  of  Captain 
Hobbs.  and  in  June  last  was  on  a  march  with  him  from  N2  4  to 
fort  Shirley  —  and  in  Said  march  had  a  Smart  Ingagement  with  a 
large  Number  of  y=  Indian  Enemy  and  by  Reson  of  Carring  Some 
Wounded  men  turn".  Down  to  fort  Dumer  where  your  Petitioner 


19 

was  taken  Sick  and  So  Continued  for  Some  Days,  and  as  Soone 
as  he  was  able  to  travle  Set  oute  for  N°  4  where  he  was  Posted 
and  upon  his  march  fell  in  with  Sixteen  of  Cap'  Willard's  men  at 
Co-  Hendills  fort,  and  Between  Said  Hendills  fort  and  fortDumer 
on  the  forteenth  Day  of  July  last  were  besett  by  a  large  Number  of 
the  Enemy  where  I  with  Eight  others  were  taken  Captive  where 
I  Recived  a  wound  in  my  head  with  a  hachit  from  one  of  the 
Enemy,  then  I  was  Carred  to  Crown  Point  from  thence  to  mon- 
treal  and  then  to  Qufebeck  and  from  thence  Brought  to  Louisburge 
by  a  flag  of  truce  and  from  there  I  Returned  to  Boston  and  So  got 
home  on  the  forteenth  of  October  last. 

Now  your  Poor  Petitioner  had  a  good  Gun  taken  from  him  by  the 
Enemy  to  y?  Value  of  Eighteen  Pounds  old  tenor  and  fifteen  Pounds 
old  tenor  in  Paper  Bills  which  he  had  Newly  taken  and  as  your 
Petitioner  was  told  ware  Bills  of  this  Province  But  whether  they 
were  or  not  he  Cannot  Say  your  Petitioner  had  allso  a  hachit  and 
Sundry  other  things  taken  from  him.  for  which  Sufferings  —  Lose  of 
time  —  Gun  money  &  other  things,  your  Petitioner  humbly  Begs 
your  Exellencys  &  Honours  wise  Considration  and  Grant  him 
Such  Relif  as  to  you  Shall  See  meet  and  your  Poor  Petitioner  as  in 
Duty  Bound  Shall  Ever  Pray.  j,, 

Daniel    O    Farmer 

Groton  January  y".  24   1748.  ""'"' 


In  the  House  of  Rep'™'  Jan^  18.  1748 

Read  and  Ordered  that  the  Treasurer  be  directed  to  pay  to  Maj' 
Lawrence  Six  pounds  twelve  Shillings  for  the  Use  of  the  Petitioner. 
Ordered  also  that  the  Commissary  General  be  directed  to  deliver 
said  Lawrence  for  said  Pet''  Use  a  Gun  out  of  the  Province  Store. 
Sent  up  for  concurrence 

T  HUTCHIN.SON  Spkr 
In  Council ;  Jan.  18.  1748  ;  Read  &  Concur'd 

J  WiLLARD  Secry 
[Endorsed]  Conpented  to, 

the  Petition  of  W  Shirlev 

Daniel  Farmar 
Jan^  4.  1 748 
18.         10 
Enterd 

[Massachusetts  Archives,  LXXIII.  301.] 


20 

Daniel  Farmer  was  the  son  of  John,  and  born  at  Billerica 
on  October  30,  1705  ;  he  was  married  to  Elizabeth  Woods,  of 
Groton,  on  November  2,  1732,  at  which  time  he  is  recorded 
as  of  Lunenburg.  He  had  certainly  three  children,  and  per- 
haps others,  born  at  Groton  between  the  years  1733  and  1741. 
According  to  "  The  New  England  Historical  and  Genealogi- 
cal Register"  (VI.  88)  for  January,  1852,  Farmer,  who  was 
captured  at  Fort  Dummer,  arrived  with  other  prisoners  in 
Boston  Harbor,  on  October  6,  1748,  in  the  schooner  "  Brit- 
tania,"  Aylmer  Gravill,  master.  This  statement  appears  to 
be  confirmed  by  the  following  extract  from  "  The  Boston 
Weekly  News-Letter,"  October  6,  1748  :  — 

This  Morning  a  Scooner  arrived  here  in   18  Days  from  Louis- 

bourg, Garling,  Master,   who  has  brought   one   Serj.  Cooper, 

with  above  50  People,  Men,  Women  and  Children,  that  have  been 
taken  by  the  French  and  Indians  at  sundry  Times,  from  divers 
Parts  of  this  and  the  neighbouring  Governments,  and  carried  Cap- 
tive to  Canada,  and  were  lately  brought  to  Louisbourg  from  Quebec 
in  a  French  Frigate  of  20  Guns  [the  Zephire],  as  mention'd  in  our 
last.  —  About  20  other  Passengers  came  also  in  this  Vessel. 

Eleazer  Priest,  mentioned  in  the  next  petition,  was  probably 
one  of  the  captives  brought  in  the  French  frigate  to  Louis- 
burg ;  but  unfortunately  he  did  not  live  to  reach  his  home. 
For  a  reference  to  Joseph  Priest,  the  father  of  Eleazer,  see 
No.  XVI.  (page  25)  of  this  Historical  Series. 


.  "^  '^°  ^'^  Excelancy  william  sherly 

f  Esqr.  to  the  Hon—  his  maiestys  Council 
the  Massachusets   >,  „  ,,  .  .       . 

(  house  of  Representiues  now  stetmg  in 

'  Boston  august  2^.  1749 


and 


the  Petition  of  William  Lawrance  of  Groton  in  the  County  of 
midd"  In  behalf  of  Joseph  Prestof  sd  Groton  Husbandman  :  humbly 
shew  that  Eleazer  Prest  son  to  the  saied  Joseph  was  in  the  Saruis 
of  this  Prouince  at  n-  4  in  the  month  of  march  1747  &  was  Sent 
oute  by  his  officer  a  littel  way  from  the  fourt  to  Gitt  Wood  where 
the  Ennemy  made  an  attat  upon  him  and  others  and  Kild  one 
Charls  Steuens  and  tock  the  sd  Eleazer  Prisner  and  Caried  him 


21 

to  Cannada :  whare  he  was  Detained  In  prison  untell  sum  time  In 
august  following  and  then  was  sent  for  new  england  and  on  his 
Pasige  was  tacken  sick  —  and  Laft  at  Luesburg  whare  he  Dyed 
aboute  the  midel  of  September  wharefore  your  Petitinor  Prays  that 
there  may  be  a  Just  and  Equetable  Considration  made  to  the  s2 
Joseph  for  his  sd  sons  Eleazers.  Loss  of  time  and  sufferings  whilst 
In  Captiuety  as  your  your  [j-zV]  Ex>':  and  and  [sic]  honnors  shall  see 
meet  and  your  Petitinor  as  In  Duty  shall  Euer  Pray 

William  Lawrence 

In  behalf  of  Jo?  Prest 

In  the  House  of  Repres'?  August  lo,  1749- 

Read  &  Ordered  that  there  be  allowed  and  paid  out  of  the  pub- 
lick  Treasury  to  the  Petitionor  for  the  Use  of  the  Said  Joseph  Priest 
the  Sum  of  Eight  Pounds  Eighteen  Shillings  &  a  penny  in  Con- 
sideration of  the  Loss  of  his  Said  Sons  time  &  Sufferings  above 
mentioned.  The  Said  Joseph  to  be  accountable  to  the  Judge  of 
Prob'  for  the  County  of  Middlesex  in  Case  any  Debts  do  now  or 
may  hereafter  appear  due  from  the  Said  Eleazer. 
Sent  up  for  Concurrence 

J   DWIGHT  Sp^ 
In  Council  Aug.  10.  1749 

Read  &  concur'd         J  Willard  Secry. 

Consented  to        W.  Shirley. 
[Endorsed] 
Pett"  of  Will" 
Lawrence  Esq,  in  behalf 
of  Joseph  Priest. 
Rec*!  Aug!  4*  1749 

10.         read  &  committed 
Enter'd        to  y°  com"" 

of  John  Henery 

[Massachusetts  Archives,  LXXIII.  525.] 


22 


THE   FARRINGTON   FAMILY. 

