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1 

'I 


THE 
NEW  YORK      Y 
^L'BL/C  LIBRARY  1 

\^^5*'»-,  Lenox  and  TWen, 
foundations. 


THE  MINUTE  MAN  STATUE. 


THE 


HISTORY  OF  CONCORD 

MASSACHUSETTS 


VOLUME    I 

COLONIAL   CONCORD 


BY 

ALFRED     SERENO     HUDSON 

Author  of  "History  of  Sudbury,  Mass."      «*  The  Annals  of  Sudbury, 
Wayland  and  Maynard."      "  History  of  the  First  Congrega- 
tional Church,  Ayer,  Mass."      "  Memoirs  of  Luther 
Blanchard,  Fifer  of  the  Acton  Minutemcn, 

April  19,  1 77 5-" 


The  Erudite   Press 

Concord,    Massachusetts 

1904 


[THE  NEW  YORK 
PUBLIC  LIBRARY 

309515 

ASTOR,  LENOX  / 

TILDEN   FOUMD^-, 


Copyright,    1904,   by 
Alfred  Sereno   Hudson 


TO    THE 

AND  OF  OTHERS   WHO  EARLY   WENT   TO  THE   TOWN, 

AND   BY  THEIR   TOILS   AND   PRAYERS 

CONTRIBUTED  TO   ITS   ESTABLISHMENT    AND 

PERMANENT   SUCCESS, 

THIS   BOOK    IS   RESPECTFULLY    INSCRIBED 

BY  THE 


Att«90r 


'jf 


PREFACE 

The  town  of  Concord  is  probably  as  attractive  in  histori- 
cal features  as  any  in  this  country. 

Its  early  connection  with  the  American  Revolution  ;  its 
association  with  the  life  and  works  of  Emerson,  Haw- 
thorne, Thoreau  and  other  distinguished  authors  ;  and  its 
having  formerly  been  the  County  Seat  of  old  Middlesex 
all  contribute  to  make  the  place  notable. 

It  is  thronged  annually  with  thousands  of  visitors,  some 
mere  sightseers,  some  seeking  inspiration  from  the  shrines 
visited,  some  to  say  they  have  been  to  Concord. 

The  History  of  Concord  written  by  Lemuel  Shattuck 
and  published  in  1835,  '^  ^°^  ^°^  easily  obtainable.  Only 
a  few  copies,  if  any,  of  the  work  of  Charles  H.  Walcott, 
Esq.,  remain  unsold  ;  and  the  historical  sketches  of  Rev. 
Grindall  Reynolds,  D.  D.,  and  the  Hon.  John  S.  Keyes 
were  written  for  the  Histories  of  Middlesex  County, 
which  are  too  bulky  and  expensive  for  common  use. 
Besides  these  standard  works,  nothing  that  we  are  aware  of 
has  been  pubhshed  of  the  town's  consecutive  annals,  except 
occasional  pamphlets  and  addresses.  Because  of  these 
things  we  believe  an  available  History  may  be  desirable, 
and  by  the  preparation  of  these  pages  we  have  sought  to 
supply  it. 

The  work  is  designed  to  be  in  two  volumes ;  the  first 
entitled  Colonial  Concord:  the  second,  Provincial  Concord. 

Volume  I  includes  the  annals  of  the  town  from  its  origin 
in  1635,  untill  1692,  at  which  time  the  Massachusetts  Bay 
Colony  became  a  Province,  together  with  brief  biographical 
sketches  of  the  original  grantees. 

Volume  II.  will  include  the  annals  from  1692  through  the 
Provincial  period  to  the  close  of  the  Revolutionary  war. 

Volume  I  is  divided  into  two  parts.  The  first  contains 
the  story  of  the  settlement  setting  forth  the  leading  facts 
in  the  town's  history,  so  far  as  known,  to  the  year  1655. 

In  this  portion  of  the  work  the  writer  has  employed  both 
fact  and  fiction  ;  but  in  such  a  manner  as  to  enable  the 
reader  easily  to  distinguish  the  one  from  the  other.     This 


Pre^ 


ace 


method  has  been  adopted  because  many  of  the  early 
records  were  lost,  and  it  is  designed  to  supply  the  deficiency, 
as  relates  to  manners  and  customs,  by  conjecture  based  on 
analogy  as  these  were  known  to  exist  in  other  towns  at  the 
same  time. 

The  second  part  is  pure  history.  The  facts  are  mainly 
given  in  chronological  order  and  to  a  large  extent  set  forth 
by  copies  of  original  records  and  ancient  papers  with  refer- 
ences to  the  places  where  they  are  found. 

A  work  on  local  history  to  be  in  the  highest  degree 
instructive  should  be  more  than  a  mere  compilation  of 
dates,  statistics,  and  isolated  facts,  valuable  only  to  anti- 
quaries and  genealogists.  It  should  have  such  a  back- 
ground or  setting  of  general  history  as  will  give  the 
reader  an  intelligent  understanding  of  the  causes  and  results 
of  the  local  events  described. 

For  this  reason,  in  instances  where  an  occurrence  is  promi- 
nently connected  with  events  in  the  country  at  large,  the 
latter  have  been  sufficiently  described  to  show  the  relation- 
ship of  one  to  the  other. 

No  claim  is  made  to  great  original  research.  The  field 
of  Concord  history  has  been  too  carefully  harvested  in  the 
past,  to  leave  much  opportunity  for  the  gleaner  to  gather 
new  sheaves,  or  to  find  much  rich  aftermath.  We  have 
collected  our  material  from  every  available  source  whether 
of  records,  manuscript,  publication  or  tradition.  We  have 
avoided  dogmatic  assertion  and  have  intended  to  state  hypo- 
thetically  whatever  is  doubtful  or  unsettled. 

Prominent  among  the  writers  of  local  history  from 
whom  we  have  quoted  are  those  of  Lemuel  Shattuck, 
Charles  E.  Walcott,  Esq.  Rev.  Grindall  Reynolds,  D.  D. 
Hon  John  S.  Keyes,  and  Albert  E.  Wood.  We  have 
also  received  valuable  suggestions  from  the  late  Alfred 
Hosmer,  and  are  also  indebted  to  the  historian.  Rev.  G.  M. 
Bodge,  to  the  Littleton  Historical  Society,  and  others  whose 
services  have  been  kindly  proffered  and  gratefully  received. 


Preface  iii 

That  the  work  is  free  from  errors  it  would  be  presump- 
tion to  assert.  No  prudent  writer  of  local  history  would 
make  pretence  to  this.  Neither  do  any  who  are  charitably 
disposed  and  have  had  experience  in  the  difficult  work  of  the 
local  annalist  presume  to  judge  the  work  of  another  from 
the  standpoint  of  perfect  accuracy.  There  are  many  sub- 
jects which  will  always  be  matters  of  doubt  and  controversy. 
Evidence  considered  admissible  by  some  might  be  rejected 
by  others ;  and  cases  may  occur  when  the  evidence  is  consid- 
ered about  equal  on  either  side. 

This  work  has  been  written  from  the  position  of  one 
who  has  great  reverence  for  the  religious  faith  of 
the  fathers,  and  who  recognizes  in  this  faith  a  strong  factor 
in  whatever  of  greatness  has  accrued  to  us,  as  a  Nation. 
And  if  bringing  out  the  facts,  many  of  which  are  too 
little  known,  shall  lead  to  a  higher  appreciation  of  the 
fathers  and  of  the  faith  that  made  them  what  they  were,  one 
great  object  of  the  author  will  be  accomplished. 

A.  S.  H. 


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.'Vi,; 


CONTENTS 


Page 
CHAPTER  I. 

A  Traveler's  Visit  to  an  Early  Homestead  at  Concord,  Massachu- 
setts. Scene  at  a  Settler's  Fireside.  Company  Expected.  Strange 
Sounds  and  Sights  Talked  about.  Town  Meeting  Topics  Discussed. 
Description  of  Concord  in  the  Present.  Objects  of  Historic  Interest. 
The  North  Bridge.  Houses  of  the  Revolutionary  Period.  The 
Wright  Tavern.  First  Parish  Meeting  House.  Antiquarian  House. 
Meriam's  Corner.  i 

CHAPTER  II. 
Places  of  Classic  Interest.    The  "Old  Manse."     Home  of  Ralph  Waldo 
Emerson.    The    "Orchard    House."    The     "Wayside."    Walden 
Pond.    Thoreau's  House.    The  Home  of  Frank  B.  Sanborn.     Old 
Burying  Grounds.    Sleepy  Hollow.     Natural  Objects.  9 

CHAPTER  III. 
Origin  of  Settlement.  Early  Results.  Erection  of  "Corn  Mill." 
Meeting  House.  Parsonage.  Resumption  of  Traveler's  Narrative. 
Coming  from  Watertown.  First  Conference  with  the  Concord 
Colonists.  Visit  to  the  Home  of  William  Hartwell.  Indian  Mis- 
sion Service  at  Nashawtuc.  20 

CHAPTER    IV. 

Tahatawan's  Wigwam.  Supper  Served  by  Squaws.  Rev.  John  Eliot 
Preaching  by  Candlewood  Light.  Tribal  Relations  of  the  Mus- 
ketequids.  Stone  Relics  and  Sites  of  Indian  Villages.  Spread  of 
Christianity  among  the  Concord  Aborigines.  Nashoba.  Exile  of 
Christian  Indians  to  Deer  Island.  Humane  Efforts  of  John  Hoar  in 
their  Behalf.  27 

CHAPTER  V. 

Duck  Hunting.  River  Scenery.  Beaver  Dam.  Indian  Granary. 
Sweating  Pit.  Mysterious  Sight  upon  the  Meadows.  Arrival  at 
the  Manse.  37 

ix 


X  Contents 

Page 
CHAPTER  VI. 

Informal  Talk  Preparatory  to  Town  Meeting.  The  Apparition.  Exodus 
of  Concord  Settlers  to  Connecticut.  Statement  of  Rev.  Cotton 
Mather.    Effect  of  the  Exodus  on  the  Laity.    The  Town   Meeting.    45 

CHAPTER  VII. 
Scene  by  the  Wayside.    Home  of  Timothy  Wheeler.    Evening  Talk 
by  the  Fireplace.    Statements  of  John  Scotchford.     Cause  of  the 
Settlement  of  Concord.  54 

CHAPTER  VIII. 
Continued  Account  of  Colonial  Child  Life.    Synopsis  of  Events  the 
First  Year  at  the  Musketequid    Settlement.     Purchase  of  Territory 
from  the  Indians.     Plan  of  the  Township.     Names  of  the  Original 
Grantees.    Description  of  the  Journey  from  Watertown  to  Concord.    60 

CHAPTER  XI. 
Character  of  the  First  Houses.     Food,  Clothing,  Occupation.     Prepara- 
tions for  Cold  Weather.    The  Setting  in  of  Winter.    Trials  and 
Amusements.    The  Coming  of  Spring.    Scenes  along  the  Muskete- 
quid. 69 

CHAPTER  X. 

Capture  of  Fish.  Breakfast  Table  of  Timothy  Wheeler.  Morning 
Walk  Through  the  Woods.  Visit  at  the  Simon  Willard  Homestead. 
Historic  Sketch  of  Major  Simon  WiUard.  Description  of  Colonial 
Farm  Houses.  78 

CHAPTER   XI. 

Domestic  Products.  Reminiscent  Effect  of  Madam  WiHard's  Dutch 
cheese.  Conversation  upon  Colonial  Drinking  Customs.  Clerk  of 
the  Writs.  Legal  Fees.  Furnishings  of  Early  Farm  Houses;  Light- 
ing Appliances.  Table  Ware,  Fireplace  Utensils,  Room  Decora- 
tions.   Class  Distinctions.  87 

CHAPTER  XII. 
Talk  at  Nashawtuc.    Fire  of  Candle  Wood.    Nantatucket.    Municipal 
management  at  Musketequid.   Division  of  Concord  into  "quarters-" 
Limits  and  Inhabitants.    Committee  on  Rules  regulating  Highways 
and  Bridges.    Location  of  Homesteads.    Early  Roads.  96 

CHAPTER  XIII. 
Sites  of  Ancient  Highways.    Their  Reminiscent  Character.    Vestiges 
of  Old  Homesteads.    Earth  Dents.    Traces  of  Old  "Tavern  Stand" 
Shoemaker's  Shop,  Laborer's  Cottage,  The  Dame  School.  104 


Contents  xi 

Page 

CHAPTER  XIV. 
The  Haunted  House.    Casting  of  the  Yarn  Ball.     The  "Witch  Call". 
Adventurous  Search  for  an  Apparition.     Explanations  Relative  to 
Houses  said  to  be  Haunted.  115 

CHAPTER  XV. 
Bridges.    Their  Associations.    Rules  for  the  Care  of  Concord  Bridges. 
The  Historic  "Old  North  Bridge".     Its  Environment.    Graves  of 
British     Soldiers.     The    South    Bridge.      Its    Sucessors.     Other 
Bridges.  123 

CHAPTER  XVI. 

A  Sunday  with  the  Settlers.  Walk  to  Church.  Description  of  the 
Meeting  House.  The  Service.  Colonial  Church  Edifices.  Quaint 
Accompaniments.  Early  Ecclesiastical  Objects,  Customs,  Influences. 
Their  Value.    Succession  of  Concord  Meeting  Houses.  130 

CHAPTER  XVII. 

Visit  to  the  Home  of  Goodman  George  Heywood.  Talk  with  Miller 
William  Buss.  Ramble  about  the  Mill  Pond.  Flint's  Pond.  His- 
tory of  the  Bulkeley  Grist  Mill.  Succession  of  Millers.  Stroll 
about  Concord  Center.    Description  of  the  Mili  Pond.  151 

CHAPTER  XVIII. 
Description    of   Village   at    Concord  Center  in  Early  Times.    Streets. 
House    Lots.     Robert     Meriam's    Store.    Street    Scene.    Tavern. 
Landlord  William  Buss.    Rules  and  Regulations    of  Ordinaries. 
Old  Time  Taverns  at  Concord.  163 

CHAPTER  XIX„ 

The  New  England  Village.  Its  Origin  and  Equipment.  The  Village 
Doctor.  His  Medicines  and  Charges.  Early  Physicians  of  Con- 
cord:  Read,  Prescott,  Minot,  Heywood.  The  Village  Magistrate. 
Condition  of  Colonial  Jurisprudence.  First  Lawyer  at  Concord. 
History  of  John  Hoar.  175 

CHAPTER  XX. 

Goodman  Baker's  Husking  Party.  Colonial  Corn  Fields.  Invitations. 
Culinary  Preparations.  Red  Ears.  Social  Sports.  Fireside  Talk 
ot  the  Old  Folks.  Sign  seen  by  Betsey  Billings.  Origin  of  New 
England  Witchcraft.  Recital  of  Strange  Event  by  Simeon  Slowgo. 
Story  of  Tilly  Temple.  The  Surprise.  Early  Judicial  Attitude 
toward  Witchcraft.    Efforts  of  the  Clergy  for  its  Abolition.  188 


xii  Contents 

Page 

CHAPTER  XXI. 

Return  to  the  East  Quarter.  Forest  Ride.  Game  Birds.  Goodwife 
Hartwell's  Kitchen.  Cooking  by  the  Fireplace.  Evening  Talk  of 
the  Farm  Folks.  Laws  Relative  to  Domestic  Animals.  Historic 
Sketch  of  Hartwell  Family.  Visit  at  Horn*  of  Constable  Thomas 
Brooks.  His  Official  Duties.  Rules  Relative  to  Colonial  Dress. 
Homestead  of  Goodman  William  Hunt.  Early  Military  Matters. 
History  of  the  Hunt  Family.  200 

CHAPTER  XXII. 

Visit  at  Goodman  William  Buttrick's.  His  History.  Situation  of  his 
House.  Reflections  upon  a  Prospective  Wedding.  Historic  Sketch 
of  Thomas  Brooks.  Curious  Laws  and  Customs  relative  to  Mar- 
riage. Bachelors,  Match  Making,  Widowers.  Wedding  Gifts. 
Attendance  on  "Lecture  day"  Service.  Its  Nature  and  Importance. 
Religious  Character  of  the  Colonists.  Care  of  the  Poor.  Visit  at 
the  Home  of  Goodman  Richard  Rice.  212 

CHAPTER  XXIII. 
A  Wedding  at  the  House  of  Goodman  John  Miles.  Description  of  Bride's 
and  Bridegroom's  Dress.  The  Marriage  Ceremony.  Throwing  the 
Garter.  Situation  of  the  Miles'  Homestead.  Historic  Sketch  of 
John  Miles.  Visit  at  the  home  of  Thomas  Flint  Esquire  ;  His 
Official  Duties.  As  Assistant.  As  Commissioner.  Early  Colonial 
Law  Books.  Primitive  Courts  and  Court  Practices.  Talk  Relative 
to  Servants.  222 

CHAPTER  XXIV. 
Funeral  at  the  House  of  a  Cottager.  Absence  ©f  Floral  Tributes  and 
Artificial  Adornments.  Sad  and  Simple  Services.  The  Burial.  The 
Procession  to  the  Grave.  Talk  with  the  "Saxton"  in  the  Burying 
Ground.  Early  Colonial  Funeral  Customs.  The  Bearers,  Mort 
Cloth,  Mourning  Gloves,  Scarfs  and  Rings.  Grave  Stones  and 
Epitaphs.  Start  for  the  Flint  Homestead.  Evening  Adventure  by 
the  Way.  The  Strange  Surprise.  A  Pleasant  Discovery.  Enter- 
tained by  Nantatucket  and  Tissansquaw.  233 

CHAPTER   XXV. 

Arrival  at  the  Flint  Farm.  Sunday  Morning  in  a  Home  of  Colonial  Con- 
cord. Start  for  Meeting.  Gathering  of  the  Worshipers.  Neigh- 
borly Inquiries.  The  Church  Service.  The  Sermon.  Singing. 
The  Noon  Intermission.  Catechistical  Exercise.  Afternoon  Service. 
Colonial  Church  Customs.  Sacred  Music.  Succession  of  Singing 
Books.    "Lining  off".    Triple    Time.      "Fuging."      Pitch    Pipes. 


Contents  xlii 

Page 

Introduction  of  Musical  Instruments.  Talk  with  Goodman  James 
Hosmer.  Conversation  Relating  to  the  Installation  of  Rev,  Peter 
Bulkeley.    Facts  of  History  Concerning  this  Subject.  245 

CHAPTER  XXVI. 
Visit  at  the  home  of  Goodman  James  Hosmer.  Reflections  upon  the 
Settler's  Fireplace.  Invitation  to  Humphrey  Barrett's  Log  Rolling. 
Situation  of  the  Hosmer  Farm.  Outline  of  Hosmer  History.  The 
Old  House  Site.  Scenes  at  the  Log  Rolling.  Early  Forestry.  Care 
of  Concord's  Poor.  Process  of  Clearing  New  Lands.  Facts  Rela- 
tive to  the  Barrett  Family.  25? 

CHAPTER  XXVII. 
Invitation  to  visit  the  "Blood  Farms."  Homestead  of  a  "Borderer"  or 
"Outdweller".  Pastoral  Visitation  with  Parson  Bulkeley  and  Dea- 
con Griffm.  Religious  Exercise  at  the  house  of  Goodman  Thomas 
Dakin.  Use  of  Ardent  Spirit.  Possible  Mistakes  about  Ministerial 
Drinking  Habits.  Social  Standing  of  the  Clergy.  Safeguards 
against  abusing  Clergymen.  Installation  Dinners.  Relation  of 
Pastor  to  his  Parish.  The  Dakin  Family.  Legend  of  Hidden  Treas- 
ure. 263 

CHAPTER  XXVIII. 
Early  Record  Relating  to  the  Concord  Plantation.    Permission  to  Pur- 
chase Territory.     Land  Sale.     Indian  Deed.     Depositions  Confirma- 
tory of    Title  to  the  Township.    Original  Boundary.    Additional 
Land  Grants.    Petitions  to  the  General  Court.  273 

CHAPTER  XXIX. 
Land  Allotments  and  Divisions.    Early  Records  Relating  to  Real  Estate. 
Public    Reservations.     Undivided    Territory.     Location    of    Land 
Tracts.    Amount   of  Acreage.    The  grant  of  Thirty-one  Acres   to 
Rev.  Peter  Bulkeley.  282 

CHAPTER    XXX 
Successive  Ownership  of  Land  Grants.    Historic  Sketch  of  the  Major 
Simon  WiHard  Farm  at  Nashawtuc.    Change  of  Occupants  of  Old 
Estates.  292 

CHAPTER  XXXI. 
Old  Houses.  The  Elisha  Jones  House.  The  Block  House.  Hunt 
House.  Abel  Hosmer  House.  Wheeler  House.  Joseph  Hosmer 
House.  Woods  House.  Buttrick  House.  Barrett  House.  Old 
Manse.  Wright  Tavern.  The  Colonial.  The  Meriam,  Tuttle, 
Fox,  Brown,  Heywood,  Beal,  Bull,  and  Alcott  Houses.    Ancient 


xiv  Contents 

Page 
House  Sites.    Site  of  tlie  Rev.  Peter  Bulkeley  Parsonage.     Site  of 
the  Major  Simon  Willard  House.     Deserted  Districts  and  their  Sug- 
gestiveness.  300 

CHAPTER  XXXII. 
Development  of  the  Settlement.  Indications  of  Progress.  Various 
Hindrances.  Discouraging  Report.  Unsatisfactory  Condition  of 
the  River  Meadows.  Measures  taken  for  a  Betterment  of  the 
Meadows.  Unproductive  Uplands.  Emigration  to  Connecticut. 
The  Town's  Recuperative  Energy.    Condition  in  1654.  316 

CHAPTER    XXXIII. 
Death  of  Mr.  Thomas  Flint  and  the  Rev.  Peter  Bulkeley.    Departure 
from  Concord  of  Major  Simon  Willard.    Walcott's  description  of 
the  Nature  and  Value  of  Major  Willard's  Public  Services.    Biograph- 
ical Sketches  of  Thomas  Flint  Esquire  and  the  Rev.  Peter  Bulkeley.    321 

CHAPTER  XXXIV. 

Settlement  of  Rev-  Edward  Bulkeley.  Rev.  Joseph  Estabrook  called  as 
Colleague  Pastor.  Measures  taken  for  their  Maintenance.  Bio- 
graphical Sketches  of  Rev.  Edward  Bulkeley.  Peter  Bulkeley 
Esquire.  Acquisition  of  New  Territory.  Stow,  Littleton,  Carlisle 
and  Acton.     Iron  Industry.  342 

XXXV. 

King  Philip's  War.  Activity  Preparatory  to  its  Coming.  The  Part 
taken  in  the  Conflict  by  Concord.  Its  Cause.  The  Havoc.  Con- 
dition of  the  Counry  at  the  Outbreak  of  Hostilities.  The  State  of 
Society.  The  Town's  Means  of  Defense.  Its  Militia,  Its  Garrison 
Houses.  The  Foot  Company.  The  Troop  of  Horse.  Means  Pro- 
vided for  the  Relief  of  Refugees.    Miscellaneous  Military  Matters.      542 

CHAPTER  XXXVI. 
Authentic  Account  of  the  Hutchinson  Expedition  to  Brookfield  by  Cap- 
tain   Thomas     Wheeler.    The     Ambuscade.    The    Attack.    The 
Escape.    The  Siege  of  the  Garrison  House.    Ephraim  Curtis  the 
Sudbury  Scout.    The  Rescue  by  Major  Simon  Willard.  354 

CHAPTER  XXXVII. 
Devout  Nature  of  the  "Narrative"  by  Captain  Thomas  Wheeler. 
Religious  Character  of  the  Colonial  Soldiers.  Instances  of  Alleged 
Divine  Interpretation.  Original  Title  of  the  Wheeler  Document. 
Pacific  Object  of  the  Hutchinson  Expedition.  Preparatory  Work 
by  the  Sudbury  Scout.  Salutary  Effect  of  the  Disaster.  Biograph- 
ical Sketches  of  Captain  Thomas  Wheeler,  Simon  Davis,  and 
Ephraim  Curtis.  Names  of  Soldiers  Credited  for  Services  about 
Brookfield.  364 


Contents  xv 

Page 
CHAPTER  XXXVIII. 
Removal  of  the  Christian  Indians  from  Nashoba  to  Concord.  Indian 
Mission  Work.  The  Establishment  of  Christian  or  Praying  Indians 
in  Villages  or  Towns.  The  Character  and  Conduct  of  the  Chris- 
tian Indians.  Their  Fidelity  and  Service  to  the  English.  Rules  for 
their  Restraint.  Humane  Act  of  John  Hoar.  Circumstances  Ex- 
planatory of  Harsh  Treatment  of  the  Christian  Indians  by  the  Col- 
onial Communities.  Historic  Sketch  of  Indian  Mission  Work  at 
Nashoba  by  Herbert  Joseph  Harwood  of  Littleton.  Disposition  of 
the  Nashoba  Territory.  377 

CHAPTER   XXXIX. 

The  Narragansett  Campaign.  Its  Object  and  Nature.  Names  of  Con- 
cord Soldiers.  Company  in  which  th.ey  Served.  The  Officers. 
Return  of  Order  of  Concord  Committee  of  Militia.  Object  of  the 
Expedition.  The  Swamp  Fort.  The  Wintry  March  from  Dedham 
Plain.  The  Fight.  Description  by  Rev.  G.  M.  Bodge.  Casualties 
to  the  Concord  Soldiers.  Burial  of  the  Dead.  The  Return  March. 
Comments  on  Criticism  of  Conduct  of  the  Campaign.  Account 
of  Petitions  for  Land  Grants.  Concord  Names  in  List  of  Land 
Claimants.  The  "Long"  or  "Hungry  "March.  Authentic  Account 
of  the  Swamp  Fight  by  Capt.  James  Oliver.  393 

CHAPTER  XL. 
The  Advance  of  the  English  to  the  Nipmuck  Country.  Movement  of 
Canonchet.  Indian  Depredations  in  the  Spring  of  1675-6.  Their 
Descent  upon  Concord  Villiage.  Isaac  and  Jacob  Shepard  slain. 
Mary  Shepard  made  Captive.  Place  of  the  Tragedy.  Description 
of  the  Event.  The  Escape  of  Mary  Shepard.  The  Removal  of  the 
Nashoba  Indians  from  Concord.  Sketch  of  Capt.  Samuel  Mosely. 
His  Antecedents.    Character  of  His  Soldiers.  409 

CHAPTER  XLI. 
Movements  of  the  Indians  after  the  Narragansett  Campaign.  Expedi- 
tion into  the  Nipmuck  Country.  Dismissal  of  Soldiers  from  Gar- 
rison Houses.  The  Disastrous  Results.  Advance  of  the  Indians  to 
the  Eastward.  The  Alarm.  The  Starting  of  Relief  Companies. 
Soldiers  from  Boston,  Watertown  and  Concord.  Capt.  Samuel 
Wadsworth's  Command.  His  Arrival  at  Marlborough.  The 
Return  to  Sudbury.  The  Ambuscade.  The  Wadsworth  Fight  at 
Green  Hill.  The  Forest  Fire.  The  Rout.  Escape  to  the  Mill  at 
Hop  Brook.  Burial  of  the  Slain.  The  Woodland  Grave.  Siege  of 
the  Haynes  House.  Attempted  Rescue  by  the  Concord  Men.  Am- 
buscade of  the  Concord  Soldiers.    The  Route  Tal:en  to  Sudbury.       417 


xvi  Contents 

Page 
CHAPTER   XLll. 
The  Attack   Upon   Lancaster.     Capture  of    Mrs.   Mary    Rowlandson. 
Efforts  for   HA"  Release.     Heroic  Services  of  Thomas   Doublet  or 
Nepanet.     Humane  Work  of  John    Hoar,   Esq.     The  Process  of 
Ransom.     Extracts  from  the  Book  of  Removes.     Rowlandson  Rock.  438 

CHAPTER  XLIII. 

List  of  Names  of  Concord  Soldiers  in  King  Philip's  War.  Miscellaneous 
Services  of  the  Town.  Incidental  Hardships.  The  Loss  of  Men. 
Biographical  Sketches  of  the  Killed  and  Wounded.  452 

CHAPTER   XLIV. 
Historical  Sketches  of  Major  Simon   Willard,   Lieut.  Edward   Oakes, 
Lieut.  Simon  Davis,  Capt.  Thomas  Brattle.  463 

CHAPTER  XLV. 
Changed  Condition  of  the  Colony  at  the  Close  of  King  Philip's  War 
Process  of  Recuperation.  Erection  of  a  New  Meeting  House. 
Evangelical  Character  of  the  Concord  Church.  Progress  in 
Educational  Affairs.  Early  Circulating  Library.  Donation  of 
Land  by  Capt.  Timothy  Wheeler.  Real  Estate  Transactions. 
Adjustment  of  Riparian  Rights  of  the  Bulkeley  Mill  Privilege. 
Settlement  of  the  Controversy  Concerning  the  Blood  Farms.  His- 
torical Sketch  of  the  Blood  Family-  Indian  Deeds  in  Confirmation 
of   Old  Titles.  475 


LISr  OF  ILLUSTRjriONS. 


THE  MINUTE  MAN 

The  Battle  Monument 

The  Battle  Ground 

The  Virginia  Road 

Old  Map 

Fireplace  in  the  Meriam  House  Kitchen 

Graves  of  British  Soldiers 

The  Old  Manse 

South  Bridge 

Residence  of  Frank  B.  Sanborn 

Emerson's  Grave 

Hawthorne's  Grave 

The  Public  Library 

Main  Street,  Opposite  Public  Library 

The  Old  Burying  Ground 

The  Concord  River,  From  Nashawtuc  Hill 

Egg  Rock 

Tablet  Marking  The  Site  of  The  Peter  Bulkley  Parsonage 

Tablet  Marking  Site  of  Concord's  First  Town  House 

Meriam' s  Corner 

Ralph  Waldo  Emerson,  portrait 

The  Home  of  Ralph  Waldo  Emerson 

The  Library  of  Ralph  Waldo  Emerson 

Tablet  of  First  Parish  Meeting  House 

Centennial  North  Bridge 

The  Old  Malboro  Road 

Birthplace  of  Henry  D.  Thorcau 

The  North  Bridge 

First  Parish  Meeting  House,  171  2 

Doolittle  Picture  of  Concord  Fight 

Residence  of  Mr.  Woodward  Hudson 

Henry  D.  Thoreau,  portrait 

The  Thoreau  House 


Frontispiece 


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xvii 


Illustrations 


XVlll 


Home  of  Henry  D.  Thoreau  at  Walden  Pond 

Thoreau's  Cove  at  Walden  Pond 

Grave  of  Henry  D.  Thoreau 

The  Grave  of  John  Jack 

Nathaniel  Hawthorne,  portrait 

The  Wayside,  Home  of  Nathaniel  Hawthorne 

Frank  B.  Sanborn,  portrait 

First  Parish  Meeting  House 

Provincial  Store  House 

The  Antiquarian  House 

The  Elisha  Jones  House 

A.  Bronzon  Alcott,  portrait 

Louisa  May  Alcott,  portrait 

Hillside  Chapel 

Grave  of  Louisa  Alcott 

The  Orchard  House,  Home  of  the  Alcott  Family 

The  Block  House 

The  Old  Barrett  House 

Main  Street  Burying  Ground 

Doolittle  Picture,  A  View  of  the  Town  of  Concord  1775 

The  Wright  Tavern 

Old  Middlesex  Hotel 

Concord  High  School 

Tablet,  Egg  Rock 

Tablet  on  Battle  Lawn 

Concord  High  School,  1865 

The  Old  North  Primary  School  House 

Site  of  Willard  House 

Concord  Square,  1903 

Concord  Square,  i  840 


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301 

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409 

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453 

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475 

475 


PAR  T   I 


The  South  part  of  New-England,  as  it  is 
Planted  this  y eare,  1 6  g4. 


"R 


y 


STORY 


O  F    THE 


SETTLEMENT 


OF 


CONCORD,    MASS. 


I635-I654 


THE 

NEW  YORK 

PUBLIC  LIBRARY 


COLONIAL   CONCORD 


CHAPTER  I. 

A  traveler  s  visit  to  an  early  homestead  at  Concord^ 
Massachusetts  —  Scene  at  a  Settler  s  fireside  —  Com- 
pany expected — Strange  sounds  and  sights  talked 
about —  'Town  Meeting  topics  discussed —  Descrip- 
tion of  Concord  in  the  present  —  Objects  of  Historic 
Interest  —  The  North  Bridge  —  Houses  of  the 
Revolutionary  Period  —  The  Wright  Tavern  — 
First  Parish  Meeting  House  —  The  Antiquarian 
House  —  Meriam  s  Corner. 

THE  fire  flickered  and  the  sparks  flew  up  the  broad 
chimney,  as  a  traveler  sat  on  a  fall  evening  before 
the  half  burnt  backlog,  in   Goodman   Hartwell's 
snug    farm-house    in     Concord    town    about    two 
centuries  and  a  half  ago. 

It  was  evident  from  the  appearance  of  things  that  com- 
pany was  expected,  for  besides  the  usual  oaken  settle  and 
chairs  there  were  standing  about  sundry  stools  and  a  long, 
low  bench.  Presently  a  sound  was  heard  at  the  door  as  if 
some  one  were  fumbling  for  the  latchstring,  and  as  it 
opened  several  neighbors  entered  and  also  Goodmen  But- 
trick  and  Heald  from  the  North  quarter  and  Miles  and 
Dakin  from  the  South.  A  little  later,  Parson  Peter  Bulke- 
ley  arrived  with  the  Gobble  boys  who  had  come  from  dov/n 
by  the  river  bay  in  an  oxcart,  and  having  overtaken  the 
minister  had  brought  him  along. 

While  waiting  for  others  to  come,  various  subjects  were 
talked  about,  among  which  were  some  strange  noises  which 


2  Colonial 

Goody  Dean  said  she  "heerd  near  the  buryin  ground." 
Some  said  they  were  made  by  an  earthqviake,  others  sug- 
gested a  landslide,  but  these  explanations  did  not  satisfy 
Duty,  who  declared  that  "the  sounds  ware  above  the  airth, 
not  under  it  nor  inside  it.  Besides,"  said  she,  "the  milk  has 
soured  twice  sence  I  heerd  them  so  I  think  the  cows  heerd 
them  too  fur  they  feed  there." 

The  matter  being  referred  to  the  minister  he  said,  after 
a  moment's  reflection,  "Such  things  being  unusual  contain 
a  lesson  and  should  lead  us  to  be  circumspect  and  careful  in 
our  conduct."  He  was  about  to  say  more,  but  was  inter- 
rupted by  a  faint  rap  at  the  back  door  which  was  at  the  end 
of  a  low  entry  under  the  lean-to  roof. 

Goodman  Hartwell  snatched  from  the  mantlepiece  a 
save-all  on  which  a  short  candle  stub  sputtered,  and  going 
out  soon  returned  with  Goody  Rice  who  had  come  across 
lots  for  an  evening  call.  The  newcomer  created  a  fresh 
breeze  of  excitement  for  she  confirmed  what  Duty  had  said 
of  the  queer  noises,  and  also  told  about  a  strange  creature 
which  had  several  times  been  seen  near  the  "great  mead- 
ows," sometimes  looking  like  a  man  and  sometimes  like  a 
goat,  but  always  vanishing  when  approached. 

It  was  at  once  agreed  that  since  the  strange  sight  and 
sounds  were  at  about  the  same  time  they  might  have  the 
same  cause,  and  as  the  matter  was  a  serious  one  it  was  thought 
wise  before  considering  it  further  to  wait  till  others  came  in, 
"For,"  said  Ensign  Hosmer  who  had  just  entered,  "there's 
some  up  our  way  who've  heerd  things,  and  I  consait  seen 
things  too,  and  perhaps  the  creature  is  the  'specter  wolf 
folks  have  talked  of." 

The  further  time  of  waiting  was  mostly  occupied  in  talk- 
ing over  the  condition  of  Dame  Smeadley,  who,  Goodman 
Farwell  who  had  just  visited  her  said,  was  "low  and  languish- 
ing and  much  in  need  of  the  physic  and  paynes  of  the 
chirugeon." 

When  a  sufficient  number  had  come  in  to  begin  busi- 
ness all  other  subjects  were  soon  dropped  and  the  business 


Concord  3 

of  the  evening  was  entered  upon,  which  consisted  of  an 
informal  talk  about  things  that  were  to  be  considered  at  a 
coming  town  meeting,  among  which  were  matters  connected 
with  the  cow  commons,  "the  seating  of  the  meeting  house," 
and  the  making  of  some  new  rules  relative  to  strangers,  it 
having  been  noised  about  that  one  or  two  of  these  might 
become  the  town  charge. 

As  each  new  comer  entered  he  was  introduced  to  the 
traveller,  and  when  it  was  understood  that  he  had  journeyed 
all  the  way  from  Watertown  to  observe  the  customs,  man- 
ners, and  ways  of  doing  things  of  the  people  at  the  Mus- 
kctcquid  plantation,  great  interest  was  at  once  taken  in  him 
and  a  disposition  was  manifested  to  aid  him  in  every  way 
possible. 

Among  other  marks  of  cordiality  was  the  promptness 
with  which  they  invited  him  to  their  "housen,"  offering  the 
freedom  and  hospitality  of  their  firesides  and  promising  if 
he  would  set  a  time  they  woul  :•  come  for  him. 

The  traveller  appeared  pleased,  and  afterwards  in  accept- 
ing their  invitations,  sat  at  many  hearthstones  listening  to 
the  sparks  and  gathering  much  of  colonial  lore  and  pioneer 
experience  of  the  settlers  of  Concord. 

Before  narrating,  however,  what  he  heard  and  saw,  we 
will  speak  of  Concord  as  it  is,  and  briefly  outline  its  earlier 
history. 

Concord,  Massachusetts,  is  in  Middlesex  County  about 
twenty  miles  from  Boston.  It  has  a  territorial  area  of 
about  fifteen  miles  and  a  population  of  between  five  and 
six  thousand.  It  is  intersected  from  north  to  south  by  the 
New  York,  New  Haven  and  Hartford  railroad  and  from 
cast  to  west  by  the  Fitchburg  division  of  the  Boston  and 
Maine.  The  Lexington  branch  of  the  latter  road  enters  the 
town  from  the  east,  terminating  at  Concord  Junction  near 
the  Massachusetts  Reformatory.  The  trolley  cars,  also 
have  found  their  way  here,  and  rumble  over  the  old  roads 
and  past  ancient  homesteads ;  and  where  once  the  farm  boy 
drove  his  herd  afield  amid    the  quietness  of  nature,  may 


4  Colonial 

now  be  seen  strange  vehicles,  whose  whizzing  and  whirring 
show  plainly  that  Concord  is  not  exempt  from  modern 
progress. 

The  Center  or  central  village  of  Concord  has  a  popula- 
tion of  from  two  to  three  thousand  and  contains  approxi- 
mately five  hundred  private  residences.  It  has  no  stores 
or  shops  beyond  what  are  locally  required ;  and  more  or 
less  of  its  inhabitants  are  those  who  in  retirement  have 
sought  here  a  restful  retreat,  or  who,  while  doing  busi- 
ness elsewhere,  have  made  this  their  home. 

About  midway  of  the  central  village  is  a  small  common 
or  public  square.  In  this  square  is  a  monument  commemo- 
rative of  the  town's  soldiers  and  sailors  who  died  in  the 
civil  war. 

Near  the  corner  of  the  Common  to  the  easterly  where 
the  road  turns  towards  the  Battle  Ground  is  the  old 
County  Court  House  where  the  District  Court  for  central 
Middlesex  holds  its  sessions. 

Southerly  of  the  Court  House  is  the  Town  House  and 
on  the  opposite  side  to  the  westward  is  the  old  Registry 
of  Deeds  building  used  for  county  purposes  when  Con- 
cord was  a  shire  town. 

To  the  northerly  of  the  square  is  "The  Colonial,"  a 
building  associated  with  the  Revolutionary  war  and  the 
family  of  Henry  Thoreau. 

The  places  of  interest  in  Concord  are  both  historic  and 
classic.  Foremost  among  the  former  is  the  site  of  the  old 
North  Bridge  about  a  half  mile  from  the  public  square.  By 
this  spot  several  Provincial  and  British  soldiers  were  killed 
April  19,  1775.  The  slain  Americans  were  Capt.  Isaac 
Davis  and  Abner  Hosmer  of  the  Acton  Minute  Men  and 
the  Statue  of  the  Minute  Man  designed  by  Daniel  C. 
French  a  Concord  sculptor  marks  the  spot  on  or  near  where 
they  fell. 

The  English  soldiers  slain  were  two  in  number.  They 
were  under  the  immediate  command  of  Lieut.  Edward 
Thornton  Gould  and  were  of  a  detachment  of  three  com- 
panies under  the  command  of  Capt.  Lawrie. 


Concord  5 

The  spot  where  these  soldiers  fell  and  the  British  stood 
when  they  began  firing  upon  the  Provincials  just  over  the 
river  is  designated  by  a  stone  monument  erected  by  the 
town  in  1836.  Near  this  monument  by  the  sidewalk  pro- 
tected in  part  by  a  stonewall  and  in  part  by  a  simple  chain 
fence  are  the  graves  of  the  two  fallen  Britons. 

The  locality  of  these  monuments  is  called  the  "Battle 
Ground."  The  original  historic  bridge  was  long  since  swept 
away  by  a  river  flood,  and  the  present  one  was  erected 
for  a  memorial  purpose. 

A  short  distance  from  the  lane  leading  to  the  bridge  on 
the  roa.i  toward  Concord  centre  is  the  old  Jones  house 
built  in  1654,  now  the  residence  of  John  S.  Keyes,  Justice 
of  the  Central  Middlesex  District  Court.  In  this  house 
there  lived  at  the  time  of  the  Concord  fight  Elisha  Jones, 
an  ardent  patriot  whose  zeal  was  so  demonstrative  on  the 
retreat  of  the  British  that  his  house  was  made  a  target  of, 
and  the  accuracy  of  the  Englishman's  aim  may  still  be  seen 
by  a  bullet  mark  in  the  east  end. 

About  a  mile  from  the  North  Bridge  stands  the  old 
Barrett  house,  the  home  in  the  Revolutionary  period  of 
Col.  James  Barrett  who  commanded  a  regiment  of  Middle- 
sex militia. 

To  this  place  a  detachment  of  Regulars  were  sent  under 
Capt.  Lawrence  Parsons  by  Lieut.-Col.  Smith,  who  with 
the  main  body  of  English  soldiers  were  stationed  at  the 
central  village.  In  the  door  yard  of  this  house  the  Britons 
burned  a  parcel  of  Provincial  cannon  carriages  and  endeav- 
ored to  discover  and  destroy  other  public  property. 

Various  incidents  are  told  of  the  doings  of  the  Red 
Coats  during  their  short  stay  about  the  house,  and  of  the 
Provincials  who  sought  to  foil  them.  It  is  said  of  the 
aged  mother  of  the  Colonel  that  she  would  not  seek  for 
herself  a  place  of  safety  when  told  that  the  British  were 
coming,  but  prefered  to  remain  saying,  "I  can't  live  long  any 


6  Colonial 

way  and  I'd  rather  stay  and  see  that  they  don't  burn  down 
the  house  and  barn." 

As  a  soldier  seized  a  trunk  containing  some  pewter  plates 
she  pluckily  exclaimed,  "That  is  private  property,"  upon 
which  it  was  let  alone.  She  also  expostulated  with  a  Brit- 
ish officer  who  had  laid  hold  of  Stephen,  her  grandson, 
causing  his  release.  When  the  hungry  Britons  asked  for 
food  she  gave  it  saying,  "We  are  commanded  in  the  Bible 
to  feed  our  enemies,"  and  when  offered  money  she  said  as 
she  refused  it,  ''It  is  the  price  of  blood."  In  a  field  near 
the  premises  the  provincials  had  concealed  some  muskets, 
and  bullets  were  so  disposed  of  in  the  house  as  to  remain 
undiscovered,  so  that,  all  in  all,  Captain  Parsons  with  his 
two  companies  of  Regulars  found  but  small  compensation 
for  his  venturesome  march.  The  Old  Barrett  house  is 
about  two  miles  north  of  Concord  Center  and  is  reached 
by  the  Lowell  Road  and  the  Barrett's  Mill   Road. 

Near  the  Common  or  Public  Square,  and  bearing  a  sign 
designating  its  historic  importance  is  the  "Wright  Tavern" 
where  it  is  asserted  some  of  the  English  officers  made  their 
headquarters  during  their  few  hours  sojourn  in  the  town  on 
April  19.  Here,  tradition  says,  Maj.  John  Pitcairn  who 
commanded  the  British  marines  stirred  his  sugar  and 
brandy  saying  as  he  did  so,  "In  this  way  we  will  stir  the 
blood  of  Yankees  before  night."  This  place  was  also 
the  headquarters,  or  place  of  rendezvous,  of  the  Concord 
Minute  Men  while  awaiting  on  the  morning  of  April  19, 
tidings  of  the  advance  of  the  English,  and  to  this  tavern 
Captain  Smith  and  his  company  from  Lincoln  repaired  and 
reported  ;  so  that  it  was  within  the  course  of  a  few  hours 
the  head  centre  of  two  hostile  forces  who  were  to  clash  in 
battle  on  that  fateful  day.  This  tavern  is  very  old.  It  was 
opened  about  1747,  by  a  militia  captain  named  Ephraim 
Jones.  In  1751,  Jones  sold  the  premises  to  Thomas 
Munroe  formerly  of  Lexington,  who  continued  the  tavern 
business,  and  made  the  place,  as  Jones  had  done  before  him, 
a    resort    for  the   town   officials  on  their  days    of    public 


Concord  "j 

business,  furnishing  them  with  such  refreshments  as  were 
demanded  by  the  times  and  the  special  occasions. 

About  1760,  it  came  into  the  possession  of  Deacon 
Thomas  Barrett,  by  a  mortgage  and  was  sold  by  him  to 
Daniel  Taylor.  In  1775,  Amos  Wright  became  its 
proprietor,  and  although  he  kept  an  Inn  there  but  a  short 
period,  it  was  long  enough  to  give  it  a  lasting  name,  for 
it  has  been  known  as  the  Wright  Tavern  ever  since,  not- 
withstanding it  was  sold  in  1793,  to  Capt.  Reuben  Brown 
formerly  of  Sudbury. 

Near  the  Wright  Tavern  on  the  south  is  the  First  Parish 
or  Unitarian  Meeting  House,  which  stands  on  the  site  of 
one  erected  in  1712,  where  in  1774,  the  first  Provincial 
Congress  met,  with  John  Hancock  as  President.  The 
immediate  predecessor  of  the  present  edifice  after  having 
been  repeatedly  remodeled  was  destroyed  by  fire  April  12, 
1900. 

A  few  rods  to  the  southerly,  on  the  left  going  toward 
Lexington  is  the  Antiquarian  House,  said  to  be  one  of  the 
oldest  buildings  in  Concord  and  formerly  the  home  of 
Reuben  Brown,  a  saddler.  Here  is  now  kept  a  collection 
of  relics  among  which  is  the  sword  of  Col.  James  Bar- 
rett, a  gun  of  one  of  the  English  soldiers  who  fell  at  the 
North   Bridge  and  a  tobacco   box  of   Maj.  John   Buttrick. 

About  a  mile  below  the  Antiquarian  House  on  the 
Lexington  road  which  was  traveled  by  the  English  soldiers 
both  in  their  advance  and  their  retreat  on  April  19,  is  Mer- 
iam's  Corner.  Here  was  the  first  skirmish  after  the  firing 
at  the  North  Bridge,  and  the  beginning  of  disaster  to  the 
retreating  English,  they  having  been  attacked  at  this  point 
by  the  Provincials  who  had  crossed  from  the  North  Bridge 
over  the  "Great  Fields"  back  of  the  Burying  Ground,  and 
also  by  companies  from  Reading,  Chelmsford  and  Billerica. 

A  tablet  suitably  inscribed  marks  the  spot  of  this  mem- 
orable skirmish,  and  hard  by,  set  back  from  the  highway 
with  its  side  upon  the  road  to  Bedford  is  the  square  anti- 
quated   dwelling    house  early  occupied    by  the    Meriams. 


8  Colonial 

On  one  of  its  doors  is  the  mark  of  a  bullet  received  April 
19th;  and  the  brick  oven  and  high  mantle  cupboard  and 
corner  beaufet  are  all  indicative  of  the  days  of  tallow 
candles  and  pewter  plates. 

On  the  east  side  of  what  is  now  Walden  street  at  a  place 
near  the  Congregational  Trinitarian  meeting  house  there 
stood  on  April  19,  1775,  a  store  house  in  which  some 
Provincial  stores  had  been  deposited  by  the  Committee  of 
Safety.  These  stores  were  saved  from  destruction  by  the 
English  searching  squad,  by  a  ruse  of  the  miller  who  had 
them  in  charge,  who,  placing  his  hands  upon  barrels  of  his 
own  flour,  said,  "This  is  my  flour.  In  the  winter  I  grind 
my  grain  and  in  the  spring  I  carry  it  to  market." 

The  soldiers  believing  by  this  remark  concerning  his 
own  flour  that  all  the  flour  deposited  there  belonged  to  the 
miller  departed  saying,  "We  do  not  destroy  private  pro- 
perty." 


\^^^A^ 


CHAPTER  II. 

Places  of  Classic  Interest — The  '■'■Old  Manse"  — 
Home  of  Ralph  Waldo  Emerson — The  ^'Orchard 
House''  —  The  '■'Wayside''  —  Walden  Pond —  Tho- 
reau's  House  —  T'he  Home  of  Frank  B.  Sanborn  — 
Old  Burying  Grounds  —  Sleepy  Hollow  —  Natural 
Objects. 

THE  places  of  classic  interest  in  Concord  are  many 
and  rare,  for  associated  with  its  history  both 
ancient  and  modern  are  men  and  women  of  world 
renown.  Authors,  poets,  philosophers  and  jurists 
have  contributed  to  the  town's  literary  fame.  The  homes 
they  once  lived  in  are  visited  as  shrines  ;  and  the  paths 
once  trodden  by  them  are  annually  pressed  by  the  foot- 
steps of  many  who  seek  new  inspiration  by  visiting  the 
locaHties  where  these  great  men  lived. 

Probably  the  place  of  greatest  interest  is  the  "Old 
Manse."  It  is  on  the  way  to  the  "Battle  Ground"  and  from 
its  windows  Rev.  William  Emerson  witnessed  the  Concord 
Fight.  Beneath  its  gray  gables  have  lived  a  succession  of 
the  town's  ministers  ;  but  what  above  every  thing  else  makes 
it  distinguished  is  that  it  was  for  a  time  the  home  of  Ralph 
Waldo  Emerson  and  Nathaniel  Hawthorne.  Here  the 
former  wrote  parts  of  his  "Nature"  and  the  latter  "Mosses 
from  an  old  Manse."  It  is  about  a  half  mile  from  Con- 
cord village  standing  back  from  the  road  amid  a  profu- 
sion of  trees  and  shubbery  and  has  an  air  of  antiquity  and 
colonial  comfort:  The  house  was  built  for  Rev.  William 
Emerson  in   1765. 

The  field  between  the  "Old  Manse"  and  the  "Battle 
Ground"  is  supposed,  on  account  of  the  many  relics  found 
there,  to  be  the  site  of  an  Indian  village. 

9 


1  o  Colonial 

Probably  the  object  next  in  interest  to  the  public  is  the 
house  of  Ralph  Waldo  Emerson.  This  like  the  birth- 
place of  the  bard  of  Avon  is  a  place  very  dear  to  tourists. 
It  is  situated  on  the  highway  to  Lexington  and  is  easily 
distinguished  by  a  cluster  of  pine  trees  which  environ  it. 
The  house  is  of  the  colonial  style  of  architecture,  and  of 
such  pleasing  proportions  that  it  would  be  attractive  to  the 
passerby  even  were  it  not  the  home  of  the  great  essayist. 
It  is  now  occupied  by  Miss  Ellen  Emerson,  a  daughter, 
and  remains  largely  in  its  general  outlook  as  when  left  by 
its  former  illustrious  occupant. 

The  study  which  was  on  the  first  floor  in  one  of  the 
front  rooms  remains  as  when  the  great  philosopher  was 
alive,  and  the  walks,  the  garden  nooks,  the  home  trees  and 
such  other  objects  as  time,  if  let  alone  by  man,  leaves  for 
years  unchanged,  are  here  much  as  in  days  of  yore  when 
Channing,  Alcott,  Hawthorne  and  Thoreau  strolled  among 
them. 

Seldom,  perhaps,  in  our  land  or  in  any  land  has  a  home 
been  visited  by  more  distinguished  guests.  From  near  and 
from  far,  from  countries  beyond  the  seas  men  have  come  to 
this  spot  and  gone  away  bearing  with  them  as  an  ample 
compensation  the  thought  that  they  had  visited  the  home 
of  Emerson,  walked  in  his  footsteps,  sat  amid  his  trees 
and  vines  and  heard  the  singing  of  birds  and  the  hum- 
ming of  bees  as  he  had  heard  them. 

A  quarter  of  a  mile  or  more  to  the  east  on  the  left  of 
the  road  is  the  "Orchard  House".  Here  Bronson  Alcott 
and  his  famous  family  lived  ;  and  here  Louisa  Alcott  found 
material  for  "Little  Women"  and  "Little  Men"  and  several 
other  of  her  notable  books.  In  this  house,  Mr.  Alcott 
founded  the  Concord  School  of  Philosophy  which  was 
afterwards  carried  on  in  the  small  building  at  the  rear. 

Beyond  the  "Orchard  House"  is  the  "Wayside,"  another 
home  of  the  Alcotts.  It  was  sold  by  them  in  1852  to 
Nathaniel  Hawthorne  who  lived  in  it  till  his  death,  thus 
giving  it  double  renown.     The  "tower  room"  at  the  rear 


Concord  1 1 

was  Hawthorne's  study,  and  there  he  wrote  "Tanglewood 
Tales"  and  "Our  Old  Home". 

It  is  stated  that  the  larches  between  the  "Orchard 
House"  and  the  "Wayside"  were  brought  by  Mr.  Haw- 
thorne from  England.  The  place  is  now  the  residence  of 
Mrs.  Daniel  Lothrop,  who  as  Margaret  Sidney  wrote 
"Little  Maid  of  Concord  Town"  and  other  books. 

To  the  south  of  Concord  center,  distant  a  mile  and  a 
half  over  the  fields  and  meadows  toward  the  town  of  Lin- 
coln is  Walden  Pond,  made  famous  by  the  author,  poet, 
and  naturalist,  Henry  Thoreau.  The  pond  is  about  a 
mile  long  and  three  miles  in  circumference.  It  is  almost 
entirely  surrounded  by  woods  and  has  no  visible  inlet  or 
outlet.  Its  waters  are  said  to  rise  and  fall  but  through 
what  cause  no  one  knows,  for  it  is  sometimes  higher  in  dry 
than  in  wet  seasons.  Upon  the  northerly  side  of  this  pond 
Thoreau  built  a  house  which  served  him  for  a  home  for 
two  years  and  two  months.  He  moved  into  it  in  1845, 
and  it  cost  him,  apart  from  the  frame  work,  twenty-eight 
dollars  and  twelve  and  one  half  cents.  The  boarding  was 
of  material  obtained  from  the  house  of  a  laborer.  The 
frame  was  of  timber  cut  and  hewn  by  himself  with  a  bor- 
rowed axe. 

The  building  which  was  ten  feet  wide  and  fifteen  feet 
long  stood  upon  slightly  rising  ground  about  twenty  rods 
from  a  small  cove.  It  had  a  garret,  a  closet,  a  large  win- 
dow on  each  side,  a  door  at  the  end  and  a  brick  fireplace. 

The  land  upon  which  it  was  situated  was  owned  by 
Ralph  Waldo  Emerson  who  charged  his  tenant  no  rent. 
The  site  of  the  house  is  marked  by  a  simple  cairn  made  of 
stones  placed  there  by  tourists. 

Not  far  from  Thoreau's  house  was  his  bean  field,  where 
he  raised  one  year  "nine  bushels  and  twelve  quarts  of 
beans"  which  he  says  he  sold  at  a  "pecuniary  profit  of 
eight  dollars  seventy-one  and  one  half  cents." 

As  is  the  case  with  many  forest  lakes,  Walden  has  its 
legend  and  as  usual  it  relates  to  the  Indians,  who,  as  the 


1 2  Colonial 


story  runs  had  displeased  the  Great  Spirit  by  their  profan- 
ity at  a  powwow,  whereupon  in  place  of  a  pleasant  hill  came 
a  pond  which  took  its  name  Walden  from  an  old  squaw 
who  was  the  only  survivor. 

About  this  pond  there  lived  several  emancipated  slaves 
left  over  from  that  period  of  New  England  history  when 
the  rum  habit  and  human  servitude  were  not  considered 
inconsistent  with  a  high  standard  of  morality.  Of  these 
Thorcau  mentioned  Cato  Ingraham  who  lived  east  of  his 
"bean  field,  slave  of  Duncan  Ingraham,  Esq.,  Gentleman 
of  Concord  village ;  "  and  Zilpha,  a  colored  woman  who 
had  a  little  house  "where  she  spun  linen  for  the  towns-folk, 
making  the  Walden  woods  ring  with  her  shrill  singing." 

He  also  states,  that  on  Brister's  Hill  down  the  road  on 
the  right  lived  Brister  Freeman  a  "handy  negro"  slave  of 
Squire  Cummings  and  "Fenda  his  hospitable  wife  who  told 
fortunes." 

Other  habitants  of  the  pond  precinct  mentioned  in  Tho- 
rcau's  writings  are  one  Breed  whose  hut  he  says  was  about 
the  size  of  his  own  ;  and  an  Irishman,  Hugh  Quoil,  whom 
rumor  said  had  been  a  soldier  at  Waterloo,  "Napoleon"  as 
the  writer  continues,  "going  to  St.  Helena  and  Quoil  to 
Walden  woods." 

Apart  from  its  association  with  Henry  Thoreau,  Wal- 
den pond  has  attractions  peculiarly  its  own.  The  waters 
are  at  times  remarkably  transparent  partaking  of  the 
changeful  sky  tints,  reflecting  from  the  calm,  clear  depths 
the  rich  foliage  upon  its  banks.  In  some  places  the  adjacent 
ground  slopes  gradually  forming  a  miniature  beach  where 
the  bathers  can  walk  out  several  feet,  while  in  others  it  falls 
rapidly  with  a  sharp,  steep  descent  and  the  trees  standing 
gracefully  beside  it  give  a  very  pleasing  effect,  so  that  all 
in  all  the  variety  of  shore  line  affords  the  beholder  very 
much  the  aspect  of  the  famous  Lake  George  in  New  York. 
Walden  pond  may  be  reached  from  the  Fitchburg  R.  R. 
station  by  a  short  walk  down  the  track  ;  or  by  carriage  road 


THE 

NEW  YORK 

PUBLIC  LIBRARY 

Astor,  Lenny  and  TKden 


SOUTH    BRIDGE. 


RESIDENCE  OF  FRANK  B.   SANBORN. 


Concord 


13 


down  Thoreau  street ;  or  it  may  be  reached  from  Monu- 
ment Square  by  way  of  Main  and  Walden  streets. 

Among  other  locaHties  especially  associated  with  Henry 
Thoreau  is  the  "landing  place,"  a  spot  by  the  river  near 
the  South  bridge,  where  he  embarked  on  his  trip  for  "A 
Week  on  the  Concord  and  Merrimack  Rivers,"  and  to 
which  repeated  reference  is  made  by  him. 

The  birthplace  of  Thoreau  is  on  the  Virginia  road,  a 
somewhat  disused  way,  opening  from  the  Bedford  road,  and 
the  house  where  he  died  is  the  third  on  the  left  before  reach- 
ing the  corner  of  Thoreau  street  as  one  goes  up  Main 
street.  At  the  time  of  Thoreau  s  death  the  house  was 
occupied  by  his  family  and  afterward  by  Bronson  Alcott 
and  his  daughter  Louisa. 

Just  east  of  the  South  bridge  with  stone  arches,  on  Elm 
street,  is  the  home  of  Frank  B.  Sanborn,  a  well  known 
journalist  and  the  biographer  of  Alcott,  Thoreau,  Channing, 
and  John  Brown.  The  house  was  for  a  time  the  home  of 
William  EUery  Channing,  and  to  it  men  of  letters  have  oft 
times  repaired  for  literary  and  social  converse. 

Its  distinguished  owner  and  occupant  became  conspicuous 
in  ante  beltum  days,  by  an  attempt  to  kidnap  him  on  an 
alleged  order  of  the  President  of  the  United  States  Senate 
for  contempt  in  not  appearing  before  that  body  to  be 
examined  in  the  interest  of  the  southern  slave  power.  The 
scheme  so  far  succeeded  as  to  result  in  the  capture  of  Mr. 
Sanborn  under  pretence  of  a  lawful  arrest,  but  was  soon 
foiled  by  the  persistence  and  pluck  of  Mrs.  Sanborn  and 
the  granting  of  a  writ  of  habeas  corpus  by  Judge  E.  Rock- 
wood  Hoar,  then  of  the  Massachusetts  Supreme  Judicial 
Court. 

Mr.  Sanborn  was  a  friend  of  John  Brown  of  Harper's 
Ferry  renown,  and  through  his  influence  the  latter  made  a 
visit  to  Concord  and  lifted  up  his  voice  in  behalf  of  freedom 
for  the  slave. 

Next  to  the  places  made  prominent  by  the  Revolution 


14  Colonial    ! 


and  the  objects  and  localities  made  famous  by  its  distin- 
guished men  are  its  burying  grounds.  These  places  are  of 
more  than  usual  interest  and  few  tourists  leave  the  town 
without  visiting  them. 

The  one  on  the  hill  is  supposed  to  be  the  oldest.  Its 
exact  age  is  not  known  but  presumably  it  began  as  a  church 
yard,  for  on  a  spot  in  the  midst  of  it  is  supposed  to  have 
been  built  in  1635  or  1626  a  little  log  meeting  house;  and 
it  is  altogether  probable,  as  we  shall  subsequently  state,  that 
nearby  contemporaneous  with  the  erection  of  this  first  meet- 
ing house  was  the  laying  out  of  land,  according  to  the  old 
English  custom  for  a  place  of  burial.  But  be  this  as  it  may, 
the  ground  dates  from  about  the  beginning  of  the  settle- 
ment and  since  then  representatives  of  many  generations 
have  been  buried  there. 

This  yard  contains  fourteen  or  fifteen  of  the  oldest  grave- 
stones in  Concord,  and  more  than  two  thirds  of  all  the 
monuments  and  other  grave  markers  bearing  names  of  the 
original  inhabitants  of  the  town,  arc  in  this  enclosure. 

Upon  these  ancient  tablets  are  the  familiar  names  of 
Hosmer,  Hartwell,  Buttrick,  Fletcher,  Flint,  BJood  ;  also 
of  Heald,  Brooks,  Wheate,  Stow,  Heywood,  Temple, 
Taylor,  Chandler,  Clark,  Minott  and  Melvin,  —  family 
names  which,  it  will  be  observed  as  we  pursue  our  narra- 
tive, are  of  men  who  were  prominent  in  shaping  the  town's 
history.  Besides  the  names,  inscriptions  and  epitaphs  in 
this  yard  have  added  to  its  interest.  Conspicuous  among 
them  is  one  on  the  gravestone  of  the  negro  John  Jack 
once  a  slave  which  is  supposed  to  have  been  written  by 
Daniel  Bliss. 

God  wills  us  free  ;  man  wills  us  slaves. 
I  will  as  God  wills  ;  God's  will  be  done. 

Here  lies  the  body  of 

JOHN   JACK 

A  native  of  Africa  who  died 
March  1773,  aged  about  60  years. 


Concord  1 5 

Tho'  born  in  a  land  of  slavery. 

He  was  born  free. 

Tho'  he  lived  in  a  land  of  liberty. 

He  lived  a  slave, 

Till  by  his  honest,  tho'  stolen,  labors. 

He  acquired  the  source  of  slavery. 

Which  gave  him  his  freedom  ; 

Tho'  not  long  before 

Death,  the  grand  tyrant. 

Gave  him  his  final  emancipation. 

And  set  him  on  a  footing  with  kings. 

Tho'  a  slave  to  vice. 

He  practised  those  virtues 

Without  which  kings  are  but  slaves. 

Upon  the  summit  of  the  hill  withm  an  altar  tomb  are 
the  remains  of  Rev.  Daniel  Bliss,  at  one  time  Pastor  of  the 
Concord  church.  Near  by  is  a  tablet  to  the  memory  of 
the  Rev.  William  Emerson.  By  the  Catholic  church, 
near  Main  and  Bedford  streets  is  a  row  of  tombs  in  one  of 
which  repose  the  remains  of  the   Rev.   Ezra  Ripley. 

Space  forbids  a  further  notice  of  the  names  and  exact 
place  of  sepulture  of  the  honored  dead.  It  is  enough  to 
say  that  the  place  is  teeming  with  sacred  associations  of 
both  the  near  and  remote  past ;  and  as  one  looks  up  to  it 
from  the  busy  highway  beneath,  he  may  well  feel  it  is  a 
place  unusual  even  in  a  town  of  exceptional  interest. 

The  burying  ground  supposed  to  be  second  in  age  is  on 
Main  street  a  short  distance  west  of  the  Bank,  Tradition 
says  that  the  land  was  given  to  the  town  for  burial  purposes 
by  two  maiden  ladies.  When  it  was  opened  for  this  pur- 
pose is  not  known  ;  but  it  is  designated  in  the  records  as 
existing  as  a  burying  ground  as  early  as  1673. 

The  earliest  stone  is  that  of  Thomas  Hawthorne,  who 
died  November  17,  1697,  and  the  next  date  found  there  is 
1 713.  There  are  but  few  monuments  and  the  stones  are 
mostly  slate.  Prominent  names  on  these  stones  are  Hay- 
ward,  Buss,  Barrett,  Miles,  Potter,  Stratton,  Dakin,  Jones, 
Davis,  Prescott,  Hubbard  and  Conant. 


1 6  Colonial 

Just  east  of  this  yard  is  the  site  of  one  of  the  town's  old 
garrison  houses. 

"Sleepy  Hollow"  the  latest  cemetery  in  Concord  is  situ- 
ated on  the  outskirts  of  the  central  village  to  the  eastward, 
and  a  few  minutes  walk  from  the  public  square.  The  land 
was  bought  of  the  heirs  of  Reuben  Brown  in  1855.  At  its 
dedication  the  oration  was  delivered  by  Ralph  Waldo 
Emerson,  and  an  ode  was  sung  which  was  written  by  Frank 
B.   Sanborn. 

The  natural  conformation  is  admirably  suited  for  the 
purpose  of  a  cemetery,  and  the  locality  was  called  Sleepy 
Hollow  long  before  it  was  used  as  a  place  of  burial.  The 
first  interment  was  in  1855.  Here  by  the  Ridge  Path  is 
the  grave  of  Hawthorne  marked  by  a  simple  stone  bear- 
ing only  his  name.  Just  behind  it  is  that  of  Thoreau,  at 
the  head  of  which  is  a  common  red  stone,  and  near  this  is 
the  grave  of  Emerson  marked  by  a  large  piece  of  rock. 
In  1869  the  town  obtained  a  strip  of  land  which  united  the 
New   Hill  burying  ground  with  Sleepy   Hollow. 

The  most  notable  natural  object  in  Concord  is  the  river. 
It  takes  its  rise  in  Hopkinton  and  Westboro,  and  empties 
into  the  Merrimac  at  Lowell.  Its  original  name  is  Mus- 
ketequid,  signifying  in  the  Indian  language  grassy  ground. 
It  is  about  two  hundred  feet  wide  where  it  enters  the  town 
and  three  hundred  where  it  leaves  it.  Its  current  is  so  slow 
as  sometimes  to  be  scarcely  perceptible. 

Its  meadows  are  broad  and  in  places  extend  to  woody 
uplands,  fertile  fields  and  pleasant  secluded  nooks,  where 
grow  the  cranberry  vine  and  the  wild  grape. 

There  are  places  of  interest  along  the  banks  of  this  river 
in  other  towns  as  well  as  Concord ;  a  few  miles  south- 
westerly in  the  town  of  Wayland  is  the  Old  Town  Bridge 
of  Sudbury  over  which  the  Indians  under  King  Philip  were 
driven  in  1676.  Near  by  stands  the  late  home  of  Lydia 
Maria  Child,  noted  author  and  abolitionist.  And  on  a 
tributary  of  this  stream  in  the  adjoining  town  of  Sudbury 
stands  the  "Wayside  Inn"  made  famous  by  Longfellow. 


EMERSON'S    GRAVE. 


HAWTHORNE'S    GRAVE. 


T 
NEW  vi" 
PUBLIC  LIB  :^t^V 

Astor,  tenns  f^n-i  Tikien^ 


Concord  1 7 

Other  of  the  prominent  natural  features  of  Concord  are 
three  hills,  Nashawtuc,  Annusnuc  and  Punkatassett. 
These  names  are  all  of  Indian  origin.  Nashawtuc  is  just 
west  of  the  river,  near  the  South  bridge.  At  or  near  the 
foot  of  this  hill  was  the  wigwam  of  Tahattawan,  and  the 
squaw  Sachem,  two  of  the  aboriginal  owners  of  the  Con- 
cord territory.  At  the  southwesterly  was  the  homestead 
of  Major  Simon  Willard,  the  site  of  which  is  marked  by  a 
tablet. 

Annusnuc  is  at  Concord  Junction  near  the  Massachu- 
setts Reformatory.  About  this  hill  in  the  early  days  of 
the  settlement  was  the  "Hog-pen  walk"  a  tract  of  land  set 
apart  by  the  original  grantees  for  the  pasture  of  swine. 

On  the  plain  land  stretching  to  the  southwesterly 
was  held  the  famous  State  Muster  by  order  of  Gov. 
Nathaniel  P.  Banks,  where  in  1858  were  encamped  all 
the  volunteer  militia  of  Massachusetts. 

Punkatasett  is  in  the  northeast  part  of  Concord,  about  a 
mile  from  the  North  Bridge.  It  is  conspicuous  in  Concord 
history  as  being  the  point  of  observation  for  the  "embattled 
farmers"  as  they  awaited  events  on  the  morning  of  April 
19,  1775.  Upon  and  about  these  hills  there  is  a  good  out- 
look from  which  a  large  portion  of  the  town  can  be  seen 
and  more  or  less  of  the  winding  river  courses  may  be  traced. 

Fairhaven  hill  in  the  southwest  part  of  the  town  over- 
looks Fairhaven  pond,  a  tract  of  water  or  bay  in  Concord 
river  having  an  area  of  about  seventy-three  acres. 

Brister's  hill  is  beyond  Walden  pond  near  Lincoln. 
These  latter  places  are  frequently  referred  to  in  the  works 
of  Henry  Thoreau. 

Among  the  highlands  which  hardly  attain  hill  propor- 
tions is  the  "Ridge"  which  skirts  Concord  center  toward 
the  east  and  south.  This  locality  is  of  much  historic  inter- 
est as  along  the  base  of  it  was  the  "little  strate  strete" 
now  a  part  of  Lexington  road  along  which  the  earliest 
house  lots  were  laid  out. 

Upon  the  uplands  to  the  rear  were  some  of  the  first  corn 


1 8  Colonial 

lands  of  the  settlers,  and  from  the  more  prominent  points 
of  this  natural  observatory  they  could  look  off  upon  their 
meadow  lands  which  in  those  first  years  were  the  main 
means  of  sustenance  for  their  live  stock. 

The  Public  Library  building  is  of  recent  date  being 
erected  in  1873.  ^^  ^^  situated  at  the  junction  of  Sudbury 
road  and  Main  street  and  stands  upon  or  near,  the  spot 
where  one  of  the  town's  old  time  taverns  early  stood. 
This  Library  is  of  especial  interest  because  of  what  it  con- 
tains of  Concord  authorship,  having,  besides  the  books  that 
were  written  by  Concord  men  and  women,  a  valuable  col- 
lection of  the  manuscripts  from  which  the  books  were  pro- 
duced. There  are  also  deposited  here  relics,  pictures  and 
pieces  of  sculpture  relating  to  or  made  by  Concord  people. 
The  Library  is  but  a  short  walk  from  the  public  square  and 
on  the  way  to  the  Fitchburg  Railroad  station. 

On  the  right  hand  side  of  Main  street  going  westward 
and  nearly  opposite  the  Public  Library  is  the  house  formerly 
occupied  by  the  late  Hon.  Samuel  Hoar.  Here  were  born 
Hon.  E.  Rockwood  Hoar,  formerly  a  Judge  of  the  Mas- 
sachusetts Supreme  Judicial  Court  and  Attorney  General 
in  the  Cabinet  of  President  Grant,  and  Hon.  George  F. 
Hoar,  United  States  Senator. 

The  portion  of  Main  street  from  a  point  a  little  to  the 
east  of  this  place  is  of  comparatively  modern  construction, 
the  old  road  passing  a  little  to  the  north  of  the  present  one, 
leaving  the  burying  ground  to  the  south  of  it. 

The  short  strip  of  Main  street  between  the  Public 
Square  and  the  beginning  of  Walden  street  was  formerly  in 
part  the  Mill  Dam,  and  was  not  used  as  a  regularly  laid 
out  highway  until  almost  within  the  memory  of  people  now 
living. 

The  site  of  the  first  "Corn  Mill"  in  Concord  was  here,  at 
a  spot  just  east  of  the  Old  Bank  building. 

The  pond  which  furnished  the  mill  power  extended  from 
the  dam  southward. 

The   Trinitarian    Church  is  upon,  or  near    the  site  of 


THE   PUBLIC  LIBRARY. 


?i^%^ 


MAIN  STREET,   OPPOSITE  THE   I'L  BLIC   LIBRARY. 


Concord  1 9 

Concord's  first  store  which  was  kept  by  Robert  Meriam, 
who  had  over  a  score  of  acres  of  land  granted  him  in  that 
locality. 

The  three-story  dwelling  house  on  the  same  side  of 
Walden  street,  and  next  but  one  north  of  it,  was  long 
the  only  three-story  house  in  Concord.  It  was  built  and 
owned  by  Duncan  Ingraham,  a  wealthy  merchant  and 
father  of  Captain  Ingraham  of  the  United  States  Navy, 
who  cleared  the  decks  of  his  warship  for  action  in  the 
harbor  of  Smyrna,  Turkey,  in  behalf  of  the  Hungarian 
refugee,  Martin  Koszta,  remarking,  "Blood  is  thicker  than 
water." 

On  the  corner  southwest  of  the  Public  Square,  at  the 
beginning  of  Main  street  was  the  Old  Middlesex  Hotel, 
where  in  the  days  when  County  Courts  were  held  at  Con- 
cord, many  noted  jurists  were  entertained. 

Such  is  Concord  in  the  present ;  and  the  foregoing  are 
some  of  the  objects  and  places  much  visited  by  the  tourists, 
who  on  gala  occasions  and  throughout  the  milder  seasons 
throng  into  the  town  sight  seeing,  gathering  souvenirs  and 
pensively  pondering  upon  the  past. 


CHAPTER     III. 

Origin  of  Settlement  —  Early  Results — Erection 
of  ''''Corn  Miir  —  Meeting  House  —  Parsonage  — 
Resumption  of  Traveler  s  Narative  —  Coming 
from  Water  town  —  First  Conference  with  the  Con- 
cord Colonists — Visit  to  the  Home  of  William 
Hartwell  —  Indian  Mission  Service  at  Nashawtuc 

THE  earliest  mention  of  this  region  was  probably 
made  by  William  Wood,  in  a  book  entitled  "New 
England  Prospects",  a  work  supposed  to  be  based 
upon  his  personal  observation  about  1633.  An 
early  description  is  also  given  by  Johnson,  in  his  "Wonder 
Working  Providence  of  Sion's  Saviour  in  New  England," 
published  in  1654,  in  which  the  writer  sets  forth  the 
Concord  plantation  as  a  place  where  the  pioneers  found 
hard  fare,  and  built  their  huts  by  leaning  the  rough  logs 
against  the  hillside,  which  served  the  double  purpose  of  a 
support  and  a  chimney  back. 

The  breaking  of  ground  upon  this  plat  for  a  permanent 
settlement  was  about  1635,  when  there  arrived  from  Eng- 
land by  way  of  Watertown,  then  Newtowne,  which  town, 
with  Cambridge,  then  bounded  Concord  on  the  easterly,  the 
other  sides  being  bounded  by  an  unclaimed  wilderness,  a 
company  of  colonists,  under  the  direction  of  Rev.  Peter 
Bulkeley,  Elder  John  Jones,  and  probably  Simon  Willard, 
a  merchant.  Among  the  names  of  these  colonists  are  some 
still  familiar  in  Concord,  which  designate  ancient  and 
honored  households,  whose  continuity  with  the  distant  past 
has  never  been  broken  by  time's  rude  touch,  and  like  faith- 
fill  waymarks  of  history  still  chronicle  by  their  suggestive- 
20 


Concord  1 1 

ness  what  has  made  the  old  town  great.  Supplemental  to 
such  friendly  services  as  borne  by  the  living  is  that  borne 
by  the  dead,  and 

"In  that  village  on  the  hill. 

Where  never  is  sound  of  smithy  or  mill," 

the  old-time  tombstone,  with  its  grime  and  its  gray,  and  its 
quaint,  weather-made  defacement,  stands  representative  of 
connecting  links,  as  if,  by  a  poor  proxy  like  this,  it  could 
make  the  past  and  present,  one. 

That  success  attended  the  settlement  is  well  attested  by 
early  results  ;  and  though  the  records  of  these  results  have 
been  lost,  so  that  for  a  half  century  and  over  not  a  sentence 
comes  to  us  from  the  written  page,  save  as  we  receive  it 
from  colonial  sources,  or  in  scraps  and  fragments  of  family 
documents,  yet  tradition,  often  true  in  its  intent  to  pre- 
serve, and  trustworthy  even  in  matters  of  moment,  speaks 
unmistakably  of  Concord's  early  town  life.  The  earth  and 
brush  cabins  soon  gave  way  to  substantial  structures  ;  the 
forest  was  felled  along  the  plain  land  and  the  meadow 
margins  ;  and  a  mill  was  erected  "to  grind  the  town's  corn." 

The  spot  selected  for  the  mill  was  near  what  is  now 
the  Common,  or  public  square,  and  the  little  stream  upon 
which  it  was  situated  is  known  as  "Mill  Brook,"  though  it 
is  now  so  small  as  might  lead  one  to  doubt  whether  it  ever 
had  any  mill  power  at  all.  But  we  should  remember  that 
not  only  do  times  and  customs  change,  but  nature  changes 
also,  and  while  the  little  brooklet  that  once  ran  a-roar- 
ing  by  the  plain  can  still  sing  in  the  sweet  strain  of  Tenny- 
son, "And  men  may  come  and  men  may  go,  but  I  go  on 
forever,"  yet  it  runs  with  a  lessened  current  and  speaks 
with  a  voice  more  subdued.  Why  it  has  become  thus 
modest  is  not  because  it  stands  abashed  at  the  busy  human 
tide  that  trips  over  it,  or  because  in  many  instances  the 
traveler  is  all  unconscious  of  its  former  worth  and  never 
stops  to  reflect  that  it  once  ground  the  fathers'  corn  and 
furnished  meal   for  the  brown  bread   and  pan  dowdy  ;  but 


■2 1  Colonial 

its  modesty  is  occasioned  doubtless  by  a  changed  condition 
of  surroundings. 

It  is  considered  probable  by  local  historians  that  by  the 
clearing  up  of  the  forests  less  water  runs  in  some  of  the 
streams  than  formerly  ;  and,  probably,  this  is  the  case  here  ; 
so  that  the  Rev.  Peter  Bulkeley,  for  he  it  was  who  caused 
the  erection  of  this  mill,  made  no  mistake,  doubtless,  when 
he  gauged  the  capacity  of  this  now  miniature  water  power 
and  concluded  that  it  would  suffice  every  purpose  of  a  vil- 
lage grist  mill. 

But,  conspicuous  above  everything  else  as  marks  of 
progress,  were  events  of  an  ecclesiastical  character.  It  was 
a  usual  condition  of  the  colonial  court  in  conferring  a  town 
grant  that  the  grantees  should  maintain  a  gospel  ministry, 
and  pursuant  to  this  important  requisite  the  Concord 
inhabitants  early  erected  a  meeting  house.  The  spot 
selected  was  on  the  summit  of  the  ridgeway,  near  the  bury- 
ing ground,  not  far  distant  from  the  present  public  square. 
The  first  structure  was  probably  of  logs ;  but  this  was 
soon  succeeded  by  one  of  framework ;  for  it  was  not  in 
accordance  with  the  customs  of  the  forefathers  to  live  in 
sealed  houses  while  God's  temples  were  neglected.  Pre- 
viously, however,  to  the  building  of  the  meeting  house, 
and  not  far  from  the  meadow  margin  a  house  was 
built  for  Minister  Bulkeley.  The  site  of  this  parsonage 
is  on  the  present  Lowell  street  a  few  steps  from  Monu- 
ment Square,  and  is  modestly  marked  by  a  memorial  tablet 
bearing  the  following  record. 

"Here,  in  the  house  of  the  Reverend  Peter  Bulkeley, 
first  minister  and  one  of  the  founders  of  this  town,  a  bar- 
gain was  made  with  the  Squaw  Sachem,  the  Sagamore 
Tahattawan  and  other  Indians,  who  then  sold  their  right  in 
the  six  miles  square  called  Concord  to  the  English  planters 
and  gave  them  peaceful  possession  of  the  land,  A.  D. 
1636.;' 

This  tablet  has  more  than  a  passing  interest  to  a  reflec- 
tive mind.     It  opens  up  by  the  suggestiveness  of  its  simple 


Concord 


n 


inscription  thoughts  relating  to  over  two  centuries.  Here, 
doubtless,  if  anywhere,  centralized  for  a  twelve  month  at 
least  much  that  was  political  and  religious,  relating  to  the 
early  land  grant  and  its  grantees.  Here,  doubtless,  if  in 
any  place,  was  the  cradle  in  which  the  township  had  its 
infancy,  and  as  the  little  woodland  municipality  was  nursed 
and  grew  strong,  probably  conference  after  conference  was 
held  here  to  consider  matters  relating  to  highways,  bridges, 
and  perhaps  "cow  commons"  and  "common  planting  fields;" 
for  the  minister  in  those  days  was  not  only  the  village  high 
priest,  but  he  had  also  a  certain  quasi  magisterial  jurisdic- 
tion, and  by  a  generally  recognized  common  law  principle 
was  "head  center"  of  the  settlement.  As  the  parsonage  was 
built  prior  to  the  meeting  house,  it  is  quite  probable  that  the 
latter  was  here  planned.  Here,  too,  it  may  be,  the  church 
council  was  considered,  which,  July  5th,  1636,  convened 
at    Cambridge  and  organized   the   Concord  church. 

Other  works  of  public  convenience  and  necessity  quickly 
followed.  Roads  were  opened,  bridges  built,  laws  formu- 
lated; and  the  sunlight  of  civilized  life  was  soon  shining 
in  the  hitherto  dark  forest. 

Such  is  an  outline  of  some  of  the  features  of  Concord, 
and  of  her  early  history.  And  now  as  we  are  about  to 
leave  the  general  for  the  particular,  and  consider  character, 
processes,  and  events  in  detail,  we  will  state  that  our  plan  is 
to  suppose  that  we  lived  in  that  far  away  period,  visited  the 
settlers  in  their  homes  and  sat  by  their  fire-sides,  and  that 
the  sparks  were  in  part  our  oracles ;  also  that  we  are  living 
in  the  present  when  we  are  relating  what  we  then  saw  and 
heard,  together  with  some  facts  which  occurred  subse- 
quently. 

Assuming  then  that  we  are  the  traveler  who  two  centu- 
ries and  a  half  ago  sat  by  the  hearthstone  of  Goodman 
Hartwell  on  that  fall  evening,  we  will  resume  our  narra- 
tive by  saying,  that  we  started  from  Watertown  following 
the  trail  probably  made  by  the  first  settlers,  finding  here 
and  there  what  we  suspected  were  sad  traces  of  their  toil- 


24  Colonial 

some  journey,  which  Johnson  has  so  dolorously  described 
in  his  "Wonder-working  Providence."  On  the  upland  was 
good  traveling,  but  there  were  swamps  and  hard  places 
which  because  of  their  wetness  or  stony  nature,  the  forest 
fires  of  the  Indians  had  not  kept  clear  of  underbrush,  so 
that  we  were  many  times  forced  from  our  direct  course  and 
obliged  to  make  long  and  painful  detours.  We  traveled 
for  a  time  by  the  "Old  Connecticut  Path",  the  ancient  trail 
ot  the  Nipnet  Indians  to  the  sea-board,  and  the  same  that 
was  taken  a  few  years  previous  by  Rev.  Messrs.  Hooker 
and  Stone  on  their  way  with  a  hundred  people  from  Cam- 
bridge to  Hartford,  and  which  was  traveled  a  little  earlier 
by  John  Oldham  of  Pequod  war  fame.  But,  on  arriving 
at  the  plain  lands  about  the  Charles  river,  near  a  stony 
brook,  we  veered  northerly  into  a  broken  country,  and 
after  some  hours  emerged  from  the  woods  upon  a  sandy 
ridgeway  where  we  found  some  squaws  harvesting  corn. 

From  our  high  point  of  observation  we  looked  over  a 
broad  intervale  threaded  by  a  winding,  sluggish  stream,  and 
we  knew  by  this  and  by  the  houses  on  a  little  "strate 
strete"  below  us  that  we  were  in  Concord. 

Being  a  stranger  to  both  place  and  people  it  mat- 
tered little  whom  we  approached,  or  where  we  went,  and  as 
there  were  beyond  the  mill  brook  some  people  talking  we 
joined  them.  Approaching,  we  found  they  were  settlers 
and  were  talking  English,  but  it  was  not  such  English 
as  we  hear  to-day.  In  fact  we  found  that  here  weie  brought 
together  the  dialects  of  Surrey,  Kent,  York  and  Bedford- 
shire. Goodman  Buttrick,  William  Hartwell  and  James 
Hosmer  were  talking  with  Simon  Willard  the  merchant, 
about  a  suitable  place  for  a  "cow  common"  because  it  had 
been  represented  to  them  that  the  cattle  and  goats  roaming 
unrestrainedly  through  the  "great  meadows"  much  "dam- 
nified" the  marsh  red-top  and  lute  grass,  and  that  it  would 
be  better  to  have  a  place  of  common  pasturage  and  "size  it 
out"  and    have  the  income  go  to  help  pay  the  minister, 


Concord  1 5 

rather    than  to  risk    any  farther  "indamnifying"   by  stray 
creatures. 

As  we  introduced  ourselves  and  disclosed  our  errand  we 
were  most  cordially  received  and  at  once  invited  to  their 
homes. 

The  first  invitation  was  extended  by  William  Hartwell, 
which  we  accepted ;  and  it  being  near  nightfall  we  were  soon 
on  our  way  to  his  house  in  the  east  quarter  which  we  reached 
after  a  half  hour's  walk.  Not  long  after  our  arrival  we  sat 
down  at  the  supper  table  which  was  spread  in  a  large 
kitchen  before  a  great,  open  fire.  After  the  meal  and  the 
returning  of  thanks,  for  Goodman  Hartwell  was  a  man  of 
prayer,  the  men  went  to  the  barn  to  do  the  chores  and  the 
stranger  was  conducted  to  the  front  room  to  await  the 
family  and  the  arrival  of  the  company  who  were  to  talk 
over  town  meeting.  As  it  was  no  longer  early  evening, 
the  work  both  indoors  and  out  was  done  in  a  hurry  and 
soon  all  were  seated  about  the  fireside  as  described  in  the 
opening  chapter.  And  now  to  resume  our  narrative  as 
there  commenced,  suffice  it  to  say,  the  neighborhood  gather- 
ing broke  up  to  convene  again  at  the  parsonage  two  nights 
later.  Meanwhile,  particular  care  was  to  be  taken  in 
observing  noises  about  the  "buryin  ground  pastur"  and 
as  to  tracks  of  the  strange  creature  which  Goody  Rice  saw. 

Immediately  after  the  company  had  departed  we  retired, 
for  we  were  weary  and  the  hour  was  late.  Our  sleeping 
apartment  was  large  and  unfinished,  yet  it  had  an  air  of 
comfort  and  its  very  commodiousness  was  of  itself  restful. 
The  night  was  a  quiet  one.  Silence  almost  perfect  pervaded 
everything,  and  our  slumber  was  undisturbed  save  by  the 
occasional  hoot  of  an  owl  amid  the  pines  which  had  been 
left  near  the  house  for  a  stormbreak  and  shade  for  the 
cattle. 

As  our  visit  to  the  Hartwells  on  this  occasion  was  only 
for  the  night,  it  having  been  arranged  with  Timothy 
Wheeler  at  our  interview  with  the  settlers  at  Mill  brook,  to 
meet  him  at  the  village  store  the  following  day,  and  as  we 


26  Colonial 

visited  the  Hartwell  home  later,  we  will  defer  any  descrip- 
tion of  it  for  a  subsequent  chapter.  About  mid-afternoon 
of  the  next  day  we  mounted  an  ox  cart  and  behind  a  yoke 
of  half  broken  bullocks  started  for  the  village,  meeting 
Timothy  Wheeler  at  the  grocery  according  to  previous 
arrangement. 

As  we  were  about  starting  for  the  home  of  our  new  host 
we  learned  that  the  Apostle,  John  Eliot,  was  to  hold  an  In- 
dian mission  meeting  that  evening  at  the  wigwam  of  Tahat- 
tawan  near  Nashawtuc,  by  candle  light.  Upon  hearing 
this  announcement,  it  at  once  occurred  to  us  that  here  was 
an  opportunity  of  learning  something  of  Indian  mission 
work,  and  of  forming  an  acquaintance  with  its  founder. 
Reverend  John  Eliot;  so  I  asked  Goodman  Wheeler  about 
the  propriety  of  attending  the  proposed  gathering.  Our 
kind  host  immediately  called  back  the  swarthy  messengers, 
who  had  just  brought  the  announcement  of  the  meeting, 
and  upon  my  desire  being  made  known,  they  invited  me  to 
go  with  them  to  Tahattawan's  wigwam.  It  was  not  long 
before  we  were  away,  for  although  the  distance  was  short 
it  was  approaching  nightfall.  Before  starting,  however,  we 
called  Goodman  Wheeler  aside  to  satisfy  ourselves  as  to  the 
safety  of  our  proposed  visit  among  the  Indians,  and  to 
arrange  about  the  time  of  making  the  visit  to  his  home 
which  had  been  so  unexpectedly  deferred.  As  to  the  first 
matter  he  informed  us  that  we  would  be  as  safe  with  our 
Indian  friends  as  with  anyone;  and  with  regard  to  the  visit 
he  said  he  would  meet  us  at  the  coming  town  meeting 
when  we  would  go  home  together. 


NEW  YORK 
PUBLIC  LIBRARY' 


Astor,  Lencx  ■,in,\  Tilden  , 


CHAPTER     IV. 

'Tahatawans  Wigwam  —  Supper  Served  by  Squaws 

—  Rev.  John  Eliot  Preaching  by  Candlewood  Light 

—  'Tribal  Relations  of  the  Musketequids  —  Stone 
Relics  and  Sites  of  Indian  Villages  —  Spread  of 
Christianity  among  the  Concord  Aborigines  —  Nash- 
oba  —  Exile  of  Christian  Indians  to  Deer  Island — 
Humane  Efforts  of  John  Hoar  in  their  behalf. 

STARTING  out  from  the  village  store  we  were  soon 
in  the  forest. 
Our  course  was  single  file  through  a  winding  wood- 
path  to  the  meadow  margin,  and  from  there  amid  cluster- 
ing cranberry  vines,  we  proceeded  to  the  river  bank, 
where  an  Indian  was  waiting  with  a  light  canoe.  As  we 
passed  through  the  woods  we  noticed  along  the  way 
scarcely  anything  but  tall  timber  trees,  and  these  so 
scattered  and  so  devoid  of  low  branches  that  a  man  on 
horseback  could  easily  ride  between  them.  So  singular 
was  this  circumstance  that  we  afterwards  inquired  about  it, 
and  were  told  that  the  woods  were  kept  mainly  clear  of 
underbrush  by  the  Indians,  who,  to  facilitate  the  capture 
of  game,  annually  set  forest  fires,  and  that  this  was  done 
just  before  the  fall  rains.  We  stepped  into  the  canoe, 
which  was  made  of  birch  bark  tied  with  thongs  of  deer  skin, 
and  were  soon  afloat  on  the  Musketequid  and  swiftly 
borne  by  the  paddle  strokes  of  Tahattawan  to  Nashawtuc. 
The  short  river  ride  was  made  silently,  for  our  friends 
were  as  mute  as  the  grave,  except  that  now  and  then  a  low 
murmuring  went  out  from  one  of  them,  which,  as  it 
mingled  faintly  with  the  rising  night  wind  —  for  it  was  now 
evening  —  and  the  strange  whistling  of  the  wings  of  a  be- 

27 


1 8  Colonial 

lated  water  fowl,  were  the  only  sounds  save  the  splash  of 
the  water  that  we  heard. 

Soon  we  reached  the  large  wigwam  of  Tahattawan  near 
Nashawtuc,  and  were  ushered  into  the  simple  arcana  of 
Nature's  children,  where  all  was  new  and  surpassingly 
strange  to  us.  In  broken  English  we  were  presented  to  the 
head  of  the  household  and  his  daughters,  of  whom  there 
were  present  Noonansquaw  and  Tahunsquaw,  the  latter 
of  whom  was  the  wife  of  Waban  of  Natick. 

Although  not  invited  to  do  so  we  sat  down  upon  a  low, 
rude  platform  upon  which  was  a  dressed  skin  of  some 
wild  animal,  and  silently  observed  the  preparations  for  sup- 
per. Besides  a  "nokake"  made  of  maize  meal  and  baked 
in  the  ashes,  they  poured  from  a  kettle  into  a  rude  wooden 
tray  a  stew  or  soup  thickened  with  dried  chestnut  meal, 
and  which  consisted,  as  we  were  afterwards  told,  of  dried 
alewives,  several  strings  of  which  hung  in  a  corner,  and  a 
few  bones  cut  into  small  pieces.  There  was  also  in  a  smaller 
dish  some  substance  that  they  called  sic-qua-tash  (suc- 
cotash), which  consisted  of  dried  green  corn  and  beans. 
Supper  over,  we  were  glad  enough  to  have  our  loneliness 
.ended  by  the  arrival  of  Messrs.  Gookin  and  Eliot. 
It  was  not  long  before  there  entered  several  families  from 
wigwams  near,  on  both  the  upper  and  lower  meadow 
and  also  several  individuals  from  about  the  Assabet.  The 
candlewood  was  soon  lighted  just  outside  the  wigwam  door, 
and  the  scene  thereby  revealed  to  us  by  these  flambeaux 
was  a  weird  and  impressive  one. 

After  a  prayer  in  the  Indian  language  Mr.  Eliot 
addressed  his  swarthy  audience  in  the  same  tongue,  exhort- 
ing them,  as  our  interpreter  informed  us,  to  beware  of  the 
evil  influences  of  Hobbommoc  (the  devil),  and  to  hold 
steadfast  to  the  newly  found  Kiton  (good  spirit).  Espec- 
ially he  advised  them  to  beware  of  powwowing,  and  to^ 
have  nothing  to  do  with  medicine  men,  whom  he  de- 
nounced as  true  children  of  Hobbommoc.  At  length, 
after  another  prayer  in  the  Indian  language,  there  arose  the 


Concord  1 9 

low  sound  of  singing  or  chanting,  in  gutteral,  harsh,  dis- 
cordant tones  ;  the  effect  was  striking,  for  as  the  strains 
floated  out  over  the  moist  meadows  and  up  the  woody 
slopes  of  Nashawtuc,  not  so  much  as  the  call  of  a  night 
bird,  not  even  the  wind's  moaning  was  heard,  as  a  wild  inter- 
lude to  the  words  of  the  hymn. 

At  the  close  of  the  singing  Mr.  Bulkeley,  who  had 
accompanied  Mr.  Eliot,  was  asked  to  pray,  and  as  the 
group  kneeled  on  the  matted  leaves,  such  a  petition 
went  up  from  "Big  Pray",  as  the  lowly  children  of  the 
Musketequid  had  rarely  listened  to.  Slowly,  reverently 
and  peacefully,  we  were  lifted  heavenward  by  every  sen- 
tence ;  and  when  he  ceased  we  almost  forgot  we  were  on 
the  earth. 

At  the  conclusion  of  the  evening  services  we  were 
invited  to  remain  all  night,  and  as  Major  Gookin  was  pro- 
posing to  do  so,  Mr.  Eliot  having  gone  home  with  Mr. 
Bulkeley,  we  accepted  of  our  host's  hospitality  and  were 
soon  seated  around  the  wigwam  amid  a  little  group  consist- 
ing of  Tahattawan's  household. 

As  the  flames  flickered  upward  through  the  small  aper- 
ture in  the  roof,  we  did  not  wonder  so  much  at  the  copper 
colored  complexion  of  the  Indian,  for  every  now  and  then 
the  heavy  night  wind  forced  down  the  smoke,  and  an 
occasional  rain  drip  on  the  coals  made  a  close,  thick  atmos- 
phere. 

But  the  disagreeableness  of  an  imperfect  draught  was 
soon  remedied  by  Tahattawan,  who,  stepping  to  the  door, 
dropped  over  it  a  coarse  mat  which  was  there  pendent  for 
this  purpose,  and  which  so  completely  closed  the  aperture 
that  the  smoke  readilv  ascended  ;  and  as  the  sparks  chased 
each  other  upward  into  the  darkness,  a  strange  feeling 
came  over  us  and  we  almost  wished  that  Goodman  Wheeler 
had  taken  us  home  with  him.  Just  then  there  entered  the 
wigwam  Major  Gookin  and  Waban,  the  latter  of  whom 
could  speak  good  English,  having  often  acted  as  an  inter- 


30  Colonial 

preter  and  helper  of  Mr.  Eliot  in  his  mission  work  at 
Natick. 

For  an  hour  we  sat  conversing  by  the  firelight  and 
gained  much  interesting  information  concerning  the  aborig- 
inal inhabitants  of  the  Musketequid  country  and  of  their 
experience  with  the  early  settlers. 

And  now  for  a  little  time,  exchanging  fiction  for  fact,  we 
will  state  some  things  about  these  Concord  Indians  that  are 
matters  of  history. 

Their  tribal  relations  were  with  the  Mystics,  whose 
headquarters  were  at  Medford.  Their  neighbors  were  the 
Pawtuckets,  at  Wameset  (Lowell) ;  the  Ockoocagansetts  at 
what  is  now  (Marlboro),  and  the  Natick  Indians  ;  the  last 
three  being  probably  related  either  to  the  Mystics  or  the 
Nipmucks. 

The  localities  where  the  Indians  lived  are  indicated  by 
the  presence  of  shells,  arrow  and  spear  heads  and  some- 
times arrow  chips,  which  are  refuse  material  chipped  from 
the  stone  when  the  arrow  was  made ;  also  stone  implements 
used  for  purposes  of  agriculture  and  cookery,  and  chisels, 
gouges,  rude  pestles  or  corn  pounders.  Some  of  the 
places  where  stone  relics  have  been  found,  are  the  "Great 
fields"  east  of  the  center,  the  vicinity  of  "Egg  Rock"  not 
far  from  the  "Hemlocks,"  about  Fairhaven  bay,  on  the 
south  side  of  the  river  east  of  the  "Old  Manse,"  on  the 
right  of  the  river  below  Flint's  bridge,  the  neighborhood 
of  Spenser  brook,  and  a  place  on  the  left  bank  of  the  river 
a  little  above  the  Fitchburg  Railroad  bridge  where  the 
river  bends  abruptly.  At  this  latter  point  it  is  said,  many 
bushels  of  shells  have  been  found,  and  among  them  the 
remains  of  wild  animals  and  parts  of  stone  implements. 

It  is  impossible  to  determine  the  exact  number  of 
Indians  in  the  Musketequid  country  at  the  time  of  its 
settlement  by  the  English.  Probably  the  population  was 
greatly  reduced  here  as  in  other  places  along  the  Mass- 
achusetts Bay  shores,  by  the  pestilence  that  prevailed 
before  the    English    occupation,  so  that  very  likely  their 


Concord  "},  t 

villages  were  comparatively  few  and  no  more  than  small 
clusters  of  wigwams. 

A  portion  or  all  of  the  Concord  Indians,  through  the 
efforts  of  the  Rev.  John  Eliot,  who  translated  the  bible 
into  the  language  of  the  aborigines,  early  became  converts 
to  Christianity.  These  were  gathered  by  Mr.  Eliot  and 
Major  Daniel  Gookin,  into  an  Indian  town  or  village 
named  Nashoba,  situated  in  what  is  now  Littleton.  The 
number  of  Indians  thus  gathered  was  about  fifty-eight, 
representing  ten  families,  only  about  twelve  being  able 
bodied  men. 

Nashoba  was  called  by  Major  Gookin  in  his  Historical 
collection  the  sixth  praying  Indian  town.  He  states  that, 
"The  dimensions  of  this  village  were  four  miles  square," 
that,  "their  ruler  of  late  years  was  Ahatawance  (Tahatta- 
wan),  a  pious  man,"  and  "their  teacher  is  named  John 
Thomas." 

The  petition  for  the  establishment  of  this  place  is  dated 
May  4,  1654  and  was  presented  by  Mr.  Eliot.  The 
Nashoba  plantation  began  auspiciously  and  continued  to 
prosper  both  in  things  temporal  and  spiritual  until  a  war 
with  the  Mohawks,  which  resulted  in  its  abandonment  for 
a  season,  but  as  late  as  1674,  according  to  Gookin,  it  had 
become  re-peopled  and  was  in  a   "hopeful  way  to  prosper." 

There  is  ample  opportunity  for  one  to  conjecture  con- 
cerning the  pleasant  condition  of  things  at  the  Nashoba 
plantation  during  the  years  immediately  following  its 
establishment. 

As  it  was  the  custom  of  the  Apostle  Eliot  to  keep  spir- 
itual watch  and  ward  over  the  native  churches  and  to  occas- 
ionally visit  them  for  exhortation  and  conference,  so  we 
may  suppose  he  did  this  one,  and  that  more  than  once 
he  journeyed  from  Roxbury  to  Nonantum  (Newton)  his 
first  mission  field,  thence  to  Natick,  and  from  there  went 
on  through  the  woods  to  Concord,  visiting  scattered  wig- 
wams   by  the    way  and    the   village    at    Cochituate.  pond 


3  2  Colonial 

(Wayland)  and  the  home  of  Kato  at  Wigwam  hill  in  Sud- 
bury. 

Upon  his  arrival  at  Concord,  we  may  suppose  that  he 
made  parochial  visits  among  such  of  the  Musketequid 
Indians  as  still  lingered  about  their  old  haunts,  faithful  to 
the  memory  of  their  former  firesides  and  the  graves  of 
their  fathers.  These  visits  completed,  we  may  conjecture 
that  the  great  Apostle  passed  on  over  the  old  Marlboro 
road,  at  that  time  perhaps  a  mere  wood  path  trod  mainly 
by  the  Occogoogansetts  to  Nashoba,  bringing  with  him  a 
benediction  from  their  Bay  brothers,  and  instructing  them 
from  the   Up-Biblum  (Indian  bible.) 

But  when  Philip's  war  broke  out  the  scene  changed. 
The  Colonial  communities  everywhere  became  distrustful 
of  all  Indians,  the  praying  Indians  included,  notwithstand- 
ing the  evidence  the  latter  were  giving  of  continued  loyalty, 
serving  the  colony  faithfully  whenever  occasion  required  as 
spies,  or  as  allies  in  the  ranks  of  levied  troops. 

To  such  an  extent  did  English  distrust  prevail  that  it 
was  decided  by  the  Colonial  authorities  to  remove  a  por- 
tion or  all  of  the  Christian  Indians  to  Deer  island  in  Bos- 
ton harbor,  and  the  order  was  given  and  executed. 

The  details  of  this  untimely  closing  of  the  Indian 
mission  stations  are  sad  to  relate,  and  they  remind  one  of 
the  cruel  treatment  of  the  Acadians  at  Grand  Pre,  whose 
homes  were  broken  in  upon  by  the  English  and  Colonial 
soldiers,  and  their  families  separated  and  cast  forlorn  upon' 
a  lone  coast  line  extending  from  New  England  to  Georgia. 

Before  the  carrying  out  of  this  order,  however,  as 
related  to  the  Indians  at  Nashoba,  an  attempt  was  made 
in  their  behalf  which  resulted  in  an  order  by  the  Colonial 
Court,  that  an  arrangement  be  made  by  the  Militia  Com- 
mittee and  the  selectmen  of  Concord  that  they  be  placed 
under  the  inspection  of  John  Hoar  of  Concord,  to  see 
that  they  be  kept  employed  for  their  maintenance  and  pre- 
served from  harm  and  the  country  made  secure  from  them. 

In  pursuance  of  this  arrangement,    Mr.    Hoar    built  a 


Concord  ZZ 

house  for  them  near  his  own  for  their  protection  and  com- 
fort at  night,  and  a  workshop,  in  both  of  which  they  were 
under  close  surveillance. 

The  means  thus  provided  by  Mr.  Hoar  for  the  mutual 
protection  of  both  the  Indians  and  English  were  accom- 
plishing their  full  purpose  and  would  doubtless  have  contin- 
ued to  do  so  had  it  not  been  for  an  untoward  interference 
with  his  plans,  the  account  of  which  may  be  best  presented 
by  the  following  quotation  from  Gookin's  "History  of  the 
Christian    Indians." 

"But  some  of  the  inhabitants  of  the  town,  being  in- 
fluenced with  a  spirit  of  animosity  and  distaste  against  all 
Indians,  disrelished  this  settlement;  and  therefore  privately 
sent  to  a  Captain  of  the  army,  (Captain  Mosely)  that 
quartered  his  company  not  far  off  at  that  time,  of  whom 
they  had  experience,  that  he  would  not  be  backward  to  put 
in  execution  anything  that  tended  to  distress  the  praying 
Indians ;  for  this  was  the  same  man  that  had  formerly, 
without  order,  seized  upon  divers  of  the  praying  Indians  at 
Marlborough,  which  brought  much  trouble  and  disquiet  to 
the  country  of  the  Indians,  and  was  a  great  occasion  of 
their  defection  ;  as  hath  been  above  declared. 

"This  Captain  accordingly  came  to  Concord  with  a  party 
of  his  men  upon  the  Sabbath  day,  into  the  Meeting-house, 
where  the  people  were  convened  to  the  worship  of  God. 
And  after  the  exercise  was  ended,  he  spake  openly  to  the 
congregation  to  this  effect :  'that  he  understood  there  were 
some  heathen  in  the  town,  committed  to  one  Hoare,  which 
he  was  informed  were  a  trouble  and  disquiet  to  them ; 
therefore  if  they  desired  it  he  would  remove  them  to 
Boston  ;'  to  which  speech,  most  of  the  people  being  silent, 
except  two  or  three  that  encouraged  him,  he  took,  as  it 
seems,  the  silence  of  the  rest  for  consent ;  and  immediately 
after  the  assembly  was  dismissed,  he  went  with  three  or 
four  files  of  men,  and  a  hundred  or  two  of  the  people,  men, 
women  and  children,  at  his  heels,  and  marched  away  to 
Mr.  Hoare's  house  and  there  demanded  of  him  to  see  the 


34  Colonial 

Indians  under  his  care.  Hoare  opened  the  door  and 
showed  them  to  him,  and  they  were  all  numbered  and 
found  there ;  the  Captain  then  said  to  Mr,  Hoare,  'that  he 
would  leave  a  corporal  and  soldiers  to  secure  them' ;  but 
Mr.  Hoare  answered,  'there  was  no  need  of  that,  for  they 
were  already  secured,  and  were  committed  to  him  by  order 
of  the  Council,  and  he  would  keep  and  secure  them.'  But 
yet  the  Captain  left  his  corporal  and  soldiers  there,  who 
were  abusive  enough  to  the  poor  Indians  by  ill  language. 
The  next  morning  the  Captain  came  again  to  take  the 
Indians  and  send  them  to  Boston.  But  Mr.  Hoare  re- 
fused to  deliver  them,  unless  he  showed  him  an  order  of 
the  Council ;  but  the  Captain  could  show  him  no  other  but 
his  commission  to  kill  and  destroy  the  enemy  ;  but  Mr. 
Hoare  said,  'these  were  friends  and  under  order.'  But  the 
Captain  would  not  be  satisfied  with  his  answer,  but  com- 
manded his  corporal  forthwith  to  break  open  the  door  and 
take  the  Indians  all  away,  which  was  done  accordingly  ; 
and  some  of  the  soldiers  plundered  the  poor  creatures  of 
their  shirts,  shoes,  dishes,  and  such  other  things  as  they 
could  lay  their  hands  upon,  though  the  Captain  com- 
manded the  contrary.  They  were  all  brought  to  Charles- 
town  with  a  guard  of  twenty  men.  And  the  Captain  wrote 
a  letter  to  the  General  Court,  then  sitting,  giving  them  an 
account  of  his  action. 

"  This  thing  was  very  offensive  to  the  Council,  that  a 
private  Captain  should  (without  commission  or  some 
express  order)  do  an  act  so  contradictory  to  their  former 
orders ;  and  the  Governor  and  several  others  spake  of  it  at 
a  conference  with  the  deputies  at  the  General  Court. 

"The  Deputies  seemed  generally  to  agree  to  the  reason 
of  the  Magistrates  in  this  matter ;  yet  notwithstanding,  the 
Captain  (who  appeared  in  Court  shortly  after  upon  another 
occasion),  met  with  no  rebuke  for  this  high  irregularity  and 
arbitrary  action.  To  conclude  this  matter,  those  poor  In- 
dians, about  fifty-eight  of  them  of  all  sorts,  were  sent  down 
to  Deer  Island,  there  to  pass  into  the  furnace  of  affliction 


Concord 


2S 


with  their  brethren  and  countrymen.  But  all  their  corn 
and  other  provision  sufficient  to  maintain  them  for  six 
months,  was  lost  at  Concord ;  and  all  their  other  neces- 
saries, except  what  the  soldiers  had  plundered.  And  the 
poor  Indians  got  very  little  or  nothing  of  what  they  lost, 
but  it  was  squandered  away,  lost  by  the  removal  of  Mr. 
Hoare  and  other  means,  so  that  they  were  necessitated  to 
live  upon  clams,  as  the  others  did,  with  some  little  corn 
provided  at  the  charge  of  the  'Honorable  Corporation  for 
the  Indians,'  residing  in  London.  Besides,  Mr.  Hoare 
lost  all  his  building  and  other  cost,  which  he  had  provided 
for  the  entertainment  and  employment  of  those  Indians  ; 
which  was  considerable."     This  was  in  February,  1675-6. 

Only  a  few  Indians  returned  to  Nashoba  after  the  exile. 
Such  was  the  melancholy  ending  of  the  mission  at  Nashoba, 
in  which  more  or  less  of  the  Musketequid  Indians  were 
gathered  together  in  Christian  fellowship. 

It  is  the  old,  oft  repeated  story  of  the  supremacy  of  the 
strong  over  the  weak  and  the  power  of  evil  to  destroy  in  a 
few  days  what  it  took  many  years  to  construct. 

There  is  also  seen  in  this  sad  episode  of  Indian  history 
something  of  the  transmuting  power  of*  the  gospel,  in  that 
while  others  of  the  aboriginal  tribes  were  filled  with  vengeful 
hate  toward  the  white  men  and  giving  way  to  the  powerful 
persuasions  of  King  Philip  of  Pokanoket  to  pillage  the 
fields,  to  burn  dwelling  places,  and  to  murder  or  capture 
the  inhabitants  in  defense  of  their  ancient  hearthstones  and 
hunting  grounds,  the  Christian  Indians  stood  fast  in  their 
new  faith  and  proved  firm  friends  of  the  English. 

William  Tahattawan,  brother  of  John  the  Chieftain, 
although  among  those  who  were  exiled  to  Deer  Island, 
served  as  a  faithful  guide  of  Major  Savage,  a  Colonial 
officer. 

Thomas  Doublet  or  Nepanet,  another  of  the  Nashoba 
Indians  did  good  service  in  procuring  the  release  of  Mrs. 
Rowlandson,  who  was  captured  at  Lancaster  ;  and  when 
Captain   Wadsworth  and  his  command  were  destroyed  at 


3  6  Colonial 

Green  hill,  Sudbury,  the  Christian  Indians  brought  from 
Deer  Island  were  the  first  to  search  the  battle  ground  and 
help  bury  the  slain,  weeping,  it  is  said,  when  they  saw  their 
prostrate  forms. 

Upon  these  things  history  has  not  greatly  enlarged  ;  and 
while  the  multitudinous  records  of  the  misdeeds  and  evil 
practices  of  the  pagan  Indians  have  been  preserved,  the 
true,  the  noble,  the  honorable  acts  of  the  Christian  Indians 
may  have  been  too  much  overlooked,  Christianity  thereby 
losing  a  merited  tribute. 

After  a  while  the  conversation  flagged,  the  fire  burned 
low,  and  two  or  three  of  those  who  had  been  sitting  on  the 
ground  with  their  hands  clasped  around  their  ankles  and 
their  heads  dropped  upon  their  knees  withdrew,  flung 
themselves  upon  the  couches  and  pulled  up  the  bear  skins.. 
As  Major  Gookin  suggested  that  we  also  retire,  we  did 
so,  and  soon  all  was  silent  save  the  pelting  of  the  storm  on 
the  bark  covering  and  a  slight  splashing  of  the  river  waves 
against  the  canoe. 

As  the  strange  surroundings  were  not  conducive  to  the 
soundest  slumber  we  awoke.  Once  we  heard  the  howl- 
ing of  a  wolf  nol»  far  distant.  Now  and  then  there  was 
the  jerky  bark  of  a  fox,  and  toward  morning  a  bear  poked 
his  head  under  the  rush  mat  hanging  at  the  doorway,  and 
we  caught  a  glimpse  of  his  long,  slender  snout,  but  he 
quickly  withdrew  when  he  sniffed  the  scent  of  fire. 


7        ^1FW   YORK 


4 


CHAPTER  V. 

Duck  Hunting  —  River  Scenery  —  Beaver  Dam  — 
Indian  Granary  —  Sweating  Pit  —  Mysterous  Sight 
upon  the  Meadows  —  Arrival  at  the  Manse. 

AT  length  the  morning  came  and  the  inmates  of  the 
wigwam  arose  ;  thoughtless  of  toilet  or  bath,  they 
swung  the  kettle  over  the  coals  as  on  the  night  pre- 
vious, and  threw  into  it  a  little  maize  meal,  to  which 
was  added  a  couple  of  slices  of  dried  pompion,  and  a  small 
handful  of  ground  nuts.  Not  desiring  to  stop  for  break- 
fast, we  thanked  our  kind  hosts  for  their  hospitality,  and 
upon  invitation  of  Mr.  Gookin  stepped  into  a  canoe  and 
were  paddled  across  the  stream  by  Waban. 