It  is  stated  in  the  sixth  volume  (page  49  note)  of  the  "  Col- 
lections of  the  Rhode  Island  Historical  Society  "  that  Amos, 
a  son  of  Captain  Thomas  Farrington,  formerly  of  Groton,  was 
the  first  white  child  born  in  Norridgewock,  Maine,  and  fur- 
thermore that  he  was  in  October,  1775,  about  fourteen  months 
old.  It  is  given  on  the  authority  of  Major  Return  J.  Meigs's 
Journal,  which  is  published  in  Volume  II.  (pages  227-247), 
second  series,  of  the  Massachusetts  Historical  Collections, 
where  the  writer,  under  the  date  of  October  3,  1775,  speaks  of 
seeing  the  baby,  but  does  not  mention  the  name.  In  regard 
to  this  question  of  local  primogeniture,  John  Wesley  Hanson, 
in  his  History  of  Norridgewock  (pages  183,  184),  says :  — 

Much  discussion  has  prevailed  in  the  town,  on  the  question, 
"  Who  was  the  first  white  child  born  in  Norridgewock  ?  "  and  tra- 
dition has  mentioned  several  names.  Rev.  Obed  Wilson  declared, 
at  the  funeral  of  Dea.  John  Clark,  that  he  was  the  oldest  child  liv- 
ing, born  in  Norridgewock,  and  from  that  statement  people  inferred 
that  he  was  the  first.  He  was  born  Oct.  15,  1778  ;  John  Heald 
was  born  Oct.  17,  1775  ;  and  James  Waugh  was  born  Jan.  10, 
1775.  Mr.  Waugh's  tombstone  declares  him  to  be  the  first  white 
child  born  in  Somerset  county.  Though  unquestionably  the  first 
child  born  on  Sandy  river,  there  were  three  children  born  in  Nor- 
ridgewock before  him.  Sally  Fletcher  was  born  in  August,  1774, 
Susannah  Fairbrother  in  Sept.,  1774,  and  Abel,  son  of  Thomas 
Farrington,  the  surveyor,  was  born  in  the  very  earliest  part  of 
August,  in  1774.  He  was,  beyond  all  controversy,  the  first  white 
child  born  in  Somerset  county.  Not  only  will  this  fact  be  learned 
from  Maj.  Meigs's  diary,  in  the  sequel,  but  the  family  of  Sylvanus 
Sawyer,  in  which  he  lived,  endorse  the  declaration.  He  was  nearly 
six  months  old,  when  Col.  Waugh  was  born. 

Mr.  Hanson,  in  giving  the  time  of  Abel  Farrington's  birth, 
evidently  takes  the  statement  in  Major  Meigs's  Journal,  and 
then  reckons  backward  in  order  to  get  the  date,  which  is  an 
uncertain  method  of  reaching  a  correct  result.     Abel's  birth 


22 


is  duly  recorded  at  Groton,  although  it  took  place  at  Norridge- 
wock  ;  and  this  settles  the  controversy,  so  far  as  it  relates  to 
him.  The  entry  in  the  town-records  is  as  follows:  "Abel 
Farrington,  son  of  Thomas  &  Betty  afore"?  was  born  at  Kenne- 
beck  April  13"',  1775."  According  to  the  same  authority,  the 
mother  died  three  weeks  later,  on  May  5,  177S,  also  at  "  Ken- 
nebeck,"  by  which  is  meant  Norridgewock,  as  at  that  time 
the  town  was  just  settled  and  hardly  had  a  name.  This  term 
was  applied  at  an  early  period  to  a  large  tract  of  country, 
known  as  the  Kennebec  Purchase,  of  which  the  present  town 
of  Norridgewock  was  the  northern  limit.  Possibly  it  was  not 
Abel  at  all  that  was  seen  by  Major  Meigs,  for  the  name  of 
the  baby  is  nowhere  mentioned  in  the  Journal ;  and  then 
perhaps  the  age  was  given  wrong. 

Thomas  Farrington  married  for  his  second  wife,  on  Octo- 
ber 6,  1768,  Betty  Woods,  of  Groton  ;  and  they  had  four 
children,  namely,  Vassall,  born  at  Groton,  on  July  20,  1769  ; 
Putnam,  born  at  Dunstable,  on  December  3,  1770;  Philip, 
born  at  Groton,  on  January  7,  1772  ;  and  Abel,  born  at 
"Kennebeck,"  on  April  30,    1775.     He  had  been  previously 

married   to   Joanna ,  whose  maiden   name   I  have  been 

unable  to  learn  ;  and  they  had  five  children,  born  at  Groton, 
of  whom  the  two  youngest  died  in  January,  1770.  The  first 
wife  died  on  January  24,  1767,  leaving  an  infant  two  months 
old.  Miss  Sarah  Loring  Bailey,  in  her  "  Historical  Sketches 
of  Andover ''  (page  123),  says  :  "Capt.  Thomas  Farrington,  an 
officer  of  Andover,  in  the  French  and  Indian  War,  removed 
to  Groton,  and  there  became  famous."  The  family  left  town 
probably  soon  after  the  Revolution,  as  the  name  has  not  been 
found  here  since  that  time.  He  is  undoubtedly  the  person 
referred  to  in  No.  XIV.  (page  19)  of  this  Historical  Series, 
under  the  head  of  "An  Exception." 


24 


BURNING   OF   JUDGE   DANA'S   BARN. 

The  following  notice  of  the  burning  of  Judge  Dana's  barn 
on  December  27,  1829,  is  found  in  the  "  Groton  Herald," 
January  2,  1830.  It  fixes  the  date  of  its  occurrence,  which 
was  left  doubtful  in  the  account  of  the  Fires  during  the  year 
1829,  published  in  No.  IX.  (page  24)  of  this  Historical  Series. 
It  will  be  seen  that  this  fire  also  took  place  on  the  last  Sun- 
day of  the  month.  Two  or  three  men  were  strongly  suspected 
at  the  time  of  being  the  incendiaries,  but  the  evidence  of 
guilt  was  not  strong  enough  to  warrant  their  arrest. 

Fire.  A  barn  owned  by  Judge  Dana,  was  destroyed  by  fire  on 
Sunday  evening  last  [December  27]  ;  it  contained  several  tons  of 
hay,  and  for  some  time  the  adjacent  buildings  were  much  in  dan- 
ger —  but  owing  to  the  calm  state  of  the  wind  and  spirited  exertions 
of  our  firemen,  the  flames  were  confined  within  a  small  space  without 
damaging  the  surrounding  property. 


NOTE. 


In  No.  III.  (page  14)  of  this  Historical  Series  a  reference  is  made  to 
an  historical  novel  entided  "  The  Insurgents  "  (2  volumes),  published 
anonymously  at  Philadelphia  in  the  year  1835.  Since  the  issue  of  that 
Number  I  have  learned  that  the  author  of  the  work  was  Ralph  IngersoU 
Lockwood,  a  lawyer  of  New  York,  who  died  many  years  ago. 


GROTON    HISTORICAL   SERIES. 
No.  XX. 


TWO    CHAPTERS    IN    THE    EARLY    HISTORY    OF 

GROTON. 

ADDENDA   ET   CORRIGENDA. 


GROTON,    MASS. 
1887. 


GROTON,   MASSACHUSETTS,    1887. 
Historical  Series,  No.  XX. 


TWO    CHAPTERS    IN   THE   EARLY   HISTORY   OF 

GROTON. 

I. 

The  town  of  Groton  lies  in  the  northwestern  part  of  Middle- 
sex County,  Massachusetts,  and  is  bounded  on  the  north  by 
Pepperell  and  Dunstable ;  on  the  east  by  Tyngsborough  and 
Westford  ;  on  the  south  by  Littleton  and  Ayer ;  and  on  the 
west  by  Shirley  and  Townsend.  The  First  Parish  meeting- 
house—  or  "the  tall-spired  church"  — is  situated  in 
Latitude  42°  36'  21 .4"  north, 
Longitude  71°  34'  4"  west  of  Greenwich, 
according  to  the  latest  observations  of  the  United  States 
Coast  Survey.  It  is  distant  nearly  thirty-one  miles  in  a 
straight  line  from  the  State  House  at  Boston,  but  by  the 
travelled  road  it  is  about  thirty-four  miles.  The  village  of 
Groton  is  situated  principally  on  one  long  street,  known  as 
Main  Street,  a  section  of  the  Great  Road,  which  was  for- 
merly one  of  the  principal  thoroughfares  between  Eastern 
Massachusetts  and  parts  of  New  Hampshire  and  Vermont. 
The  Worcester,  Nashua,  and  Rochester  Railroad  passes 
through  it,  and  traverses  the  township  at  nearly  its  greatest 
length,  running  six  miles  or  more  within  its  limits.  It  is 
reached  from  Boston  by  trains  on  the  Fitchburg  Railroad, 
connecting  with  the  Worcester,  Nashua,  and  Rochester  road 
at  Ayer,  three  miles  distant  from  the  village. 


The  original  grant  of  the  township  was  made  in  the  spring 
of  1655,  and  gave  to  the  proprietors  a  tract  of  land  eight  miles 
square  ;  though  subsequently  this  was  changed  by  the  General 
Court,  so  that  its  shape  varied  somewhat  from  the  first  plan. 
It  comprised  all  of  what  is  now  Groton  and  Ayer,  nearly  all  of 
Pepperell  and  Shirley,  large  parts  of  Dunstable  and  Littleton, 
and  smaller  parts  of  Harvard  and  Westford,  in  Massachusetts, 
and  small  portions  of  Hollis  and  Nashua,  in  New  Hampshire. 
The  present  shape  of  the  town  is  very  irregular,  and  all  the 
original  boundary  lines  have  been  changed  except  where  they 
touch  Townsend  and  Tyngsborough. 

The  earliest  reference  to  the  town  on  any  map  is  found  in 
the  Reverend  William  Hubbard's  "  Narrative  of  the  Troubles 
with  the  Indians  in  New-England,"  a  work  published  at  Bos- 
ton in  the  spring  of  1677,  and  in  London  during  the  same 
year  under  a  different  title.  The  map  was  the  first  one  cut 
in  New  England,  and  of  course  done  in  a  crude  manner.  The 
towns  assaulted  by  the  Indians  in  Philip's  War  are  indicated 
by  figures ;  and  at  that  time  these  places  were  attracting  some 
attention,  both  here  and  in  the  mother  country. 

There  were  two  petitions  for  the  plantation  of  Groton,  of 
which  one  was  headed  by  Mr.  Deane  Winthrop,  and  the 
other  by  Lieutenant  William  Martin.  The  first  one  is  not 
known  to  be  in  existence,  but  a  contemporaneous  copy  of  the 
second  is  in  the  possession  of  the  New-England  Historic, 
Genealogical  Society.  The  signatures  vary  in  the  style  of 
handwriting,  but  they  do  not  appear  to  be  autographs,  and 
may  have  been  written  by  the  same  person.  The  answer  to 
the  petition  is  given  on  the  third  page  of  the  paper,  and  signed 
by  Edward  Rawson,  Secretary  of  the  Colony,  which  fact 
renders  it  probable  that  this  is  the  petition  actually  presented 
to  the  General  Court  as  the  original  one,  after  it  had  been 
copied  by  a  skilful  penman.  It  was  found  many  years  ago 
among  the  papers  of  Captain  Samuel  Shepley,^  by  Charles 
Woolley,!  then  of  Groton,  but  who  subsequently  lived  at  Wal- 
tham  ;  and  by  him  given  to  the  New-England  Historic,  Genea- 

1  Captain  Samuel  Shepley  died  at  Groton,  on  February  4,  1853,  ^"d  Charles 
WooUey,  at  Waltham,  on  October  30,  1886. 


logical  Society.  The  petition  is  written  on  the  first  page  of 
a  folio  sheet,  and  the  answer  by  the  General  Court  appears 
on  the  third  page  of  the  paper.  Near  the  top  of  the  sheet  are 
the  marks  of  stitches,  indicating  that  another  paper  at  one 
time  had  been  fastened  to  it.  Perhaps  the  petition  headed 
by  Deane  Winthrop  was  attached  when  the  Secretary  wrote 
the  action  of  the  General  Court,  beginning,  "  In  Ans'  to  both 
theise  peticons."  The  grant  of  the  plantation  was  made  by 
the  Court  of  Assistants  on  May  25,  1655  —  as  appears  by  this 
document — though  subject  to  the  consent  of  the  House  of 
Deputies,  which  was  given,  in  all  probability,  on  the  same  day. 
In  the  absence  of  other  evidence,  this  may  be  considered  the 
date  of  the  incorporation,  which  is  not  found  mentioned 
elsewhere. 

In  the  early  history  of  the  Colony  the  proceedings  of  the 
General  Court,  as  a  rule,  were  not  dated  day  by  day,  —  though 
there  are  many  exceptions,  —  but  the  beginning  of  the  session 
is  always  given,  and  occasionally  the  days  of  the  month  are 
recorded.  These  dates  in  the  printed  edition  of  the  Records 
are  frequently  carried  along  without  authority,  sometimes  cov- 
ering a  period  of  several  days  or  even  a  week ;  and  for  this 
reason  it  is  often  impossible  to  tell  the  exact  date  of  any  par- 
ticular legislation,  when  there  are  no  contemporaneous  papers 
bearing  on  the  subject. 

The  petition  is  as  follows  :  — 


To  the  honored  Generall  Courte  asembled  at  Boston  the  humble 
petion  of  vs  whose  names  ar  here  vnder  written  humbly  shoeth 


That  where  as  youre  petioners  by  a  prouidence  of  god  haue  beene 
brought  ouer  in  to  this  wildernes  and  lined  longe  here  in :  and 
being  sumthing  straightned  for  that  where  by  subsistance  in  an 
ordinarie  waie  of  gods  prouidence  is  to  be  had,  and  Considdering 
the  a  lowance  that  god  giues  to  the  sunes  of  men  for  such  an  ende : 
youre  petioners  request  there  fore  is  that  you  would  be  pleased  to 
grant  vs  a  place  for  a  plantation  vpon  the  Riuer  that  runes  from 
Nashaway  in  to  merimake  at  a  place  or  a  boute  a  place  Caled 
petaupaukett  and  waubansconcett  and  youre  petioners  shall  pray  for 
youre  happy  prosedings 


WiLLi'M  Martin 
Richard  Blood 
John  witt 
William  Lakin 
Richard  Hauen 
Timothy  Cooper 
John  Lakin 
John  Blood 
Mathu  farrington 
Robert  Blood 


»?!»-  ^.-^  ^ar»-  •^'*»-  »■-  "^^-^e^i-  /^w^fe/'-r- 


'an 


00'^ 


A  FAC-SIMILE   OF   THE   PETITION,    SOMEWHAT  REDUCED. 


In  Ans'  to  both  theise  peticons  The  Court  Judgeth  it  meete  to 
graunt  the  peticone's  eight  miles  square  in  the  place  desired  to 
make  a  Comfortable  plantaoon  wch  henceforth  shall  be  Called 
Groaten  formerly  knowne  by  the  name  of  Petapawage:  that  M' 
Damforth  of  Cambridge  w'h  such  as  he  shall  Asossiate  to  him  shall 
and  hereby  is  desired  to  lay  it  out  wi'h  all  Convenjent  speede  that 
so  no  Incouragement  may  be  wanting  to  the  Peticone's  for  a  speedy 
procuring  of  a  godly  minister  amongst  them.  Provided  that  none 
shall  enjoy  any  part  or  porcbn  of  that  land  by  guift  from  the 
selectmen  of  that  place  but  such  who  shall  build  howses  on  theire 
lotts  so  given  them  once  w'hin  eighteene  months  from  the  tjme  of 
the  sayd  Townes  laying  out  or  Townes  graunt  to  such  persons  ; 
and  for  the  p'sent  M"'  Deane  Winthrop  M''  Jn°  Tinker  M'  Tho: 
Hinckly  Dolor  Davis.  W".  Martin  Mathew  ffarington  John  Witt 
and  Timothy  Couper  are  Appointed  the  selectmen  for  the  sayd 
Towne  of  Groaten  for  one  two  yeares  from  the  tjme  it  is  layd  out, 
to  lay  out  and  dispose  of  particular  lotts  not  exceeding  twenty 
acres  to  each  howse  lott,  And  to  Order  the  prudentiall  affaires  of 
the  place  at  the  end  of  which  tjme  other  selectmen  shall  be  chosen 
and  Appointed  in  theire  roomes :  the  selectmen  of  Groaton  giving 
M'  Danforth  such  sattisfaction  for  his  service  &  paines  as  they  & 
he  shall  Agree ; 

The  magist=  haue  past  this  w'h  reference  to  the  Consent  of  theire 
bretheren  the  depu's  hereto 

25  of  May  1655.  Edward  Rawson,  Secrety 

The  Deputies  Consent  hereto 

William  Torrey  Cleric. 

The  entry  made  by  Secretary  Rawson  in  the  General  Court 
Records,  at  the  time  of  the  Grant,  is  substantially  the  same 
as  his  indorsement  on  Martin's  petition,  though  it  distinguishes 
between  some  of  the  names  signed  to  each  petition.  It  is  evi- 
dent that  the  one  headed  by  Deane  Winthrop  was  also  signed 
by  John  Tinker  and  Thomas  Hinckley  ;  and  probably  by  Dolor 
Davis,  Richard  Smith,  and  Amos  Richardson,  as  is  inferred 
from  a  petition,  dated  May  16,  1656,  and  given  on  pages  15 
and  16  of  this  Number.     The  entry  begins  as  follows : 

In  Ans'  to  the  peticon  of  M'  Deane  Winthrop  M'  Jn°  Tincker 
M'  Tho:  Hinckly  &c  &  of  Lieu  VVm  Martin  Timothy  Cooper  &c 
The  Court  Judgeth  it  meete  to  Graunt    etc.   (IV.  204). 


rt. 