Upon  stepping  ashore  we  at  once  entered  a  path  by  the 
meadow  side,  which  we  were  told  would  take  us  to  Parson 
Bulkeley's  house,  when  we  met  Goodmen  Humphrey  Bar- 
rett and  George  Hayward,  each  carrying  a  gun  with  a  long 
slender  barrel  and  a  short  stock.  We  recognized  them  at 
once  having  met  them  the  day  previous  at  the  village  store. 
They  informed  us  that  they  were  going  up  the  river  duck 
hunting  and  would  be  glad  of  our  company. 

Being  desirous  of  learning  something  about  the  river  and 
its  meadows  and  the  game  that  frequented  them,  the  invita- 
tion was  accepted  with  hearty  thanks. 

Before  going,  however,  we  went  to  the  parsonage  to 
inform  the  minister  of  our  change  of  plan  and  get  some 
breakfast,  also  to  borrow  a  fowling  piece  as  Humphrey 
Barrett  said  the  minister  had  a  good  one. 

A  half  hour  and  we  were  back  and  afloat,  gliding  along 
by  willow  clumps  and  water  brush,  starting  now  and  then  a 
solitary  bittern  or  musquash  and  pushing  our  way  mid  such 

37 


3  8  Colonial 

a  profusion  of  lily  pads  and  fragrant  blossoms  as  half  con- 
cealed the  river's  channel. 

As  we  moved  slowly  up  the  stream  past  Nashawtuc  and 
the  South  bridge,  we  were  as  much  in  the  wilderness  as  if 
midway  between  Concord  and  Watertown,  for  the  trees 
approached  the  meadow  bank  on  each  side,  and  but  for 
the  smoke  from  various  chimneys  near  the  Ridgeway,  and 
the  sight  of  a  clearing  by  Major  Willard's  at  the  bridge, 
we  might  for  the  moment  have  forgotten  that  there  was  a 
settlement  at  Musketequid.  The  scenery  was  beautiful. 
The  trees  were  touched  with  a  tint  such  as  Nature  in  her 
best  mood  only  produces  after  the  first  fall  frosts.  The 
sky  was  blue,  and  such  a  blue  as  is  seen  after  an  autumnal 
storm  and  when  the  very  cloudlessness  causes  it  to  be  called 
a  "weather  breeder."  Afar  over  the  woodland  were  occa- 
sional traces  of  white  smoke  indicating  scattered  Indian 
encampments  ;  while  circling  high  over  all  were  here  and 
there  large  flocks  of  wild  water  fowl,  some  of  which  after 
wheeling  gracefully  over  the  meadows,  at  length  settled  on 
the  stream.  So  many  times  they  did  this  and  so  numerous 
were  the  birds  that  we  got  many  good  shots. 

Having  passed  Fairhaven  bay  we  noticed  a  small  stream 
that  suggested  trout,  and  as  we  had  fishing  tackle  which 
Parson  Bulkeley  had  also  loaned  us  and  moreover  were  a 
little  reluctant  to  accompany  our  friends  further,  since  they 
were  intending  to  go  as  far  as  Gulf  brook  to  hunt  for  other 
game,  we  requested  to  be  allowed  to  land  that  we  might 
fish  and  look  about  till  their  return. 

After  stepping  ashore,  we  strolled  inland  by  a  small 
stream,  fishing  as  we  went,  and  now  and  then  capturing  one 
of  its  speckled  inhabitants,  until  we  discovered  a  miniature 
mill  dam,  which  much  surprised  us.  The  dam  was  about 
five  feet  high  and  well  braced,  and  the  thin  waterfall  that 
slid  over  it  upon  the  green  moss  beneath  made  a  soft,  pleas- 
ant murmur.  Not  a  creature  was  visible,  and  so  peaceful 
was  the  scene  that  we  involuntarily  stopped  at  the  first 
glimpse  of  it.     And  it  was  well  we  did,  for  had  we  not,  we 


Concord  3  9 

should  have  lost  an  interesting  spectacle.  We  had  come 
upon  a  beaver  dam,  which  the  settlers,  even  with  their 
laudable  greed  for  beaver  skins,  had  overlooked.  As  we 
crept  through  the  alders  and  tangled  junipers  for  a  safe 
point  to  observe  from,  we  found  ourselves  in  a  well-worn 
path,  which  was  doubtless  made  by  wild  animals  as  they 
watched  the  little  colony,  to  make  it  their  prey.  For  half 
an  hour  we  observed  the  doings  about  this  beaver  dam 
from  a  distance,  and  then  in  order  to  observe  it  more  par- 
ticularly, we  advanced  nearer.  In  an  instant,  there  was  a 
sound  as  if  a  hundred  beaver  tails  had  slapped  concertedly 
upon  the  pond,  and  almost  simultaneously  silence  reigned, 
broken  only  by  the  soft  splash  of  the  waterfall  and  the 
whistling  wing  of  a  wood  duck  which  sought  its  haunt  in  a 
neighboring  oak.  The  tocsin  had  sounded  and  the  clan 
was  gone.  Well  knowing  that  further  study  of  the  beaver 
there  was  impossible,  we  concluded  to  make  a  fire  and  cook 
some  trout  and  see  if  perchance  the  sparks  would  say  any- 
thing about  them. 

As  we  saw  the  day  previous  at  Goodman  Hartwell's 
that  we  could  start  a  blaze  with  the  flint  lock  of  our  fowl- 
ing piece,  we  quickly  whipped  out  some  tow  wadding, 
and  placing  it  over  the  powder  pan,  pulled  the  trigger. 

The  sparks  caught,  and  the  tow  was  ablaze,  and  nursing 
the  feeble  flame  with  some  dry  moss  we  soon  had  a  good 
fire  and  were  listening  to  what  the  sparks  said  about  the 
beavers.  We  learned  that  at  one  time  they  were  quite  plen- 
tiful in  the  Musketequid  region  and  that  certain  localities 
were  named  after  them,  as  Beaver  hole,  Beaver  meadows, 
Beaver  pond,  and  Beaver  brook  ;  we  learned  also  that  they 
were  much  sought  after  in  trade  and  that  a  company  was 
early  formed  to  trafiic  in  them,  and  that  Simon  Willard 
was  at  the  head  of  it ;  we  learned,  furthermore,  that  the 
Indians  valued  the  fur  next  to  wampum ;  that  it  was  a  rude 
standard  of  value ;  that  court  fines  were  sometimes  paid  in 
them  ;  and  that  they  were  good  if  taken  in  any  month  with 
an  R  in  it. 


40  Colonial 

At  length  the  sparks  ceased,  and  as  our  trout  were  about 
broiled,  having  before  listening  placed  two  of  nearly  a 
pound  weight  upon  a  couple  of  spits,  the  largest,  which 
weighed  about  three  pounds,  having  been  reserved  for  Par- 
son Bulkeley,  we  dined  sitting  upon  the  moss  among  the 
birds. 

We  had  hoped  and  expected  from  what  we  had  heard  to 
obtain  a  few  salmon  and  some  shad,  but  our  expectations 
proved  groundless,  and  showed  our  ignorance  of  history ; 
for  although  these  fishes  are  abundant  in  the  spawning  sea- 
son at  the  falls,  yet  at  other  times  they  are  not  numerous. 
However,  we  had  no  cause  to  complain,  for  there  was  no 
dearth  of  other  things  that  were  desirable.  The  woods 
were  full  of  brown  nuts,  rich  river  grapes  hung  in  clusters 
beside  the  meadows,  the  ruffed  grouse  made  the  woods 
resound  with  their  whirring  flights,  and  several  wild  turkeys 
crossed  our  path.  We  now  concluded  to  steer  straight 
through  the  woods  to  Fairhaven,  where  the  boat  was  to 
stop  for  us  ;  so,  putting  up  our  fishing  tackle  and  carefully 
extinguishing  the  fire,  for  we  had  heard  that  the  colonial 
court  had  passed  a  law  forbidding  the  Indians  setting  fires 
in  the  woods  in  the  fall  season,  from  the  great  danger  of 
their  spreading,  we  struck  off  due  east  from  the  dam  and 
soon  found  ourselves  in  a  sunny  upland  which  indented 
the  forest  like  a  small  estuary  in  a  sea  of  grass. 

As  we  emerged  from  the  low  birches  on  the  wood's 
border  we  saw  not  far  from  us  two  Indians,  and  near  them 
what  looked  like  a  large  earth  oven  or  a  half  underground 
tomb.  One  of  the  Indians  was  sitting  at  an  aperture  at  the 
bottom  and  the  other  was  at  the  top  pouring  down  some- 
thing, while  from  the  lower  aperture  steam  was  rapidly  issu- 
ing, nearly  enveloping  the  man  who  sat  near  it.  Curiosity 
prompting  our  approach  we  soon  found  that  here  was  an 
Indian  "sweating  pit,"  such  as  we  were  informed  might  be 
connected  with  every  well-appointed  wigwam  of  a  Sagamore 
(subordinate  chief).  Within  the  pit  was  a  small  stone 
heap,  which  had  been  previously  heated,  and  the  man  at 


Concord  ^l 

the  door  was  a  patient,  who  was  receiving  treatment,  while 
the  zealous  head  of  the  sanitarium  sat  at  the  summit  pour- 
ing in  water  for  the  purpose  of  generating  steam. 

In  broken  English  everything  was  explained  to  us,  both 
about  the  process  and  the  cure;  and  then  the  Indian,  look- 
ing at  our  game,  inquired  of  our  day's  hunt,  while  we  in 
turn,  by  our  inquiries  concerning  their  hunting,  drew  forth 
much  interesting  information.  Among  other  things  we 
learned  that  they  seldom  stocked  up  with  game  until  late 
fall,  because,  having  no  salt,  they  relied  mainly  upon  the 
weather  as  a  preservative. 

As  the  subject  of  food  was  before  us  and  the  Sagamore 
noticed  that  our  queries  were  quite  particular,  he  asked  us 
to  visit  his  granary,  which  was  another  low  earth  mound  of 
about  the  dimensions  of  the  sweating  pit.  We  accepted 
the  invitation.  The  Indian  pulled  away  some  short  poles, 
which  he  said  were  placed  there  to  keep  off  bears,  and  we 
leaned  over  and  peeked  in.  Stored  snug  in  every  cranny 
were  eatables  of  various  kinds,  and  in  such  quantities  as 
might  well  explode  every  theory  of  Indian  improvidence. 
There  were  small  pompions  (pumpkins),  some  acorns,  wal- 
nuts, a  parcel  of  ground  nuts,  several  strings  of  dried  shad, 
some  split  salmon,  a  stack  of  alewives,  a  pile  of  raccoon 
skins  (tanned),  a  huge  heap  of  corn,  and  three  honey 
combs.  The  corn  he  said  his  squaw  raised,  and  that  the 
whole  plot  upon  which  it  was  planted  was  broken  up  by 
her  with  a  stone  hoe.  He  afterwards  showed  us  a  specimen 
of  the  hoe,  which  was  a  sharp  stone  fastened  to  a  handle 
with  a  sapling  withe.  The  nuts  were  gathered  jointly, 
and  the  fish  were  taken  by  himself,  it  being  no  part  of  a 
woman's  task  to  take  game,  she  doing  wigwam  work  or 
being  a  field  hand.  After  this  last  interesting  information 
our  noble  friend,  for  such  he  appeared  to  be  notwithstand- 
ing his  low  estimate  of  a  squaw's  sphere,  inquired  after 
"Big  Pray,"  as  he  recognized  the  parson's  fowHng  piece, 
and  requested  us  to  take  a  salmon  to  him.  Upon  our  as- 
surance   that  we  would  gladly  do  so,  he  thrust  down  into 


4^  Colonial 

his  underground  storehouse  a  sapling  pole  with  a  spear- 
point,  the  same,  he  said,  which  he  thrust  into  it  when  it 
was  captured,  and  brought  up  a  ten  pound  fish,  which  he 
deftly  rolled  and  wound  with  a  willow  twig  for  convenient 
conveyance.  By  this  time  the  other  Indian,  who  evidently 
was  much  recuperated  by  his  late  treatment,  brought  pipes  ; 
not  being  a  smoker,  we  refused  them,  yet  the  act  showed 
such  friendliness  that  we  ventured  to  inquire  further  about 
their  hunting  habits.  We  learned  that  the  great  hunt  of 
the  year  came  in  late  autumn,  and  at  a  time  when  a  warm, 
hazy  atmosphere  made  animate  nature  unusually  astir.  In 
other  words,  it  was  intended  to  be  the  last  warm  spell  of 
fall,  when  the  game  captured  would  keep,  and  from  this 
fact  we  were  not  slow  in  inferring  that  here  was  the  true 
origin  of  Indian  summer,  and  that  whenever  such  a  "spell" 
comes,  if  sufficiently  late,  it  might  be  so  called.  We  did 
not  visit  the  wigwam,  well  knowing  there  was  probably 
nothing  new  there  ;  besides,  the  shadows  were  lengthening 
by  the  birches  and  the  long  lines  of  wild  duck,  which  are 
more  active  toward  evening,  announced  that  nightfall  was 
near :  so,  while  the  steam  was  still  issuing  from  the  "sweat- 
ing pit,"  we  bade  the  Indians  good-bye.  At  the  bay  we 
found  Goodmen  Hay  ward  and  Barrett,  and  in  the  boat 
were  several  turkeys  and  a  small  deer,  the  latter  shot  not 
far  from  "Gulf  brook." 

But  a  step  and  we  were  in ;  and  down  the  Musketequid 
we  glided,  through  the  bay,  pastthe  hill ;  and  soon  on  the 
banks  of  the  south  meadow  we  saw  the  lights  of  several 
wigwam  fires.  The  night  was  dark  and  it  began  to  rain,  for 
the  storm  presaged  by  the  morning  "weather  breeder"  had 
set  in,  and  swift  clouds  from  the  southerly  gave  a  threaten- 
ing prospect.  It  was  not  long  before  there  loomed  a  light 
from  Tahattawan's  wigwam  at  Nashawtuc,  which  was  quite 
welcome,  as  it  showed  we  were  nearing  home.  But  we 
were  not  to  reach  it  quite  as  soon  as  we  thought,  for  scarcely 
had  we  passed  the  precincts  of  this  last  point,  when,  of  a 
sudden,  Goodman  Barrett  dropped  his  paddle  and  almost 


Concord  43 

fell,  as  with  a  shriek  he  uttered  something  about  "a  sight." 
Quickly  starting  up,  for  we  had  crouched  low  to  avoid  the 
storm,  we  saw  "the  sight,"  which  consisted  of  a  small  lumi- 
nous ball  just  over  the  meadow,  slowly  moving  and  only  a 
few  rods  ahead  of  us.  Gently  shoving  the  boat  towards 
the  bank  beside  some  water  brush  we  lay  low  and  quietly 
waited.  It  was  not  long  before  the  strange  light  vanished, 
but  so  thoroughly  aroused  were  we  to  the  danger  of  en- 
countering a  spook  if  we  proceeded,  that  we  concluded  to 
remain  where  we  were  until  the  apparition,  if  such  it  was, 
had  settled  itself.  While  we  sat  with  bated  breath  by  the 
water  brush  various  conjectures  were  made  as  to  the  cause  of 
the  strange  "visitation,"  as  our  friends  called  it,  and  Good- 
man Hayward  ventured  the  suggestion  that  "as  near  as  he 
could  make  out  it  was  over  the  'mort  stone'  near  the  Cart 
bridge  by  the  'Carsey,'  and  he  had  heerd  it  was  a  bad  sign 
to  set  a  'cops'  down  anywhere  after  it  was  started,  and  this 
was  done  with  John  Heald's  *cops'  when  they  stopped  the 
bier  at  the  'mort  stone'  to  keep  the  'buryin'  cloth  on." 

But  Goodman  Barrett  did  not  think  so,  "for,"  he  said, 
"Mort  stones  wus  made  on  purpose  to  set  copses  on  when 
the  bearers  got  tired  of  carryin  'em :  besides,  John  wus 
everybody's  friend,  and  it  wus  not  likely  that  his  sperit 
would  haunt  the  medder-land."  As  for  myself,  I  did  not 
know.  I  had  heard  somewhere  and  sometime  of  strange 
lights  called  "Will-o'-the-wisp,"  but  I  had  never  seen  one 
and  was  not  sure,  so  I  kept  still ;  and  as  Goodmen  Barrett 
and  Hayward  thought  we  had  better  leave  the  boat  and  go 
to  the  manse  across-lots,  I  acceded,  and  we  were  soon 
ashore. 

It  was  but  a  short  walk  that  took  us  from  the  landing 
place  to  a  point  where  we  got  a  glimpse  of  the  friendly 
light  gleaming  out  of  the  little  manse  window,  and,  perhaps, 
the  distance  appeared  less  because  of  our  haste,  for  as  the 
darkness  deepened  and  the  pelting  storm  increased,  we 
hardly  looked  backward  or  sideways,  except  to  take  a  fur- 
tive glance  toward  the  "mort  stone"  when  we  crossed  the 


44  Colonial 

mill  dam.  On  arriving  indoors,  however,  all  was  cheerful. 
Our  wet  doublets  (thick,  sleeveless  jackets),  were  thrown 
aside,  and  having  dried  our  clothes  by  the  welcome  blaze 
of  Parson  Bulkeley's  bright  fire,  we  were  soon  seated  upon 
the  oaken  settle  regaling  ourselves  with  a  posset  (porringer) 
of  hulled  maize  and  goat's  milk,  in  pleasant  anticipation  of 
a  proposed  talk  on  the  town  meeting,  which  was  to  take 
place  on  the  morrow. 

In  preparation  for  the  neighbors  who  were  to  convene 
for  the  evening's  conference,  the  parson  had  brought  in  an 
extra  settle  from  the  room  adjoining  and  placed  an  arm- 
chair at  the   hearth's  corner 


— (      C/5 

lid    OJ 


aa   2, 


CHAPTER     VI. 

Informal  Talk  Preparatory  to  Town  Meeting  — 
The  Apparition  —  Exodus  of  Concord  Settlers  to 
Connecticut  —  Statement  of  Rev.  Cotton  Mather 
—  Effect  of  the  Exodus  on  the  Laity  —  The  Town 
Mae  ting. 

IN  the  short  space  of  time  before  the  first  arrival  not 
much  was  said  of  the  ordinary  day's  happenings,  for 
all  the  talk  was  on  the  episode  closing. 

That  we  had  seen  something  strange  no  one 
doubted,  but,  it  was  said,  "sich  things  have  been  obsarved 
before,"  and  that  this  was  similar  to  that  seen  by  Goody 
Bateman  at  "Cedar  Croft"  and  by  Prudence  Ball  up  at  the 
"bend."  That  it  prognosticated  evil,  however,  was  not 
thought  probable  by  the  Parson,  to  whom  all  looked  in 
this  matter,  as  in  every  other,  for  sound  counsel  and  safe 
solutions,  because  on  other  similar  occasions  nothing  had 
happened  out  of  the  ordinary,  except  that  shortly  after 
Goody  Bateman's  discovery  the  Pequod  war  broke  out  ; 
but  there  were  other  signs  about  that  time,  such  as  sounds 
over  the  trees,  and  the  pale  flashings  of  a  luminous  night 
mist,  and  a  sickly  look  of  the  sun,  which  latter,  however, 
some  were  venturesome  enough  to  assert  was  caused  by  a 
dry  spell.  With  these  various  conjectures  as  to  the  cause, 
the  subject  was  dismissed  after  a  few  practical  remarks  by 
the  pastor  about  the  proper  way  of  improving  all  strange 
and  inexplicable  phenomena. 

When  the  company  had  assembled  we  saw  that  not  all 
were  present  whom  history  informs  us  were  early  at  the 
plantation.  Among  those  absent  were  Elder  John  Jones, 
Goodman  Middlebrook,  two  of  the  Wheelers,  and  some 

45 


46  '  Colonial 

others.  Both  personal  interest  and  curiosity  prompted  us 
to  inquire  the  cause  of  this  ;  but  as  Goodman  Hayward 
when  on  the  boat  had  intimated  that  some  families  had 
gone  away  and  that  there  had  been  discord  in  the  new 
township,  we  kept  still,  thinking  that  when  the  sparks 
snapped  they  might  tell  us.  But  as  there  was  just  then 
burning  on  the  back  log  only  some  small  split  spruce  which 
came  from  the  Parson's  mill  meadow  swamp,  the  sparks 
could  say  nothing  about  it. 

Presently  some  one  brought  in  an  armful  of  cleft  chestnut, 
which  we  were  informed  was  cut  at  Simon  Willard's  at 
Nashawtuc,  and  came  from  a  clump  of  trees  in  his  clearing, 
beneath  which  the  faithful  pastor  and  his  beloved  parish- 
ioner, Mr.  Willard,  had  often  held  sweet  but  sad  converse 
on  town  affairs.  As  the  wood  was  thrown  on  the  "cob 
irons"  and  began  to  crackle  and  glow,  while  Jude  Farwell 
puffed  at  it  lustily  with  a  small  pair  of  buff  colored  bellows, 
we  knew  we  should  soon  hear  something,  since  it  is  char- 
acteristic of  chestnut-wood  to  snap  freely.  Nor  were  we 
wrong  in  our  conjecture,  for  as  the  coals  brightened  the 
sparks  snapped,  and  we  eagerly  caught  the  following : 
There  had  been  an  exodus  and  a  sad  one.  Some  of  the 
original  grantees  had  died.  Mary,  the  wife  of  James  Hos- 
mer,  was  buried  December  3,  1641  ;  Joseph  Meriam  died 
January,  1640;  and  Jane,  the  wife  of  Timothy  Wheeler, 
died  in  December,  1642.  But  other  causes  besides  death 
had  broken  the  ranks.  Several  had  returned  to  old  Eng- 
land ;  some  had  gone  to  settlements  near  the  sea ;  and  in 
October,  1644,  about  one-eighth  part  of  the  Concord 
colony  followed  Elder  John  Jones  to  Fairfield,  Conn.  Of 
course,  curiosity  was  aroused  to  know  the  cause  of  this  last 
removal ;  but  as  before  intimated,  we  surmised  that  the 
subject  might  be  a  delicate  one,  and  that  some  present 
might  be  sensitive  to  any  inquiries  we  might  make  concern- 
ing it. 

But  soon  the  sparks  snapped  out  more  vigorously  than 
ever,  and    the  inference   from    them  was  very  direct    and 


Concord  47 

clear  that  it  was  not  alone  the  "badness  and  wetness  of  the 
meadows"  or  the  "poverty  and  meanness  of  the  soil"  that 
caused  all  the  trouble,  but  an  inharmonious  mixture  of 
too  much  ruling  Elder  with  a  proper  amount  of  teaching 
Elder ;  so  that  it  was  difficult  to  tell  where  the  authority  of 
the  latter  began  and  that  of  the  former  ended.  This  posi- 
tion of  the  sparks  was  confirmed  in  our  minds  by  Cotton 
Mather,  author  of  the  "Magnolia,"  who  stated  that  "diffi- 
culties arose  between  the  minister  and  people  at  Concord, 
which  were  settled  by  calling  a  council  after  the  abdication 
of  one.  of  them,"  that  is,  one  of  the  ecclesiastics  ;  and,  also, 
"that  upon  Mr.  Bulkeley's  pressing  a  piece  of  charity  disa- 
greeable to  the  will  of  the  ruling  Elder  there  was  occasioned 
an  unhappy  discord  in  the  church  of  Concord,"  and  the 
same  thing  is  also  implied  in  a  letter  of  Rev.  Peter  Bulke- 
ley  to  Rev.  Thomas  Shepherd  of  Cambridge,  in  which  he 
asks  his  opinion  as  to  the  relative  power  of  the  ruling 
Elder  and  the  pastor  ;  and  also  in  a  letter  of  Mr.  Bulkeley 
to  Cotton  Mather,  when  he  hints  about  "The  evil  of  the 
times  we  live  in,  and  what  mischief  one  lofty  spirit  that  has 
reputation  for  understanding  can  do  among  the  weak," 

When  the  sparks  from  Mr.  Willard's  cleft  chestnut 
burned  low  we  hardly  expected  to  learn  anything  of  the 
effect  of  this  ecclesiastical  broil  on  the  laity ;  but  just  then 
Robert  Fletcher  threw  on  the  fire  a  stick  of  well  seasoned 
pine,  which  we  were  told  was  cut  and  hauled  for  the  minis- 
ter from  trees  growing  by  the  highway  on  the  "strate 
strete"  by  the  "housen,"  where  a  large  share  of  the  original 
settlers  lived,  and  under  which  many  conversations  had 
been  held.  Upon  this,  we  expected  to  obtain  just  the  in- 
formation we  desired  ;  and  as  the  fire  flashed  and  the  sparks 
merrily  snapped  up  the  chimney  flue,  we  learned  that  the 
ecclesiastical  disturbance  had  a  depressing  effect  on  the  laity 
financially ;  so  that  some  refused  to  pay  their  proportion 
of  the  public  charges ;  and  a  council  called  to  consider  mat- 
ters had  advised  the  clergy  to  be  content  with  what  they 
got,  since  the  burden  on  the    people  was    heavy.     From 


4 8  Colonial  '. 

these  statements  we  inferred  that,  though  the  minister's 
salary  was  only  about  ^70  annually  and  this  to  be  paid 
partly  in  country  produce,  yet,  for  the  people  to  be  taxed 
in  addition  for  a  supernumerary,  was  thought  too  grievous. 

We  also  inferred  this  from  the  fact  that  in  1645  Lieutenant  | 

Simon  Willard  was  excused  from  attendance  as  deputy  to  ! 

the  General  Court,  and  was  supposed  to  go  home  to  cheer  , 

up  the  people ;  and  from  the  fact  that  about  the  same  time  \ 

the  Court  passed  an  order  forbidding  any  person  leaving  ; 

the  townships  of  Concord,  Sudbury,  and  Dedham  except  by  l 

permission  of  the  selectmen  ;  and  that  the  Concord  citizens  \ 

be  exempt    from    the    payment  of  certain  rates  for  three  ''■ 

years ;  only  directing  that    they  still  exercise  in  the  train  I 

band.  j 

As  the  various  topics  talked  of  were  considered  in  the  j 

town  meeting  on  the  day  following,  we  will  not  refer  to  | 
them  until  that  meeting  is  described.     It  is  sufficient  to  say 

that  while  this  preliminary  conference  in  some  of  its  features  ■ 
might  correspond  to  the  modern   caucus,  yet  in  others  it 

did  not,  for  there  were  no  objectionable  poHtics  whatever,  \ 

neither  was  there  anything  representative  of  two  parties ;  j 

but  it  was  only  an  informal  neighborhood  gathering,  de-  | 

signed  to  expedite  matters  at  the  coming  meeting.     What  j 

was  talked  about  was  an  admixture  of  social,  ecclesiastical  i 
and  civil  interests,  showing  plainly  a  quasi-connection  of 

church  and  state,  and  best  designated,  it  may  be,  as  a  New  j 

England  theocracy,  where  the  old  maxim,  "Vox  populi  est  I 

vox  Dei,"  was  reversed  and  made  to  read,  "Vox  Dei  est  ! 

vox  popuH."     When   the  conference  broke  up  the  room  i 

was  soon  vacated.     There  was  no  lingering  for  a  last  word  | 

of  senseless  small  talk,  but  soon  all  was  still  except  for  the  ! 

cHnk^'of  the  tongs  on   the  andirons  as    Parson    Bulkeley  ' 

heaped  the  brands  on  the  back  log  and  tenderly  covered  \ 

them  with  ashes.     The  storm  beat  on  the  diamond-shaped  1 

window  panes  ;  a  fox  barked  near  the  out-buildings,  while  ; 
from  afar,  beyond    the  meadows   near  where    the   "sight" 
appeared,  came  the  deep  baying  of  Simon  Willard's  two 


Concord  49 

house  dogs.  We  picked  up  the  brown  "betty,"  and  care- 
fully carrying  it  so  as  not  to  spill  any  of  the  grease,  we 
bade  the  Parson  good  night  and  went  to  our  room.  We 
found  it  an  unplastered  one,  opening  into  the  lean-to  garret, 
upon  whose  roof  the  autumn  rain  was  falling  pleasantly. 

To  describe  an  old-time  town  meeting  at  Concord  as  it 
occurred  in  the  remote  past  is  a  difficult  and  delicate  task, 
since  the  records  of  each  session  for  about  the  first  half 
century  of  the  settlement  were  probably  destroyed,  as  be- 
fore stated,  in  the  destruction  of  Major  Simon  Willard's 
house  by  fire.  But  if  we  assume  that  Concord  had  customs 
in  common  with  other  colonial  towns,  and  make  conjectures 
based  on  analogy,  we  may  suggest  what  may  have  taken 
place  in  a  town  meeting  at  Concord  about  1655.  Let  it 
be  understood,  then,  that  though  the  following  narration  is 
in  part  fictitious,  yet,  like  much  of  the  foregoing,  it  is 
designed  with  due  reference  to  such  matters  of  tradition 
and  record  as  have  come  to  us,  to  set  forth  the  character  of 
a  people  and  the  customs  and  usages  of  an  age  long  since 
vanished.  The  next  morning  we  arose  bright  and  early. 
The  sunlight  streamed  into  the  manse  windows  and 
stretched  across  the  mill  meadows,  giving  assurance  that 
the  storm  had  subsided. 

As  it  was  our  purpose  to  note  everything  about  the  set- 
tlement, while  breakfast  was  being  prepared  we  walked  out 
to  look  over  the  premises.  The  house  was  not  by  any 
means  an  uncomfortable  one,  for  though  it  was  low  and 
plainly  built,  yet  it  was  snug  and  fairly  commodious.  The 
chimney  was  of  stone,  with  clay  mortar ;  the  outside  was 
covered  with  "clayboards"  (clapboards),  so  called  because 
they  were  fastened  to  the  clay  daubing  of  the  walls,  and  the 
roof  was  thatched  with  meadow  "blue  joint." 

As  we  strolled  abroad  beyond  the  meeting  house  and 
over  the  Ridgeway  we  came  to  one  of  the  "common  plant- 
ing fields,"  where  many  pumpkins  still  remained  ungath- 
ered,  and  now  and  then  scattered  on  the  ground  was  a  long, 
full  ear  of  maize,  showing  the  value  of  fish  as  a  fertilizer, 


50  Colonial 

and  also  that  though  the  Indians  had  tilled  this  same  field 
long  before  the  English  purchased  it,  the  soil  was  still 
strong.  At  the  farther  end  of  the  enclosure  we  saw  a  red 
deer  timidly  browsing  among  the  weeds  for  stray  corn, 
while  skulking  along  the  outskirts  of  the  adjacent  woods 
was  a  lank  wolf.  Upon  seeing  the  wolf  we  were  reminded 
that  it  might  be  breakfast  time  and  made  haste  to  return, 
crossing  over  the  burying  ground  to  the  street,  this  being 
nearer  than  the  way  we  came  and  farther  from  the  wolf. 
We  were  shortly  at  the  manse  door  and  seated  at  the  table. 
The  morning  meal  consisted  of  toast  made  of  goat's  milk 
and  journey  (johnny)  cake,  so-called  from  the  ease  of  mak- 
ing and  its  adaptation  to  people  journeying.  The  toast 
was  served  from  a  tureen,  which  had  been  placed  in  an  iron 
chaffing  dish  with  coals  in  it,  this  useful  article  having  been 
brought  into  requisition  to  keep  the  breakfast  warm  till  our 
return.  The  trenchers  (plates)  were  of  pewter,  and  beside 
each  was  a  beaker  of  water.  There  was  also  some  apple 
mose  which  the  fruit  of  a  few  apple  trees  the  first  in  the 
settlement  had  afforded,  and  this,  with  some  cranberry  tarts 
made  with  rye  crust,  completed  the  meal.  After  breakfast 
the  Parson  returned  thanks,  and  taking  the  well-worn 
Bible  from  a  shelf  read  a  portion  of  it,  then  kneeling  and 
with  hands  reverently  clasped  upon  its  dark  leathern  lids, 
offered  upon  that  altar  in  the  wilderness  a  worship  that  was 
far  more  than  form.  After  prayer  he  exchanged  his  light 
outer  garment  for  a  red  "doublet,"  and  went  to  the  barn  to 
fodder  his  stock.  We  accompanied  him,  conversing  on 
various  practical  matters,  among  which  was  the  value  of 
meadow  grass,  and  our  conclusions  were  that  notwithstand- 
ing what  some  have  said  about  its  worthlessness,  it 
nevertheless  was  quite  serviceable,  and  that  without  it  per- 
haps the  settlers'  cattle  would  have  starved.  "  The  weather 
also  was  considered,  and  about  this  we  concluded  it  was  no 
colder  in  Concord  than  elsewhere,  especially  if  we  could 
credit  the  statements  of  good  Cotton  Mather,  that  in  Salem 


Concord  5 1 

it  was  so  cold  that  sap  forced  out  of  the  wood  by  the  fire 
in  the  middle,  froze  simultaneously  at  both  ends. 

After  the  chores  were  done,  which  were  few,  for  the  Par- 
Son  had  but  two  cows,  we  returned  to  the  manse  and  soon 
went  to  the  meeting  house  where  the  town's  business  was  to 
be  transacted  pursuant  to  a  warrant  previously  posted  on  the 
door,  and  also  upon  a  "publishing  post"  by  the  wayside. 

As  we  entered  the  low,  rectangular  structure,  almost 
severely  plain  in  its  appliances,  and  with  no  chimney, 
steeple,  or  porch,  we  saw  at  a  glance  that  we  could  learn 
nothing  from  the  sparks  about  the  political  management  of 
the  municipality  as  it  related  to  the  past,  for  there  was  no 
fireplace.  We  reverentially  removed  our  hats  and  seated 
ourselves  in  one  of  the  hard,  pen-like  pews  before  the  com- 
munion table,  behind  which  the  moderator  afterward  sta- 
tioned himself;  and  while  waiting  for  the  session  to  open 
we  talked  with  Ensign  Meriam  as  to  the  methods  by  which 
town  affairs  were  conducted. 

Our  conversation  on  this  subject  was  soon  interrupted 
by  the  arrival  of  "Clark"  Willard  with  the  "town  books  ;" 
whereupon  by  motion  of  Goodman  Potter,  Ensign  Hos- 
mer  took  the  chair  and  the  session  began.  Parson  Bulke- 
ley  was  asked  to  pray,  the  "dark's"  records  were  read  and 
"silentiously"  approved,  and  business  commenced.  We 
soon  saw  that  the  principles  of  parliamentary  usage  differed 
but  little  from  those  of  the  present,  though  there  were 
some  quaint  variations  in  terminology.  If  a  measure  was 
passed  without  opposition  it  was  said  to  be  ^^assed  by  a 
"silentious"  vote.  In  some  instances  "it  was  resoluted," 
and  so  recorded,  but  generally,  acts  were  passed  by  a  "majer 
vote"  or  by  a  division  of  voters,  and  the  record  might  read 
"by  a  clere  vote."  The  resolutions  and  measures  adopted 
ranged  all  the  way  from  the  appropriation  of  twenty  shil- 
lings to  pay  for  the  "diet"  of  the  deputy  to  the  Colonial 
Court,  to  the  requisition  of  a  receipt  from  Abimeleck  Bate- 
man  for  the  ninepence  paid  for  publicly  whipping  a  stranger 


52  Colonial 

for  disorderly  drunkenness,  and  for  the  sixpence  paid  for 
placing  a  persistent  Sabbath  breaker  in  the  stocks. 

Among  the  officers  chosen  were  selectmen,  commissioners 
of  rates,  highway  surveyors,  tythingmen,  fence  viewers,  and 
a  "dark."  Among  the  appointments  was  that  of  a  person 
to  procure  a,  "branding  iron"  for  marking  horses,  a  person 
to  take  care  of  the  town's  stock  of  ammunition  ;  a  person 
to  beat  a  drum  to  call  people  to  meeting  on  Sundays  and 
lecture  days,  and  to  sweep  and  keep  clean  the  meeting 
house  ;  a  committee  to  establish  rules  for  cutting  wood  on 
the  "commons"  ;  a  person  to  look  after  and  repair  the 
watch  house  ;  and  George  Fowler  was  appointed  to  "breed 
salt  petre"  in  some  out-house  used  for  poultry.  Mr.  Simon 
Willard  was  allowed  to  sell  wine  and  "strong  water,"  and 
was  to  exercise  the  "train  band." 

Among  things  "ordered"  were  that  "all  persons  who 
shall  cut  down  trees  within  half  a  mile  of  the  meeting  house 
shall  cut  them  up  within  three  months  ;"  (This  order  was 
perhaps  to  prevent  forest  fires.)  that  "any  persons 
who  neglect  to  attend  town  meeting,  they  having  been 
properly  warned,  shall  pay  a  fine  of  two  shillings,  and  if 
they  leave  before  the  close  they  shall  be  fined  the  same  ;" 
and  that  "the  chief  trees  shall  be  left  standing  by  the  high- 
way as  shelter  for  the  cattle  from  the  heat." 

Among  the  appropriations  were  "ten  shillings  to  pay 
Sergeant  Scotchford  for  warning  suspicious  persons  out  of 
town,"  they  being  liable  to  become  a  public  charge  ;  "ten 
shillings  to  purchase  a  new  buryin'  cloth  to  cover  up 
copses ;"  "twenty  shillings  to  set  two  mort  stones  between 
the  Blood  farms  (Carlisle)  and  the  buryin'  ground ;" 
"eight  shillings  to  set  stakes  by  the  causeways,  for  the  use 
of  travelers  at  high  water";  "five  shillings  to  be  paid  Good- 
man Woods  for  mending  the  pound,  besides  half  the 
receipts  for  impounding  stray  cattle  the  ensuing  year ;" 
"three  shillings  to  purchase  a  padlock  for  the  stocks ;"  and 
"five  pounds  for  paying  the  board  of  poor  people  to  such 


Concord  c,2> 

as  would  take  them  at  the  lowest  bid,  they  to   have  good 
and  sufficient  diet  and  suitable  clothing." 

After  the  meeting  broke  up  but  little  was  said,  for  the 
cool  shadows  at  the  close  of  that  early  October  day  sent 
each  householder  hurrying  home  "to  cover  up  things,"  as 
Goodman  Woods  said  there  would  be  a  hard  frost  up  his 
way.  The  meeting  was  adjourned  without  date,  for  Lieu- 
tenant Willard  did  not  know  of  anything  that  should  call 
them  together  until  Michaelmas. 


CHAPTER    VII. 

Scene  by  the  Wayside — Home  of  Timothy  Wheeler — 
Evening  Talk  by  the  Fireplace —  Statements  of  John 
Scotchford — Cause  of  the  Settlement  of  Concord. 

ACCORDING  to  previous  arrangement,  no  sooner 
was  the  meeting  over  than  we  started  with  Timothy 
Wheeler  for  his  home.  This  visit  we  considered 
quite  a  privilege,  inasmuch  as  having  seen  the 
easier  side  of  a  settler's  life  at  the  manse,  we  greatly 
wished  to  see  the  other  side  in  the  quiet  homestead 
of  an  outlying  farm  :  moreover,  we  had  heard  of  Goody 
Wheeler's  "apple  mose"  and  "sweet  conserve,"  and  knew 
that  we  would  receive  there  more  than  an  average  of 
Concord  comforts,  besides  a  chance  of  listening  to  some 
good  stories  from  her  consort,  since  Timothy,  as  he  was 
called  by  the  town  folks,  was  acquainted  with  everybody 
from  the  "nine  acres"  to  the  "lower  medders,"  and  knew 
many  strange  incidents  of  settlers'  life  by  the  Musketequid. 
As  we  left  the  meeting  house  there  passed  us  a  drove  of 
cattle  composed  of  cows,  calves,  and  several  oxen,  which  we 
were  informed  were  the  property  of  various  owners  who 
were  pasturing  them  on  the  common  feeding  field.  Not 
caring  to  be  too  inquisitive  at  the  outset,  for  we  knew  there 
would  be  much  to  inquire  about,  we  asked  no  questions  on 
the  subject,  but  by  the  data  obtained  from  the  sparks  and 
elsewhere  we  inferred  that  there  was  a  daily  herding  of  these 
animals,  and  that  it  was  done  by  each  householder  in  turn 
collecting  them  in  the  morning  and  returning  them  to  the 
barnyard  at  evening;  and  if  we  are  right  in  the  above  infer- 
ence we  may  well  wait  for  a  moment  at  the  next  bar-way 
while  we  reflect  upon  a  custom  that  has  such  pleasing  and 
pastoral  relations.  The  farm  boy  driving  home  the  cows 
has  long  been  a  favorite  subject  for  the  painter,  and  justly 

54 


Concord  ^  ^ 

so,  but  is  It  hardly  comparable  in  its  picturesque  suggestive- 
ness  with  the  bringing  home  of  that  little  lone  herd  from 
the  broad  meadow  lands  and  the  sunny  hillsides  to  the 
snug  straw  thatched  barns  of  the  Concord  husbandmen  ? 
We  can  almost  conceive  of  the  scene,  as  at  sunsetting  by 
the  woodside  pathway  is  heard  the  tinkling  sound  of  the 
bell  wether  and  the  deep  clank,  clonk  of  the  cow  bell,  and 
the  familiar,  breezy  call  of  the  tired  herdsman,  all  of  which 
are  as  welcome  to  the  waiting  milkman  and  maid  as  were 
the  notes  of  the  post  horn  in  the  days  of  stage  travel  to  the 
old-time  tavern-keeper. 

The  natural  concomitant  of  all  this  was  the  dropping  of 
the  barnyard  bars  while  Flora,  Brindle  and  Bess,  good 
stock  from  Surrey  and  Kent,  stepped  over  them,  and  the 
rest  of  the  drove  moved  to  their  own  stalls  further  on. 
And  the  children,  for  they  are  there  in  this  true  back- 
woods nursery,  little  Cerinthy,  Hannah  and  Hope,  Jona- 
than, Jesse  and  Abiather,  are  all  on  hand  with  their 
porringers,  each  to  be  served  first. 

We  were  not  long  in  reaching  Timothy's  house,  which 
was  a  plain  structure  with  a  stout  frame  roughly  boarded 
with  thick  planks  set  upright  inside,  both  for  finish  and 
for  defence  from  attacks  of  the  Northern  and  Eastern 
Indians.  Within  the  building,  things  differed  from  those 
at  Parson  Bulkeley's,  for  the  Parson  was  more  than  well- 
to-do  ;  he  was  for  the  times  wealthy,  and  things  at  the 
manse  were  somewhat  in  accord  with  his  estate.  The 
chimney  was  a  massive  one  placed  near  the  middle  of 
the  house,  and  up  the  broad  flue  over  the  fire-place  was  a 
large  "lug"  of  green  walnut  that  extended  from  ledge  to 
ledge  and  which  Timothy  told  us  might  last  for  several 
months,  but  with  a  liability  if  left  too  long,  of  burning 
through.  This  "lug"  was  used  in  place  of  a  crane,  which 
came  later,  and  upon  it  were  suspended  "hooks  and  tram- 
mels"; below  were  a  pair  of  andirons,  before  which  was  a 
broad,  flaring  hearth  ;  above  the  fireplace  was  a  mantel 
piece,  and  upon  it  a  pair  of  candle-snuflFers,  a  tinder  box 


r6  Colonial 

and  a  "saveall";  the  latter  article  being  a  small  candle  stick 
with  an  upright  pin  proceeding  from  the  centre  and  used 
for  impaling  partly  spent  candles  when  too  short  for  the 
common  candle  stick.  Squashes,  sage,  and  savory  were 
also  there,  while  over  all  were  a  couple  of  firearms  resting 
peacefully  upon  wooden  pegs. 

As  we  entered  the  house  Goody  Wheeler  met  us  with  a 
cheery  look  and  we  soon  felfat  home.  The  evening  meal 
which  was  awaiting  our  arrival  was  laid  on  a  small  pine 
table  without  leaves,  and  though  every  dish  was  unpreten- 
tious, yet  there  was  a  display  of  neatness  and  taste  which  at 
once  convinced  us  of  the  good  sense  of  Timothy's  consort. 
The  food  consisted  of  johnny  cake,  a  trencher  of  apple 
slump,  and  pumpkin  pie  with  a  rye  crust.  There  was 
also  on  a  narrow  side  board  or  adjustable  shelt  hinged  to 
the  wall  and  upheld  in  horizontal  position  by  a  single  stake, 
or  leg,  the  remnant  of  a  boiled  dinner,  but  no  potatoes ; 
the  absence  of  the  latter  being  accounted  for  by  the  fact 
that  potatoes  were  as  yet  but  little  grown  by  the  settlers, 
being  regarded  by  some  at  that  time  as  unfit  for  food.  For 
drink  there  was  home  brewed  beer  either  made  from  barley 
malted  at  the  village  malt  house  or  from  malt  bought  by 
the  ball. 

It  is  needless  to  say  that  town  meeting  had  made  us 
hungry,  and  for  a  half  hour  we  showed  our  appreciation  of 
this  simple  farm  fare. 

Supper  over,  the  food  that  remained  was  removed  to  the 
buttery  in  a  "varder,"  a  utensil  made  for  the  purpose,  and 
the  dishes  after  being  washed  were  placed  in  the  "dresser," 
a  triangular  shaped  closet  in  one  corner  of  the  room. 

The  kitchen  work  being  completed  a  trundle  bed  was 
drawn  out  from  under  the  high  bed  for  little  Cerinthy  and 
Charity:  and  then  Goody  Wheeler  joined  her  husband  and 
myself  who  were  sitting  by  the  fireside. 

Hardly  were  we  fairly  seated  and  engaged  in  conversation 
concerning  Timothy's  crops,  and  methods  of  husbandry, 
when  here  was  a  pull  at  the  latch  string,  and  in    walked 


Concord  5  7 

Goodman  John  Scotchford,  whom  we  met  at  town  meeting, 
and  who  had  come  over  with  his  wife  Susanna  for  an  even- 
ings talk.  Their  arrival  was  timely,  for  we  had  ascertained 
in  a  conversation  held  with  him  at  the  meeting  house  that 
he  was  of  the  company  that  arrived  at  Concord  the  first 
fall,  and  was  therefore  conversant  with  the  settlers'  earliest 
experience  the  first  year,  and  also  knew  something  of  their 
antecedents  in  England ;  some  of  which  things  we  could 
hardly  have  expected  to  ascertain  from  Timothy  Wheeler, 
since  he  did  not  join  the  Concord  colony  until  1639. 

It  was  not  long  before  we  were  conversing  on  these  sub- 
jects, and  soon  obtained  facts  which  taken  in  conjunction 
with  what  the  sparks  had  deposed  in  other  places  led  us  to 
infer  that  the  Concord  grantees,  whether  of  the  company 
first  arriving  or  those  who  soon  followed,  were  mostly 
Englishmen,  and  that  they  came  to  America  not  as  worldly 
minded  adventurers  but  rather  as  sturdy  Puritans ;  so  that 
it  is  by  no  false  nomenclature  that  we  speak  of  the  Puritan 
pilgrims  of  Concord,  and  assert  that  their  early  homes  by 
the  Musketequid  were  in  every  sense  shrines  of  the  truth, 
where  liberty  loving  devotees  burned  incense.  That  these 
pilgrims  founded  the  township  at  a  sacrifice  can  scarcely  be 
doubted  ;  for  was  it  not  that  which  John  Scotchford  told 
us  ?  and  did  not  the  sparks  snap  vigorously  and  even  the 
cob  irons  suddenly  redden  with  an  additional  glow  as  he 
described  his  home  beyond  seas  ? 

Most  surely,  there  could  be  no  mistaking  on  this  point; 
for,  although  the  wind  blew  bleakly  outside  and  occasionally 
crept  down  the  chimney  with  a  melancholy  wail,  giving  an 
unwonted  brightness  to  the  back  log,  yet  not  half  so  bright 
was  it  as  the  picture  given  by  him  of  his  far,  EngHsh  birth- 
place. But  the  more  pathetic  part  of  his  narration  was  that 
relating  to  his  leaving  home  ;  and  here  he  became  agitated 
and  appeared  to  live  again  that  part  of  his  life  which  he 
thought  the  saddest.  He  spoke  of  the  prayers  and  the 
parting  at  his  parents'  threshold,  and  the  words  of  blessing 
at  the  garden  gate. 


5  8  Colonial 

At  this  point  in  the  narrative  the  sparks  stopped  snap- 
ping and  the  coals  were  fast  fading  into  an  ashen  hue,  giv- 
ing the  room  a  sombre  appearance ;  moreover,  John  acted 
as  if  he  did  not  care  to  talk  further,  but  sat  silently  gazing 
upon  the  changeful  embers  as  though  he  saw  images  in 
them  ;  while  Susanna  sighed  heavily  like  one  thinking  of 
things  far  distant.  Presently,  Timothy  Wheeler  arose  and 
threw  upon  the  fire  a  few  chips,  whereupon  John  began 
slowly  pacing  the  room. 

As  for  ourselves  we  did  not  care  to  say  anything.  It 
was  a  time  for  thought.  The  facts  stated  had  been  impres- 
sive, and  John's  manner  was  so  demonstrative  that  it 
needed  nothing  farther  from  any  one  to  convince  us  of  the 
cause  of  the  Puritans'  exodus  to  America ;  and  that  the 
inhabitants  in  the  lone  hamlet  at  Concord  became  pilgrims 
for  things  not  of  earth.  Moreover,  the  spell  that  had  over- 
taken John  was  upon  us  also  ;  we  saw  spectres  in  the  air 
and  weird  pictures.  Sprites  danced  down  the  great  chim- 
ney flue  and  perched  on  the  sooty  lug  bar ;  the  candle 
flared ;  its  spent  wick  sputtered  and  the  last  spark  ceased  to 
twinkle  ;  the  back  log  broke  and  half  buried  itself  in  the 
ashes  ;  and  it  was  twice  night  in  Timothy  Wheeler's  domi- 
cile,—  the  night  of  nature  and  the  night  of  the  past. 
Meekly  bowing  to  the  inevitable,  as  we  always  mean  to, 
we  immediately  mused  on  the  apostrophe  of  the  poet 
Lowell  to  the  great  monarch  whose  realm  we  had  invaded  : 

<'0  realm  of  silence  and  of  swart  eclipse. 

The  shapes  that  haunt  thy  gloom 
Make  signs  to  us  and  move  thy  withered  lips 

Across  the  gulf  of  doom  ; 

Yet  all  their  sound  and  motion 
Bring  no  more  freight  to  us  than  wraiths  of  ships 

On  the  mirage's  ocean." 

The  silence  had  continued  till  it  began  to  be  quite  un- 
comfortable, when  the  chips  last  thrown  upon  the  coals 
became  suddenly  ignited,  and  as  the  flames  roared  up  the 
chimney  the  sprites  followed  them,  and  when  the  hinder- 


Concord  59 

most  leaped  over  the  lug  stick  there  was  a  sharp  whine 
from  the  dog  Towser  as  if  making  sympathetic  response  to 
the  sad  narration. 

The  noise  of  Towser  awoke  Charity  and  little  Cerinthy, 
whose  deep  and  peaceful  breathing  had  been  one  of  the 
pleasant  features  of  the  evening.  As  Cerinthy  climbed 
out  of  the  trundle  bed  and  ran  to  Goody  Wheeler, 
saying  she  was  lonesome,  it  occurred  to  us  to  inquire  some- 
thing about  child  life  in  the  earlier  days  of  the  Concord 
colony.  This  we  did,  and  learned  among  other  things  that 
some  of  the  settlers  who  arrived  early  brought  with  them 
several  children,  and  that  the  families  were  generally  large, 
as  the  Hartwells,  Willards  and  some  of  the  Wheelers, 
although  this  was  not  the  case  with  our  friend  Timothy, 
for  we  had  ascertained  in  the  course  of  our  conversation 
that  Cerinthy  and  Charity  were  not  their  own  children,  but 
they  had  taken  them  into  their  home  from  a  household 
that  was  somewhat  straightened  in  means. 

As  the  subject  of  child  life  was  being  discussed  we  noticed 
that  the  ears  of  little  Charity  were  evidently  open  to  all 
that  was  being  said,  and  thought  it  might  be  in  poor  taste 
to  continue  our  interrogatories  farther  concerning  this  mat- 
ter. We  were  not  compelled,  however,  to  leave  the  topic 
here,  for  no  sooner  had  our  talk  upon  it  ceased,  than  Tim- 
othy took  from  the  wood  box  and  threw  against  the  chim- 
ney back  a  handful  of  pine  cones,  which  he  informed  us 
the  children  had  gathered  in  the  warm  fall  days  for  winter 
kindling.  Immediately,  these  inflammable  objects  became 
ablaze,  and  as  they  crackled  the  sparks  snapped  and  struck 
out  until  all  moved  back  from  the  hearth's  edge  lest  they 
be  burned  by  them. 


CHAPTER    VIII. 

Continued  Account  of  Colonial  Child  Life — Synop-  . 
sis  of  Events  the  First  Year  at  the  Musketequid 
Settlement  —  Purchase  of  Territory  from  the 
Indians  —  Plan  of  the  Township  —  Names  of  the 
Original  Grantees  —  Description  of  the  Journey 
from   Watertown  to  Concord. 

HERE  was  an  opportunity,  for  not  only  were  we  in 
the  way  to  get  at  the  indoor  experience  of  the 
children,  but  also  to  know  something  of  their  prat- 
tle and  play  and  their  little  duties  outside ;  so 
while  the  rest  were  talking  together  about  an  expected  visit 
from  Parson  Bulkeley  to  catechise  their  households,  we  sat 
quietly  listening  as  the  sparks  spoke,  and  the  following  is  - 
what  we  learned. 

Before  the  birth  of  a  child  preparation  was  made  for  a 
jubilee  dinner  or  supper  to  be  held  a  few  weeks  after  the 
child  was  born,  at  which  the  nurse  and  others  were  invited, 
and  what  was  called  "grooming"  beer  and  "grooming"  cake 
were  prepared  for  this  occasion  weeks  beforehand.  On  the 
Sunday  next  after  the  birth  the  babe  was  taken  to  the 
meeting  house  for  baptism,  and  it  mattered  not  about  the 
weather,  for  the  "chrisom"  child  was  to  undergo  the  rite 
even  if  ice  had  to  be  broken  in  the  "christening  bowl." 

It  was  usually  carried  in  the  arms  of  the  midwife  and 
was  attired  in  a  "bearing  cloth"  or  "christening  blanket" 
made  of  linen  and  woven  by  hand,  and  when  at  the  altar  it 
was  placed  in  the  arms  of  the  father. 

The  little  children  in  early  times  were  usually  clothed 
with  the  best  the  householder  could  afford.     An  important 
article  of  dress  for  church  service,  whether  in  summer  or 
60 


RALPH    WALDO    EMERSON. 


PERMISSION     OF     FOSTER     BROS. 


THE 

NEW  YORK 

PUBLIC  LIBRARY 

Asior,  Lenox  and  TUden^ 


Concord  6 1 

winter,  was  a  low  necked  and  short  sleeved  shirt,  and  its 
head  was  covered  with  a  "bigger"  or  cap. 

The  first  time  a  babe  was  moved  from  the  room  it  was 
carried  upstairs  with  silver  or  gold  in  its  hand  to  bring 
wealth  and  to  cause  it  always  to  rise  in  the  world.  It  also 
had  scarlet  laid  upon  its  head  to  keep  it  from  harm. 
Among  the  prescriptions  for  children's  ailments  was  "snail- 
water";  a  concoction  of  garden  snails,  earth  worms,  rue, 
agrimony,  barberry  bark,  bear's  foot,  and  betony.  The 
snails  were  to  be  washed  in  small  beer  and  bruised  in  a 
stone  mortar  and  then  mixed  with  the  crushed  earth  worms. 
To  facilitate  teething,  babes  sometimes  wore  anodyne  neck- 
laces ;  and  one  old  writer  recommends  for  teething,  milk 
pottage,  "flummery,"  and  warm  beer.  The  children  were 
early  sent  to  what  were  called  "Dame  schools,"  where  they 
were  taught  among  other  rudiments  of  knowledge,  to  sew, 
knit,  spin,  and  weave. 

The  "boughten"  luxuries  of  the  boys  and  girls  were  not 
many  nor  great.  We  hear  of  "lemon  pil  candy,"  and 
"angelica  candy,"  and  "carraway  comfits";  but  confections 
were  probably  only  the  things  of  an  occasional  holiday,  and 
even  then  not  to  be  practically  thought  of  by  the  average 
child.  Amusements  of  an  intellectual  nature  were  quite  as 
few,  there  being  little  perhaps  of  an  amusing  character  until 
the  appearance  of  the  "Mother  Goose  Melodies." 

Some  of  the  books  of  the  period  are  the  following  : — the 
titles  of  which  we  conclude  could  not  have  been  very  attrac- 
tive, notwithstanding  Cotton  Mather  said  in  his  election 
sermon  before  the  governor  and  council  in  1685,  "The 
youth  of  this  country  are  verrie  sharp  and  early  ripe  in 
their  capacities." — "A  Looking  Glass  for  Children,"  "The 
Life  of  Mary  Paddock,  Who  Died  at  the  Age  of  Nine," 
"A  Particular  Account  of  Some  Extraordinary  Pious 
Motions  and  Devout  Exercises  Observed  of  Late  in  Many 
Children  of  Siberia." 

But  notwithstanding  the  paucity  of  amusements  and  gala 
days  caused  by  the  severity  of  the  times,  child  nature  would 


62  Colonial 

assert  itself  and  mirth  and  meriy  making  could  not  be  sup- 
pressed. It  found  expression  at  the  corn  huskings,  apple 
bees,  and  quiltings,  and  whenever  the  older  folks  gathered 
of  an  evening  in  a  neighborly  way  the  children  were  pre- 
sent, and  seated  on  stools  in  the  back  part  of  the  room, 
listened  to  stories  of  forest  adventure  and  village  gossip, 
and  shared  with  their  elders  the  pop-corn,  apples  and  cider, 
or  cracked  nuts  all  by  themselves  near  the  oven's  mouth, 
while  they  may  have  made  many  an  innocent  caricature  of 
some  quaint  individual.  Even  in  their  work  they  found 
play.  If  they  kept  the  blackbirds  from  the  corn  there  was 
many  a  skip,  and  jump,  and  gleeful  halloo.  If  they  drove 
afield  the  herds  and  flocks  there  was  the  bird's  nest  that 
they  visited  and  the  brook  in  which  they  waded  or  swam. 
If  they  went  on  errands  there  were  the  berries  by  the  way- 
side, and  the  squirrel,  woodchuck  and  coons.  They  had 
access  to  the  purple  wild  grapes,  and  the  brown  nuts  of  the 
woods.  The  field  flowers  they  could  see  at  their  best,  and 
they  had  an  appetite  for  anything  eatable.  With  such 
pleasures  they  were  satisfied. 

"Learn  to  Obey"  and  little  "Hate-evil"  could  frolic  and 
romp  as  much  as  they  pleased  when  sent  to  the  "close"  to 
call  the  men  folks,  and  nothing  could  prevent  Welcome 
Wheat  from  waiting  at  the  bar-way  before  dropping  the 
rails  until  she  heard  the  familiar  co,  co,  co,  from  Mindwell 
Dean,  as  he  coaxed  his  herd  from  an  adjacent  pasture  in 
order  to  drive  their  droves  home  together. 

In  these  homes  the  families  were  usually  large,  and  there 
was  the  companionship  of  near  ages,  and  the  crude  play- 
things served  as  did  the  same  cradle  for  each  new  comer. 
It  mattered  not  if  Helpful  Hunt  and  prattling  Patience 
Potter,  and  the  twins,  Thomas  and  Haggai  Hayward, 
could  not  go  with  a  "ha-penny"  to  Robert  Meriam's  grocery 
for  a  "carraway  comfit"  or  a  stick  of  "angelica  candy,"  for 
their  happiness  did  not  depend  on  these  things.  More- 
over, their  mothers  made  marmalade,  and  "quidonies,"  and 
"typocias,"  and  sometimes  when  they  had  company  there 


Concord  ^2 

was  the  "sack  posset"  made  of  sack,  ale,  cream,  and  eggs, 
which  even  baby  Jane  sometimes  sipped  from  the  "pap 
spoon."  There  was  the  sweet  "pumpkin  bread"  and  the 
occasional  sweet  cake  of  "guinny  wheat."  Furthermore, 
at  the  "Dame  schools"  there  was  doubtless  no  little  of  fun, 
and  of  that  merriment  which  school  life  always  finds  no 
matter  how  staid  or  strict  the  environment,  and  we  may 
easily  conjecture  that  at  one  of  these  early  Concord  kinder- 
gartens while  Dame  Dakin  had  stepped  to  the  kitchen  to 
get  a  noggin  of  hot  "mumm"  (a  fat  ale  made  of  oat  meal 
and  malt)  "to  stay  her  stomach,"  Fidelity  Flint  and 
Honorbright  Hartwell  have  crept  to  the  "noon  mark"  to 
see  how  near  it  is  to  dinner  time. 

As  it  was  getting  late  we  concluded  to  retire,  and  upon 
making  known  our  intention,  Timothy  Wheeler  slipped 
from  the  candlestick  the  spent  candle  and  placed  it  upon 
a  saveall,  saying,  "It  will  more  than  last  till  you  git  to 
bed."  He  did  not  know,  however,  that  to  retire  from 
the  hearth  side  was  not  to  retire  to  our  couch,  but  that 
there  was  to  be  a  review  of  what  had  been  said  by  John 
Scotchford  and  a  noting  of  it. 

And  now  let  us  pause  in  our  story  and  briefly  consider 
some  events  that  are  matters  of  record,  together  with  what 
may  have  been  some  of  the  scenes,  incidents  and  processes 
in  connection  with  the  beginning  of  the  settlement  of 
Concord. 

As  has  been  stated,  several  families  in  the  fall  of  1635 
went  from  Watertown  to  a  spot  by  the  Musketequid  river 
to  establish  a  township.  The  territory  was  purchased  of 
the  Indians  and  was  surrounded  on  all  sides  by  their  land. 
A  part  of  the  price  was  paid  in  "wampum-peage,  hatchets. 
Hows,  knives,  cotton  cloth,  and  shirts."  It  is  stated  that 
an  agreement  to  sell  the  land,  or  the  actual  sale  of  it,  was 
made  at  the  house  of  Rev.   Peter   Bulkeley. 

The  deed  was  early  lost  and  never  recovered,  but  there 
is  ample  evidence  that  it  was  duly  executed  and  delivered. 
Tradition  states  that  the  bargain  was  made  under  an  oak 


64  Colonial 

tree  called  Jethro's  tree,  and  that  the  tree  stood  at  a  spot 
just  in  front  of  the  site  of  the  old  Middlesex  hotel  at  the 
southwesterly  end  of  Concord  square. 

On  Sept,  2,  1635,  ^h^  tract  was  granted  by  the  act  of 
the  Colonial  Court,  as  was  customary,  and  was  to  be, 
according  to  Governor  Winthrop,  "6  myles  of  land 
square."  The  name  Concord  may  have  been  given  it  from 
the  harmony  early  existing  among  the  grantees.  The  deed 
of  conveyance  was  probably  signed  by  those  who  made  the 
agreement  to  sell,  among  whom  were  the  squaw  Sachem, 
Tahattawan ;  Muttanktuckes,  Nimrod  and  others,  accord- 
ing to  various  depositions,  and  we  believe  it  not  improbable 
that  the  others  referred  to  were  Kato,  a  former  In- 
dian owner  of  the  Sudbury  plantation,  Jehojakim,  Majus, 
Musqua,  some  of  the  Speen  family,  Musquamog,  Bohew, 
Boman,  Nepanum,  and  Wenneto. 

No  plan  of  the  territory  acquired  by  the  first  purchase 
is  known  to  have  ever  been  made,  but  it  is  supposed  that 
the  township  was  surveyed  and  laid  out  by  Major  Simon 
Willard.  It  has  been  stated  that  the  tract  was  to  be  three 
miles  north,  south,  east  and  west,  that  the  house  lot  of 
Rev.  Peter  Bulkeley  was  its  geographical  center,  and  that 
it  included  among  its  natural  advantages  six  mill  privileges, 
seven  ponds  and  more  than  nine  miles  of  river  course. 

Stone  bounds  were  set  at  the  corners  of  the  township, 
and  tradition  has  pointed  out  the  place  of  some  of  them. 
In  process  of  time  other  land  acquisitions  were  added  to 
the  original  grant,  notably  among  which  were  Concord 
village  (Acton),  and  the  Blood  farm  (Carlisle). 

The  names  of  all  the  settlers  who  had  reached  the  place 
of  settlement  by  iG^S  and  1636  is  uncertain  but  a  part  of 
them  are  Rev.  Peter  Bulkeley,  Elder  John  Jones,  Hay- 
ward,  Heald,  Fletcher;  William  and  Thomas  Bateman, 
Hosmer,  Potter,  Ball,  Rice,  Hartwell,  Meriam,  Judson,  ^ 
Griffin,  George,  Joseph  and  Obadiah  Wheeler  and  John 
Scotchford.  Peter  Bulkeley  came  from  Wodell,  Bedford- 
shire county,   England;    James   Hosmer  from   Hockhurst 


Concord  6  5 

in  Kent,  John  Heald  from  Berwick  in  Northumberland, 
William  Buttrick  from  Kingston  on  Thames  in  Surrey, 
John  Ball  from  Wiltshire,  and  the  Wheelers,  according  to 
tradition,  from  Wales. 

The  names  of  settlers  who  arrived  at  Concord  between 
1635-6  and  1640  are  Thomas  Flint  from  Matlock,  Wil- 
liam Hunt  from  Yorkshire,  Ephraim  Thomas  and  Timothy- 
Wheeler,  whom  tradition  says  came  from  Wales  ;  Thomas 
Brooks  from  London,  Jonathan  Mitchell  from  Yorkshire, 
Stow,  Blood,  Brown,  Andrews,  Atkinson,  Barrett,  Billings, 
Miles,  Smeadley,  Squire,  Underwood,  Burr,  Draper,  Far- 
well,  Chandler,  Gobble,  Fox  and  probably  Middlebrook, 
Odell  and  Fuller. 

Some  of  the  larger  estates  of  these  settlers  are  estimated 
as  follows :  Peter  Bulkeley,  ^6000 ;  Thomas  Flint, 
^4000 ;  William  and  Thomas  Bateman,  ^34^  '•>  George 
H  ay  ward,  ;^  500  ;  William  Hunt,  ^^596.  James  Blood  and 
Thomas  Stow  were  large  real  estate  owners. 

There  is  no  evidence  that  these  families  lived  together 
before  their  arrival  in  America ;  neither  have  we  any  evi- 
dence that  the  settlement  was  planned  in  England. 

The  journey  to  the  Musketequid  country  was  doubtless 
an  arduous  one  and  attended  with  peril,  as  we  may  infer 
from  the  following  account  given  by  the  writer  Edward 
Johnson  in  his  "Wonder  working  JProvidence  of  Zion's 
Saviour." 

"Sometimes  passing  through  the  thickets,  where  their 
hands  are  forced  to  break  way  for  their  bodies'  p'^.ssage,  and 
their  feet  clambering  over  the  crossed  trees,  which  when 
they  missed  they  sink  into  an  uncertain  bottom  in  water, 
and  wade  up  to  their  knees,  tumbling  sometimes  higher  and 
sometimes  lower.  Wearied  with  this  toil,  they  at  the  end 
of  this  meet  with  scorching  plains,  yet  nof^  so  plain  but 
that  the  ragged  bushes  scratch  their  legs  fouly,  even  to 
wearing  their  stockings  to  their  bare  skin  in  two  or  three 
hours.  If  they  are  not  otherwise  well  defended  with  boots 
or  buskins,  their  flesh  will  be  torn,  —  some  of  them  being 


66  Colonial 


forced  to  pass  on  without  further  provision,  have  had  the 
blood  trickle  down  at  every  step.  And  in  time  of  summer, 
the  sun  cast  such  a  reflecting  heat  from  the  sweet  fern, 
whose  scent  is  so  very  strong,  that  some  herewith  have 
been  very  near  fainting,  altho  very  able  bodies  to  endure 
much  travel.  And  this  not  to  be  indured  for  one  day,  but 
for  many  ;  and  verily  did  not  the  Lord  encourage  their 
natural  parts  with  hopes  of  a  new  and  strange  discovery, 
expecting  every  hour  to  see  some  rare  sight  never  seen 
before,  they  were  not  able  to  hold  out  and  break  through. 
*  *  *  After  some  days  spent  in  search,  toiling  in  the  day- 
time, as  formerly  said,  like  true  Jacob  they  rest  them  on 
the  rocks  where  the  night  takes  them.  Their  short  repast 
is  some  small  pittance  of  bread,  if  it  holds  out ;  but  as  for 
drink  they  have  plenty,  the  country  being  well  watered  in 
all  places  that  are  yet  found  out.  Their  further  hardship 
is  to  travel,  sometimes  they  know  not  whither,  bewildered 
indeed  without  sight  of  sun,  their  compass  miscarrving  in 
crowding  through  the  bushes.  They  sadly  search  up  and 
down  for  a  known  way,  the  Indian  paths  being  not  above 
one  foot  broad,  so  that  a  man  may  travel  many  days  and 
never  find  one.  '''  *  '''  This  intricate  work  no  whit  daunted 
these  resolved  servants  of  Christ  to  go  on  with  the  work  in 
hand,  but  lying  in  the  open  air  while  the  watery  clouds 
pour  down  all  the  night  season,  and  sometimes  the  driving 
snow  desolving  on  their  backs,  they  keep  their  wet  clothes 
warm  with  continued  fire  till  the  renewed  morning  gives 
fresh  opportunity  of  further  travel." 

This  account  may  perhaps  relate  to  the  journeys  of  var- 
ious companies  who  went  at  different  seasons  to  the  pro- 
posed new  plantation,  rather  than  to  any  one  journey  made 
by  explorers  or  permanent  settlers. 

The  language  is  strong  and  may  have  been  designed  to 
convey  for  substance  a  general  instead  of  a  detailed  descrip- 
tion. 

Captain  Edward  Johnson  was  one  of  the  prominent 
founders  of  Woburn  and  a  good  man. 


Concord  67 

He  wrote  about  the  settlement  of  other  New  England 
towns  also  ;  and  doubtless  obtained  much  of  his  informa- 
tion from  conversations  with  their  inhabitants. 

The  goods  of  the  settlers  were  conveyed  to  Concord  in 
teams  which  were  impressed  by  order  of  the  Colonial 
Court ;  as  indicated  by  the  following  record,  dated  Sept.  2, 
1635: 

"It  is  ordered  that  there  shall  be  a  Plantation  at  Mus- 
ketequid,  and  that  there  shall  be  six  miles  square  to  belong 
to  it,  and  that  the  inhabitants  thereof  shall  have  three  years 
immunities  from  all  public  charges  except  trainings.  Fur- 
ther, that  when  any  that  shall  plant  there  shall  have  occa- 
sion of  carrying  of  goods  thither,  they  shall  repair  to  two 
of  tne  next  magistrates  where  the  teams  are,  who  shall  have 
power  for  a  year  to  press  draughts  at  reasonable  rates  to  be 
paid  by  the  owners  of  the  goods  to  transport  their  goods 
thither  at  seasonable  times.  And  the  name  of  the  place  is 
changed,  and  henceforth  to  be  called  Concord." 

The  preparation  for  the  departure  from  Watertown  into 
the  wilderness  was  doubtless  short ;  for  the  settlers  would 
have  but  few  household  articles  to  take  with  them  ;  but  the 
scene  at  the  departure  was  probably  an  interesting  one. 
We  may  conjecture  that  foremost  in  the  procession  were 
several  outriders,  who  were  for  watch  and  ward  lest  the 
train  be  attacked  by  hostile  Indians,  for  as  yet  the  settlers 
did  not  know  the  friendly  character  of  the  natives.  Be- 
tween the  wagons  and  the  vanguard  were,  naturally,  the 
cattle,  sheep,  goats  and  swine,  upon  whose  safety  so  much 
depended.  Lastly,  and  accompanied  probably  by  some  of 
the  more  lusty  of  the  company  as  a  rear  guard,  we  may 
suppose  rode  reverentially  and  anxiously.  Rev.  Peter 
Bulkeley  and  Elder  John  Jones. 

As  there  were  no  roads  nor  bridges,  fording  places  were  to 
be  sought,  for  crossing  the  streams  ;  swamps  ^^^ere  to  be 
avoided  by  a  circuitous  path,  and  fodder  for  the  animals 
was  either  to  be  carried  or  obtained  from  the  tufts  of  wild 
wood  grass  or  from  occasional  open  spaces  in  the  forest. 

As  more  than  one    day  was  consumed  in  making    the 


68  Colonial 

journey,  at  night  everything  was  to  be  carefully  guarded, 
and,  let  the  weather  be  what  it  might,  there  was  no  shelter 
but  an  improvised  one  of  tree  branches  or  that  of  some 
projecting  rock  or  friendly  windfall. 

No  welcome  of  any  kind  awaited  their  arrival,  but  in- 
stead, 

"Bleak  Nature's  desolation  wraps  them  round. 
Eternal  forests,  and  unyielding  earth. 
And  savage  men,  who  through  the  thickets  peer, 
With  vengeful  arrow." 

The  only  sounds  that  greeted  them  were  of  the  wilder- 
ness. The  eagle  screamed  over  the  pines  by  the  ridgeway, 
and  from  the  vast  meadow  wastes  came  the  deep  booming 
of  the  lone  bittern.  Down  the  gentle  defiles,  which  after  a 
lapse  of  two  centuries  have  become  such  pleasant  places, 
danced  the  dim  shadows  of  an  early  twilight,  and  long  be- 
fore the  day  was  done  the  wild  beast  began  his  nightly 
prowling  with  dismal  cry  and  suspicious  skulk. 

But  there  are  other  things  which  may  have  lent  their 
influence  to  make  the  arrival  a  forbidding  one.  There  was 
in  the  nature  of  the  Massachusetts  Bay  settlers  an  element 
of  superstition  which  was  easily  aroused,  and  there  were 
conditions  in  the  country  about  Concord  suited  to  call  it 
forth  to  an  unusual  degree ;  ponds  with  lonely  environ- 
ments, from  which  the  loons  wild  and  pathetic  cry  as  it 
pealed  over  the  woodland  might  be  mistaken  for  the  spirit 
of  some  unavenged  victim  of  Indian  hate;  dark  recesses 
by  the  meadow  border,  upon  which  the  night  bird  de- 
scended with  whistling  wing,  making  sounds  which  to  unac- 
customed ears  might  be  mistaken  for  voices  unearthly ; 
dark,  evergreen  groves  by  the  hillside ;  tangled  and  vine 
webbed  archways  beneath  which  were  the  imprints  of 
unknown  animals,  or  of  strange  moccasined  feet ;  fresh 
coals  on  abandoned  hearthstones,  suggestive  of  some  one 
living,  and  perhaps  somewhere  listening  and  watching  ;  all 
these  things  and  others  it  may  be  of  like  nature  awaited 
the  settlers. 


THE 

NEW  YORK 

PUBLIC  UBRARy' 

Astor,  Lenox  and  JMtn 
Foundations. 


CHAPTER   IX. 

Character  of  the  First  Houses  —  Food^  Clothings 
Occupation  —  Preparations  for  Cold  Weather  — 
The  Setting  in  of  Winter —  Trials  and  Amusements 
—  The  Coming  of  Spring  —  Scenes  Along  the  Mus- 
ketequid. 

THE  first  work  that  presented  itself  was  that  of 
providing  themselves  shelter;  in  doing  this  they 
seized  upon  every  advantage. 

They  laid  out  their  stinted  house  lots  at  the  foot  of  the 
ridgeway  before  spoken  of,  thinking,  it  may  be  that  the 
bank  to  the  northerly  would  prove  a  friendly  wind  break, 
and  that  the  southerly  slope  would  catch  the  slant  beams 
of  the  winter's  sun.  But  the  expected  advantage  had  its 
drawback,  for  old  Boreas  strode  ruthlessly  down  the  little 
"strate  strete"  and  knocked  loudly  at  their  cabin  doors, 
while  the  snow  swept  by  his  besom  from  the  "great  fields" 
above,  fell  unexpectedly  over  the  bank,  and  only  awaited 
the  springtime  to  melt  and  flood  their  dwellings. 

The  first  houses  were  thinly  scattered  from  what  is  now 
Concord  square  to  "Meriam's  corner."  They  were  con- 
structed by  the  driving  or  setting  of  upright  stakes  or 
logs  at  the  foot  of  the  hill,  and  the  placing  thereon  of 
stringers  or  poles,  which,  resting  on  the  sloping  ground 
formed  a  roof  admitting  of  a  room  beneath,  by  the  removal 
of  the  earth.  The  roof  poles  were  covered  with  sods, 
or  brushwood  thatched  with  grass.  The  fireplaces  were 
against  the  bank ;  and  for  light,  the  door  may  have 
served  a  partial  purpose,  supplemented  by  one  or  two  small 
apertures,  closing  with  slides  or  filled  with  oiled  paper.  It 
is  stated  that  these  structures  were  only  designed  for  a  tem- 
porary purpose,  and  made  to  the  end  that    when  kindly 

69 


70  Colonial 

spring  opened  they  could  provide  things  more  durable.  It 
is  said,  however,  that  even  the  first  winter  Parson  Bulkeley 
had  provided  for  him  a  frame  house. 

A?  to  the  food  supply,  we  may  make  no  mistake  in  sup- 
posing that  it  was  scant  in  quantity  and  altogether  unsuit- 
able for  either  hard  work  or  good  health ;  for  commercial 
relations  with  other  places  were  few,  and  but  little  corn 
could  be  obtained  from  the  natives.  Besides,  there  was 
inconvenience  in  the  preparation  of  what  food  material  they 
had.  Corn  may  have  had  to  be  ground  after  the  Indian 
fashion  of  pounding  it  with  a  pestle  in  a  mortar  of  wood  or 
stone,  or  if  a  few  families  were  fortunate  enough  to  own  a 
"querne",  before  the  erection  of  the  "Bulkeley  grist  mill", 
and  also  in  seasons  of  drought  afterward,  they  may  have 
been  put  to  the  hardship  of  grinding  their  corn  by  hand. 

We  may  also  believe  that  the  clothing  was  unsuited  to 
the  climate,  for,  doubtless,  they  wore  the  garments  they 
brought  with  them  across  the  ocean,  and  the  change  from 
the  equable  temperature  of  England  to  the  inconstant  cli- 
mate of  Massachusetts  Bay,  and  the  encountering  of  the 
malarial  exhalations  and  damp  meadow  mists  of  the  Mus- 
ketequid,  together  with  the  snowfalls  and  floods  that  go 
with  great  forest  growths  in  an  unreclaimed  country,  would 
naturally  result  in  much  suffering.  If  we  may  believe  the 
writer,  Johnson,  some  of  the  people  were  at  times  only 
partially  clad  in  anything,  for,  he  states,  that  "at  the  first, 
many  of  the  people  in  the  season  of  frost  and  snow  went 
barefooted  and  barelegged."  The  same  writer  says  that 
"some  of  their  cattle,  for  which  they  paid  five  and  twenty 
pounds  a  cow,  died,"  and,  also,  that  "for  want  of  wheat, 
barley  and  rye,  the  Indian  meal  proved  a  sore  affliction  to 
some  stomachs." 

The  late  autumnal  days  following  the  arrival  were  busy 
ones.  There  was  much  to  be  done  before  the  setting  in 
of  a  winter  which  to  the  settlers  was  all  untried,  and  whose 
severity  at  its  mildest  might  if  unprepared  to  meet  it  sub- 
ject them  to  hardship. 


Concord  7 1 

Besides  the  building  and  banking  up  of  their  houses,  a 
supply  of  food  and  fuel  was  to  be  provided ;  shelter  was  to 
be  made  for  the  cattle,  and  fodder  laid  by  for  them  when 
they  could  no  longer  feed  upon  the  brown  meadows  nor 
browse  upon  the  brushwood.  To  perform  these  tasks  was 
not  easy  ;  the  forest  being  of  the  "first  growth,"  as  it  was 
termed  when  no  woodman's  axe  had  been  used  upon  it, 
would  not  readily  fall  before  the  rude  implements  that  were 
used  for  wood-cutting  in  those  days ;  and  the  tall  bluejoint, 
the  juiceless  lute  grass,  the  "pipes"  and  the  "flags"  had  all 
lost  some  of  their  summer  sweetness,  and  were  tough  and 
woody,  and  in  some  places  standing  half  high  in  water. 

Furthermore,  the  time  for  gathering  these  was  short. 
Any  week,  any  day,  might  bring  the  snow,  and  any  night 
the  ground  might  freeze,  so  that  not  so  much  as  a  fence 
post  could  be  set.  The  summer  birds  had  all  flown,  and 
the  late  stragglers  from  the  north  flew  low  down,  as  if  laden 
with  an  apprehension  that  they  were  late.  The  leaves  had 
fallen,  and  the  wind  blew  through  the  bare  branches  with  a 
melancholy  wail,  and  rustled  coldly  through  the  coarse 
sedge  in  the  runways  ;  while  in  the  morning,  thin  ice  cov- 
ered the  meadow  lands,  all  betokening  the  near  approach 
of  cold  weather,  and  admonishing  the  settler  to  make  haste 
in  preparing  for  it ;  perhaps,  too,  predisposing  him  to 
homesickness,  and  causing  solicitude  for  things  ahead. 

What  was  thus  indicated  soon  occurred.  The  last  honk 
of  the  gray  wild  goose  was  heard  over  the  bay  at  the  river 
bend,  as  if  croaking  back  a  note  of  disappointment  at  not 
finding  open  water  in  which  to  rest  itself.  The  dusky 
duck,  the  hardiest  and  latest  of  the  wild  waterfowl  that  fre- 
quents the  rivers  and  ponds  about  Concord,  had  days 
before  taken  its  departure  because  the  water  was  frozen  ; 
and  nothing  remained  of  the  bird  kind  but  a  flock  of  quer- 
ulous robins,  which  still  lingered  about  the  swamp  near  the 
mill  brook,  as  if  to  discover  what  the  strangers  were  there 
for,  and  to  finish  eating  a  few  alder  berries. 

Soon,  "announced  by  all  the  trumpets  of  the  sky,"  and 


'71  Colonial 

prognosticated  by  bird  and  beast,  the  snow  came.  It  filled 
up  the  paths  and  dropped  heavily  upon  the  cabin  roofs, 
and  lodged  gloomily  upon  the  drooping  tree  branches. 
Easy  access  with  the  outer  world  was  closed,  and  the 
colonists  were  left  to  themselves,  with  wild  animals  and  wild 
men  in  a  wild  wood,  with  no  promise  of  any  visitors  before 
spring,  except  the  winds  and  the  storm  clouds.  But, 
although  thus  exposed  to  the  hardships  of  the  wilderness 
we  may  well  conjecture  that  they  were  not  idle,  for  there 
was  much  that  could  be  done  in  the  winter  season  by  way 
of  preparation  for  the  spring.  Seed  was  to  be  obtained  of 
the  natives ;  spots  suitable  for  planting  it  were  to  be 
selected  ;  and  fencing  stuff  was  to  be  split  out ;  for  the  for- 
est had  plenty  of  marauders  ready  to  break  into  the  plant- 
ing fields  and  claim  the  crops.  Besides  these  things,  there 
were  farming  tools  to  be  made,  daily  chores  to  be  done, 
and  divers  contrivances  to  be  adopted,  whereby  the  settlers 
might  adjust  themselves  to  their  new  circumstances. 

As  to  just  how  that  first  winter  was  passed,  and  what 
were  the  painful  and  pleasurable  details  of  each  family's 
experience,  we  have  no  certain  knowledge.  The  records 
do  not  inform  us,  tradition  gives  no  hint  of  it,  and  we 
have  no  faithful  Bradford's  Journal,  as  concerning  the 
planters  of  Plymouth,  to  lift  the  curtain  and  let  in  the 
light.  The  writer  Johnson  informs  us,  in  a  general  way, 
that  they  suffered  from  exposure,  from  fear,  and  from 
a  lack  of  many  necessary  things  ;  while,  as  to  things  spe- 
cific and  personal,  he  is  mostly  silent. 

But,  although  left  to  conjecture,  we  may,  perhaps,  fairly 
assume  that  there  was  both  tragedy  and  comedy  on  that 
strange  stage  of  human  action,  and  that  of  the  former  class 
death  came,  and  that  a  grave  was  opened  in  the  town's  first 
burial  place  that  winter.  That  such  was  the  case  is  prob- 
able, for  although  there  were  in  the  first  arrival  the  names 
of  only  about  a  dozen  heads  of  households  that  have  come 
down  to  us,  yet  these  may  represent  several  scores  of  indi- 
viduals, as  wives,  children  and  servants,  besides  stragglers. 


Concord  73 

who  are  sometimes  found  attendant  upon  adventurous 
undertakings,  as  in  the  case  of  the  Plymouth  plantation, 
where  there  were  several  persons  not  signers  of  the  original 
compact,  and  of  whom  posterity  has  had  small  reason  to 
be  proud. 

The  severity  of  the  climate,  the  scant  accommodation 
for  warmth  and  shelter,  the  stinted  food  supply, —  all  these 
would  naturally  superinduce  disease  and  perhaps  death,  to 
reckon  nothing  upon  casualties  arising  from  special  expos- 
ure, accident,  and  a  variety  of  other  causes  and  mishaps 
incident  to  life  in  a  new  country.  The  first  monument  to 
bear  record  to  a  death  in  Concord  is  that  of  Joseph 
Meriam.  It  stands  in  the  old  hill  burial  ground  where  for 
two  hundred  and  twenty-six  years  it  has  faithfully  borne 
the  following  inscription  : 

"Joseph  Meriam,  aged  47  years.      Died  the  20  of  April, 

It  is  a  simple  tombstone,  unpretentious  and  time-worn; 
but  a  special  interest  is  attached  to  it  in  that  it  has  for  so 
many  years  stood  as  a  sentinel  between  the  known  and 
unknown  of  Concord's  dead.  It  is  on  the  line  of  demark- 
ation,  beyond  which,  no  tombstone  deposeth  and  none 
durst  venture.  What  names  of  persons  who  may  have  died 
the  first  v/inter  would  be  inscribed  on  other  tombstones, 
had  all  of  those  whose  bodies  resting  in  "that  thick  peopled 
ground"  had  a  stone  to  bear  record  of  them,  none  can 
declare  ;  but,  there  is  large  opportunity  to  conjecture  that 
some  would  be  there,  and  for  the  following  reasons,  if  for 
no  other. 

It  is  supposed  that  the  earliest  meeting  house  at  Concord 
was  built  on  what  now  might  be  called  the  hill  burial  place, 
within  a  year  or  two  or  perhaps  three  of  the  first  arrival ; 
for  it  is  stated,  that  by  its  first  recorded  vote,  Feb.  5,  1636, 
the  town  decided  that  the  meeting  house  "stand  neare  the 
brook  in  the  east  side  of  Goodman  Judson's  lott ;"  and 
tradition  has  always  located  that  spot  in  or  near  the  old 
burying    ground.       As  a  church  organization  at  Concord 


74  Colonial 

was  not  effected  till  April  6,  1637,  there  may  have  been 
a  little  delay  in  erecting  the  meeting  house ;  it  being 
deemed,  perhaps,  less  consequential  to  have  a  church  build- 
ing before  the  family  going  into  it  was  constituted. 

But,  however  this  may  be,  the  query  naturally  arises, 
why  was  this  spot  selected  for  a  meeting  house  ?  It  was 
not  adjacent  to  the  parsonage,  for  tradition  fixes  the  site  of 
that,  as  we  have  seen,  on  the  present  Lowell  street ;  neither 
was  it  most  accessible  to  all  the  houses.  It  was  not  there, 
as  we  believe,  for  a  defensive  purpose,  for,  with  exceptional 
amity  existing  between  the  white  and  the  red  men,  there 
was  no  necessity  of  placing  the  meeting  house  on  the  top 
of  a  hill  for  the  purpose  of  better  watch  and  ward  ;  we 
conclude,  therefore,  it  was  built  there  because  about  that 
spot  was  their  burial  place,  and  because  the  settlers  decided 
that  God's  house  should  be  upon  God's  acre.  If  this  be 
true,  then  death  may  have  occured  the  first  year. 

In  the  few  years  next  following  1635,  some  few  records 
of  deaths  have  come  down  to  us.  These  may  be 
found  together  with  a  list  of  births  in  what  have  been 
termed  "the  Boston  Records."  The  earliest  date  of  a 
death  in  this  list  is  1639,  and  the  record  is  as  follows  : 
"Richard  Harvy  had  two  daughters  hurried  1638,  Marga- 
ret his  wife  dyed  1639."  The  day  and  the  month  of  the 
births  and  deaths  in  this  list  is  given  in  the  quaint  method 
of  the  period. 

The  occurrence  of  any  comedy  amid  circumstances  of  so 
grave  a  character  as  existed  the  first  winter,  it  may  be  hard 
to  conceive  of,  but  human  nature  will  usually  assert  itself, 
even  among  adverse  surroundings,  so  we  believe  it  did  here. 
There  were,  doubtless,  many  accidents  and  incidents  where 
mirth  and  even  hilarity  found  vent.  There  were  old  songs 
to  be  sung,  old  stories  to  be  told  and  jokes  to  be  cracked; 
strange  customs  were  to  be  inaugurated,  queer  costumes  to 
be  worn,  and  things  to  be  done  quite  different  from  any- 
thing done  in  old  England  ;  for  instance,  bullocks  or  kine 
harnessed  tandem  to  suit  the  narrow  wood  path  ;  coon  skin 


Concord  7  5 

caps  instead  of  Puritan  hats,  loose  leggins  in  place  of  boots, 
and  first  attempts  at  wearing  snowshoes.  As  for  events  of 
a  humorous  nature,  it  might  be  hard  to  avoid  them.  For 
instance,  a  person  lost  in  the  woods  at  Nashoba,  and  led 
home  with  a  sprained  ancle  by  a  couple  of  squaws  ;  another 
dropping  his  doublet  when  treed  by  a  bear,  which  doublet 
was  instantly  devoured  because  made  of  goatskin  with  the 
hair  on  ;  and  still  another  starting  from  Beaver  pond  with 
a  string  of  fish,  and  sowing  them  by  the  way  as  he  ran 
homeward  because  he  heard  wolves  following  him.  Many 
such  like  things  may  have  occurred  to  excite  merriment, 
and  as  they  were  recited  about  the  evening  fireside  when 
the  wind  blew  and  the  snow  drifted,  why  should  they  not 
laugh ;  they  were  men  and  women  such  as  we  are,  and 
although  called  Puritans,  they  were  not  too  pure  to  do 
what  Providence  designed  them  to  do,  and  Providence 
designed  them  to  laugh  sometimes. 

Their  practices  were  far  from  being  what  some  have  rep- 
resented. They  did  not  carry  firearms  to  kill  harmless 
savages,  neither  did  they  sell  them  firewater  for  a  six  pence 
to  buy  powder  and  shot  to  shoot  them  with.  They  did 
not  go  to  meeting  on  Sunday  to  learn  about  Divine  decrees, 
which  would  lead  them  to  leave  duties  undone  during  the 
week,  nor  to  act  in  a  manner  inconsistent  with  the  fullest 
exercise  of  a  free  will.  But  they  were  rational  agents  of 
the  Almighty  to  help  colonize  a  new  country  ;  and  how 
well  they  did  it  history  tells. 

As  to  what  was  done  in  the  long  evenings  we  can  only 
guess.  There  were  few  books,  no  papers,  and  as  yet  little 
or  no  material  for  spinning  or  knitting  ;  neither  was  there 
much  corn  to  be  shelled ;  no  apples  to  be  pared,  and  no 
pumpkins  to  be  cut  and  sliced.  The  men  might  do  some 
coarse  carpentry,  perhaps,  also  some  rough  shoemaking 
from  green  hides,  and  it  may  be,  turn  a  hand  to  some  small 
coopering  or  rude  basket  making  ;  so,  for  the  most  part 
there  was  tediousness,  lightened  by  the  thought  that  winter 


nd  Colonial 

would    not  always  last,  and    spring  would  come  bringing 
brighter  things. 

And  spring  did  come.  The  settlers  soon  saw  signs  that 
winter  was  on  the  wane.  The  sun  rose  higher  and  shone 
brighter.  The  days  grew  longer  and  longer  ;  and  at  length 
spring  burst  upon  them  with  a  novelty  known  only  to  such 
as  have  colonized  a  new  country.  Indeed  it  was  as  if  they 
were  introduced  into  a  veritable  wonderland;  every  day  was 
a  new  revelation.  Some  bird  came  from  the  south  ;  some 
insect  spread  its  wings  and  chirped  at  them  ;  some  animal 
crawled  from  its  winter  hiding  place ;  and  these  were  for 
the  most  part  unUke  what  they  had  ever  seen  before. 

In  the  floral  world  also  there  were  surprises.  Along  the 
meadows,  by  the  brookside,  in  the  springy  places,  were  the 
marsh  marigolds  ;  in  the  "pine  dark  glen"  and  along  the 
hillside  were  the  star  flower  and  the  ferns  ;  while  in  the 
runways  and  by  the  rivulets  a  variety  of  violets  lifted  their 
modest  heads  as  if  to  welcome  them.  Amid  this  scene  of 
animate  beauty  there  also  awaited  the  settlers  a  melody, 
which  was  as  new  to  the  ear  as  these  were  to  the  eye ;  the 
lark  whistled  from  a  tall  tree  between  the  river  and  the 
ridgeway  ;  the  song  sparrow  sang  sweetly  by  the  wayside ; 
a  score  or  more  of  gay  warblers  twittered  and  trilled  in  the 
brushwood;  and  the  robins  which  were  so  complaining  the 
autumn  before,  no  longer  stood  aloof  with  discordant  note 
and  shy  presence,  but  acted  as  if  desirous  of  being  neigh- 
borly. 

But  the  scene  of  greatest  change,  it  may  be,  was  along  the 
course  of  the  Musketequid  and  by  the  ponds  ;  all  of  which 
from  the  setting  in  of  the  cold  weather  till  now  had  been 
as  silent  as  the  fishes  that  swarmed  within  them.  The  icy 
covering  that  closed  over  them  in  November  had  remained 
unbroken  until  March,  during  which  time  but  little  of 
animate  life  had  been  audible  or  visible  ;  while  the  cone- 
shaped  nests  of  the  musquash  might,  by  their  look  of  aban- 
donment, have  made  the  landscape  look  even  more  desolate. 
But  now,  all  was  changed.     From  Nashawtuc  to  Punkatas- 


Concord  77 

sett,  life  appeared.  The  air  was  alive  with  wild  water  fowl : 
the  wood  duck  and  teal  flew  low  down  as  if  seeking  nesting 
places,  while,  high  above  them,  the  "cloud  cleaving  geese" 
sent  down  their  harsh,  querulous  honk,  as  if  to  say  such 
places  were  too  tame  for  them.  Upon  the  soft  grass  of  the 
meadow  uplands  the  snipe  stopped  in  his  zigzag  flight  to 
find  a  feeding  ground ;  the  sheldrake  oiled  herself  con- 
tentedly on  a  hassock  ;  while  in  the  reedy  coves  by  the 
river  bend  the  returning  bittern  sent  forth  his  booming  note 
no  longer  lonely,  admonishing  the  settlers  to  "mend 
fence." 

But  of  more  interest  than  anything  else  was  the  wealth 
of  meadow  grass  giving  promise  of  plenty  of  hay.  And 
this  promise  proved  true,  for  Johnson  informs  us  that  the 
settlers  along  the  river  had  not  only  hay  sufficient  for  their 
own  cattle,  but  took  in  cattle  from   other  towns. 

There  was  no  time,  however,  for  idle  enjoyment ;  oppor- 
tunities were  passing  which  would  not  return  for  another 
twelve  month,  and  they  should  be  promptly  improved. 


CHAPTER    X. 

Capture  of  Fish  —  Breakfast  T'able  of  T'imothy 
Wheeler  —  Morning  Walk  'Through  the  Woods  — 
Visit  at  the  Siinon  Willard  Homestead —  Historic 
Sketch  of  Major  Simon  Willard  —  Description  of 
Colonial  Farm  Houses  —  Domestic  Products. 

THE  first  thing  to  be  done  was  to  capture  fish,  which 
were  to  be  used  for  food  and  fertiHzation.  In 
the  long  winter  evenings  the  settlers  doubtless 
obtained  from  the  Indians  a  knowledge  of  the  best 
methods  of  maize  culture ;  that  it  should  be  planted  in  the 
month  of  green  leaves  at  a  time  when  the  oak  leaf  was  the 
size  of  a  mouse's  ear  or  a  squirrel's  paw,  and  that  each  hill 
should  contain  an  alewife.  They  also  learned  how  and 
when  the  alewives  were  to  be  captured.  The  fish  were  al- 
ready ascending  the  Musketequid  and  pushing  their  way 
up  the  north  and  south  branches  for  spawning  purposes, 
and  the  season  would  soon  be  over.  The  Indians  were 
gathering  in  their  harvest,  working  by  day  with  a  scoop  net 
at  the  wier,  and  at  night  watching  with  a  fiaming  flambeau 
in  one  hand,  and  a  long  sapling  with  a  stone  point  in  the 
other,  ready  to  capture  the  fish  as  it  swam  in  sight.  We 
can  conjecture  that  the  English  were  not  far  behind,  and 
that  there  was  soon  seen  starting  from  every  house  on  the 
"little  strate  strete"  a  man  with  a  basket,  or  two  men  carry- 
ing a  basket  between  them,  suspended  from  a  stout  pole  on 
their  shoulders.  Soon  there  came  in  sight  perhaps  John 
Meriam,  from  the  corner,  with  a  clumsy  cart  of  spokeless 
wheels  drawn  by  a  bullock,  in  which  were  some  scoop  nets, 
and  several  spears,  and  sundry  other  articles.  As  he  stop- 
ped before  the  house  of  William  Judson,  near  the  burying 
78 


NEW  YORK 
[public  LIBRARY 

Astor,  Lenox  and  TWen^ 
Foundations. 


Concord  79 

ground,  perhaps  Goody  Judson  brought  out  a  basket  in 
which  was  some  boiled  venison,  a  dish  of  samp  and  a  large 
pone  cake.  Truth  Temple  may  have  come  soon  after, 
with  a  half  cheese.  We  infer  that  the  fishing  season  was  a 
lively  one.  The  fishing  places  were  famous  resorts ;  and 
about  them  the  Indians  were  accustomed  to  gather  by  fami- 
lies and  by  clans  for  feasting  and  for  tribal  greetings. 

Another  early  work  of  importance  was  that  of  fencing; 
as,  however,  this  subject  properly  belongs  to  that  of  land 
allotments  and  the  common  planting  fields  we  will  leave  it 
to  be  considered  later. 

Such  was  the  commencement  of  the  colonization  of  Con- 
cord, and  such  we  conceive  may  have  been  some  of  the 
scenes  incident  to  it. 

The  cause  of  the  colonization  it  is  unnecessary  to  further 
consider.  Every  circumstance  as  well  as  record  and  tradi- 
tion assert  it  to  have  been  at  the  dictation  of  duty,  and  a 
desire  to  reach  a  place,  remote  though  it  might  be,  where 
they  could  worship  God  as  a  spirit  in  spirit  and  in  truth. 

"What  sought  they  thus  afar 

Bright  jewels  of  the  mine  ? 

The  wealth  of  seas  ?  the  spoils  of  war  ? 

They  sought  a  faith's  pure  shrine." 

And  the  shrine  of  truth  which  they  sought,  they  kept. 
Through  all  the  vicissitudes  that  followed  them,  of  the 
wilderness,  of  church  dissensions,  and  divers  other  difficulties 
and  dangers,  they  always  adhered  to  their  noble  intent  and 
righteous  endeavor.  No  wonder  that  the  sons  of  such 
sires  have  added  greatly  to  the  world's  worth,  that  their 
homes  are  Meccas  which  many  a  pilgrim  visits,  and  that 
about  their  burial  places  are  ever  the  fresh  imprints  of  pil- 
grim footsteps. 

But  the  bright  disk  of  the  harvest  moon  was  now  fast 
descending  over  the  distant  Wachuset  mountain,  and,  long 
ago,  the  candle  in  the  saveall  had  sputtered  and  gone  out, 
leaving  us  in  the  darkness  with  our  thoughts,  which  like 


8o  Colonial 

the  gray  embers  on  the  now  cold  hearthstone  had  about 
spent  their  vitaHty,  for  we  were  weary  ;  we  had  seen,  and 
heard,  and  thought  so  much,  it  was  a  rehef  that  the  sparks 
had  spoken  no  farther,  so,  lest  the  sprites  reappear  we 
retired.  A  moment,  and  the  rising  wind  rattled  rudely  the 
loose  window  frame  ;  another,  it  dropped  down  the  chim- 
ney with  a  low,  weird  sigh,  the  next  we  were  asleep. 

At  an  early  hour  in  the  morning  we  were  astir,  and, 
descending  the  narrow  stairway,  we  perceived  a  savory 
smell  of  fried  flitch  (a  strip  of  smoked  pork)  which  was  all 
the  more  satisfactory  inasmuch  as  the  light  living  at  the 
manse,  while  all  sufficient  for  parsonage  purposes,  had 
proved  inadequate  for  our  more  active  pursuits.  Hardly 
was  our  simple  toilet  completed  in  the  "back  room",  (for  it 
was  there  that  everybody  washed)  when  a  horn  was  blown, 
and,  soon  after,  we  were  all  seated  at  the  breakfast  table 
devouring  with  appreciative  appetites  the  morning  meal. 

This  meal  consisted  in  addition  to  the  aforesaid  flitch, 
of  the  remnant  of  a  pan  dowdy  which,  though  made  the 
day  previous,  had  been  so  banked  with  hot  ashes  in  the 
brick  oven  that  this  delicious  dish  of  quartered  apple 
cooked  in  a  rich  cream  crust  was  still  hot.  As  steam  issued 
from  every  crevice  in  the  crisp  covering,  and  as  Goody 
Wheeler  stirred  a  rich  sauce  to  spread  over  it,  we  felt  that 
farm  fare  after  all  had  its  advantages. 

We  would  state  in  passing,  that  meeting  the  hired  man 
led  us  to  inquire  of  Goodman  Wheeler  what  he  paid  him, 
to  which  he  replied,  "Ten  and  six  a  week  and  his  diet." 
The  meal  ended,  and  the  settle  hitched  back,  for  some  of 
us  had  sat  on  it  while  eating,  Goodman  Wheeler  took  from 
the  stand  a  small  Bible,  thoroughly  time  stained  and  finger 
worn,  and  having  read  a  long  chapter  from  the  book  of 
Judges  invoked  the  Divine  blessing  with  great  fervor.  In 
his  reading  there  were  oral  interpolations  of  an  expository 
as  well  as  hortatory  character,  and  in  his  prayer  nothing 
was  omitted  that  was  practical,  he  being  especially  earnest 
in  his  petition  for  his  pastor  and  the  king  of  England. 


Concord  8 1 

When  they  arose,  for  all  knelt  in  Timothy  Wheeler's 
domicile  even  to  little  Cerinthy  and  Charity,  all  was  bustle, 
getting  in  readiness  for  the  day's  work. 

Timothy  had  planned  for  the  hired  man  and  chore  boy 
to  go  to  the  south  meadow  for  some  sedge,  while  he  went 
with  two  of  his  neighbors  to  cut  corn.  The  two  neighbors 
we  ascertained  were  swapping  work  with  him,  Timothy  to 
work  a  like  time  for  them  a  little  later ;  a  custom  much 
prevailing  in  that  period,  not  only  as  related  to  work,  but 
to  other  commodities  ;  as,  for  example,  if  one  householder 
killed  a  hog,  neighbors  would  borrow  of  it  and  the  piece 
would  be  returned  when  a  like  animal  was  slaughtered  by 
them.  In  the  present  instance  Timothy  Wheeler  was 
harvesting  corn  for  his  annual  husking,  which  he  said  was 
to  take  place  the  following  week. 

But,  beside  the  haste  occasioned  by  the  husking,  he  was 
pressed  for  time  in  other  ways ;  one  of  which  was  that  it 
was  his  custom  on  a  "growing  moon"  to  kill  his  hogs,  in 
order,  as  he  stated,  to  prevent  a  shrinkage  of  the  pork. 
He  informed  us  that  this  principle  likewise  applied  to  other 
things,  as  the  planting  of  garden  seeds  ;  they  doing  much 
better  if  planted  on  the  moon's  increase. 

Other  signs  he  was  about  speaking  of  when  the  hired 
man  came  with  the  "hay  riggin',"  and  inquired  whether  he 
should  take  the  sedge  from  the  stack  by  the  meadow 
border  or  from  that  on  the  river  brink ;  and  upon  being 
instructed  to  take  it  from  the  latter,  we  inferred  that  even 
after  the  September  storms,  the  broad  meadows  would 
admit  of  the  hauling  of  hay  over  them,  something  not 
always  possible  at  the  present  time. 

We  had  now,  as  we  believed,  learned  all  we  could  from 
a  short  tarry  with  Timothy  Wheeler,  and  grateful  for  his 
hospitality  proffered  payment.  This  he  refused  ;  and,  as 
if  the  obligation  was  on  the  other  side,  remarked  that  he 
would  "call  it  square"  if  we  would  come  to  his  husking ; 
at  the  same  time  promising  that  if  we  would  do  so  and 
stop  over  night  he  would  tell  us  more  about  "signs  and 


82  Colonial 

sich,"  for,  continued  he,  "I've  seen  a  good  many  in  my 
day  and  some's  sartin  to  tarn  true." 

Nothing  could  have  suited  us  better,  so,  with  a  promise 
to  accept  his  invitation  we  parted,  steering  for  Major  Simon 
Willard's,  a  lad  leading  the  way. 

The  walk  through  the  woods  was  a  wonderful  one,  for 
everything  was  massive,  primitive,  and  grand.  There  was 
no  underbrush  to  impede  our  progress,  and  the  tall  tree 
trunks  towering  upwards  with  their  branches  expanding  in 
the  upper  air  and  sunlight,  like  things  of  beauty  as  they 
were,  formed  a  safe  hiding  place  for  the  pigeons  and  crows, 
which  almost  constantly  cooed  and  cawed  over  us.  So 
impressive  was  the  spectacle,  and  so  reverent  our  feelings, 
that  we  instantly  recalled  the  words  of  Bryant  in  his 
"Forest  Hymn  :" 

"Father  !   Thy  hand 

Hath  reared  these  venerable  columns.     Thou 

Didst  weave  this  verdant  roof.      Thou  didst  look  down 

Upon  the  naked  earth  ;   and,  forthwith  rose 

All  these  fair  ranks  of  trees.      They  in  Thy  sun 

Budded,  and  shook  their  green  leaves  in  Thy  breeze. 

And  shot  towards  heaven.      The  century  living  crow 

Whose  birth  was  in  their  tops,  grew  old  and  died 

Among  their  branches,  till,  at  last,  they  stood. 

As  now  they  stand,  massy,  and  tall,  and  dark, — 

Fit  shrine  for  humble  worshipper  to  hold  • 

Communion  with  his  Maker  !" 

To  such  an  extent  did  the  gigantic  trees  interrupt  our 
direct  passage  that  we  felt  convinced  that  the  primitive 
wood  paths  led  the  traveler  a  much  longer  distance  from 
place  to  place  than  if  he  walked  direct  as  the  bee  flies. 

Beneath  the  oaks  was  a  profusion  of  acorn  mast,  and  in 
the  precincts  of  farm  houses  were  swine  busily  crunching 
it;  the  custom  of  the  settlers  being  to  feed  them  in  this 
way  until  the  time  for  fattening.  In  one  place  several 
Indian  women  were  picking  hickory  nuts,  while  at  the  foot 
of  the  tree  were  a  couple  of  papooses  cunningly  clad  in 
musquash  skins. 


Concord  83 

We  crossed  the  South  branch  of  the  river  at  the  cart 
bridge  near  the  upper  meadows,  and,  following  a  path 
along  the  upland,  where  the  purple  grape  and  rich  alder 
berry  mingled  alike  their  fragrance  and  their  beauty  to 
make  the  walk  a  delight,  we  soon  saw  the  smoke  wreaths 
of  Major  Willard's  farm  house.  The  very  surroundings 
of  the  place  were  at  once  suggestive  of  the  large  hearted- 
ness  of  the  owner,  and  of  an  estate  of  a  more  than  well-to- 
do  farmer  of  the  times.  There  was  upon  the  premises 
besides  the  ordinary  buildings  a  smoke  house  ;  and  the 
§weet  odor  of  smouldering  corn  cobs  and  green  hickory 
wood  that  came  from  it  reminded  us  of  the  juicy  flitch  at 
Timothy  Wheeler's  breakfast  table. 

There  was  also  a  small  barn  for  the  storage  of  corn, 
which  was  set  upon  posts  to  protect  the  contents  from 
squirrels  and  rats,  and  loosely  boarded  to  let  in  the  air. 
Not  far  away  was  a  shed  for  beaver  pelts,  which  the  sparks 
informed  us  at  the  beaver  dam   Mr.  Willard  traded  in. 

Approaching  the  premises,  Mr.  Willard  saw  and  hast- 
ened to  meet  us,  accompanied  by  two  large  Kentish  mas- 
tiffs ;  and  as  we  grasped  the  hand  of  this  well-known 
merchant  of  the  Musketequid  region  we  felt  as  we  had 
heard  that  he  was  much  of  a  man. 

And  here  it  may  be  in  place  to  relate  a  little  of  his  his- 
tory. Simon  Willard  came  to  America  from  Kent  county, 
England,  and  was  at  Cambridge,  Massachusetts,  as  early 
as  1634.  While  in  this  country  he  formed  an  acquaintance 
with  Rev.  Peter  Bulkeley  and  joined  with  him  in  the  pur- 
chase of  the  tract  of  territory  now  Concord,  going  there  as  a 
colonist  and  becoming  a  prominent  and  potential  factor  in 
its  settlement.  Mr.  Willard  was  a  man  of  affairs  as  well 
as  a  person  of  means,  being  versed  in  matters  of  both  a 
civic  and  military  character.  About  1660,  he  went  to  Lan- 
caster, and  in  1672,  to  Groton,  and  in  these  townships 
there  are  still  traditions,  and  records,  and  ancient  land- 
marks showing  the  impress  of  his  personality.  In  that 
dart  of  the    town  of    Harvard,  once   Lancaster,  near  the 


84  Colonial 

northern  border,  is  still  pointed  out  the  site  of  a  garrison 
house  which  he  erected  ;  and  in  the  town  of  Ayer,  formerly 
a  part  of  Groton,  is  a  large  land  tract  once  his  property. 

On  May  21,  1658,  Simon  Willard  had  conveyed  to  him 
five  hundred  acres  of  land  "on  the  south  side  of  a  river 
that  runneth  from  Nashua  to  Merrimack  between  Lan- 
caster and  Groton,  and  in  satisfaction  of  a  debt  of  ^44  ^^^ 
from  John,  Sagamore  of  Pawtucket." 

The  land  was  laid  out  in  1659,  by  Thomas  Noyes,  and 
is  situated  in  the  present  town  of  Ayer,  about  Nonacoicus 
brook. 

Major  Willard  commanded  forces  in  King  PhiHp's  war, 
and  was  long  identified  with  the  Massachusetts  Bay  Colony 
militia  in  times  of  peace.  He  married  for  his  first  wife 
Mercy  Sharp,  and  for  his  second  and  third,  two  sisters  of 
President  Dunster  of  Harvard  college,  and  he  had  seven- 
teen children,  descendants  of  whom  are  widely  scattered 
throughout  the  land.  The  old  Willard  house  at  Concord 
was  standing,  it  is  stated,  until  the  last  quarter  century, 
when  it  was  destroyed  by  fire. 

It  was  situated  at  the  foot  of  Nashawtuc  and  the  site 
is  now  marked  by  a  tablet,  not  far  from  the  first  south 
bridge. 

As  we  walked  to  the  house,  Mr.  Willard  said  some  very 
pleasant  things  about  our  late  host,  Goodman  Wheeler, 
and  about  the  Concord  families  generally,  who,  he  said  had 
come  to  a  strange  country  for  conscience  sake  :  and  as  we 
reached  the  doorstep  he  said  if  we  would  remain  over  the 
coming  Sunday,  which  would  be  the  next  day,  he  would 
take  us  to  meeting,  where  we  could  see  them  in  their  wor- 
ship. 

Here  was  an  opportunity  of  observing  still  another  phase 
of  the  settlers'  life,  and  of  hearing  a  sermon  from  the  Rev. 
Peter  Bulkeley,  so  we  gladly  accepted  the  invitation ; 
whereupon  Mr.  Willard,  who  had  waited  for  our  answer, 
pulled  the  latch  string  and  we  walked  in,  meeting  Madam 
Willard  in  the  entry  way. 


Concord  8  5 

It  is  unnecessary  to  give  a  detailed  description  of  Major 
Willard's  house,  for  it  was  modest,  considering  the  com- 
petency of  its  owner,  and  although  more  capacious,  yet  in 
other  respects  not  unlike  many  others  of  the  period. 
We  will,  however,  describe  the  average  farm  house  of  the 
times,  though  in  doing  so  we  may  subject  ourselves  to 
adverse  critcism  by  running  counter  to  pet  theories  of  log 
cabins,  of  gambrel  roofed  manor  houses  with  picturesque 
accompaniments,  and  various  architectural  features  suggest- 
ive of  ghosts,  goblins,  and  witch  lore. 

The  early  frame  houses  were  rectangular  in  shape  and  of 
a  severe  simplicity.  In  about  the  middle  was  a  large  chim- 
ney having  several  flues,  which  afforded  a  fireplace  to  each 
room.  There  was  usually  a  commodious  cellar  which  sel- 
don  "froze"  it  being  a  part  of  the  farmer's  fall  work  to 
"bank  it  up  ;"  and  so  even  was  its  temperature  that  veget- 
ables kept  in  it  the  year  round. 

The  larger  of  these  houses  commonly  contained  four 
square  rooms  on  the  ground  floor,  and  the  smaller  ones  at 
least  two :  and  to  the  latter  was  often  attached  an  ell  or  a 
"lean-to"  containing  the  kitchen.  The  roof  was  either 
gambrel  or  gable,  the  latter  being  the  more  common.  The 
fireplaces  were  amply  large  enough  to  contain  four  foot 
sticks ;  and  the  hearths  which  were  made  sometimes  of 
stone  and  sometimes  of  brick  extended  well  out  into  the 
room.  Beside  the  fireplace  in  the  kitchen  was  a  brick 
oven. 

The  floors  were  made  of  the  widest  boards  obtainable, 
and  as  they  shrank  and  became  worn,  large  seams  and 
knots  were  visible.  The  framework  was  massive,  a  large 
beam  extending  across  the  top  of  the  rooms,  with  stout, 
upright  timbers  at  each  corner  supporting  the  roof  plates, 
while  above  all,  directly  under  the  saddle  boards,  was  a  tri- 
angular "king  piece"  large  enough  for  the  sill  of  a  modern 
house. 

Inside  the  outer  boarding  thick  upright  plank  were 
sometimes  placed,  to  make  a  bullet-proof  protection  in  case 


86  Colonial 

of  Indian  attack.  Sometimes,  for  greater  security  bricks 
were  used  instead  of  plank,  especially  in  garrison  houses, 
and  occasionally  there  was  a  projection  of  the  upper  story 
over  the  lower  one,  in  which  were  small  port  holes. 