A  FAC-SIMILE  OF  THE  ANSWER,   SOMEWHAT   REDUCED. 

Charles  Gerrish,  of  Groton,  has  a  contemporaneous  copy 
of  this  record  made  by  Secretary  Rawson,  which  was  perhaps 
sent  originally  to  the  Selectmen  of  the  town.  It  was  found 
among  the  papers  of  the  late  Honorable  John  Boynton,  at 
one  time  town-clerk. 

The  record  of  the  House  of  Deputies  is  also  practically  the 
same,  though  there  are  a  few  verbal  variations.     It  begins  :  — 

There  beinge  a  pet.  p'ferd  by  M'  Dean  Winthrop  M'  Tho: 
Hinckley  &  divers  others  for  a  plantation  vpon  the  riuer  that  Runs 
from  Nashaway  into  Merimacke  called  petapawage  &  an  other 
from  some  of  the  Inhabitants  of  Concord  for  a  plantation  in  the 
same  place  to  both  which  the  Court  returned  this  answer  that  the 
Court  Thinkes  meet  to  graunt    etc.  (III.  462).        ' 


The  following  letter  from  the  Honorable  J.  Hammond 
Trumbull,  whose  authority  in  such  matters  is  unquestioned, 
gives  the  meaning  and  derivation  of  the  Indian  name  of  the 
town  :  — 

H'artford,  Dec.  22,  1877. 

My  dear  Dr.  Green,  —  Petaupauket  and  Petapawage  are  two 
forms  of  the  same  name,  the  former  having  the  locative  postposition 
{-ef),  meaning  "at"  or  "on"  a  place  ;  and  both  are  corruptions  of 
one  or  the  other  of  two  Indian  names  found  at  several  localities  in 
New  England.  From  which  of  the  two  your  Groton  name  came,  I 
cannot  decide  without  some  knowledge  of  the  place  itself.  I  leave 
you  the  choice,  confident  that  one  or  the  other  is  the  true  name. 

"  Pooiuppog,"  used  by  Eliot  for  "  bay,"  in  Joshua,  xv.  2,  5,  literally 
means  "spreading"  or  '' bulging ^'sX.&r,"  and  was  employed  to  desig- 
nate either  a  local  widening  of  a  river  making  still  water,  or  an  inlet 
from  a  river  expanding  into  something  like  a  pond  or  lake.  Hence 
the  name  of  a  part  of  (old)  Saybrook,  now  Essex,  Conn.,  which  was 
variously  written  Pautapaug,  Poattapoge,  Potabauge,  and,  later,  Petti- 
paug,  &c.,  so  designated  from  a  spreading  cove  or  inlet  from  Con- 
necticut River.  Potiapoug  Pond,  in  Dana,  Mass.,  with  an  outlet  to, 
or  rather  an  inlet  from,  Chicopee  River,  is  probably  a  form  of  the 
same  name.  So  is  "  Port  Tobacco,"  Charles  County,  Md.  (the 
"Poiopaco'  of  John  Smith's  map),  on  the  Potomac. 

But  there  is  another  Algonkin  name  from  which  Petaupauk  and 
some  similar  forms  may  have  come,  which  denotes  a  swamp,  bog, 
or  quagmire,  —  literally,  a  place  into  which  the  foot  sinks;  repre- 
sented by  the  Chippeway  petobeg,  a  bog  or  soft  marsh,  and  the 
Abnaki  potepaug.  There  is  a  Pautipaug  (otherwise,  Pootapaug, 
Portipaug,  Patapogue,  &c.)  in  the  town  of  Sprague,  Conn.,  on  or 
near  the  Shetucket  river,  which  seems  to  have  this  derivation. 

If  there  was  in  (ancient)  Groton  a  pond  or  spreading  cove,  con- 
nected with  the  Nashua,  Squannicook,  Nisitisset,  or  other  stream, 
or  a  pond-like  enlargement  or  "bulge"  of  a  stream,  this  may,  with- 
out much  doubt,  be  accepted  as  the  origin  of  the  name.  If  there 
is  none  such,  the  name  probably  came  from  some  "watery  swamp," 
like  those  into  which  (as  the  "  Wonder-Working  Providence  "  re- 
lates) the  first  explorers  of  Concord  "  sunke,  into  an  uncertaine 
bottome  in  water,  and  waded  up  to  their  knees." 

Yours  truly, 

J.  Hammond  Trumbull. 


The  last  suggestion,  that  the  name  came  from  an  Algonkin 
word  signifying  "swamp"  or  "bog,"  appears  to  be  the  correct 
one.  There  are  many  bog  meadows,  of  greater  or  less  extent, 
in  different  parts  of  the  town.  Two  of  the  largest  —  one  situ- 
ated on  the  easterly  side  of  the  village,  and  known  as  Half- 
Moon  Meadow,  and  the  other  on  the  westerly  side,  and  known 
as  Broad  Meadow,  each  containing  perhaps  a  hundred  acres 
of  land  —  are  now  in  a  state  of  successful  cultivation.  Before 
they  were  drained  and  improved,  they  would  have  been  best 
described  as  swamps  or  bogs. 

It  is  to  be  regretted  that  so  many  of  the  Indian  words,  which 
have  a  local  significance  and  smack  of  the  region,  should  have 
been  crowded  out  of  the  list  of  geographical  names  in  Massa- 
chusetts. However  much  such  words  may  have  been  twisted 
and  distorted  by  English  pronunciation  and  misapplication, 
they  furnish  now  one  of  the  few  links  that  connect  the  pres- 
ent period  with  prehistoric  times  in  America.  "  Nashaway," 
mentioned  in  the  petition,  is  the  old  name  of  Lancaster,  though 
spelled  in  different  ways.  Mr.  Trumbull  has  also  given  some 
interesting  facts  in  regard  to  this  Indian  word,  which  I  copy 
from  an  essay  by  him  in  the  second  volume  of  the  "  Collections 
of  the  Connecticut  Historical  Society  "  :  — 

Nashau^  (Chip[pewa],  n&ssawaii  a.ndashawiwt),  "  mid-way,"  or 
"  between,"  and  with  ohke  or  auk  added,  the  "  land  between ''  or  "  the 
half-way  place,"  —  was  the  name  of  several  localities.  The  tract 
on  which  Lancaster,  iirv?;^|||^ercounty  (Mass.)  was  settled,  was 
"  between  "  the  branches  of  the  Tf?Sr,  and  so  it  was  called  "  Nasha- 
way "  or  "  Nashawake  "  {nashau^-ohke)  ;  and  this  name  was  after- 
wards transferred  from  the  territory  to  the  river  itself.  There  was 
another  Nashaway  in  Connecticut,  between  Quinebaug  and  Five- 
Mile  Rivers  in  Windham  county,  and  here,  too,  the  mutilated  name 
of  the  nashaue-ohke  was  transferred,  as  Ashawog  or  Assawog,  to  the 
Five-Mile  River.  Natchaug,  in  the  same  county,  the  name  of  the 
eastern  branch  of  Shetucket  river,  belonged  originally  to  the  tract 
"  between  "  the  eastern  and  western  branches  ;  and  the  Shetucket 
itself  borrows  a  name  (nashaue-tuk-ut)  from  its  place  "  between  " 
Yantic  and  Quinebaug  rivers  (page  t,^,). 


lO 

The  town  is  indebted  for  its  name  to  Deane  Winthrop,  a 
son  of  Governor  John  Winthrop  and  one  of  the  petitioners 
for  its  incorporation.  He  was  born  at  Groton  in  the  County 
of  Suffolk,  England,  on  March  i6,  1622-3  ;  and  the  love  of  his 
native  place  prompted  him  to  perpetuate  its  name  in  New 
England.  He  stands  at  the  head  of  the  first  list  of  Selectmen 
appointed  by  the  General  Court,  and  for  a  short  time  was 
probably  a  resident  of  the  town.  At  the  age  of  exactly  81 
years  he  died,  on  March  16,  1703-4,  at  PuUen  Point,  now 
within  the  limits  of  Winthrop,  Massachusetts. 

The  following  letter,  written  by  a  distinguished  represen- 
tative of  the  family,  will  be  read  with  interest :  — 

Boston,  27  February,  1878. 