Such  were  the  houses  of  the  seventeenth  century.  Here 
and  there  might  have  been  a  miniature  manor  house,  where 
some  attempt  was  made  at  architectural  display,  as  in  the 
case  of  some  well-to-do  squire,  whose  official  position,  to- 
gether with  an  income  of  a  hundred  pounds  a  year  invested 
in  mortgages,  gave  him  some  personal  prominence ;  but 
such  instances  were  rare,  and  we  have  nowhere  found  in  the 
Concord  colony  anything  indicative  of  a  desire  for  undue 
display  in  architecture ;  nor  should  we  expect  it.  The 
characteristics  of  the  times  were  the  natural  outgrowth  of  a 
reaction  from  the  vain  glory  of  mere  externals.  Character 
was  the  test  of  personal  worth.  Scholarship  and  cul- 
ture found  easy  combination  in  Massachusetts  with  that 
rugged  manual  labor  which  wrenched  from  a  sterile  envi- 
ronment some  of  the  world's  best  results.  If  the  Bulke- 
leys,  and  Flints,  and  Bloods,  and  some  others  were,  after 
the  standard  of  the  times,  men  of  means,  we  may  believe 
that  they  used  their  means  wisely  and  for  the  common  weal, 
rather  than  for  the  establishment  of  great  estates ;  and  so  it 
was  that  their  garrison  houses  were  their  castles  ;  their  sanc- 
tuaries were  their  manor  houses ;  and  that  the  sites  of  these 
are  to  the  present  generation  more  impressive  by  far  than 
would  be  the  remains  of 

"High  raised  battlements  or  labored  mounds. 
Thick  walls  or  moated  gate." 


TABLET    AT    FIRST    PARISH    MEETING    HOUSE. 


CHAPTER  XI. 

Domestic  Products  —  Reminiscent  Effect  of  Madam 
Willard' s  Dutch  cheese  —  Conversation  upon  Colo- 
nial Drinking  Customs  —  Clerk  of  the  Writs  — 
Legal  Fees  —  Furnishings  of  Early  Farm  Houses  ; 
Lighting  Appliances^  Table  Ware,  Fireplace  Uten- 
sils, Room  Decorations  —  Class  Distinctions. 

ALTHOUGH  we  have  abstained  from  giving  a 
detailed  description  of  the  Willard  house  let  us 
suppose  that  we  examined  the  inside  so  far  as  to 
note  the  use  and  furnishing  of  some  of  the  rooms. 
We  first  went  to  the  cellar,  and  there  found  such  pro- 
duce as  by  mid  October  had  been  placed  in  store  for  the 
winter.  There  were  carrots,  parsnips,  onions  and  cabbages, 
but  no  potatoes,  turnips  taking  their  place.  Several  small 
cider  casks  were  in  sight,  which  showed  that  the  New  Eng- 
land beverage  of  later  times  was  not  wholly  unknown  even 
then.  We  were  informed,  however,  on  this  subject,  that 
but  little  cider  was  used  at  that  time,  partly  because  apple 
trees  were  not  abundant,  and  partly  because  the  means  of 
its  manufacture  were  limited.  Some  people,  we  were  told, 
made  it  by  pounding  the  fruit  in  a  wooden  mortar,  and 
pressing  the  juice  out  through  a  basket ;  all  of  which  indi- 
cate how  hard  the  human  family  will  work  to  obtain  what 
it  ought  not  to  have.  There  were  several  well  filled  meat 
tubs,  and  a  barrel  of  soft  soap,  the  latter  of  which,  Mrs. 
Willard  said,  was  made  of  clear  beef  tallow  and  lye  of  her 
own  leaching. 

There  was  an  absence  of  dairy  products,  which,  as  we 
shall  presently  notice,  were  upstairs,  except  a  number  of 
unusually  large  firkins  filled  with   butter,  which  the   Major 

87 


8  8  Colonial 

said  was  soon  to  be  shipped  to  England  in  exchange  for  a 
Durham  cow,  which  he  was  intending  to  import  in  order 
to  improve  his  stock. 

But  what  attracted  our  attention  as  much  as  anything 
were  the  great  arches  at  the  chimney  base,  which  indicated 
the  immense  brickwork  in  the  building.  We  could  now 
understand  how  so  many  large  fireplaces  could  be  afforded  ; 
for  the  two  arches  that  formed  the  foundation  of  the  chim- 
ney were  rooms  of  themselves.  They  were  furnished  with 
shelves  like  a  pantry.  Upon  the  shelves  were  sundry  jars 
of  conserve,  ielly  and  sause,  also  several  brown  cream 
pots,  the  contents  of  some  of  which,  Madam  Willard  in- 
formed us,  were  pickles,  "hog's  head  cheese,"  and  mince 
meat  prepared  especially  for  "company  pies."  On  the 
stone  floor  of  one  of  the  arches  we  noticed  several  jugs  and 
a  couple  of  demijohns,  reminding  us  of  modern  "bottled 
goods,"  so  called.  We  thought  best  to  make  no  inquiries 
concerning  these,  so  passed  them  silently  by  and  went  up 
stairs.  We  first  visited  the  garret,  this  we  found  to  be  a 
place  of  storage,  in  which  among  other  things  were  the  fol- 
lowing articles :  A  beehive,  cranberry  rake,  and  sausage 
filler,  some  candle  moulds,  an  old  footstove,  a  warming  pan, 
a  pair  of  steelyards,  a  large  breadtrough  (used  for  mixing 
sausage  meat),  a  pair  of  snowshoes,  a  bunch  of  birch 
brooms,  a  flax  hatchel,  a  lot  of  butternuts,  a  bag  of 
dried  mullein  stalks,  a  cow  bell,  and  an  old  tin  lantern  full 
of  small  holes  to  let  the  light  out.  There  was  also  a  pillow 
bier  filled  with  feathers,  several  bunches  of  sage,  betony, 
and  summer  savory,  a  pair  of  sheep  shears,  an  old  cheese 
basket,  and  a  box  of  hogs'  bristles  for  waxed  ends. 

From  the  garret  we  descended  to  the  room  used  for 
dairy  products.  By  this  time  Madam  Willard  had  joined 
us,  and  as  we  stood  admiring  some  yellow  butter  which  had 
just  been  taken  from  a  "dash  churn"  and  made  into  balls, 
she  pointed  with  pride  to  her  cheeses.  As  the  cheeses 
varied  in  appearance  we  ventured  to  ask  the  difference 
whereupon  she  replied,  "There  is  a  name  for  each  kind 


Concord  89 

there  is  the  "new  milk,"  the  "skim  milk,"  and  the  "four 
meal"  cheese  ;  those  in  the  corner  are  the  "sage"  cheeses, 
and  that  half  one  on  the  table  is  a  "Dutch"  cheese. 

As  the  Dutch  cheese  with  its  snowy  whiteness  had 
slightly  crumbled,  we  tasted  it ;  instantly  a  strange  feehng 
came  over  us,  and  our  mind  became  reminiscent.  That 
slight  morsel  had  proved  to  us  like  the  evening  bells  to 
the  poet  Moore,  which,  as  he  expresed  it,  brought  to  mind 

'•His  home  and  youth  and  that  sweet  time 
When  first  he  heard  their  tuneful  chime." 

For  an  instant  we  stood  gazing  at  those  simple  frag- 
ments, mutely  wondering  how  they  could  occasion  such 
mischief;  for  mischief  surely  it  was  to  be  sent  so  summa- 
rily into  the  great  kingdom  of  the  past,  from  which  return- 
ing we  could  take  nothing  away.  But  in  that  kingdom  we 
evidently  were,  for  spread  before  us  were  its  rarest  treas- 
ures. There  was  another  old  farmhouse  with  its  "lean-to" 
roof,  and  the  cows  and  the  pasture  bars  ;  there  were  the 
lilacs  and  the  lilies  by  the  garden  wall ;  the  broad,  low, 
stone  door  step  ;  the  smiling  supper  table,  so  delightful 
to  the  eye  of  the  hungry  school  boy ;  the  thick,  golden 
ginger-bread,  and  the  Dutch  cheese  that  mother  made. 

As  we  stood  reflecting  upon  the  curious  predicament  in 
which  we  so  suddenly  found  ourselves,  it  occurred  to  us 
that  here  was  a  mental  mirage,  when  by  the  simple  suggest- 
iveness  it  may  be  of  a  sight,  a  sound,  an  odor  or  a  taste, 
memory  casts  upon  the  screen  of  our  perceptive  faculties 
experiences  and  scenes  long  vanished.  Wordsworth  may 
have  felt  the  same  when  he  said  : 

"To  me  the  meanest  flower  that  blows  can  give 
Thoughts  that  do  often  lie  too  deep  for  tears." 

So  inappreciable  was  the  time  occupied  by  all  this,  that 
Madam  Willard  hardly  noticed  anything  unusual,  and  just 
then,  a  call  came  from  below  summoning  her  to  the  turn- 
stile to  talk  with   Mercy   Miles  of  "Nine  Acres"  about  a 


go  Colonial 

marriage  that  was  to  take  place  at  her  house.  Surely, 
thought  we,  this  is  an  opportune  circumstance,  for  we  can 
again  taste  of  the  cheese;  we  did  so,  but  to  no  purpose; 
the  enchantment  was  gone ;  and  we  were  left  to  content 
ourselves  with  recalling  another  verse  of  Wordsworth 
where  he  said  : 

"The  thoughts  of  our  past  years  in  me  doth  breed 

Perpetual  benedictions      .... 

Which  neither  restlessness  nor  mad  endeavor. 

Nor  man  nor  boy. 

Nor  all  that  is  at  enmity  with  joy 

Can  utterly  abolish  or  destroy." 

Finding  that  we  could  no  longer  revel  in  our  own  early 
history,  we  wished  we  could  have  followed  our  hostess  to 
the  turnstile,  as  by  so  doing  we  might  have  been  invited  to 
the  wedding;  but  at  that  moment  she  returned,  saying 
smilingly,  that  the  couple  whose  intentions  had  been  pub- 
lished the  preceding  Sunday  were  to  be  united  in  matri- 
mony the  next  week  by  Mr.  Flint,  whom  the  Court  had 
appointed  to  join  persons  in  marriage,  and  that  we  were 
invited  to  be  present. 

Greatly  pleased  at  being  the  recipients  of  so  great  a  priv- 
ilege, for  this  was  another  scene  we  had  much  desired  to 
witness  among  the  settlers,  we  forgot  the  mirage  and  went 
down  stairs,  where  we  were  met  by  Major  Willard  with  a 
glass  of  cordial,  saying  as  he  offered  it  that  it  was  an  extra 
brand.  It  was  with  no  little  embarrassment  that  we  ex- 
cused ourselves,  being  a  total  abstainer,  for  we  were  fearful 
of  being  misunderstood ;  but  out  apprehensions  proved 
groundless,  for  Mr.  Willard  informed  us  that  he  appre- 
ciated our  position,  and  considered  it  the  correct  one  to 
take  where  it  was  possible ;  "but,"  said  he,  "The  Concord 
climate  requires  sperit." 

He  then  took  occasion  to  inform  us  about  the  drinking 
habits  of  the  community.  Before  doing  this,  however, 
the  doughty  Major  dashed  off  a  beaker  to  our  health,  say- 
ing, as  he  smacked  his  lips  and  set  the  decanter  on  the 


Concord  9 1 

dresser,  that  what  he  had  just  drunk  was  pure  Hquor  from 
old  Kent,  and  that  he  considered  it  superior  to  any  other 
in  the  colony,  not  excepting  a  cordial  that  he  once  drank 
at  a  consociation  of  clergymen  held  in  Boston  at  the  Gov- 
ernor's house,  at  which  the  Mathers  were  present.  A 
regard  for  our  health  having  been  thus  expressed,  the 
Major  continued  his  dissertation  on  alcoholic  liquors  by  as- 
suring us  that  in  addition  to  the  chmatic  requirements,  there 
were  certain  times  and  occasions  when  "sperit"  was  very 
essential,  as  at  raisings,  huskings,  log  rollings,  and  apple 
bees  ;  also,  in  haying,  hoeing,  harvesting,  and  getting  up 
wood.  It  was  a  sine  qua  non  at  military  elections,  and 
training  days,  and  ordination  occasions  ;  at  funerals,  wed- 
dings, and  house  warmings ;  when  sheep  were  to  be 
sheared,  hogs  to  be  slaughtered,  or  any  extra  work  to  be 
done.  Travelers  and  teamsters  he  thought  should  have  it, 
and  those  who  watched  with  the  sick,  and  sat  up  with 
"copses,"  but  especially  was  it  to  be  used  in  winter  to  keep 
the  cold  out,  and  in  summer  to  keep  it  in.  "The  only 
trouble,"  said  the  Major,  "is  that  some  abuse  it,  and  that 
good  sperit  is  so  scurce."  He  informed  us  that  fermented 
liquors  were  more  commonly  used  than  the  distilled,  be- 
cause the  latter  were  more  expensive  and  limited  in  quan- 
tity, while  the  former  were  within  reach  of  every  one. 
The  beer  was  made  from  malted  barley.  The  process  of 
malting  was  to  cover  the  grain  with  a  few  inches  of  earth 
for  a  few  days,  until  it  was  well  sprouted,  and  then  remove 
it  to  the  mash  tub. 

At  the  close  of  our  conversation  on  the  subject  of  col- 
onial drinking  customs,  we  came  to  the  conclusion  that 
there  were  in  those  times  many  deplorable  instances  of 
gross  drunkenness  ;  that  alcohol  was  as  destructive  then  as 
it  is  now,  and  that  the  same  stock  excuses  were  made  for 
the  use  of  it. 

Conversation  now  turned  upon  desultory  subjects,  when 

the   Major  was  summoned  to  the  "beaver  house"  to  ap- 

\ 
\ 


92  Colonial 

praise  some  pelts  just  brought  from   Nashoba  by   Nepanet, 
which  he  wanted  to  exchange  for  a  kettle  and  some  beads. 

Being  left  to  ourselves  we  looked  around,  and  seeing  on 
the  table  a  worn  book  upon  whose  cover  was  written 
"Town  Book,"  we  quickly  opened  it.  Here  indeed  was  a 
source  of  information  most  desirable  ;  for  in  addition  to  the 
minutes  of  public  meetings,  was  a  list  of  births,  deaths,  and 
marriages,  down  to  1654,  which  Simon  Willard  had  entered 
as  "Clark  of  the  Writs."  And  here  it  may  be  observed, 
that  in  addition  to  the  duty  of  recording  and  returning  to 
the  colonial  authorities  the  vital  statistics  of  the  township, 
Mr.  Willard  was  empowered  to  "end  small  causes"  or  to 
"hold  court;"  his  jurisdiction  amounting  to  that  of  a  mini- 
ature municipal  court  or  trial  justice  ;  and  thus  judicially 
empowered  he  could  issue  writs,  order  "mesne  process," 
and  make  petty  decrees,  having  for  fees  as  follows :  re- 
plevin, 2d.;  attachment,  3d.;  bonds,  4d.  On  Mr.  Wil- 
lard's  return  from  the  beaver  house,  dinner  was  in  readiness, 
and  we  entered  the  large  "room  of  all  work"  or  the  "living 
room"  and  sat  down  to  a  meal  which  did  ample  justice  to 
the  large  heartedness  of  our  host. 

It  may  be  proper  here  to  describe  the  dinner  and  its 
appurtenances,  in  order  that  we  may  note  any  difference 
between  the  way  of  living  in  the  home  of  the  average  set- 
tler and  that  of  the  more  well-to-do  trader  or  merchant. 
The  table  was  set  in  what  was  known  as  the  "living  room." 
In  this  room  was  the  occasional  use  of  the  flax  and  spinning 
wheel ;  and  the  "picking  over"  of  small  farm  produce,  as 
cranberries  or  beans  on  a  winter  evening  or  wet  day ;  and 
where  apples  and  pumpkins  were  sliced  and  strung  for  dry- 
ing ;  where  also  the  family  usually  sat,  and  the  loom  was 
sometimes  "set  up,"  and  the  itinerant  shoemaker  "whipped 
the  cat,"  in  his  usual  round  of  repairing.  Above  the  table 
which  had  leaves  was  the  clumsy  "candle  beam,"  con- 
structed by  the  crossing  of  two  slim  scantlings,  and  an 
attaching  of  them   by  a  perpendicular  one  to  the  beam  in 


Concord  93 

the  ceiling,  making  a  fixture  for  lighting  purposes  corres- 
ponding to  the  modern  chandelier. 

We  noticed  that  the  candles  in  the  beam  sockets  were 
of  an  olive  color,  and,  on  subsequent  examination,  we  dis- 
covered by  their  fragrance  that  the  material  was  in  part 
bayberry  tallow.  The  chairs  about  the  table  had  high 
backs,  and  were  similar  in  every  way  to  the  specimens  of 
old  furniture  seen  sometimes  in  modern  houses,  and  which 
are  said  to  have  been  brought  to  this  country  by  "two 
brothers"  (seldom  more  than  three)  in  the  "Mayflower"  or 
"Ajax"  or  "Kingfisher,"  ships  of  quite  too  small  tonnage 
for  bulky  cargoes.  These  particular  chairs  were  said  to 
have  come  over  in  the  ship  "Confidence"  from  Southhamp- 
ton, John  jobson  master,  of  CC  tons  burden.  As  there 
was  an  utter  absence  of  "stools"  and  "forms"  such  as  we 
had  seen  at  Timothy  Wheeler's,  we  inferred  that  chairs 
were  indicative  of  "forehandedness."  On  the  "dresser" 
shelves  also  were  many  such  articles  as  are  exhibited  at  the 
present  day  as  souvenirs  of  the  colonial  period. 

Among  the  articles  on  the  lower  shelf  was  a  set  of  metal- 
lic plates  or  a  "charger  of  pewter,"  as  it  was  called  ;  a  "milk 
ewer,"  "sugar  basin,"  "butter  boat"  and  "pickle  boat,"  all 
brightly  burnished.  On  the  middle  shelf  there  was  a 
"mint  stand,"  a  "pottle"  for  milk  holding  a  couple  of 
quarts  or  thereabouts,  also  a  "losset,"  "twiffiers,"  two 
dainty  "wine  tasters,"  and  a  coarse  glass  decanter.  The 
upper  shelf  contained  a  row  of  "beakers"  (later  called  tum- 
blers, perhaps  because  of  the  tumbling  sometimes  caused 
by  their  contents),  and  a  few  "caudle  spoons." 

We  did  not  care  to  inquire  what  were  the  contents  of 
the  demijohns  and  jugs  in  the  closet  under  the  dresser 
shelves,  so  can  give  no  certain  information  concernnig 
them  ;  but  we  inferred,  from  what  we  had  seen  in  the  cel- 
lar arch,  that  here  were  the  middle  means  for  the  easy 
distribution  of  such  "schnapps,"  "cordials,"  and  "strong 
water"  as  the  Willards  made  use  of. 

The  fireplace  furnishings  were,  likewise,  in  strong  con- 


94  Colonial 

trast  with  those  at  the  Wheeler  farmhouse  ;  those  being 
wholly  of  plain  iron,  while  these  were  ornamental.  The 
dogirons,  shovel  and  tongs  were  surrmounted  by  brass,  and 
brightly  polished,  showing  fidelity  in  the  hired  help.  In- 
stead of  the  usual  "lug  bar"  up  the  chimney  there  was  a 
"crane,"  the  first,  it  was  said,  that  came  into  Concord;  and 
above  the  fireplace  was  a  long  "clavel,"  over  which  was  a 
string  of  peppers  and  "braids"  of  choice  seed  corn.  In  one 
corner  of  the  room,  the  most  remote  from  the  smoke  of 
the  fireplace,  and  upon  wooden  pegs  in  the  corner  post, 
were  the  sword  and  leathern  belt  which  Simon  Willard 
wore  when  he  "exercised  the  train  band ;"  and  hard  by 
these,  against  the  wall,  in  a  plain,  pine  frame,  unpainted, 
was  the  commission  from  the  King  of  England  making 
him  major  in  the  Bay  Colony  militia,  a  commission  of 
much  distinction  and  recently  obtained.  This  was  the 
only  attempt  at  mural  decoration,  with  the  exception  of  a 
small  picture  of  the  martyrdom  of  John  Rogers  and  a  pro- 
fil  of  Parson  Peter  Bulkeley. 

Such  was  the  furnishing  of  Major  Willard's  "living 
room."  It  was  simple  and  for  the  most  part  serviceable. 
But  although  there  was  nothing  sumptuous  for  style  or 
substance,  we  could  detect  as  we  thought,  on  the  part  both 
of  Mr.  Willard  and  his  wife,  a  faint  consciousness  of  mild 
gentility,  insomuch  that  we  half  concluded  that  the  New 
England  colonists,  notwithstanding  their  avowed  aversion 
to  all  class  distinctions  of  the  Old  World,  had  much 
respect  to  rank,  and  some  small  desire  for  modest  display. 
But  lest  our  conclusion  be  an  untenable  one,  and  based  on 
superficial  observation,  we  hitched  up  to  the  hearth's  edge 
to  hear  from  the  sparks,  dinner  being  not  quite  ready, 
and  Madam  Willard  and  a  servant  being  engaged  remov- 
ing the  food  from  the  brick  oven. 

It  was  well  that  we  did  so,  for  the  sparks  informed  us 
that  human  nature  is  usually  the  same  everywhere  in  spite 
of  all  attempts  to  suppress  it,  and  that  the  Willards  on 
account  of    their    modesty  only  partially  represented    the 


Concord  95 

colonial  flimilies  of  wealth  in  their  style  of  living.  In  fact 
these  oracles  of  the  fireside  informed  us  that  the  principles 
of  caste  were  slightly  recognized  in  every  New  England 
community,  whether  of  the  village,  hamlet,  or  crossroads. 
But  money  was  not  alone  the  basis  of  distinction  ;  it  was 
position  as  well.  The  selectmen  had  prominent  seats 
assigned  them  in  the  places  of  worship,  as  did  other  con- 
spicuous personages,  while  the  poor  people  and  the  ser- 
vants took  seats  in  the  rear,  or  occupied  benches  in  the 
gallery,  thus  making  the  colonial  meeting  house  a  "house 
of  lords"  as  well  as  a  "house  of  commons." 

Madam  Willard  had  directed  the  servant  to  "set  the 
chairs  up,"  so  we  left  the  sparks  and  sat  down  to  the  table, 
the  servants  sitting  at  one  at  the  same  time  in  the 
kitchen,  it  not  being  necessary  for  them  to  serve  since  there 
was  no  hot  drink  and  all  the  eatables  were  on  the  table. 

The  Major  in  doing  the  honors  of  the  table  helped  us 
most  bountifully,  believing,  perhaps,  as  did  all  of  his  ilk, 
that  brawn  is  born  of  good  living.  The  first  course,  or 
"meat  vittles,"  as  they  called  it,  consisted  of  a  juicy  roast 
from  a  beeve  fattened  on  the  upland  pasturage  of  the 
Musketequid,  and  a  plump  piece  of  pickled  salmon  taken 
the  April  previous  at  the  "lower  meadow  falls,"  with  a 
mint  sauce  additionally  seasoned  with  savory  and  thyme. 

For  desert,  we  had  hot  rye  cakes  mixed  with  fresh  but- 
termilk, marmalade  that  smacked  of  wild  river  grapes,  and 
sweet  conserve  which  consisted  of  successive  layers  of  sugar 
and  rose  leaves,  but  the  crowning  piece  was  the  pumpkin 
pie;  and  here  there  was  such  an  exhibition  of  old-time 
cooking  as  we  had  heard  spoken  of  but  had  never  before 
tasted. 


CHAPTER  XII 

Talk  at  Nashawtuc  —  Fire  of  Candle  Wood  — 
Nantatucket  —  Municipal  management  at  Muskete- 
quid — Division  of  Concord  into  '■'■quarters''  — 
Limits  and  Inhabitants  —  Committee  on  rules  regu- 
lating Highways  and  Bridges  —  Location  of  Home- 
steads—  Early  Roads. 

DINNER  over,  and  a  little  post  prandial  conversa- 
tion, we  repaired  to  a  sunny  slope  at  Nashawtuc, 
and  there,  seated  on  a  log,  talked  until  the  slant 
shadows  of  the  hillside  extended    far  beyond  the 
river  confluence  at  "Egg  Rock,"  and  the  evening  meadow 
mist  enabled  us  to  trace  the  windings  of  the  Musketequid 
far  down  towards  Punkattassett. 

During  the  latter  part  of  the  afternoon  the  wind  blew 
from  the  east,  making  the  atmosphere  damp  and  chilly,  and 
as  Mr.  Willard  had  with  him  a  "flint,  steel  and  tinder 
box,"  which  articles  he  stated  he  seldom  went  without, 
being  much  in  the  woods  engaged  in  surveying,  we  con- 
cluded to  start  a  fire.  At  once  suiting  the  action  to  the 
thought  we  gathered  some  light  kindling,  and  placing  about 
it  a  little  dry  moss,  a  spark  was  struck  and  the  material  was 
ablaze.  The  fire  was  the  more  agreeable  because  we  hoped 
to  obtain  from  the  sparks  some  information  additional  to 
what  Mr.  Willard  might  give,  for  we  felt  that  perhaps  the 
Major  would  hesitate  to  speak  freely  of  events  and  matters 
in  which  he  himself  had  been  a  chief  actor. 

But  we  were  by  no  means  positive  that  the  sparks  would 

give  anything  supplemental    to     his    statements,  since  we 

were  sitting  under  his  own  timber  trees,  from  whose  ancient 

tops  the  very  fuel  we  were  then  using  had  fallen,  and  we 

96 


Concord  97 

were  well  aware  that  nothing  would  work  against  Simon 
Willard's  wishes  if  he  made  them  known. 

Besides,  those  sparks  could  not  if  they  would  depose 
about  some  things,  for,  although  Nashawtuc  overlooked 
much  of  the  broad  alluvial  area  between  the  river  and  the 
ridgeway,  and  about  the  hog  pen  walk  at  Annusnuc  ;  yet 
its  highest  point  did  not  overlook  every  precinct,  and  there 
was  many  a  settler  beyond  Flint's  pond  and  over  against 
Punkattassett,  and  across  the  "great  fields"  to  the  easterly, 
that  it  could  not  look  down  upon. 

Every  obstacle,  however,  was  soon  unexpectedly  re- 
moved, for,  as  we  were  about  seating  ourselves  on  a  log 
which  we  had  just  rolled  before  our  fire,  Nantatucket  whose 
wigwam  was  just  below  us,  the  same  Indian  who  years 
later  deposed  about  the  first  Concord  land  deal,  was  seen 
coming  along  the  hill  path,  having  upon  his  back  a  bundle 
of  candle  wood,  which  in  broken  English  he  stated  he  had 
gathered  from  a  clearing  below  the  ridgeway,  where  some 
of  the   Hartwells,  Bakers,  and  Healds  lived. 

For  the  sake  of  the  sparks  we  begged  some  of  the 
candle  wood  designing  if  need  be  to  cast  it  occasionally 
on  our  fire,  thereby,  perhaps,  to  supplement  Major  Wil- 
lard's statements.  Nor,  as  it  happened,  was  this  all  the 
advantage  that  accrued  to  us  from  the  arrival  of  Nantatuc- 
ket ;  for,  as  he  sat  with  us  for  fully  a  half  hour  smoking 
his  pipe  and  talking,  he  greatly  confirmed  our  supposition  as 
to  the  early  friendship  existing  between  the  Indians  and 
English  at  Concord.  He  reiterated  what  Tahattawan  had 
told  when  we  sat  in  his  wigwam  on  the  evening  of  the 
Apostle  Eliot's  visit.  With  a  native  eloquence  and  true  sin- 
cerity, he  said  that  a  mat  was  always  spread  by  the  settler's 
hearthside  for  any  belated  wanderer  of  the  woods  who  might 
wish  to  occupy  it,  and  the  subjects  of  "Big  Pray"  (Parson 
Bulkeley)  always  extended  to  those  of  the  Squaw  Sachem 
and  her  sagamores  every  needed  hospitality,  whether  of  their 
snug  cabin  homes  during  the  week  or  of  their  meeting 
house  where  they  worshiped  their  "Kiton"  on  a  Sunday. 


9  8  Colonial 

Nor  was  this  all  the  good  the  English  had  done  them  ;  the 
dreaded  Maquas  (Mohawks)  had  ceased  to  visit  them,  and 
no  longer  was  their  dreaded  war  cry  heard  as  a  death  knell 
along  the  meadows  and  over  the  midlands  of  the  Musket- 
equid ;  but  peace  prevailed,  and  the  protection  sought  by 
the  English  in  building  their  garrison  honses,  of  which  we 
had  been  informed  there  were  several,  was  from  predatory 
bands  that  might  come  from  the  East  and  North.  After 
this  statement,  Nantatucket  sat  for  a  time  quietly  smoking 
his  long  stemmed  pipe,  then  suddenly  arose  and  exclaimed 
that  he  saw  the  canoe  of  Nepanum  just  coming  around  the 
bend  below  the  fording  place,  and  as  they  had  arranged  to 
go  a  spearing  together  on  the  Assabet  that  evening  he 
would  leave  us. 

Upon  the  departure  of  Nantatucket,  Mr.  Willard  and 
myself  engaged  in  conversation  concerning  the  municipal 
management  of  the  Concord  colony  in  its  incipient  stages ; 
and  the  information  which  we  have  obtained  from  all 
sources  upon  this  subject  is  the  following,  which  we  give  as 
the  substance  of  history  on  this  subject. 

In  1654,  the  town  was  divided  into  three  parts  desig- 
nated "quarters."  These  were  known  as  the  "North," 
"South"  and  "East"  quarters,  and  the  following  are  approx- 
imately their  territorial  limits. 

The  North  quarter  contained  the  land  north  of  the 
"Great  river"  to  the  Assabet,  including  most  of  that  about 
Annusnuc  (Concord  Junction). 

The  term  "Great  river"  or  "Concord  river"  was  applied 
to  that  portion  of  the  Musketequid  below  the  confluence 
at  Egg  Rock.  In  this  quarter  were  the  following  families  : 
Heald,  Barrett,  Temple,  Jones,  Brown,  Hunt,  Buttrick, 
Flint,  Blood,  Smedley  and   Bateman. 

The  South  quarter  contained  the  land  south  and  south- 
west of  Mill  brook,  a  small  stream  crossing  the  road  near 
Concord  square  at  the  center  to  the  southerly  limit  of  the 
North  quarter  with  the  exception  of  three  families.  The 
following   are   the   names   of    householders   living   in   this 


Concord  99 

quarter  :  Dean,  Potter,  Buss,  Heywood,  Hayward,  Gobble, 
Woodhouse,  Wheeler,  Billings,  Bulkeley,  Stratten,  Wigley, 
Dakin,  Miles,  Hosmer,  Scotchford,  and  Wood. 

The  East  quarter  comprised  the  area  between  a  line 
extending  to  the  eastward  from  Concord  Center  toward 
Lexington  to  the  great  river,  with  the  exception  of  a  small 
tract  between  the  latter  limit  and  the  old  training  field.  In 
this  ward  were  the  families  of  Wheeler,  Fletcher,  Rice, 
Meriam,  Brooks,  Fox,  Hartwell,  Ball,  Farwell,  Taylor, 
Baker,  Wheat,  and   Flint. 

The  following  is  supposed  to  be  a  verbatim  copy  of  the 
report  of  the  committee  appointed  to  execute  rules  and  to 
regulate  affairs  relating  to  highways  and  bridges,  and  the 
subjoined  are  the  committees,  and   the  date  of  the  report  : 

"The  limits  of  each  quarter  (are)  as  followeth  : 

"The  north  quarter  by  their  familyes  are  from  the  north 
part  of  the  training  place  to  the  great  river  and  all  to  the 
north  sid  thereof. 

"The  east  quarter  by  their  familyes  are  from  Henry 
Farwels  all  eastward  with  Thomas  Brooke,  Ensign 
Wheeler,  Robert  Meriom,  Georg  Meriom,  John  Adams, 
Richard  Rice.  The  south  quarter  by  their  familyes  are  all 
on  the  south  and  south  west  sid  of  the  brooke  except  those 
before  acsprest  with  Luke  Potter,  George  Heaward,  Mikel 
Wood  and  Thomas  Dane,  Signers  Simon  Willard,  Robert 
Merion,  Thomas  Brooks,  Thomas  Wheeler,  James  Blood, 
Georg  Wheeler,  Georg  Heaward,  Thomas  Bateman  and 
John  Smedly. 

"The  date  of  report  ytn  of  the  ist  mo  1654." 

It  would  be  a  matter  of  interest  indeed  could  all  the 
homesteads  early  established  in  their  various  quarters  and 
by  their  several  families  be  identified  or  located. 

This  however  would  be  impossible,  for  time,  seldom 
friendly  to  the  perpetuity  of  even  the  most  enduring  mon- 
uments, easily  brushes  aside  many  of  the  frail  landmarks 
such  as  "A  small  tree  by  the  brook,"  "A  pine  stump  by  a 
stone    heap,"  "A  red  oak  sappling    by  a    fox's    burrow," 


309515 


lOO  Colonial 

"Two  short  logs  one  of  them  with  the  bark  stripped  and 
abutting  John  Smith's  brush  fence."  But  apart  from  the 
uncertain  and  transitory  nature  of  some  landmarks  and 
boundary  lines,  to  trace  original  homesteads  would  be  dif- 
ficult, because  there  prevailed  at  an  early  period  among  the 
grantees  a  desire  for  change,  the  result  of  which  was  that  a 
land  lot  acquired  one  day  might  be  exchanged  the  next, 
so  that  if  an  original  house  site  could  be  identified,  to  deter- 
mine the  original  ownership  of  the  land  might  be  impossible. 

But,  furthermore,  some  early  families  at  Concord,  as 
before  noticed,  did  not  long  remain  there,  for  like  gold 
hunters  they  sought  new  fields  in  hopes  of  betterment. 
They  put  their  names  on  record  and  staked  out  lot?,  but 
selling  and  leaving  them  the  lots  were  thereafter  identified 
with  new  owners.  Moreover,  families  died  out  leaving  no 
issue,  their  names  ceased  to  be  heard  among  the  living,  and 
were  read  only  upon  the  mossy  surface  of  their  tombstones; 
their  homesteads  went  to  waste,  their  firesides  were  dis- 
mantled, and  their  cold  hearthstones  might  form  material 
for  pasture  walls. 

Such  are  some  of  the  processes  by  which  change  has 
been  busy  at  Concord,  and  whereby  old  paths  have  been 
made  to  designate  new  ownership. 

What  all  these  changes  have  been  we  are  unable  to  state, 
but  many  of  them  have  been  given  by  the  historian  Wal- 
cott,  and  it  would  doubtless  be  a  difficult  task  to  attempt 
gleaning  anything  valuable  after  him.  But  notwithstanding 
there  have  been  many  changes,  it  can,  nevertheless,  be  said 
with  safety  that  some  families  kept  their  homesteads  from 
the  first  and  passed  them  on  to  their  posterity  with  little  if 
any  break  in  the  old  paternal  boundary  lines.  So  was  it 
for  over  two  centuries  with  the  Hartwells,  and  to  a  certain 
extent  with  the  Buttricks,  Barretts,  Miles,  Healds,  Dakins, 
Browns,  Balls,  Bakers,  Hunts,  Flints,  Meriams,  Brooks, 
some  of  the  Wheelers,  and  a  few  others,  most  of  which 
have  long  been  associated  with  the  original  homesteads  or 
with  certain  localities. 


Concord  i  o  i 

At  the  time  of  a  division  of  the  town  of  Concord  into 
quarters,  measures  were  adopted  for  the  making  and  main- 
tenance of  highways  and  bridges.  Commissioners  for  this 
work  were  appointed  and  the  following  were  the  names  in 
the  first  list:  "East  quarter,  Ensign  Wheeler  and  William 
Hartwell.  North  quarter,  John  Smedley  and  Thomas 
Bateman.  South  quarter,  George  Wheeler,  James  Hos- 
mer,  George  Hayward  and  Sergent  Buss."  Each  quarter 
was  to  make  its  rules  and  assess  "rates,"  and  in  order  to 
limit  liability  against  the  entire  town,  it  was  enacted  that  all 
damages  arising  from  defective  highways  should  fall  upon 
the  quarter  where  it  was  incurred. 

As  to  where  all  the  original  highways  were,  and  whither 
they  went  we  cannot  state,  for  like  the  sites  of  old  home- 
steads, they  have  in  many  instances  become  obliterated. 
Some,  however,  are  still  in  use,  and  some  that  are  not  in 
use  may  to  some  extent  be  traced  by  record  or  tradition. 

Mr.  Albert  E.  Wood,  a  civil  engineer  of  Concord,  and 
well  acquainted  with  the  topography  of  the  town  states  that 
"Until  the  Bay  road  was  built,  which  was  a  good  while  after 
the  town  was  settled,  there  was  no  way  to  get  to  Concord 
except  by  the  Virginia  road."  This  road,  according  to  the 
same  writer,  was  reached  by  way  of  Middle  street,  Lexing- 
ton, which  latter  road  he  believes  is  the  one  followed  by  the 
early  settlers  as  they  journeyed  from  Watertown  into  the 
wilderness  at  Musketequid.  This  road,  the  same  writer 
thinks,  was  laid  out  perhaps  by  a  company  of  explorers 
who  went  forward  and  pioneered  a  path  preparatory  to  the 
going  forth  of  the  Concord  Colonists. 

The  course  pursued  in  order  to  reach  this  road  Mr. 
Wood  conjectures  was  as  follows  : — "starting  from  Water- 
town,  and  going  northerly  through  what  is  now  Waverley, 
almost  to  East  Lexington ;  then  bearing  off  to  the  left,  and 
passing  through  the  entire  length  of  Lexington,  by  what  is 
now  called  Middle  Street,  to  the  Lincoln  line ;  then  turn- 
ing a  little  to  the  right,  so  as  to  avoid  Hobbs's  Brook, 
upon  a  road  which  tradition  declares  to  be  very  old,  and 


102  Colonial 

crossirg  the  present  Lexington  Road,  coming  by  the  Vir- 
ginia Road  to  Concord." 

As  a  matter  of  course  the  "strate  strete"  or  the  road 
along  the  ridgeway  from  the  pubHc  square  to  Meriam's 
corner  is  one  of  the  oldest  streets,  since  houses  were  erected 
upon  it  as  before  stated  about  1635.  ^^  ^^^^  highway  an 
early  record  says,  "The  highway  under  the  hill  therough 
the  Towne  is  to  be  foure  Rodes  broad."  Other  old  roads 
are  the  Woburn  road,  whose  course  was  through  the  East 
quarter  and  toward  the  Shawsheen  district  (Bedford),  the 
Watertown  road  in  the  South  quarter  of  date  1638,  the 
Sudbury  road  through  the  South  quarter  of  the  same  date, 
the  Billerica  road  from  the  Lexington  road  at  Meriam's 
corner,  1660,  or  before;  the  Groton  road  (North  quarter), 
1699;  and  the  "Old  Marlboro  road"  and  the  road  to  Lan- 
caster. The  origin  of  some  of  these  is  only  a  matter  of 
conjecture.  As  a  rule  it  is  safe  to  conclude  that  they  were 
started  for  communication  with  some  point  of  importance, 
as  a  fording  or  fishing  place,  or  an  extensive  land  grant,  or 
to  find  outlet  into  some  leading  thoroughfare.  The  ancient 
highway  was  usually  a  development  from  a  blazed  bridle 
path  to  a  rude  drift  or  cart  way,  and  thence  to  the  "county," 
or,  as  sometimes  it  was  termed,  "great  road."  Their 
widths  range  from  the  Indian  trail,  which  Johnson  states 
was  "one  foot  broad,"  to  a  road  from  four  to  forty  rods ; 
the  latter  being  the  width  of  a  highway  early  laid  out 
through  the  town  of  Sudbury. 

One  object  of  so  much  apparently  superfluous  space  was, 
doubtless,  to  pre-empt  the  timber  trees  along  the  way  for 
public  purposes.  In  the  formal  or  official  laying  out  of  the 
early  roads  it  is  not  improbable  that  drift  ways  and  paths 
that  were  private  property  were  sometimes  subsidized,  so 
that  what  the  record  designates  as  "the  laying  out  of  a  new 
way"  or  "a  way",  may  have  been  only  the  formal  appropri- 
ation or  public  recognition  of  an  old  one ;  an  instance  of 
which  may  be  the  laying  out  of  the  Groton  road  over  the 


Concord  1 03 

North   bridge  in  1699,  when,  as  we  are  informed,  the  roads 
of  the  North  quarter  were  reconstructed  or  relocated. 

It  is  probable,  also,  that  in  the  formal  laying  out  of  the 
early  roads  old  Indian  paths  were  utilized.  Such  might 
naturally  be  the  case  with  the  road  to  Sudbury.  Between 
the  latter  town  and  Concord  there  doubtless  was  consider- 
able communication,  before  the  coming  of  the  English, 
carried  on  by  the  aboriginal  inhabitants  of  these  as  well  as 
of  other  towns.  The  Indians  at  Natick  and  Nonantum, 
Kato  and  his  family  whose  home  was  at  "Wigwam  hill" 
(Goodman's),  in  Sudbury,  the  natives  dwelling  in  the  vicin- 
ity of  Cochituate  pond,  near  the  head  of  which  was  a  fort 
and  fishing  place  (Saxonville),  all  would  know  the  most 
feasible  route  to  the  Musketequid  and  follow  it,  and  the 
English  would  naturally  take  advantage  of  this  in  laying 
out  their  own  roads.  So  it  might  have  been  with  the  "Old 
Marlboro  road  ;"  perhaps  it  was  the  shortest  course  through 
the  domain  of  Tantamous  (Maynard)  to  Occogoogansett 
(Marlboro).  The  road  to  Lancaster  or  "the  road  that 
goeth  to  Nashaway"  might  have  been  the  nearest  way  to 
Nashoba  (Littleton),  and  many  times  may  have  been 
pressed  by  the  soft  moccasin  of  Nepanum  before  it  was 
trodden  by  an  Englishman.  The  road  to  Woburn  may 
have  been  the  trail  to  the  home  of  the  Squaw-Sachem  at 
Mystic  (Medford)  and  to  the  Shawhine  fishing  ground; 
the  one  to  the  northerly,  at  the  Blood  farm  (Carlisle),  may 
have  been  the  trail  to  Pawtucket  Falls  (Lowell)  ;  that  to 
Watertown  may  have  found  outlet  at  Weston,  then  Water- 
town,  in  the  "Old  Connecticut  Path,"  which  ran  into  the 
interior  of  the  Nipnet  country  toward  the  Indian  village 
of  Maguncook  (Ashland),  and  to  places  beyond  these ; 
to  all  of  which  villages  the  tribal  relations  of  the  Mus- 
ketequid Indians  probably  extended.  Of  the  later  and 
lesser  highways  of  Concord,  whether  in  use  or  disuse,  we 
will  say  but  little. 


CHAPTER   XIII. 

Sites  of  Ancient  Highways  —  l^heir  Reminiscent 
Character  —  Vestiges  of  Old  Homesteads  — 
Earth  Dents  —  Traces  of  Old  '■'■Tavern  Stand'' — 
Shoemaker  s  Shop,  Laborer  s  Cottages,  The  Dame 
School. 

BEFORE  leaving  the  subject  of  old  and  disused  high- 
ways, let  us  consider  some  suggestions  that  come  to 
us ;    for    as    we    remember    that     they    were    once 
well    worn    thoroughfares    of  the    fathers,   and   the 
avenues  of  public  intercourse,  they  furnish  food  for  much 
thought. 

To  begin  with,  the  very  tracing  of  them  is  interesting  to 
one  possessed  of  an  antiquary  taste,  or  who  is  a  lover  of 
Nature,  for  there  may  be  frequent  and  pleasant  surprises. 
It  may  be  a  rare  flower  whose  presence  was  detected  by  its 
fragrance,  and  as  the  eager  explorer  thrusts  away  the  black- 
berry vines  to  examine  it  more  closely,  or  to  pluck  it  as  a 
trophy,  he  may  discover  the  crank  of  an  old  hand  mill  last 
turned  by  Goody  Gobble  and  left  stranded  when  the  tide 
of  travel  went  out.  As  he  pursues  his  way,  which  in  its 
devious  course  at  one  time  takes  him  through  meadows 
green  and  pastures  pleasant  or  along  merry  brooksides,  and 
at  another  leads  him  a  tangled  and  tiresome  chase  through 
woodlands  wild  and  up  and  down  defiles  that  are  shadowy 
and  deep,  he  may  at  length  find  himself  seated  by  a  fox's 
den  with  no  living  object  in  sight  except  a  few  ferns  and 
blueberry  bushes,  while  within  easy  reach  is  the  rusty  noz- 
zle of  a  blacksmith's  bellows  last  used  at  the  Village 
forge. 

But  perhaps  the  greatest  attractiveness  of  the  old  and 
disused    highways  is  in    the  suggestiveness  of    the    house 
104 


Concord  1O5; 

sites  upon  them.  Indeed,  it  may  be  by  the  aid  of  the 
mounds  and  earth  dents  that  mark  them,  that  the  entire 
course  of  an  obsolete  way  can  be  traced  ;  for  although  in 
many  cases  they  are  matters  of  record,  yet  so  remotely 
were  they  traveled  that  Nature  has  quite  claimed  them, 
and  in  some  instances  so  covered  them  with  trees  and 
grasses  that  it  may  be  said  they  have  reverted  to  the  origi- 
nal owners  by  "prescriptive  right."  But  the  house  sites 
may  betray  them,  and  to  ferret  out  these  sites  and  sit  beside 
them  ;  to  muse  upon  their  possible  or  probable  history ;  or 
to  search  for  some  significant  object  that  will  break  the 
spell  of  their  mystery  and  give  hint  as  to  who  lived  there 
may  be  as  interesting  as  to  trace  the  roads  themselves. 
And  in  some  cases  it  is  quite  as  difficult,  for  time  is  never 
friendly  to  relics  of  any  kind,  and  Nature  strives  energet- 
ically and  promptly  to  cover  the  scars  that  are  made  upon 
her,  as  is  clearly  seen  by  the  incoming  of  vegetation  even 
upon  a  sandy  railroad  embankment. 

Notwithstanding,  however,  all  efforts  to  the  contrary, 
man's  work  long  defies  Nature's  best  attempts  to  obliterate 
it,  and  if  no  traditions  or  records  of  the  Colonial  age  were 
extant,  it  might  perhaps  be  distinguished  by  the  things  now 
and  then  discovered  in  the  mouldering  debris,  where  stood 
the  old  farm  house,  the  barn,  and  the  rude  work  shop. 
Among  the  tell-tale  objects  of  a  durable  character  are  cellar 
walls,  old  door  stones,  bits  of  metal  broken  from  miscella- 
neous culinary  articles,  and  crumbling  brick  work  ;  while  in 
the  vegetable  world  and  quite  as  lasting  in  their  perennial 
upspringings  are  "gill  run  over  the  ground,"  patches  of 
plantain,  a  few  clumps  of  catnip,  the  red  sorrel  struggling 
among  a  few  sickly  lilies,  a  stunted  lilac,  a  rose  bush  or 
two,  an  ancient  pear  tree,  and  perhaps  as  indestructible  as 
anything,  the  yellow  tufted  cypress,  and  old  maid's  pinks. 

But  let  us  consider  more  closely  the  subject  of  house 
sites,  and  as  we  do  so  let  us  at  times  leave  the  realm  of 
actuality,  and  as  we  stand  by  these  wayside  souvenirs,  while 
not  overstepping  the    possible  and  perhaps  the  probable, 


1 06  Colonial 

consider  some  old  time  customs  and  superstitions,  and 
modes  of  living  and  of  dress :  and  in  this  manner,  it  may 
be,  feast  our  fancy  upon  the  fictitious  counterparts  of  what 
occurred  in  the  half  forgotten   long  ago. 

That  depression,  about  which  are  the  fragments  of  old 
bricks  with  the  blackened  mortar  still  upon  them,  marks 
the  spot  where  was  born  and  died  an  "old  inhabitant"  who 
was  foremost  in  town  affairs.  The  path  to  his  door  now 
covered  with  "mouse's  ear"  was  trodden  much,  because 
everybody  respected  him  and  he  kept  open  house  for  the 
country  side.  In  the  intercolonial  wars  he  and  his  son 
fought  side  by  side,  and  when  the  war  was  over  both  came 
back.  At  length  the  old  man  died  ;  the  son  left  the  farm, 
the  road  went  into  disuse,  the  house  to  decay,  and  this  is 
the  last  of  it.  If  you  listen  at  the  early  twilight  just  as 
the  witch  hour  comes  in  you  may  hear  something,  for  that 
ghostly  looking  poplar  whose  leaves  tremble  so  may  be 
sheltering  some  sprites  who  will  tell  the  history  of  that 
house,  which  history  may  be  that  intemperance  had  to  do 
with  its  loss  and  decay ;  the  moral  of  which  is  that  in 
every  place  and  among  every  people  alcohol  is  destructive 
rather  than  constructive. 

Near  that  leek  covered  ledge  by  the  barberry  bush  may 
have  been  an  old  time  tavern  stand.  The  sign  that  swung 
before  it  said :  "Entertainment  for  man  and  beast,"  and  the 
landlord's  license  was  "to  sell  strong  water."  In  the  accom- 
plishment of  these  objects,  the  keeper  of  this  "Ordinary" 
was  much  assisted  as  well  by  the  villagers  as  by  the  occa- 
sional traveler,  in  that  some  of  the  former  were  always 
ready  for  the  latter  to  "stand  treat,"  and  it  may  not  be  too 
much  to  suppose  that  more  than  one  stone  on  the  wall 
opposite  has  been  surreptitiously  thrust  upon  the  "steel- 
yards" and  weighed,  and  afterwards  returned  to  its  place, 
in  order  to  insure  a  safe  bet  on  its  weight  for  the  drinks, 
which    bet  was    made  with    some  unsuspecting    teamster. 

The  usual  village  loiterer  was  there  also,  tempted  by  the 
odor  of  the  tap  room,  and  with  an  eager  expectation  that 


Concord  107 

he  would  be  benefited  by  its  scant  leakage,  if  he  now  and 
then  groomed  a  teamster's  horse  or  made  the  hostler's  bed 
in   the  "bunk," 

Soldiers  sometimes  stopped  there  on  their  way  to  or 
from  "Old  Ti"  and  Crown  Point,  and  swapped  stories,  and 
talked  of  the  war ;  and  the  neighboring  farmers  of  a  winter 
evening  or  a  wet  day  sat  before  the  fireside  in  the  bar  room 
and  smoked  their  cob  pipes  and  talked  crops,  taking  good 
care  to  leave  with  the  landlord  no  more  than  their  good 
will  when  they  went  away,  for  a  nine  pence  with  them  was 
stronger  than  appetite  ;  as  money  usually  came  hard  in  those 
days,  and  to  make  both  ends  meet  was  a  matter  of  econ- 
omy and  close  management. 

By  the  bushy  lane  where  that  large  boulder  is  encircled 
by  the  low  savin  bush  as  if  to  save  it  from  the  encroach- 
ments of  all  larger  vegetation,  may  have  stood  the  shop  of 
a  shoemaker.  There,  bits  of  old  leather,  curled  and 
wrinkled  by  long  exposure  to  sun  and  weather,  show  that 
this  son  of  Crispin  was  a  careful  craftsman,  for  those 
stitches  that  grin  and  glisten  are  well  set,  and  the  shrunken 
awl  holes  even  yet  show  their  shapeliness.  There  by  that 
burdock  is  the  remnant  of  a  "tongue  boot."  The  leg  is 
stiched  to  the  instep  leather  in  a  well  rounded  seam,  which 
indicates  that  the  ancient  shoemaker  had  regard  to  both 
stoutness  and  symmetry. 

In  a  barn  that  stood  back  of  this  building  the  minute 
men  drilled,  and  on  winter  evenings  the  yeomanry  met 
there  and  went  through  the  "manual  of  arms"  with  their 
mittens  on,  while  the  cows  lowed  in  the  stalls  and  longingly 
looked  to  the  haymow  in  the  wish  that  a  loose  lock  might 
be  thrown  them. 

Beyond  the  roadbend  on  the  rising  ground  and  half 
concealed  by  that  hazel  clump,  may  have  stood  the  cottage 
of  a  laborer  who  worked  for  "four  and  sixpence"  a  day 
"making  it  fair  weather."  Near  that  bush  was  his  garden, 
where  he  worked  at  early  evening  and  of  a  stormy  day. 
Here  and  there  a  few  turf  bound  herbs  as  sage  and  rue  still 


loo  Colonial 

disclose  it,  and  if  time  has  not  been  too  relentless,  the  fra- 
grance of  a  few  grass  pinks  or  the  flash  of  a  sweet  williams 
blossom  may  reach  you.  In  the  adjacent  bog  by  that  cone 
shaped  musquash's  nest  he  cut  his  peat,  and  the  straggling 
hop  vines  that  vainly  strive  to  entwine  themselves  about 
that  wild  cherry  tree  are  the  poor  remnants  of  once  produc- 
tive vines  which  the  laborer  relied  upon  to  "work  his 
beer." 

Just  beside  the  runway  there  by  the  bank,  was  a  "Dame 
school,"  which  we  will  suppose  was  kept  by  Goody  Doro- 
thea Dean  in  the  northwest  chamber  of  her  sister's  hus- 
band's farm  house,  the  parents  of  each  pupil  sent  to  her 
paying  six  pence  a  week  for  tuition,  she  having  her  rent 
free.  Here,  we  will  suppose  that  the  good  dame  taught 
year  after  year,  and  sang  the  same  old  song  of  addition, 
subtraction,  multiplication  and  division,  as  the  winter  snows 
came  and  the  spring  suns  melted  them  away,  until  her  life 
became  as  dry  and  methodical  as  the  simple  rules  with 
which  she  dealt,  and  every  hue  of  her  once  fair  face  was 
faded,  and  there  was  little  left  to  tell  of  the  former  fresh- 
ness which  once  made  her  a  favorite  among  the  village 
beaux. 

It  was  not  hard  work  that  had  shrivelled  the  fair  features 
of  Goody  Dean,  although  she  did  everything  that  was 
required  of  her,  and  was  a  painstaking  little  body,  doing 
her  duty  in  every  detail  and  to  the  last  moment  by  the 
"noon  mark  ;"  but  the  humdrum  of  her  experience  was 
what  wore  on  her,  for  it  was  day  after  day  the  same  thing 
without  special  incident  or  episode,  except  now  and  then 
the  entrance  of  some  new  comer,  who,  although  too  young 
to  enter  even  the  simple  curriculum  of  a  Dame  school, 
had  been  sent  by  an  overworked  mother  in  order  to  make 
one  less  child  to  be  under  foot  in  the  cheeseroom.  This 
monotony  was  not  peculiar  to  the  school  of  Dorothea 
Dean,  for  this  school  taught  in  the  northwest  chamber  of 
her  sister's  husband's  house  was  as  good  as  any  of  the 
Dame  schools.     But  education  was  at  a  low  ebb  in  that 


Concord  109 

period.  The  financial  circumstances  of  the  colonists  were 
straightened.  An  intense  conservation  prevailed  and  only 
the  practical  was  then  popular.  As  they  could  do  without 
grammar  better  than  they  could  do  without  corn  they  raised 
corn.  As  their  meeting  house  educated  in  matters  relig- 
ious, and  much  secular  knowledge  was  not  considered  essen- 
tial, they  let  the  latter  take  care  of  itself,  and  were  fairly 
content  if  they  could  read,  write,  and  "cast  accounts"  in 
whole  numbers,  as  mathematics  were  then  styled. 

So  it  was  that  Goody  Dean  and  her  Dame  school  were 
up  to  date,  and  her  pupils  were  abreast  of  the  times  ;  and 
although  both  were  in  the  doldrums  of  the  days  of  a  juice- 
less  pedagogy,  yet  neither  expected  anything  better  nor 
looked  beyond  what  that  northwest  chamber  afforded. 
The  mistress  went  her  simple  round  of  duties  day  by  day 
with  a  punctiliousness  that  was  commendable  and  in  exact 
accord  with  the  staid  circumstances  that  surrounded  her. 
Her  work  was  to  a  large  extent  manual,  and  that  of  her 
pupils  was  formal  and  imitative.  There  were  quills  to  be 
sharpened,  rules  to  be  written,  and  learned  by  rote,  and  re- 
cited, courtesies  to  be  taught  and  carefully  practiced,  in- 
struction in  sewing  to  be  given,  and  the  children  to  be  kept 
quiet  on  the  tripod  or  made  to  sit  straight  on  the  backless 
bench. 

Nothing  very  progressive  could  under  the  circumstances 
be  expected  in  these  schools,  either  on  the  part  of  the 
teacher  or  the  taught,  for  time,  a  very  important  factor  with 
the  settler,  had  an  allotted  limit  with  each  scholar.  So  if 
perchance  some  exceptionally  ambitious  and  precocious 
youth  got  so  far  in  arithmetic  as  to  "enter  fractions,"  and 
in  grammar  as  to  "parse"  in  some  old  copy  of  "Paradise 
Lost"  borrowed  of  the  Parson,  his  ambition  might  suffer 
speedy  curtailment,  for  just  then  might  come  planting,  hoe- 
ing, haying,  or  harvesting,  in  which  all  the  little  folks  could 
be  serviceable,  and  so  although  the  term  went  on,  away 
hi^d  one  after  another  to  their  several   homes,  leaving  the 


T I  o  Colonial 

Dame  with  a  loss  of  their  sixpence  a  week,  to  await  their 
return  after  an  interval  of  weeks  or  months. 

But  notwithstanding  the  drudgery  of  the  Dame  school 
with  its  absence  of  attractive  text  books,  and  its  dry  meth- 
ods and  its  arbitrary  rules,  the  children  loved  Dame  Dean 
and  would  do  almost  anything  for  her.  They  respected 
her  next  to  the  minister  and  magistrate,  and  many  were  the 
little  tokens  of  affectionate  regard  sometimes  seen  on  her 
coarse  desk  in  the  corner,  in  the  shape  of  sprigs  of  "south- 
ern wood",  or  "goose's  tongue,"  or  wild  roses,  or  early 
fruits,  so  it  may  be  said  that  the  pupils  of  the  Dame 
school,  in  what  we  will  call  district  number  two,  to  make 
matters  more  natural,  though  the  district  was  never  num- 
bered that  we  know  of,  were  as  good  and  contented  as  any 
could  be  who  were  similarly  situated. 

But  children  were  human  in  those  days  as  well  as  these, 
and  it  is  no  wonder  if  they  sometimes  got  tired  and  as  they 
sat  of  a  long  drawn  afternoon  watching  the  wasps  buzzing 
on  the  ceiling,  or  craning  their  necks  over  the  high  window 
stools  to  get  a  look  at  the  fresh,  green  earth,  and  as  they 
thought  of  the  sweet  flags  by  the  water  courses,  and  the 
tender  checker-bush  by  the  pasture  lane,  and  the  straw- 
berries among  the  meadow  rocks,  it  is  no  wonder  that  in 
their  well  wishes  for  themselves  and  their  school  mistress, 
there  should  come  into  their  immature  minds  the  innocent 
hope  that  as  the  dear  old  Dame  had  long  sharpened  their 
quills,  so  there  might  be  somebody  to  sharpen  quills  for 
her. 

And  their  little  wishes  were  at  length  gratified.  One 
day  —  it  was  a  bright  and  cloudless  one  —  when  the  tana- 
ger's  wing  flashed  in  the  forest,  and  the  frogs  peeped  loudly 
in  the  marsh  stubble,  and  the  dimpling  waters  of  mill  brook 
lapped  lovingly  the  cowslip  roots  just  below  the  Parson's 
sedge  meadow,  and  looked  up  to  the  yellow  blossoms  as  if 
impatient  to  become  a  part  of  them,  some  one  rapped  at 
the  door,  and  upon  its  being  opened  there  stood  the  famil- 
iar form  of  Farmer  Fletcher,  who  lived  just  beyond  that 


Concord  1 1 1 

hollow  in  the  highway  yonder  where  those  purple  grackles 
are  perched  on  the  willow  tops. 

He  was  dressed  in  his  best,  having  upon  his  head  the 
"castor  hat"  which  his  father  Jedediah  left  him  in  his  last 
will  and  testament,  and  for  his  other  attire,  he  had  on  a 
steel  blue  duffel  coat  and  a  white  fustian  waistcoat  sitting 
low  down  on  a  pair  of  short  and  stinted  pantaloons  that 
just  reached  the  tops  of  a  pair  of  start  ups,  or  high  boots. 
The  sleeves  of  his  duffel  coat  were  made  short  in  order  to 
display  a  pair  of  loose  fitting  "mufFeteers"  or  "wristers" 
that  extended  well  down  to  his  sheepskin  gloves. 

Dame  Dean  went  softly  to  the  door  and  as  she  stood 
with  her  diminutive  yet  comely  form  facing  the  tall,  stal- 
wart frame  of  Farmer  Fletcher,  the  contrast  between  them 
was  striking  :  but  not  more  striking  in  their  forms  than  in 
their  dress,  for,  not  having  expected  a  caller,  as  none  except 
the  minister  and  the  tithingmen  were  supposed  to  visit  the 
Dame  school,  she  was  attired  in  her  every  day  dress, 
which  so  far  as  the  fashion  of  it  went,  might  befit  any  wo- 
man of  the  middle  classes  who  was  dressed  for  the  work  or 
leisure  of  an  afternoon,  except  that  her  garments  were  of 
a  little  finer  fabric  and  finish  perhaps,  because  she  was  a 
school  mistress.  Her  hair  was  neatly  ruffed  upon  each 
side  and  kept  in  position  by  a  pin  plucked  from  a  thorn 
bush,  while  dangling  delicately  over  her  left  ear  was  a  thin, 
lone  curl.  The  front  hair  was  brushed  straight  back 
between  the  ruffs  and  queued  behind  against  a  high  comb. 
She  wore  a  sacque  slightly  decorated  with  faded  "inkle,"  a 
kind  of  tape  braid  used  in  embroidery,  both  the  fabric  of 
the  sacque  and  trimming  showing  that  it  had  seen  its  best 
days  before  being  worn  in  the  school  room.  Beneath  the 
sacque,  and  just  disclosing  itself  through  an  unclasped  hook 
and  eye,  was  the  edge  of  a  "murry"  colored  waist,  while 
thrown  above  these  upper  garments  and  resting  tastefully 
upon  them  with  a  "set"  that  was  without  wrinkle  or  pucker, 
was  a  fringed  "whittle"  or  Holland  neck  cloth.  For  lower 
garments  there  was  an  overskirt  of  "caHmanco"  which  was 


112  Colonial 

caught  up  at  the  bottom  to  avoid  the  dust  of  the  floor,  and 
thus  exposing  an  inch  or  two  of  a  green  linsey  woolsey  pet- 
ticoat with  a  sage  gray  binding. 

It  was  indeed  a  heap  of  clothing  of  faded  gay  colors  for 
such  a  little  body,  but  it  showed  how  well  kept  were  the 
garments  of  the  middle  classes  in  those  days,  and  how 
things  passed  down  by  will,  or  inheritance,  or  as  heirlooms 
to  be  worn  by  successive  generations,  each  in  its  turn  hold- 
ing them  in  trust  as  it  were,  to  be  transferred  to  others  if 
not  worn  out  by  themselves. 

Farmer  Fletcher  smiled  at  the  little  school  teacher  as  she 
appeared  at  the  door,  and  bowed  low  with  his  whole  body  ; 
the  bend  being  from  his  broad  shoulders  down  to  his  well 
rounded  calves,  which  were  swathed  in  close  fitting  cloth 
socks,  and  just  apparent  between  his  breeches  and  start 
ups.  The  whole  motion  made  by  him  described  a  half 
circle,  and  the  hat  which  by  this  time  he  was  holding  in  his 
hand  almost  touched  the  well  sanded  floor.  The  salute 
was  responded  to  by  the  little  school  mistress  in  a  manner 
as  gentle  as  it  was  given,  and  the  courtesy  which  she  returned 
was  such  that  her  fragile  form  dropped  gracefully  and  with- 
out a  perceptible  curve  in  her  whole  body,  until  it  was  only 
about  half  as  high  as  that  of  her  gallant  caller  who  now 
had  recovered  his  wonted  uprightness ;  and  her  clinging 
linsey  woolsey  petticoat  with  its  sage  colored  binding  com- 
pletely covered  the  dainty  slippers,  and  coyly  wrinkled  on 
the  coarse  floor  boards.  Farmer  Fletcher  followed  up  the 
response  by  continuing  to  smile  the  sweet  smile  that  was 
upon  his  countenance  when  he  entered,  and  while  all  this 
was  going  on,  the  interested  school  children  noted  this 
practical  observance  of  the  "proprieties"  which  had  often 
been  taught  them  theoretically  by  their  fond  teacher,  but 
which  seldom  had  been  illustrated  by  such  a  perfect  object 
lesson,  not  even  when  on  one  occasion  the  minister  met  the 
tithingmen. 

The  school  closed  early  that  afternoon,  much  earlier  than 
usual,  and  the  scholars  hardly  knew  why,  and  wondered. 


Concord  113 

as  with  hop,  skip,  and  jump  they  went  through  the  nearer 
pasture  bars  into  the  lane  to  catch  butterflies.  Dorothea 
and  Daniel  repaired  to  a  sunny  bank  by  the  woodside  in 
the  dingle  you  see  in  the  distance,  and  there  seating  them- 
selves with  all  proper  decorum  engaged  in  conversation. 

Farmer  Fletcher  inquired  with  considerable  apparent 
solicitude,  though  with  an  air  of  partial  absent-mindedness, 
after  the  Widow  Fox,  whose  condition  of  late  had  been 
feeble  and  languishing,  and  whose  case  was  "made  mention 
of"  in  a  "note  put  up"  the  last  Sunday  at  the  meeting 
house.  They  talked  of  the  news  from  the  sea-board,  and 
the  fresh  arrivals  in  the  Bay.  Especially  animated  was 
their  conversation  about  the  startling  rumor  of  a  stranger 
who  had  recently  come  into  town,  who  had  rashly  proposed 
that  the  town  buy  a  carriage  "to  carry  copses  to  the  grave 
in."  The  more  exciting  topic,  however,  before  the  final 
one,  was  the  notable  discussion  that  was  going  on  from  the 
Blood  farm  to  the  Nine  acres  as  to  whether  the  minister 
was  not  too  much  of  a  "legal  preacher,"  that  is  whether  he 
was  not  dwelling  unduly  in  his  discourses,  on  the  "cove- 
nant of  works"  to  the  disparagement  of  the  "covenant  of 
grace." 

Whether  or  not  this  last  subject  was  too  dry,  or  whether 
Daniel  felt  that  the  afternoon  was  passing,  and  was  appre- 
hensive that  further  delay  might  defeat  the  main  object  of 
his  visit  we  cannot  say,  since  the  only  sparks  here  available 
depose  nothing  ;  but  so  it  was,  that  as  soon  as  he  had 
shifted  his  position  to  get  out  of  the  sun,  which  in  its  low 
descent  now  shone  full  in  his  face,  giving  to  it  a  worried 
look.  Farmer  Fletcher  said,  hesitatingly,  "Dorothea,  art 
thou  not  tired  of  the  Dame  school  ?"  for  he  used  a  scrip- 
ture form  of  language,  "and  hast  thou  not  taught  long 
enough  ?  and  wouldst  thou  not  change  if  thou  couldst  ?  for 
thou  couldst  if  thou  wouldst,  and  I  have  come  to  talk  with 
thee  about  it,  Dorothea."  No  matter  of  record  has  been 
made  of  Goody  Dean's  reply  neither  has  tradition 
informed  us  about  it,  but  from  whatever  facts  are  obtainable 


114  Colonial 

we  infer  that  she  inlormed  him  in  substance,  that  since  life 
with  her  had  long  been  reduced  to  its  lowest  terms  and 
she  was  wearied  with  whole  numbers,  if  it  would  greatly 
add  to  his  pleasures  and  much  multiply  his  joys  she  was 
willing  to  divide  with  him  her  heart  if  he  would  share  with 
her  his  home  ;  tor  that  she  believed  in  so  doing  there 
would  be  nothing  subtracted  from  their  sum  of  happiness. 

Just  then  a  thrush  sang  in  the  brushwood,  and  an  owl, 
which  for  the  last  half  hour  had  haunted  Farmer  Fletcher 
by  its  dismal  hooting,  flew  away,  and  the  sun  shone  on  the 
clouds  above,  giving  them  a  rosy  red  hue,  while  a  couple 
of  song  sparrows  that  had  for  a  short  time  previous  been 
chirping  and  twittering  in  the  brushwood,  flew  out  into  the 
open  and  airily  alighted  on  the  spray  of  a  hazel  bush  and 
sat  swaying  and  singing,  while  Daniel  and  Dorothea 
looked  and  listened. 

As  the  mists  began  to  gather,  and  the  grass  was  getting 
damp.  Farmer  Fletcher  and  Dame  Dean  arose  and  walked 
lovingly  down  the  dewy  pathway  into  the  common  highway 
and  then  and  there  arranged  for  the  wedding,  which, 
because  of  her  position  as  a  school  mistress,  they  decided 
to  have  in  the  meeting  house  if  it  were  allowed  them. 
But  we  will  get  back  to  the  highway  and  only  say  further 
about  the  Dame  school,  that  it  soon  closed,  and  as  the  hus- 
band of  Goody  Dean's  sister  did  not  care  longer  to  keep 
open  house  for  the  school  children,  since  then  as  now,  they 
trod  on  the  grass,  Dorothea  had  no  successor  there.  The 
farm  was  finally  sold  piecemeal,  and  as  the  house  was  old, 
it  went  into  disuse,  decayed,  and  fell  but  that  is  the  site  of 
it. 


THE 

NEW  YORK 

PUBLIC  LIBRARY 

Astor,  Lenox  and  TUden  ^ 
Foundations. 


v4  A 


.'■*"*r'^'^ 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

The  Haunted  House —  Casting  of  the  Tarn  Ball — 
The  '''■  Witch  Cair  —  Adventurous  Search  for  an 
Apparition  —  Explanations  Relative  to  Houses  said 
to  be  Haunted. 

NEAR  that  barberry  bush  stood  a  haunted  house 
which  was  shunned  by  the  children  and  even  the 
rough  wood  choppers.  There  the  yarn  ball  was 
cast  as  a  ghost  test,  and  Ike  Bateman  went  for  a 
witchcall,  but  he  failed  to  obtain  it  because  at  the  very 
moment  of  success,  when  the  spun  yarn  refused  further  to 
unwind,  he  dropped  it  and  fled  as  if  forgetful  of  what  he 
was  there  for.  He  said  afterwards  that  he  heard  the  "call," 
and  although  his  testimony  stood  alone  almost  everybody 
believed  it. 

Let  us,  since  Ike  failed,  suppose  we  make  the  test  for 
ourselves,  if  so  be,  by  a  little  eavesdropping  or  espionage, 
of  such  as  hold  in  mortmain  old  estates,  we  may  dis- 
cover the  real  sound  and  sentiment  of  the  "witch  call"  and 
the  color  and  shape  of  an  old  time  apparition. 

In  order  to  do  this,  let  us  suppose  we  visited  the  spot 
for  this  purpose,  when  the  house  was  standing,  with  a  ball 
of  woolen  spun  yarn  in  our  hand,  a  sprig  of  witch  hazel  in 
our  hat  and  a  horseshoe  saddled  upon  our  forearm  to  keep 
any  inhabitant  of  that  once  human  dwelling  place  from 
coming  too  near.  We  did  not  go  alone,  we  did  not  dare 
to,  lest  when  the  spun  yarn  caught  we  should  scamper  away 
as  others  had  done,  without  waiting  for  the  dreaded  yet  de- 
sired "witch  call."  So  we  went,  myself  and  Simeon  Buss, 
for  Sim  said,  "He'd  go  ef  I'd  go,"  and  that  "he'd  gone 
afore  but  was  afraid  to." 

115 


1 1 6  Colonial 

We  went  at  an  hour  which  for  our  purpose  was  consid- 
ered a  timely  one,  for  it  was  the  hour  of  twihght ;  a  time 
when  lovers  get  together,  and  the  birds  twitter  and  trill 
their  sweet  good  nights,  and  the  sprites  commence  their 
escapadings,  and  the  late  loiterer  from  the  village  grocery 
quickens  his  footsteps  and  furtively  looks  behind  him  to 
see  if  his  own  shadow  is  following  him. 

On  approaching  the  house  we  involuntarily  shrank  back 
at  beholding  its  dark  outline  on  the  wood's  edge,  and  half 
wished  we  had  not  started.  But  we  kept  on,  and  espying 
near  the  doorway  a  low  lilac  shrub  crept  under  it,  and  list- 
ened among  its  stunted  sprouts  to  see  if  the  coast  was  clear 
in  which  to  operate.  As  no  spirit  was  astir  Sim  fumbled 
for  the  spun  yarn,  and  by  a  dexterous  thrust  passed  it 
through  a  hole  in  the  broken  door,  and  began  to  pull  the 
end  he  held  in  his  hand. 

Befoie  doing  this,  however,  he  shoved  the  horseshoe 
higher  up  towards  his  shoulder  blades.  It  was  a  good  cast 
he  had  made,  for  the  spun  yarn  was  clear  and  it  was  not 
until  the  ball  was  half  unwound  that  it  ceased  further  to 
"pay  out."  As  it  stopped  we  were  startled,  for  Sim  said 
there  was  a  jerk,  and  we  felt  as  if  communication  had  com- 
menced with  another  world.  If  the  ball  had  stopped  un- 
winding much  sooner  it  ought  not  to  have  surprised  us,  for 
Sim  had  taken  pains  to  make  it  sensitive  by  boiling  it  in  a 
strong  concoction  of  "witch  broth,"  which  was  made  of 
several  ingredients,  conspicuous  among  which  were  wild 
herbs  gathered  at  midnight  in  a  thunder  storm,  and  at  a 
time  when  the  moon  was  on  the  wane,  and  the  tide  had 
turned ;  besides  these,  was  a  small  sprig  of  betony  plucked 
at  a  grewsome  spot  known  as  the  ''Devil's  wallow." 

Here  was  a  crisis,  the  moment  had  come  when  we  could 
retreat  as  others  had  done,  or  remain  and  hear  the  "witch 
call,"  Having  resolved  upon  the  latter  course,  for  that  was 
what  we  had  come  for,  we  looked  well-  to  the  horseshoe, 
and  also  cast  away  the  witch  hazel  sprig,  for  we  felt  as  if 
the  spell  was  strong  enough,  and  crouching  lower  among 


Concord  117 

the  lilac  sprouts  awaited  the  "call,"  hoping  that  if  it  was  to 
come  at  all  it  would  come  soon,  though  rather  hoping  it 
would  not  come  at  all,  and  fully  resolved  in  our  cramped 
condition  not  to  wait  long. 

But  there  was  no  delay,  for  while  we  listened  there  came 
a  low  sound,  at  first  scarcely  audible,  and  hardly  to  be  dis- 
tinguished from  the  soft  sighing  of  a  gentle  breeze,  for  the 
wind  had  arisen,  and  cold,  grey  clouds  were  scudding  over 
the  moon's  disc.  Soon  the  noise  grew  louder,  with  various 
quavers  and  modulations  and  at  length  broke  with  the 
expulsory  force  of  a  pistol  shot ;  at  the  same  instant  two 
forms  from  a  broken  window  casement  dashed  by  us  and 
disappeared  in  some  currant  bushes  just  beyond,  the  fruit 
of  which,  it  was  commonly  said,  the  witches  claimed,  and 
were  accustomed  to  pick  of  an  evening  after  the  moon  was 
up ;  so  that  no  one  in  the  neighborhood  dared  touch  it. 

Moreover,  it  was  stated  that  Sofy  Smedley,  and  Cinthy 
Billings,  she  that  was  Goody  Taylor  before  she  married, 
belated  in  gathering  "yarbs"  in  "medicine  medder,"  as  they 
were  making  their  way  homeward  just  at  nightfall,  saw  two 
strangers  picking  the  currants  in  their  aprons. 

Not  knowing  but  that  the  witches  would  return,  and  in 
consideration  of  our  cramped  condition,  we  thought  it 
might  be  wise  not  to  stay  longer  among  the  lilac  sprouts 
but  to  get  out  into  the  open  and  view  things  from  a  longer 
range;  just  then  however  matters  adjusted  themselves, 
for  the  objects  crawled  out  into  the  moonlight  and  as  they 
frisked  and  gambolled  and  were  joined  by  two  others  we 
discovered  that  they  were  cats,  and  were  convinced  beyond 
peradventure  that  the  sights,  sounds  and  jerks  on  the  spun 
yarn  were  now  fully  explained.  Instantly  our  courage  re- 
turned and  we  concluded  to  explore  the  premises.  Crawl- 
ing from  our  hiding  place  we  entered  the  house,  started  a 
fire,  and  finding  a  half  burnt  candle,  we  lighted  it.  In 
order  that  we  might  make  the  most  of  the  sparks  we  went 
for  fuel  into  the  door-yard  and  gathered  a  few  fragments  of 
broken  branches,  which  had  fallen  from  a  ghostly  looking 


1 1 8  Colonial 

sycamore  tree,  believing  that  it  had  stood  there  ever  since 
the  house  was  built.  Upon  the  hearth  was  a  heap  of  crum- 
bled mortar  and  chimney  dust  and  soot  and  a  few  fragments 
of  old  bricks  which  half  covered  the  dog  irons.  As  the 
flames  crept  up  the  chimney  there  fell  upon  the  fire  several 
swallows'  nests  which  looked  as  ancient  as  the  house,  and 
the  smoke  set  to  twittering  the  inmates  of  new  nests. 

Taking  the  nearly  spent  candle  we  impaled  it  upon  a 
pointed  stick  and  started  for  the  garret.  The  stairs 
creaked  as  we  ascended,  and  when  we  reached  the  place 
which  in  ordinary  times  is  studiously  shunned  by  the  small 
boy  after  nightfall,  there  whizzed  by  us  through  the  shat- 
tered window  a  couple  of  owls  with  such  a  screech  as 
might  be  considered  a  cry  of  vengeance  on  those  who  had 
molested 

"Their  ancient  solitary  reign." 

There  were  no  rats,  for  their  was  nothing  for  them  to  eat ; 
but  hard  up  against  the  chimney  and  reclining  upon  it,  in  a 
way  that  on  an  exceptionally  tempestuous  night  when  the 
wind  blew  through  the  long  windowless  garret  it  might 
sway  and  tremble  on  the  bricks  with  a  distinctiveness  that 
could  be  heard  outside,  was  an  old  tin  kitchen  used  for 
baking  before  a  fireplace.  Here  also  we  saw  at  a  glance 
was  another  of  the  would-be  "witch  calls"  and  the  source 
of  inexplicable  sounds.  Returning,  we  resolved  to  go  into 
the  outbuildings ;  one  of  which  was  an  old  carriage  shed 
just  opposite  the  room  in  which  we  had  made  a  fire,  and  a 
few  yards  distant.  Passing  over  the  intervening  space  with 
some  slight  trepidation,  we  opened  the  door  and  passed  in ; 
but  instantly,  we  slammed  it  together  again  and  started 
back  more  affrighted,  if  possible,  than  when  we  were  in  the 
lilac  sprouts,  for  plainly  before  us  in  the  back  part  of  the 
building  was  a  white  form,  motionless,  yet  distinct  and  up- 
right, and    Sim    averred,  with    one    hand    beckoning  us. 

In  less  time  than  it  takes  to  tell  it  we  fled  into  the  pas- 
ture ;  but,  as  we  glanced  behind  us  to  see  how  much  we 


Concord  119 

had  the  start  of  the  ghost,  we  chanced  to  observe  that 
although  the  door  was  shut,  there  was  upon  it  the  exact 
counterpart  of  what  we  had  seen  inside,  and  that  it  con- 
formed exactly  to  the  tall,  narrow  window  frame  opposite 
the  fireplace.  As  we  stood  wondering  and  reasoning,  Sim 
and  I,  the  figure  grew  fainter  and  fainter,  and  at  last  disap- 
peared. Not  wishing  to  be  too  precipitate  in  our  conclu- 
sions, since  through  our  coolness  we  had  succeeded  so  well 
before,  we  resolved  to  return  to  the  house  and  make  bold 
to  investigate  the  cause  which  we  strongly  surmised.  Cau- 
tiously retracing  our  steps,  we  saw  that  the  firelight  no 
longer  shone  through  the  window.  We  opened  the  shed 
door  again  —  all  was  dark  within.  To  make  sure  that  our 
reasoning  was  correct  we  replenished  the  fire  that  had  gone 
out  on  the  hearth,  and  when  the  bright  flame  streamed  up 
the  chimney  we  went  out,  and  there  on  the  shed  door  was 
the  same  shaft  of  light,  lacking  the  beckoning  hand.  Every- 
thing was  now  fully  explained ;  the  light  from  the  blazing 
hearth  shining  through  the  window,  had,  on  opening  the 
shed  door,  passed  into  a  dense  atmosphere  that  had  long 
been  confined  there,  and  striking  the  boards  on  the  back 
side  of  the  building,  had  been  reflected  back  to  us  with 
magical  efi^ect ;  and  a  loosened  clapboard  dangling  on  the 
side  of  the  window  and  gently  swayed  by  the  wind  had 
caused  the  appearance  to  Sim's  excited  imagination  of  a 
beckoning  hand. 

After  the  satisfactory  clearing  up  of  the  mystery  we 
heaped  fresh  fuel  upon  the  hearth,  and  shoving  up  before 
it  a  huge  stick  we  sat  down  upon  it.  Sim  took  from  his 
pocket  the  stub  of  a  cob  pipe  and  began  to  smoke,  saying, 
"Strange  I'd  forgot  to  smoke  afore,"  showing,  to  one  who 
knew  Sim  Buss,  his  complete  absorption  in  the  night's 
adventures.  It  was  near  midnight.  The  moon,  which  for 
the  last  hour  had  struggled  through  gathering  clouds  and 
only  at  intervals  shown  itself,  was  now  wholly  hidden. 
The  wind  wailed  through  every  knot  hole  and  every  now 
and  then  the  cellar  door  opened  in  spite  of  all  our  efforts  to 


1 20  Colonial 

keep  it  closed  with  a  weaver's  beam.  Cheered  however 
by  the  thought  that  we  had  done  a  good  work  and  accom- 
plished what  a  couple  of  generations  had  not  done  in  the 
solution  of  a  neighborhood  mystery,  we  were  content  to 
wait  a  while,  if  perchance  the  sparks,  fanned  by  the  gusty 
blasts  as  they  dropped  down  the  chimney  or  as  they  came 
from  the  damp  old  cellar  when  the  door  blew  open,  might 
volunteer  some  information  that  would  be  of  interest;  and 
v^'hen  we  threw  upon  the  fire  an  old  dresser  shelf  upon 
which  doubtless  had  stood  the  beakers  and  decanters  from 
which  the  former  inhabitants  had  drank,  Sim  said  the  sparks 
fairly  turned  blue.  However  this  may  have  been,  they 
snapped  as  if  they  were  eager  to  speak,  and  the  following, 
in  substance,  is  what  they  and  we  ourselves  have  to  say 
concerning  haunted  hoyses  in  general  and  this  one  in  par- 
ticular :  as  a  rule,  houses  said  to  be  haunted  were  those 
that  nobody  cared  for.  Having  fallen  into  disuse,  they 
came  under  the  ban  of  suspicion,  and  became  a  prey  to 
every  whimsical  and  superstitiously  inclined  person  who 
might  start  a  story  about  them,  which  might,  or  might  not 
have  a  foundation  in  fact.  The  farmer's  boy  returning 
late  from  the  village  store  from  a  desire  for  a  little  cheap 
notoriety  could  say  that  he  "saw  a  sight,"  and  it  might  be 
that  he  did  see  something.  Tramps  or  as  they  were  called 
"old  walkabouts"  might  rendezvous  there,  and  their  fire- 
light gleaming  out  of  a  dark  evening  would  be  an  unusual 
sight  to  the  passer  by  ;  or,  it  might  be,  the  rising  or  the 
setting  moon,  throwing  its  slant  beams  through  vacant 
chambers  and  seen  from  certain  positions  by  timid  persons, 
might  give  rise  to  strange  stories.  In  neighborhoods  where 
there  was  a  readiness  to  believe  such  things,  it  would  take 
but  little  to  convince  the  credulous. 

A  lonesome  environment,  doubtless,  had  much  to  do 
with  these  beginnings,  for  houses  said  to  be  haunted 
might  be  in  sparsedly  settled  districts  or  near  the  edge  of 
a  wood,  or  perhaps  in  close  proximity  to  a  place  where 
tradition   hints  about    a    tragedy    having    sometime    taken 


Concord  121 

place.  Sometimes  stories  may  have  started  because  of  the 
questionable  history  of  a  former  occupant,  and,  in  an  early 
period  when  each  knew  everybody's  business,  anything 
secretive  on  the  part  of  a  family  was  amply  sufficient  to 
give  rise  to  a  suggestiveness  of  wrong  doing ;  and  when  a 
house  became  unoccupied  without  a  sufficiently  known 
cause,  this  might  be  due  occasion  for  suspicion. 

In  the  present  case  let  us  suppose  there  were  various 
conjectures  as  to  the  cause,  none  of  which  were  fairly  set- 
tled upon.  No  one  knew  of  anything  that  had  actually 
happened  there,  although  various  events  had  occurred  in 
Concord  of  a  grewsome  character,  the  actors  in  which 
might  have  been  at  this  house.  Years  ago,  it  was  said, 
some  pirates  from  the  Spanish  Main  were  in  the  vicinity 
for  the  purpose  of  concealing  their  treasures.  They  were 
lavish  of  their  money,  even  to  recklessness,  and  cast  about 
their  "pieces  of  eight"  as  if  they  were  of  little  value. 
Dark  hints  were  thrown  out  that  this  house  was  their  head- 
quarters, and  that  about  its  hearth  they  held  -high  carnival 
and  drank  heavily  of  wine.  Not  long  after  they  left, 
strange  stories  were  afloat.  It  was  even  said  that  people 
had  been  seen  at  night  through  the  windows  handling  coin. 
And  some  went  so  far  as  to  assert  that  "pieces  of  eight" 
had  been  picked  up  about  the  premises,  and  that  when  an 
attempt  had  been  made  to  pass  them  in  trade  they  would 
vanish,  leaving  the  hand  empty.  It  was  also  asserted  that, 
on  dark,  snowy  nights  the  house  would  rock  like  a  ship, 
and  that  at  such  times  tnere  had  been  heard  a  shrill  sound, 
as  of  a  boatswain's  whistle  piping  the  pirates  to  meet  for  a 
carousal.  Another  thing  alleged  of  the  building  was  that 
some  reckless  Provincial  soldiers  'odged  there  for  a  night, 
and  revelled  in  the  spoils  brought  from  a  campaign  at 
the  North,  and  that  a  portion  of  the  spoil  left  over  was 
placed  in  charge  of  the  Devil,  who  doled  it  out,  long  years 
afterwards,  as  the  shades  of  some  of  the  soldiers  revisited 
the  spot  to  celebrate  the  anniversary  of  that  night's  dark 
debauch. 


122  Colonial 

But  to  return  to  the  old  disused  highways.  It  is  asked, 
who  at  the  present  time  are  occupying  them  ?  If  you 
look  and  listen  you  may  discover.  That  partridge  is  one 
occupant  whose  whirring  flight  through  the  birches  so 
startled  you.  It  had  a  nest  near  that  rock,  and  in  the 
spring  time  its  mate  drummed  on  that  lichen  covered  log 
which  was  a  portion  of  the  roof  tree  over  Seth  Farwell's 
cottage. 

The  fox  nightly  skulks  over  the  wheel  ruts  once  pressed 
by  the  farmer's  wagon,  the  doctor's  sulky  and  the  minis- 
ter's chaise,  yes,  and  by  the  town  hearse  also,  as  it  carried 
the  mortal  remains  of  the  former  owners  of  these  vehi- 
cles to  their  "last,  long  home"  on  the  hill. 

The  young  of  the  wild  rabbits  play  at  twilight  by  the 
door  stone  of  old  Samuel  Smedley's  cottage,  and  scratch 
their  fur  upon  the  remnant  of  that  forlorn  rose  bush  near 
by,  from  which  a  bud  was  plucked  by  Matilda  Mitchel  to 
bedeck  her  "bonnie  brown  hair"  when  she  wedded  Billy 
Ball. 

Besides  the  ancient  and  disused  roads  of  Concord,  there 
are  summer  lanes,  and  winter  woodways  that  are  beautiful 
in  their  season  ;  and  over  these  we  would  delight  to  ramble 
and  listen  to  the  birds,  or  falling  of  nuts,  or  catch  the  flash 
of  the  fall  flowers  if  it  were  autumn.  But  as  it  is  history 
that  we  are  after ,  we  will  leave  the  lanes  to  the  cows  and 
the  winter  ways  to  the  woodchoppers,  and  proceed  to  the 
subject  of  bridges,  which  are  properly  a  part  of  the  high- 
ways. 


CHAPTER     XV. 

Bridges  —  Their  Associations  —  Rules  for  the  care 
of  Concord  Bridges  —  The  Historic  '''■Old  North 
Bridge"  —  Its  Environment  —  Graves  of  British 
Soldiers  —  The  South  Bridge  —  Its  Successors  — 
Other  Bridges. 

THE  subject  of  bridges  is  usually  an  interesting 
one,  whether  considered  by  historian,  novelist  or 
poet.  Its  associations  are  with  the  rippling,  or 
rushing,  or  still  water  courses,  and  the  human 
tide  of  travel  that  goes  over  them.  We  are  accustomed  to 
picture  them  with  rustic  accompaniments,  as  the  boy  with 
his  fishpole,  barefooted  and  bareheaded,  or  with  a  broad- 
brimmed  hat,  a  truant  from  school,  perhaps,  or  a  runaway 
from  farm  chores.  Or,  perchance,  the  scene  may  be  laid 
within  sound  of  the  boatman's  oar,  or  the  splash  of  the 
water  fowl,  and  near  a  tree  embowered  cottage,  where,  smil- 
ing in  the  sunlight,  are  pleasant  gardens  with  geraniums, 
roses,  and  pinks.  The  causeway  approaching  the  country 
bridge  is  also  attractive,  with  its  willow  clumps,  the  singing 
of  blackbirds  upon  them,  and  the  buzzing  of  bees  of  a 
bright  May  morning  in  the  furzy  blossoms.  All  seasons 
are  alike  at  the  ancient  bridge,  and  even  in  the  desolation 
of  bleak  December,  when  all  other  objects  are  clad  in 
snowy  white,  the  bridge  is  usually  bare  and  in  the  road-bed 
over  it  may  be  seen  the  mother  earth  reminding  us  that  she 
has  not  quite  forgotten  us. 

But  there  is  a  difference  in  bridges,  and  the  interest  that 
attaches  to  one  may  be  unlike  that  of  any  other.  One 
bridge  is  conspicuous  because  of  its  natural  environment, 
resting  peacefully  beneath  an  archway  of  vines,  where,  low 

123 


1 24  Colonial 

drooping,  are  the  purple  grapes  and  wild  clematis  blossoms, 
while  beneath  are  the  dimpling  waters  of  a  still,  clear  stream 
moving  between  banks  fringed  with  blue  joint  and  meadow 
queen.  Another  may  be  historic,  and  although  shorn  of 
every  other  attractiveness,  yet  to  stand  beside  it  and  think 
of  what  has  passed  over  it  and  of  its  eventful  past,  is  soul- 
stirring.  On  the  Musketequid  and  one  of  its  branches 
two  bridges  at  least  possess  this  latter  characteristic.  One 
met  the  advance  westerly  of  the  British  empire  led  by 
King  George  the  Third,  the  other  the  advance  easterly  of 
King  Philip  of  Pokanoket  about  a  century  before,  when 
with  one  thousand  of  his  best  warriors,  he  strove  to  pass 
this  same  river  at  Sudbury  over  the  "Old  Town  Bridge"  in 
his  raid  toward  the  seaboard.  As  before  stated,  rules  were 
made  concerning  bridges,  upon  a  division  of  the  town  into 
quarters  in  1654,  and  in  order  to  obtain  an  equable  adjust- 
ment of  their  maintenance  it  was  then  enacted  that  the  fol- 
lowing regulations  should  prevail  :  The  East  quarter  was  to 
care  for  all  the  bridges  in  its  own  precinct,  and  contribute 
three  pounds  toward  supporting  those  in  the  North  quarter. 
The  South  quarter  was  to  maintain  it?  own  bridges,  and 
also  care  for  the  Darby  bridge  in  the  North  quarter ;  while 
with  the  foregoing  assistance,  the  North  quarter  was  to  look 
after  its  own  bridges.  Among  the  oldest  bridges  here 
referred  to  are  the  North  and  South  bridges.  These  two 
bridges  and  their  successors  have  long  been  associated  with 
Concord  history,  and  with  the  coming  and  going  of  nearly 
a  half  score  of  generations  of  men.  The  floods  from 
many  storms  have  beaten  about  them  and  have  sometimes 
swept  over  them,  occasionally  carrying  them  wholly  away 
or  in  part  dismantling  them  or  causing  the  authorities  to 
weight  them  temporarily,  or  to  chain  them  to  the  near  wil- 
low clumps,  lest  they  go  up  stream  or  down  stream,  as  the 
setting  of  the  waters  might  choose  to  carry  them  ;  for  the 
Musketequid  and  its  south  branch  are  fickle  streams,  and 
have  the  peculiar  trait  of  moving  both  ways.  Probably 
the  sluggish  current  of  this  river  has  done  more  damage  to 


Concord 


125 


its  bridges  by  its  lifting  than  by  its  propulsive  energy  ;  for 
though  never  in  a  hurry,  yet  when  there  is  a  freshet,  it 
lingers  upon  the  broad  meadows  as  if  it  liked  to,  and  as  if 
loath  to  leave  their  quiet  precincts.  At  such  times  the  cur- 
rent may  actually  set  backward,  as  when  the  floods  of 
waters  fed  by  a  hundred  rivulets  and  especially  by  the  occa- 
sionally fierce  current  of  the  North  branch  or  Assabet 
meet  the  main  body  at  Egg  rock.  So  it  is  that  one  or 
more  of  the  South  bridges  have  been  fairly  lifted  from 
their  abutments  and  carried  up  stream.  The  exact  date  of 
the  erection  of  these  two  bridges  we  cannot  state.  Before 
they  were  built  the  river  and  its  branches  were  forded, 
or  ferried  by  the  use  of  canoes.  ' 

The  stream  farther  up  at  Sudbury  was  early  crossed  by  a 
boat  paddled  or  "poled"  by  Thomas  Noyes,  for  which  he 
received  two  pence  a  passenger.  Before  the  construction 
of  the  North  bridge  there  was  a  fordway  just  below  the 
mouth  of  Mill  Brook.  The  fordway  over  the  North 
Bridge  is  said  to  have  been  situated  at  the  "old  Hosmer 
place."  Probably  the  shoal  spots  used  by  the  English  for 
crossing  had  been  used  by  the  Indians  time  out  of  mind. 

It  may  be  said  to  be  characteristic  of  a  part  of  the  bridges 
over  the  Musketequid  that  they  abutted  on  one  side  against 
a  bank,  or  were  built  near  it,  which  was  done  doubtless  to 
avoid  the  construction  of  a  causeway  only  on  one  side.  So 
it  was  with  the  old  town  bridge  at  Wayland  ;  so  also  with 
the  North  and  South  bridges  at  Concord.  But  to  be  more 
specific,  let  us  notice  first  the  North  bridge,  since  this  is 
the  most  famous  of  them  all.  This  bridge,  situated  in  the 
North  quarter,  is  the  historic  "Old  North  bridge."  Just 
when  it  was  erected  no  one  knows,  but  it  was  after  the  erec- 
tion of  the  South  bridge.  Probably  the  first  structure  was 
a  rude  one  and  was  washed  away,  and  it  is  not  unlikely 
that  it  was  the  same  with  the  second  one,  since  in  1660 
three  new  bridges  were  constructed  in  the  town  of  Concord, 
these  taking  the  place  of  those  referred  to  in  the  highway 
regulations  in   1654.      The  road  or  trail  that  it  accommo- 


126  Colonial 

dated  was  doubtless  the  one  leading  to  the  Blood  farm,  the 
territory  of  the  Groton  township,  and  the  Pawtucket  fish- 
ing grounds.  But  besides  accommodating  these  places 
there  were  other  and  cogent  reasons  for  a  substantial  cross- 
ing at  this  point.  It  would  be  a  wav  to  the  outlying 
timber  lands  and  to  the  rich  pasturage  and  meadow  crops 
on  the  other  side  of  the  river.  To  reach  all  these,  a  ford- 
ing place,  a  ferry,  and  hay  scow  would  hardly  suffice  at  all 
seasons.  There  were  floods  that  remained  for  weeks,  there 
were  times  when  the  ice  was  forming  and  breaking,  and 
weeks  when,  if  the  waters  were  open,  they  were  too  cold  tor 
even  cattle  to  wade  through.  It  is  no  wonder  then  if  some 
evening  the  neighbors  gathered  about  the  fireside  of  Par- 
son Bulkeley,  and  talked  over  the  feasibility  of  building  a 
narrow  foot  bridge  near  the  fording  place  by  Mill  Brook 
that  would  suffice  through  the  next  summer  and  fall,  after 
which  time  they  would  turn  out  and  have  a  "bridge  bee," 
each  bringing  his  stick  of  timber,  or  stringer,  or  whatever 
part  might  have  been  alotted  him  ;  and  so  perhaps  it  was 
that  a  bridge  went  up  near  Goodman  Buttrick's  outlying 
land.  The  first  structure  was  perhaps  clumsily  con- 
structed, low  set,  and  at  times  wholly  submerged.  It  was 
probably  made  of  logs  rough  hewn,  resting  on  coarse  abut- 
ments, and  if  swept  away  could  be  easily  replaced.  The 
second,  we  may  suppose,  was  more  elaborately  constructed  ; 
for  the  settlers  usually  made  progress  in  their  public  works, 
and  so  improvement  continued,  we  may  believe,  until  the 
construction  of  the  historic  "North,"  which  the  pictures 
represent  to  be  slightly  arched,  stoutly  framed,  and  span- 
ning the  stream  upon  several  rows  of  strong  upright 
posts.  The  approach  to  the  bridge  over  the  meadow  land 
was  by  a  low  causeway,  along  which  stakes  or  stones  were 
set  to  guide  the  traveler  at  high  water.  At  the  time  of  the 
"Concord  fight,"  rough  stones  may  have  taken  the  place 
of  stakes,  for  it  is  said  that  Captain  Isaac  Davis,  when  shot, 
fell  upon  one  of  them  before  his  body  rested  upon  the 
ground.     The  last  historic  "North    bridge"   floated  down 


Concord  127 

stream  in  a  freshet,  and  as  the  road  which  it  had  served  was 
discontinued,  the  North  bridge  was  never  rebuilt,  for  its 
late  successor,  which  is  there  in  part  for  a  souvenir  purpose, 
cannot  properly  be  called  its  lineal  descendant  or  take  its 
name.  But  though  the  structure  is  demolished,  its  name 
and  its  memories  will  remain  forever  ;  and  every  pilgrim 
who  visits  the  site  of  it  will  naturally  glance  backward  into 
the  past  for  an  imaginary  glimpse  of  those  grim  old  timbers 
which  were  hewn  by  the  fathers,  and  pressed  by  the  feet  of 
the  patriots  as  they  pursued  the  retreating  foe  on  April  19, 
1775.  The  rude  cut  of  this  bridge  made  by  Messrs.  Doo- 
little  and  Earle  gives  a  perspective  which  is  far  from  satis- 
factory, but  as  it  is  the  only  one  taken  at  the  time  now 
extant,  it  is  tolerated  ;  but  the  natviral  surroundings  have 
not  all  changed,  and  some  of  them  are  the  same  as  on  that 
beautiful  spring  morning  when  the  grain  waved  on  the  fall- 
sown  fields. 

On  the  site  of  the  "Old  North  bridge"  is  the  present 
one,  which  might  be  properly  called  the  memorial  bridge. 
Opposite  to  it  on  the  west  bank  is  the  minute  man,  and  a 
few  rods  to  the  westerly  is  an  apple  tree  which  approxi- 
mately marks  the  spot  where  Capt.  Isaac  Davis  of  the 
Acton  minute  men  fell.  The  old  causeway  to  the  upland 
is  nearly  obliterated,  it  being  grassgrown  and  hardly  per- 
ceptible above  the  meadow  land.  On  the  easterly  side 
of  the  bridge  site  is  the  battle  monument.  Beyond  the 
river  up  the  hill  side  is  the  ancient  Buttrick  estate,  and  near 
by  is  the  place  where  the  militia  and  minute  men  were 
drawn  up  in  consultation,  and  stood  looking  down  upon 
the  lone  guard  of  Lieut.  Thornton  at  the  bridge.  Near 
the  river  bank  to  the  easterly  repose  the  remain's  of  sev- 
eral slain  Britons,  the  first  of  England's  dead  in  that  great 
struggle  in  which  she  fell  out  of  favor  with  America  and 
lost  a  continent.  Their  graves  are  guarded  by  a  stone  wall 
and  simple  chain  fence.  The  pine  trees  chant  their  elegy, 
and  the  winding  river  in  its  gentle  flow  or  when  in  flood 
time  its  waters   beat  against  the  nearer  bank  utter  sweeter 


12  8  Colonial 

voices  about  their  graves  than  stranger  tongues  could 
sound.  So  it  matters  not  what  fortune  or  adverse  fate  has 
given  or  denied  to  the  conquered  or  the  conqueror,  for 
time  has  dealt  alike  with  each  and  with  the  bridge  that  is 
associated  with  them. 

"The  foe  long  since  in  silence  slept  ; 

Alike  the  conqueror  silent  sleeps  ; 

And  time  the  ruined  bridge  has  swept 

Down  the  dark  stream  which  seaward  creeps." 

Toward  the  village  is  the  old  manse,  and  but  for  the 
shrubbery  it  would  be  in  view  of  the  scene  just  described. 
To  the  easterly  is  the  "lane"  and  the  ridge,  and  the 
great  fields  over  which  the  continentals  ran  to  head  off  the 
British.  For  years  silence  reigned  about  the  notable  neigh- 
borhood of  the  North  bridge,  and  the  place  was  practically 
deserted,  except  as  the  infrequent  pilgrim  or  the  town  folks 
on  a  gala  day  or  people  from  the  surrounding  country  side 
visited  it.  At  length  the  scene  changed,  the  battle  monu- 
ment was  erected,  then  the  memorial  bridge  and  the  statue 
of  the  minute  man;  and  since  1875,  in  pleasant  seasons, 
this  place  of  monuments  has  become  the  Mecca  of  multi- 
tudes, and  it  may  be  said  all  roads  lead  to  it. 

Next  in  importance  of  the  ancient  bridges  is  the  South 
bridge.  This  was  situated  at  the  westerly  of  Concord 
Center,  and  crossed  the  south  branch  of  the  Musketequid  a 
Httle  to  the  easterly  of  Nashawtuc  not  far  from  the  present 
South  bridge  near  the  Fitchburg  railroad.  This  is  sup- 
posed to  be  the  first  bridge  erected  over  the  river,  and  is 
said  to  be  situated  at  a  point  of  land  below  Joseph  Barrett's 
Esq.,  by  "Lees  hill"  (Shattuck).  It  was  washed  away  in 
1665,  and  its  successor  was  built  the  year  after  on  the  site 
of  the  present  South  bridge.  At  the  least  a  half  dozen 
bridges  have  been  erected  at  this  spot,  and  one  of  them 
was  washed  away  and  floated  up  stream  by  the  backwaters 
of  the  North  branch  as  they  rushed  downwards  in  a  time  of 
freshet  and  found  easier  egress  above  than  below.      Before 


Concord  129 

the  erection  of  a  bridge  at  this  place  the  river  was  probably 
forded  not  far  away.  The  "Darby"  or  "Derby"  bridge 
was  over  the  Assabet  at  the  present  Concord  Junction, 
and  named  doubtless  from  its  proximity  to  the  Derby 
estate.  As  the  fall  of  this  stream  is  rapid  compared  with 
that  of  the  Concord  river  proper,  less  casualties  would 
probably  occur  to  its  bridges  ;  since  when  the  current  is 
sluggish  the  pressure  may  be  greater.  As  to  when  it 
was  built  we  have  no  knowledge  ;  but  probably  it  was 
nearly  coeval  with  the  "South,"  as  both  might  to  an  extent 
subserve  the  same  purpose  in  affording  an  outlet  into  the 
western  wilderness.  As  in  1660,  a  new  bridge  was  erected 
here,  the  presumption  is  that  the  first  was  built  much 
sooner. 

As  to  the  other  ancient  bridges  erected  after  the  date  of 
these,  Shattuck  says  of  them  as  follows  :  "The  bridge  by 
Captain  Hunt's  was  first  built  about  1792  ;  that  by  Dr. 
Ripley's  in  1793  ;  those  at  the  turnpike  in  1802  ;  and  that 
beyond  Deacon  Hubbard's  in  1802." 

At  one  time  the  town  was  allowed  twenty  pounds  towards 
defraying  bridge  expenses,  and  later,  thirty  pounds. 
There  were  several  lesser  bridges  at  this  time,  which  crossed 
the  smaller  streams,  but  of  these  it  is  hardly  necessary  to 
speak,  except  to  state  that  a  principal  one  crossed  Mill 
Brook  by  the  mill  dam  on  Haywood  street,  and  has  been 
known  as  "Fort  bridge"  and  "Potter's  bridge,"  the 
former  name  being  derived,  doubtless,  from  its  proximity  to 
one  of  the  garrison  houses,  and  the  latter  from  the  owner 
of  the  adjacent  lands. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

A  Sunday  with  the  Settlers  —  Walk  to  church  — 
Description  of  the  meeting  House  —  The  Service  — 
Colonial  Church  Edifices  —  Quaint  Accompani- 
ments —  Early  Ecclesiastical  Objects^  Customs  and 
Influences  —  'Their  Value  —  Succession  of  Concord 
Meeting  Houses. 

IT  was  early  twilight  when  we  closed  our  conversation 
concerning  the  municipal  management  of  affairs  at 
Concord  :  and  the  log  upon  which  we  were  sitting  was 

already  dampened  by  the  dews  that  were  gathering 
about  Nashawtuc,  when  a  horn  sounded  from  the  Willard 
farm-house  informing  us  that  supper  was  ready. 

We  slowly  descended  the  hillside,  talking  as  we  went, 
and  when  we  reached  the  bar  way  just  behind  the  first  barn 
for  there  were  two  of  them,  we  saw  gleaming  through  the 
bushes  the  bright  firelight  of  the  kitchen  hearth,  and  heard 
the  sound  of  children's  voices  as  they  trooped  ahead  of  the 
hired  men  with  their  pails  full  of  milk.  Soon  we  were 
seated  at  the  supper  table,  upon  which  were  several  dishes 
of  a  savory  odor  steaming  hot,  a  beef  soup  highly  sea- 
soned, a  samp  cake,  and  succotash  made  of  dried  green 
beans  and  dried  green  corn  which  Madame  Willard  said 
were  just  as  good  as  when  picked.  The  absence  of 
pastry  led  us  to  infer  that  even  among  the  well-to-do  in 
those  days,  instead  of  the  luxuries  of  modern  times  the 
table  was  supplied  by  the  more  healthful  diet  direct  from 
the  pastures  and  fields. 

After  supper  we  sat  down  for  a  quiet  time  all  by  our- 
selves, for  the  children  had  gone  with  their  mother  for  a 
last  glance  at  the  catechumenical    exercise  of  the  coming 

130 


FIRST   PARISH   MEETING-HOUSE,    1712. 

From  an  old  sketch  made  on  a  pine  board. 


Concord  131 

Sunday,  and  the  major  was  summoned  to  the  "beaver 
house"  by  a  squaw,  who  wanted  some  beads  and  a  piece  of 
dimity,  giving  as  a  reason  for  coming  so  late  in  the  week  to 
barter  that  she  wanted  the  articles  for  her  pappoose  to  wear 
next  day  at  Big  Pray's  meeting.  The  Major  demurred 
very  emphatically  at  "this  way  of  doing  things  after  sun- 
down Saturday  night."  His  words  were  very  suggestive, 
and  not  being  fully  persuaded  what  they  meant,  it  suddenly 
occurred  to  us  to  throw  upon  the  fire  some  pieces  of 
knotty,  pine  stumps,  which  Mr.  Willard  informed  us  his 
hired  men  that  very  day  had  hauled  from  in  front  of  the 
meeting  house,  the  trees  that  grew  upon  them  having  been 
cut  years  before  when  the  ground  was  cleared. 

As  the  pitch  stewed  from  the  fat  splinters  the  sparks 
flashed,  and  since  we  were  alone  we  heard  every  word  ;  and 
long  before  these  remnants  of  the  grand  old  woods  that 
once  crowned  the  hilltop,  where  stood  the  first  forest  sanc- 
tuary of  old  Concord,  were  reduced  to  ashes,  we  had 
reached  valuable  conclusions  about  the  ecclesiastical  cus- 
toms and  social,  moral,  and  religious  observances  of  the 
inhabitants,  some  of  which  we  will  give  now  and  others 
later  in  their  order. 

It  was  a  practice  of  the  people  in  colonial  times  to  close 
the  work  of  the  week  about  sundown  Saturday  night  ; 
the  gate  was  shut  down  at  the  mill ;  the  door  was  closed 
at  the  store ;  the  children  put  away  their  play-things ; 
and  all  this  in  preparation  for  holy  time.  When  the 
Sunday  dawned  all  secular  labor  was  snspended,  works 
of  necessity  and  mercy  alone  excepted,  and  a  close  construc- 
tion was  placed  upon  the  meaning  and  nature  of  these  ; 
even  the  stranger  who  stopped  at  the  tavern  was  supposed 
to  tarry  till  Monday;  and  if  he  attempted  to  resume  his 
journey  sooner,  he  might  be  detained  by  the  landlord,  who 
perhaps  was  a  tithingman.  Within  the  domicile  was  a  like 
strict  observance  of  sabbath  sanctity.  The  house  was  put 
in  order,  the  food  prepared,  the  Sunday  clothing  carefully 
inspected  and  laid  out,  and  everything  was  done  that  could 


132  Colonial 

be  done  on  the  preceding  day  to  prevent  the  necessity  of 
work.  As  the  evening  wore  on,  various  topics  were  talked 
about,  and  it  was  not  until  the  clock  in  the  corner  struck 
ten,  a  late  hour  for  colonial   times,  that  we  went  to  bed. 

The  morning  dawned  bright  and  rosy  ;  and  as  we  looked 
out  and  saw  the  sun  rising  over  the  ridgeway,  where  stood 
the  little  meeting  house  in  which  we  were  that  day  to  wor- 
ship, a  feeling  of  unwonted  restfulness  came  over  us.  The 
air  was  still.  There  was  no  sound  of  hammer  or  axe,  and 
no  stroke  of  distant  threshing  flail  ;  but  silence  prevailed 
everywhere ;  the  wayside  warblers  had  all  gone,  and  the 
birds  of  passage  which  still  lingered  about  the  willows  and 
in  the  pasture  lane  gave  utterance  to  no  note  of  farewell 
either  to  the  passing  autumn,  or  to  the  generous  farm  folks 
among  whom  they  loitered.  Upon  the  river  course  a  soft 
mist  rested  peacefully,  while  beyond  the  upper  meadows 
by  the  bay  there  floated  a  light,  fleecy  cloud  so  soft  and 
still,  it  appeared  to  sleep.  Upon  such  a  scene  the  Sabbath 
dav/ned ;  and  it  was  as  if  Nature  was  already  in  her  own 
sanctuary  at  worship,  and  it  only  remained  for  man  to  join 
with  her  to  make  the  worship  of  the  world  complete.  As 
we  stood  admiring  the  prospect  and  half  in  wonder  at  the 
change  that  had  been  made  in  a  few  years,  a  call  came 
from  below  summoning  us  to  the  breakfast  table.  We 
were  reluctant  to  respond,  for  the  feast  of  soul  that  was 
spread  before  us  was  we  felt  far  better  than  any  that  could 
be  afforded  to  the  body,  however  delicious  it  might  be. 
But  being  a  guest  we  went  down,  and  shortly  after  found 
ourselves  with  a  great  zest  partaking  of  beans  and  brown 
bread  baked  in  a  brick  oven,  both  of  which  were  of  that 
tint  and  exquisite  flavor  which  only  comes  with  slow  cook- 
ing and  a  soft  heat.  Breakfast  over  and  devotions  ended, 
for  the  Major  was  a  good  churchman  in  his  way,  we  went 
to  the  meeting  house,  Mrs.  Willard  leading  the  way,  fol- 
lowed by  the  younger  children  led  by  the  elder  daughters, 
Mary  and  Abovehope,  and  a  couple  of  servants.  In  pass- 
ing   the    bridge  over    the  south    branch    the  stillness  was 


Concord 


'^33 


broken  by  the  beating  of  a  drum  ;  this  we  were  told  was  to 
call  people  to  meeting,  and  that  that  the  "saxton"  had 
twenty  shillings  a  year  for  "beating  the  drum  Sundays  and 
lecture  days,"  and  for  sweeping  out  the  meeting  house, 
besides  being  exempt  from  "minister  rates." 

As  we  entered  the  little  "Strate  strete"  at  the  foot  of 
the  hill,  we  saw  several  families  which  had  come  from  a  dis- 
tance, among  whom  were  the  Hartwells,  Brookses,  Meriams 
and  Rices,  from  the  direction  of  the  Shawshine,  the  Bakers 
and  Flints  from  beyond  the  pond  southerly,  and  the 
Bloods,  Buttricks  and  Healds  from  the  North  quarter. 
The  dress  was  simple,  but  better  than  that  worn  on  week 
days,  and  we  saw  that  great  care  was  taken  to  keep  it  so  ; 
for  we  observed  that  all  the  children  and  several  of  the 
adults  stopped  before  ascending  the  hill  and  put  on  their 
shoes,  which  they  had  carried  in  their  hands  ;  but  the  most 
noticeable  of  anything  was  that  all  the  men  carried  firearms. 
We  had  read  in  books  that  the  settlers  in  those  days  car- 
ried muskets  to  meeting  to  shoot  Indians  with,  yet  we  did 
not  expect  to  see  it  at  Concord,  but  here  they  were,  each 
man  with  his  weapon  with  the  exception  of  the  old  men, 
for  almost  every  age  was  represented  in  this  procession  of 
churchgoers. 

We  inquired  about  these  firearms,  and  were  informed 
that  they  were  carried  to  meeting  at  Concord  in  conformity 
to  a  law  of  the  land  which  required  it;  but  they  only  car- 
ried them  to  shoot  wolves  with  in  case  they  met  any,  and 
never  as  a  protection  against  the  Musketequid  Indians. 
We  felt  much  better  after  hearing  this,  for  we  had  heard 
and  read  so  much  about  English  hate,  and  Indian  hostility, 
and  had  seen  so  little  discrimination  made  between  the 
Indians  of  different  localities,  that  we  were  not  quite  sure 
we  were  safe  on  Sundays  if  we  were  on  week  days,  notwith- 
standing what  Nantatucket  told  us.  As  we  drew  near  the 
meeting  house  the  minister  arrived,  and  entering,  all  followed 
him.  The  drum  stopped  beating  and  all  was  still  save  the 
occasional  note  of  a  belated  wood  thrush,  and  the  soft  foot- 


134  Colonial 

steps  of  a  slow  pacing  sentinel  left  outside  to  conform  to 
custom  and  law. 