My  DEAR  Dr.  Green,  —  It  would  give  me  real  pleasure  to  aid 
you  in  establishing  the  relations  of  Deane  Winthrop  to  the  town  of 
Groton  in  Massachusetts.  But  there  are  only  three  or  four  letters 
of  Deane's  among  the  family  papers  in  my  possession,  and  not  one 
of  them  is  dated  Groton.  Nor  can  I  find  in  any  of  the  family  papers 
a  distinct  reference  to  his  residence  there. 

There  are,  however,  two  brief  notes  of  his,  both  dated  "  the  16 
of  D,ecember,  1662,"  which  I  cannot  help  thinking  may  have  been 
written  at  Groton.  One  of  them  is  addressed  to  his  brother  John, 
the  Governor  of  Connecticut,  who  was  then  in  London,  on  business 
connected  with  the  Charter  of  Connecticut.  In  this  note,  Deane 
says  as  follows  : —  / 

"  I  have  some  thoughts  of  removing  from  the  place  that  I  now 
live  in,  into  your  Colony,  if  I  could  lit  of  a  convenient  place.  The 
place  that  I  now  live  in  is  too  little  for  me,  my  children  now  grow- 
ing up." 

We  know  that  Deane _  Winthrop  was  at  the  head  of  the  first 
Board  of  Selectmen  of  Groton  a  few  years  earlier,  and  that  he  went 
to  reside  at  Pullen  Point,  now  called  Winthrop,  not  many  years 
after. 

I  am  strongly  inclined  to  think  with  you  that  this  note  of  Decem- 
ber, 1662,  was  written  at  Groton. 

Yours  very  truly, 

Robert  C.  Winthrop. 
Samuel  A.  Green,  M.  D. 


II 

A  few  years  before  the  incorporation  of  the  town,  Emanuel 
Downing,  of  Salem,  who  married  Lucy,  a  sister  of  Governor 
John  Winthrop,  had  a  very  large  farm  which  he  called  Groton. 
It  was  situated  in  what  was  afterward  South  Danvers,  but 
now  Peabody,  on  the  old  road  leading  from  Lynn  to  Ipswich, 
and  thus  named,  says  Upham  in  his  "  Salem  Witchcraft," 
"in  dear  remembrance  of  his  wife's  ancestral  home  in  'the 
old  country'"  (I.  43).  Downing  subsequently  sold  it  to 
his  nephews  John  Winthrop,  Jr.,  and  Adam  Winthrop,  on 
July  23,  1644,  when  he  speaks  of  it  as  "  his  farme  of  Groton." 
The  sale  is  duly  recorded  in  the  Suffolk  Registry  of  Deeds 

(I- 57)- 

Groton  in  Connecticut — younger  than  this  town  by  just 
half  a  century,  and  during  the  Revolution  the  scene  of  the 
heroic  Ledyard's  death  —  was  named  in  the  year  1705,  during 
the  governorship  of  Fitz-John  Winthrop,  out  of  respect  to  the 
Suffolk  home  of  the  family. 

New  Hampshire  has  a  Groton,  in  Grafton  County,  which 
was  called  Cockermouth  when  first  settled  in  the  year  1766. 
Subsequently,  however,  the  name  was  changed  by  an  act  of 
the  Legislature,  in  accordance  with  the  unanimous  wish  of 
the  inhabitants  who  approved  it,  on  December  7,  1796.  Some 
of  its  early  settlers  were  from  Hollis,  New  Hampshire,  and 
others  from  this  town. 

Vermont,  also,  has  a  Groton,  in  Caledonia  County,  which 
received  its  charter  on  October  20,  1789,  though  it  was  set- 
tled a  short  time  before.  A  History  of  the  town,  written  by 
General  A.  Harleigh  Hill,  appeared  in  Miss  Abby  Maria 
Hemenway's  "Vermont  Historical  Gazetteer"  (IV.  1145- 
II 68).  Taken  bodily  from  this  work,  a  pamphlet  edition  was 
also  published,  with  some  slight  variations  but  with  the  same 
paging.     The  author  says  :  — 

It  received  the  name  of  Groton  through  the  influence  of  its 
earliest  settlers,  who  were  born  in  Groton,  Mass.  These  sterling 
old  patriots  who,  mid  all  the  stirring  activity  of  those  days,  forgot 
not  the  old  birthtown,  but  hallowed  its  memory  by  giving  its  name 
to  their  new  settlement  and  town  in  the  wilderness  (page  1145). 


12 

New  York,  too,  has  a  town  called  Groton,  situated  in  Tomp- 
kins County ;  and  Professor  M.  M.  Baldwin,  in  an  historical 
sketch  of  the  place,  published  in  the  year  1868,  gives  the 
reason  for  so  naming  it.     He  says  :  — 

At  first,  the  part  of  Locke  thus  set  off  was  called  Division  ;  but 
the  next  year  [1818],  it  was  changed  to  Groton,  on  the  petition  of 
the  inhabitants  of  the  town,  some  of  whom  had  moved  from  Groton, 
Mass.,  and  some  from  Groton,  Ct.,  though  a  few  desired  the  name 
of  York  (page  8). 

There  is  also  a  Groton  in  Erie  County,  Ohio.  It  is  situated 
in  that  part  of  the  State  known  as  the  Fire  Lands,  and  so 
called  after  the  Connecticut  town.  The  name  was  originally 
Wheatsborough,  and  its  first  settlement  was  made  in  the 
year  1809.  ' 

The  latest  place  aspiring  to  the  honor  of  the  name  is  in 
Brown  County,  Dakota,  which  was  laid  out  three  or  four  years 
ago  on  land  owned  by  the  Chicago,  Milwaukee,  and  St.  Paul 
Railway  Company.  I  am  informed  that  various  New  Eng- 
land names  were  selected  by  the  Company  and  given  to  dif- 
ferent townships,  not  for  personal  or  individual  reasons,  but 
because  they  were  short  and  well  sounding,  and  unlike  any 
others  in  the  Territory. 

In  the  middle  of  the  last  century  —  according  to  the  New- 
England  Historical  and  Genealogical  Register  (XXIV.  56 
note,  and  60)  for  January,  1870  —  there  was  a  place  in 
Roxbury  sometimes  called  Groton.  It  was  a  corruption  of 
Greaton,  the  name  of  the  man  who  kept  the  "  Grey  Hound  " 
tavern  in  that  neighborhood. 

Groton  in  England  is  an  ancient  place ;  it  is  the  same  as 
the  Grotena  of  Domesday  Book,  in  which  there  is  a  record  of 
the  population  and  wealth  of  the  town,  in  some  detail,  at  the 
time  of  William  the  Conqueror,  and  also  before  him,  under 
the  Anglo-Saxon  King,  Edward  the  Confessor.  A  nearly 
literal  translation  of  this  census-return  of  the  year  1086  is  as 
follows :  — 

In  the  time  of  King  Edward  [the  Abbot  of]  Saint  Edmund  held 
Groton  for  a  manor,  there  being  one  carucate  and  a  half  of  land. 


13 

Always  [there  have  been]  eight  villeins  and  five  bordarii  [a  rather 
higher  sort  of  serfs  ;  cotters].  Always  [there  has  been]  one  plough 
in  demesne.  Always  two  ploughs  belonging  to  homagers  [tenants], 
and  one  acre  of  meadow.  Woodland  for  ten  hogs.  A  mill  service- 
able in  winter.  Always  one  work-horse,  six  cattle,  and  sixteen 
hogs,  and  thirty  sheep.  Two  free  men  of  half  a  carucate  of  land, 
and  they  could  giveaway  and  sell  their  land.  Six  bordarii.  Always 
one  plough,  and  one  acre  of  meadow  [belonging  to  these  bordarii]. 
It  was  then  [/.  e.,  under  King  Edward]  worth  thirty  shillings,  and  now 
valued  at  forty.  It  is  seven  furlongs  in  length  and  four  in  breadth. 
In  the  same,  twelve  free  men,  and  they  have  one  carucate  ;  it  is 
worth  twenty  shillings.  These  men  could  give  away  and  sell  their 
land  in  the  time  of  the  reign  of  King  Edward.  [The  Abbot  of] 
Saint  Edmund  has  the  soc,  protection  and  servitude.  Its  gelt  is 
seven  pence,  but  others  hold  there. 

This  extract  is  taken  from  the  fac-simile  reproduction  of  the 
part  of  Domesday  Book  relating  to  Suffolk  (page  clviii),  which 
was  published  at  the  Ordnance  Survey  Office,  Southampton, 
in  the  year  1863.  The  text  is  in  Latin,  and  the  words  are 
much  abbreviated.  The  writing  is  peculiar  and  hard  to  de- 
cipher. The  same  entry  is  found,  in  printed  characters,  in 
the  second  volume  of  Domesday  Book  (page  359.  b.),  published 
in  the  year  1783. 

Some  idea  of  the  condensed  character  of  the  record  may  be 
gathered  from  the  following  copy  of  the  beginning  of  the  de- 
scription of  Groton,  in  which  the  matter  within  the  brackets 
is  what  the  Norman  scrivener  omitted  :  "  Grotena.[m]  t.  [em- 
pore]  r.[egis]  e.[dvardi]  teii[uit]  S.[anctus]  e.[dmundus] 
p[ro]  maii.[erio]  "  etc.  A  carucate  was  a  "plough  land,"  or 
a  farm  that  could  be  kept  under  tillage  with  one  plough.  It 
is  variously  estimated  at  from  twelve  acres  to  a  hundred. 

It  is  curious  to  note  the  different  ways  which  the  early  set- 
tlers had  of  spelling  the  name ;  and  the  same  persons  took 
little  or  no  care  to  write  it  uniformly.  Among  the  documents 
and  papers  that  I  have  examined  in  collecting  material  for  a 
history  of  the  town,  I  find  it  spelled  in  twenty  different  ways, 
viz.  :  Groton,  Grotton,  Groten,  Grotten,  Grotin,  Groaten, 
Groatne,    Groaton,    Groatton,    Grooton,    Grorton,    Grouton, 


14 

Groughton,  Growton,  Growtin,  Groyton,  Grauton,  Grawten, 
Grawton,  and  Croaton.  From  the  old  spelling  of  the  word, 
it  may  be  inferred  that  the  pronunciation  varied  ;  but  at  the 
present  time  natives  of  the  town  and  those  "  to  the  manner 
born  "  pronounce  it  Grdw-ton.  This  method  appears  to  hold 
good  in  England,  as  the  Reverend  John  W.  Wayman,  rector 
of  the  parent  town,  writes  me,  under  date  of  August  13,  1879, 
that  "  The  local  pronunciation  is  decidedly  Graw-ton.  The 
name  of  the  parish  is  described  in  old  records  as  Grotton,  or 
Growton."  I  learn  from  trustworthy  correspondents  in  all 
the  American  towns  of  the  name,  that  the  common  pronun- 
ciation of  the  word  in  each  one  of  them  is  Grdw-ton. 

The  following  paragraph  is  taken  from  the  "  Groton  Mer- 
cury "  of  June,  1 85 1,  a  monthly  newspaper  edited  by  the  late 
George  Henry  Brown,  post-master  at  that  time  :  — 

We  have  noticed  amongst  the  mass  of  letters  received  at  our 
Post  Office,  the  word  Groton  spelled  in  the  following  different 
ways :  Grotton,  Grawton,  Graton,  Grotown,  Groutown,  Growtown, 
Growtan,  Growten,  Growton,  Gratan,  Grattan,  Grewton,  Grothan, 
Graten,  Groten,  Grouton. 


II. 

The  daily  life  of  the  founders  of  Massachusetts  would  be  to 
us  now  full  of  interest,  but  unfortunately  little  is  known  in  re- 
gard to  it.  The  early  settlers  were  a  pious  folk,  and  believed 
in  the  literal  interpretation  of  the  Scriptures.  They  worked 
hard  during  six  days  of  the  week,  and  kept  Sunday  with 
rigid  exactness.  The  clearing  of  forests  and  the  breaking 
up  of  land  left  little  leisure  for  the  use  of  pen  and  paper ; 
and  letter-writing,  as  we  understand  it,  was  not  generally 
practised.  They  lived  at  a  time  when  printing  was  not  com- 
mon and  post-offices  were  unknown.  Their  lives  were  one 
ceaseless  struggle  for  existence;  and  there  was  no  time  or 
opportunity  to  cultivate  those  graces  now  considered  so 
essential.  Religion  was  with  them  a  living,  ever-present 
power;  and  in  that  channel  went  out  all  those  energies  which 


15 

with  us  find  outlet  in  many  different  directions.  These  con- 
siderations should  modify  the  opinions  commonly  held  in 
regard  to  the  Puritan  fathers. 

The  sources  of  information  relating  to  the  early  history  of 
Groton  are  few  and  scanty.  It  is  only  here  and  there  in  con- 
temporaneous papers,  that  we  find  any  allusions  to  the  plan- 
tation ;  and  from  these  we  obtain  but  glimpses  of  the  new 
settlement.  The  earliest  document  connected  with  the  town 
after  its  incorporation  is  a  petition  now  among  the  Shattuck 
Manuscripts,  in  the  possession  of  the  New-England  Historic, 
Genealogical  Society,  which  contains  some  interesting  facts  not 
elsewhere  given.  All  the  signatures  to  it  are  in  the  same 
handwriting  as  the  body  of  the  document ;  but  those  of  the 
committee  signing  the  report  on  the  back  of  the  petition  are 
autographs.  The  report  itself  is  in  the  handwriting  of  Joseph 
Hills.     The  document  is  as  follows  :  — 

Bost':   16:  3  m°:  1656 

To  the  Right  Wo'"  the  Gou'no'  the  wo'."  Deput  Go'no'  and  Mag- 
istrates with  the  Worthy  Deputies  of  this  Hono"'  Court 

The  humble  Feticon  of  Certain  the  intended  Inhabitants  of 
Groten, 

Humbly  Sheweth 

That  yo'  Peticon"^  haueing  obteined  theire  Request  of  a 
Plantacon  from  this  honored  Court,  they  haue  made  Entranc 
therevppon,  and  do  Resolue  by  the  Gracious  Assistants  of  the 
Lord  to  proceed  in  the  same  (though  the  greatest  Number  of 
Peticon'''  for  the  Grant  haue  declyned  the  work)  yet  because  of  the 
Remoteness  of  the  place,  &  Considering  how  heavy  and  slowe  it  is 
like  to  be  Carried  an  end  and  with  what  Charge  and  difficultie  it 
willbe  Attended  yo'  Peticon'^  humble  Requests  are 

I  That  they  be  not  nominated  or  included  in  the  Country 
taxes  vntill  the  full  end  of  three  years  from  these  p,'nts  :  (in  which 
time  they  Account  theire  expenc  will  be  great  to  the  building  a 
house,  procureing  and  maintaining  of  a  minester  &c,  with  all  other 
nessessary  Town  Charges:  they  being  but  few  at  present  left  to 
Carry  on  the  whole  worke)  and  at  the  end  of  the  term,  shall  be 
redy  by  gods  help  to  yeald  thei'  Rates  according  to  thei'  Number 
&  abillitie  &  what  shall  be  imposed,  vppon  them 


i6 

2  That  they  may  haue  libertie  to  make  Choyce  of  an  other 
then  M'  Danford  for  the  Laying  out  their  town  bounds  because  of 
his  desire  to  be  excused  by  reason  of  his  vrgent  ocations  otherwise, 
&  that  they  be  not  strictly  tyed  to  a  square  forme  in  theire  Line 
Laying  out 

So  shall  yo'  Peticon'f  be  incoridged  in  this  great  work,  and  shall 
as,  duty  bindes  pray  for  yo'  happiness  and  thankfully  Rest 

yo'  humble  Servants 

Dean  Winthropp 
Dolor  Davis 
Will.  Martin 
Jn°.  Tinker 
Richard  Smith 
Robert  Blood 
Jn°.  Lakin 
Amose  Richenson 

In  Ans.  to  this  Petiobn  wee  Conceiue  it  needfull  that  the  Town 
of  Groton  be  freed  from  Rates  for  three  years  from  the  time  of 
their  Grant  as  is  desired. 

2*  That  they  may  Imploy  any  other  known  Artist  in  the  room 
of  M'  Danfort  as  need  shall  be. 

3''  That  the  forme  of  the  Town  may  A  little  varie  from  A  due 
Square  According  to  the  discrecon  of  the  Comitte. 

21.  3''  m°.  (56)  Daniel  Gookin 

Joseph  Hills 
John  Wiswall 

The  Deputyes  approue  of  the  returne  of  the  Comittee  in  answer 
to  this  petitio  &  desire  the  Consent  of  o'  hone'''  magists.  hereto 

William  Torrey  Gierke 
Consented  to  by  the  magists 

Edward  Rawson  Secret 
[Indorsed  for  filing :]  Grotens  Peticon  |  Entrd  &  x=  secured  p"*  8  | 
1656 


17 


■e,rt-:*e':s 


i(^C 


"X^T^-^^PH^"  ^^"^ '^■'^ QP^^^ 


■&^fi^ Mt*^  (tint  eU-f^nr^^(tnA—tiJPr-i^  -<*-ewiJ' <"•-  *f^  w^^iiif-  <TO» 


A   FAC-SIMILE   OF   THE   PETITION,   SOMEWHAT   REDUCED. 


i8 


A  FA C- SIMILE  OF   THE   ANSWER,   SOMEWHAT  REDUCED. 
A   FAC-SIMILE    OF    THE   INDORSEMENT,    FULL   SIZE. 