It  was  evening;  and  amid  the  meadow  mists  by  Nashaw- 
tuc  we  repaired  to  a  quiet  spot  to  review  the  scenes, 
sermons,  and  events  of  the  day. 

Having  made  the  foregoing  statements  concerning 
church  and  church-going  at  Concord  in  Colonial  days  from 
a  fictitious  stand  point,  let  us  now  consider  the  matter  his- 
torically, and  present  facts. 

The  first  meeting  houses  of  the  country  were  without 
chimneys  or  glass  windows.  They  had  four  plain  rectan- 
gular sides,  and  the  crevices  between  the  logs  were  filled 
with  clay.  The  roof  was  low  and  covered  with  thatch. 
Their  immediate  successors  were  made  ot  sawn  material, 
and  had  a  truncated  pyramidal  roof.  Sometimes  the  roof 
was  ptowned  with  a  belfry,  and  sometimes  a  small  tower 
was  erected  near  by,  which  contained  the  bell,  and  in  some 
cases  the  town's  stock  of  ammunition,  and  the  burial 
appliances  it  may  be,  as  the  bier  and  pall  or  "burying 
cloth." 

The  third  meeting  house  in  the  succession  came  into  use 
in  the  eighteenth  century,  and  was  more  elaborate,  having 
a  projecting  porch  with  a  steeple  upon  it. 

It  is  probable  that  the  Concord  colony  conformed  to  the 
customs  of  the  period  in  church  building,  and  that  its  first 
meeting  house  was  like  that  of  other  towns.  Let  us  sup- 
pose such  to  be  the  case,  and  conceive  of  its  earliest  house 
of  worship  as  standing  somewhere  near  the  summit  of  the 
hill  in  the  old  burying  ground,  at  a  spot  which  overlooked 
the  first  street.  It  was  reached,  we  will  conjecture,  by 
several  narrow  and  winding  wood  paths — one  from  the 
direction  of  the  manse,  one  from  over  the  great  fields  to 
give  a  short  cut  across  lots  to  the  Bakers  and  Flints  ;  one 
running  southwesterly  around  the  millpond  and  across  the 
brook,  to  accommodate  the  Mileses,  whose  canoe  was 
moored  snugly  by  the  upper  meadows  after  having  brought 
them  over  the  river.     The  walls  of  the  structure,  if  like 


Concord  135 

some  others  of  the  period,  consisted  of  layers  of  logs,  the 
bark  hewn  roughly  on  the  upper  and  under  sides,  the  crev- 
ices being  filled  with  clay.  It  had  perhaps  a  low,  gable 
roof,  and  was  devoid  of  any  attempt  to  distinguish  it  from 
other  buildings  by  means  of  a  cupola  or  dormer  windows, 
or  even  a  weather  vane.  To  erect  a  structure  better  than 
this  at  the  beginning  of  the  settlement  would  doubtless 
have  been  difficult ;  for  there  were  no  saw  mills,  the  nails 
were  hand  wrought,  and  carpenter  tools  were  few  and 
clumsy. 

Here  it  may  be  surmised,  that  since  tradition  says  the  first 
meeting  house  was  used  for  a  score  and  a  half  of  years,  it 
is  possible,  if  not  probable,  that  there  has  been  a  mistake 
about  the  identity  of  it,  and  that  there  were  two  buildings 
during  that  time ;  the  first  perhaps  not  such  as  they 
would  call  a  meeting  house,  it  being  so  short  lived  and 
poorly  built,  and  designed  only  to  serve  for  two  or  three 
years,  and  to  be  superseded  by  one  with  more  churchly 
characteristics. 

This  supposition  may  commend  itself  from  the  following 
considerations ;  first,  because  of  the  early  date  at  which  it 
was  ordered  that  a  meeting  house  should  be  built,  which 
was  nearly  contemporaneous  with  the  first  steps  taken  in 
the  settlement;  second,  because  it  was  the  custom  of  the 
colonists  of  other  towns  to  build  for  the  time  being  merely  ; 
third,  the  fact  that  so  long  a  time  as  thirty  years  has  been 
assigned  for  the  length  of  service  of  the  first  meeting  house 
when  we  think  it  improbable  that  a  single  dwelling  place  in 
Concord  constructed  during  the  first  one  or  two  years,  stood 
very  long  after  the  existence  of  mills  made  sawn  material 
possible  ;  fourth,  the  structure  that  would  suffice  for  a  con- 
gregation of  the  first  few  years  would  hardly  be  large 
enough  for  that  of  thirty  years  later,  notwithstanding  the 
shrinkage  in  1644,  caused  by  the  departure  of  Elder  Jones 
and  his  company  for  Connecticut. 

The  timber  trees  used  for  the  first  meeting  house  were 
doubtless  those  nearest  at  hand  ;  so  that    the  designation 


136  Colonial 

by  record  or  tradition  of  this  or  that  lot  as  "the  meeting 
house  lot,"  we  believe  has  reference  to  the  land  from 
which  the  timber  for  some  subsequent  meeting  house  was 
taken.  This  supposition  is  more  plausible,  since  it  was  an 
object  to  early  clear  the  space  about  the  meeting  house  of 
trees,  to  prevent  forest  fires  from  endangering  the  build- 
ing. 

Probably  the  first  structure  was  an  unslightly  one,  for  im- 
patience to  get  into  it  would  render  the  builders  regardless 
of  the  element  of  beauty  ;  as  in  the  case  of  their  little  log 
cabins  by  the  bank  they  only  sought  a  slim  shelter  from 
the  cold  and  storm  for  a  season,  so  now  with  their  church 
home,  if  they  had  a  place  for  a  few  benches,  a  communion 
table,  and  a  plain  pulpit,  they  were  content,  for  it  would  be 
a  meeting  house  and  in  conformity  to  the  order  of  the 
court.  The  logs  may  have  projected  at  the  corners 
unequally  like  the  rails  of  a  Virginia  fence  or  the  rafters 
of  a  Swiss  cottage;  the  long  coarse  thatching  may  have 
drooped  irregularly  below  the  eaves  line,  leaving  a  loose 
and  ragged  edge  which  almost  shaded  the  small  apertures 
called  windows ;  while  about  the  crevices  may  have  been 
here  and  there  an  ugly  stain  as  the  rain  washed  out  the 
clay  filling  or  the  sun  baked  it  until  it  cracked  and 
crumbled. 

As  Providence  smiled  on  the  plantation,  and  times  grew 
better,  other  houses  of  worship  were  constructed,  whose 
succession  is  as  follows,  according  to  history. 

The  order  for  the  first  meeting  house  was  in  1635,  ^^^ 
it  was  ordered  that  it  "stande  on  the  hill  near  the  brook 
opposite  Goodman  Judson's  lott."  In  1667,  it  was 
ordered  that  a  new  meeting  house  be  built  "to  stand 
between  the  present  house  and  Deacon  Jarvis."  This 
second  or  third  meeting  house,  whichever  it  may  have  been 
was  nearly  square  and  had  a  gallery.  The  lower  floor  had 
a  few  pews  and  the  remaining  space  was  filled  with  seats. 
The  roof  was  ornamented  with  four  projections  on  the 
sides,  resembhng,  it  is  stated,   Luthern  windows,  or  gable 


Concord  137 

ends  with  a  window  in  each.  In  the  center  of  the  roof 
was  a  turret  or  cupola,  in  which  was  a  bell.  On  the  spire 
was  a  vane,  bearing  date  1973,  the  probable  time  when  the 
building  was  finished. 

In  1 7 10,  arrangements  were  made  after  several  town 
meetings  for  the  erection  of  a  new  house  of  worship.  It 
was  to  be  60  feet  long,  50  wide  and  28  high;  it  had  no 
pews  until  some  time  after  it  was  completed,  and  when  they 
were  put  in,  it  was  only  by  special  vote  of  the  town  as  a 
favor  to  certain  distinguished  persons.  There  were  two 
galleries  and  no  porch  or  turret.  It  was  finished  in  171 2, 
and  cost  608  pounds.  In  1749,  pews  were  placed  around 
the  lower  floor  and  a  few  in  the  lower  gallery.  On  Jan. 
31,  1790,  the  town  voted  to  repair  the  meeting  house,  mak- 
ing it  72  feet  long,  50  feet  wide  and  28  feet  high,  with  an 
addition  of  three  porches,  a  spire  90  feet  high,  square  pews 
along  the  wall  on  the  lower  floor  and  in  the  gallery.  It 
was  dedicated  Jan.  24,  1792,  and  Rev.  Dr.  Ripley  preached 
the  sermon.  The  first  "church  going  bell"  at  Concord  was 
placed  upon  a  tree.  About  1696,  it  was  broken  and  sent 
to  England  for  repairs.  In  1700,  it  was  placed  in  the 
belfry. 

About  the  meeting  house  at  an  early  date  were  various 
quaint  objects,  prominent  among  which  was  a  "horse 
block,"  a  pillory,  stocks,  a  publishing  post  and  whipping 
post,  and  sometimes  a  cage.  The  horse  block  was  of  stone 
or  logs,  and  was  used  by  church  goers  who  went  horseback 
for  mounting  and  dismounting,  and  was  especially  service- 
able to  the  women  who  rode  behind  the  men  on  a  seat 
called  a  "pillion."  A  fine  horse  block  was  early  procured 
and  paid  for  by  the  women  of  Concord,  each  contributing 
one  pound  of  butter. 

The  pillory  and  stocks  were  for  penal  purposes ;  the 
former  intended  to  keep  the  arms  and  head  of  the  culprit 
in  a  constrained  position  while  he  remained  standing  ;  the 
latter  to  confine  the  feet  and  hands  when  sitting.  The 
whipping  post  was  where  the  law  breaker  received   lashes 


138  Colonial 

publicly  administered.  The  cage  was  for  the  confinement 
of  evil  doers  for  a  short  time  where  all  could  look  upon 
them. 

The  publishing  post  was  used  as  a  bulletin  board ;  and 
there  might  have  been  seen  all  kinds  of  legitimate  notices, 
such  as  colonial  orders,  intentions  of  marriage,  rules  regard- 
ing Sabbath  observance,  town  warrants,  etc, 

A  reason  for  using  the  meeting  house  and  its  near  pre- 
cincts for  giving  publicity  to  events  and  orders  may  have 
been,  that  everyone  if  able  bodied  was  supposed  to  go 
there  in  conformity  to  law,  and  custom,  and  individual 
desire ;  and  perhaps  from  this  fact  has  arisen  the  maxim  of 
English  jurisprudence,  that  ignorance  of  law  excuses  no 
one,  in  that  as  every  one  was  expected  to  go  where  the  law 
was  promulgated,  therefore  there  could  be  no  ignorance  of 
it.  The  precincts  of  the  meeting  house  were  also  some- 
times the  place  to  which  the  heads  of  wolves  were  brought 
when  bounties  were  to  be  paid  for  them ;  the  order  being 
that  they  should  be  either  "nayled  to  the  meeting  house" 
or  to  a  tree  near  it,  and  hence,  here  and  there  might  some- 
times be  seen  these  grim  objects  suggestive  of  both  the 
peril  and  prowess  of  the  pioneers. 

From  the  foregoing  facts,  together  with  others  to  be 
observed,  it  may  be  safe  to  infer  that  the  Puritan's  place 
of  public  worship  was  not  the  most  dreary  spot  possible, 
but  on  the  contrary  the  most  interesting  in  the  settlement. 
As  it  was  often  the  town's  geographical  center,  so  about  it 
was  centralized  whatever  was  in  a  wholesome  manner  enliv- 
ening, recreating,  and  agreeable. 

The  people  there  obtained  the  latest  news  ;  there  they 
exchanged  neighborly  salutations,  made  familiar  inquiries, 
and  took  a  fresh  start  physically,  morally,  and  spiritually. 

Neither  was  the  meeting  house  and  its  precincts  lonely 
and  unvisited  between  Sundays.  There  were  the  meet- 
ings on  "lecture  days,"  the  occasional  military  elections, 
the  town's  civic  gatherings,  and  miscellaneous  or  incidental 
assemblages.      In  short,  the  meeting  house  with  its  grounds 


Concord  139 

was  the  people's  trysting  place,  where  a  community  of  in- 
terest was  recognized,  and  where  everything  that  the  settle- 
ment stood  for  was  represented. 

From  such  facts  we  may  easily  conclude  that  all  was  not 
constraint  about  the  church-going  customs  of  the  early 
New  Englanders,  and  that  there  was  much  besides  the 
ecclesiastical  associated  with  their  houses  of  worship.  The 
average  colonist  went  to  meeting  because  he  wanted  to,  and 
because  there  was  pleasure  in  it ;  not  merely  through  a 
sense  of  stern  duty.  His  meeting  house  was  his  church 
home,  and  he  could  say  of  it  with  a  sincerity  that  was  soft- 
ened by  the  sweetest  endearment  — 

"I  love  thy  church,    O  God  ! 
Her  walls  before  thee  stand. 
Dear  as  the  apple  of  thine  eye. 
And  graven  on  thy  hand. 

Beyond  my  highest  joy 

I  prize  her  heavenly  ways. 

Her  sweet  communion,  solemn  vows. 

Her  hymns  of  love  and  praise." 

He  looked  forward  to  the  recreation  of  the  holy  Sabbath 
and  its  sanctuary  privileges  with  glad  and  expectant  long- 
ings, and  his  hard,  secular  life  was  sweetened  by  its  services. 

In  short,  about  those  homely  altars  where  burned  the 
incense  of  a  fervent  faith,  the  worshiper  of  the  lone,  wide- 
spreading,  and  stilly  woods  found  his  flesh  and  spirit 
refreshed  and  refurnished ;  and  it  was  because  he  drank  at 
such  fountains  that  the  greatness  of  the  generations  follow- 
ing was  made  possible.  Because  of  these  things  the  locality 
of  the  meeting  house  was  attractive,  and  its  exercises  were 
popular;  and  if  the  "blue  laws,"  so  called,  that  are  some- 
times so  sluringly  spoken  of  were  needed,  it  was  largely  for 
the  laggard  and  thriftless,  and  had  the  same  significance  to 
that  class  as  did  the  whipping  post,  the  pillory,  and  the 
stocks. 

Having  considered  the  meeting  house,  let  us  next  notice 


140 


Colonial 


how  people  got  to  it.  The  greater  part  went  on  foot,  no 
distance  being  deemed  too  great  if  within  the  township,  or 
about  its  border.  A  half-dozen  miles  was  a  small  matter 
to  a  person  who  could  travel  a  score  of  miles  on  foot  with 
a  sack  of  corn  on  his  back.  In  Concord  and  towns  adjoin- 
ing, in  many  cases  miles  separated  the  worshiper  from  the 
meeting  house  ;  and  often  the  way  lay  through  swamps  and 
at  times  partially  submerged  causeways.  But  nothing 
daunted,  they  pushed  their  way  through  or  over  these 
obstacles  unflinchingly.  For  the  conveyance  of  the  wo- 
men and  children  and  aged  people  anything,  available  was 
used,  —  clumsy  ox  sleds  or  carts,  hay  wagons,  and  the  sad- 
dle and  pillion.  In  the  latter  mode  of  conveyance  the 
"ride  and  tie"  system  prevailed.  This  method  was  for  one 
or  two  to  start  on  horseback  and  another  or  others  to  fol- 
low on  foot,  and  when  the  former  had  ridden  a  piece  they 
would  dismount,  tie  the  horse  to  a  tree,  and  when  the  lat- 
ter came  up  they  in  like  manner  would  ride  a  distance  and 
then  dismount,  tie  the  horse  and  walk  on  ;  and  so  parties 
would  ride  and  walk  alternately  tilf  they  reached  the  meet- 
ing house. 

In  the  matter  of  dress,  care  was  exercised  then  as  well  as 
now.  The  fathers  were  far  from  being  slouchy  in  their 
attire.  Moreover,  what  might  be  the  silly  promptings  of 
pride  in  the  present,  might  then  have  been  the  promptings 
of  duty,  for  such  was  the  reverence  for  sacred  things  that 
nothing  was  thought  too  good  for  the  meeting  house,  and 
it  might  have  been  considered  sacrilege  to  go  in  a  shabby 
garb,  if  something  better  were  possible  ;  thus  what  in  one 
age  may  be  a  virtue,  in  another  may  be  a  vice.  The  mate- 
rial of  the  women's  dress  was  all  the  way  from  a  sleazy 
dimity  to  costly  calHmanco.  The  men,  according  to  their 
abihty  might  wear  a  coat  of  match,  or  a  jacket  of  rough 
woolen  frieze  with  dornex  breeches  of  a  coarse  linen  similar 
to  canvas.  So  the  pendulum  swung  then  as  now ;  nor  will 
it  cease,  it  may  be,  until  society  settles  upon  the  golden 
mean,  that  they  are  the  best    dressed  who  are  attired    in 


Concord  141 


iz: 


clothing  that  is  the  most  comfortable  and  the  least  notice- 
able, and  have  means  with  which  to  obtain  it. 

Within  the  meeting  house  all  was  plain  and  simple.  At 
first  there  were  no  pews  whatever ;  but  in  process  of  time 
there  was  now  and  then  one  put  in  by  permission  at  the 
expense  of  the  occupant. 

The  "seating  of  the  meeting  house"  was  a  very  conse- 
quential affair,  and  was  to  be  done  with  such  delicacy  that 
the  sensitive  nature  of  no  one  could  be  injured,  and  each 
one  would  have  a  position  suited  to  his  rank  and  station. 
The  deacons  had  sittings  near  the  pulpit,  and  if  there  was 
an  elder  a  proper  place  was  assigned  him  next  to  the 
preacher.  The  minister's  family  was  to  have  seats  at  the 
front,  and  if  there  were  magistrates,  they  and  their  families 
and  also  the  selectmen  and  their  families  were  to  be  pro- 
vided for  in  a  way  that  would  magnify  their  office.  A 
"seating  committee"  was  chosen  regularly,  and  because 
there  might  be  heart  burnings  incident  to  the  faithful  per- 
formance of  their  functions,  the  office  was  unpopular  ;  which 
shows  that  one  elective  office  at  least  has  gone  a  begging. 

The  men  and  women  sat  in  different  seats  ;  also  the  boys 
and  girls.  Near  the  minister's  seat  was  the  "saxton's," 
where  that  faithful  custodian  of  the  meeting  house  sat  in 
readiness  to  respond  to  any  call,  and  to  turn  the  hour 
glass  ;  not,  perhaps,  that  the  preacher  might  be  reminded 
when  to  close  the  sermon,  but  to  know  how  long  to  con- 
tinue it. 

Above  the  pulpit  and  just  over  the  minister  when  he 
was  speaking,  was  a  "sounding  board,"  placed  there  for 
projecting  the  voice.  It  was  either  round  or  square  and 
several  feet  in  area,  and  held  in  position  by  an  iron  rod 
extending  from  the  ceiling  above.  In  some  places  it  was 
customary  for  the  congregation  to  wait  at  the  door  until 
the  clergyman  arrived  and  to  enter  just  after  him.  In 
others  it  was  the  custom  to  enter  just  before  him,  and  at 
his  coming  in  at  the  door  to  rise  and  remain  standing  till 


142  Colonial 

he  was  seated  in  the  pulpit,  a  form  somewhat  similar  to  the 
present  court  custom  when  the  justice  enters. 

After  service  began  it  was  the  rule  that  no  one  should  go 
out  until  the  close  except  in  case  of  necessity ;  and  so 
closely  was  this  rule  adhered  to  that  one  or  more  tithing 
men  were  stationed  at  the  door  to  enforce  it. 

The  service  was  usually  quite  lengthy,  sometimes  con- 
tinuing from  half-past  nine  till  twelve;  this  time  however 
was  not  all  taken  up  with  prayer  and  preaching.  Besides 
the  usual  preliminary  exercises  there  were  others  that  were 
occasional.  Before  the  long  prayer  "notes"  were  "put  up," 
such  as,  "Betsey  Bateman  desires  prayers  that  the  death  of 
her  husband  may  be  sanctified  to  her;"  "Daniel  Darby 
desires  to  express  gratitude  for  a  great  deliverance  from 
danger ;"  "Abiathar  Brown  desires  prayers  that  he  may 
recover  from  sickness."  Marriage  intentions  were  also 
proclaimed  at  this  time,  and  the  "Chrisom"  service  had 
place.  The  scripture  reading  was  accompanied  by  exposi- 
tory comments;  and  the  singing  of  psalms  was  preceded  by 
"lining  off,"  or  the  reading  of  a  couple  of  lines  at  a  time 
for  the  congregation  to  sing. 

From  the  foregoing  facts  we  infer  that  statements  indi- 
cating that  the  clergymen  of  those  days  prayed  an  hour,  and 
preached  two  or  three  is  an  exaggeration.  For  if  the  meet- 
ing began  at  half-past  nine,  and  we  see  not  how  it  could 
have  begun  earlier  on  an  average  the  year  through,  consid- 
ering the  long  distance  which  many  of  the  worshipers 
came  with  there  slow  cattle  or  on  foot,  and  the  necessary 
farm  chores  that  preceded  the  journey,  how,  we  ask,  with 
all  the  miscellaneous  matters  and  scripture  reading  and  with 
elaborate  expositions,  psalm  lining,  and  slow  singing,  and  a 
prayer  to  close  with,  could  so  long  a  time  have  been  de- 
voted to  the  sermon  ?  Moreover,  the  sermons  themselves 
which  are  extant  may  be  evidence  to  the  contrary,  as  may 
be  also  the  character  of  those  who  wrote  them.  The  cler- 
ical profession  of  early  New  England  was  a  learned  one  ; 
it  conformed  well  to  the  economics  of  the  times  and  the 


Concord  1 43 

desires  of  its  constituents,  and  the  product  of  it  as  seen  in 
the  present  is  indicative  of  its  prudence,  its  piety  and  its 
sound  common  sense. 

There  was  an  intermission  of  about  an  hour  between  the 
services  on  Sunday,  during  which  time  some  of  the  congre- 
gation went  to  the  tavern,  some  to  the  neighboring  houses, 
and  some  to  the  noon  houses ;  which  were  small  structures 
erected  by  private  parties  for  this  express  purpose.  These 
noon  houses  had  fireplaces  and  were  supplied  with  a  barrel 
or  two  of  cider,  it  may  be,  and  utensils  for  warming  their 
lunch. 

As  there  was  no  means  of  heating  the  meeting  house, 
various  expedients  were  resorted  to :  among  the  most 
common  of  which  were  the  foot  stoves,  small  receptacles 
for  holding  coals.  These  were  filled  when  taken  from 
home  and  at  noon  were  replenished  at  the  noon  house. 
They  were  placed  at  the  feet  of  the  older  people,  and  about 
them  the  little  children  could  warm  their  fingers.  They 
also  tended  to  take  the  chilliness  from  the  house,  which  be- 
ing low  and  well  filled,  and  with  few  windows,  afforded 
more  comfort  than  would  be  thought  possible. 

Wolf  skin  bags  were  attached  to  some  of  the  pews  or 
benches  to  put  the  feet  in  ;  and  dogs  were  also  taken  to 
church  for  the  purpose  of  keeping  the  feet  warm.  Indeed, 
to  such  an  extent  did  this  latter  custom  prevail  that  a  law 
was  passed  prohibiting  it.  Whether  this  was  done  because 
the  animals  imparted  so  much  comfort  as  to  induce  drowsi- 
ness in  the  listeners,  or  because  the  dogs  sometimes  made 
themselves  heard  in  protest  when  too  much  pressure  was 
brought  to  bear  on  them,  the  sparks  do  not  depose. 

As  a  means  of  maintaining  order,  tithing  men  or  tenth 
men  were  appointed,  so  called  because  one  was  appointed 
for  every  ten  families.  These  tithing  men  were  each  equip- 
ped with  a  long  staff  having  at  one  end  something  with 
which  to  "rap  up"  unruly  boys ;  and  at  the  other  end  a 
delicately  adjusted  fox  tail  with  which  to  tickle  the  faces  of 
the  staid  dames  and  thoughtless  daughters  when  regardless 


144  Colonial 

of  the  sermon.  Besides  these  staves  of  office  there  were 
set  up  in  conspicuous  places  about  the  room  tithing  men's 
sticks  ready  to  be  used  if  occasion  required.  Nor  were 
these  all  the  means  for  the  conservation  of  good  order,  for 
there  was  sometimes  placed  midway  of  the  audience  a  "cul- 
prit's seat,"  where  might  be  seen  sometimes  a  mischievous 
person  bearing  a  paper  upon  which  was  inscribed  the  nature 
of  his  misdemeanor. 

Outside  the  meeting  house  peace  and  tranquility  were 
secured  by  means  as  systematic  and  grim. 

It  was  an  early  law  of  the  colony  that  a  fourth  part  of 
the  "trayne  band"  was  to  go  to  church  armed.  A  regular 
sentry  was  posted  outside  with  an  equipment  regulated  by 
law,  which  in  some  instances  was  a  coat  "basted  with  cotton 
wool"  to  ward  off  bullets,  a  "corslet"  to  cover  the  body,  a 
"gorget"  to  guard  the  throat,  and  "tasses"  to  cover  the 
thighs. 

Each  sentinel  was  to  carry  a  "bastard  musket  with  a  snap 
chance,"  "a  full  musket"  or  a  barrel  with  a  matchlock,  or 
some  other  efficient  firearm. 

Such  were  the  surroundings  ;  and  such  were  some  of  the 
scenes  witnessed  within  and  without  the  meeting  house  of 
"ye  olden  times,"  and  we  believe  they  are  sufficient  to  con- 
vince any  one  that  the  colonial  meeting  house  and  what 
went  with  it  were  far  from  being  prosy;  and  that  the  times 
that  produced  them  and  the  people  whom  they  served  were 
not  doltish  nor  given  to  objectionable  tranquility. 

We  do  not  affirm  that  all  the  foregoing  practices  were 
observed  at  Concord,  nor  in  any  one  of  the  colonial  towns; 
customs  differed  with  communities,  and  each  of  these  had 
their  peculiar  church  cults,  according  as  these  were  brought 
from  the  old  country,  or  created  by  circumstances,  or  by 
contact  with  a  neighboring  borough  ;  but  if  even  a  portion 
of  them  prevailed  in  a  given  township,  it  was  enough  to 
impart  to  it  an  activity  and  an  air  of  sprightliness  which 
would  naturally  prevent  any  social  stagnation  and  make  the 
life  of  the  Puritan  far  from  being  staid  or  "slowgoing." 


Concord  145 

We  believe  the  foregoing  facts  also  indicate  that  the 
olden  times  were  more  intense  than  we  are  wont  to  sup- 
pose ;  and  that  the  secular  strenuousness  of  the  present  has 
only  taken  the  place  of  a  spiritual  strenuousness  in  the 
past.  As  in  the  natural  world  the  same  elements  take  dif- 
ferent forms,  so  in  society  the  energy  of  one  age  may  be 
exerted  in  such  a  manner  that  the  people  of  another  age 
do  not  recognize  it. 

Society  being  largely  conventional,  it  may  be  only  by  the 
discovery  of  the  motive  or  the  inspection  of  the  mainspring 
of  the  machinery  that  enables  us  to  make  right  estimates  of 
an  era  and  its  actors.  So  when  we  measure  the  men  and 
women  of  whom  we  have  been  speaking  by  what  their 
meeting  houses  meant,  we  find  them  intensely  active,  and 
living  in  a  period  that  demanded  intense  activity.  Each 
person  was  a  storage  battery  of  spiritual  force,  and  the 
electricity  of  thought,  purpose  and  action  was  generated  at 
the  great  "power  house"  of  the  church,  of  which  the  meet- 
ing house  was  the  symbol. 

Before  we  conclude  our  observations  on  the  old  time 
meeting  houses,  let  us  notice  their  place  in  history.  They 
were  the  beginnings  of  our  national  greatness  and  unprece- 
dented progress.  This  we  believe  to  be  preeminently  the 
case  with  regard  to  matters  civic  and  educational.  The 
colonial  meeting  house  was  the  town  house.  The  minister 
was  for  the  town,  and  the  town  elected  and  maintained  him. 
Minister's  rates  were  assessed  by  the  same  process  and  paid 
with  the  same  cheerfulness  as  others ;  and  indeed  they 
might  have  been  a  standard  for  the  making  up  of  all  other 
rates. 

The  first  polling  place  was  beside  the  pulpit.  The  con- 
tribution box  might  have  been  the  first  ballot  box.  On 
the  communion  table  the  town  clerk  made  the  town  re- 
cords. On  the  meeting  house  door  were  posted  the  town 
warrants  and  town  "orders."  Attendance  at  church  on 
Sundays  might  relate  to  eligibility  to  town  office.  It  was 
the    meeting     house    and  what  it    represented    that    made 


146  Colonial 

the  minute  man,  and  with  it  may  be  associated  his  whole 
history ;  for  to  its  pulpit  he  looked  for  his  encouragement, 
to  its  Bible  he  looked  for  his  authority  in  resisting  oppres- 
sion, and  to  its  belfry  or  the  powder  house  of  its  precincts 
he  repaired  for  his  ammunition. 

The  foregoing  statements  are  amply  sustained  by  a  vari- 
ety and  profusion  of  simple  facts  which  the  records  and 
traditions  of  many  New  England  townships  attest  to,  and 
Concord  bears  her  full  share  of  the  testimony  ;  and  there 
are  circumstances  which  can  only  be  construed  as  showing 
through  a  long  period  a  oneness  to  her  ecclesiastical  and 
civic  affairs.  The  records  inform  us  that  the  order 
for  building  the  first  meeting  house  was  passed  Feb.  5, 
1636,  when  the  affairs  of  colonization  were  largely  under 
the  leadership  of  Rev.  Peter  Bulkeley.  The  substance  of 
the  records  concerning  the  building  of  the  second  or  third 
meeting  house  of  date  Jan.  27,  1668,  is  that  Capt.  Timothy 
Wheeler,  Joseph  Wheeler  and  John  Smedley  were  consti- 
tuted a  committee  to  make  a  contract  for  a  meeting  house; 
and  that  in  1672,  the  selectmen  were  directed  "to  see  if  the 
contract  was  completed."  The  building  erected  about  this 
date  stood  on  the  town's  common  land  at  a  spot  on  or  near 
the  site  of  the  present  Unitarian  church,  or  what  is  known 
as  the  "First  Parish  Church."  In  this  meeting  house, 
which  it  is  stated  had  the  characteristics  of  one  erected  at 
Hingham,  Mass.,  in  1681,  the  town  meetings  were  held 
until  as  late  as  171 2,  after  which  time  the  deliberations  of 
the  church  were  held  in  the  new  building,  and  those  of  the 
town  were  held  in  the  old  one. 

In  1719,  the  town  voted  to  build  a  house  for  its  "town 
meetings"  and  court  sessions,  the  latter  having  been  held 
for  ten  years  previous  in  the  old  meeting  house. 

Oct.  II,  1774,  an  adjourned  meeting  of  the  First  Pro- 
vincial Congress  was  held  in  this  meeting  house. 

March  22,  1775,  the  Second  Provincial  Congress  also 
met  there. 


Concord  147 

The  same  year  the  military  companies  met  there  to  Hsten 
to  a  sermon  by  Rev.  WilHam  Emerson. 

In  1776,  the  commencement  exercises  of  Harvard  Col- 
lege were  held  there. 

Such  is  a  partial  epitome  of  events  connected  with  the 
succession  of  early  meeting  houses  which  have  stood  on  or 
about  the  site  of  the  "First  Parish  Meeting  House,"  and 
they  substantiate  the  foregoing  statements  and  bear  out  our 
conclusions  concerning  the  mission  of  the  modest  colonial 
meeting  house. 

Moreover  its  natural  environment  was  as  picturesque  as 
its  history  is  romantic.  On  the  one  side  was  the  bluff 
or  ridgeway,  safe  sheltering  from  storms  that  swept  from  the 
easterly,  upon  whose  peaceful  but  stinted  summit  sleep 
what  is  mortal  of  the  faithful  church  founders,  and  at  whose 
foot  was  the  little  street  which  ran  just  past  the  church 
doorway,  once  traveled  by  the  second  Bulkeley,  Estabrook, 
Whiting,  Bliss,  the  famous  Whitefield,  Emerson,  Ripley, 
and  Reynold?  ;  and  also  by  Hancock,  Adams,  Otis  and 
others  world  renowned,  whose  voices  were  once  heard 
within  the  meeting  house  walls  soundly  denouncing  the 
"king's  orders,"  and  imploringly  appealing  to  the  people  to 
resist  them. 

At  the  northwesterly  was  a  small  portion  of  the  "town's 
common  land,  "where  once  stood  the  "Jethro"  or  "bell  tree," 
underneath  which,  as  tradition  declares,  an  agreement  was 
made  for  a  sale  of  the  township  for  "beads,  wampum, 
hoes"  and  other  commodities,  in  the  presence  of  grave 
sagamores  and  mystical  witnesses,  with  dark,  wizard-like 
looks  and  strange  movements.  In  that  direction  was 
the  "town  pound"  and  a  snug  garrison  house,  and  perhaps 
the  "tanyard"  of  one  of  Concord's  first  artisans,  to  whom 
the  town  early  granted  land  to  encourage  his  trade.  To 
the  northwesterly  also  was  the  mill  and  the  brook,  its  fresh 
meadows  opening  downward  in  pleasant  vistas  towards  the 
manse.      To    the  westerly   was   the  wilderness  and  a  road 


148  Colonial 

leading  into  it,  with  smiling  homesteads  alongside ;  while 
to  the  southwesterly  and  southerly  and  half  skirted  in  that 
direction  by  a  driftway  upon  which  stood  one  of  Concord's 
first  grocery  stores  was  the  mill  pond,  forest  fringed  and 
newly  made,  reflecting  back  from  cool  shadows  the  gnarled 
oaks  and  tall  pines,  and  the  lesser  shrubbery  of  bending 
bilberry  bushes  and  elder  and  willow  clumps,  and  whose 
friendly  waters  withal  cam'e  so  close  to  the  meeting  house 
as  almost  to  wash  its  sills  ;  so  that  in  1672,  the  selectmen 
were  instructed  to  adopt  measures  "to  keep  out  the  waters 
of  Mill  brook,  which  encroached  on  the  common  and  wore 
it  away." 

Such  to  an  extent  was  the  scene,  and  thus  varied  were 
the  objects  of  beauty  and  of  interest  that  surrounded  the 
first  in  succession  of  these  meeting  houses,  when  Parson 
Edward  Bulkeley  and  Deacon  Griffin  entered  the  portal  of 
the  new  edifice,  perhaps  on  a  bright  morning  in  the  year 
1672,  to  see  if  everything  was  in  readiness  to  hold  the  first 
service  there. 

But  even  more  might  be  said  of  it ;  for  were  it  our  pro- 
vince to  speak  of  things  modern  we  would  pause  and 
make  mention  of  the  illustrious  gatherings  that  have  con- 
vened about  this  ancient  church  site  at  the  occasional 
funeral  services  of  the  "mighty  dead" ;  for  as  statesmen, 
orators  and  distinguished  preachers,  philanthropists,  philos- 
ophers, poets  and  jurists  have  spoken  and  worshipped 
within  the  walls  of  the  structures  that  stood  there,  so  their 
mortal  remains  have  been  borne  from  there ;  and  more 
than  once  has  the  world's  great  grief  been  manifest  in 
the  sad  and  solemn  requiems  and  notable  eulogies  that 
have  been  sung  and  spoken  there  ;  and  so  long  as  this  an- 
cient church  site  is  associated  with  these  its  renown  is 
secure,  for  their's  were  of  the  "few  immortal  names  that 
were  not  born  to  die." 

That  the  early  meeting  house  stood  for  the  educational 
interests    of  the   colony  needs  no  reiteration.      It    was   at 


Concord  1 49 

these  places  and  by  means  of  the  ministers,  that  many  of 
the  people  acquired  even  the  little  knowledge  that  they 
possessed  during  that  period  of  New  England  history  that 
has  been  called  "the  dark  age."  This  period,  which  was 
between  the  passing  away  of  the  original  grantees  and  the 
coming  of  the  second  generation  following,  was  approxi- 
mately from  1675  ^^  ^7^5-  That  the  settlers  were  friendly 
to  education  during  this  period  goes  without  saying,  not- 
withstanding towns  were  sometimes  fined  for  not  providing 
proper  school  privileges.  They  loved  and  demanded  a 
learned  Gospel  ministry.  They  welcomed  the  catecumen- 
ical  exercises ;  and  that  they  improved  themselves  with 
books  when  they  had  them  and  when  the  pastor  loaned 
them  from  his  meager  library  indicates  what  might  have 
been  their  literary  status  "Had  fortune  frowned  not  on 
their  humble  birth."  Moreover,  the  people  loved  their 
long  sermons,  doubtless,  and  the  long  prayers,  for  by  them 
their  spiritual  and  intellectual  natures  were  fed.  But  the 
settlers  were  many  of  them  poor,  schoolmasters  and  school- 
rnistresses  were  scarce ;  life  was  a  scramble  for  bread,  a  fight 
to  make  both  ends  meet ;  and  when  the  immigrant  settler 
who  came  to  this  country  with  a  fair  education  had  passed 
away,  then  the  dark  age  came ;  many  signed  their  names 
with  a  mark,  many  could  not  read,  and  there  was  a  lament- 
able lack  of  learning  generally.  But  the  meeting  houses 
by  their  ministers  kept  brightly  burning  a  lamp  of 
knowledge-  when  others  had  gone  out.  The  long  and 
elaborate  discourses  were  educators ;  good  language  was 
encouraged.  In  short,  a  high  intellectual  standard  was 
kept  before  the  people,  and  the  desire  for  better  things  was 
fostered  by  frequent  contact  of  the  parishioner  with  his 
pastor.  Let  not  then  too  much  credit  be  ascribed  to  "the 
little  red  schoolhouse,"  for  the  little  log  meeting  house 
was  before  it ;  and  but  for  the  latter,  the  former  might 
never  have  been.  So  let  us  in  ascribing  "honor  to  whom 
honor  is  due"   leave  a  large  place  for  the  New   England 


1 50  Colonial 

meeting  house,  which  made  "giants  in  those  days,"  and 
which  made  the  minute  men  who  came  later,  and  was  the 
beginning  of  our  present  greatness.  And  let  us,  like  those 
who  founded  them,  say  with  a  whole-souled  sincerity,  "I 
was  glad  when  they  said  unto  me,  let  us  go  up  to  the 
house  of  the   Lord." 


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CHAPTER  XVII. 

Visit  to  the  Home  of  Goodman  George  Heywood — 
Talk  with  Miller  IVilliam  Buss  —  Ramble  about 
the  Mill  Pond  —  Flint's  Pond — History  of  the 
Bulkeley  Grist  Mill  —  Succession  of  Millers  — 
Stroll  about  Concord  Center  —  Description  of  the 
Mill  Pond. 

THE  next  morning  we  arose  about  sunrise,  and  after 
breakfast  and  family  prayers,  started  with  one  of 
the  hired  men  who  was  going  to  mill,  for  the  house 
of  George  Heywood. 
We  went  in  an  ox  cart,  and  as  the  bullocks  were  but 
imperfectly  "broken"  we  were  bounced  and  jolted  over 
many  remnants  of  old  roots  and  through  sloughy  places, 
insomuch  that  we  concluded  that  the  highway  work  of 
those  days  consisted  mainly  in  shoveling  snowdrifts,  and 
keeping  the  wheel  ruts  from  the  constant  encroachment  of 
the  shrubbery,  and  the  casting  of  brushwood  into  the  wet 
places  to  prevent  miring. 

As  we  entered  the  village,  for  we  will  call  it  such,  al- 
though it  was  "only  a  collection  of  housen,"  as  miller  Buss 
told  us,  Goodman  Heywood  met  us  at  the  bar  way,  for 
there  were  gates  and  bars  at  the  head  of  lanes  which  it  was 
the  common  law  should  be  kept  closed,  and  with  a  smile 
and  voice  as  bright  and  breezy  as  the  day,  bade  us  good 
morning,  and  insisted  upon  our  taking  a  second  breakfast. 
Hospitality  in  those  days  was  the  rule  and  not  the  excep- 
tion, and  "stay  to  dinner,"  or  "stay  to  supper,"  or  "stop 
over  night"  was  only  a  natural  accompaniment  of  one's 
coming,  and  everywhere  expected  as  a  matter  of  course. 
As  Goodman  Heywood  had  an   important    town    matter 


152  Colonial 

to  look  after  he  excused  himself  for  the  forenoon,  and  we 
went  into  the  mill  which  was  near  by,  where  we  found  the 
miller  standing  by  the  meal  trough  in  the  midst  of  a  score 
or  more  of  bags  of  unground  maize.  Entering  into  con- 
versation, we  found  that  the  task  of  grinding  the  town's 
corn  was  not  easy  ;  "For,"  said  the  miller,  "we've  got  but 
one  run  of  stone  and  slow  at  that ;"  "but,"  he  continued,  "we 
have  ter  try,  for  folks  fetch  their  grists  here  from  far 
and  near ;  some  come  clean  from  the  Nashaway,  some 
from  farms  nigh  Nashoba,  some  from  beyend  Shawshine, 
and  there's  a  few  towards  Sudbry  and  up  agin  Malbry." 

After  inquiring  as  to  how  they  brought  their  grist,  we 
found  that  those  who  had  horses  threw  the  sacks  over  their 
backs,  that  some  brought  them  in  ox  carts  or  on  sleds, 
some  in  wheelbarrows,  and  a  few  on  their  backs ;  even 
though  coming  sometimes  from  miles  away.  At  times,  he 
stated,  they  "stayed  over"  or  started  home  late  at  night 
and  this,  it  might  be,  in  cold  or  stormy  weather,  or  in  deep 
snow,  so  great  at  times  was  the  stress  for  meal. 

He  did  not  tell  us  about  his  "toll  rates,"  neither  did  we 
ask  him,  knowing  as  we  did  that  there  had  been  several 
misunderstandings  about  this  matter,  both  in  relation  to 
himself  and  his  predecessors. 

Having  learned  what  we  could  from  the  genial  miller, 
and  growing  weary  of  the  noise  of  the  mill  machinery,  we 
resolved  to  ramble  about  the  pond  to  discover  anything 
that  might  be  of  service  in  describing  the  central  village  of 
Concord  town  as  it  was  about  the  middle  of  the  17th  cen- 
tury. 

Leaving  the  Mill  dam  we  passed  the  "pound,"  and  keep- 
ing on  the  side  of  the  pond  next  to  the  "Strate  strete"  and 
going  just  back  of  the  site  of  the  "First  Parish  Church," 
we  found  ourselves  on  the  swamp  lands  to  the  eastward, 
which  but  for  a  dry  October  would  have  been  damp. 
After  walking  a  considerable  distance  in  the  brushwood, 
occasionally  through  the  openings,  catching  a  glimpse  of 
the  pines  on  the  ridgeway,  we  reached    the    "Bay  road," 


Concord 


^SZ 


where  a  bridge  of  loosely  laid  logs  crossed  Mill  brook  on 
a  lev^el  with  the  roadbed.  Hard  by  was  the  house  of 
Goodman  Meriam,  beside  which  was  a  snug  barn  and 
sheep  shed  and  a  couple  of  barley  stacks.  Near  the  bar- 
ley stacks  was  a  threshing  floor  consisting  of  logs,  square 
hewn  and  closely  set,  where  with  slim  walnut  flails  fastened 
with  eel  skin,  Goodman  Meriam  and  a  neighbor,  Nathan- 
iel Ball  were  threshing,  while  the  plump  barley  grains  were 
bounding  briskly  all  about  them.  Thinking  it  uncivil  not 
to  call,  we  halted  ;  as  we  did  so  the  men,  flails  in  hand, 
came  to  meet  us  and  greeted  us  with  a  right  hearty  cordi- 
ality, and  the  rest  of  the  household  consisting  of  his  wife 
and  several  children  appeared  in  the  doorway. 

On  leaving  Goodman  Meriam's  dooryard  we  rambled 
over  the  fields  in  a  southwesterly  direction  and  soon  came 
to  a  ditch.  At  first  we  thought  it  might  be  one  of  the 
ditches  that  the  early  settlers  used  for  fencing,  but  upon 
following  it  a  short  distance  we  came  upon  a  body  of  water, 
perhaps  as  charming  as  ever  traveler  beheld.  It  was  com- 
pletely surrounded  by  woods  and  tinted  with  a  blue  as 
beautiful  as  that  of  the  sky  that  bent  over  it.  We  knew 
where  we  were,  for  Major  Willard  had  spoken  to  us  of 
Flint's  pond,  which  on  the  modern  maps  is  called  "Forest 
lake,"  and  said  that  it  received  its  name  from  Esquire 
Thomas  Flint,  who  owned  all  the  territory  since  occupied 
by  the  village  of  Lincoln  center. 

The  discovery  of  the  pond  explained  the  presence  of  the 
ditch  ;  for  we  at  once  concluded  that  this  ditch,  which  in  the 
"records"  is  repeatedly  referred  to  as  "the  gutter,"  was  the 
means  of  conducting  the  water  from  Flint's  pond  to  the 
Mill  brook,  in  order  to  raise  the  water  in  the  Mill  pond 
whenever  needed. 

We  did  not  long  remain  at  Flint's  pond,  beautiful  though 
it  was,  but  soon  retraced  our  steps  to  the  Mill  brook  and 
followed  its  course  till  we  came  to  the  head  of  the  Mill 
pond  where  we  sat  down  upon  a  log  which  had  been  lifted 
at  high  water  upon  a  hassock  of  coarse  grass,  and  listened 


1 54  Colonial 

to  the  multitudinous  voices  which,  strangely  mingling  with 
the  deep  bass  of  the  distant  mill,  made  a  strange  medley. 

The  day  was  beautiful ;  the  sky  cloudless ;  and  the 
soft  south  wind  which  had  set  in  with  the  sunrising  was 
just  beginning  to  tone  down  the  crisp  atmosphere  and  make 
it  enjoyable.  The  foliage  was  at  its  best,  for  but  few  leaves 
had  fallen  and  every  branch  and  spray  was  painted  with 
those  perfect  colors  which  art  cannot  imitate  ;  and  as  the 
yellow  birches  and  crimson  maples  flashed  their  tints  among 
the  dark  evergreens,  it  was  as  if  the  wood  nymphs  had 
lighted  the  torches  and  were  awaiting  guests.  And  the 
guests  were  there  ;  for  while  we  sat  meditating  in  wonder,  a 
couple  of  kingfishers  sprang  their  rattle  just  over  us,  and 
as  one  dashed  into  the  water  and  came  up  with  what  looked 
like  a  trout,  we  concluded  that  the  small  mill  stream,  be- 
fore its  waters  were  made  to  work,  was  a  "trout  brook" 
that  once  went  rollicking  riverward  as  free  as  the  wind, 
notwithstanding  the  level  country  through  which  it  passed. 

In  a  shallow  cove  among  some  lily  pads  were  a  doe  and 
two  fawns,  while  beyond,  under  some  hemlocks  in  the  flags 
a  flock  of  dusky  ducks  was  riding  at  anchor,  and  keeping 
at  an  aristocratic  distance  from  three  diminutive  teal,  which 
lingered  later  than  was  their  wont  in  Concord  waters  be- 
cause of  the  mildness  of  the  Fall.  As  the  air  was  still  cool 
in  spite  of  the  south  wind,  and  the  frost  sparkled  on  the 
bilberry  bushes,  we  decided  to  make  a  fire  to  warm  our 
fingers,  and  see  if  anything  could  be  learned  in  addition  to 
what  we  already  knew  relative  to  the  ponds  the  mill,  and 
the  adjacent  hamlet.  Accordingly,  we  started  in  search  of 
some  drift  wood  from  the  pond  shore,  well  knowing  that 
the  sparks  from  this  if  from  anything  would  be  prolific  of 
information.  With  this  fuel,  a  little  moss,  and  a  flint  and 
steel  which  Major  Willard  had  lent  us,  we  made  a  blaze. 
Soon  the  flames  crackled  and  the  sparks  snapped  merrily ; 
nd  the  story  stripped  of  all  that  is  fictitious  is  as  fol- 
lows : 

The    little    brook    which    was   early    crossed    by    "Fort 


Concord  155 

bridge"  or  "Potter's  bridge,"  and  now  runs  through  the 
culvert  at  "Hasting's  Corner,"  and  by  the  Bank,  has  the 
distinction  of  first  serving  the  town  of  Concord  for  mill 
purposes  ;  and  except  for  its  presence,  there  might  have 
been  no  Concord  center  where  it  is,  but  its  location  might 
have  been  determined  by  some  other  stream.  A  "corn 
mill,"  as  these  places  were  once  called,  was  considered  indis- 
pensable to  a  new  township.  Like  an  army,  the  settler 
should  keep  near  his  base  of  supplies,  and  a  mill  house  with 
a  good  water  power  was  his  commissariat.  The  usual  order 
was  a  mill,  a  meeting  house,  and  an  "ordinary,"  or  a  public 
place  of  entertainment  for  man  and  beast. 

The  miller  was  an  important  personage,  next  to  the 
tavern  keeper,  and  both  made  good  material  for  selectmen 
and  militia  officers.  The  mill  was  a  place  for  news  or  a 
kind  of  village  exchange.  There  the  farmer  learned  pa- 
tience as  his  grist  slowly  fell  into  the  mill  trough,  or  as  he 
waited  his  turn,  or  was  told  to  come  the  next  day  or  the 
day  after.  There  he  compared  crops  and  made  bargains. 
Perhaps,  also,  it  was  there  he  learned  as  much  about  colo- 
nial law  and  provincial  politics  as  at  any  place  except  the 
meetiing  house ;  for  people  came  "to  mill"  from  far  away, 
bringing  not  only  their  bags  of  corn  and  barley  but  tidings 
of  accident,  adventure  and  the  rise  and  fall  of  market  rates 
at  the  seaboard. 

The  first  mill  in  Concord  was  erected  by  Rev.  Peter 
Bulkeley,  or  with  his  money ;  which  circumstance,  were 
there  no  other,  would  show  that  Mr.  Bulkeley  was  a  "man 
of  means"  ;  for  mill  machinery  was  costly  and  doubtless 
much  of  it,  together  with  the  mill  wright  who  put  it  up 
came  from  "below."  Probably  the  mill  was  never  "run" 
by  its  original  owner  but  was  leased  ;  for  we  find  that  as 
early  as  1639  it  was  in  charge  of  William  Fuller,  who  the 
records  state,  was  fined  "^3  ^0^  abuse  in  over-tolling." 

The  first  mill  was  doubtless  small  and  stood  on  or  near 
the  site  of  the  brick  building  by  the  old   Bank. 

In  consideration  of  building  the  mill,  or   as  a  gratuity. 


156  Colonial 

Mr.  Bulkeley  was  allowed  a  tract  of  thirty  acres  upon 
which  his  house  and  mill  stood,  lying  between  the  pond 
and  the  river.  He  was  also  granted  the  right  to  raise  the 
water  of  the  brook  "to  a  perpendicular  height  of  four  feet 
and  ten  inches  from  the  bottom  of  the  mill  trough,"  and 
of  digging  clay  on  the  common  for  making  repairs  on  the 
dam ;  franchises  akin  in  principle  to  those  accorded  to  early 
mill  builders  in  other  places ;  and  the  small  amount  allot- 
ted may  indicate  that  landed  possessions  were  not  lavishly 
bestowed  upon  any  one,  nor  as  a  rule,  conveyed  without 
value  received. 

Timber  trees,  pasturage,  planting  places  and  hay  on 
meadow  lands,  whether  they  were  public  or  private  prop- 
erty, were  jealously  guarded,  and  whether  the  common 
lands  were  "sized"  or  divided,  or  conveyed  as  a  gratuity, 
or  perquisite,  it  was  in  a  manner  that  established  no  unsafe 
precedent. 

How  many  years  the  Bulkeley  mill  continued  to  grind 
the  "town's  corn"  we  were  not  told,  but  there  was  a  long 
succession  of  millers.  Among  them  were  some  of  the 
town's  stanchest  citizens  ;  and  if  the  records  show  that  in 
one  or  two  instances  there  was  a  deviation  from  what  was 
conventional  or  statutory,  all  the  circumstances  not  being 
disclosed,  we  may  not  be  able  to  judge  fairly,  since  there 
might  have  been  mitigating  facts  ;  for  example,  William 
Fuller  may  have  properly  set  up  in  defence  by  way  of  "jus- 
tification and  avoidance"  that  morally  the  laborer  is 
worthy  of  his  hire,  whether  legally  so  or  not,  and  that  at 
times  the  mill  did  not  pay  ;  for  when  there  was  a  scarcity 
of  water  in  the  pond,  or  too  much  back  water  in  the  brook, 
it  was  slow  grinding,  and  he  perhaps  took  it  upon  himself 
to  adjust  prices,  and  so  likewise  when  in  1665,  William 
Buss  was  warned  by  Constable  Thomas  Brooks  "to  answer 
for  his  want  of  scales  and  weights  in  his  mill,"  he  may  have 
pleaded  inability  to  purchase  them.  The  year  previous, 
the  Heywood  mill  was  established,  and  perhaps  competi- 
tion had  commenced,  and  business  may  have  been  done  on 


Concord  157 

too  small  a  margin  to  make  "up  to  date"  appliances  profit- 
able ;  we  were  not  there,  the  sparks  say  nothing,  and  we 
can  be  charitable.  Moreover,  so  far  as  Buss  is  concerned, 
presumption  is  greatly  in  his  favor;  for  when  he  kept 
tavern  in  1664,  at  about  the  spot  where  the  town  library 
now  stands,  he  wished  to  be  excused  from  selling  strong 
drink,  and  he  was  considered  by  the  selectmen  a  most  suit- 
able person  for  a  licensed  innkeeper. 

That  Mr.  Bulkeley  retained  ownership  of  the  mill  for 
many  years  is  indicated  by  the  fact  that  after  his  death, 
which  occured  March  5,  1659,  a  controversy  arose  con- 
cerning the  mill'  bstween  his  widow,  Grace  Chetwood,  and 
the  citizens  of  Concord,  and  the  matter  was  investigated  by 
the  Colonial  Court,  one  result  of  which  was  a  conclusion 
that  the  contract  between  Mr.  Bulkeley  and  the  town  of 
Concord  had  been  loosely  drawn. 

About  t666.  Captain  Timothy  Wheeler,  who  lived  in 
the  house  of  Mr.  Bulkeley,  became  owner  of  the  mill,  and 
he  left  it  by  will  to  his  daughter,  Rebecca  Minot;  and  her 
husband,  James,  operated  it  for  many  years.  The  build- 
ing which  now  stands  on  Main  street  by  the  brook  near 
the  bank  is  in  the  succession  of  these  ancient  mills.  It  has 
been  supposed  by  some  that  it  may  have  been  built  by 
Captain  Timothy  Wheeler,  but  no  record  nor  reliable 
tradition  gives  any  certain  information  of  its  age.  It  is 
very  old  but  that  it  existed  earlier  than  the  first  quarter  of 
the  1 8th  century  is  considered  improbable. 

But  long  ago  the  rumbling  of  the  old  mill  ceased;  and 
the  water  of  the  mill  brook  released  from  its  useful  bondage 
once  more  went  dancing  downwards  as  wild  and  unre- 
strained as  when  the  settlers  first  saw  it.  The  pond  shrank 
back  into  its  original  channel,  and  the  flags  and  clover  blos- 
soms upon  its  grassy  border,  looked  laughingly  down  into 
it  as  if  glad  to  be  brought  back  to  their  old  playground. 
Today,  nature  and  art  are  both  there;  tomorrow  it  may  be 
only  art. 

It  was  nearly  high  noon  when  we  started  on  our  return 


I S^  Colonial 

to  the  village,  which  we  reached  in  time  for  dinner.  The 
meal  was  served  in  accordance  with  the  hospitality  of  the 
times.  In  the  early  afternoon  and  after  a  conversation  with 
Goodman  Heywood,  in  which  he  spoke  of  his  plan  for  the 
erection  of  a  saw  mill,  we  proposed  a  stroll  over  the  village, 
to  the  end  that  we  might  better  describe  at  some  future 
time  the  mill  pond,  the  village  roads,  and  the  homes  of  the 
inhabitants. 

As  good  fortune  would  have  it  we  were  left  to  go  alone ; 
for  just  as  we  were  about  starting,  John,  the  eldest  son, 
stepped  in  and  said  that  the  Gobble  boys  down  at  the 
"Bay"  (Fairhaven)  had  sent  for  his  father  to  come  and 
weigh  some  tar,  which  article  we  infer  was  a  commodity  in 
early  times  in  Concord,  and  that  sometimes  there  was  tres- 
passing in  order  to  obtain  it,  as  the  Sudbury  records  inform 
us  that  in  1661,  the  town  appointed  men  "to  agree  with 
Robert  Porctor  of  Concord  about  his  trespass  of  burning 
up  our  pines  for  making  tar."  Having  obtained  all  neces- 
sary instructions  we  went  forth,  and  by  sunsetting  had 
gathered  many  facts  and  formed  many  theories  relative  to 
the  village,  the  mill  and  the  ways  of  the  inhabitants ; 
but  lest  our  observation  may  have  been  too  limited,  and 
being  a  visitor,  we  had  been  shown  only  the  best  side  of 
things,  we  will  relate  only  what  conforms  with  history. 

First,  we  will  describe  the  mill  pond.  From  the  height 
of  the  dam,  and  various  records  relating  to  the  flow- 
age  of  water  in  its  vicinity,  together  with  the  "lay  of  the 
land,"  we  may  fairly  conjecture  what  was  its  shape  and  size, 
and  trace  its  outline  on  at  least  three  sides.  The  north 
side  was  bounded  by  the  dam,  which  probably  extended 
from  the  mill  house  to  a  point  a  little  east  of  Mill  brook 
where  it  crosses  the  present  Main  street.  From  the  dam 
on  the  east  side  it  followed  the  upland  until  it  shoaled  up 
near  the  crossing  on  Heywood  street,  and  lost  itself 
among  the  meadows,  then  swamp  grounds,  in  the  direction 
of  Meriam's  corner.  On  the  west  it  had  a  similar  contour. 
Beginning  at  the  mill,  it  followed  the  general  direction  of 


Concord  1 59 

the  present  Walden  street,  and  keeping  well  within  the  up- 
land as  it  variously  sloped,  made  a  curved  shore  nearly 
corresponding  to  the  one  opposite. 

That  this  outline  is  fairly  correct,  may  be  indicated  by 
traces  of  ancient  water  lines  detected  in  excavations  for 
building  purposes ;  and  also  from  the  records  of  town 
action  relating  to  early  riparian  rights.  A  pond  of  this 
description,  and  situated  amid  such  scenery  as  Concord 
center  may  then  have  possessed  was  doubtless  exception- 
ably  beautiful.  Not  only  would  such  a  sheet  of  water  pent 
up  in  the  woodland  solitude  of  itself  be  charming,  but  we 
infer  there  were  objects  accompanying  it  that  would  make 
it  doubly  so.  Among  these  was  the  abruptly  rising  ridge- 
way  a  few  rods  to  the  eastward,  its  crest  crowned  with 
ancient  oaks  and  dark  pines,  and  its  slope  variously  in- 
dented with  gentle  hollows  ;  at  its  foot  the  "little  strate 
strete"  curving  gracefully,  its  sides  fenced  by  snipped  sap- 
lings and  along  which  were  small  wood-colored  cabins  with 
prim  door  yards,  where  in  summer  might  have  been  seen 
busy  housewives  deftly  twirling  the  flax  reel  or  tethering 
some  pet  animal,  or  sitting,  it  may  be  at  noonday  in  the 
cooling  shade,  or  in  the  autumn  attending  the  drying  of 
their  sliced  "pompion"  or  whisking  the  wasps  from  their 
spread  huckleberries,  or  snatching  from  the  night  damp 
their  half  cured  herbs.  Moreover,  there  might  have  been 
seen  standing  separate  and  far  out  in  the  water  a  few  maples 
and  pines  left  there  when  the  pond  was  filled,  the  perching 
place  of  fish  hawks  and  crows,  conspicuous  landmarks  and 
a  general  outlook  for  all  birds ;  further  up  there  might 
have  been  a  fording  place  for  cattle,  used  before  the  build- 
ing of  a  bridge  at  Potter's  lane,  where  of  a  spring  morning 
might  have  been  seen  the  farm  boy  following  the  cows  or  a 
tired  teamster  watering  his  oxen,  while  wading  at  divers 
points  along  the  pond's  margin  and  feeding  among  the 
lilies  and  pickerel  weed  and  brushing  flies,  may  have  been 
seen  animals  both  domestic  and  wild. 

But  not  the  least  of  its  attractions  perhaps  were  its  dark, 


1 60  Colonial 

rich  reflections  which  were  to  be  seen  on  every  side  except 
that  of  the  dam  and  the  shallow  water  on  the  south.  These 
reflections  may  have  been  of  objects  rarely  seen  in  the 
vicinity  at  the  present,  for  in  process  of  time  there  have 
doubtless  disappeared  from  the  precincts  of  Concord  center 
rare  plants  and  grasses  and  shrubbery  that  once  were  there. 
There  may  have  been  on  the  banks  among  the  lesser 
shrubbery  both  the  yellow  and  black  birch,  the  "sweet 
scented  saxifrage"  and  the  red  osier,  and  the  spoonwood  or 
mountain  laurel,  as  it  is  now  called,  purple  and  white  aza- 
lias,  and  the  pink  rhodora  of  which  one  of  Concord's  poets 
has  so  beautifully  written,  alder,  elder,  and  wild  holly,  with 
their  sprinkling  of  bright  berries  to  give  sprightliness. 

Among  the  trees  there  may  have  been  the  white  and  the 
red  spruce,  and  perhaps  the  bass,  the  horn  beam,  and  false 
elm.  Peeping  out  from  beneath  and  looking  over  the 
pond's  edge  as  if  laughing  at  their  own  loveliness  may 
have  been  rare  flowers,  as  the  trumpet  weed,  the  buck  bean 
and  the  fringed  gentian  ;  the  painted  cup  may  have  also 
presented  itself,  and  rare  orchids,  the  mountain  rice,  and 
the  flowering  dogwood,  all  of  which  have  been  found  in 
the  vicinity  in  later  times.  That  the  mill  pond  did  justice 
to  this  gentle  company  we  cannot  doubt,  and  that  the  scene 
afforded  on  its  surface  on  a  calm,  clear  day  would  be  a  gor- 
geous one  is  as  httle  questionable. 

But  not  the  sights  alone  but  the  sounds  also  naturally 
made  this  spot  a  restful  one,  and  such  as  they  only  could 
expect  to  find  who  are  willing  to  penetrate  a  wilderness  and 
pioneer  under  old  time  condition,  where  everything  is  wild 
and  primitive.  There  might  have  been  the  monotonous 
sound  at  stated  intervals  of  the  church  drum  ;  the  oft  recur- 
ring roaring  of  the  "rolling  dam"  when  the  rain  had  filled 
the  pond  to  an  overflow  ;  the  mournful  call  of  a  distrained 
animal  from  the  usually  empty  town  pound,  reminding  its 
owner  to  pay  a  shilling  and  rescue  it;  the  dull  rumble  of 
the  mill  stones  and  jolt  of  the  clumsy  water  wheel ;  ths 
slow,  measured  jog,  jog,  of  the  farm  horse,  and  the  harsh 


Concord  i6i 

rattle  of  the  farm  wagon,  as  they  moved  over  the  rough 
roads  ;  now  and  then  might  have  been  heard  the  strokes  of 
a  distant  threshing  flail,  or  the  echo  of  a  cheery  halloo,  or 
the  dropping  of  some  pasture  bars  ;  and  now  and  then  may 
have  come  to  the  ear  the  sweet  strains  of  psalm  singing,  or 
the  imploring  accents  of  prayer;  these  with  the  multitudi- 
nous voices  of  Nature  might  enter  into  the  sounds  of  that 
little  lone  hamlef 

In  such  a  place  and  amid  such  a  scene  was  born  Con- 
cord's first  village.  Perhaps  in  part  from  its  peaceful  aspect 
the  town  took  its  name,  and  if  so  we  may  conjecture  that 
the  mill  pond  not  only  located  the  hamlet,  but  also  chris- 
tened it.  Such  a  conclusion  may  by  no  means  be  unwar- 
ranted. Large  things  are  often  occasioned  by  small  ones ; 
and  though  the  latter  may  be  lost  or  forgotten,  and  only 
live  in  their  effects,  so  may  it  not  be  that  the  presence  of 
this  pond,  which  was  a  factor  so  important  in  the  success  of 
the  settlement,  and  the  beauty  of  its  environment,  together 
with  the  tranquility  of  the  town's  inhabitants  all  suggested 
the  name  of  Concord,  and  hastened  the  approach  of  its 
"chrisom"  hour. 

Before  however  leaving  the  subject  of  the  mill  pond, 
additional  mention  should  be  made  of  its  upper  limit,  which 
we  stated  shoaled  up  and  was  lost  in  the  direction  of  Mer- 
iam's  corner.  How  far  it  ran  in  that  direction  may  never 
be  known  unless  by  actual  survey,  since  the  nature  of  the 
country  is  such  as  to  hardly  disclose  it.  Doubtless  it 
spread  with  a  shallow  depth  to  the  vicinity  of  Love  lane 
or  Hawthorne  street.  Near  here  at  the  time  of  the  Con- 
cord colonization  was  a  beaver  dam,  which  may  indicate 
that  about  this  place  the  brook  had  more  than  its  usual 
fall ;  and  if  so,  perhaps  here  was  the  pond's  upper  termi- 
nus. But  there  is  no  visible  sign  by  which  to  determine  it, 
neither  is  there  anything  to  indicate  that  a  portion  of  the 
present  rich  tillage  and  productive  garden  lands  were  for- 
merly overflowed.     The    fields  stretch    themselves  in  the 


1 62  Colonial 

distance  and  vanish  ;  the  blackbird  sings  and  safely  builds 
its  nest  there ;  the  dew  sparkles  on  the  buttercups  in  the 
morning,  and  in  the  evening  the  perfume  of  a  thousand 
flowers  makes  fragrant  the  atmosphere,  while  tired  nature 
rests  all  unconscious  of  the  great  change  of  two  and  a  half 
centuries. 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

Description  of  Village  at  Concord  Center  in  Early 
Times  —  Streets — House  Lots  —  Robert  Meriatns 
Store  —  Street  Scene  —  'Tavern  —  Landlord  Wil- 
liam Buss  —  Rules  and  Regulations  of  Ordinaries  — 
Old  Time  Taverns  at  Concord. 

WITH  a  knowledge  of  the  shape  and  site  of  the  mill 
pond  the  way  is  open  for  a  description  of  the 
first  village  of  Concord  as  it  may  have  existed 
a  score  of  years  after  the  town's  settlement. 
And  here,  as  of  other  matters  prior  to  the  period  of  pre- 
served public  record,  much  is  left  to  be  learned  by  sitting 
at  old  firesides  and  listening  to  the  sparks.  But  tradition 
concerning  the  village  roads,  and  recorded  data  concern- 
ing house  lots  reaches  so  far  back  as  to  enable  us  correctly 
to  locate  some  of  them. 

The  earliest  street  was  the  "Strate  strete"  or  the  "Little 
Strate  strete"  by  the  ridgeway  which  began  or  ended  at  the 
town's  common  land,  now  the  public  square,  and  may  have 
extended  as  a  lane,  now  Lowell  street,  to  Parson  Bulke- 
ley's,  and  possibly  to  the  river  meadow. 

From  the  "Strate  strete"  at  the  "Common,"  as  we  will 
call  the  public  square,  a  narrow  causeway  crossed  at  the 
mill  dam,  coming  out  on  the  west  side  of  it  near  the  old 
Bank  building.  This  causeway  at  the  time  of  the  Revolu- 
tionary war  and  for  years  afterward  was  only  a  few  feet 
wide  and  was  used  as  a  mill  path  and  a  short  way  connect- 
ing both  portions  of  the  village. 

A  principal  or  main  street  ran  between  the  mill  dam 
and  the  South  bridge,  the  latter  then  near  Nashawtuc.  It 
was  very  crooked  and  in  its  short  course  partially  described 

163 


1 64  Colonial 

the  letter  S  twice  made.  Beginning  at  the  mill  dam  it 
passed  to  the  northwesterly  around  the  town's  second  bury- 
ing ground,  and  after  running  a  few  rods  bent  southerly 
almost  to  the  site  of  the  present  Main  street.  It  then 
turned  northwesterly  and  after  running  a  few  rods  again 
bore  to  the  southerly,  and  passing  the  great  elms  on  the 
present  Frederick  Hudson  place  crossed  at  the  corner  of 
Main  and  Thoreau  streets,  as  these  are  now,  and  running 
diagonally  toward  the  southwest,  curved  at  a  point  across 
the  Fitchburg  railroad  just  beyond  the  section  house,  and 
by  the  agricultural  grounds,  leaving  a  small  "heater"  piece, 
now  owned  by  the  Boston  and  Maine  R.  R.  corporation, 
and  thence  proceeding  northwesterly,  ran  in  a  direction 
approximately  parallel  to  the  first  few  rods  from  the 
assumed  point  of  beginning  by  the  mill  dam. 

The  third  street,  as  we  will  term  it,  was  on  or  about  the 
site  of  the  present  Walden  street,  and  was  made  it  may  be, 
for  the  two-fold  purpose  of  accommodating  the  houselots 
that  lay  along  the  west  side  of  the  millpond,  and  also  to 
meet  Potter's  lane,  unless  perchance  the  latter  was  made  to 
meet  this.  The  "Strate  strete"  may  have  early  extended 
or  branched  off  beyond  the  present  Public  square  in  the 
direction  of  the  North  bridge. 

Along  these  roads  were  the  early  homes,  and  because 
they  were  there  the  roads  were  there.  It  was  here  a  house 
and  there  a  house  and  a  path  between  them.  The  path, 
being  much  traveled  by  the  neighbors  and  by  the  cattle,  at 
length  became  a  well  recognized  public  way  and  in  time, 
by  an  extension  of  it,  became  a  county    road. 

In  endeavoring  to  locate  the  first  houselots  along  these 
roads,  we  can  perhaps  do  no  better  than  to  take  for  our 
authority  the  historian,  Walcott,  whose  painstaking 
researches  have  been  so  valuable  in  the  locating  of  Con- 
cord's early  estates. 

On  the  "Strate  strete"  near  the  common  was  the  house- 
lot  of  Thomas  Dane,  which  consisted  of  six  and  one-half 
acres,  and    extended    from    burial  hill  to    the  mill  pond  ; 


Concord  165 

Luke  Potter's  lot  of  six  and  one-half  acres  was  situated 
on  both  sides  of  Potter's  lane  (Heywood  street).  Follow- 
ing the  Bay  road  in  an  easterly  direction  there  were 
houselots  as  follows,  occupying  both  sides  of  the  road  and 
extending  to  the  mill  brook :  John  Farwell,  twelve  acres  ; 
Thomas  Wheeler,  Sr.,  thirteen  acres  ;  Moses  Wheat,  six- 
teen acres  (Staples  place).  East  of  Wheat's  on  the  north 
side  of  the  road,  was  the  houselot  of  William  Baker,  then 
the  lot  of  William  Fletcher,  fifteen  acres.  This  lot  ran  to 
the  brook,  and  was  afterward  purchased  by  Nathaniel 
Stow ;  and  near  it  was  a  lot  owned  by  Peter  Bulkeley, 
Esquire.  Then  followed  the  lot  of  Thomas  Burgess,  ten 
acres  ;  Francis  Fletcher,  eight  acres  ;  Edward  Wright,  ten 
acres ;  Eliphalet  Fox,  eight  acres  :  Nathaniel  Ball,  thirteen 
acres  ;  William  Hartwell,  nine  acres  ;  John  Hartwell  ten 
acres  ;  William  Taylor,  eight  and  three-quarter  acres  ;  and 
beyond  these  to  the  eastward  were  lots  of  Caleb  and 
Joshua  Brooke,  Christopher  Wooley  and  Richard  Rice. 
John  Meriam  had  one  and  one-half  acres  at  the  corner  of 
the  Bay  road  on  the  south  and  the  Billerica  road  on  the 
west,  Joseph  Dane  and  Thomas  Pellet  occupied  one 
homestead  on  the  Billerica  road. 

South  of  the  mill  pond,  houselots  were  laid  out  from 
what  is  now  Main  street  by  the  mill-dam  to  the  almshouse, 
running  to  the  pond  or  brook  on  the  north  and  extending 
toward  the  southwest  to  about  Thoreau  street.  By  the 
mill-dam  and  nearly  opposite  the  Bank.  George  Wheeler 
had  eleven  acres,  near  which  was  Joshua  Wheeler's  lot  of 
fourteen  acres.  Robert  Meriam  had  twenty-six  acres 
about  the  Trinitarian  church  site.  The  came  John 
Wheeler's  lot  of  ten  and  one-half  acres  (Nathan  B.  Stow's) 
Lieut.  Joseph  Wheeler,  twenty  acres  (George  Everett's) ; 
George  Meriam,  thirty  acres  (the  Bartlett  place)  ;  Nathan- 
iel Billings,  six  acres  (Nathan  Derby's) ;  Samuel  Stratton, 
twentv-four  acres  (the  almshouse). 

On  or  near  Main  street  James  Smedley  had  a  lot  of 
eighteen  and  one-half  acres  north  of  and  adjacent  to  the 


1 66  Colonial 

burying  ground.  Going  to  the  westward  was  John  Hey- 
wood's  lot  of  tour  acres,  near  the  burying  ground.  Then 
came  the  lot  of  William  Buss,  seven  acres.  Farther 
westerly,  and  beyond  the  South  branch  of  the  river  was 
the  houselot  of  Michael  Wood,  and  later  of  William  Buss, 
and  as  has  been  mentioned,  the  homestead  of  Major  Simon 
Willard. 

These  are  the  names  of  some  of  the  people  who  lived 
in  this  first  village  of  Concord,  and  such  the  location  of 
their  house-lots.  That  these  are  all  is  not  to  be  supposed, 
for  probably  about  the  beginning  of  the  settlement  and 
while  under  the  restraint  of  a  colonial  law,  which  for  pru- 
dential reasons  allowed  no  one  to  establish  a  homestead  be- 
yond a  certain  distance  from  the  meeting-house,  all  of  the 
colonists  had  homes  in  the  "middle  of  the  town  ;  and  if 
perchance  by  an  actual  survey  of  the  premises  about  the 
meeting  house,  the  mill,  and  the  pond  basin,  spaces  of 
territory  should  be  found  which  neither  record  nor  tradition 
has  assigned  to  early  householders,  we  may  nevertheless 
suppose  they  were  owned  and  occupied  by  some  one,  and 
that  there  was  but  little  public  land  in  the  vicinity. 

By  colonial  custom  so  far  as  we  have  ascertained,  the 
town's  common  land,  with  the  exception  of  its  burial  places 
and  its  pound,  its  house  of  worship,  and  ministerial  reser- 
vations, and  it  may  be  a  small  parcel  here  and  there  for 
some  general  use,  —  as  for  a  gravel  pit,  a  training  field,  or 
fence  bote  or  bridge  bote, — was  largely  outlying. 

But  the  little  hamlet  was  not  only  well  peopled  and  pro- 
vided with  homes ;  it  also  had  its  store,  and  tavern,  and 
doubtless  its  smithy  ;  for  it  was  in  accordance  with  town 
usage  to  give  encouragement  to  the  useful  artisan  to  "set 
up  his  trade  among  them,"  although  we  know  not  who  it 
was  in  Concord  at  this  time  who  had  "set  up"  a  forge. 

The  village  store  was  situated  at  or  about  the  spot  where 
the  present  Trinitarian  church  stands,  and  was  kept  by 
Robert  Meriam.  We  are  not  to  suppose  however  that 
he  kept  it  in  a  building  separate  from  his  dwelling  house 


Concord  167 

for  as  was  not  uncommon  we  believe  in  the  case  of  store- 
keeping  in  the  olden  time,  he  may  have  kept  it  in  an  L,  or 
in  a  room  of  the  house  where  he  lived. 

And  now  for  a  little  space  laying  aside  matters  of  fact, 
let  us  suppose  that  on  a  mild  October  afternoon  in  the  first 
half  of  the  seventeenth  century,  Betsey  Burgess  and  Goody 
Fox  descended  the  ridgeway  by  a  narrow,  winding  path 
that  led  from  the  meeting  house  hill,  up  among  the  early 
graves,  and  passing  over  the  mill  dam  by  a  rickety  crossing 
made  of  slabs,  which  were  laid  along  the  splash  boards  for 
a  short  cut  to  the  mill  from  the  "Strate  strete,"  entered  the 
village  store  to  converse  with  Concord's  first  store  keeper 
about  the  purchase  of  some  "sweetening"  for  preserving 
some  barberries,  which  they  had  just  gathered,  and  to  see 
if  he  would  take  in  exchange  a  little  spun  yarn  and  some 
cheese.  They  found  the  village  store-keeper  away,  he 
having  gone  to  Boston  for  his  stock  of  winter  goods.  But 
Goodwife  Meriam  knew  the  price  list  as  well  as  her  hus- 
band, and  informed  them  that  she  would  take  the  yarn  and 
the  cheese,  although  to  take  the  latter  was  a  little  venture- 
some, since  it  would  be  so  long  before  her  husband  went  to 
Boston  again  that  it  might  not  keep. 

While  the  women  were  waiting,  some  one  was  seen  com- 
ing through  Potter's  lane,  who  by  his  look  and  step  was 
evidently  a  stranger.  Goodman  Luke  Potter  undoubtedly 
thought  so  too,  for  he  was  looking  down  the  lane  from  his 
dooryard,  shading  his  eyes  from  the  rays  of  the  setting  sun 
and  apparently  starting  to  follow  him.  Presently  the  trav- 
eler came  up,  stopped  at  the  store  and  inquired  for  the 
tavern.  Goody  Meriam  directed  him  to  turn  to  the  left 
just  past  Goodman  Wheeler's  house,  then  keep  on  a  bit, 
following  the  road  bend,  and  he  would  soon  see  Sergeant 
William   Buss's  Ordinary. 

After  being  directed,  the  traveler  sat  down  on  the  door- 
step as  if  too  weary  to  go  even  this  distance  before  resting 
himself,  saying  as  he  did  so  that  he  had  come  from  Boston 
that  day  and  started  at  sun-rising.     Soon  there   gathered 


1 68  Colonial 

about  him  a  group  of  villagers,  for  the  news  had  spread 
that  a  stranger  was  there,  each  to  inquire  of  events  "fur- 
ther down,"  of  the  prices,  the  newly-arrived  ships,  and 
what  folks  were  doing  in  the  lower  towns. 

As  Luke  Potter  came  up,  the  traveler  was  just  relating 
something  about  the  late  Anabaptist  disturbance,  and  what 
the  prospect  was  of  future  peacefulness  among  the  churches. 
After  further  conversation  concerning  ecclesiastical  matters, 
and  a  little  inquiry  after  the  progress  of  the  new  township, 
the  traveler  arose  to  leave.  Before  he  started,  Goodwife 
Meriam  gave  him  a  posset  of  warm  milk,  dipped  fresh 
from  a  pailful  that  the  hired  man  was  carrying  past,  and 
with  an  expression  of  thankfulness  and  well  wishes,  the 
stranger  started  for  the  Ordinary, 

The  coast  clear,  for  the  villagers  scattered  when  the  man 
went  away,  Goodwife  Meriam  informed  the  two  women 
that  although  in  the  Boston  price-list,  molasses,  as  quoted 
by  the  late  visitor,  to  be  sold  in  "country  pay  at  country 
prices,"  was  a  little  higher  than  at  the  Concord  grocery 
store,  and  although  the  price  of  cheese  had  gone  down 
somewhat,  yet  she  would  stand  by  the  price  just  named  by 
her,  at  the  same  time  informing  them  that  it  was  her  hus- 
band's practice  to  sell  as  he  bought,  and  that  as  for  the 
cheese,  she  would  wait,  and  split  any  possible  rise  or  fall 
of  it  and  thus  divide  between  them  any  risk. 

But  to  return  to  facts,  let  us  next  consider  the  village 
tavern.  This  was  situated  near  the  spot  where  the  present 
Public  Library  stands,  and  was  kept  by  Sergeant  William 
Buss,  who  was  we  conclude,  as  before  stated,  a  most  estim- 
able citizen,  not  desiring  even  in  those  times  to  sell  "strong 
water ;"  for  he  asked  the  selectmen  to  exempt  him  from  so 
doing  when  they  gave  him  an  inn  license. 

The  sparks  do  not  inform  us  just  where  Landlord  Buss 
drew  the  liquor  line.  Perhaps  between  the  fermented  and 
the  distilled,  but  however  that  might  be,  we  believe  this 
much  at  least,  that  he  had  a  regard  for  the  public  weal  and 
that  the  selectmen  who  sustained  him  in  his  extreme  posi- 


Concord  169 

tion  and  who  considered  him,  notwithstanding  his  radical 
attitude,  a  most  suitable  person  for  the  place  were  also 
interested  in  the  public  well-being. 

There  is  also  suggested  by  the  stand  taken  by  Landlord 
Buss,  a  query  as  to  whether  the  many  and  perhaps  too 
easily  made  representations  in  modern  times  of  a  gross  in- 
dulgence, and  of  the  prevalence  of  a  lax  sentiment  on  the 
part  of  the  fathers  as  to  the  uses  of  alcoholic  beverages  is 
correct ;  for  if  so,  then  in  case  Concord  was  fairly  repre- 
sented by  Sergeant  Buss  and  the  selectmen,  it  was  evidently 
in  advance  of  the  average  town. 

To  the  end  that  we  may  know  more  about  old-time 
taverns,  let  us  suppose  that  we  followed  to  the  Buss  tavern 
the  traveler  from  Boston,  who  we  represented  as  stopping 
at  the  store  and  inquiring  for  an  ordinary. 

As  we  approached,  we  met  at  the  doorway  Goodwife 
Anne  Buss,  who  was  watching  a  large  flock  of  domestic 
fowls  picking  the  barley  grains  which  she  had  just  scattered. 
She  addressed  us  with  the  term  Mr.,  which  showed  that 
while  in  accosting  strangers  there  was  an  absence  of  the 
formality  of  later  years,  here  was  neverthelesss  shown  them 
marked  respect,  since  it  was  only  when  special  recognition 
of  one's  social  standing  was  intended,  that  the  term  Mr. 
was  used,  as  in  the  case  of  a  minister,  or  a  magistrate,  or 
perhaps  a  schoolmaster,  or  one  whose  circumstances  might 
entitle  him  to  be  considered  wealthy,  or  a  "gentleman"  after 
the  old-time  signification  of  the  term. 

Passing  through  the  bar-room  we  entered  the  large 
kitchen.  The  supper  table  was  set,  upon  which  was  placed 
only  average  farm  fare  with  the  addition  of  "plum  cake,"  a 
commodity  which  was  also  sold  at  the  bar  and  was,  it  may 
be,  a  substitute  for  modern  confections. 

Supper  ended,  we  returned  to  the  bar-room ;  and  there 
with  a  company  of  villagers,  in  chairs  tipped  back  against 
the  chimney  bricks,  and  the  coarse  boards  of  the  "bunk," 
and  the  high  bar,  we  sat  and  talked  till  the  small  hours  of 
the  night. 


lyo  Colonial 

We  will  not  repeat  all  that  was  said  as  it  would  take  too 
long,  but  we  will  tell  it  in  part. 

In  the  first  place  we  will  relate  about  the  traveler  just 
referred  to.  He  said  he  started  that  morning  from  the 
"King's  Arms"  tavern  at  the  head  of  Dock  square,  and 
stopped  at  the  "King's  Head"  to  obtain  the  latest  marine 
news,  well  knowing  there  would  be  inquiries  as  he  went 
inland  about  the  most  recent  ship  arrivals.  He  crossed  by 
ferry  to  Charlestown,  and  called  at  the  "Three  Cranes." 
The  only  incident  that  occurred  on  his  journey  to  Concord 
was  the  meeting  of  Robert  Meriam  about  half-way  down, 
and  the  assisting  to  stay  up  his  heavy  load  of  country  pro- 
duce with  some  willow  withes,  it  having  sagged  sideways  in 
jolting  over  the  rough  road.  The  stranger's  business  as  he 
disclosed  it  was  to  obtain  samples  of  iron  ore  said  to  be 
deposited  in  the  region  of  the  Assabet,  and  this  with  a  view 
of  locating  a  forge  there. 

While  the  conversation  was  going  on  several  more  vil- 
lagers dropped  in,  among  whom  was  Goodman  Heywood 
who  was  out  looking  for  us ;  and  the  conversation  turned 
on  current  events,  especially  on  what  was  going  on  "down 
below,"  as  Boston  was  then  called. 

In  the  meantime  we  were  looking  around  the  room  and 
noting  its  contents.  On  one  side  was  a  bar  upon  which 
were  a  couple  of  toddy  sticks  and  several  tumblers. 
On  the  opposite  side  was  the  bunk  for  the  hired  man  to 
sleep  in,  that  he  might  be  in  readiness  for  night  patronage. 
Upon  wooden  pegs  along  the  horizontal  framework  of  the 
room,  and  the  upright  timbers,  were  several  powderhorns, 
an  old  saddle,  a  grain  sickle,  a  measuring  stick,  a  pair  of 
sheep  shears,  a  small  mash-tub  and  sieve,  a  string  of  spig- 
ots, a  pair  of  saddlebags,  two  muskets,  and  a  couple  ot 
cowbells. 

Behind  the  bar  was  a  small  closet  in  which  were  kept  a 
few  cordials,  such  as  were  considered  necessary  for  funerals, 
weddings,  or  other  notable  occasions  ;  but  we  noticed  there 
was  no  fastening  on  it,  neither  was  there  a   lock  on    the 


Concord  171 

outer  door  of  the  bar-room,  though  it  opened  directly  on 
the  road,  indicating  a  prevailing  honesty  in  the  neighbor- 
hood and  in  the  traveling  public.  Above  the  mantle-piece 
were  several  braids  of  sweet  corn,  .and  onions,  between 
which  was  a  rude  cut  of  Governor  Winthrop,  and  of  an 
English  warship. 

For  awhile,  the  conversation  was  upon  occurences  at 
Boston  ;  and  among  other  events  spoken  of  was  the  then 
recent  great  fire,  and  the  burning  by  the  public  executioner 
in  the  market-place  of  some  books  written  by  two  persons 
purporting  to  be  witnesses  and  prophets  of  Jesus  Christ. 
The  calling  of  Rev,  John  Mayo  to  be  the  pastor  of  Bos- 
ton's second  church,  then  lately  formed,  was  also  discussed, 
and  the  execution  of  Mary  Parsons,  accused  of  witchcraft, 
which  although  a  little  stale  as  news,  was  a  subject  still 
much  talked  of. 

It  was  very  noticeable  during  the  evening  that  every- 
thing was  well  ordered,  and  that  there  was  no  profanity, 
nor  coarse,  ribald  remarks,  nor  anything  else  inconsistent 
with  good  breeding.  We  inquired  if  in  other  ordinaries 
the  conduct  and  conversation  of  those  frequenting  them 
was  thus  circumspect ;  and  were  informed  that  they  were  in 
general,  and  that  the  laws  concerning  them  encouraged  it. 

We  will  now  pause  in  our  story  to  give  the  following 
facts  about  old  time  taverns. 

Taverns  were  early  considered  a  necessity,  and  hence 
were  established  by  law.  They  were  usually  under  the 
sanction  and  surveillance  of  the  town  officials,  who  had 
power  to  grant,  limit,  or  revoke  an  innholder's  license, 
either  as  a  victualler  or  a  seller  of  drinks.  The  keeper  of 
the  public  house  usually  went  by  the  title  of  landlord, 
which  was  often  abbreviated  to  "lan'urd." 

The  ancient  hostelry  often  had  a  suggestive  or  pictur- 
esque name,  which  was  symbolized  by  some  object  upon  a 
sign  which  swung  before  it.  Some  of  the  early  names  of 
Boston  taverns  were  the  "Three  Mariners,"  the  "Ship 
Tavern,"  the  "Red   Lion"  and    the  "Castle  Tavern." 


1 72  Colonial 

In  the  vicinity  of  Concord  were  the  "Red  Horse  Tav- 
ern" (Wayside  Inn),  Sudbury,  and  the  "Inn  of  the  Golden 
Balls"  (Jones's  Tavern,  where  the  spy  John  Howe  stopped 
in  1775),  Weston. 

The  keeper  of  the  ordinary  might  be  a  deacon,  a  mili- 
tary officer,  a  civil  official,  or  a  "Deputy  to  the  General 
Court."  His  house  was  a  convenient  place  for  convoca- 
tions, important  or  unimportant ;  and  there  might  be  held 
in  it  a  parish  meeting,  a  military  election,  a  council  of 
clergymen,  a  ten-shilling  referee  case,  or  an  assessors'  talk. 

So  important  was  the  ordinary,  that  its  affairs,  such  as 
the  establishment  of  prices,  the  limitation  of  patronage, 
and  the  quality  and  quantity  of  goods  to  be  sold  were  reg- 
ulated by  colonial  law.  In  order  to  discourage  the  use  of 
strong  drink  at  these  places,  it  was  enacted  about  1634  by 
the  Colonial  Court  that  not  over  one  pence  per  quart 
should  be  charged  for  ale  purchased  out  of  meal  times.  It 
was  also  ordered  that  not  more  than  a  penny  a  drink  should 
be  charged  for  any  beverage.  This  was  done  to  make  the 
business  of  dram-selling  unprofitable.  At  another  time  it 
was  enacted  by  law  that  every  inn-keeper  should  sell  good 
beer,  lest  a  traveler  for  want  of  it  might  purchase  wine. 

A  law  was  passed  at  an  early  date,  by  which  a  person 
who  might  be  appointed  for  the  purpose  could  join  a  drink- 
ing company  at  a  tavern,  and  countermand  any  order  made 
by  it  for  a  drink,  in  case  he  believed  any  were  drinking  too 
much,  and  who  could  also  direct  how  much  liquor  could  be 
drunk. 

At  an  early  period  the  law  also  undertook  to  discourage 
certain  amusements  at  inns  which  were  supposed  to  be 
deleterious,  and  dancing  was  prohibited  there  even  upon 
marriage  occasions. 

At  one  time  no  tavern  keeper  was  allowed  to  permit 
guests  to  remain  at  his  house  drinking  or  tippling  in  a 
loose  or  idle  way.  In  1664,  a  penalty  was  enacted  for  rude 
singing  at  inns.  The  court  also  undertook  at  one  time  to 
decide  how  much  a  man  might  drink  without  being  consid- 


Concord  1 73 

ered  drunk  ;  and  the  Plymouth  Colony  lawmakers  decided 
that  a  man  was  drunk,  when  because  of  strong  drink  he 
lisped,  or  staggered,  or  vomited.  In  1634,  the  taking  of 
tobacco  at  inns  was  forbidden. 

The  following  are  some  of  the  prices  charged  at  ordina- 
ries. In  1634,  the  price  of  a  meal  was  six  pence.  In  1779, 
in  a  town  adjacent  to  Concord  it  was  decided  that 

"A  mug  of  West  India  flip  should  cost  15  pence. 
A  mug    of   New    England    flip  should    cost   12 

pence. 
A  good  dinner  should  cost  20  pence. 
A  common  dinner  should  cost  12  pence. 
Breakfast  and  supper,  each,  should  cost  1 5  pence. 
Lodging  should  cost  4  pence." 

These  rates  may  have  been  higher  than  usual  because  of 
war  times. 

How  long  Sergeant  William  Buss  kept  the  village  ordi- 
nary is  not  known,  but  he  was  keeping  it  as  early  at  least 
as  1660;  and  since  there  is  no  record  of  any  prior  inn- 
holder  at  Concord,  it  may  be  that  he  was  there  much 
sooner  pursuing  the  business  of  a  tavern-keeper  in  a  small 
way  furnishing  meals  and  lodgings,  while  Major  Simon 
Willard,  who  was  licensed  to  sell  "strong  water,"  acted  as 
the  village  tapster. 

In  the  first  century  of  its  settlement.  Concord  had  sev- 
eral taverns.  In  1666,  John  Hayward  kept  one  on  the 
main  street.  Later,  the  "Black  Horse  Tavern"  was  well 
known  to  the  traveling  public,  although  this  may  have 
been  identical  with  the  foregoing.  The  "Wright  Tavern" 
was  established  in  1747,  and  kept  open  as  a  public  house 
until  the  War  of  the  Revolution.  Of  another  tavern  in 
this  vicinity  Hon.  John  S.  Keyes  states:  "Previous  to  the 
Revolution  Ephraim  Jones  kept  a  tavern  at  the  west  end 
of  the  main  street  burying  ground  in  a  large  roomy  house 
that  had  grown  by  various  additions,  perhaps  from  that  of 
John  Hayward.     The  site  of  this,  now  the   fine  lawn  of 


1 74  Colonial 

Colonel  R.  F.  Barrett's  residence,  was  close  to  the  old 
wooden  jail,  and  feeding  the  prisoners  was  part  of  the 
tavern-keeper's  business." 

It  doubtless  not  infrequently  occurred  in  early  times, 
that  tavern-keeping  was  evolved  from  some  other  occupa- 
tion or  was  carried  on  with  it.  The  process  might  be  first 
farming,  and  an  occasional  entertainment  of  travelers  and 
then  a  full-fledged  inn.  Public  patronage  being  scant,  one 
could  hardly  afix)rd  to  give  much  time  to  it.  There  was  com- 
paratively little  communication  of  place  with  place,  when 
public  entertainment  was  required.  Moreover,  parties 
journeying  or  teaming  often  took  their  food  with  them, 
and  stopping  wherever  overtaken  by  noon  or  night,  re- 
freshed themselves  from  the  lunch  box  without  regard  to 
form.  Indeed,  this  was  in  accord  with  the  conventional 
method.  Anything  then  was  fashionable,  that  was  matter 
of  honest  economy,  and  the  landlord  deducted  from  his 
bill  of  charges  the  price  of  bread  and  cheese  in  his  patron's 
victual  basket,  as  a  matter  of  course. 

It  was  a  late  hour  when  the  company  about  the  bar-room 
fireplace  broke  up,  and  as  we  left  Landlord  Buss  and  bade 
him  good-night,  it  was  with  regret  that  our  acquaintance 
should  be  so  brief  and  our  stay  so  short  at  an  old-time 
tavern,  and  there  came  forcibly  to  our  minds  the  words  of 
Shenstone : 

** Whoe'er  has  travelled  life's  dull  round. 
Where'er  his  stages  may  have  been. 
May  sigh  to  think  that  he  has  found 
His  warmest  welcome  at  an  inn." 

Along  the  willows  that  spread  themselves  by  the  wayside 
we  walked  to  our  host's  quiet  home,  where,  after  listening 
for  a  little  time  to  the  monotonous  roaring  of  the  rolling 
dam,  and  thinking  of  the  strangeness  of  the  surroundings, 
we  fell  asleep,  and  slumbered  undisturbed  until  the  soft 
sunlight  came  streaming  into  the  east  window,  and  awak- 
ened us  just  in  season  to  salute  the  miller  as  he  was  going 
to  open  the  mill  house. 


HENRY    D.    THOREAU 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

,  The  New  England  Village  —  Its  Origin  and  Equip- 
ment —  The  Village  Doctor  —  His  Medicines  and 
Charges — Early  Physicians  of  Concord:  Read^ 
Prescott^  Minoty  Hey  wood —  The  Village  Magis- 
trate —  Condition  of  Colonial  Jurisprudence  —  First 
Lawyer  at  Concord  —  History  of  John  Hoar. 

BEFORE  leaving  the  subject  of  the  primitive  village 
of  Concord,  a  few  words  relative  to  early  New  Eng- 
land village  life  may  be  appropriate  and  may  sug- 
gest some  practical  lessons,  since  from  it  influences 
have  gone  forth  that  have  been  happily  formative,  and  since 
about  it  cluster  associations  pleasant  to  contemplate.  In 
these  villages  was  centralized  the  Hfe  of  the  communities 
called  townships,  and  from  them  radiated  what  little  of 
fashion  or  style  of  living  was  recognized,  where  the  tend- 
ency was  for  every  man  to  be  a  law  unto  himself.  In  the 
village,  if  anywhere  were  supposed  to  be  "up  to  date" 
methods  ;  there  if  at  all  was  an  acknowledged  leadership. 
It  was  also  a  sort  of  local  exchange  or  market  place.  As  it 
came  in  contact  more  frequently  with  the  traveling  public 
it  was  supposed  to  possess  the  latest  news,  and  as  there 
were  held  all  the  convocations,  it  was  considered  a  privi- 
leged place  to  dwell  in.  In  short,  it  may  be  true  that  the 
early  village  was  to  the  remainder  of  the  town  what  the  city 
has  since  become  to  the  country  generally,  in  so  far  at  least 
as  relates  to  the  tendency  of  the  latter  to  imitate  the  former 
and  to  rely  upon  it  for  outside  news,  conventionalities  and 
artificial  commodities. 

The  earliest  inland  villages  of  the    Massachusetts    Bay 
Colony  were  created  by  necessity ;  inasmuch  as  the  court 


176  Colonial 

compelled  the  first  settlers  to  keep  within  a  circumscribed 
area ;  as  soon  however  as  restraint  was  removed,  a  portion 
of  them  bounded  away,  as  if  their  nature  was  more  centri- 
fugal than  centripetal.  After  bounding  off  they  again  cen- 
tralized ;  the  result  of  which  was  the  formation  of  new 
villages  which  became  the  centers  of  new  towns.  That  this 
tendency  affected  the  people  of  Concord  in  common  with 
those  of  other  places  is  indicated  by  the  establishment  of  the 
various  villages  which  became  the  nucleuses  of  prospective 
townships,  as  that  of  Concord  village  (Acton),  the  Blood 
farms  (Carlisle),  the  Flint  estate  (Lincoln).  There  was  left 
however,  in  almost  every  instance,  about  the  first  spot  of 
settlement,  a  faithful  home  guard  of  houses  that  never  for- 
sook it,  and  which  by  common  consent  was  ever  his- 
torically considered  "the  middle  of  the  town,"  whether  the 
geographical  center  or  not.  Exceptions  there  are,  notable 
among  which  are  Londonderry,  N.  H.,  Groton,  and  Sud- 
bury of  this  state.  It  is  true  that  a  village  was  sometimes 
deflected  slightly  from  its  original  site,  but  it  seldom  went 
far,  and  like  a  stream  the  waters  of  which  change  but  the 
identity  of  whose  channel  is  not  disputed,  so  the  first 
"middle  of  a  town"  usually  keeps  its  prestige  as  the  origi- 
nal center. 

In  the  equipment  of  the  early  village  there  was  a  com- 
pleteness which  assured  to  every  inhabitant  all  that  was 
necessary  for  a  comfortable  living.  There  was  the  doctor, 
the  squire  or  justice  of  the  peace  who  was  sometimes  a 
lawyer,  a  blacksmith,  shoemaker,  carpenter,  wheelwright, 
and  sometimes  a  gunsmith,  tailor,  tanner,  brewer  and  cooper 
these,  with  a  store,  tavern,  meeting  house,  and  school, 
constituted  the  mechanical,  mercantile  and  professional 
make-up  of  the  average  village.  The  representatives  of 
these  several  crafts  and  callings  made  or  kept  in  stock 
everything  essential  to  personal  attire,  and  house  and  farm 
furnishing ;  in  short,  to  life  and  death,  to  birth  and  burial. 

The  doctor  acted  as  druggist,  and  obtained  his  herbs 
from  his  own  garden  or  from  the  neighboring  fields  and 


Concord  177 

forest.  Some  of  these  herbs  were  black  hellebore,  great 
bryony  root,  clown's  all-heal,  jalap,  scammony  and  snake 
root.  He  obtained  his  leeches  from  the  pond.  His  pills, 
powders  and  other  compounds  he  prepared  with  mortar  and 
pestle.  He  rode  horseback  with  saddle  bags  in  which  he 
carried  his  medicines ;  and  there  was  usually  about  him  a 
strong  odor  of  the  "study,"  as  he  called  his  office.  In  this 
"study"  and  arrayed  on  shelves  were  various  jars,  vials, 
and  crude  instruments  for  cupping,  surgery,  and  extracting 
teeth  ;  for  he  was  dentist  as  well  as  doctor.  Some  early 
practitioners,  supposed  to  be  skilled  in  surgery,  were  styled 
"chirurgions,"  and  sometimes  served  as  barbers  as  well  as 
bone  setters,  in  which  case  they  were  sometimes  called 
"barber  surgeons." 

Among  the  earlier  remedies  prescribed  were  "A  Wild 
Catt's  skin  on  ye  place  grieved  ;"  this  for  pain  in  the  heart 
or  limbs  ;  and  charcoal  made  from  burnt  toads  as  a  pre- 
ventive of  small-pox  and  fevers.  Cotton  Mather  mentions 
the  efficacy  of  a  dead  hand  for  scattering  wens  ;  he  also 
speaks  of  the  healing  virtue  of  sowbugs.  Prescription  : 
"Half  a  pound  putt  'em  alive  into  a  quart  or  two  of  wine  ; 
dose  —  two  ounces  taken  twice  a  day."  Such  remedies 
were  in  accord  with  the  practice  of  physicians  in  England  at 
that  day  ;  for  it  is  stated  that  there  was  forced  upon  Charles 
the  Second  when  upon  his  deathbed  a  volatile  salt  extracted 
from  human  skulls.  Almost,  if  not  quite,  within  the  mem- 
ory of  the  present  generation,  in  a  town  adjacent  to  Con- 
cord, pills  made  from  ashes  obtained  from  burning  a  human 
heart  have  repeatedly  been  administered  as  a  cure  for  con- 
sumption. 

The  price  charged  for  medical  service  may  be  seen  from 
the  following  bill  charged  to  the  town  of  Sudbury  by  its 
physician  in  1755  : 

"For  medicine  and  attendance  for  the  French  Neutrals 
from  Nova  Scotia. 

"1755,  Dec.  II — To  Sundry  Medicines  for  French 
young  woman —  27  —  To  Do  for  girl  6d. 


1 78  Colonial 

1756,  Mar.  22  —  To  Sundry  Medicines  and  Journey  in 
the  night  west  side  the  River — o — 5 — 8. 

To  Sundry  Medicines  Journey  west  side  o — 4 — o." 

The  doctor  was  careful  about  his  attire ;  and  is  described 
as  going  forth,  when  not  on  horseback,  in  a  sulky  or  calash 
dressed  in  a  long  coat  with  full  skirts  above  a  low-setting 
waist-coat;  his  small  clothes  met  at  the  knees  silken  stock- 
ings which  were  secured  with  brightly  burnished  buckles. 
He  wore  a  cocked  hat  above  a  powdered  wig.  It  was  con- 
ducive to  his  success  to  be  a  man  of  wealth  or  influence. 
He  obtained  his  knowledge  of  medicine  by  riding  with  an 
old  physician  ;  and  though  he  might  only  brush  off  his 
horse  or  pound  his  herbs,  he  could  obtain  a  license  and 
practice  medicine.  The  indications  are  that  the  town  of 
Concord  was  more  favored  in  its  physicians  than  most 
towns,  in  that  for  the  most  part  they  were  educated  men. 
The  following  are  some  of  the  physicians  of  Concord  in 
the  first  century  : 

Dr.  Philip  Read,  who,  the  historian  Wolcott  says,  wrote 
himself:  "Physition,"  married  the  daughter  of  Richard 
Rice  and  settled  in  the  east  part  of  the  town.  He  prac- 
ticed in  Cambridge,  Watertown  and  Sudbury.  In  1670, 
he  was  fined  twenty  pounds  because  he  compared  Rev. 
Peter  Bulkeley  as  a  preacher  with  the  Rev.  Joseph  Esta- 
brook  in  a  manner  which  was  thought  to  be  unwarranted. 

Dr.  Jonathan  Prescott,  who  was  born  Apr.  5,  1677,  ^^'^ 
died  Oct.  28,  1729.  His  epitaph  says  of  him  :  "A  gentle- 
man of  virtue  and  merit.  An  accomplished  physition,  but 
excelling  in  chirurgery.  Of  uncommon  sagacity,  penetration 
and  success  in  practise,  and  so  of  very  extensive  service." 

Dr.  Joseph  Lee,  born  in  Concord  Oct.  16,  1680;  died 
Oct.  5,  1736.  He  lived  on  the  estate  formerly  occupied 
by  Joseph  Barrett,  Esq. 

Dr.  Alexander  Cummings,  who  came  to  Concord  about 
1726. 

Dr.  John  Prescott,  who  was  a  son  of  Dr.  Jonathan  Pres- 
cott.    He  was  greatly  esteemed  for  his  professional  skill. 


Concord  179 

Dr.  James  Minot  who  was  at  Concord  about  1680,  and 
died  Sept.  2,  1735.  Shattuck  says:  "He  practised  physic." 
His  epitaph  states  among  other  things  :  "ExceUing  Gram- 
marian. Enriched  with  the  Gift  of  Prayer  and  Preaching. 
A  Commanding  Officer.  A  Physician  of  Great  Value." 
Shattuck  also  says  he  married  Rebecca,  daughter  of  Tim- 
othy Wheeler,  and  lived  on  the  estate  left  by  his  father-in- 
law  near  Capt.  Stacy's.  They  had  ten  children,  the  eighth 
and  ninth  being  twins  and  named  Love  and  Mercy. 

Dr.  Able  Prescott,  who  was  a  brother  of  John  Prescott 
was  born  April  7th,  171 8,  and  died  October  24,  1805. 
His  practice  at  Concord  was  large  and  extended  to  adjoin- 
ing towns.  He  lived,  says  Shattuck,  in  a  house  formerly 
occupied  by  Capt.  Moore. 

Dr.  Abiel  Heywood  who  was  a  son  of  Jonathan  Hey- 
wood  and  began  practice  in  Concord  in  1790.  He  was 
prominent  not  only  as  a  physician,  but  as  a  citizen,  being 
appointed  as  a  justice  of  the  peace,  a  special  judge  of  the 
court  of  common  pleas  and  an  associate  justice  of  the  court 
of  assistants. 

As  it  is  not  our  design  to  publish  the  more  modern  his- 
tory we  pause  here  in  our  list  of  distinguished  names,  ob- 
serving as  we  do  so,  that  in  the  medical  as  well  as  in  the 
legal  profession,  as  we  shall  see.  Concord  in  later  times  has 
had  associated  with  it  names  that  are  illustrous  not  only 
locally  but  in  history  at  large. 

The  early  magistrate  was  a  justice  of  the  peace,  but  not 
usually  an  "attorney  at  law"  after  the  modern  acceptance 
of  the  term.  He  was  authority  in  legal  matters,  a  convey- 
ancer, settled  estates  and  was  sometimes  "appointed  to  join 
persons  in  marriage." 

He  wrote  wills  and  read  them  on  the  return  from  the 
grave  after  a  funeral.  He  was  a  legal  advisor,  and  was 
looked  up  to  as  a  man  next  to  the  minister.  The  very 
early  magistrates  are  to  be  distinguished  from  those  who 
came  later ;  for  the  law  was  but  poorly  represented  by 
practitioners  in   Massachusetts  as  far  down  as  into  the  Pro- 


1 8  o  Colonial 

vincial  period.  Even  the  judges  were  not  all  learned,  and 
any  person  though  a  layman  could  plead  in  the  courts  with- 
out a  license  ;  for  licenses  setting  forth  one's  competence 
were  not  then  issued.  Common  law  pleadings  were  ignored 
through  ignorance  and  there  were  few  or  no  specific  statutes 
on  the  subject  of  practice.  Court  sessions  were  many  of 
them  farces  and  the  jury  system  was  not  infrequently  a 
mere  mockery.  In  short  there  was  little  to  correspond  to 
the  exact  and  orderly  manner  of  conducting  the  courts  at 
the  present  day.  It  is  said  that  Judge  Lynde,  who  was 
appointed  to  the  Superior  Court  in  171 2,  was  the  first 
judge  trained  for  the  bench.  History  also  informs  us  that 
English  barristers  who  had  been  fitted  for  that  profession 
found  little  favor  in  this  country,  because  here  any  one 
might  plead  the  cause  of  another. 

In  process  of  time  however  the  light  of  greater  learning 
shone  upon  both  the  bench  and  bar;  and  it  may  perhaps 
be  said  with  truthfulness  that  the  progress  of  medicine  from 
a  low  art  to  a  masterful  science  is  no  more  pronounced  than 
the  strides  forward  in  the  profession  of  law.  In  passing,  it 
may  be  proper  to  state,  that  the  low  condition  of  the  bar- 
rister's calling  was  not  due  wholly  to  the  absence  of  any 
desire  for  litigation,  for  dissention  and  the  spirit  of  strife 
were  then  it  may  be  more  rife  than  now,  and  cases  were 
commenced  and  continued  in  bitterness  that  today  per- 
haps would  be  settled  by  easy  compromise ;  all  of  which 
shows  that  a  learned  legal  profession  tends  to  discourage 
rather  than  promote  law  suits. 

The  first  lawyer  whom  we  hear  of  as  being  a  practitioner 
at  Concord  is  John  Hoar.  As  his  character  was  some- 
what unique  and  perhaps  sometimes  picturesque  and  as  he 
was  connected  with  an  important  event  in  King  Philip's  In- 
dian war,  we  will  give  more  than  a  passing  mention  of  him. 

John  Hoar,  tradition  states,  was  the  son  of  a  wealthy 
banker  of  London,  who  came  to  Boston  where  it  is  sup- 
posed he  died  not  later  than  about  the  middle  of  the  17th 
century,  his  wife,  Joanna,  dying  at   Braintree  about  166 1. 


Concord  1 8 1 

He  was  the  youngest  of  five  children  and  we  first  hear  of 
him  in   Scituate,  where   he  "bore  arms"   as  early  as  1643. 

While  in  Scituate  he  owned  land  on  the  west  side  of 
Musquashcut  pond,  which  land  in  1658,  adjoined  the  farm 
of  Gen.  Cudworth.  That  John  Hoar  practiced  law  before 
going  to  Concord  is  indicated  by  the  fact  that  while  in  Scit- 
uate he  not  only  actively  engaged  in  town  business,  but 
drew  legal  documents  for  the  people,  as  deeds,  bonds,  etc. 
His  father's  family  was  substantial  and  gifted,  as  is  shown 
in  the  career  of  John,  Jr.,  in  the  marriage  of  his  daughters 
and  in  the  appointment  of  his  son  Leonard  to  the  presi- 
dency of  Harvard  College. 

While  John  Hoar  was  at  Concord  he  owned  over  three 
hundred  acres  of  land  situated  beyond  the  Assabet  river 
and  near  Annursnuc  in  the  west  part  of  the  town.  The 
greater  part  of  this  property  he  conveyed  about  1671,  to 
Edward  Wright,  and  received  as  a  consideration  land  in  the 
East  quarter  and  also  "all  the  right,  title  and  interest  which 
Edward  Wright  of  Concord  aforesaid,  husbandman,  has  or 
shall  have  in  and  to  certain  houses,  lands  and  heredita- 
ments, etc.,"  in  the  Lordship  of  a  Castle  in  the  county 
of  Warwick  in  the  kingdom  of  England.  As  a  lawyer 
he  was  distinguished  for  bold  and  independent  action 
and  his  outspoken  opinions  sometimes  got  him  into 
trouble.  His  conduct  in  defending  the  Christian  Indians 
and  protesting  against  their  unjustifiable  exile  to  Deer 
island  in  Boston  harbor  in  1675-6,  furnishes  strong  ground 
for  the  supposition  that  his  purposes  were  philanthropic, 
and  that  he  would  assert  them  even  if  persecuted  therefor. 

The  following  is  an  abstract  of  Leonard  Hoar's  will : 

"To  daughter  Bridget  ^100  at  21  or  nonage  with  her 
mother's  consent.  To  my  brother  Daniel,  whose  real  and 
perpetual  kindness  I  can  never  remunerate,  my  stone  signet 
and  my  watch.  To  my  dear  brother  John  a  black  suit. 
To  my  dear  sisters  Flint  and  Ouinsey  each  a  black  serge 
gown.  To  Cousin  Josiah  Flint  out  of  my  Library,  Roua- 
nelli  Bibleotheca.    To  my  Cousin  Noah  Newman,  Aquina's 


1 82  Colonial 

sermons,  and  to  them  both  the  iise  of  books  of  mine  to 
return  them  on  demand,  my  medical  writings  to  my  wife's 
custody,  till  some  of  my  kindred  addicted  to  those  studies 
shall  desire  them,  and  especially  John  Hoar's  or  any  other 
of  my  brothers  or  sisters'  sons  and  grandsons." 

It  had  been  arranged  that  upon  leaving  the  home  of 
Goodman  Heywood  we  should  return  to  William  Hart- 
well's  to  finish  our  visit ;  and  as  he  had  sent  us  word  the 
day  previous  that  he  would  meet  us  at  the  mill  we  were 
there  early. 

We  found  Miller  Buss  quite  busy  that  morning  tending 
the  "bolter,"  a  rude  sifting  wheel  that  was  separating  the 
bran  from  some  guinea  wheat ;  and  also  looking  after  the 
corn  grist  that  was  slowly  jolting  from  the  hopper. 

Not  caring  to  interrupt  the  miller,  we  strolled  out  by  the 
willows  and  reviewed  the  events  of  the  previous  day  and 
also  recalled  the  facts  which  our  late  host  had  given  us  con- 
cerning his  family  history. 

As  the  Heywood  family  is  a  conspicuous  one  in  the  his- 
tory of  Concord,  we  will  leave  our  story  for  a  little  time  to 
give  some  facts  relating  to  it. 

Shattuck  says  of  the  Hayward  family:  "The  name  has 
been  written  Heaward,  Heywood  and  Howard,  and 
although  several  now  (1835)  ^^^^  ^^^  ^^^^  name,  they  all 
originated  from  a  common  ancestor.  Heywood  is  a  dis- 
tinct name.  George  Hayward  came  here  in  1635;  ^^^^ 
March  29,  1671  ;  his  wife  died  in  1693;  estate  ;^5o6  ; 
children,  Mary,  married  Richard  Griffin ;  John,  Joseph, 
Sarah,  Hannah,  Simeon,  George,  and  perhaps  others." 
The  same  writer  says  of  the  Heywood  family  :  "John  was 
here  before  1659;  married  Rebecca  Atkinson  in  1656,  and 
had  John  and  Benoni.  His  wife  died  in  1665  and  he  mar- 
red again  Mary  Simonds.  He  died  Jan.  11,  1707."  John 
Heywood  was  the  ancestor  in  this  country  of  distinguished 
descendants.  John,  Jr.,  was  an  early  deacon  in  the  Con- 
cord church,  and  one  of  his  sons,  Samuel,  who  married 
Elizabeth  Hubbard  in  1710,  was  a  deacon  and  town  clerk. 