The  next  document,  in  point  of  time,  connected  with  the 
history  of  Groton  is  a  petition  to  the  General  Court  from  John 
Tinker,  one  of  the  original  Selectmen  of  the  town.  It  is  dated 
October,  1659,  and  preserved  among  the  Massachusetts  Ar- 
chives (CXII.  120)  at  the  State  House.  In  this  petition  Tinker 
makes  some  indirect  charges  against  his  townsmen,  of  which 
the  real  nature  can  now  be  learned  only  by  inference.  It  would 
appear  that  they  had  taken  land  in  an  unauthorized  manner, 
and  their  proceedings  in  other  respects  had  obstructed  the 
planting  of  the  town ;  and  that  he  felt  aggrieved  in  conse- 
quence of  such  action.  Evidently  the  new  plantation  did  not 
prosper  during  the  first  few  years  of  its  settlement.  The 
petition  reads  thus  :  — 


19 

Boston      To  the  Hone'"  Gen'"  Court  Assembled  at  Boston 
8  m-  The  humble  Petition  of  Jn°  Tinker 

1659  Humbly  Sheweth  that 

With  vnfained  Respect  to  the  good  and  welfare  of  Church  and 
Comonwealth  yo'  Petitioner  hath  indeauored  to  answer  the  expecta- 
tion and  desires  of  this  hono"*  Court  and  the  whole  Countrey  In 
erecting  selling  and  Carying  an  End  the  Afaires  of  Groaton,  Granted 
and  intended  by  this  bono"*  Court  for  a  plantation,  which  notwith- 
standing (all  in  vaine)  it  Continueth  vnpeopled  and  soe  Like  to 
remaine  vnless  by  this  bono"'  Court  some  wise  and  Juditious  Com- 
itte  be  impowered  to  order  and  dispose  of  all  things  there  about, 
after  which  no  doubt  it  will  goe  on  and  prosper,  which  is  the  humble 
desire  and  Request  of  yo'.  Petitioner  that  soe  it  may  be,  and  that 
yo'  Petitioner  be  admitted  and  appoynted  faithfully  to  declare  vnto 
and  informe  the  said  Comitte,  i  what  hath  allredy  bin  done,  2  what 
are  the  Grounds  and  Reasons  wherfore  it  Remaineth  at  the  stay  it 
doeth.  being  so  much  desired  by  so  many  and  such  Considerable 
persons  as  it  is,  and  3  what  hee  Conceuieth  needfull  to  the  further 
Confirming  what  is  done  according  to  Right  to  every  person  & 
Cause,  and  the  setleing  such  due  order  as  may  incoridg  the  Carying 
on  of  all  things  to  a  prosperous  effect,  vnto  which  yo'  Petitioner 
shall  redyly  adress  himselfe,  as  willing  to  submitt  to  the  good  pleas- 
ure of  this  hon''*  Court  &  such  Authorized  by  them  for  such  due 
satisfacon  for  all  his  Care  time  cost  &  paines  in  and  about  the  said 
plantation  as  shall  be  thought  meete  and  humbly  begging  the  good 
fauo'  of  god  to  Rest  vppon  you  shall  ever  Remaine  to  the  bono"* 
Court  and  Country 

Yo'  humble  Serv'  Jn°-  Tinker 

The  comittee  haveing  prsed  this  peticcon,  do  Judge  y'  it  wilbe 
very  convenient  that  a  Coinittee  of  3  :  or  more  meet  persons  be 
nominated  &  impowred  to  Examine  the  pticulars  therein  mencconed. 
and  make  returne  of  w'  they  find  to  the  Court  of  Eleccon. 

Thomas  Danforth 
Anthony  Stoddard 
Roger  Clap 

21.  (8)  59.  The  Depu'  approue'  of  the  ret.  of  y'.  Comitee  in 
answ:  hereto  &  haue  Nominated  M'  Danforth  M'  Ephraim  Child 
Cap'.  Edw:  Johnson  to  be  their  Committee  desireing  o'  Hono'? 
magists  [consent]  hereto 

William  Torrey  C/ertt:. 

Consented  to  by  y°  magists  Edw  Rawson  Secreiy 


20 

It  appears  from  the  writing  on  it  that  Tinker's  petition  was 
referred  to  a  special  committee,  who  recommended  that  the 
whole  matter  be  considered  by  another  committee  with  larger 
powers,  who  should  report  to  the  Court  of  Election.  In  ac- 
cordance with  this  recommendation,  Mr.  Thomas  Danforth, 
Captain  Edward  Johnson,  and  Ephraim  Child  were  appointed 
such  a  committee.  I  have  here  given  their  names  in  the 
order  in  which  they  are  mentioned  in  the  General  Court 
Records  (IV.  324),  and  not  as  they  appear  in  the  approval  of 
the  committee's  return  on  the  petition.  The  original  report, 
made  eighteen  months  afterward  and  duly  signed  by  them,  is 
now  among  the  Shattuck  Manuscripts  of  the  New-England 
Historic,  Genealogical  Society.  It  is  dated  May  23,  1661 
("  23  (3)  1661 "),  and  bears  the  official  action  of  the  House 
of  Deputies  and  of  the  Magistrates.  Edward  Rawson,  the 
Secretary,  made  his  entry  on  the  paper.  May  29,  1661.  In 
copying  the  document  I  have  followed  the  General  Court 
Records,  as  this  version  of  the  petition  contains  fewer  abbre- 
viations and  contractions.  The  record-book  has  been  paged 
differently  at  three  separate  times ;  and  the  paging  marked  in 
red  ink  has  been  taken  in  this  copy.  The  "  Comittees  Returne 
ab'  Groaten  &  Courts  ordr  "  are  as  follows :  — 

Wee  whose  names  are  subscribed  being  Appointed  &  impowred 
by  the  Generall  Court  in  octobe'  1659  for  the  examination  of  the 
proceedings  about  Groten  plantation  &  the  Intanglements  that  haue 
obstructed  the  planting  thereof  hitherto=hauing  taken  pajnes  to 
travajle  vnto  the  sajd  place  &  examine  the  Records  of  forme'  pro- 
ceedings in  that  place  as  also  the  Capacity  of  the  s''  place  for  the 
enterteining  of  a  meet  noumber  of  persons  that  may  Carry  on  the 
affairs  of  a  Toune,  doe  App'hend  (according  to  w'  Information  we 
haue  had)  that  the  place  will  Affoord  a  comfortable  accomoda- 
tion for  sixty  familjes  at  least  that  may  subsist  in  a  way  of  hus- 
bandry=And  for  such  familyes  as  be  there  already  planted  w''''  are 
not  aboue  four  or  five  acres  ^  wee  doe  not  finde  theire  Interest  in 

1  The  word  "  acres  "  occurs  at  the  end  of  a  line  in  the  manuscript  records, 
and  appears  to  be  an  interpolation.  The  sense  does  not  require  it,  and  the 
original  copy  in  the  library  of  the  New-England  Historic,  Genealogical  Society 
does  not  contain  it,  though  the  printed  edition  of  the  General  Court  Records 
gives  it. 


21 

such  lands  as  they  claime  is  legall  &  Just  nor  yet  consistant  w""  the 
Courts  ends  in  their  graunt  of  the  sajd  plantation. 