Concord  183 

John  Heywood,  Sr.,  died  Jan.  2,  171 8,  and  Samuel,  Oct. 
28,  1750. 

The  only  records  preserved  among  the  vital  statistics  of 
Concord  down  to  1654,  relating  to  the  name  as  spelled 
either  way  are  the  following  :  "John  the  sonne  of  George 
Heyward  was  borne  20-10-1640.  Joseph  the  sonne  of 
George  Heyward  was  born  the  26-1-1643.  Sara  the 
daughter  of  Georg  &  Mary  Heywood  (this  it  is  said  should 
be  Hayward)  borne  22-3-1645.  Hannath  the  daughter  of 
George  &  Mary  Hayward  the  20-2-1647.  Simon  the 
sonne  of  George  &  Mary  Hayward  the  22d-i  1-1648." 

The  historian  Walcott  states  ;  "The  location  of  the  first 
house  lots  of  George  Hayward  and  Michael  Wood  I  have 
been  unable  to  fix,  but  am  inclined  to  believe  that  they 
were  on  the  north  and  west  sides  of  the  Common." 

"George  Hayward  at  an  early  date  sold  his  house,  barn 
and  land  near  the  mill  pond  to  Mr.  Bulkeley  and  built  a 
house  and  corn  mill  at  the  southwest.  John  Heywood 
bought  Thomas  Dakin's  house  and  barn." 

In  1676,  John  Heywood  was  a  constable,  and  in  167- 
the  selectmen  requested  that  John  Heywood  might  be 
allowed  "to  keep  a  house  of  entertainment  for  strangers  for 
nights'  lodgings,  beer  and  sider,"  and  two  years  later  "John 
Haywood  ordinary  keeper  at  Concord  renewed  his  license" 
and  was  allowed  "to  retaile  strong  water  to  travellers  & 
sick  persons  upon  giving  bond." 

As  we  left  the  village  it  was  with  regret  that  we  could 
stay  no  longer,  for  its  sweet  savor  and  its  pleasant  people 
made  us  reluctant  to  depart,  notwithstanding  our  desire  to 
visit  other  places.  When  however  we  saw  the  cheery 
countenance  of  Goodman  William  Hartwell  we  bounded 
buoyantly  on  the  ox  cart  with  the  cleverness  of  an  athlete, 
for  the  farm  fare  was  beginning  to  make  us  feel  boyish. 
He  had  been  to  mill  the  week  before  and  the  pond  being 
low  he  had  left  his  grist  :  he  was  now  taking  it  home  to- 
gether with  some  belonging  to  his  neighbors,  and  the  bags 
piled  high  behind  us  formed  a  back  :  but  as  we  rode  on  a 


184  Colonial 

"dead  ex"  and  the  East  quarter  road  was  stumpy  it  was  at 
a  slow  pace  and  with  much  jolting  that  we  got  over  the 
ground. 

So  uneven  was  the  way  that  one  of  the  bags  fell  off  and 
the  string  becoming  untied  the  contents  were  spilled.  As 
the  meal  lay  strewn  over  the  road,  the  importance  of  this 
staple  commodity  to  the  people  of  Concord  in  the  earlier 
stages  of  its  settlement  was  suggested,  and  when  Goodman 
Hartwell  was  reseated  we  plied  him  with  questions  concern- 
ing the  corn  crop.  Since  corn  culture  was  of  consid- 
erable consequence  to  the  New  England  colonists  we  will 
pause  in  our  story  and  state  a  few  facts  relating  to  it  as  we 
have  found  them  in  record  or  history. 

To  an  extent  the  early  corn  fields  were  cultivated 
by  neighborhoods  and  were  termed  "common  plant- 
ing fields."  A  tract  of  land  was  set  apart  and  the  work  of 
tiUing  it  apportioned  to  a  certain  number  of  the  inhabitants 
living  near ;  but  the  principle  upon  which  the  planters 
proceeded  in  the  work  we  have  not  ascertained.  It  might 
have  varied.  Perhaps  in  some  cases  the  fence  was  made  in 
common,  and  each  man  had  space  assigned  him  in  the 
enclosure  proportionate  to  his  original  investment  in  the 
town's  territory  ;  this  space  he  may  have  cultivated  and 
had  exclusive  ownership  of  the  crop.  In  another  case  all 
might  have  shared  equally  in  the  work  and  in  the  crop  : 
but  as  to  the  manner  of  distribution  of  the  corn  and  the 
fodder  in  the  latter  case  and  where  and  when  it  took  place, 
we  know  not.  Some  of  the  planting  places  were  old 
Indian  fields,  which  had  long  been  used,  some  were  virgin 
soil  which  had  been  newly  cleared  and  burnt  over.  Tradi- 
tion or  record  have  located  some  of  these  fields  in  Con- 
cord, Shattuck  describes  them  as  "The  Great  fields  extend- 
ing from  the  Great  meadows  on  the  North  to  the  Boston 
road  on  the  South  and  down  the  river  considerably  into  the 
present  limit  of  Bedford,  and  up  the  river  beyond  Deacon 
Hubbard's  and  the  extensive  tract  between  the  two  rivers 
contained  large  quantities  of  open  land,  which   bore  some 


Concord  185 

resemblance  to  the  prairies  of  the  western  country.  These 
plains  were  annually  burned  or  dug  over  for  the  pur- 
pose of  hunting  and  the  rude  culture  of  corn." 

It  is  perhaps  hardly  to  be  supposed  that  more  than  a 
comparatively  small  portion  of  the  above  described  terri- 
tory was  used  for  planting  purposes  either  by  the  Indians 
or  whites  at  any  one  time,  but  that  here  or  there  small 
patches  such  as  were  most  available  were  selected  for  culti- 
vation. The  following  is  a  record  concerning  the  "com- 
mon planting  fields"  as  late  as  1672,  and  is  given  as  one  of 
seventeen  articles  of  instruction  to  the  selectmen  of  Con- 
cord, of  whom  William  Hartwell  was  one : 

"7 — To  take  order  that  all  corne  fields  be  sufficently 
fenced  in  season  —  the  crane  field  and  brick'll  field  espe- 
cially." 

"8 — that  incougement  be  given  tor  the  destruction  of 
blackbirds  and  jays." 

A  paper  dated  March  ist,  1690-91,  which  was  signed 
by  forty-one  persons  who  were  owners  of  the  "Great 
Fields,"  contained  an  agreement  that  these  fields  should  be 
enclosed  with  one  fence  and  cultivated  upon  equitable  con- 
ditions. The  soil  of  these  fields  was  at  first  largely  broken 
up  by  hoes  and  of  this  and  the  use  of  corn  by  the  settlers, 
Johnson  in  his  "Wonder  Working  Providence"  wrote 
as  follows  in  1654:  "Standing  stoutly  to  their  labors  and 
tare  up  the  roots  and  bushes  which  the  first  yeare  bears 
them  a  very  thin  crop  till  the  soard  of  the  earth  be  rotten 
and  therefore  they  have  been  forced  to  cut  their  bread  very 
thin  for  a  long  season  ■•'  '''  '•'  but  the  Lord  is  pleased  to 
provide  for  them  a  great  store  of  fish  in  the  spring  time 
and  especially  Alewives  about  the  bignesses  of  a  herring. 
Many  thousands  of  these  they  used  to  put  under  their 
Indian  corn  which  they  plant  in  hill  five  foot  assunder, 
which  assuredly  when  the  Lord  created  this  corn  he  had  a 
speacell  eye  to  supply  these  his  peoples  wants  with —  ordi- 
nary five  or  six  grains  doth  produce  six  hundred."  That 
Indian  corn  was  the  main  staple  is  evident  from  what  John- 


1 86  Colonial 

son  still  farther  states :  "The  want  of  English  graine, 
wheate,  barley  and  rie  proved  a  sore  affliction  to  some 
stomaks,  who  could  not  live  upon  Indian  bread  and  water, 
yet  were  they  compelled  to  till  cattell  increased  and  the 
plows  could  but  goe." 

The  corn  fields  had  many  enemies  both  beasts  and  birds  ; 
more  prominent  among  the  former  being  perhaps  the  bear, 
raccoon,  wolf  and  squirrel.  The  bear  may  have  been 
attracted  by  the  sugar  in  the  corn  ;  the  wolf  dug  for  the 
alewives  ;  the  raccoon  relished  the  young  and  tender  ker- 
nels, and  in  its  maturer  stages  the  squirrel  sought  it  to  lay 
away  for  winter  use.  The  birds  that  partook  of  the  crop 
were  principally  the  crows,  jays  and  blackbirds. 

The  Colonial  towns  passed  laws  for  the  protection  of  the 
cornfields.  An  order  in  a  town  adjacent  to  Concord  was 
as  follows  dated  1651  :  "That  whoso  shall  take  pains  by 
nets,  guns,  line  or  otherwise  to  destroy  common  oflFensive 
blackbirds  *  *  *  shall  be  paid  for  every  dozen  of  heads 
that  are  brought  to  any  public  town  meeting  six  pence  in 
the  next  town  rate." 

In  1654,  in  the  same  town  it  was  enacted  that  a  person 
who  killed  a  woodpecker  or  jay  might  receive  one  penny, 
for  killing  a  fox  within  the  town's  precincts  one  shilling 
and  six  pence,  and  for  a  wolf  ten  shillings. 

Laws  were  passed  early  by  the  towns  with  regard  to  the 
fencing  of  these  cornfields.  Fence  viewers  or  surveyors 
were  appointed  who  among  other  things,  were  to  judge  of 
the  sufficiency  in  case  of  damage  and  difference  ;  and  the 
time  was  sometimes  specified  at  which  the  fence  must  be 
cared  for.  In  one  instance  mention  is  made  "of  good  rails 
well  set  three  feet  and  one-half  high  or  otherwise  good 
hedge  well  staked  or  such  fences  as  would  be  an  equiva- 
lent;  the  fences  to  be  attended  to  by  April  ist  if  the  frost 
give  leave  if  not  ten  days'  after." 

It  was  also  ordered  by  the  same  town  that  all  the  fences 
that  were  in  general  fields  should  be  shut  up  by  the  tenth 
of  May  "or  else  to  forfeit  for  every  rod  unfenced  five  shil- 


Concord  187 

lings."  Ditches  were  sometimes  made  use  of  for  fencing 
purposes  ;  and  there  are  now  or  were  until  recently  in  ter- 
ritory about  Concord  vestiges  of  old  ditches  upon  uplands 
where  ditches  for  draining  purposes  were  unnecessary.  It 
is  not  improbable  that  upon  the  ditch  banks  stakes  were 
set  for  additional  protection. 

But  notwithstanding  the  difficulties  attendant  upon  corn 
culture,  there  remained  for  the  farmer  rich  results  and  he 
was  greatly  cheered  as  he  patiently  plodded  through  the 
long,  warm  days  of  May  and  June,  seeding,  weeding  and 
hilling  as  he  thought  of  the  plenteous  October  harvest,  of 
its  merry  huskings  and  of  well  filled  bins. 


CHAPTER  XX. 

Goodman  Baker  s  Husking  Party  —  Colonial  Corn 
Fields  —  Invitations  —  Culinary  Preparations  — 
Red  Ears  —  Social  Sports  —  Fireside  Talk  of  the 
Old  Folks  —  Sign  Seen  by  Betsey  Billings  —  Origin 
of  New  England  witchcraft  —  Recital  of  Strange 
Event  by  Simeon  Slowgo — Story  of  Tilly  Temple  — 
The  Surprise  —  Early  Judicial  Attitude  Toward 
Witchcraft  —  Efforts  of  the  Clergy  for  its  Aboli- 
tion. 

AS  these  huskings  were  great  occasions  let  us  suppose 
that  we  attended  one  of  them,  and  that  the  follow- 
ing description  fairly  represents  one  of  these  Fall 
festivals. 
It  is  in  the  East  quarter,  and  the  Great  fields  lie  warm  in 
the  dry  October  atmosphere.  Partridges  in  full  flocks 
are  shyly  basking  on  their  outskirts,  and  occasionally  a  red 
deer  ranges  by  the  fence  side  as  if  furtively  to  snatch  a  stray 
stalk. 

The  plaintive  call  of  the  quail  is  here  and  there  heard, 
coaxing  together  its  scared  bood,  which  has  become  scat- 
tered by  the  swoop  of  a  hen  hawk.  Over  the  meadows  the 
ducks  fly.  Nuts  drop  in  the  woods.  Upon  the  nearer 
tree-tops  the  crows  caw  as  if  prematurely  lamenting  the  loss 
of  their  feeding  grounds,  and  the  falling  foliage  of  a  thou- 
sand forest  trees  announces  that  the  time  has  come  for  the 
ingathering  of  the  corn  crop. 

For  several    days  the    farmer  has   been   busily   at  work 

gathering  in  those  concomitants  of  the  corn  fields,  which  in 

his  estimation  almost  as  surely  go  with   them  as   the   husk 

with  the  corn.     There  were  the    stooks    of   tall,    tasseled 

i88 


Concord  189 

stalks,  as  fragrant  when  he  cut  them  as  flowers  on  a  June 
morning,  and  which  have  stood  tor  weeks  at  the  sides  and 
corners  of  the  field  like  kind  sentinels  to  guard  things 
within  it;  the  plump  pumpkins  with  bright,  golden  rinds 
giving  promise  of  many  pies ;  and  the  dry  bean  heaps 
whose  pods  bursting  with  their  grinning  contents  bespeak 
the  Saturday  supper  and   Sunday  breakfast. 

Besides  these  things  that  grew  in  and  about  the  planting 
field  there  were  divers  loads  of  white  turnips,  called  also 
English  turnips  whose  green,  outspreading  leaves  and 
purple  tops  were  still  untinged  by  the  frost,  and  which  pro- 
fusely scattered  throughout  the  whole  cornfield  indicated 
how  well  the  ground  was  utilized. 

Several  days  before  the  one  appointed  for  the  husking 
party,  the  corn  had  been  cut  and  laid  between  the  rows, 
and  from  thence  it  had  been  thrown  upon  various  teams 
from  the  neighboring  barns,  which  deposited  it  in  Good- 
man Baker's  yard,  where  we  will  suppose  the  husking  was 
to  occur,  and  from  which  place  the  fodder  and  its  rich 
fruitage  could  be  distributed. 

Invitations  to  the  party  had  been  sent  hither  and  yon 
throughout  the  town,  and  from  every  direction  on  the  night 
appointed  the  people  gathered.  From  the  immediate  vicin- 
ity there  came  the  Rices,  Foxes,  Fletchers,  Taylors  and 
Brookes,  also  the  Meriams,  Wheats,  Farwells  and  Balls. 
From  the  north  quarter  there  came  the  Hunts,  Temples, 
Jonses  and  Browns  ;  the  Barretts  from  the  neighborhood 
of  Punkatassett ;  the  Buttricks  from  near  the  bridge; 
the  Hosmers  from  their  pleasant  homestead  to  the  west- 
ward and  the  Batemans  from  about  the  pond.  From 
the  south  quarter  were  the  Hosmers,  Deans,  Potters  and 
Dakins,  the  Woodhouse  family,  the  Bulkeleys,  Strattons, 
Billingses,  Wigleys,  and  Woodses ;  the  Mileses  and 
Wheelers  were  there  from  the  Nine  Acres ;  the  Gobbles 
from  the  river  bay;  and  the  Flint  farms  and  Blood  farms 
and  the  territory  about  Concord  village  all  had  their  repre- 
sentatives at  this  Fall  festival. 


190 


Colonial 


As  each  dismounted  from  saddle  or  pillion  or  jumped 
from  the  ox  cart  or  "hay  riggin',''  the  animals  were  fastened 
to  a  row  of  stakes  which  had  been  set  behind  the  buildings 
for  the  purpose. 

For  weeks,  Goodman  Baker  knowing  that  his  place  had 
been  selected  for  the  husking  had  been  alive  to  all  the 
requirements  of  the  coming  occasion,  and  his  home  had 
been  a  busy  hive  of  willing  and  enthusiastic  workers  for 
many  evenings  since  the  early  frost  began  crisping  and  curl- 
ing the  corn  leaves.  The  woods  had  been  scoured  for 
game,  and  the  clink  clonk  of  the  mortar  had  been  a  familiar 
sound  for  many  evenings,  while  good  wife  Baker  and  the 
boys  pounded  cloves  and  coriander  seed,  caraway,  savory 
and  sage,  that  all  might  be  in  readiness  when  the  merry 
"mixing  time"  came,  and  the  rich  sauces  and  gravies  were 
to  be  prepared. 

Several  mornings  previous  to  the  day  appointed  for  the 
husking  the  large  brick  oven  had  been  made  ablaze,  and  by 
mid-forenoon  was  well  filled  with  loaves  and  puddings  and 
pies. 

The  broad  boards  of  every  floor  had  been  scoured  and 
sanded,  and  everything  not  to  be  used  had  been  set  aside 
from  the  old  garret  whither  the  modest  might  flee  to  avoid 
the  forfeit  upon  the  finding  of  a  red  ear,  to  the  shelves  in 
the  arch  of  the  cellar,  to  which  the  elders  might  resort  to 
sample  Goodman  Baker's  choice  cordials. 

When  the  day  came,  everything  was  ready.  The  cider 
barrel  had  been  "hossed  up"  in  the  dooryard,  beside  a 
bountiful  pile  of  "eating  apples."  The  corn  heap  had  been 
pierced  here  and  there  with  pitch-forks  and  stout  poles 
upon  which  to  fasten  the  tin  lanterns,  and  sundry  milking 
stools  and  logs  had  been  arranged  at  convenient  intervals 
as  seats  for  the  buskers. 

The  evening  began  with  steady  work,  which  was  mainly 
performed  by  the  younger  and  more  nimble  of  the  party. 
Back  in  the  shadows  sat  the  grave  old  men  comparing  the 


Concord  191 

year's  crop  with  former  ones  and  wondering  why  the  pre- 
sent is  so  different  from  the  past  in  many  things. 

As  the  pile  perceptibly  diminished  the  work  began  to 
flag,  and  as  the  boys  saw  the  end  of  it  they  grew  mischiev- 
ous. It  was  not  long  however  before  the  work  was  broken 
in  upon  by  the  discovery  of  a  red  ear  which  was  found  by 
Sam  Smeadley.  No  sooner  was  it  seen  than  a  flurry  set  in 
and  each  person  braced  himself  for  what  was  to  follow ; 
some  ran,  but  more  stood  their  ground,  and  if  any  escaped 
the  person  was  chased  till  caught  and  the  forfeit  paid. 

Many  were  the  red  ears  found  during  the  evening,  but 
whether  kind  nature  had  favored  the  common  planting 
fields  of  the  East  quarter  with  an  unusual  number,  or  the 
boys  had  sureptitiously  brought  them  from  other  places  we 
cannot  say,  but  that  husking  party  was  long  remembered, 
and  the  old  men  said,  over  their  cider  mugs,  that  "for  red 
ears  Farmer  Baker's  husking  was  the  beater." 

In  two  or  three  hours  the  husking  was  finished  and  the 
supper  was  eaten  ;  the  young  people  repaired  to  the  cham- 
bers to  engage  in  games,  and  the  elders,  grouped  about  the 
sitting  room  fire,  talked  of  olden  times  and  reviewed  the 
leading  events  since  the  settlement  started,  and  told  who 
had  come  and  who  had  gone. 

In  consequence  of  a  remark  made  by  Betsey  Billings 
about  a  sign  which  she  said  she  saw  in  the  sparks,  conver- 
sation turned  upon  the  subject  of  the  supernatural ;  and 
personal  experiences  of  a  curious  nature  were  related,  some 
of  which  but  for  the  good  character  of  the  narrators  and 
the  tendency  of  the  times  might  have  been  doubted. 

It  is  true  society  had  not  reached  that  state  of  credulity 
and  fanatical  frenzy  which  existed  toward  the  last  of  the 
century,  and  there  had  been  but  few  instances  of  witch  trials 
in  this  country ;  but  the  belief  in  witchcraft  and  devil  deal- 
ing had  already  set  in  and  supposed  alliances  with  evil 
agencies  were  not  uncommon  ;  so  that  the  conversation  of 
the  plain  people  of  this  East  quarter  husking  party  was 
only  representative  of  a  sentiment  too  generally  prevailing; 


1 9  2  Colonial 

and  when,  in  order  to  catch  every  syllable  of  old  Wigley, 
when  he  described  what  he  saw  and  heard  on  a  late  even- 
ing while  passing  the  three  graves  at  Witch  end,  the  people 
leaned  toward  him  lest  they  miss  something,  they  only  ex- 
pressed the  common  avidity  for  grewsome  subjects. 

It  mav  be  well  here  to  consider  how  this  came  about  and 
the  responsible  cause  of  it.  This  tendency  of  the  times 
iv'as^  not  born  but  brought    here. 

The  colonists  have  been  too  often  and  too  harshly  criti- 
cised for  things  which,  although  they  fostered,  they  did  not 
originate.  There  was  more  than  old  furniture  and  curious 
bric-a-brac  from  far  off  manor  houses,  and  heirlooms  of 
ancient  date,  and  traditions  of  heraldry  confirmed  by  an- 
tique coats  of  arms,  that  came  to  these  shores  in  the  "Harp- 
ers," the  "Halcyons"  and  the  "Hopes,"  ships  and  brigs  of 
good  repute  and  wise  masters ;  there  were  superstitions, 
and  false  conceptions  of  demonology,  and  dismal  beliefs  in 
possible  alliance  with  "familiars."  These  existed,  though 
in  embryo,  and  were  ready  to  develop  on  easy  occasion; 
and  easy  occasions  were  frequent.  The  soil  of  New  Eng- 
land was  a  congenial  one.  The  dark  forests,  the  wild 
morasses,  the  lone  pond  shores,  the  long  and  deserted 
ocean  beaches,  the  crumbling  and  scrawny  ledges  where 
lurked  suspicious  shadows,  these  all  with  the  voices  of  the 
wilderness  were  like  deft  and  dutiful  nursery  maids  or  over 
indulgent  foster  parents  quick  to  promote  what  had  better 
been  prevented.  But  these  conditions  and  agencies  would 
never  have  produced  spontaneously  the  grewsome  beliefs 
and  practices  that  so  deeply  and  darkly  stained  the  closing 
decades  of  the  17th  century. 

What  was  then  developed  was  but  an  imitation  of  what 
many  times  over  had  occured  in  Old  England,  and  although 
British  writers  may  still  turn  in  their  study  of  witchcraft 
to  this  continent,  and  notwithstanding  the  town  of  Salem 
may  still  be  the  synonym  for,  and  suggestive  of,  all  that  is 
classic  on  the  subject,  yet  not  Salem  nor  the  combined 
boroughs  of  the  entire  country  can  si  ow  a  record  of  court 


Concord  193 

cruelty  on  account  of  witch  conviction  in  any  way  compar- 
able with  the   English  tribunals. 

The  colonists  came  to  America  as  pupils  from  an  ancient 
school,  and  they  practiced  here  what  they  had  been  taught 
to  believe  elsewhere.  It  is  not  to  be  wondered  at  then  if 
Delilah  Dean  thought  her  churn  was  bewitched  because  the 
eows  browsed  in  Betsey  Balcom's  back  yard,  since  Bess  was 
considered  a  witch.  But  it  might  be  wondered  at  had  n-^t 
Goody  Dean's  grandfather  informed  her  that  on  one  occa- 
sion in  old  Yorkshire  the  kine  had  come  home  with  dry 
udders  because  the  woman  who  lived  on  the  hillside  by  his 
master's  manor  house  had  cursed  the  herd  and  said  it 
should  go  barren.  Again,  why  should  not  Sol.  Stratton 
say  he  saw  something,  and  everybody  believe  what  he  said, 
when  old  Smithson,  Sol's  uncle,  had  frequently  told  him 
and  all  the  people  also  that  when  he  lived  on  the  Dorset 
downs  in  the  Old  Country  he  was  warned  not  to  gather 
fagots  from  the  bewitched  hedgerow  lest  the  smoke  tarnish 
whatever  it  touch. 

After  the  company  had  listened  to  the  recital  of  several 
strange  things  by  old  Simson  Slowgo  as  to  what  he  had 
seen  in  his  day  before  coming  to  Concord,  for  he  was  late 
there,  having  but  recently  come  from  down  country  to  fol- 
low the  trade  of  an  itinerant  shoemaker,  they  turned  their 
conversation  to  things  about  home.  Several  spoke  of  un- 
usual appearances  recently  seen  near  the  river,  which,  by 
the  description,  were  similar  to  the  one  seen  by  Goodmen 
Heywood  and  Barrett  on  the  evening  of  our  excursion  on 
Parson  Bulkeley's  boat. 

One  incident  that  especially  interested  the  company  was 
told  by  Jeduthan  Jones,  Squire  Flint's  hired  man,  an  out- 
lander  who  had  gotten  into  town  without  anyone  being 
responsible  for  him  ;  but  as  Jed  had  proved  good  help  he 
was  allowed  to  stay,  although  it  was  said  "his  word  should 
be  taken  with  a  leetle  keer."  The  incident  was  about  a 
strange  creature  that  he  saw  down  at  Cranberry  Crossing  by 
the  brick  kiln.     The  company  at  once  recognized  in  the 


194  Colonial 

animal  what  was  known  as  the  spectral  wolf  which  it  was 
asserted  was  the  "familiar"  of  Sarah  Doubleday,  an  old 
grandam  who  once  lived  at  Bogbottom. 

This  beast  had  prowled  all  over  Concord,  carrying  away 
shoates  and  calves,  and  even  milking  cows.  So  exceptional 
was  his  nature  that  the  usual  means  of  thwarting  witches 
were  in  his  case  unavailing;  and  when  Bray  Wilmot,  a 
Welshman,  nailed  a  couple  of  horseshoes  over  his  henhouse 
he  lost  not  only  his  hens  but  the  shoes  ;  the  latter  having 
been  wrenched  off,  as  was  supposed,  by  the  spectral  wolf, 
which,  by  the  "disportation"  of  Sarah,  had  been  made  im- 
mune from  either  enchantment  by  horseshoes  or  harm  from 
silver  shot ;  moreover  the  mystery  was  increased  upon 
finding  the  horseshoes  later,  on  Jake  Flin's  old  mare,  an 
animal  that  some  said  was  as  much  bewitched  as  the  wolf, 
since  it  had  been  seen  in  various  lone  localities  under  sus- 
picious circumstances. 

It  proved  a  surprise  to  hear  from  the  spectral  animal,  for 
he  had  not  been  seen,  it  was  said,  since  Lemuel  Loker  over 
at  Sudbury  tried  to  shoot  it  and  by  mistake  hit  Jake  Flin. 
Lem  had  lost  several  pullets  and  a  couple  of  cocks  and 
naturally  laid  it  to  the  white  wolf,  as  he  was  sometimes 
called,  for  it  was  supposed  he  could  take  all  colors. 

After  this  last  loss,  it  was  stated  by  those  present,  for 
Lemuel  was  not  there,  as  he  lived  out  of  town,  that  he 
delivered  himself  of  some  very  strong  language,  so  strong 
that  his  wife  rebuked  him  ;  and  with  great  emphasis  he 
declared  that  he  "would  capter  that  wolf  ef  it  cost  him 
suthin,  pervided  he  could  do  it  at  a  safe  distance,  for  he 
didn't  care  to  deal  with  Sarah  with  bare  hands."  "So," 
continued  Hilkiah  Heald  who  was  relating  it,  "Lem  sliced 
up  an  old  spoon,  it  was  a  silver  one,  and  arter  breakin'  it 
up  inter  bits  and  rounding  'em  over,  he  put  a  pooty  stiff 
charge  of  powder  in  his  snaphance  and  the  bits  over  it,  and 
then  lay  down  behind  the  lalock  bushes  and  waited.  Well, 
about  midnight  Lem  heered  suthin  and  fired  at  it  and  it 
fell,  and  as  he  went  to  look  at  it  he  found  he  had  shot  Jake 


Concord  195 

Flin.  He  hadn't  injured  him  much,  for  Jake's  coat,  which 
was  made  of  wolf  skin,  kept  the  shot  out,  but  he  was  ter- 
ribly scared  and  somewhat  jarred,  and  when  asked  how  it 
happened  that  he  was  there,  Jake  said  he  was  out  arter  the 
specter  wolf  which  had  jest  stole  his  fowls.  When  Lem 
saw  the  coat  he  didn't  wonder  much  at  his  mistake,  for  he 
said  it  looked  for  the  whole  world  like  the  wolf  which  he 
got  a  glimpse  of  round  the  corner  when  he  lost  the  horse- 
shoes." 

It  is  unnecessary  to  state  that  after  the  shooting  ot  Jake 
Flin  by  Lem  Loker  the  people  of  Concord  were  no  longer 
pestered  by  the  spectral  wolf,  for  Jacob  Flin  left  the  poul- 
try business. 

After  the  narration  of  incidents,  the  methods  of  detect- 
ing witches  was  discussed,  and  the  making  discovery  of  such 
as  practiced  the  black  arts  or  were  allied  with  "familiars." 
One  way  suggested  was  to  ascertain  if  any  relative  had 
ever  been  suspected  of  being  a  witch.  Another  was  to 
look  for  the  "witch  mark,"  which  might  be  a  mole  or  any 
irregular  growth,  or  perhaps  some  slight  deformity,  not 
enough  of  itself  to  be  a  mark  but  only  as  taken  with  other 
things.  To  accuse  one  of  dealing  with  the  devil  and 
receiving  in  response  no  denial  was  suspicious  and  to  do 
one  harm  by  well-known  witch  methods  was  a  bad  symp- 
tom. 

When  it  came  to  stories  of  apparitions  such  as  were  sup- 
posed to  stalk  about  ancient  burial  places  it  was  noticeable 
that  those  who  were  sitting  in  the  back  part  of  the  room 
hitched  nearer  to  the  fireside.  Someone  also  got  up  and 
closed  the  cellar  door,  which  a  few  moments  before  had 
sprung  open  without  anyone  knowing  the  reason,  for  Good- 
wife  Baker  said  she  knew  she  buttoned  it  when  she  brought 
up  the  last  pail  of  cider. 

As  the  subject  of  apparitions  was  talked  about  each 
speaker  grew  somewhat  subdued  in  his  manner  of  narra- 
tion, and  the  hearers  bunched   together  as  if  the  last  hand- 


196  Colonial 

fill  of  chips  that  was  thrown  on  the  back  log  did  not  suffi- 
ciently warm  them. 

Just  as  the  group  were  in  the  midst  of  a  story  told  by 
Tilly  Temple,  in  which  she  was  relating  how  Peg  Wil- 
loughby,  a  new  comer,  concocted  a  mixture  of  dragon  leaf 
and  swamp  adder  root  with  which  she  tried  to  charm  Felix 
Fox's  cows  in  order  that  she  might  stealthily  milk  them, 
and  how,  in  order  to  prevent  it  Felix  consulted  an  old 
grandam  down  at  the  slough,  a  large  lug  bar  which  had 
long  been  braced  across  the  chimney  ledges,  but  not  lately 
used,  because  the  Bakers  had  a  crane,  having  become 
weakened  by  the  unusual  fires  of  the  husking  party,  sud- 
denly dropped,  bearing  with  it  a  couple  of  jib  cakes,  a 
hook  and  a  dislodged  brick.  In  its  fall  it  struck  upon  a 
dish  kettle  hanging  on  the  crane  half  full  of  water,  and 
upsetting  it  emptied  its  contents  upon  the  glowing  back-log 
which,  being  struck  by  the  falling  lug  bar,  rolled  down 
upon  the  cider  pail  and  upset  it. 

A  dense  cloud  of  hissing  steam  and  flying  ashes  quickly 
filled  the  apartment  and  shrieks  issued  from  every  quarter. 
The  two  dogs,  Fleck  and  Towser  at  the  same  time  set  up 
a  cry,  the  one  a  long  howl,  the  other  several  sharp  whines 
and  for  a  moment  it  was  as  if  Peg  Willoughby's  witch 
broth  had  been  poured  down  the  chimney,  which  some 
thought  was  the  case.  The  tumult  being  heard  in  the 
chamber  above,  where  the  games  were  going  on,  brought 
down  the  young  people,  who  only  added  to  the  confusion. 

When  order  was  restored  it  was  found  that  no  serious 
damage  had  been  done,  except  the  spotting  of  several  cali- 
manco  gowns. 

Goodman  Bateman  said  he  "guessed  he'd  go  as  the  hour 
was  getting  a  little  late  and  he  had  got  to  ride  clean  over 
the  river  to  the  North  part  and  pooty  nigh  the  spot  where 
Sim  Slowgo  saw  the  wolf."  Upon  this  suggestion  Pete 
Potter  surprised  the  company  by  saying  he  was  certain  it 
was  late,  for,  said  he,  "I  have  tarned  that  hour  glass  nigh 
agin  five  times  sence  the  moon  passed  the  quarter  mark  on 


Concord  197 

the  door  post."  In  a  halt  hour  the  house  was  still  and 
nothing  was  to  be  heard  but  the  occasional  rattle  of  the 
cows'  walnut  bows  and  the  barking  of  a  small  Indian  dog 
down  at  the  Dean  place,  where  some  wolves  were  trying  to 
get  at  the  shoates. 

It  may  be  here  observed  that  the  selectmen  warned  Peg 
Willoughby  out  of  town  the  day  following  and  broke  up 
the  bough  house  where  she  simmered  her  noxious  herbs. 

As  we  have  now  set  forth  the  common  belief  in  witch- 
craft and  in  the  supernatural  generally  in  colonial  times,  by 
the  supposititious  conversation  and  conduct  of  the  old 
folks  at  the  East  quarter  husking  party,  we  will  observe 
that  the  view  on  this  subject  as  entertained  by  the  laity  was 
perhaps  more  strongly  entertained  by  the  professional  class. 
Ministers  and  magistrates  were  alike  deluded.  The  fact 
of  bedevilment  was  assumed  by  the  pulpit,  and  the  judges 
at  the  bench  charged  jurors  in  the  laying  down  of  rules  for 
the  weighing  of  evidence  in  the  case  of  witchcraft  with  the 
same  confidence  as  in  cases  of  theft  or  assault.  It  is  thought 
probable  that  the  judges  of  the  Province  Court  sought  to 
employ  in  the  Province  laws  the  rules  and  practice  which 
had  been  employed  at  the  Colonial  Court  in  Salem,  and 
the  judges  who  presided  over  that  court  were  reappointed, 
William  Stoughton,  Esq.,  being  chosen  chief  justice.  In 
the  works  of  Rev.  Cotton  Mather  on  subjects  relating  to 
the  marvelous,  doings  as  strange  as  those  related  around 
Goodman  Baker's  fireside  were  set  forth.  Among  other 
supposed  manifestations  of  witch  power  he  mentions  per- 
sons afflicted  with  "sore  paynes"  and  "vomiting"  and  "fre- 
quent swooning."  He  gives  an  instance  of  a  child  being 
"lame  on  one  side  and  then  on  the  other,"  and  of  some- 
times pretending  to  see  mice.  He  states  that  on  one  occa- 
sion the  child  catching  a  mouse  threw  it  upon  the  fire, 
whereupon  it  snapped  like  gunpowder.  He  said  that 
several  standing  by  saw  the  flash,  but  only  the  child  saw 
the  mouse.  In  speaking  of  witch  marks  he  intimated 
they  might  be  caused   by   the  devil   touching  the  person  ; 


198  Colonial 

that  these  marks  were  insensible,  and  upon  being  pricked 
would  not  bleed,  and  that  they  were  sometimes  bluish  and 
sometimes  red.  Among  the  ways  of  testing  witches  which 
he  referred  to  were  the  being  heard  speaking  to  their 
"familiar"  or  telling  what  they  have  done,  or  telling  of  their 
"transportations,"  or  being  seen  with  their  spirits  or  feeding 
their  imps. 

But  it  should  be  said  to  the  credit  of  the  colonial  clergy 
that  the  witchcraft  delusion  which  ran  its  course  before  the 
century  closed  was  dissipated  as  much  perhaps  by  their 
efforts  and  influences  as  by  all  other  agencies  combined. 
Its  cessation  may  have  had  its  beginning  in  the  attitude  of 
the  Mathers,  who  while  they  stood  ready  to  coincide  with 
the  judiciary  in  the  correctness  of  witch  conviction  upon 
proper  evidence,  yet  considered  it  a  cruely  and  a  great  trav- 
esty of  justice  to  make  use  of  some  of  the  evidence  which 
was  admissible  in  the  courts  of  England,  or  to  abide  by 
such  principles  and  precedents  as  were  sanctioned  by  them. 
While  they  believed  as  did  Sir  William  Blackstone,  who 
wrote  his  commentaries  about  three-quarters  of  a  century 
later,  that  demoniacal  possession  was  a  possibility  and  scrip- 
tural, yet  they  believed  the  devil  and  not  his  victims  should 
be  held  responsible.  Rev.  Increase  Mather  declared  it  to 
be  unlawful  to  use  herbs  to  keep  ofl^  the  evil  spirits,  and 
he  disparaged  the  curing  of  diseases  by  means  of  charms, 
saying  that  they  who  obtained  health  in  that  way  had  it 
from  the  devil.  He  considered  white  witches  who  pre- 
tended to  cure  in  that  way  as  bad  as  black  ones,  and  a  good 
witch  as  bad  as  a  bad  one.  He  said  "Balaam  was  a  black 
witch  and  Simon  Major  a  white  one,  but  the  latter  did 
more  hurt  by  his  cures  thaii  the  former  by  his  curses." 
He  took  a  decided  issue  with  the  English  courts  of  the 
time,  which  held  that  "If  a  specter  practicing  diabolical 
molestations  appeared  to  anyone  it  was  conclusive  and  legal 
evidence  that  the  person  so  represented  was  a  witch,"  which 
theory  was  accepted  by  Sir  Matthew  Hale  and  adopted  at 
the  Salem  trials.     The  attitude  of  the  Boston  ministers  was 


Concord 


IQ9 


that  the  devil  himself  and  not  the  person  accused  caused 
the  representations. 

In  1692,  Rev.  Increase  Mather  wrote  a  work  at  the 
request  of  the  ministers  of  Boston,  which  was  published  in 
this  country  and  also  in  England,  the  object  of  which  was 
to  show  the  illegality  and  wrong  of  using  spectral  testimony 
which  was  used  at  the  Salem  trials.  I'he  preface  to  this 
work  was  written  by  Samuel  Willard  and  signed  by  four- 
teen ministers,  who  made  the  following  statement:  "That 
there  are  devils  and  witches  the  scriptures  assert  and  expe- 
rience confirms  ;  they  are  the  common  enemies  of  mankind 
set  upon  mischief.  But  certainly  the  more  execrable  the 
crime  is,  the  more  critical  care  is  to  be  used  in  the  exposing 
of  the  names,  liberties  and  lives  of  men  (especially  of  a 
godly  conversation)  to  the  imputation  of  it."  Mather  said  : 
"I  declare  and  testify  that  to  take  away  the  lives  of  any  one 
merely  because  a  specter  or  devil  in  a  bewitched  or  accused 
person  does  accuse  them  will  bring  the  guilt  of  innocent 
blood  on  the  land."  He  maintained  that  the  oath  and  tes- 
timony of  confessed  witches  and  of  persons  possessed 
should  never  be  received,  and  that  a  trial  for  witchcraft 
ought  to  be  conducted  by  the  same  law  and  rules  of  evi- 
dence as  a  trial  for  murder,  burglary  or  any  other  felony. 

If  the  Mathers  and  the  other  ministers  here  referred  to 
were  representatives  of  their  profession  at  this  period  they 
were  more  than  abreast  of  the  judiciary  and  the  laity,  and 
far  in  advance  of  English  law  generally. 


CHAPTER  XXI. 

Return  to  the  East  quarter  —  Forest  Ride  —  Game 
Birds  —  Goodwife  HartwelV s  Kitchen  —  Cooking  by 
the  Fireplace  —  Evening  talk  of  the  Farm  Folks  — 
haws  Relative  to  Domestic  Anitnals  —  Historic 
Sketch  of  Hartwell  Family  —  Fisit  at  Home  of  Con- 
stable Tbotnas  Brooks  —  His  OJficial  Duties  —  Rules 
Relative  to  Colonial  Dress  —  Homestead  of  Good- 
man IVilliam  Hunt  —  Early  Military  Matters  — 
History  of  the  Hunt  Family. 

TO  return  now  to  our  original  narration,  after  the 
bag  was  replaced  and  Farmer  Hartwell  was  re- 
seated there  was  no  further  interruption  to  our 
journey  ;  it  was  jolt  after  jolt  all  the  way  ;  but  we 
rather  enjoyed  it,  for  the  swaying  of  the  ox  cart  was  some- 
what soothing,  and  our  slow  pace  gave  us  an  opportunity 
to  see  the  birds.  In  one  instance  a  wild  turkey  ran  before 
us  with  a  surprising  fleetness  ;  upon  expressing  our  surprise 
we  were  informed  that  this  was  a  means  of  their  safety,  for 
on  the  wing  they  were  heavy,  the  largest  specimens  weigh- 
ing forty  or  fifty  pounds.  In  a  moist  hollow  by  the  road- 
side we  flushed  several  woodcocks.  Upon  inquiring  if  they 
were  flight  birds  we  were  told  they  were  ;  and  that  there 
were  also  plenty  of  natives  ;  that  they  nested  near  every 
runway  and  spring  hole,  and  that  the  corn  fields  in  low 
places  were  full  of  their  borings. 

As  we  approached  a  reach  in  the  road  several  wood 
ducks  whistled  over  us,  and  we  learned  that  their  nests 
were  made  in  the  woods  adjacent  to  the  meadows  and  that 
when  their  young  were  full  fledged  they  carried  them  to 
the  water  in   their  bills. 

200 


HOME  OF  HENRY   D.   THOREAU   AT    WALDEN    POND 


Concord  201 

Emerging  from  the  forest  into  a  sunny  opening,  where 
Farmer  Farwell  had  a  small  patch  of  Guinea  wheat,  there 
arose  from  it  a  flock  of  purple  grackles  ;  and  so  large  was 
it  that  we  could  easily  understand  why  a  bounty  was  placed 
upon  them,  for  as  they  alighted  on  a  large  oak  they  almost 
covered  it  and  the  overflow  settling  on  a  willow  caused  it 
to  bend  like  a  reed. 

When  we  reached  Goodman  Hartwell's  home  his  wife 
and  children  were  at  the  door  looking  for  us,  having  heard 
the  rattle  of  our  cart  in  the  distance,  and  soon  we  had  en- 
tered and  were  seated  at  the  dinner  table.  The  afternoon 
was  mostly  spent  in  one  of  the  front  rooms  chatting 
about  matters  pertaining  to  the  East  quarter,  for  the  pre- 
diction of  the  wild  ducks  about  the  weather  had  proven 
true  and  the  rain  was  now  beating  against  the  east  windows. 

At  early  twilight  Goodwife  Hartwell  set  about  preparing 
the  supper ;  and  as  we  heard  her  clinking  the  tongs  against 
the  andirons  while  she  pulled  from  underneath  them  the 
hard  wood  coals  which  during  the  afternoon  she  had  taken 
care  to  have  in  readiness,  the  desire  seized  us  to  see  a  meal 
cooked  by  a  fireplace.  The  wish  was  no  sooner  expressed 
than  Goodman  Hartwell  led  us  into  the  kitchen  and  seated 
us  close  by  the  wood  box,  where  we  could  see  everything. 
The  sparks  ascended  thickly  from  beneath  the  long,  stout 
crane,  the  tea-kettle  hummed,  and  the  steam  gracefully  as- 
cended among  the  various  objects  that  were  pendent  above 
the  mantlepiece  upon  a  pole  stretched  over  it ;  and  every 
now  and  then  as  there  fell  upon  the  fire  a  few  rain  drops, 
which  had  been  driven  by  the  blast  down  the  chimney, 
there  was  a  hissing  and  sputtering  as  if  the  coals  were  con- 
versing with  the  storm  sprites. 

Amid  all  this  snugness,  Goodwife  Hartwell  was  busily 
"plying  her  evening  care;"  being  at  the  outset  of  her  work 
particularly  engaged  with  a  plump  ball  of  rye  dough  which 
she  was  stirring  and  patting  in  a  wooden  bread  trough  or 
tray  in  an  earnest  endeavor  to  mix  the  ash  and  butter-milk 
which  she  had  poured  into  it  to  make  it  rise.      When  the 


202  Colonial 

dough  had  been  thoroughly  stirred  she  scraped  it  into  a 
compact  little  heap,  being  careful  to  leave  nothing  on  the 
tray ;  and  after  cutting  it  in  halves,  deftly  slipped  one  part 
into  a  frying  pan  and  the  other  upon  an  iron  disc  the  size 
of  a  bucket  top,  which  she  set  on  edge  and  tipped  slightly 
towards  the  coals.  The  frying  pan  after  covering  she 
placed  on  the  longest  hook  of  the  crane,  saying  as  she  did 
so  that  she  usually  cooked  shortcake  in  that  manner,  but 
thought  we  might  like  to  see  it  done  both  ways. 

While  the  cakes  were  baking  Goodwife  Hartwell  brought 
in  a  jack  and  a  spit,  informing  us  that  this  was  used  in 
cooking  meat,  the  jack  turning  the  spit  so  that  it  would 
"do  evenly." 

As  we  were  company  there  was  "boughten"  tea  that 
evening,  instead  of  the  usual  malted  beverage,  and  in  place 
of  the  usual  wooden  trenchers  we  had  pewter  plates  of  a 
pattern  that  showed  that  Jazen  came  of  a  good  family,  for 
she  said  she  brought  them  with  her  from  England. 

Grace  was  asked  before  eating,  and  thanks  returned  after- 
wards, forcibly  reminding  us  of  the  poet  Burns'  beautiful 
picture  of  "The  Cotter's  Saturday  Night." 

After  supper  we  sat  about  the  fireplace  and  talked  while 
the  children  popped  corn  and  cracked  nuts,  and  the  rain 
ran  down  the  east  window  pane.  The  corn  they  popped 
in  the  ashes,  occasionally  stirring  it ;  the  nuts  they  cracked 
on  the  stone  hearth. 

In  the  course  of  the  evening  Nathaniel  Ball  came  in  and 
soon  after  Thomas  Brooks,  for  they  lived  near.  Nathaniel 
Ball  wanted  some  garget  for  a  sick  cow,  and  Thomas 
Brooks  brought  back  a  couple  of  cart  ladders  which  he  had 
borrowed. 

The  room  was  savory  with  the  roasting  of  a  spare-rib 
which  Goodwife  Hartwell  was  getting  in  readiness  for  the 
men  folks'  dinner  next  day,  as  she  was  to  attend  a  quilting 
at  Farmer  Miles'.  The  smell  of  the  pork  suggested  some 
queries  respecting  the  raising  of  swine,  which  we  had  seen 
frequently  running  at  large  by  the  roadside  and  in  pasture 


Concord  203 

places.  We  learned  that  swine  were  of  great  importance  to 
the  settlers.  They  were  not  only  prolific,  but  at  certain 
seasons  could  subsist  on  the  abundant  acorn  mast  with 
which  the  woods  abounded.  They  also  fed  upon  ground 
nuts  and  succulent  roots  and  wild  cherries  and  berries.  At 
some  seasons  they  were  restrained  from  running  at  large; 
and  at  town  meeting  in  Concord  and  towns  adjacent,  laws 
were  enacted  to  regulate  them,  of  which  the  following  are 
specimens : 

"In  1 641,  it  was  ordered  that  every  one  that  keeps  any 
hogs  more  than  his  own  within  one  fortnight  after  this  day 
shall  rid  them  out  of  this  town,  only  that  for  every  hog 
that  shall  be  taken  in  to  be  kept  by  any  one  more  than  his 
own,  for  every  week  shall  pay  five  shillings." 

In  1643,  ^^  ^^^  ordered  "That  every  inhabitant  should 
drive  out  his  hog  every  morning  into  the  wood,  and  when 
they  come  home  at  night  to  see  them  shut  up  safe,  or  else, 
if  they  be  about  the  street,  to  ring  and  yoke  them." 

In  1648,  it  was  voted  in  town  meeting  "That  every 
swine  that  should  be  found  of  every  man  out  of  his  own 
property  without  a  sufficient  yoke  and  ring,  after  the  first 
of  March  next  the  owner  thereof  shall  forfeit  for  every 
swine  so  taken  one  shilling,  and  if  the  swine  be  yoked  and 
not  ringed  or  ringed  and  not  yoked  then  six  pence  for  any 
swine  so  taken,  beside  all  the  damage  done  by  any  such 
swine."  It  was  also  "  Agreed  that  all  yokes  should  be 
under  the  throat  of  the  swine,  and  so  long  as  the  swine  was 
high,  and  a  rope  go  up  on  each  side  to  be  fastened  above, 
and  that  swine  should  not  be  accounted  sufficiently  ringed 
if  they  could  root." 

In  1643,  ^^  ^^^  ordered  by  the  freemen  of  the  town 
"  that  all  the  cattle  within  this  town  shall  this  summer  not 
be  turned  abroad  without  a  keeper,  and  the  keeper  shall 
not  keep  any  of  the  herd  in  any  of  the  great  river  meadows 
from  Bridle  point  downwards  towards  Concord."  The  in- 
tent of  the  order  was  to  preserve  the  river  meadows. 


204  Colonial 

In  1655,  it  was  ordered  that  "All  young  new  weaned 
calves  shall  be  herded  all  the  summer  time." 

In  the  town  of  Concord  there  appeared  to  be  a  separate 
territory  assigned  to  the  swine,  when  under  restraint  during 
planting  time.  This  territory  was  in  the  vicinity  of  Con- 
cord Junction,  near  Annursnuc  hill,  and  is  known  in  the 
records  as  the  "  hog  pen  "  and  "hog  pen  walk."  After  the 
crop  was  gathered  these  animals  were  allowed  to  run  at 
large,  provided  there  was  placed  upon  them  an  ear-mark, 
so  called  ;  so  that  each  settler  might  know  his  own  swine 
and  be  held  responsible  for  their  mischief  The  Indians 
were  not  allowed  to  mark  their  swine,  and  if  they  sold  any 
pork  they  were  to  bring  the  hog's  ear  with  it.  In  the  rec- 
ords mention  is  repeatedly  made  of  the  "  hog  pen  walk"  ; 
and  in  the  land  divisions  this  territory  was  held  as  a  reser- 
vation. The  hill  Annursnuc  is  one  of  the  highest  three 
in  the  town  of  Concord,  Its  name  is  supposed  to  mean  the 
same  as  Quinnursnuck,  which  signifies  pestle,  from  the  fact 
that  rocks  such  as  the  Indians  made  their  mortars  and 
pestles  of  were  found  there.  (Mr.  Davis,  Plymouth,  Mass.) 
It  is  said  that  porphyry,  of  which  arrow  heads  were  made, 
was  found  there  also. 

After  the  neighbors  had  departed  Goodman  Hartwell 
related  to  us  some  of  his  family  history  ;  and  as  this  and 
that  of  his  numerous  descendants  has  long  been  identified 
with  the  annals  of  Concord,  we  will  give  a  briet  outline  of 
it. 

According  to  Densmore,  the  historian  of  the  Hartwell 
family,  William  and  Jazen  Hartwell  came  to  America  prob- 
ably about  1635  or  1636.  It  is  supposed  William  was 
about  23  years  of  age  when  he  went  to  Concord,  and  in 
1642  he  was  made  a  freeman  or  the  Massachusetts  Bay 
Colony.  He  was  one  of  the  town's  original  grantees  and  a 
most  estimable  citizen,  holding  office  and  serving  on  im- 
portant committees.  He  had  a  large  family  and  his 
descendants  are  widely  scattered  throughout  the  country, 
many  of  whom  are  holding  responsible  positions.      He  died 


Concord  205 

March  12,  1690,  aged  77.  His  wife  died  August  5,  1695. 
In  his  will  he  mentioned  among  his  children,  John,  Samuel, 
Sarah,  and  Mary.  The  following  are  the  earliest  vital 
statistics  relating  to  the  family  in  this  country,  and  these 
have  been  preserved  among  the  colonial  archives  : 

"  John,  the  sonne  of  William  Hartwell,  was  born  the 
23-12-1640. 

"  Samuel,  son  of  William  and  Jasan  Hartwell,  borne 
26-1-45. 

"  Martha,  daughter  of  William  and  Jassin  Hartwell,  the 
29th-2-i649." 

It  is  not  known  where  William  Hartwell  was  buried. 

As  has  been  stated,  his  house  was  situated  on  the  "  Old 
Bay  road  "  leading  from  Concord  to  Lexington,  and  was 
about  a  mile  more  or  less  from  the  public  square.  His 
original  house  lot  consisted  of  nine  acres,  and  was  near  the 
eastern  boundary  of  property  lately  owned  by  the  originator 
of  the  famous  Concord  grape.  His  subsequent  land  pos- 
sessions were  large.  At  the  time  when  a  disturbance  arose 
because  of  titles,  and  a  committee  was  chosen  to  adjust  land 
matters  at  their  discretion,  William  Hartwell  was  allowed 
247  acres,  which  were  in  three  separate  lots.  It  is  thought 
that  all  his  children  were  born  in  Concord. 

Bright  and  early  on  the  morning  following  the  night 
spent  at  William  Hartwell's  we  started  for  the  farm  house 
of  Constable  Thomas  Brooks.  Crossing  over  the  field  we 
observed  one  of  the  ditches  which  were  used  for  fencing. 
We  saw  by  the  size  of  the  stubble  within  the  enclosure  that 
the  corn  stalks  which  grew  upon  it  were  very  large  ;  we  also 
pulled  up  several  turnips  and  found  the  quality  good,  which 
satisfied  us  they  were  raised  on  comparatively  new  land,  or 
that  which  had  lately  been  broken  up,  disabusing  us  of  the 
theory  that  only  old  Indian  fields  were  planted  by  the 
settlers. 

We  heard  above  us  the  scream  of  an  eagle  and  the  honk 
of  some  wild  geese  flying  southward  ;  and  as  we  suddenly 
saw  through  the  cold  gray  of  the  thick  mist,  for  the  wind 


2o6  Colonial 

had  become  easterly,  a  barley  stack  a  little  back  of  Constable 
Brooks'  barn,  which  through  the  tog  looked  larger  than 
ever  before,  there  flew  from  it  several  brant  which  had 
alighted  there  the  night  before  in  the  storm  and  were  forag- 
ing on  the  unthreshed  grain. 

We  soon  came  to  the  house  which  was  the  second  erected 
on  the  spot,  the  owner,  like  others  of  the  hamlet,  having 
years  before  exchanged  the  little  log  shelter  for  one  more 
substantial  of  frame  work. 

We  met  Constable  Brooks  with  a  small  shepherd  dog 
turning  the  sheep  into  the  pasture  lane,  leaving  the  dog  for 
their  sole  keeper  during  the  day,  and  to  bring  them  home 
by  night-fall  at  his  master's  call. 

Our  host  was  right  glad  to  meet  us,  as  he  stated,  because 
our  conversation  on  several  subjects  the  night  before  was 
interrupted  for  want  of  time,  and  moreover  he  said  his  good 
wife,  after  seeing  us  at  the  meeting  house,  had  many  things 
to  say  about  the  Svmday  training  of  children  in  things 
religious. 

As  Constable  Brooks  had  several  duties  to  attend  to 
that  day  that  could  not  be  put  off,  he  invited  us  to  go  with 
him ;  and  he  had  in  the  barn  an  extra  horse  which  he  had 
brought  over  from  Joshua  Wheeler's,  thinking  we  would  be 
glad  to  accompany  him  about  Concord  town  in  the  perform- 
ance of  his  official  duties. 

It  was  nearly  mid-forenoon  when  we  rode  out  of  the  door 
yard.  Farmer  Brooks  with  his  wife  seated  on  a  pillion 
behind  him  on  one  horse,  and  we  on  the  other.  Goodwife 
Brooks  was  going  with  us  as  far  as  Parson  Bulkeley's,  where 
she  was  to  join  a  party  going  to  the  quilting. 

Behind  us  upon  our  horse  were  thrown  a  couple  of  saddle 
bags  in  which  were  put,  among  other  things,  "  Fox's  Book 
of  Martyrs,"  which  he  had  borrowed  of  the  parson  and  was 
now  returning,  and  a  string  of  plump,  pink  sausages  as  a 
present.  By  this  time  the  day  had  become  beautiful,  the 
sun  which  had  burned  through  the  fog  now  shone  brightly, 
and  the  glint  of  the  moisture  from  the  late  rain  upon   the 


Concord  207 

fallen  leaves  and  mossy  tree  trunks  looked  gorgeous,  and 
everything  had  the  clean,  still,  and  suggestive  appearance  of 
an  October  day  after  a  storm. 

Our  animals  were  far  from  being  fast,  but  jogged  along 
with  the  motion  of  veritable  plow  horses  as  they  were,  and 
it  was  past  noon  when  we  rode  over  the  north  bridge  and 
entered  the  lane  leading  to  Goodman  Hunt's  in  the  north 
quarter,  after  having  left  Goodwife  Brooks  and  the  contents 
of  the  saddle  bags  at  the  parsonage. 

Among  the  duties  performed  by  Constable  Brooks  that 
day  was  the  warning  of  Richard  Rambler  out  of  town ;  he 
having  gotten  into  Concord  without  a  sponsor  in  case  he 
or  his  family  should  become  a  public  charge ;  and  what 
made  the  case  more  aggravated  was  that  the  selectmen  of 
Watertown  had  warned  him  away  on  at  least  two  occa- 
sions, and  when  he  at  last  left  there  and  came  to  Concord 
he  had  taken  another  person  with  him  who  was  as  much 
given  to  idleness  as  himself,  and  who  withal  was  profane  and 
used  lewd  language  and  was  considered  a  little  light- 
fingered  and  given  to  beer.  Another  service  had  been  to 
notify  two  parties  who  had  presumed  to  dress  with  undue 
regard  to  colonial  law,  which  forbade  vain  display  in  per- 
sonal dress,  that  they  should  be  more  circumspect  and 
leave  off  some  of  their  flummery  and  furbelows,  and  take 
less  pains  about  their  Sunday  head-dress. 

As  we  rode  along  we  made  some  inquiry  as  to  the  laws 
regulating  dress  ;  and  for  substance  the  following  were 
some  of  them  : 

In  1634,  it  was  enacted  in  view  of  "some  new  and 
immodest  fashions,  that  no  person,  either  man  or  woman, 
shall  hereafter  make  or  buy  any  apparel,  either  woolen,  silk 
or  linen,  with  any  lace  on  it,  silver,  gold,  silk,  or  thread, 
under  the  penalty  of  forfeiture  of  such  clothes  ;  also,  that 
no  person,  either  man  or  woman  shall  make  or  buy  any 
slashed  clothes  other  than  one  slash  in  each  sleeve,  and 
another  in  the  back ;  also  all  cutworks,  embroidered  or 
needlework  caps,  bands  and  rails  are  forbidden  hereafter   to 


2o8  Colonial 

be  made  and  worn  under  the  aforesaid  penalty  ;  also  all  gold 
or  silver  girdles,  hat  bands,  belts,  ruffs,  beaver  hat,  are  pro- 
hibited to  be  bought  and  worn  hereafter  under  the  aforesaid 
penalty."  A  few  years  later  a  law  was  made  against  "short 
sleeves  whereby  the  nakedness  of  the  arm  might  be  discov- 
ered in  the  wearing  thereof,"  "sleeves  more  than  half  a 
yard  wide  in  the  widest  place  thereof,"  "immodest  great 
breeches,  knot  of  ribbon,  broad  shoulder  bands  and  rails, 
silk  rases,  double  ruffs  and  cuffs." 

In  I  561,  the  General  Court  enacted  that  if  a  man  was  not 
worth  two  hundred  pounds,  he  should  not  wear  gold  or 
silver  lace  or  buttons  or  points  at  the  knees,  and  women 
holding  a  less  property  than  this  were  forbidden  to  wear  silk 
or  tiffany  hood  scarfs.  The  same  year  the  court  put  upon 
record  as  the  occasion  of  the  law,  "its  utter  detestation  and 
dislike  that  men  or  women  of  mean  condition  should  take 
upon  themselves  the  garb  of  gentlemen." 

From  our  observation  of  Constable  Brooks'  day's  work, 
we  learned  that  the  office  of  constable  was  an  important 
one,  and  that  it  was  with  propriety  that  after  being  chosen 
by  the  town  he  was  sworn  in  by  officers  of  the  colonial 
government.  At  one  place  he  collected  fifteen  shillings 
and  six  pence  for  the  use  of  the  town  of  Concord  from  a 
person  who  had  brought  in  a  stranger  presumed  to  be  of  a 
questionable  character,  this  being  the  usual  amount  per 
week  required  in  such  cases. 

He  also  stopped  at  the  house  of  one  Loren  Little  and 
censured  him  in  behalf  of  the  town  for  "taking  in  and  har- 
boring" Dothan  Doolittle,  who,  common  report  said,  was 
of  "a  vicious  nature  and  had  an  evil  tongue."  The  last 
official  acts  of  the  day  were  to  stop  at  the  meeting  house 
and  fasten  to  one  of  the  hitching  trees  a  couple  of  wolf 
pates,  which  Samuel  Smedley  had  sent  up  ;  and  post  vipon 
the  door  the  notice  of  a  marriage  in  place  of  the  one  w'hich 
the  rain  had  soaked  off;  and  to  "right  up"  a  mort  stone 
by  Sorrel  lane  which  had  been  leaning  a  little  since  the  last 
heavy  corpse  was  laid  upon  it. 


Concord  209 

As  we  passed  into  the  North  quarter  we  soon  arrived  at 
Goodman  Hunt's.  His  house  was  a  model  one  for  the 
times,  being  of  convenient  proportions  and  so  situated  as  to 
catch  every  sunbeam  and  having  no  isolated  best  room  on 
the  north  side.  As  we  walked  in  we  found  dinner  awaiting 
us,  for  the  household  had  been  apprised  of  our  coming  by 
Goodman  Buttrick,  who  hved  a  little  below  and  had  come 
up  to  bring  a  letter  which  had  been  brought  up  from 
Watertown  and  left  with  him  for  delivery.  After  dinner 
we  repaired  to  a  shed  where  some  men  were  hatchelling  flax, 
about  the  first  which  had  been  raised  in  Concord  for  a  com- 
mercial purpose.  As  there  was  in  one  corner  a  triangular 
firef)lace,  we  seated  ourselves  before  it  and  talked  and  whit- 
tled until  the  sun  shining  through  the  windows  showed  that 
it  was  about  time  we  were  starting  home. 

During  the  afternoon,  part  of  our  conversation  was  on 
military  matters  ;  and  as  the  subject  was  an  important  one 
in  those  days,  we  will  relate  some  facts  concerning  the  mih- 
tary  history  of  Concord  in  its  first  century.  Almost  all 
able-bodied  men  except  ministers  and  magistrates  were  fur- 
nished with  arms  and  ammunition,  and  expected  to  be  present 
and  drill  on  stated  occasions.  They  were  also  required  to 
go  on  expeditions  and  scoutings  if  necessary,  and  to  stand 
in  readiness  for  "watch  and  ward."  -So  invariable  was  this 
rule  that  it  was  necessary  to  apply  to  the  General  Court  for 
exemption.  The  officers  of  a  company  consisted  of  captain, 
lieutenant,  ensign,  and  four  sergeants.  A  regiment  had  a 
field  officer  called  a  sergeant-major,  and  over  them  all  was  a 
major-general.  The  commissioned  officers  carried  swords, 
or  leading  staves  and  pistols  :  they  were  elected  by  the  mem- 
bers of  the  company  and  approved  by  the  General  Court. 
The  sergeants  bore  halberds  ;  the  common  soldiers  were 
armed  with  matchlock  or  firelock  muskets  and  had  horns 
and  pouches  for  powder  and  ball ;  sometimes  a  forked  stick 
was  carried  to  steady  their  aim.  Officers  were  required  to 
be  church  members,  and  the  militarv  exercises  were  pre- 
ceded or  followed  by  prayer.     Sometimes  a  military  election 


2 1  o  Colonial 

was  the  occasion  for  doing  the  civil  business  of  the  town. 
As  early  as  1636,  Sergeant  Willard  was  appointed  to  exer- 
cise the  military  company  at  Concord  and  was  commissioned 
captain  in  1646,  at  which  time  Timothy  Wheeler  was  made 
ensign,  Mr.  Willard  served  as  captain  fifteen  years.  In 
1 67 1,  Ensign  Wheeler  was  made  captain,  Thomas  Hinch- 
man  lieutenant,  and  Henry  Woodis  quartermaster.  Two 
years  afterwards  Woodis  was  made  cornet  and  Corporal 
William  Hartwell  was  appointed  quartermaster.  After  the 
death  of  the  old  Indian  fighter,  Wheeler,  Thomas  H inch- 
man  was  made  captain  and  John  Flint  lieutenant.  In 
1677,  Peter  Bulkeley  was  appointed  captain.  July  2,  1689, 
James  Minot  was  elected  captain,  Simon  Davis  lieutenant, 
and  Humphrey  Barrett  ensign.  About  a  year  after  the 
close  of  Philip's  War  the  military  force  of  Concord  con- 
sisted of  upwards  of  150  men,  besides  some  enlistments  in 
a  horse  company.  Nov.  6,  1689,  it  was  ordered  by  the 
representatives  "that  the  foot  company  of  Concord  having 
250  men  be  divided  into  two  companies." 

The  afternoon  passed  quickly  at  Goodman  Hunt's,  and 
there  were  so  many  things  to  talk  about  that  it  was  late  be- 
fore he  said  anything  about  his  family  history ;  a  subject 
which,  if  not  introduced  voluntarily,  we  were  quite  apt  to 
inquire  about,  especially  when  we  called  upon  an  original 
grantee  of  the  first  quarter  century  ;  only  a  few  facts  how- 
ever were  elicited  concerning  the  Concord  Hunts,  but  from 
other  sources  we  have  received  the  following  information  : 

William  Hunt  was  in  Concord  as  early  as  1640,  and  be- 
came a  freeman  in  1641.  He  died  in  Marlboro,  Oct., 
1667,  leaving  an  estate  of  ^496  and  children  named  Nehe- 
miah,  Isaac,  William,  Elizabeth,  Hannah  and  Samuel.  He 
was  born  in  1605,  and  married  Elizabeth  Best,  who  died  in 
1 66 1.  While  in  Marlboro  he  married  Mercie  Heard  Rice, 
widow  of  Edmund  Rice,  in  1664.  The  Hunt  family  has 
been  a  prominent  one  in  Concord,  and  in  the  adjoining 
towns  of  Acton  and  Sudbury.  Those  in  the  former 
town    are    descendants   of    William ;    and    of    these    was 


Concord  211 

Simon  Hunt,  Captain  of  a  company  in  the  3d  Regiment  of 
Massachusetts  miHtia  in  the  Revolutionary  war.  Those  in 
the  latter  town  are  in  part  descendants  of  William,  and  in  part 
of  Robert  Hunt,  who  came  from  Charlestown,  or  of  Isaac 
Hunt,  a  blacksmith,  who  came  from  Cambridge  and  early 
settled  in  the  Lanham  district,  owning  at  one  time  about 
four  hundred  acres  on  Pelham's  Island.  The  old  house, 
built  tradition  says  about  1750,  is  still  standing  about  a 
half  mile  from  Heard's  (Pelham's)  pond. 

Nehemiah  Hunt,  son  of  William,  who  has  been  called 
"  Lord  of  Punkatassett,"  lived  on  the  estate  bought  by  his 
father  of  Rev.  Peter  Bulkeley  ;  which  estate  has  been  owned 
and  occupied  in  recent  years  by  his  descendant,  William 
H.   Hunt. 

The  following  is  the  only  mention  of  the  Hunt  family 
among  the  vital  statistics  of  the  town  of  Concord  down  to 
1654: 

"  Hannah,  the  daughter  of  Wm.  Hunt,  was  borne  12 
(12)  1640." 


CHAPTER     XXII. 

Visit  at  Goodman  William  But  trick's  —  His  History 

—  Situation  of  bis  House  —  Reflections  upon  a  pro- 
spective Wedding  —  Historic  Sketch  of  Thomas 
Brooks  —  Curious  Laws  and  Customs  relative  to 
marriage  —  Bachelors^  Match  Makings  Widowers 

—  Wedding  Gifts — Attend  ^'■Lecture  Day"  Service 

—  Its  Nature  and  Importance  —  Religious  Charac- 
ter of  the  Colonists —  Care  of  the  Poor —  Visit 
at  the  home  of  Goodman  Richard  Rice. 

AS  we  were  about  starting  on  our  return  to  the  East 
quarter,  Thomas  Bateman  drove  into  the  yard,  and 
leaving  his  horse  to  feed  at  will,  stepped  to  the  door 
and  stated  that  there  was  to  be  a  meeting  of  the  land  com- 
mittee at  Goodman  William  Buttrick's  that  evening  for  the 
adjustment  of  some  matters  relative  to  boundary  lines;  and 
that  he  called  to  notify  Constable  Brooks,  who  was  one  of 
the    committee,    and    also  to     request    us    to    be    present. 

Here  let  us  pause  and  briefly  notice  some  facts  about 
this  estimable  family,  which  has  long  been  conspicuously 
connected  with  the  history  of  Concord. 

William  Buttrick  came  from  England  to  America  in 
1635,  ^"  ^^^  ^^^P  Susan  and  Ellen,  in  company  with  Rev. 
Peter  Bulkeley  and  Thomas  Brooke.  He  embarked  from 
London,  May  9,  1635,  and  was  in  Concord  at  its  begin- 
ning. His  English  home  was  at  Kingston-on-the-Thames 
in  Surrey. 

When  he   came  to  this  country  he  was   probably  about 
twenty  years  old,  since  in  1684,  when  he  deposed  concern- 
ing  the    purchase   of  the  township    from    the  Indians  he 
212 


THE 

NEW  YORK 

PUBLIC  LIBRARY^ 

^^Astor,  Lenox  and  TWen  , 
Foundations, 


Concord  213 

declared  himself  sixty-eight.  He  served  many  years  in  the 
town  militia  as  Sergeant,  and  when  sixty-five  years  of  age 
petitioned  the  Court  to  be  exempt  from  further  military 
duty.  He  married  for  his  first  wife  Sarah  Bateman,  who 
died  in  1664.  He  died  June  30,  1696.  His  descendants 
are  of  illustrious  memory.  Among  them  was  Major  John 
Buttrick  ot  the  Middlesex  yeomanry  in  1775,  whose  grave- 
stone in  the  Hill  burying  ground  sets  forth  his  estimable 
character  and  distinguished  services. 

The  homestead  of  WilHam  Buttrick  was  situated  on  the 
west  bank  of  Concord  river  upon  the  upland,  an  eighth  or 
a  quarter  oi  a  mile  from  the  North  bridge,  where  he  could 
look  down  upon  the  spring  floods  as  they  sometimes 
spread  themselves  far  out  over  the  low  meadows ;  and 
where,  to  the  south-westward,  he  could  see  the  smoke 
wreaths  curling  upwards  from  the  snug  homes  of  the  Will- 
ards.  Busses,  Woodses  and  Hosmers. 

At  the  northerly  the  Barretts  had  built,  and  far  over  the 
marsh,  as  the  broadening  river  flowed  downward  towards 
the  Blood  farm  and  Winthrop  grant  was  a  country  broken 
by  scant  settlements. 

It  is  easy  to  suppose  that  on  account  of  their  early 
acquaintance  and  because  they  had  sailed  the  seas  together, 
a  peculiar  neighborliness  should  exist  between  the  two 
townsmen.  Brooks  and  Buttrick,  and  that  whenever  either 
was  in  the  other's  quarter  he  should  visit  him  ;  and  that 
often  they  should  meet  together  with  Parson  Bulkeley  in 
each  other's  homes  and  talk  over  what  they  had  seen  and 
known  of  things  abroad.  There  is  also  every  reason  to 
believe  that  the  Batemans  were  frequent  callers  at  the  But- 
trick home  for  kinship's  sake,  and  that  altogether  there  was 
about  this  rural  manor  house  an  air  of  sociability  and  com- 
fortableness not  surpassed  in  the   Musketequid  plantation. 

The  "  committee  of  nine  "  all  came  except  two,  who,  as 
they  lived  at  a  considerable  distance,  were  doubtless  de- 
tained by  the  storm  which  towards  sunset  had  again  set  in 
with  a  prospect  of  continuing  till  morning. 


214  Colonial 

1 1  was  a  pleasant  and  cozy  scene  as  around  that  even- 
ing fireside  the  group  sat,  while  the  sparks  snapped  briskly, 
and  with  an  unusual  activity  chased  each  other  over  the 
old  crane. 

The  east  wind  blew  up  from  the  meadows  ;  the  big  rain- 
drops pelted  against  the  small  diamond-shaped  window 
panes,  and  sometimes  a  tiny  stream  ran  under  the  door,  until 
Goodwife  Buttrick  threw  against  it  a  husk  mat. 

But  little  cared  we  for  the  storm,  housed  warmly  as  we 
were  and  our  "cattle,"  and  with  the  assurance  of  clean, 
soft  couches  in  case  the  storm  continued  so  as  to  render  a 
return  that  night  to  the  East  quarter  unwise ;  moreover. 
Constable  Brooks  had  said  there  was  no  concern  on  his 
part  about  his  wife,  as  she  was  expecting  to  stop  over  night 
at  the    Miles's  in  case  the  quilt  was  not  finished. 

In  the  morning  we  did  not  return  to  Constable  Brooks', 
but  remained  to  go  with  the  Buttrick  family  on  the  day  fol- 
lowing to  the  wedding. 

It  was  with  regret  that  we  bade  Constable  Brooks  good- 
bye, and  as  he  drove  down  the  hill  he  called  back  to  us  and 
said  that  a  seat  would  be  reserved  for  us  beside  him  in  the 
meeting  house  next  Sunday,  and  that  if  we  would  go  home 
with  him  after  service,  he  and  his  wife  would  tell  us  about 
the  Sabbath  catechumenical  exercise  ;  a  matter  we  were  ex- 
ceedingly desirous  of  knowing  about,  for  we  thought  by 
what  we  had  heard  that  it  savored  very  much  of  a  modern 
Sunday  school,  and  if  so  this  was  the  first  in  the  country. 

After  his  departure  we  retired  to  the  little  chamber  that 
had  been  assigned  us  under  the  double  gable  whose  end 
window  faced  to  the  south,  and  there,  as  preliminary  to  the 
marriage,  we  recalled  whatever  we  knew  of  colonial  customs 
as  they  related  to  courtship  and  marriage  and  the  condi- 
tions consequent  upon  remaining  single.  It  was  a  fit  time 
for  the  consideration  of  such  a  subject,  for  the  morning 
was  lovely,  and  we  were  reminded  of  the  words  of  the 
poet : 


Concord  ^  i  5 

"  Sweet  day,  so  calm,  so  clear,  so  bright. 
The  bridal  of  the  earth  and  sky," 

and  these  words  together  with  the  preparations  which  were 
going  on  in  the  room  below  for  the  prospective  wedding 
lent  a  suggestiveness  which  was  very  helpful. 

In  fact  things  were  in  pleasant  keeping  one  with  another 
on  that  bright  autumnal  morning,  with  its  crisp  white  frost 
and  genial  sunshine,  and  we  thought  if  the  beauty  of  a  day 
is  an  auspicious  omen  to  those  who  are  so  near  their  bridal 
hour,  then  the  twain  may  be  happy  indeed. 

We  had  talked  about  marriage  customs  the  afternoon 
previous,  as  we  sat  by  the  triangular-shaped  fireplace  in 
Goodman  Hunt's  shop ;  and  as  one  of  the  tithing  men 
came  in  and  conversed  with  the  constable  about  an 
especial  espionage  which  they  were  keeping  upon  a 
certain  bachelor  in  the  Shawshine  district,  who  was  acting 
frivolously  toward  a  giddy  and  flirtish  maiden  who  occasion- 
ally rode  over  to  Goodman  Meriam's  grocery  store  with  a 
pannier  filled  with  eggs  and  dried  apple,  and  who  had 
ordered  the  storekeeper  to  get  her  a  "  smartish  gown  " 
when  he  went  "below,"  we  learned,  upon  intently  listening, 
about  all  there  was  of  common  or  statute  law  on  the  sub- 
ject. It  only  remained,  therefore,  for  us  to  put  things 
together  on  that  bright  morning. 

Before  doing  this,  however,  let  us  notice  a  few  facts 
relative  to  the  family  record  of  our  late  host,  Goodman 
Thomas  Brooks  ;  for  our  tarry  with  him  and  his  house- 
hold had  been  a  delightful  one,  and  we  had  received  in  our 
conversations  with  him  much  information  that  was  useful. 

Thomas  Brooks,  as  we  have  stated,  came  to  America 
from  England  in  1635,  ^^  ^^^  ^^'P  "Susan  and  Ellen," 
leaving  London  in  company  with  Messrs.  Buttrick  and 
Bulkeley,  May  9th.  He  was  one  of  the  earliest  settlers  at 
Concord,  and  through  the  long  interim  between  then  and 
now,  the  name  has  passed  along,  with  here  and  there  some 
one  to  make  it  exceptionally  illustrious. 

The  common  ancestor  of  the  Brooks  family  in  Concord, 


2i6  Colonial 

Shattuck  says,  was  Capt.  Thomas  Brooks.  But  as  Lin- 
coln, Acton,  Bedford  and  Carlisle  were  once  largely  included 
in  this  township,  some  of  the  inhabitants  who  have  borne 
the  name  in  these  towns  may  lay  claim  to  the  same  honor 
as  those  living  in  Concord.  Thomas  was  made  a  freeman 
in  1636.  He  was  representative  ten  years.  He  died  May 
21,  1667  ;  and  his  wife,  Grace,  died  May  12,  1664.  They 
left  children  as  follows  :  Joshua,  Caleb,  Gershom,  Mary, 
and  probably,  Thomas  and  John.  Mary  married  Capt. 
Timothy  Wheeler  of  Concord.  Caleb  sold  his  estate  at 
Concord  in  1670  and  moved  to  Medford,  and  was  the 
ancestor  of  Governor  John  Brooks  and  Hon.  Peter  C. 
Brooks.  Joshua  married  Hannah,  a  daughter  of  Capt. 
Hugh  Mason  of  Watertown,  an  officer  of  Philip's  war 
fame,  and  was  the  ancestor  of  nearly  all  by  the  name  of 
Brooks  in  Concord  and  Lincoln,  among  whom  was  the  late 
Hon.  George  M.  Brooks,  a  former  Judge  of  Probate  of 
Middlesex  County  and  representative  to  Congress.  The 
following  are  the  only  records  among  the  town's  vital 
statistics  as  late  as  1654,  relative  to  the  Brooks  family  : 

"Joseph  the  sonne  of  Henry  Brooks  was  borne  the  12 
(2)  1 641." 

The  next  following  record  is  "  Grace,  daughter  or 
Joshua  Brooks  &  Hannah  his  wife  borne  10  March 
16:61." 

To  return  now  to  our  narrative.  In  early  times  wedded 
life  found  much  public  favor,  and  was  greatly  encouraged, 
while  an  unmarried  life  was  discouraged,  as  is  indicated  by 
the  fact  that  almost  from  the  beginning  the  colonists  placed 
upon  their  town  records  or  upon  their  statute  books  re- 
solves and  enactments  designed  to  make  the  married  state 
easy  and  the  unmarried  state  hard. 

Bachelors  were  under  a  special  surv^eillance,  or  "  spying 
and  tattling"  of  the  constables  and  ty thing  men  ;  and  so  a 
man  might  properly  be  said  to  gain  his  liberty  instead  of 
losing  it  by  entering  into  the  marriage  state.  As  an  induce- 
ment for  one  to  marry  sometimes  a  house   lot  was  offered. 


Concord  217 

In  Eastham,  Mass.,  it  was  ordered  that  "  Every  unmarried 
man  in  the  township  shall  kill  six  blackbirds  or  three  crows 
while  he  remains  single  ;  as  a  penalty  for  not  doing  so  he 
shall  not  be  married  until  he  obeys  this  order."  In  1670, 
Thomas  Tally,  who  had  lived  in  Concord  four  years,  was 
summoned  into  court  to  answer  for  not  living  with  his  wife. 
His  defence  was  that  she  was  in  England,  and  that  he 
had  sent  for  her,  and  if  she  did  not  come  he  would  go 
after  her.  This  defence,  however,  was  to  no  purpose,  for 
the  Grand  Jury,  before  which  he  had  been  brought,  banished 
him  from  its  jurisdiction.  Contracts  relating  to  marriage 
were  sometimes  written  out  and  signed  by  the  contracting 
parties.  One,  which  has  been  preserved  and  given  in 
detail  by  the  historian  Walcott,  is  for  substance  that 
one  was  to  give  lands,  and  the  other  pounds,  shillings  and 
pence,  and  Robert  Blood  was  to  "  stand  good"  for  the  ful- 
fillment of  this  pre-nuptial  agreement. 

In  early  times  people  were  very  cautious  about  "  match 
making."  Fines  or  the  whipping  post  awaited  the  reck- 
less, and  it  was  no  safe  thing  to  be  imprudent  in  such  a 
matter.  The  traveler  Joslyn,  speaking  of  an  evening's 
courtship  in  Boston  in  1663,  said:  "  On  the  south  there 
is  a  small  but  pleaaant  common  where  the  Gallants,  a  little 
before  sunset,  walk  with  their  marmalet  Madams  till  the 
nine  o'clock  bell  rings,  then  home  to  their  respective 
habitations." 

In  1672  Jonathan  Coventry  was  indicted  "  for  making  a 
motion  of  marriage  to  Catherine  Dudley  without  obtaining 
formal  consent."  In  1647,  ^"^  Stratford,  Will  Colefoxe  was 
fined  5  pounds  for  "laboring  to  inveigle  the  affection  of 
Write,  his  daughter."  The  reason  given  for  such  careful- 
ness was  "  to  prevent  young  folks  from  intangling  them- 
selves by  rash  and  inconsiderate  contracts  of  marriage."  If 
an  engagement  to  marry  was  made  and  had  been  permitted 
by  the  father  he  could  not  without  reason  break  it  off.  In 
Plymouth  in  1661,  Richard  Taylor  sued  Ruth  Whieldom's 
father;  and  it  is  said  that  another  man  sued  the  father  for 


1 1 8  Colonial 

loss  of  time  in  courting.  A  person  "jilted  "  was  said  to 
be  "  shabbed." 

Marriage  of  old  widowers  was  in  vogue  in  the  Massa- 
chusetts Bay  Colony,  as  we  infer  from  the  correspondence 
and  conduct  of  Judge  Sewall,  who  married  Hannah  Hull 
of  "  Pine  Tree  Shilling  "  fame  and  received  her  weight  in 
silver  for  dower.  Having  lived  with  his  wife  forty-three 
years  and  having  had  fourteen  children,  the  Judge  made  the 
following  entry  in  his  diary  after  her  death  :  "  Wondering 
in  my  mind  whether  to  live  a  married  or  a  single  life." 
Before  his  wife  had  been  dead  two  months  it  is  said  he  had 
"  gazed  admiringly  at  Widow  Winthrope  in  her  sley,"  and 
that  he  gave  her  as  tokens  of  his  admiration  works  entitled 
*' Smoking  Flax  Inflamed"  and  "My  Small  Vial  of 
1  ears. 

For  two  centuries  the  wedding  bans  were  published 
three  Sundays  in  the  meeting  house.  Ministers  were  for- 
bidden to  perform  the  marriage  ceremony,  but  it  was  done 
by  the  magistrate  or  by  some  appointed  by  law  for  the  pur- 
pose. The  minister,  however,  sometimes  preached  a  sermon 
on  the  occasion  of  an  engagement  on  such  a  text  as  the 
prospective  bride  might  select.  One  minister,  it  is  said, 
preached  on  a  text  in  Ephesians,  showing  that  the  married 
state  was  a  warfare.  In  this  case  probably  the  minister 
selected  his  own  text.  The  *'  coming  out"  or  as  it  was 
sometimes  called  "  the  walking  out"  was  considered  an 
affair  of  importance,  and  Cotton  Mather  thought  it  ex- 
pedient for  the  "  bridal  couple  to  appear  as  such  publicly 
with  some  dignity."  It  was  quite  customary  for  a  long 
period  for  ministers'  sons  to  marry  ministers'  daughters. 

For  many  years  "sack  posset"  was  drank  at  weddings, 
but,  it  is  said,  "not  with  noisy  revelry."  "Bride  cake" 
and  "  bride  gloves"  were  sent  by  friends.  Jewelry  engraved 
with  a  skull  and  cross-bones  has  been  known  to  be  given 
to  a  bride  who  was  in  mourning  for  a  deceased  friend. 

The  garter  of  the  bride  was  sometimes  scrambled  for  to 
bring  good  luck. 


Concord  219 

As  the  family  had  been  unusually  busy  we  had  the  fore- 
noon all  to  ourselves,  and  when  the  call  came  for  dinner 
we  were  ready  to  leave  our  reflections  and  join  the  family 
below.  While  we  were  seated  at  the  table  Goodman  But- 
trick  surprised  us  by  the  announcement  that  it  was  "lecture 
day,"  and  that  the  family  that  afternoon  would  attend  ser- 
vice at  the  meeting  house.  We  had  heard  of  this  mid-week 
meeting  and  knew  that  it  was  made  much  of,  but  were 
amazed  at  the  importance  which  was  actually  attached  to  it, 
and  we  only  needed  an  invitation  to  go  with  them  to  their 
little  church  home  on  the  hill  where  we  could  observe  for 
ourselves.  On  the  way  thither  a  Sunday  stillness  pervaded 
everything.  No  sound  of  work  was  heard  anywhere,  and 
even  the  chimneys  were  smokeless,  showing  how  empty 
the  houses  were  of  inmates.  As  we  fell  in  just  before 
reaching  the  North  bridge  with  the  Brownes  and  Billingses 
they  at  once  commenced  talking  about  the  last  lecture,  and 
the  remarks  made  upon  it  showed  a  most  commendable 
knowledge  of  the  theology  of  the  times,  and  evinced  also  a 
high  type  of  intelligence.  The  discussion  was  clear,  the 
language  was  concise  and  the  logic  convincing.  In  short, 
what  we  heard  and  saw  on  the  way  was  ample  evidence  that 
there  was  with  the  average  colonist  an  independence  of  reli- 
gious thinking  which  corresponded  well  with  his  robust 
self-reliance  in  coping  with  the  obstacles  to  be  met  with  in 
subduing  a  new  country  or  the  formidable  ones  which  he 
afterwards  met  with  from  abroad.  We  found  that  his  mind 
was  by  no  means  merely  imitative,  neither  absorbent  nor 
vacant,  waiting  to  be  filled  with  whatever  a  stronger  might 
give  it,  but  it  was  analytic  and  constructive  and  had  an 
original  and  individual  strength  ;  that  where  an  acquired 
wisdom  was  wanting  there  was  a  supply  of  good  common 
sense  ;  that  he  had  as  nice  a  discernment  between  the  rea- 
sonable and  the  unreasonable  as  he  did  between  the  right 
and  the  wrong,  and  that  these  terms  were  with  him  practi- 
cally interchangeable.  We  found  that  the  colonist  firmly 
believed  that  he  had  a  good  foundation  for  the  hope  that 


220  Colonial 

was  within  him.  That  foundation  he  unswervingly  believed, 
by  the  most  concise  rules  of  logic,  the  truest  testimony 
of  history,  the  fullest  endorsement  of  conscience,  the 
strength  of  divers  providences  in  the  shape  of  guidance  and 
special  deliverance,  was  God's  word.  Armed  and  aided  by 
such  Divine  authority  and  by  various  spiritual  quickenings 
and  visitations  he  went  forth  to  what  he  considered  was  his 
heaven  directed  mission.  On  the  strength  of  his  convic- 
tions he  enacted  such  a  code  of  rules  for  his  civic  procedure 
as  he  believed  only  supplemented  that  word,  and  embodied 
its  pure  principles  and  made  it  practicable  for  all  secular 
purposes  and  such  as  he  deemed  necessary  for  its  protection 
and  unobstructed  progress. 

By  the  doing  of  these  things  he  was  able  to  succeed  as  a 
colonist  where  others  in  this  country  had  failed,  and  by 
these  things  he  endeavored  to  set  up  in  each  township  a 
genuine  theocracy  with  a  government  that  would  have  God 
for  its  King,  His  word  for  its  statute  book  and  His  Spirit 
for  its  sole  Interpreter  and  Director. 

As  we  drew  near  the  meeting  house  we  saw  Parson 
Bulkeley  and  Major  Simon  Willard  coming  on  foot  over 
the  JMilldam  path,  and  we  learned  after  service  that  the 
former  had  been  to  administer  spiritual  consolation  to  an 
afflicted  family  up  by  the  Darby  bridge,  where  a  child  had 
died.  As  the  family  were  poor,  Mr.  Bulkeley  had  taken 
with  him  Major  Willard  with  the  design  of  making  some 
betterment  in  their  material  circumstances  by  bringing  them 
nearer  the  central  village,  where  the  father  could  be  fur- 
nished with  work  and  the  family  could  be  looked  after. 
The  consideration  of  these  two  worthy  magnates  of  the 
town  for  one  of  the  poorer  class  was  to  us  significant  and 
suggested  an  inquiry  as  to  the  charities  of  the  Concord 
colony  :  whereupon  we  discovered  that  there  was  a  kindness 
of  heart  that  suffered  not  the  needy  to  be  neglected  and 
that  contributions  were  taken  occasionally  in  the  meeting 
house  for  the  worthy  poor. 

As    the    parish  included    the    entire  town,  so  the  poor 


Concord  ill 

everywhere  within  its  borders  were  subject  to  its  material 
ministrations  ;  but  it  was  only  the  deserving  poor  who 
were  looked  upon  with  complaisance,  for  idleness  and 
wastefulness  were  utterly  frowned  upon.  It  is  true  the 
colonist  was  exceedingly  saving  because  circumstances  re- 
quired it  :  it  was  nevertheless  a  part  of  his  religion  to  rec- 
ognize the  claims  of  honest  poverty  upon  his  purse  as  well 
as  upon  his  heart.  His  parsimony  might  lead  him  to  deny 
himself  luxuries,  but  not  to  deny  his  neighbors  the  neces- 
saries of  life. 

Goodman  Richard  Rice  with  whom  we  had  been  con- 
versing informed  us  that  the  funeral  of  the  child  was  to 
take  place  on  Saturday,  and  we  resolved  to  attend.  He 
also  invited  us  to  go  home  with  him  and  accompany  his 
family  to  the  wedding  next  day.  As  it  was  our  purpose  to 
visit  as  many  households  as  possible  during  our  short  stay 
in  the  settlement  we  accepted  the  invitation  after  having 
obtained  the  reluctant  consent  of  the   Buttricks. 

As  the  minister  approached  the  meeting  house  door  all 
entered  as  quietly  as  if  it  were  Sunday,  or  the  Sabbath,  as 
the  settlers  called  the  day,  because  they  deemed  that  the 
word  Sunday  savored  of  Paganism  in  that  it  suggested  sun 
worship  ;  and  when  once  within,  the  service  was  conducted 
with  all  the  seriousness  and  sanctity  of  the  sacred  day  itself. 

The  lecture  was  as  the  name  implies  an  instructive  dis- 
course. The  people  were  literally  lectured  with  respect  to 
their  duty,  and  the  subject  had  particular  reference  to  their 
daily  spiritual  experience.  At  the  close  few  lingered  to  talk 
for  it  was  a  work  day  and  they  hastened  home  to  complete 
the  unfinished  task. 

As  Goodman  Rice  had  but  one  horse  we  went  on  the 
"ride  and  tie"  system,  although  as  a  matter  of  fact  we  our- 
selves rode  the  most  of  the  way,  our  host  insisting  upon 
walking  by  our  side. 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 

A  Wedding  at  the  House  of  Goodman  John  Miles 

—  Description  of  Bride" s  and  Bridegroom' s  Dress  — 
7  he  Marriage  Ceremony  —  'Throwing    the    Garter 

—  Situation  of  the  Miles'  Homestead —  Historic 
Sketch  of  John  Miles  —  Visit  at  the  home  of 
Thomas  Flint  Esquire,  His  Official  Duties  —  As 
Assistant  —  As  Commissioner  —  Early  Colonial 
Law  Books  —  Primitive  Courts  and  Court  Prac- 
tices —  Talk  Relative  to  Servants. 

DURING  the  ride  our  conversation  was  about 
the  river  and  its  meadows,  both  of  which 
subjects  were  interesting  to  us,  inasmuch  as  the 
river  meadows  were  found  to  be  not  only  a 
means  of  rehance  for  food  for  the  stock,  but  to  some 
extent  a  quasi  means  of  value  or  basis  upon  which  to 
establish  the  "  minister's  rates,"  the  division  of  upland, 
and  rights  in  commonage,  as  of  planting  fields,  public  pastur- 
age, and  the  taking  of  timber  trees  from  forest  reservations. 

Long  before  we  had  exhausted  the  subject  of  our  con- 
versation we  found  ourselves  at  the  Rice  homestead,  and  as 
we  entered  the  lane  that  led  to  it  we  saw  that  like  others  it 
had  passed  through  the  pioneer  stage  and  that  the  log 
cabin  of  the  first  years  had  given  place  to  a  substantial 
frame  structure,  with  commodious  outbuildings. 

We  received  as  usual  a  hospitable  welcome,  and  after 
supper  gathered  about  the  cheerful  hearth  and  spent  the 
evening  in  pleasant  conversation  upon  things  pertaining  to 
the  settlement  of  the  town  and  its  future  prospects  and  the 
family  history  of  our  host,  which  history  in  brief  outline  is 
as  follows  : 

222 


THE 
^        NEW  YORK 
PUBLIC  library' 

j^Astor,  Lenox  and  TMen , 
foundations, 


Concord  ii'^ 

Richard  Rice  went  to  Concord  at  an  early  date,  and  first 
erected  a  small  house  at  the  center,  near  which  he  planted 
an  orchard.  He  lived  on  the  present  Walden  street,  and 
his  house  came  within  the  south  quarter,  but  was  considered 
in  the  territorial  apportionment  as  in  the  east  quarter.  He 
had  John  Adams  for  a  neighbor,  and  the  two  dwelt  in  the 
vicinity  of  the  present  almshouse. 

In  1684,  Richard  Rice  testified  with  William  Buttrick 
and  others  as  to  the  purchase  of  Concord  territory  from  the 
Indians,  giving  his  age  at  that  time  as  72.  The  name  has 
long  been  familiar  in  Concord,  and  some  bearing  it  have 
been  conspicuous  in  the  town's  annals.  The  name  was  also 
a  prominent  one  among  the  first  settlers  of  Sudbury  and 
Marlboro,  and  as  these  towns  are  in  close  proximity,  it  may 
be  difficult  to  decide  to  which  ancestor  all  of  the  descend- 
ants belong.  Richard  Rice  died  June  9,  1709,  being 
accounted,  the  record  alleges,  more  than  one  hundred  years 
old. 

After  a  night  of  refreshing  rest  we  arose  early,  and  spent 
the  forenoon  in  strolling  about  the  neighborhood,  seeing 
new  objects  and  gathering  some  additional  data  for  future 
reference. 

After  dinner  we  prepared  for  the  wedding,  and  as  the 
time  for  a  start  to  the  Mileses  drew  near,  plans  were  made 
for  the  conveyance  of  each  member  of  the  household. 
Goodman  Rice  and  his  wife  were  to  go  on  horseback  with 
the  pillion  ;  another  horse  was  provided  for  us,  and  it  was 
left  with  the  hired  man  to  so  seat  the  ox  cart  that  it  would 
accommodate  all  the  rest.  We  drove  out  of  the  yard  to- 
gether, but  those  on  horseback  soon  outstripped  the  others, 
so  that  soon  the  rattle  of  the  cart  and  the  "gee-up  and  hish- 
haw"  of  John  were  no  longer  heard.  A  half  hour  more 
brought  us  into  that  part  of  the  south  quarter  that  has  long 
been  known  as  the  "  nine  acres"  and  identified  with  the 
homesteads  of  some  of  the  Wheelers  and  Mileses,  and  is 
situated  at  that  corner  of  Concord  which  borders  the  Sud- 
bury town  line. 


224  Colonial 

The  house  was  ilkmiinated  for  the  occasion  by  the  Hght 
of  several  fire-places  and  many  candles.  Some  of  the  latter 
were  in  brightly  burnished  brass  candlesticks,  a  part  of 
which  had  been  borrowed  of  the  neighbors,  others 
in  the  more  common  kind,  while  a  half  dozen 
were  set  in  a  candle  beam,  Goodman  Miles  met  us  in  the 
yard,  his  man  took  our  animals,  and  soon  we  were  within,, 
welcomed  by  a  score  or  more,  among  whom  were  several  of 
our  new  acquaintances.  By  early  nightfall  the  guests  had 
all  come,  and  only  awaited  the  arrival  of  Mr.  Thomas 
Flint,  whom  the  court  had  "appointed  to  join  persons 
in  marriage,"  no  clergyman  being  permitted  to  do  it. 

And  now  as  we  wait,  it  is  a  good  time  to  describe  the 
dress.  Both  the  bride  and  the  groom  were  attired  as 
richly  as  the  law  of  the  land  with  its  limitations  to 
vain  display,  and  their  moderate  circumstances  would  allow. 
The  bride  wore  a  neatly-fitting  gown  of  pale  pink  "  cali- 
manco"  (good  substantial  woolen  material),  beneath  which 
was  a  white  petticoat  bordered  with  orris  (fine  lace)  the  edge 
of  which  just  showed  above  a  pair  of  high-heeled  shoes, 
which  were  fastened  at  the  instep  with  a  bunch  of  ribbons. 
A  sacque  of  blue,  with  "  inkle,"  (a  delicate  braid),  was 
characterized  by  a  single  slash  in  each  sleeve,  being  all  that 
the  law  would  permit,  and  just  showed  the  linen  gar- 
ment beneath,  which  the  law  required  should  be  sufficiently 
long  to  admit  no  undue  exposure  of  the  bare  arms.  Her 
hair  was  bedecked  with  a  sprig  of  evergreen,  in  which  was 
entwined  a  small  cluster  of  bright  berries  of  wild  bitter 
sweet,  making  a  contrast  with  her  dark  hair  that  was 
beautiful. 

The  bridegroom  was  correspondingly  attired.  His  duffel 
coat  stood  out  at  the  skirts  in  true  colonial  style,  and  upon 
its  top  rested  a  snow  white  ruff,  which  was  starched  with 
an  excessive  stiffness  and  tied  at  the  front  with  tiny  tas- 
seled  strings.  Beneath  the  coat  was  a  silk  and  woolen 
waistcoat^^and  the  small  clothes,  which  were  fastened  at  the 
knees  with  bright  but  not  costly  buckles  to  a  pair  ot  some- 


Concord  225 

what  gay  stockings  made  up  a  costume  which  though  not 
extravagantly  expensive  was  picturesque. 

Not  long  after  the  time  set  for  the  ceremony  Mr.  Flint 
drove  into  the  yard,  accompanied  by  a  servant.  As  he 
entered  the  house  he  explained  that  his  delay  was  occa- 
sioned by  an  afternoon  call  from  one  of  the  "  Assistants" 
from  Boston,  who  was  on  his  way  to  Sudbury  town  to  aid 
in  settling  an  ecclesiastical  dissension  which  had  arisen  there 
concerning  a  "stinting  of  the  cow  commons,"  which  diffi- 
culty the  colonial  court  had  been  called  upon  to  adjust. 

Soon  the  contracting  parties  "stood  up,"  and  the  "  Com- 
missioner," with  a  gravity  of  countenance  commensurate 
with  the  solemnity  of  his  sentences,  spent  a  few  moments 
in  an  attempt  to  impress  all  present  with  a  true  sense  of  the 
greatness  of  the  event  and  the  importance  of  entering  upon 
the  matrimonial  state  with  a  due  regard  to  its  sanctity  and 
a  resolve  to  live  up  to  its  requirements  with  an  unswerving 
fidelity.  He  said,  drawing  closer  to  the  bride,  "  Love  is 
the  sugar  to  sweeten  every  condition  in  the  married  state," 
and  exhorted  each  to  cultivate  it  and  not  let  their  ardor 
grow  cold. 

After  this  hortatory  exercise  he  offered  prayer ;  and  the 
parson,  Peter  Bulkeley,  "  improved  the  occasion"  by  saying 
some  things  corroborative  oi  what  had  been  said,  and 
cautioned  all  to  be  circumspect  and  to  cultivate  those  graces 
which  would  fit  them  for  any  condition. 

After  these  things  the  main  issue  was  attended  to,  and 
the  couple  were  pronounced  man  and  wife.  Imme- 
diately after  this,  servants,  some  of  them  belonging  to 
the  neighbors,  brought  in  the  "sack  posset,"  a  beverage 
that  was  usually  drank  on  marriage  occasions,  yet,  as  we 
were  told,  without  "  noisy  revelry." 

For  edibles  there  was  the  usual  country  course  for 
colonial  times,  conspicuous  among  which  was  the  bride's 
cake.  After  the  wedding  meal  was  partaken  of,  merry- 
making was  in  order,  which,  as  in  modern  times  on    similar 


226  Colonial 

occasions,  was  made  up  of  such    things  as  pertained  to  a 
pleasurable  bantering  of  the  bridegroom  and  bride. 

Soon  the  "garter"  by  some  mysterious  agency  was 
obtained  and  thrown  out,  and  the  scramble  for  it  by  the 
eager  company  indicated  how  much  the  person  who 
finally  possessed  it  prized  the  good  luck  it  was  supposed 
to  bring. 

During  the  evening  while  others  were  engaged  in  the  fes- 
tivities, we  sought  an  acquaintance  with  several  famihes 
whom  we  had  not  before  met,  among  whom  were  the 
Bloods  and  Healds  from  the  extreme  north  quarter,  and 
we  accepted  an  invitation  from  Goodman  Blood  to  visit 
him  the  following  week.  We  were  also  introduced  to  Mr. 
Flint,  and  were  soon  engaged  in  an  animated  conversation 
concerning  his  large  estate  and  his  duties  as  a  colonial 
official.  As  our  interview  was  suddenly  interrupted  by  the 
great  commotion  caused  by  casting  the  garter  and  the  sub- 
sequent scramble  for  it,  Mr.  Flint  kindly  invited  us  home 
with  him,  that  we  might  continue  our  talk  in  the  quiet  ride 
through  the  woods,  and  on  the  morrow  look  about  his 
estate,  see  his  family  and  become  acquainted  with  that  por- 
tion of  the  south  quarter  in  which  he  dwelt.  We 
accepted  most  gladly  the  invitation,  and  explanations 
having  been  made  to  the  Rices  and  to  Timothy  Wheeler, 
we  bade  the  Miles's  good-night  and  departed,  carrying  with 
us  the  pleasantest  of  recollections. 

It  was  with  regret  that  we  left  the  Miles  domicile  in  the 
midst  of  the  nuptial  merry-making,  for  we  were  beginning 
to  feel  young  again  in  the  midst  of  so  much  hilarity  and 
exuberance  of  spirit ;  besides,  we  were  feeling  quite  at  home 
there,  for  everything  we  heard  about  the  family  had  been 
fully  corroborated  by  what  we  saw. 

The  house  was  the  first  one  built  upon  the  spot,  and  had 
been  erected  by  John  Miles,  a  pioneer  grantee,  who  was  in 
Concord  in  1640.  His  first  house  lot  which  consisted  of 
three  acres  was  in  the  center,  but  later  he  left  it  and 
went  to  the  "  nine  acres,"  where,  with  some  of  the  Wheelers 


Concord  ii'] 

for  neighbors,  he  opened  a  clearing  and  set  up  a  home 
which  has  long  been  identified  with  his  name. 

The  spot  selected  for  his  homestead  was  picturesque.  It 
was  in  a  close  of  nine  acres,  which  in  process  of  time 
came  to  be  called  the  "  nine  acre  corner,"  and  the  term  is 
surely  no  misnomer,  since  the  plot  of  land  thus  termed  is 
literally  cornered  by  two  streams,  the  river  and  gulf  brook. 
John  Miles  married  for  his  first  wife  Sarah,  who  died  in 
1678,  leaving  one  daughter,  who  married  Kdmund  Wigley, 
and  afterwards  Joseph  Lee.  He  married  in  his  old  age 
Susannah  Redit.  He  left  John,  Samuel  and  Mary.  John 
married  Mary  Prescottin  1702,  and  died  October  23,1725, 
leaving  an  estate  of  ^1,768  and  two  sons,  John  and  Jona- 
than, the  latter  being  a  graduate  of  Harvard  College. 

Samuel,  son  of  the  first  John,  was  a  deacon  in  the  Con- 
cord Church,  and  died  March  13,  1756,  leaving  as  children 
Samuel,  Joseph,  Sarah,  Ezekiel,  Esther,  Martha,  Nathan, 
Reuben  and  Charles,  the  latter  of  whom  was  a  captain  in 
the  Revolutionary  war. 

It  was  arranged  beforehand  that  the  servant  who  accom- 
panied Esquire  Flint  should  remain  over  night  with  Mr. 
Miles'  hired  man  that  we  might  have  the  use  of  his  horse. 

The  moon  was  low  when  the  bars  were  dropped  for  our 
egress  from  the  short  lane  that  led  out  to  the  country  road. 
The  air  was  balmy  and  the  night  was  still,  save  as  when  we 
neared  the  river  was  heard  the  quacking  of  a  flock  of  be- 
lated ducks,  who  were  taking  advantage  of  the  bright  moon 
to  move  a  little  farther  south  before  the  Indian  summer 
was  over.  Now  and  then  there  was  also  heard  the  soft 
tread  of  a  surprised  fox  as  he  suddenly  turned  for  a  safe 
retreat  upon  hearing  us.  Once  a  buck  stalked  so  near  that 
our  horses  stopped  ;  and  as  we  turned  the  bend  of  the 
pond  and  were  about  descending  the  hill,  at  a  point  where 
the  evergreen  tips  almost  came  together  over  the  road, 
there  clumsily  crossed  our  pathway  a  large,  lumbering  form, 
looking  so  unshapely  as  it  loomed  up  in  the  shadows  that 
Mr.   Flint's  horse,  which  was  a  little  ahead  of  ours,  for  we 


228  Colonial 

were  too  timid  to  ride  alongside,  suddenly  sheered  and 
pranced,  while  ours  almost  unseated  us. 

Mr.  Flint  exclaimed  that  we  had  encountered  a  bear,  but 
that  bruin  being  without  cubs  was  perfectly  harmless, 
and  our  only  fear  need  be  for  our  horses,  as  the  uncouth 
appearance  of  bears  and  their  shambling  gait  was  to  them 
a  matter  of  suspicion.  Soon  after  this  little  episode  we 
approached  the  Flint  homestead,  and  knew  by  its  looks 
that  a  warm  welcome  awaited  us  ;  for,  although  the  hour 
was  late,  there  was  a  light  in  the  front  windows  and  the 
bright  fire  gleamed  cheerily  from  the  half-open  door  of  the 
kitchen,  where  a  servant  stood  looking  and  listening.  Once 
within,  we  saw  steaming  upon  the  crane  a  large  teakettle, 
and  standing  between  the  andirons,  whose  great  brazen  tops 
reflected  the  crackling  flames,  a  skillet  of  broth.  A  beaker 
of  hot  cordial  was  at  once  offered  us  with  a  bowl  of  the 
broth,  but  we  took  only  the  latter,  saying  it  would  answer 
both  for  food  and  drink. 

After  being  thus  warmed  and  refreshed,  we  were  shown 
to  our  lodging  place,  which  of  course  was  the  guest  cham- 
ber, and  being  at  the  house  of  Mr.  Flint,  "Commissioner" 
and  a  "man  of  means,"  it  was  unusually  capacious.  Next 
morning  we  were  astir  early,  but  none  too  early,  for  in 
families  that  were  "well  to  do"  slothfulness  was  in  no  wise 
encouraged,  and  it  was  the  custom  soon  after  sunrising  for 
the  hired  men  to  "go  afield."  The  same  punctiliousness 
regarding  the  daily  religious  observances  was  noticeable 
here  as  elsewhere,  for  Mr.  Flint  opened  the  leather  cov- 
ered lids  of  the  well  worn  Bible  and  read  in  true  patriarchal 
style,  while  the  family  reverently  listened.  Breakfast  and 
devotions  over,  our  host  led  us  into  his  private  room, 
which  in  modern  times  would  be  called  an  ofiice.  On  an 
antique  table  were  a  bunch  of  unsharpened  goose  quills,  a 
capacious  ink  horn,  some  unruled  paper  of  coarse  quality, 
a  stick  of  sealing  wax  and  a  seal  stamp.  For  books,  there 
was  a  work  of  comments  on  the  English  law,  "Coke  on 
Littleton,"  and  an  old  volume  of  "Notes  on  the  Penta- 


Concord  2  2g 

teuch."  There  was  also  a  pile  of  letters  folded  and  fast- 
ened with  red  sealing  wax  in  readiness  to  be  delivered  to 
the  first  person  going  to  Boston ;  for  mail  matter  was  only 
transmitted  by  such  trustworthy  travelers  as  might  chance 
to  come  along. 

After  making  a  record  of  the  marriage  just  consummated, 
Mr.  Flint  seated  himself  by  the  fireside,  and  in  response  to 
our  inquiries,  defined  his  duties  as  an  "Assistant"  and  a 
magistrate.  We  found  that  the  functions  of  the  former 
were  highly  honorable,  and  that  aforetime  they  were  of  a 
nature  legislative,  executive,  and  judiciary  ;  and  there  being 
but  a  dozen  Assistants  in  the  Bay  colony,  only  a  few  towns 
could  boast  of  one.  So  important  was  the  office,  at  the 
first,  that  the  Assistants  could  choose  a  Governor  and 
Deputy  Governor  out  of  their  own  body,  and  make  laws 
which  later  only  the  General  Court  could  do ;  also  while 
formerly  they  had  to  do  with  the  making  of  freemen,  or  in 
other  words,  empowering  the  Colonists  to  vote,  this  now 
could  only  be  done  by  the  Court.  But  though  the  office 
had  been  stripped  of  some  of  its  prerogatives,  it  was  one  of 
the  most  conspicuous  in  the  colony,  and  the  possessor  of  it 
was  in  a  position  of  great  influence.  In  a  certain  sense  the 
Assistants  were  still  the  Councilors  of  the  Commonwealth, 
assumed  the  name  of  Magistrates,  and  were  looked  up  to 
with  great  reverence.  They  were  chosen  by  the  people, 
and  because  of  traditional  associations  and  still  existing 
authority,  they  took  a  first  rank  in  society.  As  to  the 
work  of  Mr.  Flint  as  a  "Commissioner  to  end  small 
causes"  within  the  territory  to  which  he  was  specifically  ap- 
pointed his  sphere  was  more  circumscribed.  His  jurisdic- 
tion extended  over  Sudbury  and  Concord  only,  and  the 
causes  were  limited  to  such  as  had  an  issue  of  not  over 
twenty  shillings.  But  even  with  these  restrictions  there 
was  considerable  scope  for  authority,  since  he  might  act  as 
judge,  juror,  and  barrister,  and  also  furnish  the  law,  the 
authorities  for  the  latter  being  extremely  few  and  meager, 
as  is  shown  by  the  following  enactment  in   1647:  "It  is 


230  Colonial 

agreed  by  the  Court,  to  the  end  we  may  have  the  better 
light  for  making  and  proceeding  about  laws,  that  there  shall 
be  these  books  following  procured  for  the  use  of  the  Court 
from  time  to  time  :  'Two  of  Sir  Edward  Cooke  upon  Lit- 
tleton ;  two  of  the  books  of  entryes  ;  two  of  Sir  Edward 
Cooke  upon  Magna  Charta ;  two  of  the  New  Terms  of  the 
Law  ;  two  Dalton's  Justice  of  Peace  ;  two  of  Sir  Edward 
Cooke's  Reports.'"  Those  books  furnished  the  first  founda- 
tion of  law  not  only  for  the  General  Court,  but  for  all 
others. 

Curious  incidents  are  related  as  taking  place  in  these  early 
courts.  Sometimes  there  was  interference  which  at  present 
may  appear  incredible  and  it  is  said  that  those  who  inter- 
meddled most  were  clergymen.  An  instance  is  recorded  in 
an  action  of  alleged  slander  brought  by  a  minister  against  a 
layman.  Another  minister  dining  with  the  judge  stated  to 
him  that  when  the  case  was  tried  he  would  like  to  make  a 
few  remarks.  When  the  plaintiff's  counsel  had  opened 
the  case,  he  began  questioning  the  plaintiff,  and  the  regular 
proceedings  were  suspended  until  the  reverend  gentleman 
was  through.  At  the  close  of  the  argument  for  the  de- 
fendant, the  accommodating  justice  gave  the  clergyman 
another  chance,  whereupon  he  begged  the  magistrate  to  dis- 
miss the  action,  which  he  forthwith  did. 

In  another  instance  one  juror,  who  was  standing  out 
against  the  eleven  others,  was  especially  interviewed  by  the 
state's  advocate  and  directed  as  to  what  to  do.  When  the 
obstinate  man  refused  to  obey,  it  is  said  he  was  starved  into 
compliance,  while  his  fellows  received  meat  and  drink ;  it 
being  remarked  that  it  was  better  one  man  should  be  de- 
stroyed than  eleven. 

It  is  said  that  verdicts  were  sometimes  rendered  to  the 
effect  that  there  was  "strong  ground  for  suspicion  though 
falling  short  of  proof"  ;  in  such  case  the  Court  might  sen- 
tence the  defendant  for  such  crime  as  it  appeared  probable 
he  had  committed,  though  it  had  neither  been  alleged  in 
the    complaint   nor    found    by    the  jury.     It    is    recorded 


Concord  231 

that  "a  man  indicted  for  forgery  which  could  not  be  proven 
was  reported  by  the  jury  to  be  a  cheat  and  had  to  stand 
upon  the  court-house  steps  for  half  an  hour  with  the  forged 
bond  and  the  word  'Cheat'  in  large  letters  pinned  upon 
his  breast." — Boston  Bench  and  Bar. 

Our  conversation  was  interrupted  by  a  call  to  dinner, 
which  we  were  glad  to  hear,  for  the  odor  from  the  kitchen 
suggested  something  delicious  for  us.  In  the  afternoon  we 
set  out  to  attend  the  funeral  at  the  house  by  the  Darby 
bridge.  As  Mr.  Flint  was  to  be  busy,  he  sent  his  servant 
to  accompany  us.  We  rode  on  horseback,  single  file,  along 
the  way  "that  goeth  to  Mr.  Flint's,"  till  it  merged  in  the 
county  road,  where  there  was  less  need  of  watchfulness  for 
roots  and  rocks,  and  where  we  could  ride  abreast  of  each 
other. 

As  we  walked  our  horses  through  the  roadway,  we  had  a 
chat  about  servants,  a  subject  we  had  been  seeking  an  op- 
portunity to  converse  upon  before.  The  man  was  intelli- 
gent and  also  communicative,  so  we  received  some  valuable 
hints  which  led  us  to  conclude  that  in  colonial  times  there 
was  but  little  difference  either  in  intelligence  or  pedigree 
between  some  who  worked  for  hire  and  some  who  did  not  ; 
moreover,  the  term  servant  was  sometimes  used  differently 
from  what  it  is  now,  and  might  designate  one  who  trans- 
acted business  for  another  as  an  agent.  Some  denominated 
servants  in  a  ship's  passenger  list  might  be  coming  to 
America  to  act  for  parties  in  England  in  land  matters,  or  to 
substitute  for  them  as  settlers,  thereby  enabling  the  princi- 
pal to  share  in  land  allotments,  or  in  any  profit  that  might 
accrue  from  the  enterprise. 

It  is  also  supposed  that  some  in  the  passenger  lists  who 
were  recorded  as  servants  were  only  ostensibly  such  for  the 
purpose  of  disguising  themselves,  the  intent  being  to  evade 
the  unjust  immigration  laws.  As  England  was  at  that 
time  agitated  by  religious  and  political  dissension,  there  was 
unusual  surveilance  over  its  outgoing  population,  and  per- 


232  Colonial 

mits  were  not  easily  obtained  ;  hence  the  occasional  resort 
to  strategy. 

An  apprentice  was  considered  a  servant,  and  as  such  was 
obligated  to  his  master  for  from  three  to  seven  years.  He 
might  have  come  from  one  of  the  best  families,  the  old 
homestead  not  being  sufficient  to  support  several  sons.  A 
child  during  non-age  was  really  a  servant,  unless  he  "bought 
his  time"  of  his  father,  which  was  often  done.  Others 
might  be  servants  for  a  term  of  years  by  agreement. 

Over  all  servants  the  master  was  supposed  to  maintain  a 
quasi  control,  and  the  law  looked  to  him  as  a  sponsor  for 
their  good  conduct,  and  expected  such  watchfulness  and 
wholesome  tutelage  as  was  reasonable.  Among  early  town 
records  we  find  the  appointment  of  certain  persons  "for  to 
take  pains  for  to  see  into  the  general  families  in  town,  to 
see  whether  children  and  servants  are  employed  in  work 
and  educated  in  the  ways  of  God  and  in  the  ground  of 
religion  according  to  the  order  of  the  General  Court."  In 
later  times  the  term  servant  was  made  to  include  African 
slaves,  some  of  whom  were  in  Concord. 


THE 

NEW  YORK 

PUBLIC  LIBRARY 

ftstor,  Lenox  and  TiJden^ 
Foundations. 


1 1<  k^Ik'^  lh<   "  tiHiv  «tl 
f!  Jbit  Imm  tti  <■>  hind  iii  '^'>' '  ' 

n.  MO-  iKfi-i)  |t(<. 

Tr/'     M    lit-    fl..l>.  -!.'-' 


THE   GRAVE-STONE  OF  JOHN  JACK. 


CHAPTER    XXIV. 

Funeral  at  the  House  of  a  Cottager  —  Absence  of 
Floral  Tributes  and  Artificial  Adornments  —  Sad 
and  Simple  Services —  1'he  Burial  —  The  Procession 
to  the  Grave — Talk  with  the  '■'^  Sax  ton"  in  the 
Burying  Ground — Early  Colonial  Funeral  Customs 
—  The  Bearers^  Mort  Cloth^  Mourning  Gloves^ 
Scarfs  and  Rings  —  Grave  Stones  and  Epitaphs  — 
Start  for  the  Flint  Homestead — Evening  Adven- 
ture hy  the  Way  —  The  Strange  Surprise  —  A 
Pleasant  Discovery —  Entertained  by  Nantatucket 
and  Tissansquaw. 

BY  the  time  we  had  reached  the  foregoing  conclusions 
we  were  on  the  Darby  bridge  and  the  house  of  the 
poor  cottager  appeared  in  sight.      It  was  unpreten- 
tious with  a  low  roof,  and  the  thatching  so  drooped 
below  the  two  diminutive  windows  as  to  give  it  an  appear- 
ance of  being  even  smaller  than  it  was. 

There  was  a  porch  covered  with  wild  clematis,  and  on 
either  side  of  the  path  leading  to  it  were  several  clumps  of 
lilies  and  pinks,  while  in  the  open  yard  were  the  blighted 
stalks  of  several  hollyhocks.  There  was  a  garden  near  by 
in  which  were  still  green  the  leaves  of  parsnip,  cabbages 
and  carrots,  but  all  else  had  a  sterile  and  withered  look 
quite  in  keeping  with  our  errand.  We  knew  before  we 
reached  the  place  that  the  funeral  was  to  be  held  there,  for 
we  saw  people  standing  about  as  if  waiting  for  something ; 
and  just  outside  the  door  stood  the  grewsome  bier,  covered 
with  a  pall  or  "buryin'  cloth." 

As  we  entered  we  found  the  room  full  of  people,  for  it 
appeared  as  if  everybody  from  the  South  quarter  was  there, 

^33 


234  Colonial 

besides  some  from  outside.  The  coffin  lay  on  a  table  in 
the  narrow  entry  way,  and  was  made  of  coarse  pine  boards, 
stained  dark,  giving  it  a    still  more    sombre    appearance. 

On  the  lid  was  a  piece  of  paper  giving  the  name  and 
age  of  the  deceased,  which  each  one  picked  up  and  read  as 
he  passed  by.  Not  a  flower  was  in  sight  —  no,  not  so  much 
as  an  evergreen  spray  or  myrtle  sprig  to  remind  the  mourn- 
ers of  a  coming  resurrection,  when  fresh  with  an  immortal 
youth  they  could  again  see  their  dead.  Every  aspect  was 
of  death  ;  and  as  the  cold  gray  of  that  autumnal  after- 
noon with  its  low  circling  sun  brooded  over  the  cottage,  it 
was  all  in  accord  with  the  coffin,  the  bier  and  the  pall,  and 
the  sad  company  standing  about  them.  Presently  it  was 
whispered  that  the  clergyman  was  coming,  and  then  al!  set- 
tled into  that  solemn  hush  which  had  deference  both  for 
the  living  and  the  dead,  broken  only  by  the  deep  breath- 
ing of  the  sorrowful  and  the  responsive  sigh  of  such  as 
were  in  sympathy  with  them. 

No  Scripture  was  read  at  that  house  of  sorrow ;  no 
psalm  was  sung ;  no  prayers  were  said ;  and  after  a  few 
words  of  consolation,  and  all  present  had  viewed  the  re- 
mains, even  little  children  being  raised  up  to  look  at  them, 
the  bearers  placed  the  coffin  upon  the  bier,  covered  it  with 
the  cloth  and  lifting  it  upon  their  shoulders,  started  for  the 
burying  ground.  We  joined  the  procession.  The  cloth 
was  kept  in  place  by  extra  bearers,  who  walked  along  by 
the  side  of  the  others,  spelling  them  when  tired. 

After  moving  with  slow  and  measured  step  a  quarter  of 
a  mile  or  more,  they  halted  and  set  the  body  on  a  mort- 
stone,  while  the  first  set  of  bearers  gave  way  to  the  others. 
In  a  few  moments  the  procession  resumed  its  mournful 
march,  and  after  several  similar  halts  it  reached  the  grave 
yard,  just  as  the  slant  beams  of  the  fast  setting  sun  were 
trying  to  stretch  themselves  beyond  the  little  meeting 
house. 

The  burial  was  performed  in  silence  ;  the  cold  earth  rat- 
tled harshly  upon  the  coffin ;  and  when  all  was  over  and 


Concord  23  5 

the  "saxton"  had  heaped  the  last  turf  upon  the  newly  made 
mound,  each  turned  sorrowfully  away  as  if  carrying  with 
him  fresh  evidence  of  his  own  mortality. 

We  lingered  about  the  spot  for  a  little  time,  thinking  to 
learn  from  the  old  "saxton"  something  more  about  old 
burial  rites  ;  for  this  faithful  public  servant,  although  it  was 
late,  appeared  in  no  hurry  to  get  away,  but  leisurely  folded 
up  the  burying-cloth  and  wiped  his  clumsy  spade  on  the 
clean  grass,  as  if  to  have  it  in  good  order  when  he  should 
want  it  again. 

The  wind  had  gone  down,  and  the  moon  was  just  creep- 
ing over  the  great  fields  to  the  easterly,  and  as  there  was 
no  dampness  on  that  dry  knoll  there  was  no  discomfort  in 
remaining,  while  John,  the  servant,  had  a  loose  shoe 
fastened  at  the  smithy. 

It  would  not  take  long  to  relate  what  the  "saxton"  told 
us,  but  after  he  had  gone  there  came  up  the  hill  path  one 
of  the  villagers,  who  was  accounted  handy  at  funerals  and 
in  laying  out  the  dead,  looking  for  a  glove  which  some  one 
had  lost,  and  from  him  we  obtained  some  valuable  informa- 
tion relating  to  burial  customs.  And  now  before  leaving 
this  subject  we  will  state  some  facts  concerning  these.  In 
Colonial  times  there  were  few  religious  services  at  funerals  ; 
and  but  little  was  said  in  public,  either  to  mitigate  grief  or 
lead  to  resignation.  The  coffin  was  carried  to  the  grave 
and  buried  in  silence. 

Letchford  says  of  it :  "All  the  neighborhood  or  a  goodly 
company  came  togther  at  the  tolling  of  the  bell".  The 
minister  was  commonly  present,  but  only  as  a  silent  wit- 
ness. As  was  the  custom  in  England,  laudatory  verses 
were  sometimes  fastened  to  the  bier  or  "herse"  as  the 
draped  platform  upon  which  the  coffin  rested  was  called. 
The  funeral  carriage  called  "hearse"  was  not   then  in  use. 

After  the  funeral  printed  verses  were  often  procured,  and 
the  slips  on  which  they  were  printed  were  decorated  with 
black  borders,  skull  and  crossbones,  a  scythe  and  hour 
glass.     Occasionally  an  attempt  was  made  to  solemnly  pun 


236  Colonial 

in  verse,  or  play  facetiously  upon  a  name  in  a  way  that 
might    be  almost  painful  to  people  of   the  present    time. 

As  a  rule  there  were  two  sets  of  "bearers,"  one  called 
under  bearers,  usually  young  men  who  carried  the  bier,  and 
the  other  old  men  or  relatives,  who  held  the  corners  of  the 
pall ;  if  the  distance  was  long  there  was  a  double  number  of 
under  bearers.  The  pall  or  mort-cloth  was  usually  made  of 
velvet  and  owned  by  the  town.  The  bier  was  often  kept 
in  the  porch  of  the  meeting  house,  but  in  some  cases  it 
was  left  standing  over  the  grave  awaiting  another  funeral. 

Sometimes  there  was  no  regularly  appointed  grave  dig- 
ger, but  a  friend  or  relative  of  the  deceased  might  perform 
this  service.  In  some  towns  the  news  of  a  death  was  the 
signal  for  the  cessation  of  all  work.  Liquors  were  univer- 
sally used,  and  even  if  the  deceased  were  a  pauper,  gallons 
of  rum  and  a  barrel  of  cider  might  be  called  for,  but  if  a 
person  of  distinction  the  expense  was  correspondingly 
greater.  The  custom  was  to  look  at  the  corpse  and  then 
pass  on  to  the  table  and  take  a  drink. 

Mourning  gloves  and  scarfs  were  often  given.  Some- 
times there  were  printed  invitations  to  "follow  the  corpse," 
and  great  care  was  taken  to  have  all  walk  in  the  proper 
order  with  respect  to  relationship  and  rank.  The  mourning 
gloves  were  usually  furnished  by  the  bereaved  family,  if  in 
well-to-do  circumstances,  and  a  minister  after  a  long  pastor- 
ate usually  had  in  store  a  large  number.  It  is  said  that 
one  Boston  minister  received  in  thirty-two  years,  two 
thousand,  nine  hundred  and  torty  ;  being  more  than 
he  wanted  he  exchanged  them  tor  other  goods. 

"Mourning  rings,"  engraved  with  skull  and  crossbones, 
were  sometimes  given  to  bereaved  friends  and  not  infre- 
quently they  were  quite  costly. 

Funerals  were  forbidden  to  be  held  on  Sunday.  Many 
of  the  gravestones  came  from  England,  and  were  of  hard 
black  slate  from  North  Wales.  The  Welsh  stones  usually 
had  on   them  a  death's  head  or  that  of  a  winged  cherub. 

Weeping  willows  and  urns    came  in   vogue     later,    and 


Concord  237 

these  were  afterwards  superseded   by   the      hour-glass  and 
clock  face  or  dial. 

Capital  letters  were  used  in  inscriptions  till  the  time  of 
the  Revolution, 

The  epitaphs  were  sometimes  curious  to  a  remarkable 
degree,  as  for  example  : 

Here  lies  cut  down  like  unripe  fruit 
The  wife  of  Deacon  Amos   Shute. 

There  was  often  the  manifestation  of  great  resignation, 
showing  the  strong  and  simple  faith  of  the  bereaved 
friends. 

They  looked  upon  death  as  3  liberator  from  care  and 
toil,  and  believed  it  was  the  entrance  to  a  blessed  immor- 
tality ;  hence  a  bier  or  burying  ground  savored  of  blissful 
associations  :  and  this  accounts  for  such  expressions  as  that 
of  Judge  Samuel  Sewall  who,  after  visiting  the  family 
tomb  and  seeing  the  coffins  therein,  said:  "It  was  an  awful 
yet  pleasing  treat :  "  and  of  another,  that  the  two  days 
wherein  he  buried  his  wife  and  son  were  "the  best  he  ever 
had  in  the  world." 

In  the  twilight  we  passed  from  the  place  of  old  graves 
and  descended  the  narrow  pathway  that  led  to  the  "little 
strate  strete",  and  as  we  emerged  from  the  shade  into  the 
open  ground,  where  it  broadened  out  toward  the  milldam  and 
town  pound,  we  beheld  over  the  western  horizon  some  of 
those  purple  and  pink  tints  which  are  in  striking  contrast 
to  the  approaching  darkness. 

Here  we  thought  is  a  fit  illustration  of  the  settler's 
experiences  as  relates  to  such  somber  scenes  as  we  have 
just  witnessed.  He  sees  light  in  every  condition,  however 
gloomy  it  may  appear  to  others.      That  light  is   his  faith. 

Through  it  comes  his  steadfastness  in  sorrow,  his  sub- 
missiveness  in  view  of  death,  and  his  apparent  indifference 
to  consolation  afforded  by  external  objects. 

He  needs  no  flowers  at  his  funerals,   hence  he  has  none. 

He  desires  no  burnished  trimmings  to  his  coffin,  neither 
does  he  care  for  any  costly  paraphernalia  to   his  grave  car- 


23  8  Colonial 

riage.  If  he  had  these  he  would  look  above  and  beyond 
them  all  for  his  comfort. 

The  primary  design  of  the  absence  of  ceremony  on 
these  occasions  was  to  steer  clear  of  everything  that  savored 
of  popery.  The  rude  and  grewsome  decorations  on  the 
tombstone  were  designed  only  to  remind  the  careless  passer- 
by that  he  too  was  mortal  and  must  share  the  common  lot. 

The  darkness  deepened.  The  sluggish  mist  of  the  mill 
pond  was  settling  about  us.  An  east  wind  suddenly 
springing  up  brought  from  the  place  of  old  graves  the 
murmur  of  pines  and  the  rustle  of  tree  branches.  As  it 
was  Saturday  night  an  unwonted  stillness  prevailed  about 
there. 

The  mill  had  stopped,  the  cattle  were  housed,  the  roads 
were  vacant,  and  nothing  was  seen  or  heard  in  the  vicinity 
except  the  monotonous  roaring  of  the  water  at  the  milldam 
as  it  fell  over  the  splashboards,  and  the  occasional  lone 
bellowing  of   an   impatient  yearling   in   the    town    pound. 

For  an  instant  we  stood  motionless,  as  if  to  realize 
where  we  were,  and  then  it  suddenly  occurred  to  us  that 
John  only  went  to  get  a  shoe  fastened,  and  that  the  time 
for  him  to  return  was  passed. 

We  looked  in  the  directon  of  the  south  bridge,  if  per- 
chance we  could  see  him,  but  in  vain.  We  turned  towards 
the  Meriam  grocery,  thinking  some  errand  might  have 
called  him  there;  but  It  was  in  vain,  for  no  one  appeared, 
and  we  were  about  sitting  down  on  the  turnstile  that 
guarded  the  path  to  the  meeting  house,  when  we  heard  the 
measured  tread  of  a  horse's  hoofs,  and  it  flashed  upon  us 
that  John  had  gone  home,  and  was  even  then  jogging 
along  over  the  planks  of  Potter's  bridge  in  the  comfortable 
assurance  that  we  had  walked  along  expecting  him  to  over- 
take us. 

It  needed  but  little  reflection  to  understand  the  serious- 
ness of  the  situation.  We  were  left,  and  John  would  have 
to  return  for  us  on  finding  we  were  not  at  home  on  his 
arrival.      Were  It  not  for  this  our  way  would   have  been 


Concord  239 

clear,  for  we  had  only  to  repair  to  Goodman  Hey- 
wood's,  or  the  Buss  Tavern  or  call  at  the  parsonage  to  be 
sure  of  a  welcome.  But  to  have  John  come  all  the  way 
back  was  out  of  the  question.  Neither  would  we  alarm 
the  family  by  a  night's  absence.  So  springing  over  a 
brush  fence  and  breaking  off  a  dry  sapling  which,  the  last 
spring,  had  been  placed  there  as  a  part  of  a  "sufficient 
fence",  which  the  town  ordered,  we  started. 

We  had  not  gone  far,  however,  before  we  wished  our- 
selves back.  The  country  was  strange  to  us.  The  path 
in  the  dim  moonlight  was  ill  defined  because  of  the  over- 
hanging branches,  and  every  now  and  then  we  stumbled 
over  a  rock  or  a  protruding  root.  As  we  got  farther 
from   the  village    the  way    grew  more  and    more    dreary. 

The  lights  faded  in  the  distance,  and  the  last  one  seen 
through  a  break  in  the  woods  was  the  faint  glimmer  of 
John  Adams'  firelight  as  it  shone  forth  through  his  open 
doorway  when  he  entered  after  the  evening  cattle  fodder- 
ing. No  sooner  had  the  last  light  vanished  than  diffi- 
culties began  to  thicken.  The  shrubbery  crowded  closer 
into  the  pathway,  so  we  had  sometimes  to  brush  back  the 
drooping  birches  and  hazel  bushes  laden  with  the  night 
damp,  and  every  now  and  then  when  wood  ways  parted 
from  the  main  road,  it  was  necessary  to  stoop  in  order  to 
discover  if  possible  the  footprints  of  John's  horse. 

As  the  stillness  of  the  forest  became  more  and  more 
apparent  in  the  deepening  gloom,  and  its  dreariness  became 
more  intense,  the  denizens  of  the  woods  became  more 
demonstrative. 

Several  times  there  came  to  us  the  low  call  of  a  coon, 
which  was  quickly  answered  by  another  in  a  minor  key,  as 
if  amicable  relations  were  not  being  maintained  by  them. 

The  surly  cry  of  something  which  by  a  subsequent 
description  we  concluded  was  a  snarling  lynx  was  once 
heard,  and  the  sound  was  so  new  to  us  that  we  thought  of 
the  spectral  wolf,  of  whose  midnight  marauding  we  had  heard 
at  the  Baker  husking  party. 


240  Colonial 

Another  startling,  though  harmless  episode,  was  the  fly- 
ing of  a  large  hoot  owl  so  near  us  as  to  fan  our  faces  with 
his  furry  wings. 

But  in  spite  of  these  impediments  we  kept  on,  intent 
upon  putting  as  much  space  as  possible  between  us  and 
the  hamlet  before  John  should  meet  us. 

It  was  not  however  given  us  to  get  far  in  carrying  out 
our  intent,  for  still  other  obstacles  were  to  arise,  the  climax 
of  which  was  reached  when  we  arrived  near  the  pond. 

We  had  heard  legends  connected  with  the  Concord 
ponds  and  especially  this  one.  How  that  spirits  flitted 
over  it,  and  even  stalked  forth  upon  its  lone  shores,  and 
that  wood  nymphs  danced  about  and  sometimes  allured 
timid  and  incautious  travelers  into  the  deep  woods. 

The  recalling  of  these  and  other  stories  of  a  like  nature 
was  a  poor  preparation  for  passing  the  pond,  which  was 
now  but  just  ahead,  and  remembering  that  nothing  but  a 
Bible  in  one's  pocket  or  a  silver  bullet  from  a  gun  barrel 
would  avail  anything  in  case  of  an  assault  by  the  Evil  One, 
we  dropped  our  stafi\,  which  we  had  carried  for  a  defence, 
and  resolved  to  trust  to  our  heels  in  case  anything  should 
occur  out  of  the  usual. 

We  had  reviewed  all  our  legendary  lore  concerning  the 
pond,  and  knew  by  the  damp  murky  atmosphere  that  it 
was  close  at  hand,  when  with  startling  suddenness  there 
came  a  weird  and  melancholy  sound  as  if  the  very  woods 
uttered  a  wail.  We  stopped.  Our  hair  bristled  and  we 
listened  spellbound. 

A  moment  and  it  came  again,  and  nearer  than  before, 
and  we  believed    that  the  next  it  would    be  in   the  road. 

We  had  heard  forest  sounds  of  every  nature  before,  as 
we  supposed,  from  the  low  night  call  of  the  little  wood 
bird  to  the  deep  booming  of  the  lank  bittern,  but  here  was 
a  noise  entirely    new  and    incomparable  to  anything  else. 

Our  first  thought  was  to  turn  back  and  quickly  put  our- 
selves as  far  as  possible  from  the  locality  if  not  from  the 
source  of  so  dismal  and  frightful  a  sound. 


Concord  241 

We  had  never  practically  believed  in  ghosts,  and  as  for 
spirits  we  had  never  seen  one  nor  met  with  one  who  we 
supposed  had. 

Our  theories  were  of  the  age  in  which  we  lived.  But  we 
were  in  another  age  now,  and  we  had  been  sitting  beside 
ancient  firesides  and  listening  to  gruesome  tales  by  those  in 
whose  houses  were  old  garrets,  and  in  whose  cellars  were 
dark  archways,  and  along  whose  winding  woodland  paths 
the  shadows  chased  each  other  gloomily,  sometimes  taking 
strange  shapes,  and  over  whose  low  gables  the  clouds  low- 
ered scowlingly.  We  had  been  sitting  where  the  wind 
whistled  down  old  chimney  stacks,  and  where  groups  in- 
stinctively drew  the  settle  near  to  the  hearth's  edge  and 
listened  timidly  to  the  mystical  wiseacre  as  he  interpreted 
strange  sounds,  until  no  one  cared  to  go  up  stairs  or  down 
stairs  or  step  outside.  In  fact  we  had  been  living  amid  a 
different  environment,  one  in  which  every  predilection  to  a 
belief  in  the  supernatural  had  been  thoroughly  aroused,  and 
we  only  needed  the  present  evidence  of  our  senses,  together 
with  what  we  supposed  had  been  an  exhaustive  observation 
of  all  of  nature's  strange  sights  and  noises,  to  lead  us  to 
abandon  old  conclusions  and  accept  new  ones. 

In  fact  we  learned  by  this  sudden  experience  that  it  is 
the  objects  around  which  superstitions  cluster  which  differ, 
rather  than  the  nature  of  the  persons  who  are  influenced 
by  them,  and  that  it  is  by  an  easy  transition  through  the 
pathway  of  circumstances  that  we  come  to  believe  in  the 
goblin  of  the  quaint  old  burying  ground,  the  elf  of  the 
woods  or  the  latest  product  of  modern  spiritism. 

The  nomenclature  of  an  age  may  disguise  its  real  beliefs, 
and  the  character  of  the  homes  of  the  living  may  determine 
the  character  of  the  spirit  tenantry. 

In  other  words,  the  nature  of  a  genuine  New  England 
apparition  is  such  that  it  would  never  be  seen  flitting  about 
among  the  flowers  of  a  modern  cemetery.  Its  nature  is  too 
rugged  to  live  there. 


242  Colonial 

Like  the  white  polar  bear  it  requires  cold  and  barrenness, 
where  folks  shiver  and  seldom  go. 

Given  right  conditions  and  it  may  come_^  to  you.  It 
loves  the  cobwebs  beneath  low  rafters,  and  the  smell 
of  mice  among  old  cradles  and  empty  meal  barrels.  It 
would  browse  among  bunches  of  brown  herbs  and  squeak 
forth  its  magical  utterances,  where  the  wind  plays  through 
angular  knot-holes  and  blows  the  light  out  if  anyone  enters. 

These  conditions  withheld  and  those  of  an  opposite 
character  substituted,  and  you  have  an  up-to-date  tenantry, 
and  one  that  is  coy  and  cultured,  and  is  at  home  in 
the  presence  of  the  velvet  carpet  and  satin  paper,  stuffed 
couches  and  chairs. 

But  they  are  all  of  the  same  kith  and  kin,  it  matters  not 
where  we  find  them,  whether  on  the  public  platform  or  in 
the  drawing  room,  or  by  "the  way  that  goeth  to  Mr. 
FHnt's." 

Let  it  not  then  be  thought  foolish  that  our  hair  started, 
and  that  we  were  stirred  to  our  very  extremities  by  that 
startling,  inexplicable  wail  that  came  from  pondward. 

We  were  in  Rome  doing  as  the  Romans  did,  and  our 
first  thought  and  impulse  was  to  flee  from  the  swamp  sprites 
without  stopping  to  question  what  they  were. 

Pursuant  to  this  purpose  we  turned  about  when  we  saw 
in  the  direction  whither  we  were  going  a  flash  of  light,  or 
rather  the  illumination  of  reflected  light,  as  if  cast  up  by  an 
unseen  fire  in  the  brush  wood. 

Here  was  a  new  development,  only  Httle  less  surprising 
than  the  first,  since  we  thought  it  might  be  a  part  and  par- 
cel of  it,  for  almost  simultaneous  with  the  strange  sight 
came  a  succession  of  the  strange  sounds,  this  time  as  if 
they  would  split  the  very  darkness  which  they  pierced. 

We  were  brought  to  a  standstill  ;  we  could  neither  retreat 
nor  go  forward.  It  was  peril  before  us  and  peril  behind  us 
and  peril  on  both  sides. 

As  we  stood  wondering  with  what  little  there  was  left  of 
us  to  wonder,  and  waiting  for  another  outburst  of  the  ter- 


Concord  243 

rific  wail,  we  saw  under  the  low  hemlock  boughs  a  couple 
of  upright  forms,  which  under  other  circumstances  we 
should  have  called  human,  but  which  looming  up  as  they 
did  in  the  shadows  and  amid  its  lurid  light  we  thought  had 
the  appearance  of  something  inhuman.  They  looked  like 
Indians,  and  were  dressed  like  them,  a  fact  which  only 
increased  our  dread  of  what  they  might  be,  for  we  were 
aware  that  supposed  manifestations  from  the  spirit  world 
were  made  by  Indians,  hence  naturally  we  thought  it  might 
be  so  now. 

Just  as  we  were  about  settling  ourselves  into  a  clump  of 
evergreens,  whose  friendly  branches  almost  touched  the 
dilapidated  top  ot  an  ancient  windfall,  this  being  the  only 
available  hiding  place,  one  of  the  forms  turned  toward  us, 
and  we  saw  at  a  glance,  and  to  our  great  surprise  and  de- 
light that  it  was  no  other  than  Nantatucket  whom  we  met 
at  Nashawtuck  ;  and  that  his  companion  was  Tisansquaw, 
whom  we  once  saw  at  the  lower  fishing  falls. 

In  an  instant  we  were  ourselves  again,  for  in  these  we 
knew  we  had  friends,  and  that  whether  the  sounds  we  had 
heard  were  of  man  or  devil  they  would  be  explained,  and 
if  the  situation  was  serious  we  would  share  it  together. 

As  we  sprang  forward  the  Indians  recognized  us,  and 
their  greeting  was  as  warm  and  demonstrative  as  their  rude 
ways  and  stolid  natures  would  admit  of. 

It  took  but  a  moment  to  inquire  concerning  the  sound, 
and  to  be  informed  that  what  we  had  heard  was  a  pair  of 
migratory  loons,  or  great  northern  divers,  which  in  the  fall 
and  spring  occasionally  drop  into  our  New  England  waters, 
where  they  remain  a  few  days  prior  to  their  journey  south- 
ward. 

They  had  been  disturbed  among  the  low  waterbrush  on 
the  pond  shore  by  the  fire  and  had  sent  out  their  wild 
screams  as  if  in  protest. 

No  one  need  wonder  at  our  recent  alarm,  for  the  notes 
of   this  remarkable  bird  at  any  time  sound    strange,    but 


244  Colonial 

stranger  yet  in  the  night's  stillness,  with  the  medium  of  a 
dense,  swampy  atmosphere  to  intensify  them. 

We  were  soon  sitting  by  the  camp  fire  of  our  two  friends, 
which  was  just  outside  the  bushes,  by  the  pond's  edge, 
beyond  which  was  the  dark,  outlying  water  where  the  loons 
were. 

We  learned  that  Nantatucket  and  Tisansquaw  had  been 
to  Natick,  to  attend  an  Indian  service  held  there  by 
Apostle  John  Eliot,  and  that  being  late  in  getting  home, 
and  growing  hungry,  they  had  encamped  beside  the  pond 
and  were  engaged  in  broiling  a  rabbit,  which  they  had 
thrust  through  with  a  wooden  spit. 


THE 

NEW  YORK 
^PUBLIC  LIBRARY 

Astor,  Lenox  and  T9den^ 
Foundations, 


NATHANIEL    HAWTHORNE. 


PERMISSION    OF    FOSTER    BROS. 


CHAPTER  XXV. 

Arrival  at  the  Flint  Farm  —  Sunday  Morning  in  a 
Home  of  Colonial  Concord — Start  for  Meeting  — 
Gathering  of  the  Worshipers  —  Neighborly  In- 
quiries —  The  Church  Service  —  The  Sermon  — 
Singing  —  'The  Noon  Intermission  —  Catechistical 
Exercises  —  Afternoon  Service  —  Colonial  Church 
Customs  —  Sacred  Music  —  Succession  of  Singing 
Books  —  ^'■Lining  Off"  —  Triple  Time  —  '■'■Fuging' 
—  Pitch  Pipes  —  Introduction  of  Musical  Instru- 
ments —  Talk  with  Goodman  James  Hosmer  — 
Conversation  Relating  to  the  Installation  of  Rev. 
Peter  Bulkeley  —  Facts  of  History  Concerning  this 
Subject. 

J'UST  as  Nantatucket  had  drawn  the  spit  from  the  rab- 
bit and  placed  it  upon  a  broad  flake  of  clean  bark, 
which  Tisansquaw  had  pealed  from  a  birch  tree,  we 
heard  the  clatter  of  horses'  feet,  and  knew  that  John 
was  coming.  It  was  with  regret  that  we  closed  our  inter- 
view with  our  swarthy  friends  for  we  could  have  contented 
ourselves  to  remain  with  them  over  night,  but  we  knew 
that  the  next  day  was  the  Sabbath,  and  that  all  traveling 
was  forbidden,  and  that  even  the  short  journey  to  the  Flint 
farm,  though  undertaken  with  so  good  an  excuse,  might 
subject  us  to  great  prejudice,  so  we  sprang  into  the  empty 
saddle  and  were  soon  away. 

We  received  a  warm  welcome  on  our  arrival.  Supper 
had  been  delayed  awaiting  our  return ;  after  which 
Mr.  Flint  gathered  the  household  together,  including  the 
servants,  for  no  servant  was  omitted  in  this  exercise,  and, 

245 


246  Colonial 

opening  the  Bible,  read  and  commented  upon  it,  being 
assisted  by  his  "Notes  on  the  Pentateuch." 

After  reading,  each  of  the  family  was  catechised,  and  all 
showed  such  a  commendable  acquaintance  with  the  Holy 
Scriptures  as  might  put  to  blush  many  a  youth  and  adult 
also  in  a  Sunday  school  of  today,  with  all  their  so-called 
"Lesson  Helps"  and  "Side  Lights."  After  the  religious 
exercises  were  over,  and  the  younger  members  had  retired, 
Mr.  Flint  and  myself  conversed  upon  several  topics  of 
public  interest,  and  it  was  not  until  the  low  burning  candle 
reminded  us  that  it  was  getting  late  that  we  retired  to  our 
room  there  to  enjoy  another  night  of  well-nigh  perfect 
slumber. 

The  morning  sun  arose  giving  promise  of  a  beauti- 
ful day.  Not  even  a  low  lying  cloud  was  visible  to  show 
the  possibility  of  unpleasant  weather.  But  the  quiet  was 
without,  for  the  noise  down-stairs  betokened  that  the 
Sabbath  was  not  with  them  a  day  of  indolent  repose.  It 
was  but  a  short  time  after  going  below  before  breakfast  was 
eaten,  and  the  sun  had  hardly  dried  the  night's  moisture 
from  the  sparkling  earth  when  we  were  all  on  our  way 
churchward,  passing  over  the  same  way  which  the  night 
before  had  brought  to  us  such  discomfort.  As  we 
ascended  the  hill  path  to  the  meeting  house,  we  found  that 
the  parson  had  not  yet  arrived,  so,  intent  upon  hearing  the 
news  from  the  whole  countryside,  we  leaned  up  against  an 
unused  hitching  post  to  look  and  listen. 

After  the  usual  salutations  by  each  new  comer,  conversa- 
tion commenced  on  the  events  of  the  week  in  their  several 
quarters,  as  these  related  to  things  of  a  nature  sufficiently 
serious  to  admit  of  Sabbath  inquiry. 

Goodwife  Brown  wanted  to  know  if  the  "arbs"  she  sent 
Susan  Ann,  poor  child,  did  her  good,  and  if  her  pain  was 
gone. 

Patty  Underwood  asked  after  the  condition  of  old  Aunt 
Lois,  and  whether  the  crutches  which  she  had  left  at  the 


Concord  247 

mile  post  by   the  corner  for  Goodman   Billings  to  carry  to 
her  were  the  right  length. 

Dame  Woods  was  anxious  to  know  of  the  Uarby  boys, 
and  if  they  had  sufficient  clothing  for  winter,  for,  said  she, 
"Since  their  mother  died  they  have  fared  hard." 

With  these  and  similar  inquiries  the  time  was  occupied 
till  some  one  said,  "The  minister  is  coming,"  when  all 
stepped  from  the  beautiful  sunlight  into  the  cool  stillness 
of  the  sanctuary  and  remained  standing  till  he  had  passed 
into  the  pulpit. 

The  service  was  opened  by  an  invocation  immediately 
followed  by  the  reading  of  the  Scriptures  with  comments. 
Then  came  the  singing  of  a  psalm  from  "Sternhold  and 
Hopkins'  Edition,"  set  to  the  tune  of  "St.  David."  The 
lining  of  the  psalm  was  by  Deacon  Griffin,  and  the  con- 
gregation endeavored  to  make  the  repetition  of  it  musical 
and  in  accord  with  the  tune  assigned,  but  we  observed  that 
before  the  exercise  was  over  there  was  a  compromise 
between  "St.  David,"  "York"  and  "Old  Winsor,"  and 
that  the  tune  varied  as  much  as  the  time. 

It  was,  however,  evidently  satisfactory  to  the  vvorship- 
pers,  and  the  devout  demeanor  of  every  participant  assured 
us  that  singing  in  those  days  was  really  worship. 

It  was  noticeable  that  there  were  only  a  few  copies  of  the 
Psalter  in  the  congregation,  which  showed  that  lining  off 
was  a  necessity. 

The  sermon  was  exegetical,  expository,  doctrinal,  and 
hortatory,  with  an  application  at  the  close,  and  occupied 
an  hour.  Psalm  singing  followed,  and  the  service  ended 
with  the  benediction. 

At  noon  came  the  catechistical  exercise,  of  which  we  had 
heard  much  but  had  not  yet  seen. 

We  do  not  know  whether  or  not  on  every  Sunday  it 
came  at  this  hour,  for  we  did  not  inquire,  and  the  inter- 
mission the  Sabbath  previous  being  taken  up  with  the 
sacramental  service  and  a  baptism,  we  have  nothing  to  judge 
from. 


24  8  Colonial 

We  conjecture,  however,  that  the  noontime  was  its  regu- 
lar hour,  because  it  was  the  only  practicable  time  for  it,  and 
the  one  which  in  later  days  has  been  given.to  the  Sunday 
school.  If  from  nine  or  half  past  to  twelve,  and  from  one 
or  half  past  to  nearly  four,  was  taken  up  with  the  regular 
service,  almost  of  necessity,  the  catechistical  would  come 
between. 

But  whatever  the  hour,  the  nature  and  order  of  it  was 
the  same,  and  we  will  describe  what  we  saw  of  it. 

There  was  a  short  interval  after  the  morning  service,  in 
which  the  middle-aged  men  could  stretch  their  legs  and  go 
to  the  Buss  tavern  and  eat  the  lunch  which  they  carried 
with  them,  and  the  younger  women  could  repair  to 
the  houses  near  by  and  warm  their  barley  coffee  or  steep  a 
little  "store"  tea,  and  the  old  people  could  go  to  one  of 
the  "noon  houses"  which  were  nearer  at  hand  and  replenish 
their  foot  stoves  with  coals  and  warm  some  cider  or  sack 
posset,  the  latter  of  which  they  brought  with  them,  while 
the  former  was  kept  in  storage  to  be  had  on  tap. 

This  brief  intermission  was  followed  by  a  prompt 
gathering  together  at  the  drum  beat,  and  a  seating  of  the 
people  in  a  way  that  had  special  reference  to  age,  the 
younger  and  unmarried  portion,  who  were  the  catechumens, 
being  nearest  to  the  minister.  As  in  the  morning,  the 
sexes  sat  separate,  except  in  the  back  seats,  where  the  grave 
heads  of  households  sat  and  where  there  was  allowed  a 
latitude  of  promiscuousness  which  would  not  be  tolerated 
among  the  younger  element. 

There  was  no  prelude,  and  when  Parson  Bulkeley  arose 
there  evidently  ran  through  the  younger  portion  that  feel- 
ing of  embarrassment  which  usually  prevails  on  occasions 
of  public  examination  ;  while  upon  the  faces  of  the  elders 
there  was  plainly  depicted  that  flush  of  anxious  suspense 
which  betokened  a  deep  desire  that  the  children  do  well. 

The  questions  were  all  simple  and  admitted  of  Scriptural 
answers.  The  purpose  evidently  was  to  inculcate  a  know- 
ledge of  the  doctrines  and  duties  taught  in  the  Bible. 


Concord  249 

A  short  intermission  followed  this  exercise,  when  all 
assembled  to  listen  to  the  second  sermon,  which  consisted 
of  a  gathering  up  and  application  of  the  points  brought  out 
in   the  noon  exercise,  together  with  comments  upon   them. 

As  the  order  of  the  second  service  was  similar  to  the  first, 
we  will  not  stop  to  note  any  change,  but  proceed  to  state  a 
few  facts  of  colonial  church  customs  as  related  in  history. 

A  singing  book  in  common  use  was  Ainsworth's,  "Book 
of  Psalms,"  printed  in  Amsterdam  in  161 2,  of  348  pages. 
It  contained  annotations  and  the  tune  in  which  each  psalm 
was  to  be  sung.  The  annotations  explained  the  psalms,  as 
for  example,  "The  Leviathan  is  the  great  whale  fish  or  sea 
dragon  used  to  represent  great  tyrants." 

The  books  were  very  few  from  which  came  the  custom 
of  lining  off,  called  "deaconing."  Judge  Sewall  said  with 
regard  to  the  harmony  on  a  certain  occasion,  "I  set  York 
and  the  congregation  went  to  St.  David."  Another  writer 
says:  "Not  two  persons  quaver  alike  but  each  may  drop 
off,  alter,  twist  or  change  to  suit  him." 

Bye  and  bye  the  "Bay  Psalm  Book"  came;  then  "Tate 
and   Brady's  Version." 

When  note  singing  was  introduced,  there  came  heart 
burnings,  with  assertions  that  it  was  popish.  In  process 
of  time  lectures  were  given  in  singing,  from  which  may 
have  been  evolved  the  singing  school  ;  and  by  allowing 
those  who  had  learned  to  sing  by  rule  to  sit  in  the  front 
seats  may  have  been  evolved  the  choir. 

After  a  while  "triple  time"  tunes  came  into  use. 

This  gave  offence  to  those  who  wanted  to  drawl  out  the 
notes  in  uniform  length,  and  the  time  was  derisively  called 
"a  long  leg  and  a  short  one." 

Then  came  the  style  of  singing  called  "fuging",  intro- 
duced by  Billings,  which  system  spread  like  wild-fire. 

Pitchpipes  made  of  apple-tree  wood  were  used  at  the 
first;  afterwards,  metallic  tuning  forks. 

In  1714,  there  came  from  England  "a  pair  of  organs,"  so 
called.      It  was  given  by  Thomas   Brattle  to   Brattle  Street 


250  Colonial 

Church,  Boston,  but  It  was  refused,  and  then  it  was  given 
to  King's  Chapel,  where,  after  remaining  unpacked  for  sev- 
eral months,  it  was  made  use  of. 

The  bass  viol  was  about  the  first  musical  instrument 
used  in  the  New  England  churches.  Violins  were  opposed 
because  they  savored  too  much  of  dancing  music.  A  com- 
promise was  made  in  some  places  by  which  the  fiddle  might 
be  played  if  played  the  wrong  end  up,  as  in  this  way  it 
could  be  called  a  small  bass  viol. 

In  Concord  the  version  ot  "Songs  and  Hymns"  by 
Sternhold  and   Hopkins  was  used  prior  to  1666. 

In  1775,  it  was  voted  to  sing  from  Tate  and  Brady's  ver- 
sion three  months  on  trial. 

The  June  following  Watt's  version  was  introduced  and 
used  till  1828. 

The  singers  were  first  "seated"  about  1774,  when  the 
custom  of  lining  ceased  and  the  church  voted  that  Deacon 
Wheeler  should  lead  the  singing  one  half  the  time  and  the 
singers  in  the  gallery  the  other. 

In  1779,  the  church  took  into  consideration  the  "melan- 
choly decay  of  singing  in  public  worship,  and  chose  20  per- 
sons who  should  sit  together  in  the  body  pews  below  and 
take  the  lead  in  singing,  the  women  to  sit  separate  from  the 
men." 

As  to  the  early  catechistical  service,  Letchford's  "Plain 
Dealing"  mentions  the  church  in  Concord  as  the  first  one 
to  adopt  the  custom  of  catechising  the  children. 

Mather  says,  "This  was  one  of  the  constant  exercises  of 
the  Sabbath  at  the  Concord  church." 

He  states  further  that  "All  the  unmarried  people  were 
required  to  answer  questions,  after  which  expositions  and 
applications  were  made  to  the  whole  congregation." 

As  the  sun  was  fast  settling  behind  the  trees  by  the  mill 
dam,  we  were  descending  the  narrow  hill  path  with  Good- 
man James  Hosmer,  who  had  entertained  us  at  his  "noon 
house,"  and  had  there  invited  us  to  go   home  with  him. 

On  the  way  to  his  house  we  had  an  oppotunity  for  con- 


Concord  251 

versatlon  on  several  subjects  appertaining  to  the  Concord 
settlement,  about  which  we  desired  information,  prominent 
among  which  was  the  installment  and  ordination  of  Rev. 
Peter   Bulkeley. 

We  had  known  something  of  these  events,  but  not  all. 
Neither  had  we  much  knowledge  of  the  history  of  the 
church;  for  as  its  records  for  the  period  since  its  establish- 
ment were  wanting,  one  person's  conjectures  about  this  as 
well  as  about  the  civil  history,  were  as  good  as  those  of 
another  provided  each  followed  the  analogy  of  common 
procedure. 

It  was  quite  opportune  that  a  subject  of  this  nature  was 
suggested,  since  it  would  hardly  have  been  in  keeping  with 
the  strict  Sabbath  observance  of  the  time  to  discuss  certain 
other  matters. 

We  ascertained  in  the  course  of  our  conversation  that 
some  embarassment  attended  the  first  installation  at  Con- 
cord ;  and  as  the  subject  is  interesting  we  will  give  some 
facts  as  we  have  found  them  stated  in  history. 

The  church  was  organized  July  5,  1636,  and  preparatory 
to  the  installation  of  Mr.  Bulkeley  a  day  of  fasting  and 
prayer  was  observed  April  5,  1637.  As  usual.  Colonial 
dignitaries  from  Boston,  both  civil  and  ecclesiastic,  were  in- 
vited to  the  council;  for  the  state  as  well  as  the  church  were 
interested  in  clerical  settlements,  and  assumed  to  have  a 
quasi  jurisdiction  or  influence  over  ministers  although 
theoretically  it  might  have  denied  it. 

Not  all,  however,  of  the  invited  guests  of  either  class 
were  present,  although  delegates  were  there  from  most  of 
the  churches. 

Winthrop  says,  "The  Governer  and  Mr.  Cotton  and 
Mr.  Wheelwright  and  the  two  ruling  elders  of  Boston  and 
the  rest  of  the  churches  which  were  of  any  note  did  none 
of  them  come  to  this  meeting. 

"The  reason  was  conceived  to  be,  because  they  counted 
these  as  legal  preachers  and  therefore  would  not  give  their 
approbation  to  their  ordination."     A  reason  given  for  the 


252  Colonial 

absence  of  some  of  the  notables  was  that  the  call  came  at 
too  short  notice,  but  as  a  matter  of  fact,  it  was  sent  three 
days  beforehand. 

It  may  not  be  proper  at  this  late  day  to  decide  as  to  the 
force  any  informality  about  the  letters  missive  may  have 
had,  for  there  may  have  been  botn  law  and  fact  in  the  case, 
of  which  we  know  nothing. 

This  much,  however,  is  certain,  that  controversy  then 
prevailed    concerning    both    doctrine  and    church    polity. 

And  as  at  that  time  Mr.  Bulkeley  was  supposed  to 
attach  much  importance  to  good  works  and  was  therefore 
considered  a  legal  preacher,  it  might  be  natural  for  some  to 
remain  absent. 

Besides  the  question  of  theological  fitness  for  the  clerical 
office  there  had  arisen  a  question  as  to  whether  a  minis- 
ter ordained  in  England  after  the  forms  of  the  Episcopacy 
could  by  this  act  be  rightly  recognized  as  a  properly  con- 
stituted clergyman. 

Both  questions  were  probably  settled  in  the  case  of  Par- 
son Bulkeley,  for  the  council  ordained  and  installed  him. 
And  concerning  the  matter  of  church  polity,  one  of  the 
delegates  proposed  a  question  which  led  to  a  passing  of 
the  following  resolution  :  "That  such  ministers  as  have  been 
clergymen  in  England  and  ordained  by  the  bishop  were  to 
be  respected  as  having  there  legally  sustained  the  office  of 
minister  by  the  call  of  the  people,  and  such  ordination  was 
considered  valid  here;  but,  for  having  received  this  ordina- 
tion by  the  bishop,  they  should  consider  it  a  sin  and  in  this 
country  they  should  not  consider  themselves  ministers  till 
called  by  the  people;  but  when  thus  elected,  they  were  to 
be  considered  ministers  even  before  ordination." 

It  may  be  here  stated  that  ministers  who  held  to  a  cove- 
nant of  works  or  who  believed  in  the  doctrine  of  the  law 
rather  than  the  doctrine  of  grace  were  known  as  "legalists", 
and  those  believing  in  the  latter  "antinomians." 


I 


CHAPTER  XXVI. 

Plsit  at   the    home  of  Goodman  James  Hosmer  — 

—  Reflections  upon  the  Settler  s  Fireplace  —  Invita- 
tion to  Humphrey  Barrett' s  Log  Rolling  —  Situation 
of  the  Hosmer  Farm  —  Outline  of  Hosmer  History 

—  The  Old  House  Site  —  Scenes  at  the  Log  Rolling 

—  Early  Forestry  —  Care  of  Concord's  Poor  — 
Process  of  Clearing  New  Lands  —  Facts  Relative 
to  the  Barrett  Family. 

WE  had  just  finished  our  subject  when  the  home 
of  our  host  appeared  in  an  opening  among  the 
trees,  and  as  we  beheld  it  beyond  the  purple 
and  yellow  of  the  maples  and  willows,  we 
thought  that  nothing  we  had  seen  in  the  settlement  sur- 
passed it  in  picturesqueness. 

As  we  entered  the  yard  we  were  met  by  his  good  wife, 
who  had  hastened  out  to  tell  her  husband  that  James  who 
was  ill  in  the  morning  was  better,  after  which  she  lost  no 
time  in  saying  that  supper  was  ready. 

After  partaking  of  the  evening  meal  we  all  seated  our- 
selves about  the  cheerful  hearth  fire  and  chatted  about 
various  neighborhood  matters  and  about  some  things  Col- 
onial. It  was  indeed  a  social  season  and  scene.  There 
was  domestic  and  homelike  business  about  everything. 
The  pale  moonlight  which  streamed  in  from  over  the  win- 
dow sill  was  met  at  its  entrance  by  such  a  fervid,  animat- 
ed light  from  the  fire  place  that  it  was  hardly  perceivable 
and  there  was  nothing  whatever  wanting  to  complete  the 
fireside  comfort. 

So  snug  were  our  surroundings  and  so  cheery  was  every- 
thing that  we  mentioned  the  fact  to  Goodman  Hosmer  and 

'^S3 


254  Colonial 

suggested  that  a  settler's  hearth  was  a  place  of  great  privi- 
lege. "Yes",  he  replied  "it  really  is  for  we  lay  our  plans 
there." 

His  last  utterance  made  us  thoughtful,  and  we  pondered 
over  it  that  night  after  the  lights  went  out,  as  we  looked 
over  the  still  meadows  and  saw  the  stars  twinkle  and  were 
impressed  with  the  silence  that  pervaded  everything;  and 
were  also  reminded  of  the  halt-burnt  black  logs  which  were 
even  then  smouldering  beneath  the  banked  fires  of  the 
slumbering  house-keepers  ready  to  sparkle  the  next  morn- 
ing at  break  of  day. 

What,  thought  we,  has  the  fireplace  been  to  the  settler? 
What  part  has  it  played  in  his  history,  and  have  we  given 
it  its  due? 

These  queries  came  to  us  in  rapid  sucession  and  quickl) 
responsive  came  the  unqualified  conclusion  that  the  open 
fire  had  been  a  potent  element  in  the  developement  of  col- 
onial character.  Fire  is  always  a  source  of  interest  if  not 
of  inspiration  when  it  is  not  really  mischievous,  and  the 
poet  has  done  well  to  sing  about  it,  the  philosopher  to 
muse  over  it,  and  the  pagan  to  eulogize  it. 

The  fire  of  driftwood  upon  the  ocean  beach,  the  vivid 
reminder  of  wrecks  on  the  dark  waters,  the  tidings  of 
which  never  come  shoreward;  the  watch-fire  of  the  lonely 
garrison,  beyond  whose  glimmer  none  durst  venture;  the 
camp-fire  in  the  forest  where  slow  sentinels  pace  through 
night's  stillness  ;  and  the  fires  in  dark  evergreens  made  by 
Indians  —  all  these  have  their  value  and  suitably  impress 
one;  but  not  any  or  all  of  them  are  comparable  to  the  fire 
on  the  settler's  hearthstone,  where  the  flames  are  reflected 
up  and  among  braids  of  corn  and  grey  herbs  and  out  upon 
pewter  platters  on  the  old  dresser  and  into  the  corners  of 
the  great  kitchen  and  over  the  broad  floor  boards. 

Before  the  open  fire  was  the  settler's  council  chamber. 
Beside  it  was  his  children's  nursery.  There  they  laughed 
and  played  and  popped  corn  while  the  fathers  whistled  and 
sang  and  cracked  jokes.     The  settler's  austerity  was  soften- 


Concord  i^^ 

ed  by  the  fireplace,  and  the  hard  lines  of  his  exposed  life 
were  toned  down.  There  he  forgot  his  homely  toil  while 
the  tea  kettle  sang  and  the  flames  crackled  and  the  winds 
swept  over  the  dry  moorlands  and  vacant  meadows. 

Without  his  fireplace  he  might  have  been  lonely,  for 
stoves  and  furnaces  could  not  have  supplied  the  want  of 
companionship  that  these  did. 

The  gentle  motion  of  a  fire  upon  the  hearthstone  is 
almost  akin  to  the  friendly  presence  of  a  human  form. 
Thoreau  said  of  his  hut  in  Walden  woods  when  he  gave 
up  his  fireplace,  that  though  there  was  more  warmth  in  a 
stove  there  was  less  company  in  it.  The  labor  necessary 
for  maintaining  the  open  fire  was  another  advantage.  To 
obtain  the  requisite  amount  of  fuel  the  settlers  were  obliged 
to  spend  a  large  part  of  the  long  winter  in  the  woods, 
swinging  the  axe  and  ponderous  beetle,  for  it  was  only  by 
means  of  the  beetle  and  wedges  that  he  cleft  in  twain 
the  gnarled  oak  and  knotted  hickory.  Further  time  was 
spent  m  hauling  it  from  the  rugged  hillsides  and  the  frozen 
swamps.  After  it  was  hauled  it  was  to  be  cut  in  the  door- 
yard,  then  seasoned  and  housed,  and  by  the  time  all  this 
was  accomplished  the  robins  came.  The  amount  of  wood 
required  for  the  open  fire  was  enormous,  for  the  fireplaces 
were  very  capacious  and  consuming,  and  the  rude  carpentry 
of  the  houses  was  such  as  to  let  in  much  cold. 

If  we  can  judge  of  the  average  fuel  supply  of  the  settler 
by  the  quantity  sometimes  stipulated  for  in  the  settlement 
of  a  minister  we  should  conclude  that  from  twenty  to 
thirty  cords  would  be  required  and  sometimes  more. 
Moreover,  the  chimneys  with  their  broad  flues  were  health- 
giving.  Through  them  in  the  night  time,  when  the  fires 
were  low,  pure  oxygen  came  down,  and  there  ascended 
upward  every  impurity,  so  that  it  was  almost  as  if  the 
inmates  of  the  house  lived  in  the  open  air. 

The  fireplaces  might  be  from  six  to  eight  feet  in  width, 
in  some  instances  even  more.  In  this  case  the  black  log 
required  the  strength  of  two  men  to  lift  it  into  its  place. 


256  Colonial 

Between  this  and  the  forelog  was  heaped  brush  wood  and 
chips  and  cleft  pine,  all  to  be  enveloped  in  a  grand  pyra- 
mid of  flame  which  went  aroaring  up  the  chimney  as  if 
mad,  while  into  every  corner  and  cranny  of  the  great 
unfinished  apartment  the  light  danced  and  cheerily  crept, 
and  the  warmth  melted  the  frost  on  the  small  window 
panes  and  drove  back  the  cold  from  under  the  door. 

Before  such  a  scene  the  settler  sat  with  his  family,  and 
the  neighbors  came  and  sat  with  them,  and  in  the  flames 
they  thought  they  saw  horsemen  and  in  the  ashes  heard 
men  walking  as  in  snow. 

When  at  the  hour  of  retiring  the  flames  faded  and  the 
spent  fuel  had  become  reduced  to  a  bed  of  coals  the  house- 
holder covered  them  carefully  with  hot  ashes  to  be  used 
the  next  morning  to  start  a  new  fire. 

If  for  any  reason  during  the  night  the  coals  went  out, 
some  were  borrowed,  if  a  neighbor  was  near,  but  if  not, 
they  resorted  to  the  flint,  steel  and  tinder  box,  or  to  the 
use  of  a  gun. 

The  settler's  fireside  has  often  been  pictured  in  both 
prose  and  poetry,  but  perhaps  by  none  more  fitly  than  by 
Whittier  in  his  poem  called  "Snow  Bound",  where  in  the 
following  words  he  sets  forth  the  cheer  and  snugness  of  the 
open  fire  in  a  winter's  storm: 

We  piled  with  care  our  nightly  stack 
Of  wood  against  the  chimney  back,  — 
The  oaken  log,  green,  high,  and  thick. 
And  on  its  top   the  stout  back-stick 
The  knotted  forestick  laid  apart. 
And  tilled  between  with  curious  art 
The  ragged   brush;  then,  hovering  near. 
We  watched   the  first   red   blaze  appear. 
Heard   the  sharp  crackle,  caught   the  gleam 
On  whitewashed  wall  and  sagging  beam. 
Until   the  old  rude  furnished  room 
Burst,    flower-like  into  rosy   bloom. 

As  it  was  near  the  sun  setting  when  supper  was  over, 
Goodman  Hosmer  did  not  get  through  with  his  chores  till 


Concord  257 

early  evening,  and  since  we  were  quite  weary  with  our  Sat- 
urday night's  escapade  among  the  ghosts  we  talked  but  little 
and  retired  early.  Before  going  to  bed,  however,  we  were 
informed  that  there  was  to  be  a  neighborhood  log-rolling 
over  at  Goodman  Humphrey  Barrett's  the  next  day  and  as 
our  host  was  going  with  his  hired  man  he  would  like  to 
have  us  accompany  him.  "Besides,"  said  he,  "Goodman 
Barrett  sent  a  special  invitation  to  you  Saturday  night  and 
would  have  spoken  to  you  about  it  at  the  meeting  house 
had  it  not  been  Sunday." 

A  log-rolling  in  a  new  country  was  attractive.  We  had 
heard  of  such  but  never  expected  to  be  present.  It  was 
therefore  with  bright  anticipations  that  we  retired  and 
awaited  the  morrow. 

Before  the  "shell"  sounded  for  breakfast,  for  Goodwife 
Hosmer  blew  a  conch  shell  in  some  mysterious  yet  appar- 
ently easy  manner  at  the  kitchen  door,  we  sat  down  at  the 
raised  window  that  overlooked  the  river  course  to  consider 
the  relative  position  of  the  Hosmer  homestead  to  the  cen- 
tral village. 

The  outlook  was  a  pleasing  one  and  showed  the  taste 
and  sagacity  of  Goodman  Hosmer  in  his  selection  of  the 
locality  for  a  home. 

In  a  northerly  direction  at  a  distance  of  a  half  mile  more 
or  less  was  Annusnac,  forest  crowned  and  symmetrical, 
standing  like  a  sentinel  beside  the  plain.  To  the  westerly 
and  southerly  was  the  winding  Assabet  with  its  occasional 
clumps  of  yellow  willows,  while  upon  its  channel  as  seen 
through  a  near  clearing  was  just  passing  the  canoe  of  Nip- 
anum  of  Nashoba. 

A  flock  of  wild  ducks  were  flying  from  river  to  river,  and 
along  with  a  couple  of  cows  on  the  meadow  was  a  small 
deer,  all  feeding  together  as  if  belonging  to  one  family. 

It  was  a  scene  worth  lingering  upon,  and  so  loth  were  we 
to  leave  it  that  we  were  a  few  minutes  late  at  the  breakfast 
table,  with  no  better  excuse  than  that  we  had  been  enrap- 
tured by  what  we  had  seen. 


258  Colonial 

As  the  annals  of  the  Hosmer  family  have  been  con- 
spicuously connected  with  Concord  and  its  members  are 
many  and  widely  scattered,  let  us  leave  our  story  and  notice 
a  few  outline  facts  of  their  history  as  these  have  been  pre- 
served by  record  and  substantial  tradition. 

The  first  progenitors  of  the  Hosmer  family  in  America 
were  Thomas  and  James,  who  were  brothers. 

Thomas  Hosmer  was  at  Cambridge  as  early  as  1632, 
and  went  to  Connecticut  about  1635. 

James  Hosmer  with  his  wife  Ann  and  two  children  left 
England  in  April  1635,  ^^^  went  to  Concord  in  the  fol- 
lowing September.  No  record  of  the  death  of  his  wife  is 
known  to  be  extant,  but  it  is  known  that  his  second  wife 
was  buried  March  11,  1641,  and  that  his  third  wife,  Alice, 
died  March  3,  1664-5. 

He  had  seven  children,  —  Marie  and  Ann  who  were 
born  in  England  ;  James,  Mary,  Stephen,  Hannah  and 
Mary. 

James,  the  eldest  son,  married  Sarah  White  who  was  a 
sister  of  the  Rev.  Joseph  Rowlinson,  minister  of  the 
church  in  Lancaster,  Mass.,  and  who  was  captured  by  the 
Indians  in  King  Philip's  war  and  ransomed  at  a  place  near 
Wachusett  mountain  in  what  is  now  Princeton.  James  was 
killed  at  the  Sudbury  Fight,  April  21,  1675  ~  ^• 

Stephen,  his  youngest  son,  married  Abigail  Wood  in 
1667.  He  had  six  children,  among  whom  were  James  and 
Thomas.  Thomas  married  in  1631,  Prudence,  a  grand- 
daughter of  the  first  Abigail  Wood  Hosmer;  and  a  son  by 
this  marriage  was  Hon.  Joseph  Hosmer,  a  noted  patriot 
who  was  born  December  25,  1735  ^'"^^  ^^^^  J^'"*-  3^'  1821, 
aged  85. 

An  early  house  lot  of  the  first  James  Hosmer,  tradition 
informs  us,  was  at  the  Central  village  on  or  near  the  resi- 
dence of  the  late  Hon.  Samuel  Hoar  on  the  present  Main 
street,  near  the  Public  Library.  His  next  house  lot  was 
situated  between  the  Assabet  and  the  south  branch  of  the 
Musketaquid  rivers. 


Concord  259 

It  is  stated  that  taint  traces  ot  the  cellar  hole  are  still  vis- 
ible and  deeds  ot  a  portion  of  the  original  farm  are  still  in 
possession  of  one  of  James  Hosmer's  descendants. 

South  west  ot  the  paternal  estate  was  the  home  of  James 
Hosmer,  Jr.,  who  was  killed  by  the  Indians  at  Sudbury. 

His  house  was  near  the  present  bridge  of  the  Fitchburg 
Railroad  a  little  to  the  eastward  of  the  depot  at  Concord 
Junction.  Formerly,  a  little  stream  near  by  afforded  suffi- 
cient water  power  for  a  small  flax  mill  which  the  Hosmers 
owned  and  operated. 

James  Hosmer,  Sr.,  added  to  his  original  land  grant  till 
his  domain  extended  nearly  to  the  "Nine  Acres,"  and 
included  various  detached  and  outlying  parcels  of  land. 
His  grave  is  unknown  ;  but  probably  is  among  many  of 
his  contemporaries  in  the  Hill  Burying  Ground. 

The  site  of  the  ancient  homestead  is  now  grass  grown  ; 
only  an  earth  dent  remaining  to  identify  it ;  and  the  sur- 
roundings are  silent  save  as  sounds  come  to  it  from  afar  or 
as  Nature  breaks  into  the  stillness  with  song  of  bird  or 
chirp  of  insect.  But  the  associations  to  those  who  are  con- 
versant with  them  are  eloquently  suggestive,  and  remind 
one  of  distant  years  when  the  elder  James  Hosmer  drove 
his  cattle  to  pasture  and  perhaps  plodded  on  from  this  early 
morning-task  to  raise  the  gate  of  his  little  flax  mill,  thereby 
to  furnish  the  prepared  material  for  the  fine  linen  of  the 
town's    folk. 

It  took  but  a  short  time  after  breakfast  for  the  men  to 
yoke  up  the  oxen  and  start  for  the  log-rolling.  We  met 
several  other  teams  on  the  way,  for  everybody  in  the  north 
quarter  appeared  to  be  going  there,  and  there  were  some 
from  as  far  south  as  Mr.  Flint's.  They  were  a  lively  com- 
pany, and  the  great  jargon  of  "Gee  off.  Buck  I  "  and 
"Hish-haw,  Star  !"  reminded  us  of  hurried  military  orders 
and  the  long  line  of  staid  oxen,  of  an  army  mule  train. 

At  length  we  reached  the  place  and  entered  the  enclosure, 
which  was  a  large  opening  in  the  forest,  where  Goodman 
Barrett    the    year    before    had  cut    his  fire  wood  and  was 


iSo  Colonial 

now  clearing  to  sow  to  rye.  He  had  left  on  the  ground 
the  untrimmed  branches  as  they  had  been  cut  from  the  logs 
and  the  cord  wood,  and  these  having  become  thoroughly 
dry  during  the  warm  season  were  now  to  be  burned,  thereby 
affording  fertility  to  the  soil  and  a  clean  surface  to  sow  his 
rye  upon.  The  men  went  to  work  lustily  for  there  was 
much  to  be  done.  There  were  knotty  trunks  to  be  piled 
together ;  furrows  to  be  ploughed  around  the  field  to  pre- 
vent the  fire  from  spreading  ;  "windfalls"  to  be  pulled  apart 
and  a  few  logs  to  be  removed. 

While  this  work  was  going  on  Goodman  Barrett  came  to 
us  with  the  request  that  we  go  home  with  him  when  the 
rolling  was  over.  His  genial  countenance  was  a  sufficient 
assurance  that  his  home  would  be  a  hospitable  one,  and  we 
cordially  assented,  whereupon  we  sat  down  upon  a  log  and 
conversed  about  the  early  forests.  The  facts  brought  out 
were  in  full  accord  with  the  records,  the  substance  of  which 
is  as  follows  :  the  settlers  did  not  waste  their  timber  trees, 
but  passed  laws  for  their  protection  ;  they  even  ordered, 
sometimes,  that  the  trees  by  the  wayside  should  not  be  cut 
down,  but  spared  as  shade  for  the  cattle ;  people  were 
restricted  also  from  taking  only  a  certain  number  of  trees 
from  the  common  land.  A  reason  for  this  restriction  may 
have  been  the  scarcity  of  some  kinds  of  trees,  as  the  pine 
and  oak,  upon  which  they  much  relied  for  building  pur- 
poses. The  settler  used  no  scantling  stuff  in  his  house 
frames  ;  his  work  was  massive  and  designed  to  stand  and 
the  great  beams  were  hewn  out  of  the  "clear"  tree  trunks. 
Probably  the  annual  fires  of  the  Indians  set  to  clear  the 
woods  of  underbrush  had  done  much  mischief  to  the  tim- 
ber lands  and  the  common  use  of  wood  for  fuel  had  greatly 
diminished  the  number  of  timber  trees. 

The  subject  of  forestry  naturally  led  us  to  inquire  about 
the  climate,  and  from  what  we  learned  we  concluded  there 
had  been  less  change  in  it  than  many  suppose.  True  we 
speak  of  the  heavy  snows  when  we  were  children,  but  we 
forget  that  a  child  has  short  limbs  and  that  a  comparatively 


Concord  0.6  \ 

shallow  depth  would  appear  great  to  us  then.  There  are 
some  records  that  give  light  on  this  subject.  In  one  of  the 
towns  adjacent  to  Concord  the  town  orciered  that  the  fences 
should  be  put  in  proper  condition  early  in  March,  and  var- 
ious things  were  to  be  done  at  a  date  which  niight  indicate 
no  great  change  In  the  temperature  of  the  season. 

While  busy  In  conversation  about  the  climate,  Good- 
man Barrett  was  called  away  by  one  of  the  neighbors,  say- 
ing as  he  left  us  that  he  might  be  gone  an  hour  or  more. 
We  were  not  however  to  be  left  for  so  long  a  time 
alone,  for  he  soon  returned  with  the  two  sons  of  a  poor 
widow,  who,  he  afterwards  told  us,  had  applied  to  him  for 
work,  their  mother  being  partially  dependent  upon  what 
they  could  earn  as  farm  hands.  After  setting  them  to 
work  at  the  easy  task  of  gathering  Into  heaps  the  lighter 
brushwood,  Goodman  Barrett  again  seated  himself  on  the 
log  and  we  resumed  our  chat.  Our  conversation  was  on 
the  subject  of  town  charities,  —  this  being  suggested  by  the 
circumstance  just  alluded  to. 

We  soon  concluded  that  the  town  of  Concord  took  care 
of  its  poor  and  on  this  point  let  us  leave  our  story  to  pre- 
sent the  following  records.  In  1645,  William  Halsted 
bequeathed  "unto  the  poore  of  Concord  fyve  pound  to  be 
layed  out  in  a  Cow  which  I  would  have  So  ordered  by  the 
Deacons  &  my  executors  that  it  may  be  a  continual  help  to 
such  as  are  in  need.      God  giving  a  blessing  thereto." 

In  1654,  when  a  second  land  division  was  made,  it  was 
enacted  "that  all  poore  men  of  the  Towne  that  have  not 
commones  to  the  number  of  foure  shall  be  allowed  so  many 
as  amounts  to  foure  with  what  they  all  ready  shall  have  till 
they  are  able  to  purchase  for  themselves  and  we  mean  those 
poore  men  that  at  the  present  are  householders." 

In  the  will  of  Robert  Merlam  who  died  in  1682,  was 
the  following  clause,  "I  give  to  the  poor  of  the  Town  of 
Concord  four  pounds  in  corn." 

Peter  Wright,  weaver  who  died  Jan.  15,  171 8,  devised 


262  Concord 

property  to  the  town  which  was  the  origin  of  a  fund  for 
what  were  called  the  "Silent  Poor." 

About  noon  the  work  ceased  and  all  gathered  in  a  corner 
of  the  clearing  to  eat  their  lunch,  which  had  been  supple- 
mented by  a  pail  of  new  milk  and  a  firkin  of  "sack  posset" 
which  Goodman  Barrett  had  provided. 

It  was  a  merry  company  in  that  clearing  by  the  roadside, 
and  when  the  noon  hour  was  over  and  the  work  was 
resumed  it  was  with  many  a  cheery  haloo  and  lively  call. 

By  mid-afternoon  the  task  was  completed  and  the  field 
was  ready  to  be  burned  over. 

The  log-rolling  had  brought  together  the  dismantled 
tree  trunks,  and  the  dry  branches  which  had  been  thrown 
upon  them  made  the  piles  inflammable. 

In  rapid  succession  they  were  set  on  fire  till  all  were 
ablaze  and  a  great  volume  of  smoke  and  cinders  and  sparks 
showed  how  efficient  was  the  element  of  fire  for  clearing 
the  fields  for  planting. 

Before  sunsetting  the  fires  burned  low,  and  the  smould- 
ering, grey  ash  heaps  indicated  the  kind  of  fertilizer  the 
settlers  used  in  raising  their  winter  rye  and  "guinny" 
wheat. 


FRANK  B.   SANBORN. 


CHAPTER   XXVII. 

Invitation  to  visit  the  ^^ Blood  Farms''  —  Homestead 
of  a  '■'■Borderer'  or  '■'Out dweller  —  Pastoral  Vis- 
itation with  Parson  Bulkeley  and  Deacon  Griffin  — 
Religious  Exercise  at  the  house  of  Goodman  Thomas 
Dakin  —  Use  of  Ardent  Spirit  —  Possible  Mistakes 
about  Ministerial  Drinking  Habits  —  Social  St and- 
ing  of  the  Clergy  —  Safeguards  against  abusing 
Clergymen  —  Installation  Dinners  —  Relation  of 
Pastor  to  his  Parish  —  The  Dakin  Family  — 
Legend  of  Hidden  'Treasure. 

WE  met  James  Blood  from  the  so  called  "Blood 
Farms",  who  with  his  men  had  come  all  the  way 
from  his  home  by  the  town's  northern  border  to 
assist  in  this  land  clearing. 
We  had  met  him  the  Sunday  before  at  the  meeting 
house  and  promised  to  visit  him  sometime.  As  he  was 
urgent  that  we  accompany  him  home  after  the  "log-rolling" 
we  acceded  after  obtaining  the  kind  but  reluctant  consent 
of  Goodman  Barrett  who  had  expected  us  to  go  home  with 
him. 

The  sun  was  near  setting  when  we  started,  and  long 
before  we  reached  our  destination  the  darkness  had  so 
deepened  that  it  was  difficult  to  keep  the  narrow  pathway. 
But  little  was  said  during  the  journey  for  the  men  had 
enough  to  do  to  manage  the  cattle,  one  yoke  of  which  was 
but  half  broken,  and  all  impatient  to  get  to  their  stalls 
sprang  forward  by  jerks  so  that  we  progressed  with  much 
unsteadiness.  At  length  we  saw  in  the  distance  a  light  and 
conjectured,  because  homesteads  were  scarce  in  that  locality, 
that  we  were  nearing  our  destination  ;  which  conjecture  was 

263 


264  Colonial 

confirmed  by  the  hurrying  team  and  by  the  announcement 
of  James  Blood  that  we  were  ahiiost  there. 

A  hired  man  met  us  as  we  approached  the  dwelhng ;  the 
rattle  of  the  wheels  had  brought  the  "women  folks"  to  the 
door,  and  we  were  soon  within,  partaking  of  a  settler's  sub- 
stantial supper.  Of  course  there  were  the  usual  excuses 
about  the  menUy  for  human  nature  was  then  the  same  as 
now,  and  the  same  pride  was  manifested  by  the  house- 
keepers as  to  their  culinary  skill;  but  we  made  a  practical 
demonstration  that  the  supper  was  all  we  could  wish  ;  and 
soon,  the  meal  time  ended  and  the  table  cleared,  we  were 
seated  by  the  ample  hearth-side  for  an  evening  chat. 

We  learned  very  much  that  evening  concerning  the  life 
of  "borderers",  as  the  Blood  settlers  were  called,  because  a 
part  of  their  lands  at  least  were  supposed  to  only  border  on 
those  of  Concord  township. 

Among  the  conclusions  arrived  at  from  our  conversation 
was  that  much  hardship  was  experienced  on  account  of  their 
isolated  condition  and  especially  their  distance  from  the 
central  village  of  the  township.  It  was  a  difficult  journey 
to  meeting ;  there  were  no  near  neighbors  from  whom  to 
borrow  if  anything  was  needed  ;  and  whatever  of  accident 
or  incident  occurred  there  might  be  none  to  share  in  the 
joy  or  the  grief.  In  short,  to  be  a  "borderer"  was  almost 
like  colonizing  a  new  country  alone. 

The  main  drawback  to  these  "outdwellers,"  as  they  were 
sometimes  called,  was  the  anomalous  attitude  that  they  sus- 
tained in  not  being  considered  citizens  of  the  town  of  Con- 
cord, while  at  the  same  time  they  were  expected  to  pay 
"rates". 

We  did  not  ascertain  whether  it  was  the  design  of  James 
Blood  when  he  settled  in  this  remote  district  to  eventually 
make  it  a  distinct  municipality  or  only  to  occupy  a  land 
PTant,  but  we  concluded  it  was  the  latter. 

After  a  long  and  interesting  conversation  we  retired,  and 
early  next  morning  arose  to  look  over  the  farm.  It  was 
indeed  a  new  country  and  we  thought  of  the  possibilities 


Concord  265 

of  peril  which  might  menace  the  family  should  hostilities  at 
any  time  break  out  with  the  Indians  or  should  fire  burn 
their  dwelling  in  the  winter  season. 

After  an  early  breakfast  we  started  for  the  village  with 
one  of  the  hired  men  who  was  going  to  mill. 

We  went  on  horseback  and  behind  the  saddle  was  a 
couple  of  grain  sacks  thrown  across  the  animal  in  a  way  to 
make  them  balance.  One  of  the  sacks  contained  corn  and 
the  other  rye,  and,  we  were  informed,  their  bread  was  made 
of  equal  parts  of  each. 

An  hour's  ride  brought  us  to  Concord  town  and  as  we 
approached  the  minister's  house  he  rode  out  of  his  yard 
accompanied  by  Deacon  Griffin. 

After  passing  the  morning  salutation.  Parson  Bulkeley 
informed  us  that  he  was  just  starting  off  for  a  day  of  pas- 
toral visitation  taking  the  Deacon  as  one  of  the  committee 
which  had  been  appointed  at  the  last  town  meeting  to  as- 
certain and  report  concerning  the  moral  and  spiritual  condi- 
tion of  the  children  and  youth.  The  announcement  was 
coupled  with  an  invitation  to  go  with  them,  the  invitation 
perhaps  being  suggested  by  some  queries  we  had  put  some- 
time previous  relative  to  the  minister's  pastoral  work.  As 
all  was  fish  that  came  to  our  net  we  were  not  slow  in 
accepting  and  we  were  soon  on  our  way  to  Cornet  Wood's 
just  beyond  the  south  branch  of  the  river  to  procure  if  pos- 
sible one  of  his  horses,  he  having,  as  the  parson  informed 
us,  a  good  saddle  horse  which  would  not  be  in  use  that  day 
since  the  owner  was  picking  his  cranberries. 

It  was  a  fortunate  circumstance  that  we  were  to  obtain 
a  horse  at  Cornet  Wood's,  for  the  Parson  and  Deacon  were 
to  begin  their  calls  at  Thomas  Dakin's,  which  was  further 
on. 

It  took  but  a  short  time  to  get  the  horse  ready  and  we 
were  soon  off  and  away  through  the  woods. 

We  found  that  the  Dakin  place  was  in  a  lonely  locality 
as  much  so  as  any  we  had  visited.  Not  a  house  was  in 
sight  and  woods  were  on  every  side ;  for  since  he  had  set- 


266  Colonial 

tied  there  late,  there  had  been  no  time  to  enlarge  the  clear- 
ing. It  was  a  most  cordial  welcome  that  we  received  from 
the  Dakin  family ;  for  not  only  were  visitors  infrequent 
there  but  everything  relating  to  ecclesiastic  matters  was 
most  acceptable.  It  was  not  long  after  we  entered  before 
Parson  Bulkelev  began  his  prefunctory  work,  for  Goodman 
Dakin,  seeing  us  coming  up  the  lane,  had  called  in  the  boys 
and  the  hired  man  and  a  couple  of  wood  choppers  who 
were  temporarily  working  for  him.  All  were  soon  seated 
and  silence  reigned  as  if  at  the  meeting  house;  and  more- 
over all  seemed  to  enter  into  the  exercise  with  a  relish. 
Qviestions  were  asked  to  test  the  children's  knowledge  of 
scripture  and  the  personal  experience  of  the  elders  was 
inquired  into  ;  and  after  Deacon  Griffin  had  ascertained 
what  measures  were  being  made  use  of  for  the  spiritual  nur- 
ture of  the  young,  all  kneeled  while  Parson  Bulkeley 
implored  a  blessing  upon  all  present.  As  we  were  about 
to  go,  Goodman  Dakin  with  an  importunity  which  we  were 
reluctant  to  ignore  entreated  us  to  remain  till  night,  offer- 
ing to  return  with  us  at  evening  to  Cornet  Wood's  ;  so  ear- 
nest was  the  request  that  we  felt  constrained  to  comply  ; 
and  especially  so  since  Parson  Bulkeley  had  informed  us 
that  he  usually  held  the  same  exercises  at  each  house,  mak- 
ing everything  professional  on  these  occasions. 

Before  the  Parson  and  Deacon  took  their  leave,  and  after 
those  who  had  been  called  in  were  excused,  Goodwife 
Dakin  brought  in  a  glass  decanter  and  a  couple  of  beakers, 
requesting  the  visitors  to  help  themselves,  which  they  did, 
although  with  a  dignity  and  decorum  which  showed  no 
inordinate  desire  for  the  drink  and  indicated  that  they  par- 
took as  much  out  of  courtesy  and  deference  to  custom,  as 
for  any  craving  within  themselves. 

This  attitude  of  the  minister  so  impressed  us  that  we 
afterwards  inquired  concerning  it  and  also  about  some  other 
things  pertaining  to  the  ecclesiastics  of  the  period,  and  from 
the  answers  given  and  from  old  records  together  with  the 


Concord  267 

revelation  of  the  sparks  at  several  fireplaces,  we  came  to  the 
conclusion  that  the  colonial  clergy  and  perhaps  the  clergy 
of  a  later  date  likewise  had  not  always  been  rightly  repre- 
sented concerning  the  drink  habit,  but  that  isolated  cases 
have  been  held  up  as  the  rule.  In  fact  from  all  that  we 
have  gathered  we  have  concluded  that  the  profession, 
neither  by  preaching  nor  practice,  encouraged  intemperance, 
and  that  it  never  was  true  that  pastoral  visits  as  a  rule  were 
characterised  by  excessive  dram  drinking.  The  pulpit  was 
perhaps  as  outspoken  then  as  now  against  drunkenness, 
if  not  more  so. 

It  was  a  subject  for  discipline,  and  church  discipline  in 
those  days  meant  something.  A  person  who  was  set  aside 
in  his  chvirch  membership  came  as  near  both  civil  and 
ecclesiastical  ostracism  as  one  could  and  not  be  an  outcast. 

The  average  character  of  the  colonial  preacher  forbids 
the  belief  in  such  stories  as  picture  him  staggering  from 
house  to  house  on  his  round  of  pastoral  visits,  sipping  to 
excess  wherever  he  stopped  and  going  home  half  intoxi- 
cated. 

That  they  drank  is  not  denied,  but  they  considered  that 
they  drank  moderately,  and  strove  to  teach  others  that  it 
was  a  disgrace  and  a  sin  to  drink  to  excess.  This  was  like- 
wise the  position  of  a  large  part  of  the  laity. 

Moreover  distilled  liquors  were  expensive  and  to  waste 
money  upon  any  luxury  was  sinful. 

From  necessity  the  early  colonist  was  economical  almost 
to  penuriousness.  He  had  nothing  to  throw  away.  Gen- 
erally speaking  he  may  have  used  spirit  on  the  principle  oi 
value  received.  He  would  drink  only  so  much  as  he 
believed  would  enable  him  to  hoe  more  corn  or  cut  more 
wood  or  get  in  more  hay  ;  but  to  pay  much  money  for  the 
mere  fun  of  getting  fuddled,  the  more  thrifty  would   not. 

Later,  when  the  country  became  more  settled,  luxury 
through  wealth  began  to  prevail,  and  distilled  drinks  being 
less  expensive,  the  drinking  customs  changed.  But  even 
then  the  clergy  were,  we  believe,  by  their  character,  their 


268  Colonial 

example  and  their  teaching  the  same  stalwart  guard  to  beat 
back  the  encroachment  of  an  evil  appetite. 

And  now  that  we  are  on  the  subject  of  ministerial  stand- 
ing, we  would  state,  that  as  a  class  they  were  greatly 
respected  and  revered.  Their  social  position  was  on  a 
level  with  that  of  the  magistrate  and  the  wealthy.  Books 
being  few  they  were  referred  to  as  to  a  living  encyclopedia 
and  it  might  be  said  of  the  New  England  minister  as  of  the 
schoolmaster  in  Goldsmith's  Deserted  Village, 

"And  still   they  gazed  and  still  the  wonder  grew 
That  one  small   head  could  carry  all  he  knew." 

So  great  was  the  respect  for  ministers  and  churchly  ordi- 
nances that  strict  laws  were  made  to  enforce  it. 

A  person  who  unduly  criticised  his  minister  was  subject 
to  public  censure,  if  not  to  trial  and  the  penalty  of  a  fine. 

In  one  town,  a  man  was  publicly  whipped  for  speaking 
derisively  of  the  Bible  and  its  ordinances  as  the  clergyman 
taught  them. 

A  woman  was  once  ordered  to  stand  before  the  public 
with  a  cleft  stick  upon  her  tongue,  because  she  showed 
a  lack  of  respect  for  the  Elder.  It  is  related  that  one 
Philip  Ratcliffe  in  1631,  was  publicly  whipped  and  ban- 
ished for  speaking  against  the  churches. 

Absenting  one's  self  from  church  was  a  fault  punishable 
in  public. 

But,  notwithstanding  all  this,  ministers  were  subject  to 
great  censure  from  their  people  at  large,  when  it  was 
thought  the  case  justified  it.  One  was  bitterly  rebuked  for 
having  saved  eight  hundred  dollars  by  selling  produce  from 
his  farm. 

Another  was  reproved  for  wearing  stockings,  "footed  up 
with  another  color."  He  was  also  rebuked  for  jumping 
over  a  fence,  instead  of  going  though  the  gate  when  calling 
upon  a  parishioner.  One  was  mildly  reproved  for  wearing 
too  worldly  a  wig. 

The  installation  of  a  minister  was  a  great  event,  some- 


Concord  16  g 

times  attended  by  a  dinner  at  the  tavern.  This  consisted 
ot  all  kinds  of  New  England  fare  with  a  liberal  supply  of 
litjuors.  Liquors  were  sometimes  mixed  on  the  meeting 
house  steps,  and  portable  bars  were  sometimes  located  near 
the  house  of  worship.  The  installation  dinner  was  some- 
times extravagant,  as  one  given  at  the  house  of  Rev.  Dr. 
Sewall  in  1761,  when  it  is  said  that  so  great  was  the  pre- 
paration for  it  that  the  price  of  provisions  in  Boston 
raised  "a  part  for  several  days." 

It  was  said  of  it,  "There  were  six  tables  that  held  one 
with  another  eighteen  persons  each.  Upon  each  table  a 
good  rich  plum  pudding,  a  dish  of  boiled  pork  and  fowls 
and  a  corned  leg  of  pork  with  sauce  proper  for  it,  a  leg  of 
bacon,  a  la  mode  beef,  a  leg  of  mutton  with  caper  sauce,  a 
roast  loin  of  veal,  a  roast  turkey,  a  venison  pastel,  besides 
cake,  cheese,  tarts  and  butter." 

Various  quaint  adjectives  were  made  use  of  in  describing 
the  preachers.  They  were  sometimes  spoken  of  as  "painful 
preachers,"  meaning  pains-taking,  "fit  to  teach,"  "soul 
ravishing,"  "soul  piercing,"  "angel  rivaling,"  "septemflous," 
"holy  savored,"   "soul  affecting." 

The  relation  of  the  pastor  to  his  parish  was  substantially 
the  same  as  now  in  churches  of  the  congregational  order, 
except  that  his  authority  was  considered  much  greater,  and 
although  theoretically  a  fiction  yet  he  was  a  bold  parish- 
ioner who  attempted  to  overthrow  it. 

They  called  themselves  "a  church  without  a  bishop,"  but 
practically  the  pastor  sometimes  took  the  place  of  a  bishop 
and  came  near  being  a  king. 

When  a  minister  was  settled  after  the  "old  standing 
order"  it  was  difficult  to  unsettle  him.  According  to  a 
supreme  court  decision  he  could  hold  the  meeting  house, 
church  records,  church  funds,  and  draw  his  salary  unless 
dismissed  by  a  council. 

The  contract  entered  into  between  the  pastor  and  people 
was  evolved  from  the  congregational  common  law,  as  prin- 
ciples are  crystallized  by  acts  of  the  civil  courts. 


270  Colonial 

But  notwithstanding  the  strong  position  held  by  the 
minister,  he  was  sometimes  subjected  to  such  sorties  by  the 
laity  as  made  the  throne  tremble ;  occasionally  there  were 
severe  controversies,  —  it  might  be  over  creed,  church 
polity,  or  some  simple  town  affair. 

In  Concord  there  was  great  dissension  concerning  the 
preaching  of  Mr.  Bliss  about  the  time  of  Whitefield's  visit. 

In  the  Sudbury  Church  there  was  a  great  strife  con- 
cerning the  stinting  of  the  cow  commons,  and  the  conten- 
tion was  carried  so  far,  that  the  Colonial  Court  sent  dele- 
gates to  meet  with  it  in  council,  anci  Rev.  Edmund  Brown 
was  one  of  the  chief  actors  ;  all  of  which  goes  to  show  that 
peace  cannot  be  maintained  by  ecclesiastical  metes  or 
bounds  however  firmly  set. 

After  the  conversation  about  ministers  we  walked  around 
and  looked  over  the  locality  in  which  Goodman  Dakin  had 
cast  his  lot.  His  first  settlement  was  near  the  central  vil- 
lage where  he  had  a  house  and  barn  which  he  sold  to  John 
Hayward,  when  he  took  up  his  abode  beyond  the  river. 
His  neighbors  were  Michael  Wood,  Obadiah  Wheeler,  and 
Edmund  Wigley  ;  the  two  latter  living  near  Broad  Meadow. 

As  the  history  of  this  family  is  an  interesting  one  we  will 
give  some  of  the  outline  facts.  Thomas  was  the  common 
ancestor  in   this  country  and  was  at  Concord  before    1650. 

His  first  wife  died  in  1659,  his  second  wife,  widow  Susan 
Stratton  died  in  1698.      He  died  Oct.  21,  1708. 

After  a  generation  or  two,  a  branch  of  the  family  moved 
just  over  the  line  into  Sudbury  and  established  there  an 
estate  which  longshore  the  family  name.  For  many  years 
there  was  in  the  family  a  long  succession  of  deacons,  one 
of  whom  Deacon  Samuel  Dakin,  grandson  of  Thomas,  fell 
in  battle  in  the  last  French  and  Indian  war,  July  20,  1758, 
at  Half  Way  Brook  near  Fort  Edward  while  connected 
with  the  expedition  of  General  Amherst. 

The  site  of  the  home  where  Deacon  Dakin  dwelt  was  a 
little  over  the  Sudbury  and  Concord  boundary  line,  and 
not  far  from  the  old  farm  long  owned   by  his  descendants 


Concord  271 

in  the  former  town.  The  spot  is  marked  only  by  an  earth 
dent.  Hie  locaHty  of  the  Dakin  homestead  on  either  side 
of  the  town  boundary  Hne  has  been  a  lonely  one  and  there 
have  been  traditions  about  it  of  concealed  booty.  The 
spot  is  quite  near  the  well  known  Concord  woods  which 
consist  of  many  acres  concerning  which,  legends  might  nat- 
urally arise.  I'he  stories  represent  that  a  part  of  the  pirate 
crew  of  Captain  Kidd  repaired  to  a  spot  about  there  for  se- 
creting their  spoils  ;  and  it  is  certain  that  strangers  were  seen 
about  there  under  suspicious  circumstances,  remaining  for 
some  hours  without  divulging  their  errand. 

The  place  where  they  went  has  been  approximately 
pointed  out  and  traditions  have  been  passed  down  from 
generation  to  generation  until  doubtless  some  came  to 
believe  them  and  to  search  for  the  treasure  supposed  to  be 
buried. 

On  one  occasion  as  one  of  the  proprietors  was  plewing 
by  the  help  of  a  neighbor  in  a  pasture  in  close  proximity  to 
the  spot,  he  noticed  that  the  plow  struck  a  large,  flat,  stone. 

The  team  passed  on  and  the  day's  work  was  ended. 

Early  the  next  morning  the  Deacon  repaired  to  the  spot 
to  examine  the  aforesaid  stone.  But  what  was  his  surprise 
on  arriving  to  find  his  neighbor  there  before  him  intent  on 
the  same  errand.  They  looked  at  each  other  and  laughed 
over  the  humorous  situation,  but  neither  carried  back  any 
treasure  except  a  cheery  good  morning. 

Probably  the  stories  related  of  this  locality  are  similar 
and  have  no  more  truth  than  those  related  concerning  the 
visits  of  the  Pirates  to  other  towns.  In  some  instances  it 
has  been  said  that  the  Evil  One  stands  guard  over  the 
booty  and  that  in  searching  for  it  silence  was  to  be  main- 
tained, for  a  single  word  might  break  the  spell  and  the 
treasure  would  vanish,  but  in  process  of  time  better  conclu- 
sions were  entertained  and  it  is  now  supposed  that  the 
Pirates  were  profligate  rather  than  provident  and  spent  as 
they  went. 

We  have  now,  as  we  believe,  sufiiciently  set  forth  by  ficti- 


1^1  Colonial 

tious  representation,  intermingled  with  fact,  what  were  some 
of  the  customs,  experiences  and  pioneer  processes  of  the 
first  settlers  of  Concord  ;  and  now  we  propose  no  longer  to 
give  descriptions  of  supposed  visits  to  their  families,  neither 
to  draw  inferences  from  analogy  nor  to  resort  to  conjecture 
to  supply  any  absence  of  record  or  lack  of  authentic  tradi- 
tion. Our  purpose  will  be  hereafter  to  deal  purely  with 
history  ;  and  in  a  plain  matter  of  fact  manner,  state  in 
the  present  book  some  further  annals  of  the  township  dur- 
ing the  first  score  of  years  ;  reserving  for  a  future  volume 
events  that  occurred  during  its  continuance  as  a  colony  and 
then  to  the  close  of  its  history  as  a  province. 


P  J  R  T   II 


HISTORY 


OF    THE 


SETTLEMENT 


O  F 


CONCORD,    MASS. 


I  654" 1692 


THE 

NEW  YORK 

PUBLIC  LIBRARY 

Astor,  Lenox  and  TMen^ 
Foundations. 


CHAPTER  XXVIII 

Early  Record  Relating  to  the  Concord  Plantation  — 
Permission  to  Purchase  Territory  —  Land  Sale  — 
Indian  Deed — Depositions  Confirmatory  of  title  to 
the  Township  —  Original  Boundary  —  Additional 
Land  Grants  —  Petitions  to  the  General  Court. 

AMONG  the  remaining  things  to  be  considered 
that  are  related  to  the  first  two  decades  of  the 
town's  history  are  further  matters  appertaining 
to  real  estate. 

We  have  already  noticed  that  a  tract  of  land  six  miles 
square  was  purchased  of  the  Indians  in  1636,  and  that  the 
price  of  it  was  paid  in  wampum  and  merchandise.  We 
stated  that  a  deed  was  delivered  and  lost,  and  that  depo- 
sitions concerning  this  transaction  were  taken  in  after  years 
confirmatory  of  a  bona  fide  sale. 

The  land  then  purchased  was  lotted  out  and  divided  up, 
additions  were  made  to  it,  records  made  of  it,  and  such 
regulations  provided  as  would  secure  to  all  their  rights. 

It  is  our  purpose  in  the  present  chapter  to  produce  the 
evidence  of  these  things  by  giving  a  transcript  of  some  of 
the  original  documents  and  some  statements  taken  from  old 
writers. 

The  first  recorded  statement  about  a  proposed  plantation 
at  the  place  which  was  later  to  become  Concord  is  the  fol- 
lowing, in  vol.  T  page  57  of  the  state  Archives,  bearing 
date  Sept.  2,    1635: 

"It  is  ordered,  that  there  shallbe  a  plantacon  att  Mus- 
ketequid,  &  that  there  shallbe  6  myles  of  land  square  to 
belong  to  it,  &  that  the  inhabitants  thereof  shall  have  three 
yeares  imunities  from   all    publ[ic]    charges,  except  traine- 

273 


274  Colonial 

ings ;  Further,  that  when  any  that  plant  there  shall  have 
occacon  of  carryeing  of  goods  thither,  they  shall  repaire  to 
two  of  the  nexte  magistrates  where  the  teames  are,  whoe 
shall  have  power  for  a  yeare  to  presse  draughts,  att  reason- 
able rates,  to  be  payde  by  the  owners  of  the  goods,  to 
transport  their  goods  thither  att  seasonable  tymes  ;  &  the 
name  of  the  place  is  changed,  &  here  after  to  be  called 
Concord." 

This  order  of  the  Colonial  General  Court  was  succeeded 
the  next   March  by  the  following : 

"It  was  further  'agreed,  that  the  imunitie  of  Concord  for 
three  years  shall  begin  the  first  of  October  nexte,  &  that 
none  shall  have  benefitt  thereof  but  those  that  lyve  there, 
&  with  respect  only  to  the  stocke  they  have  there.'  "  Mass. 
Records,  i.    167. 

A  permission  for  the  Concord  settlers  to  purchase  terri- 
tory was  given  by  the  General  Court  and  the  record  of  it 
made   May  17,  1637,  is  as  follows: 

"Concord  had  leave  graunted  them  to  purchase  the 
ground  w^'^in  their  limits  of  the  Indeans,  to  wit,  Atawans  & 
Squa  Sachim."      (Mass.  Records  i.  196). 

A  record  relating  to  a  land  sale  at  Concord  whether  of 
the  original  grant  or  of  some  other  transaction,  a  matter 
that  has  perhaps  never  yet  been  settled  by  any  published 
history,  is  the  following  dated  August  i,  1637  : 

"Webb  Cowet,  Squa  Sachem,  Tahatawants,  Natan 
quaticke  alias  Oldmans,  Caato,  alias  Goodmans  did  expresse 
their  consent  to  the  sale  of  the  weire  at  Concord  over 
against  the  towne  &  all  the  planting  ground  w'^''  hath  bene 
formerly  planted  by  the  Indians,  to  the  inhabitants  of  Con- 
cord of  w*^*"  there  was  a  writing,  w'^  their  marks  subscribed 
given  into  the  Court  expressing  the  price  given."  Mass. 
Records,  i.  196. 

With  regard  to  the  Indian  deed  of  the  original  land 
grant  Shattuck  states.  History  of  Concord,  page  7. 

"I  have  sought  in  vain  for  the  Indian  deed.  It  was 
probably  lost    very  early,  since    measures    were    taken    in 


Concord  i^c^ 

1684,  when  the  colony  charter  was  declared  to  be  void,  and 
the  claims  of  Robert  Mason  to  large  portions  of  the  coun- 
try were  asserted  to  establish  the  lawful  title,  which  the 
inhabitants  of  Concord  had  in  their  soil.  The  original 
petition  was  also  lost." 

The  measures  referred  to  by  Shattuck  as  having  been 
taken  to  confirm  the  evidence  of  a  legal  ownership,  are 
the  following  depositions  which  have  been  preserved  in 
the  records  of  both  Middlesex  County  and  the  town  of 
Concord  : 

"The  Testimony  of  Richard  Rice  aged  seventy-two  years 
Sheweth  that  about  the  yeare  one  thousand  six  hundred 
Thirty  six  there  was  an  Agreement  made  by  some  under- 
takers for  the  Towne  since  called  Concord  with  some  In- 
dians that  had  right  unto  the  land  then  purchased  for  the 
Township.  The  Indians  names  was  Squaw  Sachem,  Tohut- 
tawun  Sagamore,  Muttunkatucka,  and  some  other  indians 
y'  lived  then  at  that  place,  The  Tract  of  land  being  six 
miles  square,  The  center  of  the  place  being  about  the  place 
the  meeting  house  standeth  now.  The  bargaine  was  made 
&  confirmed  between  y*^  English  undertakers  &  the  Indi- 
ans then  present,  to  their  good  sattisfaction  on  all  hands. 

"7.  8.  84.  Sworne  in  Court 

"Tho  Danforth  Record''" 
[Middlesex  Deeds,  Lib.  9,  fol,  105.] 

"The  Testimony  of  William  Buttrick  aged  sixty-eight 
years  or  thereabouts  Sheweth,  That  about  the  yeare  one 
thousand  six  hundred  thirty  &  six,  there  was  an  Agreement 
made  by  some  undertakers  for  the  Towne  since  called 
Concord  with  some  Indians  that  had  right  unto  the  land 
then  purchased  of  them  for  the  Township  ;  the  Indians 
names  was  Squaw  Sachem  Tohuttawun  Sagamore  &  Nut- 
tankatucka  &  some  other  Indians  that  lived  and  was  then 
present  at  that  place  &  at  that  time.  The  Tract  of  land 
being  six  miles  square,  The  centre  being  about  y^  place 
the  meeting  house  now  standeth  on.  The  bargaine  was 
made   &    confirmed    between   the    English    undertakers   & 


276  Colonial 

the   Indians  then  present  &  concernd,  to  theyr  good  sattis- 
faction  on  all  hands 

"7,  8,  84.  Sworne  in  Court 

"Tho   Danforth   R." 
[Middlesex  Deeds,  Lib.  9,  fol.  105.] 

"The  Deposition  Jehojakin  alias  Mantatucket  a  christian 
Indian  of  Natick  aged.  70  years  or  thereabouts, 

"This  Deponent  testifyeth  &  sayth,  that  about  50  years 
since  he  lived  within  the  bounds  of  that  place  which  is  now 
called  Concord  at  the  foot  of  an  hill  named  Nawshawtick 
now  in  the  possession  of  M""  Henery  Woodis  &  that  he 
was  p'^sent  at  a  bargaine  made  at  the  house  of  Mr  Peter 
Bulkly  (now  Capt  Timothy  Wheeler's-  between  M'  Simon 
Willard  M""  John  Jones,  M''  Spencer  &  severall  others  in 
behalfe  of  the  Englishmen  who  were  setling  upon  the 
s^  Towne  of  Concord  &  Squaw  Sachem,  Tahuttawun  & 
Nimrod  Indians  which  s'^  Indians  (according  to  y'  particu- 
lar Rights  &  Interests)  then  sold  a  Tract  of  land  conteyn- 
ing  six  mile  square  -the  s''  house  being  accounted  about  the 
center)  to  the  s''  English  for  a  place  to  settle  a  Towne  in. 
And  he  the  s''  Deponent  saw  s''  Willard  &  Spencer  pay  a 
parcell  of  wompompeag,  Hatchets,  Hows,  Knives,  Cotton 
Cloath  &  Shirts  to  the  s^  Indians  for  the  s''  Tract  of  land  : 
And  in  p''ticular  he  the  s'^  Deponent  perfectly  remembreth 
that  Wompachowet  Husband  to  Squaw-Sachem  received  a 
Suit  of  cotton  cloath,  an  Hatt,  a  white  linnen  band,  shoes, 
stockins  &  a  great  coat  upon  account  of  s''  bargaine  And 
in  the  conclusion  the  s"^  Indians  declard  themselvs  sattisfyed 
&  told  the  Englishmen  they  were  Welcome.  There  were 
also  present  at  the  s"^  Bargain  Waban,  Merch'  Thomas  his 
brother  in  law  Nowtoquatuckquaw  an  Indian,  Aantonuish 
now  called  Jethro 

"taken  upon  oath,  lof^  of  October  1684 
"Before  Daniel  Gookin  Sen^  Asisis' 

"Tho  :   Danforth.      Dep'.  Gov^" 
[Middlesex  Deeds,  Lib.  9,  fol.  100.] 


Concord  277 

As  regards  the  shape  or  form  of  the  territory  contained 
in  the  original  grant,  the  historian  Walcott  says,  "The 
origmal  grant  was  laid  out  in  the  form  of  a  square.  Right 
angles  and  straight  lines  were  preferred  by  the  early  settlers 
whenever  they  could  be  had.  No  other  grants  had  been 
made  near  this  place  ;  consequently  it  was  not  deemed  nec- 
essary to  notify  any  adjoining  owner  of  the  running  of  the 
line,  and  the  simplest  possible  form  was  adopted. 

"The  original  grant  may  be  bounded  as  follows  :  Begin- 
ning at  the  southwest  corner  at  a  stone  post  which  marks 
the  present  southwest  corner  of  the  town,  the  line  runs 
north  40°  east  (approximate  needle  course)  on  the  Acton 
line  to  a  stone  at  the  present  northwest  corner  of  Concord, 
near  the  Dudley  place.  When  Acton  was  made  a  town, 
the  statute  bounded  it  on  the  east  by  'Concord  old 
bounds;'  from  which  it  appears  that  Acton  includes  no 
part  ot  the  original  Concord,  and  that  the  dividing  line  be- 
tween the  two  towns  is  a  portion  of  the  old  Concord  line 
on  that  side.  I'he  Acton  boundary  extended  leads  to  a 
heap  oi  lichen-covered  boulders  surmounted  by  a  stake. 
This  ancient  monument  is  near  the  top  of  a  hill  in  the 
southwesterly  part  of  Carlisle,  and  undoubtedly  marks  the 
old  northwest  corner  of  our  town.  It  was  identified  and 
pointed  out  to  the  writer  on  the  ground  by  Major  B.  F. 
Heald,  of  Carlisle,  who  says  that  he  has  often  heard  his 
father  and  other  ancient  men,  long  since  deceased,  speak  of 
this  bound  as  marking  the  old  Concord  corner;  and  every- 
thing goes  to  corroborate  this  testimony.  The  place  was 
commonly  known  by  the  name  of  "Berry  Corner"  and  was 
the  original  northeast  corner  of  Acton;  but,  in  1780,  a 
portion  of  that  town  near  this  point  was  included  in  what 
was  then  constituted  as  the  District  of  Carlisle,  and  subse- 
quently formed  a  part  of  the  town  of  the  same  name. 

Making  a  right  angle  at  this  corner  the  line  runs  south- 
easterly through  the  lower  part  of  Carlisle,  coinciding  in 
two  places  with  our  present  boundary,  and,  crossing  the 
river,  runs  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile  to  the  southward  of 


278  Colonial 

the  main  street  of  Bedford  and  parallel  with  it,  to  a  point 
on  the  upland  about  forty  rods  east  of  the  Shawsheen 
River.  Ancient  stone  walls  preserve  this  line  in  part. 
The  bound  at  the  northeast  corner  must  have  been  re- 
moved at  some  time  after  Bedford  was  incorporated  ;  and, 
as  it  stood  in  cultivated  land,  near  a  house,  the  farmer 
would  not  be  likely  to  value  it  so  highly  as  we  should,  had 
lie  allowed  it  to  remain.  The  corner  can  be  located  with 
sufficient  accuracy  however,  by  the  intersection  of  the  north 
line,  just  described,  with  the  line  on  the  east;  and  it 
appears  from  the  Billerica  records  of  1700  that  the  corner 
was  then  marked  by  a  stake  and  stones. 

Returning  to  the  southwest  corner,  we  run  southeasterly 
on  the  present  Sudbury  line  to  the  river,  and  thence  in  the 
same  course,  on  the  Wayland  line,  to  the  corner  at  Lin- 
coln ;  then  striking  across  the  lower  corner  of  Lincoln  and 
keeping  in  the  same  straight  line,  we  come  to  a  heap  of 
stones  situated  near  a  brook,  and  in  a  line  with  that  part  of 
the  boundary  between  Lincoln  and  Weston  which  extends 
southwesterly  from  the  great  road  at  G.  F.  Harrington's 
house.  Turning  and  making  a  right  angle  at  this  corner, 
we  proceed  towards  the  northeast,  on  old  stone  walls,  just 
touching  the  eastern  edge  of  Beaver  Pond  and  including  a 
portion  of  the  boundary  between  Bedford  and  Lexington, 
thus  meeting  our  north  line  and  completing  the  square." 

Besides  the  territory  contained  in  the  grant  of  six  miles 
square,  other  lands  were  subsequently  petitioned  for,  an 
account  of  which  is  thus  given  in  Shattuck's  History: 

"Additional  grants  of  land  were  occasionally  made,  ad- 
joining Concord,  after  the  first  purchase.  On  the  and  of 
May,  1638,  Governor  Winthrop  had  1,200,  and  Thomas 
Dudley  1,000  acres  granted  them  below  Concord.  When 
they  came  up  to  view  it,  "going  down  the  river  about  four 
miles,  they  made  choice  of  a  place  for  one  thousand  acres 
for  eacli  of  them.  They  offered  each  other  the  first  choice, 
but  because  the  deputy's  was  first  granted,  and  himself  had 
store  of  land  already,  the  governor  yielded  him  the  choice. 


Concord  ,  279 

So,  at  the  place  where  the  deputy's  land  was  to  begin,  there 
were  two  great  stones,  which  they  called  the  Two  Brothers, 
in  remembrance  that  they  were  brothers  by  their  childrens' 
marriage,  and  did  so  brotherly  agree,  and  for  that  a  little 
creek  near  those  stones  was  to  part  their  lands.  At  the 
court,  in  the  4th  month  after,  two  hundred  acres  were 
added  to  the  governor's  part."  The  governor's  lot  lay 
southerly,  and  the  deputy  governor's  northerly  of  those 
rocks,  and  they  were  divided  by  a  little  brook,  which  may 
now  be  seen  a  short  distance  below  Carlisle  bridge.  Gov- 
ernor WInthrop  selected  (judiciously,  I  think)  a  lot  in 
Concord,  which  "he  intended  to  build  upon,"  near  where 
Captain  Humphrey  Hunt  now  lives.  The  changes,  which 
took  place  in  his  property  and  family,  probably  prevented 
him  from  putting  his  plan  into  execution. 

In  Nov.  1636,  500  acres  of  land  were  granted  to 
Increase  No  well,  Esq."  on  the  north  side  of  the  bounds 
of  Concord  beyond  the  river  against  the  governor's  1200  ;" 
and  500  acres  to  the  Rev.  Thomas  Allen  of  Charlestown, 
on  the  north  side  of  Mr.  Nowell's  ;  and,  Oct.  7,  1640,  to 
the  Rev.  Thomas  Weld  of  Roxbury  ^23  ^icres,  next  to 
Mr.  Allen's.  Another  tract  of  400  acres,  was  also  granted 
to  Mr.  Atherton  Hough.  All  these  lands  were  sold  about 
1650  to  John  and  Robert  Blood,  and  comprised  what  was 
afterwards  known  as  the  Bloods'  Farms,  which  became  a 
part  of  Concord  and  which  will  be  hereafter  noticed." 

But  notwithstanding  tract  after  tract  was  bestowed  upon 
the  people  of  Concord  they  still  wanted  more  territory. 
This  is  indicated  by  the  following  petition  dated   Sept.  7, 

1643  : 

"Whereas    your     humble     petitioners     came     into     this 

country  about  four  years  agoe,  and  have  since  then  lived  at 

Concord,  where  we  were  forced  to  buy  what  now  we   have, 

or  the    most    of  it,  the  convenience  of    the    town    being 

before  given  out :  your  petitioners  having  been  brought  up 

in  husbandry,  of  children,  finding  the  lands  about  the  town 

very    barren,  and    the    meadows    very  wet    and    unuseful, 


2  8o  Colonial 

especially  those  we  now  have  interest  in  ;  and  knowing  it 
is  your  desire  the  lands  might  be  subdued,  have  taken 
pains  to  search  out  a  place  on  the  north  west  of  our  town, 
where  we  do  desire  some  reasonable  quantitie  of  land  may 
be  granted  unto  us  which  we  hope  may  in  time  be  joined 
to  the  firms  already  laid  out  there  to  make  a  village.  And 
so  desiring  God  to  guide  you  in  this  and  all  other  your 
weighty  occasions,  we  rest  your  humble  petitioners." 

Thomas   Wheeler 
Timothy  Wheeler 
Ephraim  Wheeler 
Thomas  Wheeler,  Jr. 
Roger   Draper 
Richard   Lettin. 
Indorsed  :     "We  think  some  quantitie  of  land  may  be 
granted  them   provided   that  within  two  years  they  make 
some  good  improvement  of  it." 

In  addition  to  the  foregoing  statement  of  Shattuck 
relating  to  land  transactions  of  Concord  he  further  states 
as  follows  on  page  38  of  his  History  : 

"It  has  already  been  intimated  that  additional  grants  of 
land  were  made  to  Concord  about  1652.  The  following 
details  relate  to  these  and  other  grants. 

"  'To  the  Honored  Generall  Court  assembled  at  Boston. 
The  returne  of  the  nommber  of  acres  of  land  granted  as 
an  addition  to  the  Towne  of  Concord  according  to  the 
order  of  the  General  Court  in  1654. 

"  'Whereas  the  Court  was  pleased  to  grannt  to  our  Towne 
a  village  some  fouer  years  since  upon  condition  they  should 
improve  it  before  others,  but  neglecting  their  opportunity, 
the  plantation  of  Chelmsford  have  taken  a  good  parte  of 
the  same,  also  Nattatawants  [Tahattawan]  having  a  plan- 
tation granted  him  which  takes  up  a  good  some  also,  we 
whoes  names  are  subscribed  have  taken  a  survey  of  the 
rest  remayning,  and  wee  finde  about  seven  thousand  acres 
left  out,  of  which  Major  Willard  hath  two  thousand  acres, 
except  a  little  part  of  one  end  of  his  farme  which  lyes  in 


Concord  281 

the  place  or  parcell  of  vacant  land   being  by  the   last  court 

granted  to  our    I'owne  on  this  condition   that  at  this   Court 

we  should  acquaint  the  Court  of  the  quantitye  of  what  wee 

have. 

"This  is  a  true  copie  compared  with   original  on  file,  as 

it  was  exhibited  to  the   Generall   Court  may  1655  ^^  attest. 

EdwARD   Rawson,   Secretary. 
Tho.  Brooks 
Timothy  Wheeler 
Joseph  Wheeler 
George  Wheeler 
George   Heaward 
John  Jones," 
Other     territorial    acquisitions     followed,    but    as     these 

belong  to  a  subsequent  period  mention  of    them   here  is 

omitted. 


CHAPTER    XXIX 

Land  Allotments  and  Divisions  —  Early  Records 
Relating  to  Real  Estate  —  Public  Reservations  — 
Undivided  Territory  —  Location  of  Land  Tracts  — 
Amount  of  Acreage  —  l^he  grant  of  Thirty-one 
Acres  to  Rev.  Peter  Bulkeley. 


T 


"A HE  settlers  did  not  long  allow  their  landed  posses- 
sions to  remain  undisposed  of  or  unused,  but  soon 
divided  them.  The  first  apportionment  was  of 
houselots  and  a  limited  quantity  of  lands  outlying.  The 
second  was  by  what  were  called  land  divisions. 

Of  the  first  method,  Walcott,  in  his  History,  page  i8 
states  as  follows  : 

"As  soon  as  the  most  pressing  needs  of  the  situation  were 
met,  allotments  of  land  were  made  to  the  members  of  the 
company,  and  house-lots  were  laid  out  with  some  regular- 
ity on  both  sides  of  the  Mill  Brook,  eastward  as  far  as  the 
Kettle  place  lately  owned  by  Mr.  Staples,  and  on  Walden 
Street  to  the  Almshouse  ;  in  a  westerly  direction  as  far  as 
the  Damon  place;  and  to  the  Old  Manse  and  the  Edmund 
Hosmer  place  on  the  north.  Besides  his  house-lot,  each 
one  received  his  due  proportion  of  the  planting-ground 
and  meadow  lying  in  the  near  vicinity.  This  was  the  first 
division  of  lands,  the  price  paid  into  the  common  stock 
being  a  shilling  per  acre,  or,  in  some  special  cases,  a  six- 
pence per  acre.  The  land  thus  divided  constituted  a  small 
part  only  of  the  whole  grant,  and  the  remainder  was  held 
in  common  and  undivided,  subject  to  such  regulations  as 
the  inhabitants  thought  fit  to  establish,  until  the  second 
282 


Cone  07' d  283 

division  in  1653,  by  which,  substantially,  the  whole  remain- 
ing portion  of  the  original  grant  was  disposed  of." 

About  the  second  division  the  same  author  writes : 

"By  the  first  division  of  lands,  which  has  already  been 
alluded  to,  a  small  portion  only  of  the  township  passed  into 
the  hands  of  individual  owners  and  became  private  prop- 
erty." 

A  rule  relating  to  the  second  division  of  land  is  the  fol- 
lowing, which  was  voted  upon  at  a  town  meeting  held  on 
January  2nd,  1653: 

"A  meting  of  the  Towne  of  Concord  the  2""  of  the  11  mo. 
1652  about  second  devitiones  as  foloweth, 
Imp""  it  is  agreed  that  20.  acres  of  land  shall  be  for  one 
Cow  Comon  (of  all  the  land  men  hold)  and  two  yearling 
shall  goe  for  one  grown  beast,  and  one  horse  for  one  beast, 
and  4.  sheep  for  one  beast. 