And  for  the  further  encouragement  of  such  as  haue  now  a  desire 
&c  doe  present  themselvs  as  willing  to  plant  themselves  in  that 
place, 

Wee  craue  leaue  humbly  to  leaue  our  poore  app'hentions  w""  this 
Honored  Court  as  followeth 

1  That  the  old  planters  &  their  Assignes  whose  names  are  John 
Tincker  Rich :  Smith.  W"  Martjn.  Ri:  blood  Rob'  Blood  &  Jn"  La- 
kin  that  they  reteine  &  keepe  as  theire  propriety,  (of  such  lands  as 
they  now  clajme  an  Interest  in)  each  of  them  only  twenty  acres  of 
meadow  twenty  acres  for  the  house  lott  ten  acres  Intervale  land  & 
tenn  acres  of  other  vplands  &  that  the  same  be  sett  out  by  a  Comit- 
tee  so  as  may  not  vnequally  prejudice  such  as  are  or  may  be  their 
Neighbo"- 

2  That  the  neere  lands  &  meadows,  be  so  diuided  as  may  ac- 
comodate at  least  sixty  familjes  &  for  that  end  That  the  first  diui- 
sion  of  lands  be  made  in  manner  following  viz'  such  as  haue  one 
hundred  &  fifty  pounds  estate  be  allowed  equall  w""  the  old  planters 
aboue  &  that  none  exceed  &  that  none  haue  lesse  then  tenn  acres 
for  theire  house  lott  &  five  acres  of  meadow  two  &  a  halfe  acres  of 
Intervale  &  two  &  a  half  of  other  lands  for  planting  lotts  in  their 
first  divission  &  that  none  be  admitted  to  haue  graunts  of  lotts 
there  but  on  Condition^  following  viz', 

1  That  they  Goe  vp.  w"'  theire  familjes  w"'in  2  yeares  after 
theire  graunts,  on  penalty  of  forfeiting  theire  graunts  againe  to  the 
Towne  &  so  many  tenn  shillings  as  they  had  acres  Graunted  them 
for  theire  houselotts  &  that  the  like  Injunction  be  putt  vpon  those 
aboue  named  as  old  planters. 

2  That  all  towne  charges  both  Civil  &  Eccleasiasticall  be  levyed 
according  to  each  mans  Graunt  in  this  first  divition  of  lands  for 
seuen  yeares  next  Ensuing  Excepting  only  such  whose  stocks  of 
Catle  shall  exceed  one  hundred  &  fifty  pounds  estates. 

3  That  the  power  of  Admission  of  Inhabitants  &  Regulating  the 
affaires  of  the  sajd  place  be  referred  to  a  Comittee  of  meete  persons 
Impowred  by  this  Court  thereto,  Vntill  the  plantation  be  in  some 
good  measure  (at  least)  filled  w""  Inhabitants  &  be  enabled  regu- 
larly &  peaceably  to  Carry  on  y"  same  themselves 

4  That  this  Honoured  Court  be  pleased  to  graunt  them  Imuni- 
tjes  [from]  all  Comon  &  Ordinary  Country  charges  not  exceeding 


22 

a  single  rate  or  a  Rate  &  a  half  p  Annu  for  three  yeares  next 
ensuing. 

5  That  in  Graunting  of  lotts  children  haue  theire  due  Consid- 
eration w*  estates  theire  paren'=  giving  securitje  to  defray  y'  charges 
of  the  place  as  is  before  p'tnised. 

Tho  Danforth 
Edward  Johnson 
Ephr.  Child 

The  Court  Apprboves  of  &  doe  Confirme  the  returne  of  the 
Comittee  &  doe  hereby  further  orde'  &  Impower  the  aforesajd 
Coraittee  for  the  ends  aboue  mentioned  vntill  meete  men  shall  be 
found  amongst  such  as  shall  Inhabit  there  &  be  approoved  of  by  a 
County  Court 

[General  Court  Records,  IV.  371.] 

The  next  document,  in  point  of  time,  found  among  the 
Archives  (I.  21)  at  the  State  House  and  relating  to  Groton,  is 
the  following  request  for  a  brandmark,  which  was  wanted 
probably  for  marking  cattle. 

The  Humble  Request  of  Joseph-  Parker  to  the  Honoured  Gov- 
erno'  the  Honourd  magistrates  &  deputyes,  Humbly  Requests  in 
behalfe  of  the  towne  of  Grawton  that  the  letter  Qi  may  bee  Re- 
corded as  the  brand  mark  belonging  to  the  towne  I  being  Chosen 
Counstible  this  year  make  bolde  to  present  this,  to  the  Honoured 
Court  it  being  but  my  duty,  in  the  townes  behalfe  thus  Hopeing 
the  Honored  Court  will  grant  my  request  I  rest  yo'  Humble 
Servant 

Joseph  Parker 

Boston  :  31"' :  may  :  i666 

In  answer  to  this  motion  the  Deputies  approue  of  the  letters :  C^ 
to  be  y^  brand  marke  of  groaten 

William  Torrey  Cleric, 
o'  Hono'?  magists  consentinge  hereto 
Consented  by  the  magists 

Edw:  Rawson  Secrety 


23 

Joseph  Parker,  before  coming  to  Groton,  had  lived  at 
Chelmsford,  where  his  children  were  born.  He  was  without 
doubt  a  brother  of  James,  another  of  the  early  settlers  of 
Groton. 

During  this  period  the  town  was  paying  some  attention  to 
the  question  of  marks  for  trees  as  well  as  for  cattle.  At  a 
general  meeting  held  on  March  5,  1665-66,  it  was  voted  that 
"there  should  be  trees  marked  for  shade  for  cattell  in  all 
common  by  wayes : "  and  furthermore  that  "  the  marke  should 
be  a  great  T."  From  various  expressions  found  in  the  early 
town  records,  it  would  seem  that  the  country  in  the  neighbor- 
hood was  not  densely  wooded  when  the  settlement  was  first 
made.  At  a  meeting  of  the  Selectmen  held  in  the  winter  of 
1669,  an  order  was  passed  for  the  preservation  of  trees,  but 
the  writing  is  so  torn  that  it  is  impossible  to  copy  it.  At 
another  meeting  held  on  January  13,  1673-74,  it  was  voted 
that  all  trees  of  more  than  six  inches  in  diameter  at  the  butt, 
excepting  walnut  and  pine,  growing  by  the  wayside,  should 
be  reserved  for  public  works,  and  that  the  penalty  for  cutting 
them  down,  without  authority,  should  be  ten  shilHngs  a  tree. 

At  a  general  town  meeting  on  December  21,  1674,  leave 
was  granted  to  William  Longley,  Jr.,  to  cut  down  three  or 
four  trees  standing  in  the  road  near  his  farm  and  shading 
his  corn,  on  condition  that  he  give  to  the  town  the  same 
number  of  trees  for  mending  the  highways. 


24 


ADDENDA   ET   CORRIGENDA. 

No.  IV.  page  15  :  sixth  and  seventh  lines  from  the  bottom,  dele  "  iVtr. 
Garrison." 

No.  V.  "     15  :  eighth  and  ninth  lines  from  the  top,  read  "  the  busi- 

ness conducted  by  Mr.  Gates,  though  he  left  ten 
or  a  dozen  years  ago,  and  afterward  by  Boynton 
and  Brown." 

No.  VII.        "       S  :  fifteenth  line  from  the  top,  dele  "  like  his  father." 
"  "       6 :  Mr.  Gerrish's  block  was  moved  away  in  July,  1885 ; 

the  main  part  of  it  is  now  a  tenement  house  on 
HoUis  Street. 
«  "     17:  eighth  line  from  the  bottom,  for  "  Alpheias  "  riffl:i/ 

"Alpheus." 
"  "18:  The  post-office  was  made  a  postal  order  office  on 

Monday,  August  16,  1886. 

No.  VIII.      "       5  :  Moses  Child  was  an  inn-holder  at  Groton  in  the  year 
1776,  and  probably  kept  the  Richardson  tavern. 
See  an  advertisement  in  "  The  Boston  Gazette,  and 
Country  Journal  "  (Watertown),  August  26,  1776. 
"  "       7 :  fifteenth   line   from   the   top,   for    "  Boston "   read 

"  Winslow,  Maine." 

No.  XII.  "  18:  Danforth's  survey  of  Willard's  farm,  drawn  on 
parchment,  is  now  in  the  possession  of  Mrs. 
Charles  C.  Bennett,  a  daughter  of  the  late  Silas 
Nutting,  of  Ayer.  It  is  not  the  one  referred  to  in 
"The  Boundary  Lines  of  Old  Groton  "(page  13). 

No.  XIII.      "       8  :  seventh  line  from  the  bottom,  for  "  9 :  yeares  "  read 
"91.  yeares." 
"  "     46:  fifteenth   line  from   the   top,  for  "Porcine"  read 

'■  Parcime.'' 

No.  XIV.  "  27:  sixth  line  from  the  bottom,  insert  "Elm  Street" 
before  "  Pleasant  Street." 

No.  XV.         "     18  :  after  Sodom,  for  "  northeast "  read  "  northwest." 

No.  XVII.     "       6:  amongMr.Lawrence'sIawstudents,z«j^^/thenames 
of  Caleb  Butler  and  Asa  Farnsworth  Lawrence. 
"  "       7  :  twelfth  line  from  the  top,  for  "  Groton  "  read"  West- 

ford." 

No.  XIX.      "     22  :  second  line  from  the  top,  for  "  Amos  "  read  "  Abel."