1'     The  bounds  of  the  Towne  is  devided  into  three   parts; 
as  foloweth  :   only  the  hogpen  walke  is  not  to  be  devided  ; 
Imp""     All  on  the  north  sid  of  the  great   Rivre  shall  be  for 
them,  on  that  sid  of  the  same  ;  and  all  on   the  east  sid  to 
Mr  Bulkelyes, 

r  the  second  part  of  the  devition  is  on  the  East  sid  of  the 
aforesid  rivre,  beyond  Cranefild  to  Shawshine  corner,  and 
to  Mr  filints  pond  to  the  gutter  that  comes  out  thereof, 
and  to  the  goose  pond  and  along  the  path  that  comes  to 
the  Towne  medow  &  to  the  Towne ;  and  the  1),sones  to 
Inioye  this  part  are  all  the  Inhabitants  from  Mr  farweles  to 
the  East  end  of  the  Towne,  also  Thomas  Brookes  is  to 
come  in  amongst  them  for  two,  third  ^ts  of  his  land,  and 
Robert  Meriam  ;  Sargent  Wheler  and  Georg  Meriam  to 
Joyne  with  them  ; 

I'  the  third  ^t  of  [the]  devition  is  from  the  gutter  that 
comes  from  Mr  fflints  pond  as  aforesaid ;  to  the  south 
rivre  &  betwen  the  rivres  ;  and  those  appoynted  for  that 
devition,  are  the  Rest  of  the  towne  not  beforementioned. 

It  is  agreed  that  if  the  mair  1),t  of  any  of  the  Companyes 
shall  agree  for  the  laying   out  of  the   devitiones  as   before 


284  Colonial 

exprest  then  the  minor  'pt  shall  be  Compeled  to  agree  there 
to,  but  in  Case  the  maior  'pt  shall  not  agree ;  then  any 
pticular  ^son  shall  not  be  hendered  of  ther  wright,  but 
they  shall  have  power  to  call  on  indeferant  man  and  the 
Company  to  whome  he  belongs  shall  choose  one  other,  or 
if  they  refeuse  so  to  doe,  then  the  Townsmen  shall  choose 
on  man,  who  with  the  suerveyer  shall  indeferantly  lay  oat 
his  or  there  lands  so  requiring  it,  this  votted. 

It  is  forther  agreed  that  every  'pson  shall  have  som, 
quantity  of  upland  adioyning  to  his  medow,  where  it  is  in 
Comon  except  som  more  then  ordenary  ocation  may  ben- 
der it,  and  in  Case  any  defarence  be  therein  ;  it  is  to  be 
ended  by  indeferent  men  ;  and  this  is  to  be  pt  of  there 
second  devition  ; 

It  is  agreed  that  second  devitiones  shall  not  bender, 
heighwayes  to  menes  propriaties  that  they  have  in  '-j^ticolers, 
but  they  shall  be  inioyed  without  charge  of  purchies  to  be 
layed  out  by  indeferent  men  ; 

It  is  agreed  that  all  those  that  have  grants  of  lands  given 
them,  shall  have  three  acres  for  one  as  others  have." 

Of  the  second  division,  Shattuck  says, 

"The  town  met  several  times  to  consider  in  what  new 
manner  this  division  should  be  made.  On  the  2nd  of  Jan. 
1654,  it  was  voted  to  divide  the  town  into  three  parts  or 
quarters^  and  to  have  the  lands  first  divided  into  the  quar- 
ters;  but  this  was  not  entirely  satisfactory  to  the  inhabi- 
tants. "Much  uneasiness,"  say  the  Records,  "took  place 
before  the  system  was  matured."  On  the  8th  of  March, 
1654,  "at  a  publique  training",  nine  men  were  chosen, 
"three  out  of  each  quarter,  empowered  by  the  town  to  hear 
and  end  former  debate,  according  to  their  best  light,  and 
discretion,  and  conscience :  only  eight  of  the  nine  must 
agree  to  what  is  determined,  or  else  nothing  be  of  force  ; 
and  none  voted  to  the  contrarie,  but  Georg  Wheeler, 
Henry  Woodis,  Joshua  Edmands,  William  Buttrick,  and 
Thomas  Stow."  The  labors  of  this  committee  resulted 
in  the  following  agreement : 


Concord  285 

"We  whoes  names  are  under  written  conclude  that  20 
acres  of  meadow  shall  be  reserved  for  a  minister  in  the 
Hogepen-walke  about  Annursnake,  and  20  acres  of  plow- 
land  out  of  the  south  quarter,  and  20  acres  of  woodland 
in  the  east  quarter.  We  agree  also  that  20  acres  of 
woodland  shall  be  reserved  for  the  public  good  of  the 
towne  lying  neer  the  old  hogepen,  at  each  side  of  the 
towncs  bounds  line.  —  That  some  particular  persons  shall 
have  some  inlargement,  who  are  short  in  lands,  paying  12 
d.  per  acre,  as  others  have  don,  and  6d.  per  acre,  if  the 
towne  consent  thereto  : — the  persons  are  as  follow:  Georg 
Wheeler  20  acres;  Obadiah  Wheeler  20  acres;  Michel 
Wood  12  acres;  Thomas  Daken  to  acres;  Thomas  Bat- 
man 15  acres;  Bapties  Smedly  14  acres.  These  to  have 
second  divition  as  others  have  had.  lliat  all  pooremen  in 
the  towne  that  have  not  conimons  to  the  number  of  four, 
shall  be  allowed  so  many  as  amounts  to  foure  with  what 
they  have  already,  till  they  be  able  to  purchase  for  them- 
selves, or  untill  the  townsmen  shall  see  cause  to  take  it 
from  them,  and  bestow  it  on  others  that  want :  and  we 
mean  those  poore  men,  that  at  the  present  are  household- 
ers. And  upon  these  conditions  and  those  that  follow,  the 
Hogepen-walke  is  resigned  up  to  the  north  quarter." 

By  the  several  divisions  and  allotments  a  large  part  of 
the  towns  territory  was  early  disposed  of.  Some  however 
remained  for  years  undivided,  and  of  this  latter  were 
several  large  strips  which  belonged  to  each  of  the  Qiiarters, 
the  Great  Fields  ;  and  a  tract  in  the  vicinity  of  the  Bate- 
man  Pond  containing  about  four  hundred  acres  and 
formerly  known  as  the  "Twenty  Score",  a  name  derived 
from  the  area  of  the  reservation. 

Years  after  land  matters  had  largely  been  adjusted,  here 
and  there  was  found  remaining  a  lone  parcel  that  might  be 
considered  the  property  of  the  public,  several  of  these 
being  determined  by  actual  survey  reported  upon  as  late  as 
1845,  ^o  contain  about  two  hundred  and  twenty-six  acres. 

One  of  these  parcels  was  a  small  island  in  the  crotch  of 


2  86  Colonial 

the  River  below  Mr.  Woodis's  Rock  where  the  Rivers 
meet ;  another,  a  plot  of  a  little  less  than  an  acre,  reaching 
up  stream  from  where  the  Minute  Man  statue  is  situated. 

Besides  the  grants  and  allowances  in  which  the  inhabi- 
tants in  general  shared,  there  were  allotments  to  individuals 
concerning  which  Walcott  states  : 

"James  Blood,  father  and  son,  received  as  part  of  their 
second  division  five  hundred  acres  in  one  parcel,  extending 
southward  from  the  town  line.  Henry  Woodis  and  Thom- 
as Stow  jointly  owned  a  tract  of  six  hundred  and  sixty-six 
acres,  situated  south  of  Fairhaven  and  east  of  the  river, 
which  was  sold  in  1660  to  Thomas  Gobble  and  Daniel 
Dane  for  X72,  and  was  afterwards  occupied  by  them. 

Large  tracts  were  held  for  a  long  time  afterwards  by  the 
Qiiarters,  or  by  joint  proprietors,  in  common  and  undi- 
vided ;  as  for  instance,  the  "Great  Fields"  adjoining  the 
Great  Meadow  ;  and  the  "Twenty  Score,"  which  extended 
to  the  southward  from  Bateman's  Pond  and  contained,  as 
the  name  would  imply,  four  hundred  acres,  and  many  other 
parcels  besides,  in  various  parts  of  the  town." 

There  was  also,  as  stated  in  an  earlier  chapter,  a  tract  of 
thirty-one  acres  of  land  situated  at  the  center  of  the  town, 
granted  to  Rev.  Peter  Bulkeley  in  consideration  of  his 
erecting  a  mill  "to  grind  the  town's  corn." 

It  would  be  interesting  to  know  where  all  the  lands  thus 
allotted  and  divided  were  situated.  To  determine  this, 
however,  in  every  instance  would  be  a  difficult  matter,  for 
time,  in  many  cases  has  left  little  or  no  trace  of  their  boun- 
dary lines  :  but  there  has  been  preserved  in  the  public  rec- 
ords sufficient  to  determine  their  general  location. 

At  a  town  meeting  supposed  to  have  been  held  at  the 
suggestion  of  the  selectmen  and  Rev.  Edward  Bulkeley, 
Thomas  Brooks  and  Joseph  Wheeler,  Jan.  26,  1663, 
measures  were  taken  taken  for  the  purchase  of  a  new  town 
book. 

The  book  was  purchased  and  it  was  decided  that  "what 
is   in   the   old  book   that  is  useful  shall  be    transcribed  into 


Concord  287 

the  new  with  all  lands  which  men  now  hold"  "that 
every  man  that  hath  not  his  proportion  of  lands  laid  out  to 
him,  that  is  due  him  shall  gitt  it  laid  out  by  artis."  This 
was  to  be  done  by  T655  and  each  one  was  to  give  the  town 
clerk  a  description  of  his  land  approved  at  a  meeting  of  the 
inhabitants  of  the  quarter  in  which  he  lived,  and  certified 
by  the  quarter  clerk. 

Referring  to  data  afforded  by  the  foregoing  measure, 
Shattuck,  in  his  History  which  was  written  in  1835,  states  : 
"From  these  records  I  have  compiled  the  following  table 
which  gives  the  greater  part  though  not  all  the  names  of 
the  proprietors  of  the  town  at  that  time.  The  places  of 
their  residence,  when  known,  are  indicated  by  the  names 
under  which  they  now  pass." 

The  following  is  the  list  with  a  change  of  arrangement. 
The  estates  with  the  names  of  their  owners  in  each  quarter, 
we  have  grouped  together  and  the  names  of  the  owners  at 
the  time  of  Shattuck's  writing  are  in   parentheses. 

North   Qitarter. 

Widow  Heald,  6  lots,  161  acres  (Joshua  Buttrick,) 
John  Heald,  4  lots,  86  acres  (North  of  Joshua  But- 
trick).  William  Buttrick,  t2  lots,  215  acres  (Jonas 
Buttrick).  John  Flint,  9  lots,  534  Acres  (John  Flint). 
James  Blood  Sr.  and  James  Blood  Jr.,  12  lots,  660  acres 
(Rev.  Dr.  Ripley).  John  Smedly,  17  lot,  668  acres 
(South  of  J.  Jones).  Thomas  Bateman,  7  lots,  246  acres 
(Near  R.  French.)  Baptise  Smedly,  to  lots,  186  acres 
(Ephraim  Brown).  Humphry  Barrett,  11  lots,  n!^^6  acres 
(Abel  B.  Heywood.)  Richard  Temple,  5  lots,  291  acres 
(Barretts  Mills).  John  Blood,  i  lot,  61  acres  (Near 
Thomas  Blood).  John  Jones,  9  lots,  351  acres  (James 
Jones').  Samuel  Hunt,  13  lots,  277  acres.  Boaz  Brown, 
6  lots,  86  acres  (The  Dakin  House).  Thomas  Brown 
14  lots,  186  acres  (Reuben  French.) 


288  Colonial 


SOUTH    QUARTER 

^Joseph  Dean,  i  Jot,  22  acres  (Wm.  Heyden).  Luke  Pot- 
ter, 22  lots,  249  acres.  John  Heywood,  13  lots,  385  acres. 
George  Haywood,  10  lots,  505  acres.  Daniel  Dean  and 
Thomas  Gobble,  i  lot,  600  acres  (Jones  Tavern).  Henry 
Woodhouse,  i  lot,  360  acres.  Joseph  Barrett  and  Joshua 
Wheeler,  i  i  lots,  77  acres  (John  Vose).  Nathaniel  Billings 
Jr.  7  lots,  54  acres  (Amos  Baker.)  John  Billings,  6  lots 
John  Wheeler,  i  lot,  67  acres.  George  Wheeler,  24  lots, 
434  acres  (near  James  Adams).  Edward  Bulkeley,  11  lots, 
183  .acres  (near  Meeting  House.)  Samuel  Stratten,  6  lots, 
254  acres.  (Aims-House).  Ecimund  Wigley  4  lots,  31 
acres.  John  Miles,  23  lots,  459  acres  (Josiah  Davis). 
William  Buss,  19  lots,  319  acres  (Elijah Woods).  Thomas 
Dakin,  4  lots,  87  acres.  James  Hosmer,  4  lots,  164  acres. 
Samuel  Wheeler,  2  lots,  21  acres.  James  Smedley,  9  lots, 
287  acres.  John  Scotchford,  10  lots,  120  acres  (near  Cyrus 
Stow)  Michael  Wood,  13  lots,  230  acres.    (Samuel  Dennis. 

East  Quarter. 

Thomas  Wheeler,  Sr.  16  lot,  373  acres.  (Jonathan 
Wheeler).  Francis  Fletcher,  17  lots,  437  acres.  Richard 
Rice,  3  lots,  189  acres.  George  Meriam,  16  lots,  239 
acres  (near  Alms-house).  Moses  Wheat,  22  lots,  339  acres, 
(Bedford  Road).  Robert  Meriam,  16  lots,  595  acres,  (Eb. 
Hubbard).  Ephraim  Flint,  750  acres  (Lincoln).  Grace 
Bulkeley,  i  lot,  750  acres.  Thomas  Pellet  and  Joseph 
Dean,  7  lots,  244  acres.  Joseph  Wheeler,  29  lots,  357 
acres.  Joshua  Brooks,  11  lots,  195  acres  (Isaac  Brooks). 
Caleb  Brooks,  12  lots,  150  acres.  Eliphalet  Fox,  14  lots, 
106  acres  (Bedford  Road).  John  Meriam,  8  lots,  262 
acres,  (Virginia  Road).  William  Hartwell,  20  lots,  241 
acres,  (Bedford  Road).  John  Hartwell,  3  lots,  17  acres, 
(Bedford  Road):  Nathaniel  Ball,  n  lots,  137  acres, 
(Bedford  Road).  William  Taylor,  14  lots,  117  acres,  (Bed- 
ford  Road).    James   Farwell,     18   lots,    280  acres.    Joseph 


Concord  289 

Wheeler,  29  lots,  357  acres.  William  Baker,  5  lots,  43 
acres. 

Besides  the  foregoing  list  Mr.  Walcott  has  also  located 
some  of  the  allotments,  a  part  of  which  we  gave  in  the  chap- 
ter on  early  streets,  and  the  remainder  are  the  following 
together  with  the  names  of  the  occupants  at  the  time  of 
Mr.    Walcott's  writing,  given  in  parentheses. 

On  the  west  side  of  the  highway  of  Monument  street  in 
the  direction  of  the  North  Bridge  was  the  early  home  of 
Humphrey  Barrett,  his  lot  containing  twelve  acres.  (D.  G. 
Langs. j  On  the  same  street  John  Jones  had  eight  acres. 
(Sarah  J.  Prescott.)  John  Smedley  owned  ten  acres  to  the 
easterly.  (John  S.  Keyes).  And  James  Blood  and  son 
had  twelve  acres  at  what  was  afterward  the  Old  Manse 
estate.  (Dr.  Ripley). 

The  tract  of  land  early  granted  to  Rev.  Peter  Bulkeley 
which  contained  thirty-one  acres,  was  situated  at  Concord 
Center  and  on  its  southerly  side  extended  in  a  straight  line 
from  a  point  where  now  stands  the  publishing  house  of 
Albert  Lane,  which  is  the  site  of  the  Bulkeley  Mill,  beyond 
which  Mill  the  west  end  of  the  Milldam  began,  and  going 
to  the  corner  of  the  Lexington  highway  and  Bedford  street, 
to  nearly  the  spot  where  the  Catholic  Church  stands. 

On  the  south  side  of  this  line  was  a  public  reservation  or 
a  portion  of  the  town's  common  land. 

In  connection  with  the  grant  of  this  land  it  was  agreed 
that  Mr.  Bulkeley  for  the  purpose  of  repairing  his  milldam 
should  be  permitted  to  take  sand  or  clay  from  the  parcel 
reserved  for  the  town's  use. 

To  the  northerly  the  thirty-one  acre  grant  extended  in 
the  direction  of  what  are  now  Lowell  and  Monument 
streets,  the  latter,  or  a  portion  of  it  at  least  being  then 
perhaps  but  a  mere  path  to  the  home  of  Mr.  Bulkeley  and 
the  river  meadow  beyond. 

The  strip  extended  westerly  to  the  Millbrook,  and  east- 
erly to  the  hill. 

Soon    after   the    death    of    Rev.    Peter    Bulkeley   which 


290  Colonial 

occurred  March  9,  1659,  his  widow  conveyed  the  entire  tract 
to  Capt.  Timothy  and  George  Wheeler;  and  in  1687,  the 
former  by  bequest  left  to  the  town  a  large  portion  of  the 
land  lor  schools  and  a  training  field. 

By  this  gift  the  town's  common  land  at  the  center  was 
made  to  comprise,  with  the  exception  of  the  mill  privilege, 
and  perhaps  here  and  there  a  small  strip,  all  the  territory 
intermediate  between  the  brook  and  the  top  of  the  hill  east 
and  west ;  north  to  the  present  Colonial  House  ;  and  to 
the  south  as  far  as  the  premises  now  owned  by  the  First 
Parish. 

Thus  by  the  accession  of  the  newly  acquired  territory 
by  the  Wheeler  bequest,  the  town  obtained  an  unin- 
terrupted space  for  public  purposes,  and  the  place  already 
occupied  by  the  meeting  house,  the  burying  ground,  the 
pound,  the  whipping  post  and  the  stocks  was  made  a 
part  oi-  a  large  tract  which  was  afterwards  to  contain 
the  schoolhouse  and  training  field  and  still  later  the  pres- 
ent public  square  upon  or  about  which  have  been  erected 
the  Middlesex  Hotel,  the  Catholic  Parsonage,  the  Masonic 
Hall,  and  the  Soldier's  Monument.  The  collateral  events 
connected  with  this  combination  of  public  property  are  of 
much  interest. 

The  town,  after  the  acquisition  of  its  new  territory  had 
ample  encouragement  to  improve  it.  Soon  the  "Little 
Strate  Strete"  of  which  mention  has  been  made  so  often 
was  no  longer  to  have  the  land  between  it  and  the  milldam 
disfigured  by  the  gaping  gravel  or  clay  pit,  but  by  some 
adjustment  or  exchange  of  rights,  the  work  ot  removing 
earth  from  the  place  near  the  meeting  house  for  mill  repairs 
ceased,  and  gravel  was  taken  from  the  hillside  at  a  point 
between  the  town  house  and  the  Catholic  church  until  the 
hill  was  dug  through,  and  by  the  continuation  of  the  way 
so  opened  the  present  Bedford  street  was  made.  Nor  was 
this  all  the  alteration  of  the  central  village  in  the  vicinity  of 
its  prospective  public  square.  Gradually  the  old  foot-path 
over  the  milldam  by  the  south  west  corner  became  a  nee- 


Concord  291 

cessary  way  to  the  tavern,  the  store,  and  the  road  westerly 
beyond  the  mill  brook.  From  a  foot-path  it  became  a  cart- 
way, and  from  this  it  developed  into  a  county  road;  so 
that  perhaps  soon  after  the  middle  of  the  18th  century 
the  town  folks  from  the  East  Quarter  were  no  longer 
obliged  to  drive  their  vehicles  around  by  way  of  Potter's 
bridge  at  the  head  of  the  millpond  an  eighth  or  a  quarter  of 
a  mile  south,  but  could  pass  over  a  convenient  causeway  at 
the  dam,  while  those  from  the  opposite  Qiiarter  could  drive 
direct  to  the  meeting  house  without  any  detention  at  the 
milldam,  at  which  place  it  is  said,  the  west  side  people  for- 
merly dismounted  from  their  wagons  on  Sunday  that  they 
might  walk  to  the  house  of  worship  while  the  team  drove 
around  over  Potter's  bridge. 


CHAPTER      XXX 

Successive  Ownership  of  Land  Grants  —  Historic 
Sketch  of  the  Major  Simon  Willard  Farm  at 
Nashawtuc  —  Change  of  Occupants  of  Old 
Estates. 

N'"  EXT  in  point  of  interest  to  a  knowledge  of  the 
location  of  the  allotments  is  a  knowledge  of 
their  successive  ownership  ;  but  to  obtain 
this  in  every  case  would  not  be  easy  if  indeed  it  were 
possible.  Some  of  them  probably  changed  ownership  in  a 
very  few  years  and  some  were  doubtless  soon  divided  up 
between  several  owners. 

During  the  town's  second  decade  many  new  settlers 
arrived,  and  as  fresh  ships  entered  the  ports  of  Massachu- 
setts Bay  and  the  passengers  found  the  older  townships 
largely  occupied,  they  pushed  back  into  the  interior.  As 
Concord  had  meadows  and  was  the  first  settlement  beyond 
tide  water,  so  it  would  naturally  receive  its  due  share  of 
the  new  comers,  and  would  sell  them  portions  of  their 
estates. 

It  is  true  there  are  instances  where  farms  descended  from 
sire  to  son  with  all  the  apparent  precision  of  the  English 
law  of  primogeniture,  and  if  the  children  bounded  oft  it  was 
not  to  go  far,  but  to  settle  about  the  paternal  estate  by  the 
occupation  of  a  part  of  it  or  of  lands  contiguous  to  it ;  for 
this  reason  some  of  the  first  estates  were  for  generations 
identified  with  their  first  owners  but  these  were  doubtless 
exceptions,  and  in  many  instances  a  Jones  place  may  soon 
have  become  a  Smith  place  and  the  Smith  place  become 
identified  by  some  other  name.  Illustrative  of  this  pro- 
cess, we  have  in  a  manuscript  work  entitled  "Homes  and 
292 


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n 


THE 

NEW  YORK 

PUBLIC  LIBRARY 


Astor,  Lenox  and  TUden , 
Foundations. 


Concord  293 

People  of  Concord,"  written  by  Mr.  Edward  Jarvis,  and 
now  in  Concord  Public  Library,  the  following  compilation 
of  facts  namely:  There  were  in  Concord  by  1654,  eight 
f^imilies,  who  in  the  first  quarter  of  the  last  century  were 
"the  most  numerous  families  of  farmers  in  the  town,"  who 
yet  by  the  last  quarter  had  largely  parted  with  their  estates. 
The  names  of  these  families  were  Buttrick,  Barrett,  Brown, 
Hunt,  Hosmer,  Dakin,  Flint  and  Wood. 

Of  five  farms  owned  by  the  Buttricks  ;  four  went  out 
of  the  family  while  there  were  five  voters  by  the  name  in 
town. 

Of  eight  farms  owned  by  the  Barretts  only  two  were 
left  in  their  name,  with  ten  voters  in   town. 

Two  generations  ago  four  farms  belonged  to  the 
Browns;  in  1881,  they  held  the  same  number  in  their 
possession  while  the  voters  had  increased  to  eleven. 

Of  three  farms  owned  by  the  Hunts  only  one  was 
known  by  this  name  in  1881,  notwithstanding  there  were 
seven  voters  of  the   name. 

I'he  Hosmers  owned  six  farms  early  in  the  first  quarter 
f  the  nineteenth  century  while  only  three  remained  in  the 
family  name  in  the  last  quarter,  with  eleven  voters  of  the 
name  in  town. 

The  Flints  occupied  and  owned  three  farms  in  the 
first  quarter  of  the  nineteenth  century  while  in  i88i,all 
were  sold  and  tour  voters  remained. 

As  against  these  instances  of  change,  Mr.  Jarvis  gives 
several  where  estates  have  been  conspicously  retained  in 
the  family  ;  among  these  is  the  Derby  estate.  This  family 
have  held  their  farm  from  the  first,  the  property  descending 
in  a  single  line  until  as  late  as  least  as  i  881,  at  which  time 
eight  of  the  name  are  on  the  voting  list.  The  Wheelers 
who  have  been  among  the  most  numerous  families  in  Con- 
cord  have  also  kept  their  estates. 

Thus  farms  have  changed  owners  and  persons  their 
occupation  in  the  last  quarter  century  and  so  presumably 
in  the  century  preceeding.     A  farm  which  has  had  many 


294  Colonial 

owners  but  whose  title  may  be  traced  through  them  all  is 
the  Major  Simon  Willard  or  Lee  farm  at  Nashawtuc. 

As  the  successive  owners  have  been  celebrated  and  the 
History  of  Concord  would  not  be  complete  without  a 
description  of  this  farm  we  will  give  it  ;  taking  our  data 
from   Dr.  Grindall   Reynolds. 

The  first  Eiiglish  owner  was  Major  Simon  Willard 
before  spoken  of  as  one  of  the  progenitors  and  principal 
promoters  of  the  plantation  of  Concord.  His  house  was 
situated  at  about  the  spot  where  now  stands  the  Abbott 
House,  and  the  lands  connected  with  it  probably  included 
those  upon  the  hill  and  immediately  about  it. 

The  successor  of  Major  Willard  was  Thomas  Marshall, 
formerly  a  soldier  in  the  army  of  Oliver  Cromwell,  and 
living,  before  he  went  to  Concord,  in  Lynn  from  which 
place  he  was  sent  to  the  General  Court. 

Mr.  Marshall  was  something  of  a  military  man  having 
attained  to  the  rank  of  Captain  in  the  service  of  Crom- 
well and  having  had  command  of  some  soldiers  in  America 
during  one  of  the  Indian  wars. 

He  bought  the  Willard  farm  Nov.  19,  1659,  for  two 
hundred  and  ten  pounds. 

Shortly  after  the  purchase  he  received  a  licence  to  sell 
"strong  water"  to  travelers  and  others. 

After  a  sojourn  of  sixteen  months  on  the  farm  at 
Nashawtuc,  Capt.  Marshall  sold  the  place  to  Henry 
Woodis  or  Woodhouse  for  the  sum  of  two  hundred  and 
forty  pounds. 

At  this  time  the  farm  was  said  to  contain  three  hundred 
and  fifty  acres. 

Five  years  later  the  house  was  destroyed  by  fire  and  the 
only  son  of  the  owner,  an  infant,  perished  in  the  flames. 

The  building  which  was  burned  at  this  time,  it  has  been 
supposed,  was  not  the  one  erected  by  Major  Willard,  but 
the  one  erected  by  Mr.  Woodis. 

Before  his  ownership  of  the  Nashawtuc  farm  or  prior 
to  1 66 1,  Mr.  Woodis  was  a  land  owner  and  a  man  of 
considerable     prominence.      He    was    an    officer    in    King 


Concord  '  '  295 

Philip's  war  and  for  several  years  represented  the  town  at 
the  general  court. 

In  1699,  the  farm,  excepting  one  fifth,  was  sold  to 
Joseph  Lee,  son  in  law  of  Henry  Woodis. 

The  property  was  kept  in  the  Lee  family  for  the  space 
of  one  hundred  and  thirteen  years.  During  this  period 
the  town  of  Concord  passed  through  many  and  eventful 
changes,  some  of  which  were  conspicuously  connected  with 
the  Lee  farm. 

Joseph,  the  first  Lee  who  lived  on  the  farm  was  from 
Ipswich  and  married  Mary  Woodis  in  1678,  going  to 
Concord  from  that  town,  the  records  state,  in  1696. 

In  1 71 9,  the  first  Joseph  Lee,  gave  his  son  Joseph  one 
hundred  and  fifty  acres,  and  his  other  children  the 
remainder,  except  the  one  fifth  before  referred  to  which 
was  given  to  the  fourth  daughter  who  married  Elmer 
Dakin. 

The  second  Joseph  Lee  was  a  physician. 

He  bought  of  each  of  his  brothers  and  sisters  their 
portion;  and  in  1730  increased  the  acreage  of  the  old 
farm  by  the  purchase  of  two  additional  plots. 

The  next  owner  was  Joseph  Lee,  the  third  of  the  name 
and  he  also  was  a  physician,  but  practised  his  profession,  as 
is  supposed,  quite  inconstantly.  He  was  considered 
wealthy  ;  and  it  is  conjectured  that  he  dealt  somewhat  in 
real  estate.  He  took  part  in  several  important  church 
quarrels  and  was  one  of  a  number  who  left  the  First  Par- 
ish church  and  formed  what  has  been  termed  the  Black 
Horse  Church,  because  its  meetings  were  held  in  the  hall 
of  the  tavern  that  once  stood  near  the  present  Public 
Library. 

He  was  a  tory,  and  that  probably  of  the  rankest  kind, 
for  he  was  not  only  in  sympathy  with  England,  but,  it  is 
stated,  conveyed  the  secrets  of  the  Patriots  to  the  officials 
at  Cambridge,  even  after  the  Revolution  had  set  in.  For 
this  misdemeanor  he  was  confined  to  his  Nashawtuc  farm 
fourteen  months. 

He  died  at  the  age  of  eighty. 


296  Colonial 

While  Joseph  Lee  was  confined  at  his  farm  in  the  Rev- 
olutionary war,  Harvard  College  found  an  abiding  place 
at  Concord  for  a  short  time  and  about  a  dozen  of  the  stu- 
dents made  their  home  at  his  house. 

The  last  owner  of  the  entire  farm  of  the  name  of  Lee  is 
supposed  to  be  Silas  who  obtained  it  from  his  brother  John 
who  had  previously  owned  it  jointly  with  his  brother 
Joseph. 

In  1 814,  the  widow  of  Silas  sold  her  right  of  dower  to 
William  Gray  for  1 1,000,  and  the  place  passed  out  of  the 
possession  of  the  family  of  Lee. 

William  Gray,  well  known  in  his  day  as  "Billy  Gray," 
was  a  noted  Boston  merchant,  born  in  Lynn  in  1750. 

About  the  time  of  the  conveyance  of  the  Willard  or  Lee 
farm  to  William  Gray,  the  war  broke  out  between  the 
United  States  and  Great  Britain,  and  it  is  stated  that  it  was 
the  gold  of  Mr.  Gray  that  fitted  out  the  Constitution 
which  captured  the  Guerriere  in  that  noted  fight  which 
showed  the  supremacy  of  American  Seamen  over  the  Brit- 
ish. It  has  been  stated  also  that  it  was  with  timber  from 
Nashawtuc  that  the  Constitution  was  built.  A  large 
growth  of  wood  covered  the  hill  at  that  time,  and  one 
who  itis  asserted  worked  for  Mr.  Gray  lumbering,  said  that 
one  winter  fourteen  or  fifteen  teams  were  employed  hauling 
to  the  river  logs  of  pine  and  oak,  some  of  which  were 
from  three  to  tour  feet  in  diameter.  These  logs  were 
floated  down  and  taken  to  Boston  to  be  used  partly  at 
least  in  ship  building. 

In  1821,  the  farm  was  sold  by  Mr.  Gray  for  ^3,000  less 
than  it  cost  him  and  passed  into  the  possession  of  Samuel 
Phillips  Prescott  Fay,  a  native  of  Concord  and  son  of 
Jonathan    Fay. 

Samuel  Fay  was  Judge  of  the  Probate  Court  from  1821 
to  1856.  But  his  possession  of  the  property  was  said  to 
be  only  nominal,  he  only  holding  it  for  Joseph  Barrett  the 
husband  of  his  sister. 

Joseph  Barrett  the  twelfth  owner  of  the  Nashawtuc  farm 


Concord  "2-91 

was  a  man  perhaps  no  less  noted  for  his  personal  character- 
istics than  his  predecessors.  He  was  familiarly  known  in 
Concord  as  Squire  Joe  Barrett,  and  Conspicuous  both  for 
his  social  and  physical  qualities.  He  had  a  powerful  phy- 
sique, being,  it  is  said,  over  six  feet  tall  and  weighing  over 
two  hundred  and  fifty  pounds.  He  carried  on  the  farm 
himself  for  some  years  and  then  placed  it  in  charge  of  his 
son  Richard  only  working  on  it  when  he  wished.  Like 
other  owners  of  this  remarkable  farm,  Mr.  Barrett  was 
extensively  connected  with  public  life,  being  for  some 
years  and  until  his  death  in  1848,  Treasurer  and  Receiver- 
General  of  the  Commonwealth. 

From  1844  to  1852  the  property  belonged  to  Captain 
Richard  Barrett,  son  of  General  Richard,  and  was  sold  by 
him  in  the  latter  year  to  Samuel  G.  Wheeler,  Mr.  Barrett 
serving  as  Treasurer  of  the  Middlesex  Fire  Insurance 
Company.  Mr.  Wheeler  was  an  energetic  business  man 
of  New  York.  He  made  many  improvements  in  the  farm 
house,  built  a  barn  and  planted  a  row  of  elms  on  the 
road    to  Acton. 

After  an  ownership  of  four  years  he  sold  the  place  to 
David  Elwell,  a  sea  captain.  The  new  owner  like  his  im- 
mediate predecessor  was  a  person  of  thrift  and  one  who  had 
been  prominent  in  his  calling,  being  the  first  American  ship 
master  to  sail  through  the  straits  of  Magellan.  He  was 
about  sixtv-eight  years  old  when  he  took  the  farm  and  he 
gathered  at  his  Concord  home  a  collection  of  curious  arti- 
cles which  he  had  collected  in  his  voyages  to  various  parts 
of  the  world. 

The  building  with  its  contents  was  burned  in  the  winter 
of  1856-7,  and  upon  the  chimney,  which  for  a  time  was 
left  standing,  it  is  said,  was  inscribed  a  half  effaced  date 
which  indicated  that  the  house  was  erected  in  1646  or  '56. 

From  Elwell  the  farm  passed  successively  into  the  pos- 
session of  Joseph  L.,  and  Charles  H.  Hurd,  gandsons  of 
Dr.  Isaac  Hurd.  In  1891,  the  property  was  sold  by  the 
heirs  to  Mr.  William  Wheeler. 


298  Colonial 

The  lands  once  composing  this  famous  farm  are  now 
more  or  less  made  use  of  for  residential  purposes  and  vari- 
ous elegant  buildings  with  finely  kept  lawns  are  now  situ- 
ated upon  it,  and  afford  a  fine  lookout  over  the  river. 

The  Concord  Reservoir  is  situated  upon  the  highest 
point  and  nothing  but  the  eminence  itself  with  its  aborigi- 
nal name  now  remains  to  remind  one  of  Fahattawan  and 
his  wigwam  as  it  once  nestled  near  the  rivers  by  Egg  Rock, 
or  of  the  farm  building,  formerly  erected  by  the  sturdy 
Simon  Willard,  or  of  the  tall  timber  trees  that  long  ago 
stood  there  until  "cut  down  by  the  orders  of  'Billy  Gray' 
the  merchant,  and  carted  to  the  seaboard,  there  perhaps,  as 
before  intimated,  to  become  a  part  of  Old  Ironsides  "whose 
thunders  shook  the  mighty  deep." 

In  closing  this  sketch  of  the  farms  at  Nashawtuc  perhaps 
nothing  could  be  more  appropriate  than  the  following  from 
a  paper  of  Dr.  Reynolds  read  before  the  Antiquarian  Soci- 
ety and  since  published  in  a  book  containing  his  works. 
The  paper  is  entitled  "The  Story  of  a  Concord  Farm." 
"Rightly  viewed  this  farm  has  been  in  itself  a  little  world. 
All  trades,  all  professions,  all  human  interests,  seem  sooner 
or  later. to  have  come  to  it.  The  Indian,  the  fur  trader,  the 
planter  of  new  towns,  the  Cromwellian  soldier  and  inn- 
keeper, merchants,  doctors,  lawyers,  mechanics,  farmers,  a 
judge,  a  minister,  a  sailor,  a  railroad  manager,  —  all  these 
have  possessed  the  land,  and  for  the  most  part  have  depart- 
ed and  left  little  trace  of  themselves  behind.  I  count  that 
nine  different  stocks  or  families  have  in  two  hundred  and 
fifty  years  owned  the  farm,  and  that  only  two  of  them  are 
represented  in  the  town  today,  unless  it  be  by  remote  side 
branches.  But  on  the  soil  there  are  nothing  but  surface 
changes.  The  beautifully  rounded  little  hill,  the  green 
meadow,  the  winding  rivers,  —  these  are  just  what  they  were 
two  hundred  years  ago. 

Instinctively,  as  1  close,  I  recall  Emerson's  words,  which 
seem  simply  concentrated  history: 


Concord  299 

"Each  of  these  landlords  walked  amidst  his  farm,  ' 

Saying,  ''Tis  mine,  my  children's  and  my  name's ; 

How  sweet  the  west  wind  sounds  in  my  own  trees  1 

How  grateful  climb  those  shadows  on  my  hill  !  I 

I  fancy  these  pure  waters  and  the  flags 

Know  me,  as  does  my  dog  ;  we  sympathize  ; 

And,  I  affirm,  my  actions  smack  of  the  soil."  '• 

"Where  are  these  men  ?   Asleep  beneath  their  grounds  ;  j 

And  strangers,  found  as  they,  their  furrows  plough  i 

"The  lawyer's  deed  j 

Ran  sure  ! 

Intail,  ] 

To  them  and  to  their  heirs 

Who  shall  succeed,  , 

Without  fail,  I 

Forevermore.  j 

"Here  is  the  land,  j 

Shaggy  with  wood, 
With  the  old  valley. 
Mound  and  flood. 

But  the  heritors  ?  i 

Fled  like  the  flood's  foam, —  ; 

The  lawyer  and  the  laws,  1 

And  the  kingdom,  | 

Clean  swept  herefrom. 

"They  called  me  theirs. 

Who  so  controlled  me  ; 

Yet  everyone  wished  to  stay,  and  is  gone. 

How  am  I  theirs, 

If  they  cannot  hold  me,  I 

But  I  hold  them  ? 


CHAPTER   XXXI. 

Old  Houses  —  'The  Elisha  Jones  House  —  The 
Block  House  —  Hunt  House  —  Abel  Hosmer  House 

—  IVheeler  House  —  Joseph  Hosmer  House  — 
Woods  House — But  trick  House  —  Barrett  House 

—  Old  Manse  —  Wright   Tavern  —  The    Colonial 

—  'The  Meriam,  Tuttle^  FoXy  Brown,  Heywood, 
Bealy  Bull  and  Alcott  Houses  —  Ancient  House  Sites 

—  Site  of  the  Rev.  Peter  Bulkeley  Parsonage  — 
Site  of  the  Major  Simon  Willard  House  —  Deserted 
Districts  and  their  suggestiveness. 

IT  would  be  a  matter  of  much  interest  to  know  of  the 
houses  or  even  their  sites  where  the  original  owners 
of  alloted  lands  first  lived.  It  is  exceedingly  improb- 
able how  ever  that  any  of  the  first  houses  of  the  persons 
whose  names  are  on  the  list  of  earliest  granters  is  now  stand- 
ing, and  only  one  is  known  to  exist  which  belonged  to  one 
of  the  settlers  who  next  succeeded  them. 

The  following  is  a  list  of  some  of  the  older  houses  of 
which  we  have  any  knowledge  and  a  sketch  of  the  history 
of  a  portion  of  them  : 

The  Block  house,  Elisha  Jones  house.  Hunt  house,  Bar- 
rett house,  the  Wright  Tavern,  the  Old  Manse,  the  Col- 
onial, Wheeler  house,  Abel  Hosmer  house,  Joseph  Hos- 
mer house.  Woods  house,  Buttrick  house,  Meriam  house, 
Tuttle  house.  Fox  house,  Reuben  Brown  house,  George 
Heywood  house,  the  Beal  house,  Alcott  house  and  the 
house  once  inhabited  by  Ephraim  Bull  the  originator  of 
the  Concord  grape. 
300 


THE 

NEW  YORK 

PUBLtC  LIBRARY^ 

^  Astor,  Lenox  and  TlMen 
Foundations, 


Concord  301 


The  Eltsha  Jones  House. 

The  Elisha  Jones  house  now  occupied  by  the  Hon, 
John  S.  Keyes  is  situated  on  Monument  street  a  short  dis- 
tance from  the  lane  leading  to  the  Battle-ground  and  just 
beyond  the  Old  Manse  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  way. 
Its  first  owner  was  John  Smedley  an  original  grantee,  of 
Huguenot  descent  who  arrived  at  the  Concord  plantation 
probably   before    1640. 

It  is  not  certain  that  the  house  stood  where  it  now 
stands  since  there  are  early  records  which  indicate  that  it 
may  have  been  on  either  the  east  or  west  side  of  the  high- 
way as  it  then  existed.  The  road  however  may  have  been 
changed  in  subsequent  years,  so  that  to  follow  it  might 
mislead  as  to  the  original  house  spot. 

As  first  constructed  the  house  contained  but  two  rooms, 
one  above  the  other  and  faced  the  four  points  of  the  com- 
pass. The  frame  was  of  ash,  the  boarding  of  pitch  pine, 
the  latter  having  edges  that  overlapped  to  protect  from  the 
weather.  The  lower  portion  of  the  chimney  was  made  of 
stone  and  clay  mortar  and  its  dimensions  were  twelve  feet 
by  eight.  John,  the  son  of  John,  the  first  proprietor  who 
married  May  5,  1669,  was  the  second  owner  of  the  house, 
and  he  added  two  rooms  on  the  south  side  and  between 
them  an  entry  and  stairway,  and  perhaps  the  east  leanto. 
From  John  the  second,  th«  house  passed  to  Ebenezer 
Hartwell  who  married  Sarah  Smedley,  daughter  of  John, 
Junior. 

In  1724,  the  third  owner  sold  the  place  to  Samuel  Jones, 
his  next  neighbor,  for  210  pounds. 

It  was  afterwards  occupied  by  his  son  Thomas  Jones, 
who  in  1727  married  Mary  Mills. 

The  last  named  couple  were  blest  by  a  numerous  family, 
all  born  in  this  house  the  youngest  of  whom,  Elisha, 
received  the  old  home  by  the  last  will  and  testament  of  his 
father. 

Elisha  Jones  was  a  blacksmith,    and  in   1770,  married 


302  Concord 

Elizabeth    Farrar.      Through   his  ownership  of  the  house 
comes  its  Revolutionary  history  and  fame. 

Hon.  John  S.  Keyes,  the  present  occupant  and  owner, 
in  his  sketch  of  the  old  homestead  in  a  paper  prepared  and 
published  by  the  Concord  Antiquarian  Society,  writing  of 
Elisha  Jones  states  as  follows  : 

"He  became  the  prominent  man  of  the  family,  was  Lieu- 
tenant according  to  some  authority,  and  Captain  according 
to  others.  In  the  troubles  preceding  the  Revolution  Elisha 
was  active  on  the  right  side  ;  he  received  of  the  military 
stores  sent  to  Concord  in  1775,  hlty-five  bbls.  of  beef  and 
1700  lbs.  of  salt-fish,  to  be  stored  in  his  cellar  and  shed. 
His  family  of  two  small  children  were  greatly  ciisturbed  by 
the  events  of  the  morning  of  the  19th  of  April.  The  early 
alarm  roused  them,  and  the  Militia  and  minute  men  who 
fell  back  at  the  approach  of  the  British  troops  halted  on  the 
hill  behind  their  house  and  waited  there  some  time  before 
crossing  the  bridge.  The  confusion  and  excitement 
increased  as  the  five  companies  of  the  red  coats  marched  up 
the  road,  and  left  two  companies  near  his  house,  while  two 
more  went  on  to  Col.  Barrett's  and  one  remained  to  guard 
the  bridge. 

The  soldiers  of  the  two  companies  then  halted  near  this 
door  yard,  soon  surrounded  the  well  in  front,  drinking  the 
cool  water  that  was  so  delicious  after  their  long  march  that 
hot  day.  It  seems  to  have  fiatisfied  them  as  there  are  no 
report  of  any  depredations.  Mr.  Jones  had  prudently  taken 
his  wife  and  babies  down  cellar,  where  they  cowered  in  fear 
and  trembling  in  the  dark  corners,  while  he  stood  guard 
over  the  barrels  of  beef.  Soon  the  chatter  and  noise  of  the 
Britishers  ceased,  and  all  was  still.  Then  the  silence  was 
broken  by  the  volleys  of  musketry  at  the  bridge.  He 
could  stand  it  no  longer,  but  rushing  up  from  the  cellar  fol- 
lowed by  his  wife  and  crying  children,  they  saw  the  regu- 
lars retreating  in  confusion  back  to  the  village,  bearing 
their  wounded,  some  with  ghastly  faces,  supported  by  their 
comrades,    others   with  bloody  limbs  hastily  bandaged  to 


Concord  303 

stanch  the  flow.  It  was  a  shocking  sight  to  the  oldest 
child,  a  girl  of  four  years,  which  she  remembered  to  her  old 
age,  and  often  described.  To  her  father  it  lent  new  excite- 
ment and  patriotic  rage ;  he  pointed  his  gun  out  of  the 
bedroom  window  on  the  north-west  corner  ot  the  house, 
determined  to  have  one  raking  fire  at  the  foe.  His  wife 
clung  to  his  arm  begging  him  not  to  risk  their  burning 
the  house  if  he  fired  from  it,  and  succeeded  in  preventing 
his  purpose  and  getting  his  gun  away.  Then  he  went  to 
the  door  of  the  shed,  and  stood  there  looking  at  the 
retreating  soldiers  in  scorn  and  triumph.  One  of  the  rear 
guard  who  may  have  seen  his  attempt  to  shoot,  or  "mis- 
hked  his  look,"  drew  up  as  they  passed  the  house,  and 
fired  a  "British  musket  ball"  at  Elisha.  It  was  a  well 
pointed  shot  considering  that  the  red  coats  fired  from  the 
hip,  and  not  from  the  shoulder  with  a  sight  along  the  gun 
barrel,  as  the  Yankees  did.  The  ball  struck  at  the  height 
of  Jones'  head  about  three  feet  to  the  right,  and  passing 
through  the  boarding,  glanced  from  an  oak  joist,  and  out 
through  the  back  side  into  the  ground  behind.  The  hole 
in  the  front  board  still  remains,  to  be  seen  of  "pilgrims  and 
strangers,"  some  of  whom  content  themselves  with  putting 
their  fingers  in  it,  while  others  have  been  known  to  try  to 
cut  out  and  carry  of!  the  hole.  Whether,  after  this  narrow 
escape,  Mr.  Jones  joined  in  the  pursuit  to  Charlestown,  or 
remained  at  home  to  care  for  his  frightened  family,  tradi- 
tion does  not  tell." 

The  old  house  is  in  the  midst  of  an  interesting 
locality.  Not  far  away  towards  the  west  is  the  Old  Manse 
with  its  gray,  gambrel  roof  and  antique  pose,  extending 
back  riverward  from  the  historic  highway  as  if  modestly 
shrinking  from  the  multitudes  that  visit  it. 

Towards  the  east  and  on  a  large  unoccupied  lawn  in  full 
and  open  view  from  the  Jones  doorway  is  ground  supposed 
to  have  been  inhabited  by  the  Indians  as  indicated  by  the 
stone  arrow  heads  found  there. 

To  the  northerly  through  the  pines  is  the  "Battle 
Ground"  including    the  monument,    the    bridge,  and    the 


304  Colonial 

"Minute  Man"  Statue.  To  the  east  and  south  are 
still  the  rough  pastures  over  which  the  Provincials  passed 
to  intercept  the  British  in  their  retreat  back  to  Boston  ; 
and  before  the  doorway  is  the  same  old  road  along  which 
the  Regulars  ran  after  the  firing  in  the  first  conflict. 

Truly  if  time  has  dealt  favorably  with  any  spot  about 
Concord  where  a  century  ago  men  wrought  mightily  it  is 
here. 

The  river  moves  onward  with  an  unchanged  course ;  the 
willows  as  of  old  grow  beside  it ;  the  floods  rise  and 
occasionally  sweep  over  the  meadow  lands  as  of  yore  ;  and 
when  by  the  winds  of  gray  November  the  trees  are  strip- 
ped of  their  foliage,  their  is  disclosed  over  the  brown 
reaches  of  marsh  land  an  interesting  expanse  of  historic 
country. 

From  Elisha  Jones  the  property  passed  to  Nathan  Bar- 
rett, from  whom  it  was  purchased  by  a  daughter  of  the 
last  owner  of  the  Prescott  place  which  was  near  by,  Mrs. 
John  S.  Keyes. 

The  improvements  made  by  the  present  owner  Judge 
Keyes  we  will  give  in  his  own  words  : 

"With  much  labor  and  expense  it  was  carefully  repaired 
and  renovated  ;  a  new  outside  and  inside  finish  put  on  the 
building  ;  the  old  chimneys  taken  down  and  replaced  by 
new  ;  the  rooms  finished  in  native  woods ;  the  small  win- 
dows enlarged ;  and  Lutheran,  long  and  bay  windows, 
porch  and  piazza  added,  and  the  interior  so  changed  that 
its  former  owners  would  hardly  recognize  it.  The  outside 
retains  the  lean-to  roof  on  the  North,  and  the  general 
shape  of  the  old  house.  The  barn  was  moved  across  the 
road  from  where  it  had  long  been  an  eyesore  to  the  Manse, 
and  placed  nearly  on  the  site  of  the  blacksmith  shop,  and 
the  view  over  the  meadows  and  battleground  improved." 

The   Block   House. 

The  Block  house,  or  what  remains  of  it  is  situated  on 
Main   Street,  the   first  building  west  of  the   Bank.      It  is 


Concord  305 

owned  now  by  Miss  Louisa  Kennedy  and  occupied  by  F. 
Holland.  As  it  stands  on  land  adjacent  to  the  second 
burying  ground  its  location  may  indicate  that  it  was  on 
land  of  the  town  since  it  may  be  inferred  that  the  burying 
ground  was  on  such  land  if  not  given  by  two  sisters  as 
tradition  has  it.  The  Block  house  was  supposed  to  have 
been  built  as  a  garrison  in  King  Philip's  war  and  to  have 
been  made  largely  of  solid  pine  logs.  Judge  John  S. 
Keyes  says,  in  1839,  when  there  was  an  enlargement  made 
on  the  west  side  for  a  window,  he  witnessed  the  workmen 
sawing  through  solid  pine  logs. 

It  might  be  difficult  to  trace  the  entire  succession  of 
owners  of  this  ancient  structure.  It  is  presumable  that 
after  being  used  as  long  as  needful  for  a  public  purpose,  it 
was  sold  to  private  parties  for  a  dwelling  place. 

The  first  private  owner  of  whom  we  have  any  knowledge 
was  Rev.  Daniel  Bliss,  a  royalist  who  lived  there  before 
the  Revolutionary  war  and  is  supposed  to  have  made  the 
first  alterations  in  it. 

From  Bliss  it  passed  into  the  possession  of  Dr.  Isaac 
Hurd,  who  at  one  time  owned  nearly  or  quite  all  the  land 
between  this  building  and  the  river  at  the  south  bridge. 

From  about  1850  to  1880,  it  was  occupied  by  Dr. 
Henry   A.    Barrett. 

Associated  with  this  old  house  is  much  that  is  suggestive 
of  a  stormy  period  in  olden  times.  It  is  true  that  Con- 
cord, unlike  some  of  the  interior  towns  of  Middlesex 
County,  in  King  Philip's  war  was  spared  an  attack  by  the 
Indians;  nevertheless  it  was  subject  to  the  liability  of  sud- 
den assault,  and  hence  on  more  than  one  occasion  the 
inhabitants  of  the  lone  outlying  hamlets  may  have  been 
summoned  to  this  little  central  stronghold  by  the  firing  of 
significant  signal  guns,  warning  them  that  suspicious  forms 
had  been  seen  lurking  by  the  wood  side,  or  that  the  tracks 
of  strange  feet  had  been  discovered  along  the  meadow 
paths,  or  that  mysterious  smoke  rising  from  lonesome 
localities  where  no  settler  was  known  to  live,  might  betoken 


2o6  Colonial 

the  presence  of  savages  who  very  soon  would  be  at  their 
doors  ;  and  as  down  through  the  years  we  come  in  thought 
we  can  perhaps  faintly  conceive  of  events  that  transpired 
about  this  building,  when  about  a  century  later  in  1775  the 
British  Regulars  marched  past  and  may  be,  visited  it  in 
their  search  for  public  stores. 

In  former  years,  an  ancient  jail  stood  near  and  was 
reached  perhaps  by  a  path  along  its  very  garden  fence  if 
it  had  one,  and  the  poor  debtor  whose  board  in  the  little 
grim  prison  house  may  have  been  paid  by  some  obsti- 
nate creditor  might  have  been  reminded  of  home  comforts 
and  sighed  for  restoration  to  them,  by  sight  of  this    house. 

In  its  present  appearance  it  shows  but  little  sign 
of  antiquity  and  as  it  stands  smiling  by  the  roadside  near 
the  place  of  old  graves,  there  is  nothing  to  remind  the  trav- 
eler that  in  that  city  of  the  dead  may  be  the  dust  of  many 
who  have  passed  in  and  out  of  this  old  building. 

The   Hunt   House. 

The  Hunt  house  is  situated  at  Punkatassett.  It  bears 
the  mark  of  great  age  and  is  supposed  to  have  been  built 
about  1725.  The  original  clapboards  were  of  an  old  fash- 
ioned length.  The  place  is  now  the  property  of  Mr.  Wil- 
liam Hunt,  a  great-grandson  of  the  original  owner. 

The  Abel  Hosmer  House. 

The  Abel  Hosmer  House  is  situated  on  Elm  street  near 
Concord  Junction,  and  is  owned  or  occupied  by  George  M. 
Baker,  It  is  on  a  part  of  the  original  James  Hosmer  estate 
whose  lone  homestead  by  the  interval  of  the  Assabet  river 
to  the  westerly  was  at  its  beginning  one  of  the  town's  out- 
post houses.  It  is  supposed  to  have  been  built  about 
1750,  by  one  of  the  Hosmer  family. 

The  Wheeler  House, 

This  house  with  its  leanto  roof  to  the  rearward,  and  its 
little  well  kept  front  porch  pleasantly  facing  towards   the 


Concord  307 

wayside  is  very  old,  having  been  built  probably  from  160 
to  200  years  ago.  It  well  deserves  the  name  it  is  known 
by  since  it  has  always  been  identified  with  the  Wheeler 
family  which  is  one  of  the  most  numerous  in  Concord.  It 
stands  on  the  Sudbury  road  on  the  most  direct  way  from 
the  i^ublic  Library  to  the  R.  R.  Station,  and  is  now  the 
property  of  Miss  Helen  Blanchard,  a  lineal  descendant 
of  the  first  owner. 

The  Joseph  Hosmer  House. 

This  is  situated  a  little  beyond  the  South  bridge  and  was 
probably  erected  in  1751.  It  was  the  home  of  Joseph 
Hosmer  at  the  time  of  the  Concord  Fight.  The  house 
was  searched  at  that  time  by  the  English  soldiers  for  mili- 
tary stores  while  its  proprietor  was  acting  as  Adjutant  of 
the  assembling  provincials  by  request  of  Col.  James  Barrett. 
It  is  now  owned  by  Prescott  Keyes,  Esq. 

The  Woods  House. 

This  is  now  used  as  a  school  for  boys  and  is  known  as  the 
Concord  School.  The  present  master  of  the  school  and 
manager  of  the  estate  is  Thomas  H.  Eckfeldt,  A.M. 
The  house  was  built  soon  after  1760  and  was  also  searched 
April  19,  1775  ^'^^  military  stores  supposed  to  be  secreted 
there. 

The  Buttrick  House. 
This  old  and  historic  homestead  is  near  the  North  bridge 
and  now  owned  by  Joseph  Derby.  It  was  built,  it  is 
asserted,  by  Jonathan  Buttrick  in  171 2,  and  April  .19,  1775 
was  owned  and  occupied  by  Major  John  Buttrick,  who 
took  a  conspicuous  part  in  the  Concord  fight.  Before  this 
old  building  to  the  eastward  is  the  "Battle  Lawn"  lately  so 
called,  where  the  militia  and  minute  men  were  formed,  pre- 
paratory to  their  march  to  the  bridge ;  and  near  it  the 
detachment  of  Regulars  under  Capt.  Parsons  passed  on  their 
way  to  and  from  the  home  of  Col.  James  Barrett. 


jo8  Colonial 

I'he  "Battle  Lawn"  is  marked  by  a  suitably  inscribed 
tablet. 

The  Barrett  House. 

The  Barrett  House  is  perhaps  better  known  to  the  public 
than  any  other  in  Concord,  because  of  its  former  owner  and 
occupant  Col,  James  Barrett  of  Concord  Fight  fame.  An 
extended  account  of  this  house  was  given  in  a  former  chap- 
ter. It  is  in  the  vicinity  of  Annusnuck  hill  and  was  prob- 
ably built  about  1725-50.  The  L  is  supposed  to  have 
been  added  years  after  the  erection  of  the  main  building. 
In  the  dooryard  of  this  house  the  British  made  a  bonfire 
of  the  Provincial  gun-carriages,  while  Capt.  Parsons's  com- 
mand were  searching  the  house  for  other  Provincial  prop- 
erty. 

The  Old  Manse. 

The  Old  Manse  stands  a  little  back  from  the  road  on 
Monument  street,  a  short  distance  from  the  public  square. 

The  plot  of  ground  upon  which  it  stands  was  originally 
the  property  of  James  Blood  father  and  son  who  had  four- 
teen acres  allowed  them  in  this  vicinity.  Various  have 
been  the  owners  and  various  and  distinguished  have  been 
the  occupants  of  this  old  mansion.  Few  if  any  homes  in 
our  land  have  associated  with  them  more  features  of  historic 
and  classic  interest.  It  was  for  a  long  time  the  home  of 
Rev.  Ezra  Ripley,  a  prominent  pastor  of  the  Concord  First 
Parish.  As  for  many  years  it  was  occupied  by  successive 
ministers  many  of  the  New  England  Clergy  have  been 
entertained  there,  and  the  walk  from  the  memorable  high- 
way that  passes  it,  to  the  little  vine  clad  front  has  many 
times  been  trod  by  the  feet  of  distinguished  visitors,  and 
the  "prophet's  chamber"  has  doubtless  witnessed  the  pres- 
ence of  guests,  v/hose  names  if  we  knew  them  all  would 
make  a  long  and  honored  list. 

To  the  rear  is  the  river  flowing  onward  as  tranquil  and 
bright  as  is  the  memory  of  the  lives  that  were  lived  within 
those  peaceful  precincts. 


Concord  309 


The  Wright  Tavern. 

The  Wright  Tavern  which  apart  from  its  age  is  among 
the  historic  objects  in  Concord  was  built  about  1747.  It 
stands  near  the  spot  where  there  was  an  earth  pit  from 
which  the  owners  of  the  Buikeley  Grist  Mill  obtained 
material  with  which  to  repair  the  mill-dam,  a  right  which 
was  stipulated  for  when  the  mill  privilege  was  granted. 

The  plot  of  ground  which  was  a  part  of  the  small  por- 
tion at  the  central  village  owned  by  the  town  was  sold  by  a 
committee  appointed  for  the  purpose  at  a  town  meeting  in 
May  1744,  to  Ephraim  Jones  in  consideration  of  his  pay- 
ing the  sum  of  thirty  pounds  and  also  an  agreement  that 
the  "broken  ground"  in  said  town  between  the  training 
field  and  the  meeting  house  "be  improved  in  such  way  and 
manner  as  to  prevent  the  Training  field  from  wasting  away 
the  town's  land." 

The  record  of  a  conveyance  of  this  property  was  dated 
June  11,  1785,  and  describes  a  small  piece  of  land  with 
bounds  "Beginning  at  a  stake  at  the  Northeasterly  corner 
and  leaving  the  highway  full  fore  rods  wide." 

Not  long  after  the  purchase  of  the  aforesaid  property 
Mr.  Jones  began  to  build,  and  a  tavern  was  established 
there  as  early  at  least  as  the  middle  of  the  18th  century. 

Nov.  25,  1 75 1,  Landlord  Jones  sold  the  premises  to 
Thomas  Munroe  who  came  to  Concord  from  Lexington. 
Munroe  kept  the  place  open  to  the  public  as  an  Inn  until 
he  died  in  1766. 

After  his  death  the  place  was  sold  at  a  mortgagee's  sale 
to  Daniel  Taylor,  the  deed  passing  from  Deacon  Thomas 
Barrett  who  held  the  mortgage. 

In  1775  Amos  Wright  was  carrying  on  the  business  of 
inn  keeper  at  this  house,  either  as  agent  or  proprietor. 
While  thus  engaged  the  Concord  Fight  occurred,  and  from 
that  time  forth  the  old  tavern  stand  has  been  ascociated 
with  his  name. 

In  the  colonial   period  when  this  old   hostelry  was  open 


3  TO  Colonial 

to  the  public  it  was  prominently  identified  with  town  busi- 
ness. Its  first  proprietor  Jones  having  been  a  leading  town 
officer  as  well  as  militia  captain,  more  or  less  of  the  offi- 
cials met  there  fijr  the  transaction  of  town  business. 

Sometime  during  the  year  1775,  the  property  passed 
into  the  hands  of  Samuel  Swan  of  Charlestown,  who  kept 
tavern  there  till  1785.  From  that  time  till  a  comparatively 
recent  date  the  house  ceased  to  be  used  as  a  place  of 
public  entertainment. 

The  next  owner  was  Reuben  Brown  a  saddler  who  once 
lived  in  the  Antiquarian  House. 

Since  the  house  was  closed  as  a  tavern  a  variety  of  call- 
ings have  been  represented  there,  among  which  is  that  of 
the  livery  man,  the  baker,  the  book  binder,  the  store 
keeper,  the  tinsmith,  and  the  shoe  dealer. 

At  present  the  property  belongs  to  the  "First  Parish 
Society,"  it  having  been  donated  to  it  by  the  late  Reuben 
Rice  and  Judge  E.  Rockwell  Hoar  who  were  joint  owners. 
The  house  some  years  since  again  became  an  Inn,  and  at 
present  is  kept  by  Mr.  John  J.  Busch. 

As  it  stands  on  the  corner  of  Main  and  Lexington 
streets,  west  of  the  Burying  ground  hill  and  just  northerly 
of  the  First  Parish  Meeting  house,  it  is  one  of  the  con- 
spicuous objects  near  the  Public  Square. 

The  historic  features  of  this  old  hostelry  are  such  as  to 
render  it  much  sought  for  by  sightseers ;  and  it  is  said  that 
as  many  as  fifteen  thousand  guests  registered  there  the  last 
year. 

For  a  long  time  the  old  fireplaces,  of  which  there  is  one 
in  nearly  every  room,  were  closed  up,  but  of  late  they  have 
been  re-opened,  and  the  present  proprietor  has  attempted 
to  give  the  old  house  somewhat  of  its  former  antique 
appearance.  Visitors  are  welcomed  for  an  inspection  of  the 
premises,  and  whatever  of  cheer  modern  appliances  can 
affiard  may  be  expected.  As  reference  has  been  made  in 
another  part  of  this  volume  to  the  relation  of  the  Wright 


Concord  311 

Tavern  to  the  Concord  Fight,  it  is  unnecessary  to  repeat  it 
here. 

The  old  picture  by  DooHttle  and  Earle,  painted  in  i7";'5 
represents  the  British  soldiers  as  halting  before  the  door 
while  their  commancier,  Lieutenant-colonel  Smith  and  his 
Major,  Pitcairn,  are  in  the  burying  ground  on  the  hill,  look- 
ing over  the  village  where  the  soldiers  are  in  search  of  mil- 
itary stores.  Before  the  Wright  Tavern  and  along  the 
way  toward  the  public  Square,  the  Royal  troops  are  drawn 
up  with  martial  precision,  in  close  ranks,  apparently  await- 
ing the  return  of  their  officers  for  orders. 

Of  all  the  works  of  man  set  forth  in  this  picture,  which 
though  crude  in  perspective,  may  nevertheless  be  compara- 
tively accurate  in  detail,  there  is  probably  not  one  that  has 
undergone  less  of  change  than  the  Wright  Tavern.  It 
stood  there  then  as  now  it  stands,  defiant  of  storms  and  un- 
touched by  the  embellishment  of  modern  art,  while  its 
main  companions  of  that  old  and  memorable  day  are  the 
moss-stained  tomb  stones  nearly  opposite,  the  ancient  road- 
way, the  meadows  and  the  brook. 

The  Colonial. 

The  Colonial  House,  or  what  we  call  the  Colonial,  is 
composed  of  three  houses  which  were  formerly  distinct  and 
separate  from  each  other,  viz :  the  White  house,  a  public 
store  house,  and  the  Thoreau  House.  Each  of  these  por- 
tions is  supposed  to  antedate  the  War  of  the  Revolution. 

The  White  house  takes  its  name  from  a  former  occu- 
pant by  the  name  of  White.  The  middle  portion  was  used 
as  a  deposit  for  Provincial  military  supplies,  and  the  Tho- 
reau house  was  once  owned  by  aunts  of  Henry  Tho- 
reau. An  interesting  fact  connected  with  the  Colonial 
House  is  that  the  portion  of  it  which  was  once  a  public 
store  house  was  probably  visited  by  John  How,  a  British 
spy,  as  he  styled  himself,  whose  diary  was  printed  at  Con- 
cord, N.  H.  in  1827. 

How  left   Boston  by  order  of  Gen.  Gage  given   April  5, 


312  Colonial 

^77 Sj  ^^  examine  the  roads,  bridges  and  fording  places,  and 
ascertain  which  was  the  best  route  for  an  army  to  take  to 
Worcester  to  destroy  miHtary  stores  deposited  there.  He 
returned  by  way  of  Concord  where,  he  states,  he  was 
introduced  to  Major  Buttrick  and  several  other  gentlemen 
and  was  invited   to  dine  at  the  tavern.      He  states: 

"I  was  now  invited  to  take  dinner  at  the  tavern  with  a 
number  of  gentlemen.  The  conversation  at  dinner  was 
respecting  the  Regulars  at  Boston  which  they  expected 
out."  After  relating  further  conversation  he  continued  as 
follows  :  "By  this  time  we  had  got  through  dinner.  After 
dinner  we  walked  up  to  the  storehouse  to  examine  some 
guns.  I  told  them  I  could  make  any  they  wished.  Here 
I  found  a  quantity  of  flour,  arms,  and  ammunition.  After 
examining  the  gates  and  doors  attached  to  yard  and  store- 
house, I  returned  to  the  tavern,  where,  after  taking  some 
brandy  and  water  I   took   leave  of  them." 

The  Colonial  House  is  situated  at  Concord  center  front- 
ing the  Public  Square,  and  the  proprietor  is  William  E. 
Rand. 

It  is  resorted  to  by  tourists  at  all  seasons;  and  in  sum- 
mer especially,  because  of  its  abundant  foliage  and  pleasant 
southerly  outlook  upon  the  town's  common  land,  the 
soldier's  monument  and  the  old  burying  ground. 

Of  the  other  houses  in  this  list  we  have  too  limited  a 
knowledge  to  make  more  than  a  passing  mention. 

The  Heyward,  Alcott,  Brown,  Bull,  Beal  and  Meriam 
houses  are  all  situated  on  Lexington  street  and  probably 
antedate  1750.  On  the  Bull  estate  the  Concord  Grape  was 
originated. 

Besides  the  history  of  old  houses  in  Concord  there 
are  several  sites  that  merit  especial  notice.  One  of  these 
is  on  Lowell  street  and  marked  by  a  tablet  designating  it 
as  the  place  where  the  house  of  the  town's  first  minis- 
ter stood.  Great  care  was  taken  by  the  committee  on 
erecting  tablets  in  Concord,  that  there  should  be  no  mis- 
take as  to  the  identity  of  the  spot  marked. 


Concord  3  1 3 

Tradition  has  always  asserted  it,  and  according  to  a 
statement  of  one  of  tlie  oldest  inhabitants  there  was 
visible  at  this  place  an  ancient  earth  dent ;  but  the  evidence 
does  not  rest  wholly  with  these  things.  Several  years  ago 
when  workmen  were  engaged  in  this  immediate  locality 
making  excavations  for  a  public  purpose  they  came  upon 
the  remnant  of  an  old  cellar  wall  just  where  one  might  be 
expected  to  be  found  provided  the  conclusions  of  the 
committee  were  correct.  Inhere  has  also  been  collected 
about  the  premises,  building  material  of  an  antique  pattern 
in  the  shape  of  brick  or  tile.  The  brick  or  tile,  for  it  is 
stated  that  neither  term  will  hardly  describe  them,  were 
made  of  lime  obtained  from  clam  shells,  and  were  evidently 
manufactured  many  years  ago. 

The  Major  Simon  Willard  house  site  is  near  the  Con- 
cord School  for  Boys  just  beyond  the  South  Bridge  and  is 
also  marked  by  a  tablet.  The  identity  of  this  spot  is 
unmistakable;  and  there  is  no  question  but  that  there  the 
daring  and  energetic  major  made  his  early  home  which 
was  probably  the  farthest  westward  of  any  in  the  Bay 
colony;  and  when  the  wigwam  of  his  Indian  neighbor  that 
stood  near  Egg  rock,  and  the  homes  of  his  fellow  townsmen 
on  the  "Little  Strate  Strete"  were  about  equidistant  from 
him. 

Probably  the  house  when  erected  ended  the  road  towards 
the  wilderness  and  was  literally  "out  west"  and  when  the 
floods  swelled  the  Musketequid  or  thin  ice  covered  it,  he 
and  his  household  were  completely  isolated  from  the  settle- 
ment. 

It  may  be  the  location  of  this  pioneer  homestead  on  the 
west  bank  of  the  Musketequid  that  occasioned  the  erection 
of  the  first  "town  bridge"  near  there,  of  which  Walcott 
writes  : 

"The  first  bridge  over  the  South  River  is  said  to  have 
been  placed  a  short  distance  below  the  bend  in  the  stream 
against  Mr.  Hurd's  land,  a  location  afterwards  abandoned 


314 


Colonial 


for  the  present  one,  in  order  to  obtain  a  more  direct  course 
for  the  road  to   Lancaster." 

The  first  neighbor  to  live  at  the  westward  beyond  Mr. 
Willard   was  perhaps  James  Hosmer. 

Of  the  road  that  may  have  been  extended  westward  for 
his  accommodation,  the  writer  just  referred  to  says  : 

"The  earhest  way  from  the  South  Bridge  to  the  Derby 
place  ran  in  a  curved  line,  between  Nashawtuck  Hill  and 
the  house  of  Charles  H.  Hurd,  to  the  old  Colburn  house- 
lot,  and  then  turning  more  to  the  westward,  reached  the 
Hosmer's,  and  crossed  the  river  by  a  ford-way  near  the 
railroad  bridge.  When,  however,  a  bridge  was  thrown 
over  the  river,  where  it  is  now  crossed,  at  this  point,  the 
commmonly  travelled  way  to  and  from  the  town  was  by 
the  John    Hosmer  place." 

Thus  step  by  step  the  various  ways  as  they  radiated  into 
the  deep  woods  from  the  little  hamlet  that  gathered  and 
grew  at  Concord's  geographical  center  might  be  traced  by 
the  sites  of  old  homesteads,  were  it  not  that  time  with  its 
"ever  effacing  finger"  has  almost  obliterated  them. 

As  it  is  difficult  to  ascertain  where  many  of  the  early 
house  sites  are,  for  the  same  reason  it  is  hard  to  determine 
what  of  a  town's  outlying  portion  may  at  different  periods 
have  been  the  most  populous. 

There  are  in  more  or  less  of  the  New  England  town- 
ships districts  now  abandoned  to  a  wild  vegetable  growth, 
which  may  once  have  resounded  with  the  activities  of 
busy  life. 

Illustrative  of  this  is  what  Thoreau  says  of  Walden 
pond.  He  informs  us  that  in  that  vicinity  were  dwellings 
which  in  his  day  were  nearly  obliterated.  Among  those 
who  lived  there  as  he  gives  them  were  Cato  Ingraham, 
Zilpha,  Brister,  Freeman,  Stratton,  Breed,  Gondibert,  Nut- 
ting, Le  Grosse  and  Hugh  Quoil.  Of  the  homes  in  which 
they  lived   he  says  : 

"Now  only  a  dent  in  the  earth  marks  the  site  of  these 
dwellings,  with  buried  cellar  stones,  and  strawberries,  rasp- 


Concord  315 

berries,  thinible-herries,  hazel-hushes,  and  sumachs  growing 
in  the  sunny  sward  there;  some  pitch-pine  or  gnarled  oak 
occupies  what  was  the  chimney  nook,  and  a  sweet-scented 
black-birch,  perhaps,  waves  where  the  door-stone  was. 

"Still  grows  the  vivacious  lilac  a  generation  after  the  door 
and  lintel  and  the  sill  are  gone,  unfolding  its  sweet-scented 
flowers  each  spring,  to  be  plucked  by  the  musing  traveller; 
planted  and  tended  once  by  children's  hands,  in  front-yard 
plots,  —  now  standing  by  wall-sides  in  retired  pastures,  and 
giving  place  to  new-rising  forests  ;  —  the  last  of  that  stirp, 
sole  survivor  of  that  family.  Little  did  the  dusky  chil- 
dren think  that  the  puny  slip  with  its  two  eyes  only,  which 
they  stuck  in  the  ground  in  the  shadow  ot  the  house  and 
daily  watered,  would  root  itself  so,  and  outlive  them,  and 
house  itself  in  the  rear  that  shaded  it,  and  grown  man's 
garden  and  orchard,  and  tell  their  story  faintly  to  the  lone 
wanderer  a  half  century  after  they  had  grown  up  and 
died, —  blossoming  as  fair,  and  smelling  as  sweet,  as  in  that 
first  spring." 


CHAPTER    XXXII. 

Development  of  the  Settlement  —  Indications  of 
Progress  —  Various  Hindrances  —  Discouraging 
Report  —  Unsatisfactory  Condition  of  the  River 
Meadows  —  Measures  taken  for  a  Betterment 
of  the  Meadows  —  Unproductive  Uplands  — 
Emigration  to  Connecticut  —  T'he  'Towns  Recupera- 
tive  Energy  —  Condition  in  1654. 

ABOUT  the  time  of  an  adjustment  of  matters  relat- 
ing to   the  town's   territory,  rules   and   regulations 
were    made  and    adopted     regarding  its    municipal 
management.     As  the  town  was  divided  into  several 
districts   termed  quarters,    the    work    of  constructing    and 
maintaining  highways  and  bridges  was  also  provided  for  and 
apportioned. 

These  things  together  with  the  usual  town  meeting 
enactments  in  matters  pertaining  to  public  convenience  are 
indications  that  the  town  steadily  kept  pace  with  its  sis- 
ter settlements.  But  any  prosperity  whether  of  township 
or  individuals  in  those  strenuous  times  was  only  obtained 
by  dint  of  great  and  persevering  effort.  We  judge  from  a 
paper  presented  to  the  General  Court  within  ten  years  after 
the  settlement  began  that  there  were  grave  doubts  as  to  the 
ability  to  survive  the  hindrances  that  beset  them  on  every 
hand.  In  a  petition,  presented  May  14,  1645  the  signers 
stated  :  "Many  homes  in  the  Towne  stand  voyde  oi  Inhab- 
itants and  more  are  likely  to  be  :  and  we  are  confidente  that 
if  conscience  had  not  restrained,  fearing  the  disolution  of 
the  Towne  by  their  removal,  very  many  had  departed  to 
one  place  or  otherwhere  Providence  should  have  hopefully 
promised  a  livelihood." 

316 


Z!^ /\y^^^tn^L^<^C<^    ^:i^^^-^^^ 


(Tn  his  eighty- second  year,  travelling  in  Iowa,  18S2., 


PERMISSION     OP     LITTLE,     BROWN     <&     CO. 


Concord  j  i  y 

After  this  plain  statement  of  fact  which  set  forth  the  state 
of  temporal  affairs  in  Concord  and  at  the  same  time  almost 
in  a  single  sentence  showed  the  devout  and  worthy  character 
of  the  signers  there  is  a  pathetic  explanation  of  their  atti- 
tude in  words  as  follows  : 

"This  our  condition  we  thought  it  oure  duty  to  informe 
you  of,  fearing  least  if  more  go  from  us  we  shall  neither 
remayne  as  a  congregation  nor  a  towne,  and  then  such  as 
are  most  unwilling  to  depart,  whiles  there  remayne  any 
hopes  of  ordinance  amongst  us,  will  be  enforced  to  leave  the 
place,  which  if  it  should  come  to  pass,  wee  desire  this  may 
testify  on  the  behalf  of  such,  it  was  not  a  mynd  unsatisfyed 
with  what  was  convenient,  which  occasioned  them  to  depart, 
but  meerly  to  attaine  a  subsistence  for  themselves  and  such 
as  depend  on  them,  and  to  enjoy  ordinances." 

One  great  cause  of  discouragement  was  the  condition  of 
the  river  meadows  in  times  of  high  water.  Sept.  8,  1636  an 
order  was  passed  by  the  Court  which  is  supposed  to  be  a 
response   to  a  petition  for  river  betterments. 

"Whereas  the  inhabitants  of  Concord  are  purposed  to 
abate  the  falls  in  the  ryver  upon  w'^*'  their  towne  standeth. 
whearby  they  conceive  such  townes  as  shalbeee  hereafter 
planted  above  them  vpon  the  said  ryver  shall  receive  bene- 
fit by  reason  of  their  charge  &  labor,  it  is  therefore  ordered, 
that  such  townes  and  fFarms  as  shalbee  planted  above  them 
shall  contribute  to  the  inhabitants  of  Concord  portionable 
both  to  their  charge  &  adventure,  and  according  to  the  bene- 
fit that  the  said  townes  or  fFarms  shall  receive  by  the  drean- 
ing  of  their  medows."      Mass.   Records    Vol.    i    page    178. 

As  evidence  that  the  agitation  of  this  subject  was  con- 
tinued at  times  during  subsequent  years  we  have  the  follow- 
ing record  bearing  date  Nov,  13,  1644,  which  relates  to 
commissioners  appointed  at  that  time  "to  the  better  sur- 
veying, improving  and  draining  of  the  meadows  and  sav- 
ing and  preserving  of  the  hay  there  gathered  either  by 
draining  the  same  or  otherwise  and  to  proportion  the 
charges  laid  about  it  as  equally  and  justly  (only  upon  them 


3 1 8  Colonial 

that  own  lands)  as  they  in  their  wisdom  shall  see  meete." 

Johnson  says  that  in  1654,  "The  falles  causeth  their 
meadows  to  be  much  covered  with  water,  the  while  these 
people  together  with  their  neighbor  towne  (Sudbury)  here 
several  times  essayed  to  cut  through  but  cannot ;  yet  it 
may  be  turned  another  way  with  an  hundred  pound 
charge."  The  way  proposed  was  a  channel  across  the 
country  to  Watertown  or  Cambridge. 

It  may  be  difficult  at  this  distant  day  to  conceive  of  the 
inconvenience  and  deprivation  occasioned  by  the  river  floods, 
for  conditions  are  different.  Then,  the  farmers  depended 
largely  upon  the  hay  produced  on  these  marsh  lands  not 
only  for  their  dairy  products  but  also  for  fertilizer  for  their 
upland.     This  latter  was  a  very  important  matter. 

The  settlers  could  raise  their  corn  at  the  first  by  placing 
in  the  hill  a  single  alewife  yet  later  when  the  ground  had 
become  partially  exhausted  by  successive  crops,  something 
more  substantial  was  needed  as  a  plant  stimulant  so  that 
considering  the  circumstances  there  is  little  wonder  that  the 
people  complained  and  called  for  meadow  betterments. 
Neither  may  we  doubt  as  to  the  results  of  these  disad- 
vantages. Johnson  says  the  people  "were  forced  to  cut 
their  bread  very  thin  for  a  season"  and  Walcott,  writing  of 
the  first  year,  states  : 

"It  cannot  be  wondered  at  that  some  sickened  and  died 
by  reason  of  the  unaccustomed  hardships  and  severity  of 
the  winter  weather,  while  others  lost  all  faith  in  the  success 
of  the  enterprise,  sold  their  estates  for  a  little,  and 
departed.  The  cattle  died,  wolves  preyed  upon  the  herds ; 
homesickness  and  fear  of  an  Indian  attack  increased  the 
burden  of  their  lives,  so  that  it  became  well-nigh  greater 
than  they  could  bear." 

Besides  the  loss  occasioned  by  the  wetness  of  the  mead- 
ows, some  of  the  uplands  were  considered  poor,  for  we 
find  the  following  records  concerning  them :  "Finding 
the  lands  about  the  town  very  barren."      "Neither  have  we 


Concord  3  1 9 

found  any  special  hand  of  God  gone  out  against  us  only 
the  povertie  and  meannesse  of  the   place." 

Again  we  find  in  a  petition  presented  about  1655,  "and 
our  land  much  of  it  being  pine  land  which  affords  very 
little  feeding  for  cattle." 

It  is  hardly  to  be  supposed  that  the  soil  was  very  unlike 
much  of  the  uncleared  land  of  Concord  at  the  present. 
The  Indians  had  not  exhausted  much  of  the  land,  for  it 
was  not  in  accord  with  Indian  nature  to  work  much,  and 
we  believe  their  corn  fields  were  comparatively  few  and 
small ;  and  perhaps  the  lands  earliest  cleared  were  the  pine 
lands  because  it  would  be  an  easier  task  to  effect  the  clear- 
ing and  the  planting  of  them  and  these  lands  might  have 
had  lighter  soil  than  the  hardwood  lands. 

But  in  addition  to  these  adverse  circumstances  in  the 
natural  world,  the  people  of  Concord  early  encountered 
obstacles  in  the  little  social  and  religious  world  in  which 
they  lived.  As  has  been  already  .  stated,  some  friction 
existed  early  between  the  minister  and  the  elder.  Whether 
it  was  of  an  ecclesiastical  or  of  a  financial  nature,  we  do  not 
judge.  It  may  have  been  both,  as  is  indicated  by  the  fol- 
lowing statement  of  Winthrop  in  his  history  : 

"Some  of  the  elders  went  to  Concord,  being  sent  for  by 
the  church  there  to  advise  with  them  about  the  maintenance 
of  the  elders  &c.  They  found  them  wavering  about  removal 
not  finding  their  plantations  answerable  to  their  expecta- 
tion, and  the  maintainence  of  two  elders  too  heavy  a  bur- 
den for  them.  The  Elders  advice  was  that  they  should 
continue  and  wait  upon  God,  and  be  helpful  to  their  elders 
in  labor  and  what  they  could,  and  all  to  be  ordered  by  the 
deacons,  {whose  office  had  not  formerly  been  improved  this 
way  amongst  them,)  and  that  the  elders  should  be  content 
with  what  means  the  church  was  able  at  present  to  afford 
them,  and  if  either  of  them  should  be  called  to  some  other 
place,  then   to  advise  with  other  churches  about  removal." 

By  the  combination  of  these  untoward  circumstances  dur- 
ing the  first  decade,  was  the  going  forth  of  a  large  company 


320  Colonial 

of  the  inhabitants  to  Connecticut.  The  movement  was 
doubtless  led  by  Elder  Jones;  and  those  who  went  with 
him  were  some  ot  the  staunch  men  of  the  settlement. 

Among  them  are  supposed  to  have  been  Dagget,  Evarts, 
Mitchell,  Odell,  Barron,  Tomkins,  Jenney,  Middlebrook, 
Bennet,  Coslinor  Costin,  Ephraim  and  Thomas  Wheeler. 
John  Evarts  of  the  foregoing  list  is  said  to  be  the  ances- 
tor of  Secretary  of  State  William  Evarts  of  President 
Grant's  cabinet. 

As  to  the  scene  when  the  company  set  forth  tradition  is 
silent,  but  it  doubtless  was  a  sad  one.  Mutual  services 
associated  with  days  of  danger  and  deprivation  in  which 
there  was  a  sharing  together  of  a  common  lot  would  natu- 
rally create  friendship  and  endearment. 

The  route  taken  by  the  emigrants  it  is  not  unlikely  was 
the  "Old  Connecticut  Path"  which  they  could  enter  at  a 
point  about  four  miles  southerly  in  the  part  of  Sudbury 
now  Wayland.  Once  on  this  trail  of  the  Nipnet  Indians, 
the  party  would  probably  have  a  fairly  beaten  track  for  a 
long  distance  towards  the  place  they  sought  which  was  the 
territory  of  the  present  town  of  Fairfield,  Long  Island. 

As  about  one  eighth  of  the  entire  population  of  the 
Concord  township  were  included  in  this  company,  it  doubt- 
less was  a  great  blow  to  the  settlement.  Yet  so  great  was 
the  recuperative  energy  of  the  plantation  that  within  ten 
years  after  the  exodus,  the  inhabitants  had  extended  their 
homesteads  to  the  territorial  limits  of  the  town,  and  asked 
for  additional  land  grants.  The  lands  already  possessed 
were  being  developed  and  the  resources  of  the  town 
increasing  generally.  In  1653  a  subscription  of  five 
pounds  a  year  for  seven  years  was  ordered  for  the  benefit 
of  Harvard  College,  and  Johnson  informs  us  as  follows 
relative  to  the  condition  of  the  town  a  year  later :  "The 
number  of  families  at  present  are  about  50,  their  head  of 
great  cattell  are  300,  the  church  of  Christ  here  consists  of 
about  50  souls." 


THE 

^PUBLIC  LIBRARY^ 

^'^^r,  Lenox  and  TWden, 
fowndations. 


LOUISA   MAY   ALCOTT. 


CHAPTER    XXXllI. 

Death  of  Mr.  "Thomas  Flint  and  the  Rev.  Peter 
Bulkeley  —  Departure  from  Concord  of  Major 
Simon  IVillard —  JValcotf  s  description  of  the  Nat- 
ure and  Value  of  Major  IVillard' s  Public  Ser- 
vices —  Biographical  Sketches  of  Thomas  Flint 
Esquire  and  the  Rev.  Peter  Bulkeley. 

HARDLY  had  the  little  colony  at  Concord  fairly 
recovered  itself  and  entered  upon  a  period 
of  renewed  prosperity  after  the  dissention  and 
discontent  of  the  first  two  decades,  when  it  lost 
three  of  its  most  prominent  citizens  each  of  whom  had 
more  than  a  local  reputation,  Thomas  Flint,  Rev.  Peter 
Bulkeley  and  Major  Simon  Willard.  Of  these  three  Con- 
cord worthies  the  historian  Walcott  writes  : 

"On  October  8,  1655,  the  town  lost  one  of  its  foremost 
men  by  the  death  of  Thomas  Flint.  Two  years  later, 
Major  Willard  received,  as  a  reward  for  his  distinguished 
services  to  the  country,  a  grant  of  five  hundred  acres  of 
land,  which  he  selected  and  laid  out  in  the  southerly  part 
of  Groton.  Rev.  Peter  Bulkeley  died  March  9,  1659  ; 
and  in  November  following.  Major  Willard  sold  his  estate 
in  Concord  to  Captain  Thomas  Marshall,  of  Lynn,  and 
removed  to  Lancaster,  whither  he  had  previously  been 
urged  to  go,  and  where  he  filled  a  high  position.  Subse- 
quently he  removed  to  Groton,  where  his  son  Samuel  was 
settled  as  minister  ;  and  after  the  destruction  of  the  town 
by  the  Indians,  he  took  up  his  abode  at  Charlestown,  where 
he  died  April  24,  1676,  at  the  age  of  seventy-one  years." 

The  departure  of  these  men  was  doubtless  severely  felt 
and  greatly  deplored  not  only  on  account  of  the  loss  of 

321 


322  Colonial 

material  and  moral  support  but  because  of  the  severance 
of  kindred  ties  and  associated  experiences.  Mr.  Bul- 
keley  had  been  under  God,  their  chief  spiritual  guide. 
Mr.  Willard  had  surveyed  their  lands  and  represented  them 
in  places  of  legislation  and  served  them  as  civic  counselor 
at  a  time  when  the  town  needed  strong  men  to  lean  upon ; 
and  Mr.  Flint  had  doubtless  long  enough  "ended  small 
causes"  and  joined  young  men  and  maidens  in  marriage  to 
endear  himself  to  the  whole  community,  and  make  his 
name  a  household  word.  Mr.  Bulkeley  and  Mr.  Flint 
were  taken  away  by  death.  Major  Willard  moved  to  other 
places  to  be  as  bold  a  pioneer  there  as  he  had  been  in  Con- 
cord town. 

As  a  biographical  sketch  of  Mr.  Willard  has  been  given 
in  a  former  chapter  we  will  here  only  quote  the  following 
relative  to  him  from  the  history  of  Walcott  : 

"Knowledge  of  men,  skill  in  surveying  lands,  experience 
gained  by  trading  with  the  natives,  were  qualities  that  fitted 
him  in  a  peculiar  manner  to  take  the  lead  in  locating  the 
land  granted  by  the  colonial  government,  and  fortifying  the 
title  by  peaceful  negotiations  with  the  Indian  occupants. 
As  deputy  and  assistant  he  was  well  known  in  the  colony, 
and  by  the  aid  of  his  influence  with  those  in  power,  the 
controversy  with  Watertown  about  the  eastern  boundary 
was  brought  to  a  favorable  termination. 

"As  captain  of  the  train-band,  Willard  directed  the 
military  spirit  of  his  neighbors  when  military  distinction 
was  second  only  to  that  of  the  church.  He  surveyed  the 
lands  allotted  to  the  settlers,  made  their  deeds,  was  arbitra- 
tor in  their  controversies,  kept  their  records,  and,  last  office 
of  all,  settled  their  estates  after  they  were  dead.  A  person 
like  this,  —  useful  in  any  community,  at  any  stage  of  its 
history,  —  was  indispensable  to  the  plantation  at  Musketa- 
quid." 

The  lack  of  space  prevents  a  very  extended  statement 
as  to  the  place  that  was  occupied  by  Mr.  Thomas  Flint  in 
both  the  township  of  Concord  and  the  Colony  of  Massa- 


Concord  323 

chusetts  Bay,  but  it  may  be  said  of  him  as  of  Mr.  Willard 
and  the  Rev.  Peter  Bulkeley  that  a  complete  history  of 
either  could  not  be  written  without  giving  him  prominent 
notice. 

Thomas  Flint,  Esq.,  came  from  Matlock  in  Derbyshire, 
England,  to  the  township  of  Concord  in  1638.  We  are 
informed  that  his  native  place  was  beautifully  situated  and 
had  a  rare  attractiveness ;  but,  presumably,  like  many 
another  English  worthy  of  the  non-conformist  class,  he  pre- 
ferred the  great  outer  world  in  which  to  act  as  his  conscience 
dictated,  to  an  ecclesiastical  restraint  in  his  native  land. 

Walcott  informs  us  that  both  Mr.  Flint  and  Rev.  Peter 
Bulkeley  had  sufficient  property  to  bring  them  within  the 
degree  of  subsidy  men,  and  therefore  it  is  supposed  that 
embarkation  from  England  was  achieved  by  obtaining  a 
special  license  or  through  the  connivance  of  the  authori- 
ties. 

Mr.  Flint  brought  to  America,  as  a  genealogy  of  the 
family  states,  ^^4000,  and  hence  would  be  considered 
wealthy,  since  all  the  other  settlers,  with  the  exception  of 
Messrs.  Willard  and  Bulkeley,  were,  as  has  been  said, 
"mere  plain  people  with  small  means." 

In  1639,  he  was  made  "Commissioner  to  hear  and  end 
small  causes,"  having  with  his  colleagues  Simon  Willard 
and  Richard  Griffin,  judicial  authority  corresponding  in 
modern  times  to  a  trial  justice,  or  judge  of  a  district  court. 

He  was  representative  of  the  town  four  years,  and  was 
an  "Assistant"  eleven  years.  When  Assistant  in  1649,  he 
joined  Governor  Endicott  in  protesting  against  the  wearing 
of  long  hair,  taking  the  stand  doubtless  as  did  Mr.  Bul- 
keley, by  his  example  "that  it  was  a  thing  unmanly." 

Mr.  Flint  assisted  in  drawing  up  a  code  of  simple  rules 
and  regulations  for  the  Indians,  restraining  and  constrain- 
ing them  in  a  wholesome  manner. 

He  possessed  one  of  the  largest  land  tracts  of  any  indi- 
vidual in   Concord,  and  the  fact  that  a  way  was  early   laid 


3^4  Colonial 

out  to  his  farm  indicates  that  his  estate  was  an  important 
one. 

His  real  estate  was  mostly  in  what  is  now  the  town  of 
Lincoln,  and  extended  from  "Flint's  Pond  to  Beaver  Pond 
and  the  town  bounds."  The  area  contained  about  seven 
hundred  and  fifty  acres  and  included  the  land  now  com- 
prising Lincoln  Center. 

For  many  years  the  "Flint  Farm"  was  occupied  by 
descendants  of  the  family  or  by  their  lessees. 

His  character,  we  infer  was  a  very  worthy  one.  John- 
son calls  him  "a  most  sincere  servant  of  Christ,  who  had  a 
fair  revenue  in  England,  but  having  improved  it  for  Christ 
by  casting  it  into  the  common  treasury,  he  waits  on  the 
Lord  for  doubling  his  talent  if  it  shall  seem  good  unto  him 
so  to  do,  and  in  the  meantime  spending  his  person  for  the 
good  of  his  people  in  the  office  of  magistate."  In  verse, 
he  says  of  him  as  follows  : 

"At  Christ's  command  thou  leavest  thy  land  and  native 
habitation, 

His  folks  to  aid  in  desert-straid  for  Gospel  exultation. 

Flint,  hardy  thou,  wilt  not  allow  the  undermining  fox 

With  Subtile  skill,  Christ's  vines  to  spoil  :   thy  sword 
shall  give  them  knocks  ; 

Yet  thou,  base  dust  and  all  thou  hast  is  Christ's,   and 
by   him   thou 

Art  made  to  be,    such  as  we  see :    hold  fast  forever- 
more." 

The  will  of  Mr.  Thomas  Flint  is  the  first  one  recorded 
in  Middlesex  Probate  Records.  His  brother  Rev.  Henry 
Flint  of  Braintree,  and  his  uncle  William  Woods  were  his 
executors.  His  sons  were  John  and  Ephraim,  who  lived 
in  Concord  and  perhaps  Edward  and  Thomas,  and  William 
of  Salem.  John  married  Mary,  daughter  of  Urian  Oakes, 
President  of  Harvard  College  in  1667.  In  1680-1,  he  was 
one  of  a  committee  to  seat  the  meeting  house.     He  is  men- 


Concord  2'^S 

tloned  in  the  Indian  deed  of  1684  as  one  of  those  who  paid 
for  the  township,  and  who  were  spoken  of  in  the  deed  as 
"agents  of  the  town  of  Concord,"  In  1660,  he  was  town 
clerk.  His  children  were  Abigail,  John,  Mary,  Hannah, 
and  Jane.  John  Jr.  married  Mary  Prescott  and  died  Oct. 
23,  1725,  leaving  an  estate  of  ^1708,  and  for  children, 
John,  Jonathan,  a  graduate  of  Harvard  College,  Mary, 
Elizabeth,  James  and  Benjamin. 

As  in  the  case  of  Mr.  Thomas  Flint  space  for- 
bids a  complete  account  of  the  character  and  services  of 
Rev.  Peter  Bulkeley,  but  enough  has  been  stated 
on  the  foregoing  pages  to  convince  the  reader  that  the 
beginning  of  Concord  history  is  identified  with  him,  and 
that  perhaps  it  might  be  said  that  its  success  and  his  per- 
sonal impress  are  inseparable.  Although  his  later  life  was 
spent  in  a  wilderness,  by  his  gentle  birth  he  was  fitted  for 
the  most  cultured  environment  and  by  his  scholarly 
attainments   he  might  have  adorned  any  position. 

Rev.  Peter  Bulkeley  descended  in  the  tenth  generation 
from  Robert  Bulkeley,  Esq.,  an  English  Baron,  who,  in 
the  reign  of  King  John,  was  Lord  of  Bulkeley  in  the 
County  palatine  of  Chester. 

As  we  get  our  starting  point  in  that  stormy  period  of 
English  history,  1 200-1300,  when  liberty  was  wrenched 
from  a  wicked  monarch  and  crystalized  in  Magna  Charta 
under  circumstances  that  called  forth  much  valor,  we  need 
not  be  surprised  that  such  illustrious  stock  showed  itself 
long  afterwards  in  one  whose  life  has  elicited  unusual  praise 
and  reverence. 

He  was  born  at  Odell,  Bedfordshire,  Jan.  31,  1582,  O.S 
and  when  about  eighteen  years  old  became  a  member  of 
St.  John's  College,  Cambridge,  from  which  he  received 
the  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Divinity,  which  title  his  brother 
Edward  also  possessed. 

His  first  pastorate  was  in  his  native  town,  where  he  suc- 
ceeded his  father  and  where  he  preached  about  a  score  of 
years  as  a  non-conformist  minister. 


326  Colonial 

His  career  in  this  field  was  terminated  by  Archbishop 
Laud,  who  because  of  his  nonconformity  to  the  established 
church  deposed  him,  which  act  led  I3r.  Bulkeley  soon 
afterwards  to  embark  for  America. 

In  1635,  after  his  arrival  in  this  country,  he  went  to 
Cambridge  and  was  made  a  freeman  May  6,  of  the  same  year. 

He  was  possessed  of  considerable  property  for  colonial 
days,  the  amount  being  estimated  at  several  thousand 
pounds,  but  his  intense  enthusiasm  and  broad  liberality  in 
the  colonization  of  Concord,  together  with  other  outgoings 
of  his  noble  nature  greatly  reduced  his  possessions,  so  that 
at  his  death,  which  occurred  March  9,  1659,  his  estate,  as 
mentioned,  amounted  to  only  1302  pounds,  of  which  123 
pounds  was  in  books. 

So  benevolent  was  Mr.  Bulkeley  that  his  gifts  extended 
not  only  to  the  public  but  to  his  servants,  of  whom  it  is 
said  he  had  many,  and  to  whom  he  gave  farms. 

The  scholarly  traits  of  Mr.  Bulkeley  have  long  been 
known  both  by  tradition  and  by  the  traces  of  them  in  his 
published  works,  prominent  among  which  was  one  entitled 
"The  Gospel  Covenant,"  which  was  issued  in  1646. 

He  was  considered  a  powerful  preacher,  and  the  repre- 
sentations of  those  living  near  to  his  time  are  that  he  was 
evangelical  and  that  the  chief  aim  of  his  ministery  was  to 
impress  upon  men  their  religious  needs  and  to  lead  them  to 
the  Gospel  as  the  only  source  of  supply. 

As  a  pastor,  we  conclude  he  was  full  of  zeal  for  the 
spiritual  well  being  of  his  flock,  as  it  is  said  that  seldom  did 
a  person  leave  his  presence  without  having  heard  some 
word  that  impressed   him  with  the  importance  of  religion. 

As  a  man  he  was  large-hearted,  public  spirited,  and 
attracted  people  through  his  personal  affability.  He  was 
considered  the  father  of  his  parish,  explemplary  in  conduct, 
wise  in  counsel,  tender  and  appreciative  to  the  law-abiding 
and  severe  in  his  judgment  of  evildoers.  His  dress  was 
plain  and  he  wore  his  hair  short.     We  infer  that  his  consti- 


HlLLSlUt  CHAPEL. 
(School  of  Philosophy. ) 


GRAVE  OF  LOUISA    ALCOTT,   SLEEPY    HOLLOW. 


THE 

NEW  YORK 

'PUBLIC  LIBRARY^ 

Astor,  lonox  an,l  TWen 


Concord  327 

tution  was  robust  since  he  endured  much  and  lived  to  the 
age  of  seventy-seven. 

The  names  of  his  children  by  his  first  marriage  are  as 
follows:  Edward,  Mary,  Thomas,  Nathaniel,  John,  Mary, 
George,  Daniel,  Jabez,  Joseph,  William  and  Richard. 

The  following  are  the  names  of  children  by  his  second 
marriage  :   Gershom,  Eleazer,  Dorothy  and  Peter. 

Edward  became  a  minister  and  succeeded  his  father  in 
the  pastorate  at  Concord. 

Peter,  born  Aug.  12,  1643,  went  to  Fairfield  Conn, 
to  which  place  his  two  brothers,  Thomas  who  married  a 
daughter  of  Elder  John  Jones,  and   Daniel  went  in  1644. 

In  a  will  of  Gershom  made  May  12,  171 2,  is  the  following 
item ;  "To  my  brother's  children,  Gershom,  Peter,  Grace, 
Margaret  and  Dorothee,  I  give  each  of  them  ten  shillings." 

In  a  will  of  Peter  Bulkeley  of  Fairfield  Conn,  dated 
March  25,  1691,  the  testator  speaks  of  himself  as  being  in 
the  49th  year  of  his  age;  and  mentions  a  son  Peter  and 
daughters  Grace  and  Margaret. 

The  name  Bulkeley  has  been  variously  spelled.  The  first 
Peter  wrote  it  "Bulkeley  ;  "  his  son  Edward  wrote  it  "Bul- 
kely"  or  "Bulkeley  ;"  and  the  Hon.  Peter  son  of  Edward 
followed  the  form  used  by  his  grandfather.  The  common 
pronunciation  of  the  name  is  as  if  spelled  Buckley. 

Rev.  Peter  Bulkeley  in  the  second  division  of  land 
received  a  tract  of  seven  hundred  and  fifty  acres  in  what  is 
now  Lincoln,  a  part  of  which  is  the  present  Codman  place. 

It  is  not  known  where  the  distinguished  pioneer  pastor  of 
Concord  was  buried.  The  Rev.  Dr.  Ripley  in  his  "Half 
Century"  sermon  says 

"There  is  reason  to  believe  that  the  three  first  ministers 
viz,  Peter  Bulkeley,  Edward  Bulkeley  and  Joseph  Esta- 
brook  were  laid  in  the  same  tomb." 

His  will  is  among  the  Probate  records  of  Middlesex 
County,  and  in  this  will  are  the  following  clauses,  which 
serve  to  reveal  much  of  his  character 

"In  case  any   of  my  children  before  named  in   this,  my 


328  Colonial 

will,  to  whom  I  have  bequeathed  the  legacies  named  shall 
prove  disobedient  to  their  mother  or  otherwise  vicious  or 
wicked  (which  God  in  his  mercy  prevent)  then,  I  will  that 
the  legacy  shall  be  virtually  in  the  power  of  my  said  widow, 
their  mother,  to  deal  with  them  therein  as  she  herself  in 
Christian  wisdom  shall  think  meet,  either  to  give  their  leg- 
acy or  to  keep  it  herself." 

He  alludes  to  his  "wasted  estate,"  which  he  says  "is  now 
very  little  in  comparison  of  what  it  was  when  I  came  first 
to  these  places,  having  made  great  sacrifices  in  the  begin- 
ning of  these  plantations  and  having  little  to  leave  to  the 
children  God  hath  given  me  and  to  my  precious  wife, 
whose  unfeigned  piety  and  singular  grace  of  God  shining 
in  her  doth  deserve  more  than  I  can  do  for  her." 

He  gave  a  portion  of  his  library  to   Harvard  College. 

In  connection  with  the  foregoing  account  of  the  town's 
first  minister  it  may  be  appropriate  to  publish  copies  of  the 
following  papers.  The  first  of  these  Shattuck  informs  us 
is  endorsed  as  the  "Concord  Church  Covenant"  and 
although  without  signature  or  date  it  has  internal  evi- 
dence   of  authenticity    and    of   being    the    first    covenant. 

We  present  it  as  it  is  given  by  Shattuck,  the  orthography 
only  being  changed  : 

"Considering  the  instability  and  inconstancy  of  our  hearts 
in  cleaving  to  the  Lord  in  that  which  is  good,  we  do  bind 
ourselves  one  with  another  this  day  before  the  Lord,  that  we 
will  endeavour  by  the  grace  of  God  assisting  us,  hencefor- 
ward to  walk  as  becometh  the  people  o\  God,  according  to 
the  gospel  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  And  more  particularly 
do  we  promise  and  covenant  before  the  Lord,  that,  whereas 
he  hath  of  his  great  goodness  brought  us  from  under  the  yoke 
and  burdening  of  men's  traditions  to  the  precious  liberty  of 
his  ordinances  which  we  now  do  enjoy,  we  will,  according  to 
our  places  and  callings,  stand  for  the  maintenance  of  this  lib- 
erty to  our  utmost  endeavour,  and  not  return  to  any  human 
ordinances  from  which  we  are  escaped.  And  we  further  cove- 
nant to  subject  ourselves  to  every  ordinance  of  Christ,  which 


Concord  3^9 

he  shall  please  to  make  known  to  us  to  be  his  will.  Also  we 
do  take  him  to  be  our  only  Priest  to  instruct  us,  our  only 
High  Priest  to  make  peace  with  the  Father  for  us  :  so  we  will 
set  him  up  as  our  King  and  Sovereign  to  command  us,  to 
rule  in  us  and  reign  over  us  by  the  help  of  his  word  and 
Spirit.  And  that  we  may  the  better  be  kept  in  an  holy 
subjection  to  him  and  his  will,  we  will  both  watch  over  each 
other  in  the  Lord,  admonishing  one  another,  both  to  pre- 
vent the  evils  into  which  we  might  fall,  and  to  recover  our- 
selves out  of  those  that  we  have  been  overtaken  with,  not 
suffering  any  raging  pollution  or  spiritual  uncleanness 
amongst  us,  but  labor  to  cast  it  forth  by  the  power  which 
Christ  hath  given  to  his  church.  And  further,  considering 
that  we  are  members  one  of  another,  and  have  civil  respect 
and  are  liable  to  be  oppressed  and  devoured  one  of  another; 
and  considering  also  the  increase  of  this  evil,  daily  getting 
strength  through  the  abounding  of  self-love  so  mightily 
prevailing  in  us  ;  we  do  therefore  here  solemnly  promise 
before  the  Lord,  that  we  will  carefully  avoid  of  oppression, 
griping,  and  hard  dealing,  and  walk  in  peace,  love,  mercy, 
and  equity  towards  each  other,  doing  to  others  as  we  would 
they  should  do  to  us.  And  in  testimony  of  our  willing  assent 
to  this  covenant  we  have   hereunto  subscribed  our  names." 

The  second  paper  is  a  letter  written  by  the  Rev.  Peter 
Bulkeley  to  Mr.  Cotton  of  Boston. 

"To  the  Reverend  his  honored  friend  Mr.  Cotton, 
Teacher  of  the  Church  at  Boston,  give  these. 

"Reverend  in  the  Lord, 

"Some  other  things  I  am  full  of,  but  will  not  write  with 
paper  and  ink  ;  only  in  a  word  I  bless  God  for  what  I  hear, 
how  the  Lord  doth  fill  your  ministry  with  abundance  of 
grace,  life,  and  power,  to  the  exceeding  joy  of  those  that 
are  true-hearted  towards  the  Lord.  But  withall  I  stand 
amazed  and  wonder  att  God's  forbearance,  considering  what 
I  hear  in  another  kind  ;  which  I  doe  also  believe  to  be 
true  in  some  parts  ;  true  I  mean,  as  done  and  spoken  by 
some,  though  untrue,  in  respect  of  any  cause  given  on  your 


22^  Colonial 

part.  Truly,  Sir,  it  is  to  me  a  wonder,  that  the  earth  swal- 
lows not  up  such  wretches,  or  that  fire  comes  not  downe 
from  heaven  to  consume  them.  The  L.  hath  a  number  of 
holy  and  humble  ones  here  amongst  us  (in  the  country 
generally),  for  whose  sakes  he  doth  spare,  and  will  spare 
long  ;  but  were  it  not  for  such  a  remnant,  we  should  see 
the  L.  would  make  quick  work  amongst  us.  Shall  I  tell 
you  what  I  think  to  be  the  ground  of  all  this  insolency 
which  discovers  itself  in  the  speach  of  men  ?  Truly  I  can- 
not ascribe  it  so  much  to  any  outward  thing,  as  to  the  put- 
ting of  too  much  liberty  and  power  into  the  hands  of  the 
multitude,  which  they  are  too  weak  to  manage,  many  grow- 
ing conceited,  proud,  arrogant,  self-sufficient,  as  want- 
ing nothing.  And  I  am  persuaded,  that  except  there  be 
means  used  to  change  the  course  of  things  in  this  point, 
our  churches  will  grow  more  and  more  corrupt  day  by  day ; 
and  tumult  will  arise  hardly  to  be  stilled.  Remember  the 
former  days  which  you  had  in  old  Boston,  where  though 
(through  the  Lord's  blessing  upon  your  labours)  there  was 
an  increase  daily  added  to  your  church,  yet  the  number  of 
professors  is  far  more  here,  than  it  was  there.  But  answer 
me,  which  place  was  better  governed  ?  Where  matters  were 
swayed  there  by  your  wisdom  and  counsel,  matters  went  on 
with  stength  and  power  for  good.  But  here,  where  the 
heady  or  headless  multitude  have  gotten  the  power  into  their 
hands,  there  is  insolency  and  confusion.  And  I  know  not 
how  it  can  be  avoided  in  this  way,  unless  we  should  make 
the  doors  of  the  church  narrower.  This  we  have  warrant 
for  from  the  word  ;  which  course,  if  it  should  be  taken, 
would  bring  its  conveniency  also  in  another  kind.  But  of 
these  things  no  more.  Only  I  pray  the  L.  to  heal  the  evils 
of  the  places  and  times  we  live  in,  and  remove  that  woful 
contempt  of  his  gospel  which  doth  abound.  O  what  mis- 
chief doth  one  proud,  lofty  spirit  that  is  in  reputation  for 
understanding,  amongst  a  number  of  others  that  are  weak  ; 
and  some  of  both  such  there  are  in  every  place.  But  our 
comfort  is,   God's  end  and  work  shall  go  forward.      Some 


Concord  331 

shall  be  converted,  some  hardened.  The  God  of  mercy- 
carry  on  his  work  in  our  hearts  and  hands  to  the  glory fying 
of  his  rich  grace  in  Christ  Jesus.  I  pray  remember  my 
harty  love  to  good  Mrs.  Cotton,  thanking  her  for  her  kind 
remembrance  of  my  little  ones.  I  pray  God  give  us  both  to 
see  his  grace  increasing  in  those  that  he  hath  continued 
towards  us.  Farewell,  dearly  beloved  and  honoured  in  the 
Lord,  comfort  yourself  in  him,  who  is  most  ready  to  be  found 
in  time  of  need.     In  him  I  rest.        Yours  ever. 

Pet  :  Bulkeley. 
'^ April  4,  1650. 

To  close  this  brief  sketch  without  the  expression  of  a 
thought  concerning  so  conspicious  a  character,  or  without 
a  personal  tribute,  might  be  to  pass  it  unworthily.  We 
would  say,  therefore,  that  perhaps,  all  in  all,  no  life  has 
been  more  consequential  in  the  history  ot  any  colonial 
town.  It  is  a  tradition  that  Concord  was  saved  in  the  war 
with  King  Philip  by  his  exemplary  conduct  and  benign 
influence  over  the  Indians,  in  that  when  they  were  assem- 
bled on  a  neighboring  hilltop  on  April,  1675-6,  and 
undecided  whether  to  attack  Sudbury  or  Concord,  they  con- 
cluded to  avoid  the  latter  for  "Big  Pray"  had  lived  there. 

Upon  the  altar  of  the  muncipality  he  placed  his  prayers, 
his  personality  and  his  property.  Going  to  it  rich,  he 
passed  from  it  comparatively  poor,  and  if  through  the  dark 
and  discouraging  places  in  the  early  annals  of  this  ancient 
township  there  has  never  ceased  to  be  seen  a  bright  spot, 
we  may  account  for  its  presence  by  his  influence,  who  while 
living  always  blest  and  when  dead  lived  in  the  lives  of 
others. 


CHAPTER   XXXIV. 

Settlement  of  Rev.  Edward  Bulkeley  —  Rev. 
Joseph  Estabrook  called  as  Colleague  Pastor  — 
Measures  taken  for  their  Maintenance  —  Biograph 
teal  Sketches  of  Rev.  Edward  Bulkeley  — Peter  Bul- 
keley Esquire — Acquisition  of  New  Territory  — 
Stow  J  Littleton^  Carlisle  and  Acton — Iron  Industry. 

AFTER  the  death  of  Rev.  Peter  Bulkeley  the  church 
extended  a  call  to  his  son  Edward  at  a  salary  of 
eighty  pounds  a  year. 

In  1667,  ^'^^  Rev.  Joseph  Estabrook  was 
employed  as  his  colleague  at  the  same  salary.  It  thus 
occurred  that  the  town  within  the  space  of  a  score  and  a  half 
of  years  after  its  settlement  was  the  second  time  called  upon 
to  support  two  religious  teachers  at  the  same  time.  But 
the  people  did  not  flinch  from  fulfilling  their  obligation  to 
their  ministers. 

Feb.  3,  1680  it  was  voted  "that  every  house  holder  that 
hath  a  teame  greate  or  lesser  shall  accordingly  carry  yearly 
one  loade  of  wood  to  the  ministe  and  every  other  house 
holder  or  rateable  person  to  cut  wood  one  day  and  for  the 
ministers  :  and  that  the  wood  is  to  be  cqualy  devided  to  too 
ministers  as  the  selectmen  for  the  time  being  shall  appoynt." 
Even  in  old  age  when  his  usefulness  as  a  pastor  had  for 
the  most  part  ceased  the  Rev.  Edward  Bulkeley  was  pro- 
vided for  by  his  people  as  indicated  by  the  following  vote 
passed  March  5,  1694,  "Whereas  their  Rever"^  Pastor  Mr. 
Edward  Bulkeley  is  under  such  Infermatyes  of  Body  by 
Reason  of  great  age  that  he  is  not  capeable  of  Attending 
the  worke  of  the  ministry  as  in  times  past,  being  Also  sen- 
sible  of  the   obligation   that  they  are   under  to  Afford   to 


Concord  232 

him  a  comfortable  maintenance  dureing  the  Terme  of  his 
natural  life,  that  thereby  they  may  Testefy  their  Gratitude 
for  his  former  service  in  the  Gospell  that  they  the  sayd 
People  of  sayd  Concord  do  hereby  oblige  y"  sayd  Towne 
to  pay  to  y^  s'd  Mr.  Bulkeley  or  to  his  certain  order  yearly 
each  year  dureing  his  natural  life  the  sum  of  thirty  pounds 
of  mony  the  one  halte  at  or  before  the  first  of  May  sixteen 
hundred  ninety  five,  which  sum  as  above  shall  bee  yearly 
and  each  year  upon  the  sayd  Termes,  and  which  sum  of 
Thirty  pounds  truly  payd  as  above,  shall  be  in  lieu  of  the 
former  sallary  of  eighty  pounds  which  the  sayd  people  were 
obliged  to  have  payd  yearly  to  him  the  sayd  Mr.  Bulkeley 
for  his  ministerial  service." 

The  Rev.  Edward  Bulkeley  was  born  at  Odell,  England 
June  17,  1614.  He  was  admitted  as  a  member  of  the  First 
Church  in  Boston  in  1634.  He  acquired  his  professional 
education  under  the  direction  of  his  father;  and  was 
ordained  at  Marshfield  in  1642  or  3.  He  died  at  Chelms- 
ford Jan,  2,  1696,  and  was  buried  at  Concord.  It  is  stated 
by  William  Prescott  Greenlaw,  Librarian  of  the  New 
England  Historic  Genealogical  Society,  that  the  name  of  Rev. 
Edward  Bulkeley's  wife  was  Lucyan;  that  she  was  living 
in  1668,  and  that  her  name  is  repeated  in  the  Emerson 
branch  of  her  descendants.  They  had  four  children  :  Peter, 
Elizabeth,  John,  Jane  and  Mary. 

Peter  was  born  Jan.  3,  1641,  at  Concord.  He  gradu- 
ated at  Harvard  College  in  1660,  and  died  in  1688. 

Elizabeth  married  for  her  first  husband.  Rev.  Joseph 
Emerson  Dec.  7,  1665;  her  second  husband  was  John 
Moody  of  Reading.  John,  the  third  child  died  young  at 
Marshfield  and  was  buried  Feb.  26,  1658.  Jane  married 
Ephraim  Flint.  Mary  was  born  about  1655,  and  married 
about  the  year  1678  Rev.  Thomas  Clark  of  Chelmsford. 
Peter  became  the  Hon.  Peter  Bulkeley  who  early  began  a 
political  career  in  which  he  became  quite  distinguished. 
He  was  admitted  as  a  freeman  May  11,  1760,  and  on 
May  7,  1673  ^^  ^^s  elected  deputy  to  the  Colonial  Court 


334  Colonial 

where  he  served  three  succeeding  terms,  and  the  last  year 
he  was  chosen  Speaker. 

For  eight  years  he  was  Assistant;  and  Sept.  6,  1676,  he 
with  WiUiam  Stoughton  was  sent  to  England  to  negotiate 
with  the  King  relative  to  certain  matters  of  dispute  in  the 
Bay  Colony.  In  military  and  also  in  judicial  affairs  he 
held  high  positions,  being  made  a  Major  and  by  the  appoint- 
ment of  Governor  Andros  an  Associate  Justice  with  Chief 
Justice  Dudley.  He  married  Rebecca,  daughter  of  Lieut. 
Joseph  and  Sarah  Wheeler  on  April  16,  1667.  Their 
children  were  Edward,  Joseph,  John  and  Rebecca.  The 
latter  married  Jonathan  Prescott  Jr. 

Peter  Bulkeley  died  May  24,  1688,  at  Concord  after  a 
long  illness  at  less  than  fifty  years  of  age. 

His  life  had  been  full  of  activity  but  was  somewhat 
unfortunate  towards  its  close.  Before  his  death  his  estate 
was  in  an  insolvent  condition.  His  honors  had  faded;  he 
was  separated  from  his  early  associates  in  public  life,  and 
he  repaired  to  his  native  town  worn  and  broken  in  health. 
At  the  time  of  his  decease  he  lived  "next  ye  Millpond," 
Walcott  states,  perhaps  where  Dr.  Barrett  now  lives. 

Elizabeth  the  third  child  who  married  for  her  first  hus- 
band Rev.  Joseph  Emerson  in  1680,  and  for  her  second, 
John  Moody  of  Reading,  had  children  as  follows :  Peter, 
Edward  and  Joseph. 

Peter  married  a  Miss  Brown,  Edward  married  Mary 
Moody  and  Joseph  married  Rebecca  Waldo. 

A  descendant  of  Joseph  and  Rebecca  was  Ralph  Waldo 
Emerson. 

The  following  is  the  lineal  order  of  successors  to  the  great 
essayist. 

4  Rev.  Joseph  Emerson — Eliz.  Bulkeley. 
12   Edward  Emerson  —  Rebecca  Waldo. 
28  Joseph  Emerson —  Mary  Moody. 
123   William  Emerson  —  Phebe  Bliss. 
307   Rev.  William  Emerson      Ruth  Haskins. 
601.   Ralph  Waldo  Emerson 


Concord  ^3$ 

A  portrait  of  Peter  Bulkeley  Esq,  supposed  to  have  been 
painted  by  Sir  Godfrey  Kneller  at  the  time  when  Mr.  Bul- 
keley was  in  England  as  agent  for  the  Massachusetts  Col- 
ony in  1676-79  is  now,  or  was  in  the  possession  of  Mrs. 
George  D.  Sargent  of  Boston.  This  picture  has  been 
reproduced  and  furnished  by  William  Prescott  Greenlaw  a 
descendant  of  Hon.  Peter  Bulkeley  for  the  Genealogical 
Advertiser  Vol.  i   1898. 

In  the  early  part  of  the  third  decade  of  the  town's  his- 
tory it  again  petitioned  for  more  land  and  a  tract  was 
granted  which  afterwards  became  the  town  of  Acton  and  a 
part  of  Littleton  and  Carlisle. 

A  movement  was  also  made  by  several  citizens  of  Con- 
cord in  conjunction  with  some  others  to  colonize  a  tract  to 
the  west  and  southwest  a  result  of  which  was  the  granting 
of  territory  which  became  the  town  of  Stow. 

As  a  concise  and  consecutive  account  of  these  transac- 
tions has  been  given  by  Shattuck  in  his  time  honored  his- 
tory we  quote  it  as  perhaps  the  most  suitable  description 
that  can  be  given  by  us. 

"On  the  23d,  May  1655  "Five  thousand  acres  of  Land 
were  granted  to  the  Inhabitants  of  Concord  for  feeding, 
according  to  their  petition,  provided  it  hinder  not  any  for- 
mer grants."  This  was  all  the  tract  of  land  described  in  the 
above  return,  excepting  the  farms  belonging  to  Major  Wil- 
lard.  When  his  farms  were  granted  I  have  not  been  able 
to  find  out.  One  of  them  lay  in  the  southeast  part  of  the 
tract,  and  the  other  at  the  northeast.  This  distinguished 
individual  had  several  subsequent  grants.  On  the  6th  of 
May,  1657,  he  had  "for  services  to  the  colony,  500  acres 
of  land  in  any  place  where  he  could  find  it  according  to 
law;  "  and  21st  of  May,  1658,  he  had  500  acres  more  "on 
the  south  side  of  a  river  that  runneth  from  Nashua  to 
Merimack,  between  Lancaster  and  Groton,  and  is  in  satis- 
faction of  a  debt  of  ;i^44"  due  from  John,  sagamore  of 
Patucket.  His  execution  was  to  be  given  up.  This  farm 
was  laid  out  in  May,  1659,  by  Thomas  Noyes. 


^2^  Colonial 

The  Praying  Indians  claimed  some  right  to  the  land 
granted  to  Concord  "for  an  enlargement  to  the  towne  ;  "  in 
consideration  of  which,  "the  town  of  Concord  doth  give  to 
them  the  planters  of  Nashoba,  fifteen  pounds  at  six  a  penny, 
which  giveth  them  full  satisfaction.  In  witness  whereof 
they  doe  set  to  their  hands  this  20  of  the  10  mo.  1660." 
This  agreement  was  signed  by  "Nassquaw,  marchant 
Thomas  (Thomas  Waban),  Wabatut,  great  James  Natoto- 
tos — a  blind  man,  Ponpant,  and  Gomgos,"  by  their  marks; 
and  John  Thomas  and  John  Tahattawan,  by  their  names; 
and  witnessed  by  Joseph  Wheeler,  John  Shepard,  and  John 
Jones 

"At  a  generall  court  held  at  Boston  the  i  ith  of  October, 
1665.  In  answer  to  the  peticion  of  Concord  for  an  enlarge- 
ment of  their  bounds,  this  court  doe  grant  them  a  tract  of 
land  conteyned  in  a  plott  returned  to  this  court  under  the 
hand  of  Ensign  Noyes,  by  estimation  the  whole  being 
about  five  thousand  acres,  whereof  the  town  reserveth  two 
thousand  acres  to  be  layd  out  to  either  Indians  or  English, 
as  this  court  shall  see  meete  hereafter  to  dispose  and  grant, 
and  the  remaynder,  being  about  three  thousand  acres,  this 
court  grant  to  Concord  so  as  the  same  doe  not  abridge  any 
former  grant  made  by  this  court;  and  doe  order  Leift.  Beers 
and  Leift.  Thomas  Noyes  to  lay  out  the  same  and  to  make 
returne  thereof  to  the  next  Court  of  Election.  A  true 
copie.  Attest,  Edw.  Rawson.  Seer.'' 

The  following  is  a  copy  of  the  return  made  25  May, 
1667,  and  approved  by  the  proper  authorities.  "We,  Rich- 
ard Beers  of  Watertown  and  Thomas  Noyes  of  Sudbury, 
being  appointed  to  lay  out  and  measure  to  the  inhabitants 
of  Concord  a  tract  or  tracts  of  land  next  adjoining  to  their 
first  grant ;  in  order  to  which,  we  the  above  said,  did  lay 
out  and  measure  unto  the  inhabitants  of  Concord  their 
second  grant,  being  five  thousand  acres  of  land  granted  in 
the  year  1655,  as  also  their  grant  of  three  thousand  acres 
granted  in  the  year  1665,  "^xt  adjoining  to  their  first  grant, 
beginning  at  the  southwest  angle  of  their  old  bounds  (near 


Concord  337 

Maj.   Hayward's),  extending  their  said  southerly  line  upon 

a  norwest  point,  four  degrees  northerly   (according  to  the 

Meridian  compas)   two  miles  and   280  rods  :  there  making 

a  right  angle  on  a  bare  hill,  and  from  thence  a  line  upon  a 

northeast  point  4  degrees  easterly   two  miles  one  half  and 

fifty  rods,  there  meeting  Nashoba  plantation  line,  running 

the  line  of  the  said  plantation   to  their  angle  one  mile  one 

quarter  and  60  rods,  nearest  hand  upon  an  easterly   point, 

there  making  a  right  angle,  running  a  line,  being  the  line 

of  the  Indian  plantation,  two  miles  one  quarter  and  60  rods, 

there  being  bounded  by   Chelmsford  line  and   Bilrica  line 

as  is  more  plainly  described  by  a  plott;  in  which   plott  is 

contained   nine  thousand  and  eight  hundred  acres  of  land, 

one  thousand  eight  hundred  acres   being  formerly  granted 

to  Major  Willard,  the  other  eight  thousand  being  granted 

to  the  inhabitants  of  Concord,  and  laid  out  the  5th  May, 

1666.      Given  under  our  hands. 

Richard  Beers,  )  .,  , 

r^  ^T  }  Purveyors. 

1  HOMAS  NoyES,  j  ■" 

"The  town  agreed  20th  Jan.  1668,  that  these  additional 
grants  of  land  'shall  lay  for  a  free  comon  to  the  present 
householders  of  Concord,  and  such  as  shall  hereafter  be 
approved  and  allowed  to  be  inhabitants;  except  such  parts 
of  it  as  shall  be  thought  mete  to  make  farms  for  the  use 
and  benefit  of  the  towne.'  A  full  title  was  then  acquired 
from  the  Indians,  though  it  was  thought  proper  in  1684, 
for  reasons  already  mentioned,  to  obtain  the  following  con- 
firmatory deeds. 

"  'To  all  people  to  whom  these  presents  may  come,  greet- 
ing; Know  ye  that  we,  Mary  Neepanaum,  John  Speen  and 
Sarah  Speen,  Dorothy  Winnetow,  Peter  Muckquamuck, 
of  Natick,  and  James  Speen,  and  Elizabeth  Speen,  his  wife 
of  Waymeset,  Indians,  for  and  in  consideration  of  a  valu- 
able sum  of  money  payd  to  us  in  hand  by  Capt.  Timothy 
Wheeler,  Henry  Woodis,  James  Blood,  and  John  Flint, 
the  receipt  whereof  we  do  by  these  presents  acknowledge, 
and  therewith  to  be  fully  satisfied  and  contented,  have  sold 


22^  Colonial 

and  by  these  presents  do  sell,  alien,  enfeofe,  and  confirm 
unto  the  said  Capt.  Timothy  Wheeler,  &c.  of  Concord  in 
the  county  of  Middlesex  in  y®  Massachusetts  Colony,  in 
New  England,  for  the  use  and  behoof  of  themselves  and 
the  rest  of  the  proprietors  of  the  s'd  town  of  Concord  a  cer- 
tain tract  or  parcell  of  land  conteyning  by  estimation  a 
thousand  acres,  be  the  same  more  or  less,  and  is  situate, 
lying,  and  being  within  the  last  grant  of  land  by  the  Gen- 
erall  Court  to  y®  s'd  town  of  Concord,  and  is  bounded 
south-east  by  Sudbury  and  the  land  of  Stow  alias  Pompa- 
sititcutt,  and  norwest  by  the  s'd  Stow,  running  by  them 
upon  that  line  about  a  mile  and  a  quarter,  near  to  the  hill 
called  by  the  Indians  Naauuhpavil;  and  from  thence  by  a 
streight  line  to  the  North  River  at  the  old  bounds  of  y®  s'd 
town  of  Concord,  unto  them  the  said  Timothy  Wheeler, 
&c.  &c.  to  them  their  heirs  and  successors  for  ever.  And  we 
the  said  Mary  Neepanaum,  &c.  do  hereby  covenant  and 
promise  to  and  with  the  foresaid  Timothy  Wheeler,  &c.  &c. 
that  we  are  the  true  proprietors  of,  and  have  good  right 
and  full  power  to  grant,  bargain,  and  sell,  the  above  granted 
and  bargained  premises  unto  the  said  Timothy,  &c.  &c.  and 
and  that  the  said  Timothy,  &c.  &c.  shall  and  may  at  all  times 
and  from  time  to  time  for  ever  hereafter  have,  hold, 
occupy,  possess,  and  enjoy  the  above  granted  premises  in 
full,  be  the  same  more  or  less,  without  any  let,  denial,  or 
contradiction  of  us  the  said  Mary  Neepanaum,  &c.  or  any 
of  us  or  any  of  our  heirs,  or  any  other  person  or  persons 
whatever,  lawfully  claiming  or  having  any  right,  title  or 
interest  therein,  or  to  or  in  any  parcel  thereof.  In  ack- 
nowledgement of  this  our  act  and  deed,  we  hereto  put  our 
hands  and  seals  this  fifth  day  of  May  in  the  year  of  our 
Lord  one  thouand  six  hundred  eighty  and  four.' 

"All  the  above  named  Indians  signed  this  deed  —  James 
Speen  by  writing  his  name,  and  the  others  by  their  marks, 
in  presence  of  Moses  Parker,  Noah  Brooks,  Samuel 
Wheeler  jr.,   Benjamin  Bohow  and  Sarah   Bohow  (the  two 


Concord  339 

last  of  whom  were  Indians),  and  acknowledged  'before    Pet: 
Bulkeley,  Assistant.' 

The  foregoing  deed  applied  to  the  south  part  of  the  tract. 
The  same  individuals,  in  behalf  of  Concord,  bought  of 
'John  Thomas,  and  Naaunoushqua,  his  wife;  Tasunsquaw, 
the  relict  of  Waban,  deceased,  and  eldest  daughter  to 
Tahattawan,  Sagamore,  deceased  ;  I'homas  Waban  her  son  ; 
Solomon  Thomas;  John  Nasqua;  James  Casumpal,  sen., 
and  Sarah,  his  wife  ;  and  Sarah,  the  relict  widow  of  Peter 
Conaway,  Indians,'  for  J^ii  ;  by  estimation,  8000  acres, 
lying  in  "the  last  grants  of  land  by  the  General  Court  to 
the  town  of  Concord,  and  is  bounded  southeast  by  the  old 
bounds  of  the  said  town  of  Concord,  easterly  partly  by  Hil- 
rerca,  partly  by  a  farm  formerly  layed  out  by  Major  Wil- 
lard  for  himself,  and  partly  by  Chelmsford,  till  it  meet  with 
Nashoba  line,  and  then  westerly  by  the  said  Nashoba  to 
the  southeast  corner  of  the  said  Nashoba,  then  northerly 
by  the  said  Nashoba  till  it  meets  with  Stow,  and  so  bounded 
norwest  by  the  said  Stow,  till  it  comes  near  to  a  hill  by  the 
Indians  called  Naaccuhpavil,  and  then  running  upon  a 
straight  line  to  the  North  River,  at  the  old  bounds  of  the 
said  town  of  Concord.'  This  deed  was  executed  and 
acknowledged  in  the  same  form  as  the  preceeding,  on  the 
13th  of  Aug.  1684;  and  witnessed  by  Ebenezer  Engolds- 
bey,  Joseph  Wooley,  Joseph  Shambery,  and  Andrew  Pitte- 
mey.  These  several  grants  were  afterwards  known  as  the 
'Town's  New  Grant'  —  the  'Enlargement  of  the  Town 
by  the  General  Court,'  —  and  generally 'Concord  Village'; 
till  after  about  seventy-five  years  they  were  in  great  part 
separated  from  Concord  and  incorporated  as  the  town  of 
Acton. 

"Lieutenant  Joseph  Wheeler,  by  trading  with  the  Nash- 
oba Indians,  became  their  creditor,  and  petitioned  the  Gen- 
eral Court,  in  1662,  for  a  grant  of  200  acres  of  land  at  the 
southerly  part  of  their  plantations  as  payment  for  his  debt ; 
but  it  was  refused.  In  1669,  he,  with  several  inhabitants 
of  Concord,  petitioned  for  a  tract  of  land   at  Pompasiticutt : 


340  '  Colonial 

and  the  Court  appointed  him,  with  John  Haynes  of  Sud- 
bury, William  Kerley  of  Marlborough,  James  Parker  of 
Groton,  and  John  Moore  of  Lancaster,  a  committee  to  view 
it  and  report  at  their  next  session.  This  report  was  made 
May  II,  1670;  and  it  was  found  'to  contain  10,000  acres 
of  country  land,  whereof  500  is  meadow.  The  greater  part 
of  it  is  very  mean  land,  but  we  judge  there  will  be  planting 
ground  enough  to  accomodate  20  families.  Also  there  is 
about  4000  acres  more  of  land  that  is  taken  up  in  farmes, 
whereof  about  500  acres  is  meadow.  There  is  also  the 
Indian  plantation  of  Nashobah,  that  doth  border  on  one 
side  of  this  tract  of  land,  that  is  exceedingly  well  meadowed, 
and  they  do  make  but  little  or  no  use  of  it.'  George  Hay- 
ward,  Joseph  Wheeler,  Thomas  Wheeler,  John  Hayward, 
William  Buttrick,  Sydrach  Hapgood,  Stephen  Hall, 
Edmund  Wigley  of  Concord,  and  Joseph  Newton  and 
Richard  Holdridge,  petitioned  for  this  tract  of  land;  and 
it  was  granted  to  them  'to  make  a  village,  provided  the 
place  be  setteled  with  not  less  than  ten  famyles  withlri  three 
years,  and  that  a  pious,  an  able,  and  orthodox  minister  be 
maintained  there.'  Daniel  Gookin,  Thomas  Danforth,  and 
Joseph  Cook,  were  appointed  'to  order  the  settlement  of 
the  village  in  all  respects;'  and  the  various  proceedings  in 
relation  to  it  resulted  in  the  incorporation  of  the  town  of 
Stow,  May  16,  1683  ;  which  has  since"  been  found  able  to 
accomodate  more  than  twenty  families  !" 

Not  only  did  the  people  of  Concord  during  its  first  cen- 
tury set  themselves  to  subduing  the  soil,  and  seek  assidu- 
ously to  extend  their  domains  even  to  the  extent  of 
obtaining  territory  from  which  might  be  made  new  town- 
ships but  they  sought  to  bring  forth  treasures  from  the  earth 
other  than  those  of  a  vegetable  nature.  Soon  after  the 
arrival  of  settlers  it  was  ascertained  that  iron  ore  existed  in 
the  south-west  part  of  the  town  in  such  quantities  as  might 
pay  to  establish  iron  works.  Promoters  of  the  enterprise  pre- 
sented themselves,  promminent  among  whom  was 
Oliver  Purchis  who  had  been  in  the  iron  business  at  Lynn. 


Concord  341 

March  5,  1658,  a  company  was  organized  "To  erect 
one  or  more  Iron  Works  in  Concord." 

May  30,  1660,  the  Colonial  Court  gave  the  Com- 
pany permission  "To  dig  iron  ore  without  molestation  in 
any  land  now  in  the  Court's  possession."  It  also  granted 
one  thousand  acres  for  the  Company's  purposes. 

The  industry  continued  with  more  or  less  success  until 
the  close  of  the  century,  when  it  closed  as  it  is  supposed, 
through  lack  of  ore. 

As  the  result  of  these  operations  a  dam  was  built  over 
the  Assabet  river  at  what  is  now  Westvale,  and  near  its 
upper  portion  iron  works  were  established. 

Among  the  names  of  Concord  people  who  were  stock- 
holders are  Rev,  Edward  Bulkeley,  Robert  Meriam,  Tim- 
othy Wheeler,  Jr.  William  Buss,  John  Niles  or  Miles, 
Joseph  Hayward  and  Mary  Griffin. 

After  various  transfers  the  property  passed  to  an  owner 
who  by  171 5  had  erected  upon  it  a  Grist  Mill  and  a 
Fulling  Mill,  and  in  process  ot  time  a  mill  was  built  for 
the  manufacturing  of  woolens.  The  lands  in  this  vicinity 
have  long  been  known  as  the  Ironworks  farm.  The  scene 
of  some  of  the  operations  is  still  known  as  Mine  hill. 

It  is  stated  that  when  one  Leihtenegger  "did  attend  the 
work  of  a  mine  at  a  place  called  fair  haven"  he  "did  build 
a  bridge  to  facilitate  his  passage  to  and  from  said  work." 
At  the  farm  formerly  owned  by  George  H.  Wright  at 
"Nine  Acre  Corner"  indications  of  this  industry  have  long 
been  visible. 


CHAPTER  XXXV. 

King  Philip's  War — Activity  Preparatory  to  its 
Coming  —  The  Part  taken  in  the  Conflict  by  Con- 
cord —  Its  Cause  —  The  Havoc  —  Condition  of  the 
Country  at  the  Outbreak  of  Hostilities —  The  State 
of  Society  —  The  Towns  Means  of  Defense — Its 
Militia  —  Its  Garrison  Houses  —  The  Foot  Com- 
pany —  The  Troop  of  Horse  —  Means  Provided  for 
the  Relief  of  Refugees  —  Miscellaneous  Military 
Matters. 

WE  have  thus  far  considered  some  of  the  chief  civic 
events,  incidents  and  episodes  that  occurred  at 
Concord  during  its  first  half  century.  We  will 
now  notice  some  military  events  of  the  period. 
Hitherto  the  progress  of  the  town  was  marked  by  a  reign 
of  peace.  No  shout  of  hostile  Indian  had  been  heard  in 
the  home  of  any  inhabitant.  No  public  proclamations  had 
been  issued  for  the  levying  of  war-accoutred  soldiers;  and 
there  had  been  no  mortal  combat.  The  struggle  had  been 
with  the  rough  conditions  of  a  new  country  ;  with  rocks 
and  brambles  of  unsubdued  hillsides  and  the  gnarled  and 
mossy  tree  trunks  of  the  timberlands.  But  at  the  begin- 
ning of  the  last  quarter  of  the  seventeenth  century  the  scene 
changed.  A  season  of  strife  was  at  hand.  Along  the  hori- 
zon a  cloud  was  gathering  which  as  it  arose  and  burst  over 
the  feeble  settlement  was  to  cause  a  consternation  of  which 
we  in  the  present  can  but  faintly  conceive. 

The  Colony  was  on  the  eve  of  King  Philip's  war ;  a  war 
which  for  atrocity,  destructiveness,  and  for  various  dismal 
features  was  exceptional.  For  months  before  the  tempest 
broke  out,  its  coming  was  announced  by  a  variety  of 
unmistakable  forerunners.  Messengers  from  the  forest 
342 


THE 
NEW  YORK      V 
'PUBLIC  LIBRARY  I 

y^stor,tenox  and  TWen, 
Foundations, 


Concord  343 

brought  intelligence  that  the  Indians  in  distant  places  were 
sharpening  their  hatchets,  and  tightening  their  bowstrings; 
that  a  conspiracy  was  being  brewed,  and  that  soon  they 
might  expect  savage  invaders  to  prowl  about  the  farm 
houses  and  haunt  every  highway  and  bypath  and  bridge. 

Because  of  these  forerunners  the  settler  was  put  on  his 
guard  and  in  preparation  for  the  issue  he  became  corres- 
spondingly  active.  He  set  himself  to  meet  prowess  with 
prowess,  and  to  pit  strength  against  strength.  He  took 
down  from  over  the  mantlepiece  his  old  musket,  scraped  its 
flint,  inspected  its  lock,  and  scoured  the  rust  from  its 
priming  pan.  Bullets  were  cast  by  him  on  the  old 
kitchen  hearth,  the  contents  of  his  powder  horn  were 
replenished  from  the  public  stock,  —  and  everything  possible 
was  done  to   protect  his  home. 

While  these  things  were  going  on  there  was  much  con- 
sternation, and  doubtless  households  were  disturbed  to  an 
unusual  degree.  The  children  probably  wondered  why 
their  mother  looked  worried  and  furtively  glanced  toward 
the  woods.  They  did  not  understand  why  the  cows  were 
kept  in  the  barnyard  during  the  day  and  why  outbuildings 
were  closed  early  at  night.  To  them  it  was  all  a  mystery 
that  the  neighbors  talked  together  in  small  companies  and 
that  after  the  trundle  bed  had  been  pulled  out  at  evening 
there  were  whispered  voices  at  the  fireside.  But  the  sig- 
significance  of  all  this  at  length  showed  itself  and  soon  all 
were  made  aware  that  experiences  were  threatened  such  as 
were  without  parallel  in  their  pioneer  history  and  that  the 
peaceful  relations  that  had  hitherto  existed  between  the 
Indians  and  whites  were  to  give  place  to  a  period  of  strife 
the  result  of  which  none  but  Heaven  could  foresee. 

The  town  of  Concord  was  so  situated  and  circumstanced 
and  a  kind  Providence  so  favored  that  it  suffered  no  gen- 
eral attack  as  did  some  other  places.  It  was  however  sub- 
ject to  dire  contingencies  and  was  called  upon  to  bear  in 
common  with  the  whole  colony  grievous  taxation  and  to 
contribute  its  quota  of  soldiers  to  be  in  readiness  to  take 


344  Colonial 

the  field  at  short  notice.  Moreover,  it  was  ordered  to  fur- 
nish garrison  houses  and  to  provide  relief  measures  to  such 
as  fleeing  from  distant  frontier  farm  houses  or  neighboring 
towns  sought  refuge  there. 

The  town  also  near  its  western  frontier  in  the  part  then 
known  as  Nashoba  was  the  scene  of  a  dismal  tragedy  which 
was  doubtless  long  a  subject  of  fireside  conversation  for  the 
inhabitants  of  that  region.  But  although  no  portion  of  the 
town  became  a  battle  ground  during  the  period  of  King 
Philip's  war  some  of  its  citizens  became  conspicuous  by 
their  services  on  the  battle  fields  of  other  towns  and  in 
several  instances  these  were  of  a  character  quite  distin- 
guished. Before  entering  in  detail  upon  the  narration 
of  these  or  other  matters  pertaining  to  Concord  in  Phil- 
ip's war,  let  us  notice  the  cause  and  nature  of  the  conflict  and 
some  things  concerning  the  condition  of  the  country  and 
the  state  of  society  at  its  commencement. 

The  cause  of  the  war  was  a  feeling  of  jealousy  or  unrest 
on  the  part  of  some  of  the  aborigines  engendered  by  a 
belief  that  the  English  were  trying  to  crowd  them  from  the 
soil. 

This  feeling  culminated  in  an  Indian  alliance  of  several 
tribes  for  the  purpose  of  exterminating  the  English  and 
appropriating  or  destroying  their  property. 

The  principal  progenitor  of  this  alliance  and  director  of 
its  operations  was  Philip,  a  chieftain  of  the  Wampanoags 
who  dwelt  at  a  place  called  Pokanoket  or  Mount  Hope  or 
Montaup  near  Bristol  R.  I. 

Philip  was  called  King  by  Governor  Prince  but  his  abo- 
riginal name  was  Metacomet. 

His  father  was  Massasoit  a  friend  of  the  Plymouth  pil- 
grims. 

The  means  King  Philip  employed  were  very  sagacious, 
and  savage  though  he  was  his  energy  and  exploits  have  eli- 
cited the  admiration  and  wonder  of  many  writers,  and  been 
the  subject  of  ballad  and  song. 

He  is  supposed  to  have  personally  visited  the  tribes  with 


Concord  345 

which  he  sought  to  form  nn  alliance  and  to  have  fanned 
into  a  flame  whatever  sparks  of  hatred  already  existed,  and 
by  his  example  and  enthusiasm  to  have  stirred  his  followers 
to  deeds  which  with  a  less  daring  leader,  would  never 
have  been  committed.  By  his  savage  torch  home- 
steads were  reduced  to  ashes  in  an  hour  ;  whole  households 
were  destroyed  by  his  tomahawk  and  scalping  knife  ;  and 
farms  once  smiling  in  plentitude  and  peace  were  left  aban- 
doned and  desolate. 

Of  the  results  of  the  war  Trumbull  in  his  history  of 
Connecticut  says,  "About  six  hundred  of  the  inhabitants 
of  New  England,  the  greatest  part  of  whom  were  the  flower 
and  strength  of  the  country,  either  fell  in  battle  or  were 
murdered  by  the  enemy.  Twelve  or  thirteen  towns  in 
Massachusetts,  Plymouth  Colony  and  Rhode  Island  were 
utterly  destroyed  and  others  greatly  damaged." 

Another  writer  has  stated  that  were  all  the  events  of  the 
Revolution  comprised  in  a  single  twelve  month,  they  would 
not  exceed  the  horrors  of  King  Philip's  war. 

The  condition  of  the  country  at  the  breaking  out  of  the 
war  was  such  as  to  augment  the  terrors  even  of  civilized 
warfare.  Much  of  the  territory  was  still  uncleared.  There 
were  vast  areas  of  impassable  swamps  and  thick  timberlandr. 
The  roads  were  many  of  them  through  deep  forests;  the 
bridges  were  frail  and  infrequent  and  those  over  the  smal- 
ler streams  may  have  been  mere  log  crossings  that  might 
be  swept  away  by  a  sudden  flood  or  easily  destroyed  by 
the  foe.  More  or  less  of  the  outlying  farms  were  situated  in 
exposed  places  without  means  of  repelling  assaults,  and 
where  the  drear  shadows  that  crept  out  from  the  woods 
were  suited  to  increase  the  disquietude  of  the  defenseless 
family.  Moreover  the  settler  was  subjected  to  seasons  of 
suspense  ;  it  was  difl'icult  to  obtain  news  ;  the  foe  might  be 
near  or  remote,  he  could  not  determine  which.  It  might  be 
venturesome  to  go  beyond  his  own  dooryard,  and  all  the 
information  he  could  get  from  the  outer  world  may  have 
been    brought    by    some    scout    or    circumstance    or   sign. 


34^  Colonial 

Another  factor  in  the  case  was  the  nature  of  the  enemy. 
The  Indian  when  on  the  warpath  was  implacable,  cunning 
and  capable  of  any  cruelty  by  which  he  could  cripple  his 
foe.  His  knowledge  of  the  country  enabled  him  to  move 
about  with  remarkable  celerity.  He  was  acquainted  with 
the  location  of  every  village  and  hamlet  and  no  lone  farm- 
house had  escaped  his  notice. 

All  these  things  King  Philip  took  advantage  of,  and  a 
characteristic  of  the  conflict  was  the  suddenness  with  which 
he  struck,  the  rapidity  with  which  settlements  widely  sep- 
arated from  each  other  felt  the  blows.  So  swift  were  his 
movements  and  so  unexpectedly  did  he  attack  towns  that 
the  inhabitants  almost  considered  him  possessed  of  super- 
natural powers. 

The  state  of  society  when  the  war  broke  out,  may  be 
best  indicated  by  saying  that  it  was  just  prior  to  the  witch- 
craft delusion  and  about  the  time  which  has  been  desig- 
nated  as  New  England's  dark  age.  The  early  fathers  of 
the  colony  were  dying  off  and  with  them  the  learning  which 
they  had  brought  from  the  old  country,  for  there 
were  few  schools  through  which  to  transmit  it  to  their  chil- 
dren. It  was  in  this  period  perhaps  more  than  in  any 
other  when  people  signed  their  names  with  a  mark.  As 
ignorance  usually  begets  superstition,  so  there  was  a  ten- 
dency at  this  time  to  accept  the  marvellous,  and  to  believe 
that  Philip's  war  was  preceded  by  omens.  Mather  informs  us 
that  strange  sights  were  seen.  The  perfect  form  of  an  Indian 
bow  was  supposed  to  appear  in  the  air  at  New  Plymouth. 
This  was  regarded  as  a  "prodigious  apparition." 

The  inhabitants  of  Hadley,  Northampton,  and  other 
towns  in  that  vicinity  thought  they  "heard  the  report  of 
a  great  piece  of  ordinance  with  a  great  shaking  of  the  earth 
and  a  considerable  echo."  Some  believed  that  on  a  still 
morning  there  was  a  noise  of  discharged  musketry  ;  that  bul- 
lets flew  past  them;  that  a  noise  of  drums  was  heard;  and 
that  there  was  a  sound  as  of  the  galloping  of  horses. 

Thus  the  condition  of  the  country  and  the  state  of  soci- 


Concord  347 

ety  were  such  that  the  ccmmunity  and  individuals  were 
kept  constantly  on  the  alert,  and  became  suspicious  of  all 
inexplicable  phenomena.  To  them  there  was  a  significance 
either  natural  or  supernatural  in  every  unusual  sound  or 
sight.  The  report  of  a  gun  fired  far  off  in  the  forest,  the 
bellowing  of  cattle  in  the  pastures,  flocks  of  birds  flying 
afi^righted  from  the  shrubbery,  a  wounded  deer,  a  missing 
shoat,  the  loud  barking  of  a  dog  in  a  distant  clearing,  the 
mysterious  imprint  on  the  soft  earth  of  strange  footsteps, 
and  fresh  camp  coals  in  the  woods,  either  of  these  migh 
betoken  the  approach  of  Indians  and  send  families  to  the 
friendly  garrisons. 

For  the  reasons  now  considered  Philip's  war  has  been  asso- 
ciated with  exceptional  hardships,  and  its  annals,  long  after  its 
occurrence  were  related  to  curious  and  half  reluctant  listen- 
ers about  the  home  hearthside,  the  rude  campfire,  and  wher- 
ever companies  were  gathered  together  under  circumstances 
that  tended  to  recall  them.  The  farm  boy  became  fami- 
liar with  its  leading  actors  and  event  sthrough  frequent  rehear- 
sals ;  and  the  few  objects  that  came  down  through  the  years 
as  grim  reminders  of  the  dismal  experiences  were  looked 
upon  by  him  as  something  which,  if  it  could  speak 
might  utter  strange  things.  Around  the  rusty  firearms  that 
stood  in  the  old  shed  corner  were  gathered  memories  which 
were  fraught  with  thrilling  adventure.  The  snow-shoes 
stowed  in  the  cold  garret,  the  bullet  moulds  in  the  little 
closet  over  the  wood  box,  the  cocked  hat  and  faded  waist- 
coat which  clothed  the  dummy  that  relieved  the  weary  night 
watch,  were  each  suggestive  in  their  turn.  The  grim  walls 
of  the  old  garrison,  worn  and  weather-stained  by  time 
and  storm  were  long  associated  with  things  that  had  been 
said  of  them ;  whether  of  the  midnight  assault  and  repulse, 
or  of  the  timely  rescue  of  beleaguered  inmates,  or  of  the  ruse 
of  the  savage  who  sought  to  approach  it  behind  the  slow 
moving  bush.  The  stone  hatchet  that  was  unearthed  in  the 
plow  land,  though  silent  and  unshapely,  was  eloquent  never- 
theless   by    its    suggestiveness.      The    low    grave    by    the 


34^  Colonial 

meadow  side,  the  stone  heap  under  the  trees,  the  faint  out- 
line of  a  cellar  hole  about  which  were  coals  yet  uncrum- 
bled, —  all  of  these  were  pointed  out  to  succeeding  gen- 
erations as  memorials  of  King   Philip's  war. 

The  military  history  of  Concord  in  this  war  comprises 
a  description  of  the  means  employed  for  its  own  defense, 
the  measures  for  a  maintenance  of  such  soldiers  as  the  Col- 
onial authorities  might  send  into  the  town  as  a  convenient 
place  from  which  to  operate  by  marchings  and  scout- 
ings,  the  payment  of  its  share  of  such  extra  taxation  as 
was  superinduced  by  the  war,  and  the  special  service  that 
the  town  by  its  own  soldiers  rendered  to  other  places. 

We  will  now  consider  each  of  these  in  the  order  here 
given. 

First  its  means  of  defense.  —  This  consisted  in  the 
town  militia  and  garrison  houses.  At  the  outbreak  of  the 
war  the  organized  militia  of  Concord  consisted  of  one  foot 
company  and  a  troop  of  horse. 

The  foot  company  was  organized  in  1636,  with  Simon 
Willard,  then  a  sergeant,  as  acting  Captain  or  drill  master. 
About  a  quarter  of  a  century  later  the  appointment  by  the 
Court  was  as  follows  : 

Timothy  Wheeler,  Captain;  Jos.  Wheeler,  Lieut.;  Wil- 
liam Buss,  Ensign  ;  Richard  Rice,  Thomas  Bateman  and 
Thomas  Wheeler,  Sen.  Sergeants  ;  William  Buttrick,  Sam- 
uel Stratten  and  John  Scotchford,  Corporals. 

The  horse  company  had  its  organization  Oct.  13,  1669 
and  included  beside  members  belonging  to  the  town  also 
some  from  places  adjacent.  It  first  captain  was  Thomas 
Wheeler;  its  first  Lieutenant  Thomas  Henchman;  and  its 
Quartermaster  was  Henry  Woodhouse  (or  Woodis.) 

Shattuck  says  that  the  Horse  Company  was  "the  second 
and  western  horse  company  in  the  county  and  from  it  the 
present  Concord  Light  Infantry  descended." 

It  is  probable  that  a  portion  of  the  members  of  the  afore- 
said companies  saw  service  in  the  Old  Narraganset  War  in 
1654,  as  its  former  captain,  Simon  Willard  was  at  that  time 


Concord  349 

the  commander  of  an  expedition  which  set  forth  by  order 
of  the  United  Colonies  against  Chief  Ninigret.  In  this 
expedition  which  was  composed  of  250  infantry  men  and  40 
cavalrymen  there  were  several  soldiers  from  Concord. 

Concerning  the  garrison  houses  of  Concrod  Shattuck  states 
as  follows: 

"We  have  no  other  means  than  tradition  to  ascertain  the 
number  or  situation  of  the  garrison-houses  in  Concord. 
The  house  now  occupied  by  Dr.  Hurd  was  originally  one  ; 
another  stood  near  John  Flint's;  another  near  Meriam's 
corner  ;  two  others  within  the  present  limits  of  Bedford  ; 
another  near  John  Hosmer's;  and  another  near  Silas 
Holden's.  An  Indian  fort  was  built  near  Nashobah  Hill  in 
Littleton,  then  in  Concord.  These  were  not  all.  The  num- 
ber and  situation  varied,  at  different  times,  for  the  subse- 
quent twenty  years." 

That  these  were  all  the  defensed  places  of  the  town  we 
are  not  to  infer,  since  ordinary  farm  houses  were  sometimes 
fortified  and  used  as  places  of  rendezvous. 

In  relation  to  the  militia  and  other  means  of  aggressive 
warfare  Shattuck  says, 

"In  October,  1675,  ^^^  government  ordered  that  the  mil- 
itia of  Suffolk  and  Middlesex  be  put  in  a  posture  of  war ; 
and  be  ready  to  march  at  a  minute's  warning  to  prevent 
danger  ;  '  and  at  the  same  time  authority  was  given  to  Capt. 
Timothy  Wheeler  'to  impress  an  able  gunsmith  to  repair 
to  Concord  to  be  resident  there  for  the  fixing  up  of  arms 
from  time  to  time  during  the  war  for  this  and  the  towns 
adjacent.'  'Committes  of  militia,'  somewhat  resembling  the 
committees  of  safety  in  the  revolution  of  1775,  were 
appointed  in  the  several  towns.  The  Hon.  Peter  Bulkeley 
was  chairman  of  that  committee  in  Concord.  He  and 
Joseph  Dudley  were  appointed  in  November  to  'attend  the 
forces  that  are  now  to  go  forth  against  the  enemy,  and  to  be 
ministers  unto  them.'  " 

The  work  of  the  militia  and  garrison  houses  of  Concord 
we  conclude   proved  a  benefit    to  the  people  outside  the 


3  50  Colonial 

town  as  well  as  to  those  living  within  it.  They  served  as  a 
protection  for  the  people  living  on  the  Blood  farms  on  the 
North,  and  after  the  burning  and  sacking  of  Lancaster  and 
Groton  the  inhabitants  of  those  places  found  these  garrison 
houses  a  safe  shelter,      Shattuck  says, 

"March  14th  the  Council  ordered  'that  the  companies  of 
militia  of  Concord  and  Sudbury,  doe  forthwith  impress  so 
many  carts  as  may  bee  sufficient  to  bring  off  the  goods  and 
provisions  belonging  to  the  people  left  at  Lancaster,  unto 
Concord  or  any  other  towne,  they  desire  to  come  unto  ; 
and  for  guarding  the  said  carts  it  is  ordered  that  Sargant 
Lamson,  commander  of  the  garrison  soldiers  at  Lancaster, 
do  send  two  files  of  soldiers,  to  guard  the  said  carts  up  and 
down.'  Besides  the  inhabitants  of  Lancaster,  several  of 
Groton  and  other  frontier  towns  resided  in  Concord  till  after 
the  peace." 

As  the  war  progressed  and  the  destruction  of  town  after 
town  threatened  a  common  calamity.  Concord  became  a  gen- 
eral rendezvous  for  colonial  soldiers  that  from  time  to  time 
were  sent  out  to  meet  sudden  emergencies.  Of  these  sol- 
diers Shattuck  states, 

"The  detachments  of  soldiers  for  the  relief  of  the  frontier 
towns  were  frequent  and  heavy  in  May.  Early  in  that 
month  80  from  the  troops  of  Essex,  Suffolk,  and  Middle- 
sex, were  ordered  to  repair  to  Concord  for  the  country  ser- 
vice. On  the  20th,  270  garrison  soldiers  from  the  same 
counties,  were  ordered  to  be  stationed  at  the  following 
'frontier  towns  for  the  better  security  of  them  from  the  incur- 
sions of  the  enemy.'  Concord  20,  Sudbury  30,  Chelms- 
ford 20,  Billerica  20,  Andover  20,  Haverhill  20,  Bradford 
10,  Exeter  20,  Medfield  30,  Dedham  20,  Milton  10,  Brain- 
tree  15,  Weymouth  15,  Hingham  20.  These  soldiers  were 
to  be  maintained  at  the  cost  of  the  several  towns,  and  to  be 
under  the  direction  of  the  commitees  of  militia. 

"Major  Daniel  Gookin  succeeded  Major  Willard  after  his 
death  in  April,  in  command  of  the  military  forces  in  Mid- 
dlesex ;    Thomas  Clark    was  commander  in   Suffolk,    and 


Concord  3  5 1 

Daniel  Dennison  in  Essex  ;  all  of  whom  were  in  Concord, 
May  30th." 

"Capt.  Joseph  Sill  commanded  one  of  the  companies  which 
were  at  Concord  several  months,  and  was  frequently  sent 
out  on  scouts." 

An  early  and  important  military  service  during  King 
Philip's  war  in  which  Concord  was  represented  is  the  famous 
Hutchinson  Expedition  to  Brookfield,  Massachusetts. 

The  object  of  this  Expedition  was  to  pacify  the  Nipnet 
Indians  living  in  the  vicinity  of  the  Connecticut  river,  and 
to  gain  their  favor,  and  perhaps  to  secure  their  sympathy  in 
behalf  of  the  colony. 

The  person  selected  by  the  Council  at  Boston  for  this 
important  mission  was  Captain  Edward  Hutchinson,  who 
was  to  take  with  him  Capt.  Thomas  Wheeler  of  Con- 
cord and  a  part  of  his  troop  of  horse,  together  with  Eph- 
raim  Curtis,  a  noted  scout  of  Sudbury,  well  skilled 
in  Indian  diplomacy,  to  repair  at  once  to  the  rendez- 
vous of  these  Indians  and  assure  them  of  the  kind 
intentions  of  the  Colonial  authorities  toward  them  and  that 
no  harm  would  come  to  them  if  they  would  submit  to  the 
government. 

On  July  28,  Capts.  Hutchinson  and  Wheeler  with  about 
twenty  or  twenty-five  of  the  latter's  troop  of  horse  marched 
from  Cambridge  to  Sudbury  and  by  August  i  found  them- 
selves at  Brookfield  or  Quaboag  as  the  Indians  called  it. 
Upon  their  arrival  they  were  informed  that  the  Indians  were 
at  a  place  about  ten  miles  to  the  westward.  Whereupon 
Capt.  Hutchinson  despatched  Capt.  Wheeler  and  Ephraim 
Curtis  to  inform  them  of  their  coming  and  the  nature  of 
their  errand.  The  messengers  found  a  body  of  about  one 
hundred  and  fifty  Indians  to  whom  they  delivered  their 
message  and  after  some  perilous  parleying  and  surly  treat- 
ment by  the  savages,  an  agreement  was  reached  by  which 
Capt.  Hutchinson  and  his  company  were  to  meet  the 
sachems  the  next  day  on  a  plain  about  three  miles 
from   Brookfield.     They  went  according  to  agreement,  but 


^S"^  Colonial 

the  Indians  were  not  there,  but  were,  they  were  told,  at  a 
place  seven  miles  distant.  The  English  captains  thought 
it  unwise  to  proceed  further,  knowing  as  they  did  the  treach- 
erous traits  of  the  enemy  with  which  they  dealt.  Several 
citizens  of  Brookfield  however  who  had  accompanied  them 
advised  an  advance,  feeling  assured  from  their  acquaintance 
with  several  of  the  sachems  that  no  harm  would  come  of  it. 
The  Captains  acted  upon  their  suggestion  and  pursued  their 
way  till  they  found  themselves  on  the  border  of  a  swamp 
and  in  a  pathway  so  narrow  as  to  necessitate  their  marching 
in  single  file.  As  the  mission  of  the  English  was  a  peace- 
ful one  and  the  Indians  had  been  so  informed  and  their 
good  behavior  had  been  vouched  for  by  the  three  citizens 
of  Brookfield,  perhaps  the  usual  precautions  of  the  Indian 
fighter  were  not  observed,  for  after  marching  quite  a  dis- 
tance to  a  place  where  there  was  a  hillside  on  one  hand  and 
a  swamp  on  the  other,  the  Indians  with  a  startling  sudden- 
ness poured  upon  the  little  company  a  most  murderous 
discharge  of  musketry.  Eight  men  were  killed  and  five 
were  wounded,  among  the  latter  of  whom  was  Capt. 
Hutchinson.  For  a  moment  all  was  in  confusion  ;  the  savages, 
having  the  advantage  of  concealment  and  a  picked  bat- 
tle ground,  offered  no  visible  force  for  the  English  to 
oppose  so  the  main  body  fell  back,  Capt.  Wheeler  find- 
ing himself  unhurt  and  seeing  that  none  of  his  men  had 
fallen,  wheeled,  as  he  states,  upon  the  enemy  and  rushed 
toward  them  without  calling  upon  his  men  to  follow,  but 
almost  immediately  he  received  a  severe  wound  and  his 
horse  was  struck.  Thus  disabled  and  almost  alone,  the 
bold  captain  was  left  in  the  midst  of  the  enemy  with  some 
of  them  but  a  few  rods  away.  When  he  turned  upon  the 
Indians,  his  men  were  some  distance  from  him  and  in  an 
opposite  direction,  they  having  been  forced  back  at  the  first 
fire.  As,  however,  a  kind  Providence  would  have  it,  Capt. 
Wheeler's  son  Thomas,  finding  that  his  father  was  not 
among  the  surviving  company,  and  fearing  that  he  was 
dead  or  in  danger,  rushed  back  single  handed,  and  although 


Concord  ^53 

wounded  himself  yet  upon  finding  his  father  and  seeing  his 
sore  straits,  dismouted,  and  placing  him  upon  his  own 
horse,  started  him  to  the  rear  following  on  foot  as  rapidly 
as  possible,  receiving  as  he  did  so  a  second  wound.  As  the 
Indians  did  not  take  immediate  advantage  of  the  terrible 
plight  into  which  the  English  had  been  thrown  nor  follow 
hard  upon  their  precipitous  flight,  the  survivors  of  Hutchin- 
son's force  soon  found  themselves  emerging  from  the  forest 
and  making  their  way  unmolested  towards  Brookfield. 
They  kept  in  the  open  country  not  daring  to  leave  it  lest 
they  again  be  beset,  and  tracing  their  way  as  best  they 
could,  for  they  were  all  strangers  to  the  place,  at  length 
found  themselves  back  to  Quaboag, 

The  tidings  of  what  had  occured  spread  through  the 
town  like  wildfire  and  from  every  farm  house  the  occupants 
fled  to  the  strongest  building  in  the  village  which  was 
quickly  fortified  and  put  in  preparation  for  a  stout  defense. 

Soon  after  all  had  entered  the  house  it  was  surrounded  by 
the  savages  who  by  wild  ravings  and  terrible  gesticulations 
sought  to  intimidate  the  inmates,  and  by  every  art  and 
device  known  to  them  sought  to  batter  in  or  to  burn  down 
the  building.  But  the  first  assault  was  to  no  purpose  and 
the  Colonists  showed  by  their  vigorous  defense  that  the 
assailants  were  to  pay  dear  for  their  victory  if  they  obtained 
it.  After  the  first  onset  the  Indians  settled  down  for  steady 
work  and  then  and  there  began  that  memorable  siege  of  the 
Brookfield  garrison  that  was  for  a  generation  rehearsed  at 
the  farmhouse  fireside  and  which  has  passed  into  history  as 
one  of  the  most  notable  events  of  the  period. 


CHAPTER  XXXVI 

Authentic  Account  of  the  Hutchinson  Expedition  to 
Brookfield  by  Captain  Thomas  JVheeler  —  The 
Ambuscade  —  The  Attack  —  The  Escape  —  The 
Siege  of  the  Garrison  House  —  Ephraim  Curtis  the 
Sudbury  Scout  —  The  Rescue  by  Major  Simon  Wil- 
lard 

AS  a  detailed  account  of  the  Brookfield  expedition  has 
been  written  out  by  Capt.  Thomas  Wheeler  we 
believe  that  it  is  better  to  print  portions  of  it  in  full, 
than  to  write  it  in  our  own  words. 
"When  we  came  near  the  said  swampe  the  way  was  so  very 
bad  that  we  could  march  only  in  a  single  file,  there  being  a 
very  rocky  hill  on  the  right  hand  and  a  thick  swampe  on 
the  left.  In  which  there  were  many  of  those  cruel,  blood- 
thirsty heathen,  who  there  waylaid  us,  waiting  an  oppor- 
to  cut  us  off:  there  being  also  much  brush  on  the  side  of 
the  said  hill,  where  they  lay  in  ambush  to  surprise  us. 

"When  we  had  marched  there  about  sixty  or  seventy  rods, 
the  said  perfidious  Indians  sent  out  their  shot  upon  us  as 
a  showre  of  haile,  they  being  (as  was  supposed)  about  two 
hundred  men  or  more.  We  seeing  ourselves  so  beset,  and 
not  having  room  to  fight,  endeavored  to  fly  for  the  safety 
of  our  lives.  In  which  flight  we  were  in  no  small  danger 
to  be  all  cut  off,  there  being  a  very  miry  swamp  before  us, 
into  which  we  could  not  enter  with  our  horses  to  go  for- 
ward, and  there  being  no  safety  in  retreating  the  way  we 
came,  because  many  of  our  company  who  lay  behind  the 
bushes  and  had  left  us  pass  by  them  quietly ;  when  others 
354 


NEW  YORK 
PUBLIC  library' 

^  Astor,  Lenox  and  TNden  ^ 
Foundations, 


Concord  355 

had  shot  they  came  out  and  stopt  our  way  back  so  that  we 
were  forced  as  we  could  to  get  up  the  steep  and  rocky  hill ; 
but  the  greater  our  danger  was  the  greater  was  God's  mercy 
in  the  preservation  of  so  many  of  us  from  sudden  destruc- 
tion.     Myself  being  gone  up   part  of  the  hill  without  any 
hurt,  and  perceiving  some  of  my  men  to  be  fallen  by  the 
enemies*  shot,   1  wheeled  about  upon  the  Indians,  not  cal- 
ling on  my  men  who  were  left  to  accompany  me,  which  they 
in    all     probability   would    have    done,    had    they    known 
of  my  return  upon  the  enemy.     They  firing  violently  out 
of  the  swamp  and  from  behind  the  bushes  on  the  hillside 
wounded  me  sorely  and  shot  my  horse  under  me,  so  that 
he  faltering  and  falling  I  was  forced  to  leave  him,  divers  of 
the   Indians  being  then  but  a  few  rods  distant  from  me. 
My  son,  Thomas  Wheeler,  flying  with  the  rest  of  the  com- 
pany, missed  me  amongst    them,  and    fearing  that    I   was 
either  shot    or  endangered,  returned    toward    the  swampe 
again,  though  he  had  then  received  a  dangerous  wound  in 
the  reins,  where  he  saw  me  in  the  danger  aforesaid.   Where- 
upon he  endeavored  to  rescue  me,  showing  himself  therein 
a  loving  and  dutiful  son,  he  adventuring  himself  into  great 
peril  of   his  life  to   help  me  in  that  distress,  there  being 
many  of  the  enemies  about  me.      My  son  set  me  on  his  own 
horse  and  so  escaped,  awhile  on  foot  himself,  until  he  caught 
an   horse  whose  rider  was  slain,  on  which   he  mounted,  and 
so  through  God's  great  mercy  we  both  escaped.   But  in  this 
attempt  for  my  deliverance  he  received  another  dangerous 
arm  wound,  by  their  shot,  in  his  left.    There  were  then  slain, 
to  our  great  grief,  eight  men,  viz  :   Zachariah  Philips  of  Bos- 
ton, Timothy   Farlow  of   Billerica,  Edward    Coleborn  of 
Chelmsford,  Samuel  Smedley  of  Concord,  Sydrach   Hop- 
good  of  Sudbury,  Sergeant  Eyres,  Sergeant  Pritchard,  Cor- 
poral Coy,  the  inhabitants  of  Brookfield,  aforesaid.   It  being 
the  good  pleasure  of  God  that  they  should  all  these  fall  by 
their  hands,  of  whose  good  intentions  they  were  so  confi- 
dent and  whom  they  so  little  mistrusted.     There  were  also 
then    five    pesons    wounded  ,    viz :    Captain    Hutchinson, 


^^6  Colonial 

myself,  and  my  son  Thomas,  as  aforesaid.  Corporal  French 
of  Billerica,  who  having  killed  an  Indian  was  (as  he  was 
taking  up  his  gun)  shot  and  part  of  one  of  his  thumbs  taken 
off,  and  also  dangerously  wounded  through  the  body,  near 
the  shoulder.  The  fifth  was  John  Waldo,  of  Chelmsford, 
who  was  not  so  dangerously  wounded  as  the  rest.  They 
also  then  killed  five  of  our  horses  and  wounded  some  more 
which  soon  died  after  they  came  to  Brookfield.  Upon  this 
sudden  and  unexpected  blow  given  us  (wherein  we  desire  to 
look  higher  than  man  the  instrument)  we  returned  to  the 
town  as  fast  as  the  badness  of  the  way  and  the  weakness  of 
our  wounded  men  would  permit,  we  being  then  ten  miles 
from  it.  All  the  while  we  were  going,  we  durst  not  stay 
to  staunch  the  bleeding  of  our  wounded  men  for  fear  the 
enemy  should  have  surprised  us  again,  which  they  attempted 
to  do,  and  had  in  all  probability  done,  but  that  we  per- 
ceiving which  way  they  went  wheeled  off  to  the  other  hand 
and  so  by  God's  good  providence  towards  us  they  missed 
us,  and  we  all  came  readily  upon  the  town,  though  none  of 
us  knew  the  way  to  it,  those  of  the  place  being  slain  as 
aforesaid,  and  we  avoiding  any  thick  woods  and  riding  in 
open  places  to  prevent  danger  by  them.  Being  got  to  the 
town  we  speedily  betook  ourselves  to  one  of  the  largest  and 
strongest  houses  therein,  where  we  fortified  ourselves  in  the 
best  manner  we  could  in  such  straits  of  time,  and  there 
resolved  to  keep  garrison,  though  we  were  but  few  and 
meanly  fitted  to  make  resistance  against  such  furious  ene- 
mies. The  news  of  the  Indian's  treacherous  dealing  with 
us,  and  the  loss  of  so  many  of  our  company  thereby, 
did  so  amaze  the  inhabitants  of  the  town  that  they  being 
informed  by  us,  presently  left  their  houses,  divers  of  them 
carrying  very  little  away  with  them,  they  being  afraid  of  the 
Indians  suddenly  coming  upon  them,  and  so  came  to  the 
house  we  were  entered  into,  very  meanly  provided  of  cloth- 
ing or  furnished  with  provisions. 

"I   perceiving  myself  to  be  disenabled  for  the  discharge 
the  duties  of  my  place  by  reason  of  the  wound    I    had 


Concord  357 

recieved,  and  apprehending  that  the  enemy  would  soon 
come  to  spoyle  our  town  and  assault  us  in  the  house,  I 
appointed  Simon  Davis,  of  Concord,  James  Richardson 
and  John  Fiske,  of  Chelmsford,  to  manage  affairs  for  our 
safety  with  those  few  men  whom  God  hath  left  us,  and 
were  fit  for  any  service,  and  the  inhabitants  of  the  said  town  ; 
who  did  well  and  commendably  perform  the  duties  of  the 
trust  committed  to  them  with  much  courage  and  resolu- 
tion, through  the  assistance  of  our  gracious  God  who  did 
not  leave  us  in  our  low  and  distressed  State  but  did  merci- 
fully appear  for  us  in  our  greatest  need,  as  in  the  sequel  will 
clearly  be  manifested. 

"Within  two  hours  after  our  coming  to  the  said  house  or 
less,  the  said  Capt.  Hutchinson  and  myself  posted  away 
Ephraim  Curtis,  of  Sudbury,  and  Henry  Young,  of  Con- 
cord, to  go  to  the  Honoured  Council  at  Boston,  to  give 
them  an  account  of  the  Lord's  dealing  with  us  in  our  pres- 
ent condition.  When  they  came  to  the  further  end  of  the 
town  they  saw  the  enemy  rifling  of  houses  which  the  inhab- 
itants had  forsaken.  The  post  fired  upon  them  and  imme- 
diately returned  to  us  again,  they  discerning  no  safety  in 
going  forward,  and  being  desirous  to  inform  us  of  the  ene- 
my's actings  that  we  might  more  prepare  for  a  sudden 
assault  by  them,  which  indeed  presently  followed,  for  as 
soon  as  the  said  post  was  come  back  to  us,  the  barbarous 
heathen  pressed  upon  us  in  the  house  with  great  violence, 
sending  in  their  shot  amongst  us  like  haile  through  the 
walls  and  shouting  as  if  they  would  have  swallowed  us  up 
alive,  but  our  God  wrought  wonderfully  for  us  so  that 
there  was  but  one  man  wounded  within  the  house,  viz  —  the 
said  Henry  Young  who  looking  out  of  the  garret-window 
that  evening  was  mortally  wounded  by  a  shot,  of  which 
wound  he  died  within  two  days  after.  There  was  the  same 
day  another  man  slain,  but  not  in  the  house,  a  son  of  Ser- 
jeant Pritchard's,  adventuring  out  of  the  house  wherein  we 
were  to  his  Father's  house  not  far  from  it,  to  fetch  more 
goods  out  of  it,  was  caught  by  those  cruel  enemies  as  they 


2^S  Colonial 

were  coming  towards  us,  who  cut  off  his  head,  kicking  it 
about  Hke  a  football,  and  then  putting  it  upon  a  pole  they 
set  it  up  before  the  door  of  his  Father's  house  in  our  sight. 

"The  night  following  the  said  blow  they  did  roar  against 
us  like  so  many  wild  bulls,  sending  in  their  shot  amongst 
us  till  towards  the  moon  rising  which  was  about  three  of  the 
clock,  at  which  time  they  attempted  to  fire  our  house  by 
hay  and  other  combustible  matter  which  they  brought  to 
one  corner  of  the  house  and  set  it  on  fire.  Whereupon 
some  of  our  company  were  necessitated  to  expose  them- 
selves to  very  great  danger  to  put  it  out.  Simon  Davis,  one 
of  the  three  appointed  by  my  self  as  Captain  to  supply  my 
place  by  reason  of  my  wounds  as  aforesaid,  he  being  of  a 
lively  spirit  encouraged  the  soldiers  within  to  fire  upon  the 
Indians  ;  and  also  those  that  adventured  out  to  put  out  the 
fire  (which  began  to  rage  and  kindle  upon  the  house  side) 
with  these  and  the  like  words,  that  Go^i  is  with  us,  and  fights 
for  us  and  will  deliver  us  out  of  the  hands  of  these  heathen, 
which  expressions  of  his  the  Indians  hearing  they  shouted 
and  scoflfed,  saying,  now  see  how  your  God  delivers  you  or 
will  deliver  you,  sending  in  many  shots  whilst  our  men  were 
putting  out  the  fire.  But  the  Lord  of  Hosts  wrought  very 
graciously  for  us  in  preserving  our  bodies  both  within  and 
without  the  house  from  their  shots  and  our  house  from 
being  consumed  by  fire,  we  had  but  two  men  wounded  in 
that  attempt  of  theirs,  but  we  apprehended  that  we  killed 
divers  of  our  enemies. 

"I  being  desirous  to  hasten  intelligence  to  the  Honoured 
Council,  of  our  present  great  distress,  we  being  so  remote 
from  any  succour  (it  being  between  sixty  and  seventy  miles 
from  us  to  Boston,  where  the  Council  useth  to  sit),  and  fear- 
ing our  ammunition  would  not  last  long  to  withstand  them 
if  they  continued  to  assault  us,  I  spake  to  Ephraim  Curtis 
to  adventure  forth  again  on  that  service,  and  to  attempt  it 
on  foot,  as  the  way  wherein  there  was  most  hope  of  getting 
away  undiscovered ;  he  readily  assented  and  accordingly 
went  out  but  there  were  so  many  Indians  everywhere  there- 


Concord  359 

abouts,  that  he  could  not  pass  without  apparent  hazard  of 
life,  so  he  came  back  again  ;  but  towards  morning,  the  said 
Ephraim  adventured  forth  a  third  time  and  was  fain  to  creep 
on  his  hands  and  knees  for  some  space  of  ground,  that  he 
might  not  be  discerned  by  the  enemy,  who  waited  to  pre- 
vent our  sending,  if  they  could  have  hindered  it.  But 
through  God's  mercy,  he  escaped  their  hands  and  got  safely 
to  Marlborough,  though  very  much  spent  and  ready  to 
faint  by  want  of  sleep  before  he  went  from  us,  and  his  sore 
travel  night  and  day  in  that  hot  season  till  he  got  thither, 
from  whence  he  went  to  Boston;  yet  before  the  said  Eph- 
raim got  to  Marlborough,  there  was  intelliger.ee  brought 
thither  of  the  burning  of  some  houses  and  killing  some  cat- 
tel  at  Quaboag  by  some  who  were  going  to  Connecticut, 
but  they,  seeing  what  was  done  at  the  end  of  the  town,  and 
hearing  several  guns  shot  off  further  within  the  town,  they 
durst  proceed  no  further,  but  immediately  returned  to 
Marlborough,  though  they  knew  not  what  had  befallen  Capt. 
Hutchinson  and  myself  and  company,  nor  of  our  being 
there,  but  that  timely  intelligence  they  gave  before  Eph- 
raim Curtis  his  coming  to  Marlborough  occasioned  the  Hon- 
oured Major  Willard's  turning  his  march  towards  Quaboag 
for  their  relief,  who  were  in  no  small  danger  every  hour  of 
being  destroyed,  the  said  Major  being,  when  he  had  that 
intelligence,  upon  his  march  another  way  as  he  was  ordered 
by  the  Honoured  Council  as  is  afterwards  more  fully 
expressed. 

"The  next  day  being  August  3d,  they  continued  shoot- 
ing and  shouting  and  proceeded  in  their  former  wickedness 
blaspheming  the  name  of  the  Lord  and  reproaching  us  his 
afflicted  servants,  scoffing  at  our  prayers  as  they  were  send- 
ing in  their  shot  from  all  quarters  of  the  house,  and  many 
of  them  going  to  the  town's  meeting-house  (which  was 
within  twenty  rods  of  the  house  in  which  we  were),  who 
mocked,  saying,  come  and  pray  and  sing  psalms,  and  in 
contempt  made  an  hideous  noise  somewhat  resembling  sing- 
ing.     But  we  to  our  power  did  endeavour  our  own  defence. 


360  Colonial 

sending  our  shot  amongst  them,  the  Lord  giving  us  cour- 
age to  resist  them  and  preserving  us  from  the  destruction 
they  sought  to  bring  upon  us.  On  the  evening  following 
we  saw  our  enemies  carrying  several  of  their  dead  or 
wounded  men  on  their  backs,  who  proceeded  that  night  to 
send  in  their  shot  as  they  had  done  the  night  before,  and 
also  shouted  as  if  the  day  had  been  certainly  theirs,  and 
they  should  without  fail  have  prevailed  against  us  which 
they  might  have  the  more  hopes  of  in  regard  that  we  dis- 
cerned the  coming  of  new  companies  to  them  to  assist  and 
strengthen  them,  and  the  unliklihood  of  any  coming  to  our 
help. 

"They  also  used  several  stratagems  to  fire  us,  namely,  by 
wild  fire  in  cotton  and  linen  rags  with  brimstone  in  them, 
which  rags  they  tied  to  the  piles  of  their  arrows  sharp  for 
the  purpose  and  shot  them  to  the  roof  of  our  house  after 
they  had  set  them  on  fire,  which  would  have  much  endan- 
gered the  burning  thereof,  had  we  not  used  means  by  cutting 
holes  through  the  roof  and  otherwise  to  beat  the  said  arrows 
down,  and  God  being  pleased  to  prosper  our  endeavours 
therein.  They  carried  more  combustible  matter  as  flax  and 
hay  to  the  sides  of  the  house  and  set  it  on  fire  and  then 
flocked  apace  towards  the  door  of  the  house  either  to  pre- 
vent our  going  forth  to  quench  the  fire  as  we  had  done 
before  or  to  kill  our  men  on  their  attempt  to  go  forth  or 
else  to  break  into  the  house  by  the  door,  whereupon  we 
were  forced  to  break  down  the  wall  of  the  house  against  the 
fire  to  put  it  out.  They  also  shot  a  ball  of  wild-fire  into 
the  garret  of  the  house  which  fell  amongst  a  great  heap  of 
flax  or  tow  therein,  which  one  of  our  soldiers,  through 
God's  good  Providence  soon  espyed,  and  having  water 
ready  presently  quenched  it,  and  so  we  were  preserved  by 
the  keeper  of  Israel  both  our  bodies  from  their  shot  which 
they  sent  thick  against  us  and  the  house  from  being  con- 
sumed to  ashes,  although  we  were  but  weak  to  defend  our- 
selves, we  being  not  above  twenty  and  six  men  with  those 
of  that  small  town  who  were  able  for  any  service,  and  our 


Concord  361 

enemies  as  I  judged  them  about  (if  not  above)  three 
hundred.  I  speak  of  the  least,  for  many  there  present  did 
guess  them  to  be  four  or  five  hundred.  It  is  the  more  to 
be  observed  that  so  little  hurt  should  be  done  by  the  ene- 
mies shot  it  commonly  piercing  the  walls  of  the  house  and 
flying  amongst  the  people,  and  there  being  in  the  house 
fifty  women  and  children  besides  the  men  before  mentioned. 
But  abroad  in  the  yard  one  Thomas  Wilson,  of  that  town, 
being  sent  to  fetch  water  for  our  help  in  further  need  (that 
which  we  had  being  spent  in  putting  out  the  fire)  was  shot 
by  the  enemy  in  the  upper  jaw  and  in  the  neck,  the  anguish 
of  which  wound  was  at  the  first  that  he  cried  out  with  a 
great  noise  by  reason  whereof  the  Indians  hearing  him 
rejoyced  and  triumphed  at  it,  but  his  wound  was  healed  in 
a  short  time  praised  be  God. 

"On  Wednesday,  August  4th,  the  Indians  fortifyed  them- 
selves and  the  barns  belonging  to  our  house,  which  they 
fortified,  both  at  the  great  doors  and  at  both  ends,  with 
posts,  boards,  rails  and  hay,  to  save  themselves  from  our 
shot.  They  also  devised  other  stratagems  to  fire  our  house 
on  the  night  following,  namely,  they  took  a  cart  and  filled 
it  with  flax,  hay  and  candlewood  and  other  combustible 
matter,  and  set  up  planks  fastened  to  the  cart  to  save  them- 
selves from  the  danger  of  our  shot.  Another  invention 
they  had  to  make  the  more  sure  work  in  burning  the  house : 
they  got  many  poles  of  a  considerable  length  and  bigness, 
and  spliced  them  together  at  the  ends  one  of  another,  and 
made  a  carriage  of  them  about  fourteen  rods  long,  setting 
the  poles  in  two  rows  with  peils  laid  cross  them  over  at  the 
front  end,  and  dividing  said  poles  about  three  feet  asunder, 
and  in  the  said  front  end  of  this,  their  carriage,  they  set  a 
barrel,  having  made  a  hole  through  both  heads,  and  put 
an  axle-tree  through  them,  to  which  they  fastened  the 
said  poles,  and  under  evey  joynt  of  the  poles  where  they 
were  spliced,  they  set  up  a  pair  of  truckle  wheels  to  bear  up 
the  carriages,  and  they  loaded  the  front  or  fore  end  thereof 
with  matter  fit  for  firing,  as  hay  and  flax  and  chips,  d:c. 


362  Colonial 

"Two  of  these  instruements  they  prepared  that  they 
might  convey  fire  to  the  house  with  the  more  safety  to 
themselves,  they  standing  at  a  distance  from  our  shot  whilst 
they  wheeled  them  to  the  house.  Great  store  of  arrows 
they  had  also  prepared  to  shoot  fire  upon  the  house  that 
night,  which  we  found  after  they  were  gone,  they  having 
left  them  there.  But  the  Lord,  who  is  a  present  help  in 
times  of  trouble,  and  is  pleased  to  make  his  people's  extrem- 
ity his  opportunity,  did  graciously  prevent  them  of  effect- 
ing what  they  hoped  they  would  have  done  by  the  aforesaid 
devices,  partly  by  sending  a  shower  of  rain  in  season, 
whereby  the  matter  prepared,  being  wett,  would  not  so  eas- 
ily take  fire  as  it  otherwise  would  have  done,  and  partly  by 
aide  coming  to  our  help.  For  our  danger  would  have  been 
very  great  that  night  had  not  the  only  wise  God  (blessed 
for  ever!)  been  pleased  to  send  to  us  about  an  hour  within 
night  the  worshipful  Major  Willard,  with  Captain  Parker, 
of  Groaton,  and  forty-six  men  more,  with  five  Indians,  to 
relieve  us  in  the  low  estate  into  which  we  were  brought. 

"We  continued  there  both  well  and  wounded  towards  a 
fortnight,  and  August  the  thirteenth  Capt.  Hutchinson  and 
my  self,  with  the  most  of  those  that  had  escaped  without 
hurt,  and  also  some  of  the  wounded  came  from  thence, 
my  son  Thomas  and  some  other  wounded  men  came  not 
from  thence,  being  not  then  able  to  endure  travel  so  farr  as 
we  were  from  the  next  town  till  about  a  fortnight  after. 
We  came  to  Marlborough  on  August  the  fourteenth, 
where  Capt.  Hutchinson,  being  not  recovered  of  his  wound 
before  his  coming  from  Brookfield,  and  overtyred  with  his 
long  journey  by  reason  of  his  weakness,  quickly  after  grew 
worse  and  more  dangerously  ill,  and  on  the  nineteenth  day 
of  the  said  month  dyed,  and  was  there  the  day  after  buried, 
the  Lord  being  pleased  to  deny  him  a  return  to  his  own 
habitation  and  his  near  relation  at  Boston,  though  he 
was  come  the  greatest  part  of  his  journey  thitherward. 
The  inhabitants  of  the  town  also  not  long  after  men,  women 
and  children  removed  safely  with  what  they  had  left  to  sev- 


Concord  2>^2 

eral  places,  either  where  they  had  lived  before  their  plant- 
ing or  settling  down  there,  or  where  they  had  relations  to 
receive  and  entertain  them. 

"I  tarried  at  Marlborough  with  Capt.  Hutchinson  until 
his  death,  and  came  home  to  Concord  August  the  21 
(though  not  thoroughly  recovered  of  my  wound),  and  so 
did  others  who  went  with  me.  But  since  I  am  reasonably 
well,  though  I  have  not  the  use  of  my  hand  and  arm  as 
before.  My  son  Thomas,  though  in  great  hazard  of  life 
for  some  time  after  his  return  to  Concord,  yet  is  now  very 
well  cured  and  his  strength  well  restored.  Oh,  that  we 
could  praise  the  Lord  for  his  great  goodness  towards  us. 
Praised  be  his  name,  that  though  he  took  away  some  of  us, 
yet  was  pleased  to  spare  so  many  of  us  and  adde  to  our 
days  ;  he  help  us  whose  souls  he  hath  delivered  from  death, 
and  eyes  from  tears,  and  feet  from  falling  to  walk  before 
him  in  the  land  of  the  living  till  our  great  change  come,  and 
to  sanctifie  his  name  in  all  his  ways  about  us,  that  both  our 
afflictions  and  our  mercies  may  quicken  us  to  live  more  to 
his  glory  all  our  dayes." 


CHAPTER    XXXVII 

Devout  Nature  of  the  '■'■Narrative"  by  Captain 
Thomas  Wheeler  —  Religious  Character  of  the 
Colonial  Soldiers  —  Instances  of  Alleged  Divine 
Interpretation  —  Original  "Title  of  the  Wheeler 
Document  —  Pacific  Object  of  the  Hutchinson  Expe- 
dition —  Preparatory  Work  by  the  Sudbury  Scout 
—  Salutary  Effect  of  the  Disaster  —  Biographical 
Sketches  of  Captain  Thomas  Wheeler,  Simon  Davis, 
and  Ephraim  Curtis  —  Names  of  Soldiers  Credited 
for  Services  about  Brookfield 

In  this  wonderful  narrative  which  has  been  repeatedly 
referred  to  as  the  epic  of  Colonial  times,  Capt.  Wheeler  has 
not  only  given  to  posterity  a  noble  example  of  heroic  con- 
duct and  unflinching  fidehty  to  duty  when  the  well  being  of 
his  fellow  men  was  at  issue,  but  he  has  also  exhibited  a 
wonderful  reliance  upon  a  protecting  Providence  to  render 
help  in  time  of  need,  and  the  passages  in  this  paper  which 
set  forth  his  trust  are  no  less  remarkable  than  those  that 
indicate  a  courage  and  composure  that  was  undaunted  by  any 
circumstance  of  battle.  And  what  he  says  of  himself  will 
apply  equally  to  Simon  Davis,  and  presumably  to  those 
who  were  with  them. 

Everything  in  this  document  savors  of  sincerity  which 
was  begotten  of  an  experience  that  was  most  serious  ;  and 
written  as  it  was  after  the  noise  and  smoke  of  battle  had 
subsided,  It  shows  that  its  pious  author  was  not  torgetful  of 
the  Power  that  preserved  him  and  his  command  in  their 
dire  straits,  but  who  the  rather  made  haste  to  render  Him 
a  reverential  recognition  when  a  place  of  safety  had  been 
reached. 
364 


Concord  "^^dK^ 

In  short  the  history  of  this  event  as  written  out  by 
one  of  its  principal  actors  shows  that  Capts.  Wheeler  and 
Davis  and  their  men  believed  in  a  prayer  answering  Provi- 
dence and  that  it  is  the  province  of  Christianity  to  sustain 
the  human  soul  in  the  dark  hour  of  earthly  abandonment. 
With  much  propriety  the  Hon.  John  S.  Keyes  in  referring 
to  Capt.  Wheeler's  wonderful  paper  has  stated  in  his  sketch 
of  Concord  History  concerning  the  matter  as  follows, 

"The  combination  of  bravery  and  piety,  of  trust  in  the 
Lord  and  keeping  their  powder  dry,  that  characterizes  this 
expedition  is  a  marked  example  of  the  spirit  of  the  times. 
The  men  who  could  do  and  suffer  and  believe  as  this  troop 
did,  were  true  founders  of 

'A  Church  without  a  Bishop, 
A  State  without  a  King.'  " 

In  the  character  of  Capt.  Thomas  Wheeler  as  we  conceive 
of  it  by  the  facts  he  has  giv^en,  there  is  set  forth  that  com- 
bination of  soldierly  qualities  and  religious  fervor  which  we 
believe  characterized  many  of  the  Colonial  military  com- 
manders. 

Capts.  Wadsworth  and  Brocklcbank  who  fell  at  the  Sud- 
bury fight  a  few  months  later  were  men  who  took  an  interest 
in  matters  both  polictical  and  religious ;  the  latter  being 
a  deacon  of  the  church. 

Capt.  Samuel  Dakin  a  descendant  of  Thomas  of  Concord, 
who  commanded  a  company  in  one  of  the  Canadian  cam- 
paigns and  was  slain  at  Half  Way  Brook  near  Fort  Ewdard, 
writes  just  before  his  departure  from  home  in  a  paper  which 
is  still  extant  dated  Septembr  29,  1756.  '^And  now  going 
on  an  Expedition  against  the  enemy  at  Crown  point,  I 
have  given  myself  up  wholly  to  God,  to  be  at  his  disposal 
in  life  or  death,  and  O  that  God  would  accept  of  me  again 
for  Jesus  Christ's  sake." 

In  a  letter  to  his  wife  he  says,  "I  have  never  yet  heard 
one  thwarting  word  in  my  company,  but  they  seem  all  to 
have  a  brotherly  love  one  for  another,  and  have  never  heard 


2^6  Colonial 

one  profane  word  among  them,  and  their  forwardness  in 
attending  services  is  delightful  to  me,  so  that  I  have  many 
mercies." 

In  a  letter  of  June  lo,  1758,  he  states  concerning  the  men 
of  his  command  "they  are  very  ready  to  attend  prayers  and 
the  singing  of  Psalms  which  we  have  practised  on  our 
journey." 

Such  was  the  religious  faith  of  the  soldiers  who  fought 
in  the  Colonial  and  Intercolonial  wars,  and  so  great  was 
their  confidence  in  the  God  of  battles  to  befriend  them. 
And  who  shall  say  that  their  confidence  was  misplaced  or 
their  faith  misapplied?  Who  can  deny  that  Ephraim  Cur- 
tis was  divinely  directed  as  he  crawled  over  the  greensward 
in  his  third  attempt  to  evade  the  watchful  savages,  and  go 
for  rehef ;  or  who  will  dare  to  assert  that  the  timely  arrival 
of  Major  Willard  and  his  companions  at  Marlboro  just  in 
time  for  the  rescue  of  his  former  Concord  neighbors  at 
the  Brookfield  garrison  was  not  ordered  of  Heaven? 
And  who  furthermore  can  say  that  the  sudden  shower  that 
quenched  the  burning  combustibles  which  were  rolled  up 
against  the  house  was  not  sent  in  answer  to  their  sup- 
plications ?  These  instances  are  only  in  exact  accord  with 
many  others,  notable  among  which  is  the  unexpected  aid 
from  Goff,  the  regicide  judge  at  Hadley,  when  the  town's 
immediate  destruction  was  threatened  by  the  Indians  and 
the  efforts  of  the  inhabitants  had  been  exhausted;  and  of 
the  upsetting  of  the  cart  loaded  with  burning  material  at 
Sudbury  which,  tradition  says,  the  savages  were  rolling  down 
the  hill  back  of  the  Haynes  garrison  house  in  order  to 
destroy  it. 

Surely,  if  it  is  foolishly  venturesome  to  deny  these  facts 
or  to  disclaim  a  belief  in  the  deductions  which  the  fathers 
drew  from  them,  then  it  is  wisdom  for  their  descendants  to 
profit  by  them  and  to  make  Him  who  has  been 

"Our  help  in  ages  past. 
Our  hope  in  years  to  come." 


Concord  367 

After  the  return  of  Capt.  Thomas  Wheeler  and  the  Con- 
cord survivors  of  his  companny,  the  town  observed  October 
21,  1675  ^^  ""^  ^^y  °^  praise  and  thanksgiving  to  God  for 
their  remarkable  deliverance  and  their  safe  return",  and  a 
sermon  was  preached  by  Rev.  Edward  Bulkeley.  The  wel- 
come to  the  survivors  of  the  Brookfield  battle  and  siege  was 
doubtless  a  most  ardent  one.  For  weeks  the  town  had  been 
kept  in  a  state  of  sorrow  and  suspense  not  knowing  what 
the  fate  of  their  fellow  townsmen  might  be  ;  for  in  those 
early  times  surgical  skill  was  in  a  comparatively  undevel- 
oped state,  and  the  lacerations  made  by  the  large  musket 
balls  then  in  use  would  be  difficult  to  heal. 

The  sermon  of  Mr.  Bulkeley  and  the  narrative  of  Capt. 
Wheeler  were  published  not  long  after  they  were  written. 

The  complete  title  of  the  original  Wheeler  document  is 
the  following. 

"A  True  Narrative  Of  the  Lord's  Providence  in  various 
dispensations  towards  Edward  Hutchinson  of  Boston  and 
my  self,  and  those  that  went  into  the  Nipmuck  Country, 
and  also  to  Quaboag,  alias  Brookfield.  The  said  Captain 
Hutchinson  having  a  Commission,  from  the  Honoured 
Council  of  the  Colony  to  Treat  with  several  Sachems  in 
those  parts,  in  order  to  the  pulick  peace  and  my  self  being 
also  ordered  by  the  said  Council  to  accompany  him  with 
part  of  my  Troop  for  Security  from  any  danger  that  might 
be  from  the  Indians  :  and  to  Assist  them  in  the  Transaction 
of  matters  committed  to  him." 

Probabably  the  "Narrative"  was  written  soon  after  the 
author's  return  to  Concord,  and  not  unlikely  while  waiting 
for  a  recovery  from  his  wounds  and  other  hardships. 

This  paper  written  by  one  so  trustworthy  when  the  facts 
described  were  fresh  in  memory,  and  with  an  impression  of 
the  stirring  events  set  forth  in  it  still  vivid,  renders  the  doc- 
ument a  most  valuable  one.  It  has  been  much  quoted  and 
was  referred  to  by  contemporary  writers.  The  historian 
Hubbard  used  it  freely,  and  Major  Daniel  Gookin  in  his 
"History  of  the  Praying  Indians"  also  referred  to  it. 


36B  Colonial 

The  mission  which  Capt.  Wheeler  was  sent  on  was  of 
great  importance  and  much  depended  upon  its  successful 
accomplishment.  It  was  preeminently  a  peaceable  one. 
Before  he  started  out,  the  council  had  twice  sent  Ephraim 
Curtis,  the  Sudbury  scout  into  the  Nipmuck  Country  to 
see  if  he  could  placate  the  Sachems  by  assuring  them  of 
the  pacific  attitude  of  the  Colonists  towards  them.  This 
measure  was  considered  necessary  on  account  of  the 
warning  received  through  Waban,  the  ruler  of  the 
Christian  Indians  at  Naticlc,  Curtis  did  his  full  duty. 
Taking  with  him  several  friendly  Indians  he  proceeded 
on  his  way  to  Brookfield,  and  from  thence  westward  accord- 
ing to  his  account  to  the  Colonial  Council,  till  he  discovered 
an  Indian  trail  which  he  followed  many  miles  to  "the  low 
river  by  Springfield  old  road,"  where  he  discovered  some 
of  the  Nipmuck  Sachems.  Several  villages  were  visited  and 
satisfactory  assurances  were  received  from  the  inhabitants 
of  fidelity  to  the  English.  As  a  result  of  a  visit  to  the  Qua- 
boag  tribe  whose  sachem  was  Mattaump,  a  document  was 
delivered  of  which  the  following  is  a  copy,  the  original  being 
among  the  State  Archives. 

"The  Ruler  of  Quabage  being  examined  by  us  where  his 
his  men  were  :  he  said  they  were  at  home.  Then  we  asked 
him  whether  there  were  none  of  them  gone  to  help  King 
Philip  to  fight  against  the  English  of  Plymouth :  he  said 
No  ;  and  neither  would  he  help  him :  for  he  has  been  false 
to  him  already,  and,  therefore  I  will  not  help  him :  but  I 
will  still  continue  our  subjection  unto  the  EngHsh  of  the 
Massachusetts  Colony :  neither  will  I  suffer  any  of  my  men 
to  go  and  help  him ;  and  in  Confirmation  of  the  same  I  do 
set  my  hand,  25:  4:   75; 

Conkcascogan,  alias  Conkganasca." 

But  notwithstanding  their  fair  promises,  the  Nipmuck  and 
Quaboag  Indians  shortly  after  the  visit  of  Curtis,  showed  a 
disposition  to  join  Philip,  for  the  cunning  chieftain 
of  Pokanoket,  whom  the  English  believed  would 
remain  peaceable  at  Pocasset,  whither  he  had  fled  upon  their 


Concord  369 

pursuit  of  him  after  the  disastrous  work  at  Swanzey  on  July 
4,  had  been  among  the  tribes,  and  probably  by  his  per- 
suasive eloquence  and  promise  of  prospective  spoils  had 
stirred  them  to  the  verge  of  strife.  By  the  middle  of  July 
and  in  less  than  a  month  after  Curtis  left  them  at  their  ancient 
town  of  Neminimisset,  a  place  in  the  northwesterly  part  of 
the  present  New  Braintree,  several  of  their  sachems  had 
again  assembled  and  this  time  with  a  warlike  purpose 
neglectful  of  their  declaration  to  Ephraim  Curtis.  But  the 
Colonial  Council  in  spite  of  indications  to  the  contrary,  not 
despairing  of  peaceful  relations  with  these  tribes  of  the  inte- 
rior or  at  least  of  securing  from  them  neutrality,  again  sent 
for  the  Sudbury  scout. 

On  July  16  an  order  was  issued  to  the  constables  of 
Sudbury  directing  them  "to  impress  two  or  three  valuable 
horses  as  Ephraim  Curtis  shall  require."  These  were  to  be 
delivered  to  Curtis  who  was  to  take  with  him  two  or  three 
"able  and  confiding  Indians  which  Capt.  Gookin  would 
provide  to  go  with  him  on  the  country's  service." 

To  this  second  summons  to  go  to  the  Nipmuck  country 
as  a  friendly  messenger  of  the  English,  Curtis  promptly 
responded.  Taking  with  him  two  or  three  Christian  Indians 
of  Natick  he  started.  Upon  arriving  at  Marlboro  he 
learned  that  a  house  built  by  him  at  Quinsigamond  now 
Worcester,  where  he  had  done  some  frontier  work  had  been 
pillaged  by  the  savages,  and  that  Matoonas  the  Nipmuck 
chieftain  whose  tribe  he  had  so  recently  visited  in  the  inter- 
ests of  peace,  with  a  considerable  company  of  his  own  war- 
riors and  a  portion  of  King  Philip's  men  were  on  the  war- 
path to  the  southward  doing  much  mischief.  The  bold  scout 
was  nothing  daunted  by  this  disheartening  intelligence  but 
went  forward  and  met  the  Indians  near  Brookfield.  The 
savages  were  ugly;  their  demonstrations  showed  evil 
designs;  and  it  was  evident  that  Curtis  had  a  dangerous  task 
before  him. 

After  considerable  parley  and  adroit  manoeuvering,  dur- 
ing which  both  Curtis  and  his  allies  were  subjected  to  great 


370 


Colonial 


danger,  a  description  of  which  Curtis  set  forth  in  his  report 
to  the  Council  which  report  is  among  the  State 
Archives  Vol.  67  p  2 1 5,  he  found  opportunity  to  dehver  his 
message.  But  it  was  of  little  avail.  The  second  mission 
of  Curtis  to  secure  the  friendliness  of  the  tribes  of  the  inte- 
rior was  utterly  fruitless  ;  for  notwithstanding  his  shrewd 
diplomacy  and  formal  assumption  while  in  the  presence  of 
the  savages  of  their  having  no  disposition  to  actually  harm 
him,  he  was  too  accustomed  to  their  wily  ways  not  to 
know  that  he  and  his  company  were  in  a  position  of 
extreme  peril,  and  that  all  the  friendly  overtures  of  the 
Colonial  Council  had  been  flippantly  and  defiantly  refused 
so  with  his  little  party  he  retreated  as  best  he  could  and 
making  his  way  back  to  Boston  promptly  rendered 
a  report  that  was  unmistakable  in  its  meaning.  The  Col- 
onial Council  saw  that  a  crisis  was  coming  and  that  it  was 
of  no  use  to  send  messages  by  an  embassy  which  was 
so  small  that  the  Indians  would  treat  it  with  contempt,  but 
that  an  expedition  should  be  sent  consisting  of  such  a  force 
and  leadership  as  would  command  respect.  The 
Hutchinson  expedition   was    accordingly  fitted   out. 

Capt.  Hutchinson  had  lived  in  the  Nipmuck  Country 
and  had  a  farm  there  upon  which  he  had  employed  sev- 
eral of  the  Nipmuck  sagamores.  He  was  popular  with  the 
natives,  and  had  been  sent  on  several  occasions  to  negotiate 
with  them  concerning  matters  of  importance.  He  was  the 
oldest  son  of  William  and  Ann  and  came  to  America  with 
his  uncle  in  1633,  his  parents  arriving  a  year  later.  Capt. 
Wheeler  was  equally  well  fitted  for  the  position  he  was  tj 
occupy  for  he  also  was  well  acquainted  with  the  Indians, 
having  had  an  opportunity  to  learn  their  wiles  and  weak- 
nesses while  trading  with  them  some  years  before  along 
the  Merrimac  river. 

The  exact  place  of  the  Brookfield  ambuscade  has  been 
the  subject  of  much  conjecture  and  controversy.  Some 
years  ago  an  ancient  map  was  discovered  by  Dr.  Green  of 


Concord  371 

the  Mass.  Historical  Society  entitled  "A  new  plan  of  sev- 
eral towns  in  the  County  of  Worcester."  It  bears  the  date 
March  30,  1785,  and  was  the  work  of  Gen.  Rufus  Putnam, 
at  that  time  of  Rutland,  but  formerly  of  New  Braintree. 
Upon  this  map  is  located  in  the  northwesterly  part  of  New 
Braintree  the  Indian  town  Meminimisset  or  Wenimisset 
and  in  the  swamp  to  the  east  is  found  the  inscription 
"Hutchinson  &  Troop  Ambushed  between  Swamp  &  Hill." 

Dr.  L.  R.  Paige  of  Cambridge  in  the  "New  England  and 
Genealogical  Register"  dated  October,  1884,  before  the 
discovery  of  this  map,  brought  forward  strong  and  convinc- 
ing arguments  to  prove  that  the  scene  of  the  battle  was  near 
this  spot.  Rev.  J.  H.  Temple  author  of  the  "History  of 
Brookfield"  adduces  arguments  also  strong  and  convincing 
that  the  scene  of  the  battle  was  the  ravine  near  the  New 
Braintree  and  Brookfield  line  some  two  and  a  half  miles 
from  Wickabaug  pond.  Both  gentlemen  are  considered 
authorities  in  matters  of  historical  research  ;  and  both  probally 
argued  from  the  same  general  facts. 

Rev.  G.  M.  Bodge  author  of  "Soldiers  in  King  Philip's 
War"  states  that  after  reading  the  arguments  on  both  sides 
he  is  unable  to  state  which  spot  is  the  correct  one. 

One  thing,  however,  is  certain,  that  in  1785,  the  date  of 
the  map  referred  to,  the  former  place  was  known  as  the 
scene  of  the  conflict. 

It  is  not  supposed  that  Philip  was  personally  present  in 
the  attack  on  Brookfield,  as  he  left  the  swamp  at  Pocasset 
to  which  he  had  been  driven  by  the  English  July  31,  and 
arrived  at  "Quaboag,  Old  Fort"  on  Thursday  Aug.  5. 
The  work  is  supposed  to  have  been  done  entirely  by  the 
Nipmucks,  the  chief  among  whom  were  the  Quaboags, 
Wabbaquasets  and  Nashaways. 

It  is  said  that  when  the  victorious  Nipmucks  told  Philip 
of  their  work  at  Brookfield  he  gave  three  of  their  Sagamores 
viz :  Apequinask,  Quannasit  and  Mattaump,  about  a  peck 
of  unstrung  wampum  apiece. 

Capt.  Wheeler  and  his  command  left  Brookfield  Aug.  10 


372  Colonial 

and  arrived  at  Marlboro  Aug.  14  Capt.  Hutchinson  went 
with  the  return  party  but  died  the  day  after  the  arrival  and 
was  buried  at  Marlboro. 

A  few  weeks  after  the  return  of  Capt.  Thomas  Wheeler 
we  hear  of  him  again  as  doing  military  duty;  and  the  indi- 
cations are  that  this  time  it  was  in  the  scouting  service  which 
was  kept  up  between  towns  in  companies  or  squads.  Before 
closing  our  narrative  of  events  about  Brookfield  it  is  due 
that  at  least  a  short  sketch  should  be  given  of  some  of  the 
leading  characters.  Capt.  Thomas  Wheeler  it  is  supposed 
was  of  the  family  of  Wheelers  who  were  at  Concord  as  early 
as  1640 — I  and  which  Shattuck  says  according  to  tradition, 
came  from  Wales.  That  the  tradition  is  incorrect  is  strongly 
probable  since  the  name  of  Wheeler  was  a  common  one 
among  English  families  who  early  emigrated  to  America. 
It  is  believed  that  the  families  of  Wheeler  who  went  to  Con- 
cord dwelt,  before  coming  to  this  country,  at  a  place  a  few 
miles  from  Odell,  Bedfordshire,  England,  at  which  latter 
place  Rev.  Peter  Bulkeley  formerly  lived  In  this  locality, 
it  is  stated,  that  in  the  17th  century  more  people  bore  the 
name  of  Wheeler  than  any  other  This  fact  renders  it 
quite  presumable  that  the  Concord  families  of  Wheeler 
emigrated  from  that  vicinity. 

Another  significant  circumstance  is  that  a  few  miles  from 
the  old  home  of  Peter  Bulkeley  was  a  small  parish  known 
as  Cranfield  and  in  that  parish  was  formerly  a  locality  or 
precinct  that  went  by  the  name  of  Virginia.  As  both 
these  terms  are  familiar  in  Concord  history  designating  places 
the  earliest  in  which  some  of  the  Wheelers  have  lived,  it 
may  not  be  too  much  to  suppose  that  the  terms  were  brought 
to  this  country  by  the  Wheelers  or  Bulkeleys.  The  Vir- 
ginia road  according  to  Mr.  Albert  E.  Wood  was  the  earliest 
or  one  of  the  earliest  in  the  plantation. 

Capt.  Thomas  Wheeler  it  is  supposed,  was  a  brother  of 
Capt.  Timothy  and  Lieut.  Joseph  Wheeler  of  Concord. 
He  married  Ruth,  a  daughter  of  William  Wood  and  died 
Dec.  10,  1676.     He  had  five  sons. 


Concord  3  73 

Thomas  Wheeler  Jr.  who  was  with  his  father  in  the 
Brookfield  fight  died  unmarried  Feb.  16,  1676 — 7.  ^n  the 
record  of  his  death  he  is  refered  to  as  "Thomas  y*  son  of 
Widow  Ruth  Wheeler"  That  his  estate  was  administered 
upon  is  evidence  that  he  was  past  nonage  and  not  a  mere 
lad  of  thirteen  as  has  been  asserted.  Nothing  of  a  doc- 
umentary nature  that  we  know  of  indicates  that  the  Capt. 
Thomas  Wheeler  the  old  Indian  fighter  was  a  citizen  of 
Concord  previous  to  1662.  In  1669  the  town  leased  to 
him  a  tract  of  land  that  has  been  referred  to  in  a  previous 
chapter.  Before  his  residence  in  Concord  he  was  engaged 
in  trading  with  the  Indians  along  the  Merrimac  river. 
Timothy  Wheeler  mentions  in  his  will  which  was  pro- 
bated Sept.  7,  1687,  "Joseph,  Ephraim  and  DeHverance, 
my  brother  Thomas  his  sons." 

Children  of  Capt.  Thomas  and  his  wife  Ruth  were  Alice, 
died  March  17,  1641  ;  Nathaniel,  Jan.  9,  1676 — 7; 
Thomas  died  Jan.  1 7  1 676 — 7  ;  Ephraim  died  Feb.  9,  1689. 

Joseph  and  Deliverance,  mentioned  in  Timothy's  will, 
were,  it  is  supposed,  the  sole  survivors  of  their  parents. 
Joseph  in  1677,  administered  upon  the  estate  of  his  brothers 
Thomas  and  Nathaniel.  The  estate  of  Thomas  consisted 
of  "a  horse,  pistols,  cutlash,  and  gun ;  "  and  was  prized  at 
/6— I2S. 

Capt.  Thomas  Wheeler  was  admitted  a  freeman  in  1642. 
He  became  Sergeant  of  a  foot  company  of  Concord  in  1662  ; 
and  was  appointed  Captain  of  a  horse  company  at  its  organ- 
ization in  1669.  The  horse  company  was  made  up  of 
troopers  from  several    towns. 

Jan.  12,  1669,  a  lease  of  land  for  twenty  one  years  con- 
taining two  hundred  acres  of  upland  and  sixty  acres  of 
meadow  lying  west  of  Nashoba  brook  was  made  to  Capt. 
Thomas  Wheeler.  The  terms  were  that  he  should  pay  a 
yearly  rent  of  five  pounds  after  the  expiration  of  seven 
years  and  build  a  house  and  farm.  The  house  was  to  be 
forty  feet  long,  eighteen  feet  wide,  and  twelve  feet  stud, 
«*covrd  with  shingles,  with  a  payer  of  Chimnes."    The  barn 


3  74  Colonial 

was  to  be  forty  feet  long,  twenty  four  feet  wide,  and  twelve 
feet  stud.  At  the  expiration  of  the  lease  the  buildings  were 
to  be  left  for  the  use  of  the  town,  with  thirty  acres  of  fenced 
tillage  land. 

It  was  further  stipulated  in  the  lease  that  he  was  to 
receive  and  pasture  the  dry  cattle  of  the  town's  people,  the 
cattle  not  to  be  more  than  one  hundred  in  number,  nor  less 
than  eighty.  The  cattle  were  to  be  marked  by  their  own- 
ers, and  delivered  at  Capt.  Wheeler's  barn.  The  price  fixed 
was  two  shillings  a  head,  payable  one  third  in  wheat,  one 
third  in  rye  or  peas  and  one  third  in  Indian  corn.  The 
owners  were  to  "keep  the  said  herd  twelve  Sabboth  dayes 
yearely  at  the  appointment  &  according  to  the  proportion 
by  the  said  Thomas  or  his  heires  allotted." 

Simon  Davis  was  a  son  of  Dolor  Davis  who  was  a  peti- 
tioner for  the  town  of  Groton  in  1656  and  had  lands  granted 
him  in  Concord  in  1659.  He  was  a  carpenter  and  died  at 
Dunstable  1673.  -^^  married  Margery,  a  sister  of  Major 
Simon  Willard  ;  and  their  children  were  Ruth,  who  married 
Steven  Hall  and  Simon  and  Samuel,  both  of  which  sons 
were  settled  in  Concord.  Simon  Davis  married  Mary,  a 
daughter  of  James  Blood  in  1660;  and  died  June  14,  17 13 
aged  77.  Simon  Davis  and  Mary  had  a  numerous  family ; 
and  their  descendants  are  widely  scattered,  some  of  whom 
have  been  distinguished. 

To  close  our  account  of  the  Brookfield  affair  without 
some  further  notice  of  Ephraim  Curtis  would  leave  it  incom- 
plete although  he  was  not  a  Concord  citizen.  Ephraim  Cur- 
tis was  the  son  of  Henry  Curtis  an  original  grantee  of  the 
town  of  Sudbury  which  was  settled  in  1638.  He  was 
doubtless  well  acquainted  with  his  fellow  soldiers  of  Con- 
cord, his  father's  house  having  been  situated,  it  is  supposed 
near  the  border  of  the  two  towns.  Although  only  about 
thirty  years  old  at  the  breaking  out  of  the  war,  yet  his 
knowledge  of  woodcraft  and  Indian  ways  were  exceptional. 
It  is  said  that  he  understood  their  language.  The  fact 
that     the    Colonial    Council     twice    sought    his    services 


Concord  375 

to  bear  a  message  to  the  Nipmucks,  unaccompanied  but  by 
two  or  three  friendly  Indians  showed  remarkable  confidence 
in  him. 

Before  his  appearance  as  an  emissary  for  the  govern- 
ment to  negotiate  with  the  Indians,  he  penetrated  the  west- 
ern wilderness  as  a  pioneer  and  built  a  house  at  a  place  near 
Quinsigamond  pond  now  in  Worcester. 

Mr.  Falls  in  his  "Reminiscences  of  Worcester"  says 
"For  a  time  he  claimed  the  whole  town  of  Worcester  but 
had  to  be  content  with  two  hundred  acres  near  the  upper 
part  of  Plantation  Street  and  another  plantation  near  Graf- 
ton Gore." 

Although  noted  for  his  venturesome  nature  we  infer  he 
had  a  heart  gentle  as  a  child,  for  it  is  said  that  in  his  later 
life  he  was  accustomed  to  tell  how  after  working  all  day,  he 
would  sit  down  and  look  towards  Sudbury  and  shed  tears 
in  spite  of  himself. 

It  would  be  vain  to  attempt  adequately  to  set  forth  the 
boldness  of  Curtis  in  his  thrice  repeated  endeavor  to  pass 
the  enemies'  lines  before  Brookfield.  It  may  be  doubtful 
if  in  the  chronicles  of  the  early  wars  of  America  acts  more 
heroic  have  been  recorded.  It  was  a  desperate  strait  that 
led  Capt.  Wheeler  to  send  him  forth  ;  and  it  was  a  forlorn 
hope  of  a  fearful  character  that  Curtis  entered  upon  and  no 
one  better  than  he  knew  its  possible  consequences. 

The  garrison  door  opened  and  he  went  out,  it  closed, 
and  he  was  left  alone  with  his  enemies.  His  main  protec- 
tion, apart  from  Providence,  was  the  damp,  dust  laden 
atmosphere  made  heavy  by  the  smoke  of  gunpowder,  the 
friendly  darkness,  and  the  drowsy  condition  of  the  savages 
wearied  by  the  work  of  the  day  previous.  A  slight  incau- 
tious movement  might  betray  him,  the  breaking  of  a  stick, 
the  rustle  of  the  woodgrass  or  the  unlucky  displacement  of 
a  small  stone.  But  none  of  these  things  deterred  him. 
Dropping  on  his  hands  and  knees  and  creeping  silently  on 
the  greensward  he  eluded  the  viligance  of  the  watching  guard 
and  when  through  the  cordon  of  savages  and  fairly  within 


37^  Colonial 

the  outskirts  of  the  welcome  woodland  he  arose  and  ran, 
and  hours  later  "much  spent  and  ready  to  faint"  he  reached 
Marlboro  to  find  to  his  joy  that  Major  Willard  was  already 
on  his  way  to  Brookfield  to  rescue  his  beleaguered  com- 
rades. Ephraim  Curtis  died  at  Sudbury  at  the  age  of  92  ; 
and  was  probably  buried  in  the  town's  old  burying  ground. 


CHAPTER  XXXVIII. 

Removal  of  the  Christian  Indians  from  Nashoha  to 
Concord — Indian  Mission  Work  —  'The  Estab- 
lishment of  Christian  or  Praying  Indians  in  Villages 
or  Towns  —  The  Character  and  Conduct  of  the 
Christian  Indians  —  Their  Fidelity  and  Service  to 
the  English  —  Rules  for  their  Restraint  —  Humane 
Act  of  John  Hoar —  Circumstances  Explanatory  of 
Harsh  Treatment  of  the  Christian  Indians  by  the 
Colonial  Communities —  Historic  Sketch  of  Indian 
Mission  Work  at  Nashoba  by  Herbert  Joseph  Har- 
wood  of  Littleton  —  Disposition  of  the  Nashoha 
Territory. 


THE  next  event  of  importance  to  the  town  in  the 
course  of  the  war  was  the  removal  of  the  Praying 
Indians  from  their  plantation  at  Nashoba  now  a 
part  of   Littleton  and  placing  them  at    Concord 
under  the  care  of  John  Hoar  Esq, 

As  before  stated,  years  previous  to  the  breaking  out  of 
King  Philip's  war  a  portion  of  the  Indians  dwelling  in  this 
part  of  the  country  were  gathered  together  in  the  following 
towns  and  villages,  viz  :  Wamesit  (Lowell),  Nashoba,  (Lit- 
tleton), Okkokomimesit  (Marlboro),  Hassamnanesit  (Graf- 
ton), Makunkokoag  (Hopkinton),  Natick,  and  Punkapog 
(Canton). 

Besides  these  places  of  ingathering,  which  were  called  the 
"Old  Praying  Villages,'  there  were  several  others  among 
the  Nipmucks  called  the  "New  Praying  Towns  ;  "  and  the 
Indians  thus  congregated  and  those  affiliated  with  them 
were  known  as  "Christian"  or  "Praying  Indians" 

They  were  under  the  surveilance  of  Daniel  Gookin  as 
their  civic  sponsor  and  Rev.  John  Eliot  was  their  teacher 
in  spiritual  things.  377 


37^  Colonial 

While  thus  sequestered  they  attained  a  goodly  degree 
of  thrift,  laid  aside  their  Pagan  practices  and  lived  peace- 
ably with  their  white  neighbors. 

When  Philip's  war  broke  out  these  Indians  proved  them- 
selves not  only  friendly  to  the  English,  but  very  servicable 
as  scouts  and  guides. 

So  great  was  the  confidence  the  English  placed  in  them 
that  they  formed  them  into  military  companies,  and  it  was 
suggested  at  one  time  that  the  Friendly  Indian  stations  be 
used  as  frontier  forts,  forming  not  only  a  line  of  defense 
against  hostile  tribes  in  the  interior,  but  places  of  rendez- 
vous for  Colonial  soldiers  who  might  cooperate  with  them. 

In  several  instances,  by  the  personal  solictiude  of  the 
"Praying  Indians"  and  by  special  service  rendered  by 
them,  signal  advantages  accrued  to  the  settlers  and  severe 
catastrophes  were  averted.  Before  the  breaking  out  of  the 
war,  Waban  informed  the  English  of  the  hostile  intent  of 
King  Phihp,  and  told  them  that  as  soon  as  the  trees  were 
leaved  out  the  Indians  would  begin  their  attack. 

In  the  expedition  of  Hutchinson  and  Wheeler  the 
Christian  Indians  acted  as  guides  and  interpreters;  they 
also  warned  the  Colonial  soldiers  of  the  wiles  and  strategies 
of  the  enemy.  The  two  sons  of  Petuhanit,  Joseph  and 
Sampson,  strongly  advised  against  an  advance  when  the 
hostile  Nepmucks  were  urging  them  on  towards  the 
swamp  ;  and  had  their  advice  been  followed,  the  sad  sur- 
prise might  have  been  averted.  When  the  retreat  came 
they  carefully  avoided  an  ambush  by  keeping  the  broken 
expedition  in  the  open  field,  directing  them  along  a  course 
unknown  to  the  English  but  which  brought  them  in 
safety  to  the  garrison. 

When,  after  the  fight  at  Narraganset  it  became  import- 
ant to  know  the  movements  of  the  Indians  toward  the 
Connecticut  river.  Major  Gookin  sent  as  spies,  the  two 
Christian  Indians  Kattenanit  and  Quanapohit.  These 
went  among  the  Indians  at  Brookfield  and  after  ascertain- 
ing their  plan  reported  it  to  the  Council,  which  plan  was  to 


Concord  379 

assault  all  the  frontier  towns  begining  at  l^ancaster.  The 
Council  acting  on  their  report  sent  messengers  to  Concord, 
Lancaster  and  Marlboro.  Captain  Wadsworth  at  once 
with  forty  men  from  Marlboro,  marched  to  Lancaster  and 
the  town  was  saved  from  entire  destruction  ;  and  had  the 
advise  of  Quanapohit  been  heeded  it  is  believed  that  the 
Rowlinson  garrison  would  have  been  saved. 

It  is  asserted  by  Mr.  Bodge,  "  There  can  be  little  doubt 
that  if  in  the  pursuit  of  Philip  in  the  Nipmuck  country 
the  counsel  of  the  native  Indians  had  been  heeded  by 
Captain  Henchman,  Philip  and  most  of  his  company  would 
have  been  destroyed." 

But,  notwithstanding  these  evidences  of  fidelity  to  the 
English,  as  threatening  events  thickened  and  the  very 
existence  of  the  colony  was  menaced,  there  crept  over  the 
community  a  feeling  of  distrust  towards  these  Indians  and 
there  was  a  growing  suspicion  that  some  of  them  were  in 
sympathy  with  King  PhiHp  and  had  even  assisted  him. 
This  feeling  which  was  not  shared  in  so  much  by  the 
ministers  and  magistrates,  was  so  strong  among  the  laity 
that  at  length  an  order  was  issued  to  disband  the  Christian 
Indian  military  companies,  that  all  Christian  Indians  should 
repair  to  one  or  another  of  five  Indian  villages  designated, 
that  they  should  never  go  more  than  a  mile  from  their 
centers  unaccompanied  by  an  Englishman,  and  if  anyone 
was  discovered  breaking  these  rules  he  might  be  arrested 
or  shot. 

Notwithstanding,  however,  the  stringency  of  the  regula- 
tions the  masses  were  not  satisfied,  but  went  so  far  in  their 
impatience  to  be  rid  of  the  presence  of  any  Indian,  that  at 
length  the  Court,  wearied  perhaps  by  the  people's  com- 
plaints, ordered  the  removal  of  all  the  Indians  to  Deer 
Island  in  Boston  harbor. 

The  work  began  by  the  attempted  removal  of  the 
Wamesits  ;  the  direct  occasion  of  which  was  the  alleged 
setting  fire  to  a  haystack,  which  act  a  hostile  Indian  who 
was  afterwards  executed  at  Boston   confessed  to  have  done. 


380  Colonial 

The  Punkapogs  were  next  to  be  disturbed  ;  and  soon  after, 
a  clamor  was  raised  against  the  Naticks,  who  were  unjustly 
accused  of  burning  an  old  and  disused  building  in  Dedham. 

The  Naticks  were  conducted  from  their  homes  by 
Captain  Prentice  who  was  their  friend.  They  were  met  by 
the  Apostle  John  Eliot  and  Major  Gookin  and  other 
friends  at  the  "  Falls  of  the  Charles  river  "  and  carried  to 
Deer  Island  in  boats. 

The  Hassanamesit  Praying  station  was  attacked  by  the 
hostile  Indians  and  having  been  disarmed  by  the  English, 
about  two  hundred  of  them  were  captured. 

The  same  month  the  remnant  of  the  Nashoba  Indians, 
which  consisted  of  not  more  than  a  dozen  ablebodied  men 
and  their  families,  were  ordered  to  Concord,  and  General 
Gookin,  Rev.  John  Eliot  and  Major  Simon  Willard  were 
a  committee  of  the  Court  to  carry  out  the  order  and  see 
that  they  were  properly  cared  for. 

At  Concord  they  were  placed  in  charge  of  John  Hoar, 
their  unfailing  friend,  the  only  man  in  town  it  is  said  who 
was  willing  to  receive  them.  Standing  up  stoutly  against  a 
strong  public  sentiment,  for  the  tragic  affair  at  Brookfield 
and  other  Indian  atrocities  which  it  was  suspected  some  of 
the  Praying  Indians  had  sympathy  with  were  still  recent,  Mr. 
Hoar  acted  as  a  protector,  erecting  for  them  a  building 
where  they  could  be  secure  from  all  indignities  whether  from 
within  or  without  the  town,  and  providing  employment  by 
which  they  could  earn  a  livelihood. 

This  act  of  John  Hoar  stands  out  in  strong  contrast 
with  the  treatment  they  received  at  other  hands.  After  the 
Natick  Indians  were  driven  away,  the  English  entered  and 
plundered  their  deserted  homes  while  the  banished  inmates 
were  landed  upon  a  bleak  island  with  insufficient  clothing, 
and  compelled  to  subsist  almost  entirely  on  fish  and  clams. 

When  the  Marlborough  Indians  were  removed,  the 
soldiers  stripped  them  of  everything,  even  taking  from 
them  the  pewter  communion  cup  that  was  given  their 
minister    by     Mr.     Eliot.       These  and    other    startling 


Concord  381 

incidents  of  cruelty  all  unavenged  and  apparently  acquiesced 
in  by  the  community  in  general,  were  the  overt  expression 
of  a  feeling  of  hostility  to  some  of  the  Indian  converts  of 
the  saintly  Eliot. 

It  is  true  that  something  maybe  said  explanatory  of  such 
severe  conduct,  if  not  in  mild  paliation  of  it.  Society 
was  terribly  stirred  by  recent  and  startling  events.  Pub- 
lic calamities  were  accumulating.  Each  day  might  bring 
the  report  of  a  new  disaster.  Every  wood  path  of 
the  long  and  circuitous  frontier  was  unsafe  to  the  unarmed 
traveler.  The  dark  war  cloud  was  casting  its  shadow  from 
the  Connecticut  river  to  the  sea  board.  A  quota  of  citizen 
soldiers  from  every  town  where  they  could  be  spared,  were 
by  Colonial  impress  assisting  by  guarding  garrison  houses 
or  ranging  the  forests  ii:  scouting  squads  to  beat  up  the 
enemy  and  upon  their  discovery  to  fall  back  and  warn  the 
endangered  inhabitants.  Under  such  circumstances  it  is 
not  altogether  remarkable  that  it  became  unpopular  to 
befriend  the  Praying  Indians  ;  and  even  that  such  good 
and  true  men  as  Gookin  and  Eliot  who  had  the  best  means 
of  knowing  the  nature  of  the  Christian  Indians  and  the 
actual  facts  concerning  their  conduct  became  the  targets  of 
public  scorn  because  of  their  advocacy  of  the  cause  of  these 
helpless  creatures. 

The  spot  where  the  workhouse  provided  by  Mr.  Hoar 
probably  stood  was  not  far  from  the  town's  central 
garrison  house. 

Gookin  says  of  its  situation  that  it  was  "  about  the  midst 
of  the  town  and  very  nigh  the  town's  watchhouse." 

As  showing  the  interest  of  Mr.  Hoar  by  this  friendly 
act,  we  quote  the  following  from  Gookin's  "  History  of  the 
Praying  Indians." 

"  About  this  time  there  befell  another  great  trouble  and 
exercise  to  the  Christian  Indians  of  Nashobah,  who 
sojourned  in  Concord  by  order.  The  matter  was  this  ;  the 
Council  had,  by  several  orders,  empowered  a  committee, 
who,  with  the  consent  of  the  selectmen  of  Concord,  settled 


382  Colonial 

those  Indians  at  that  town,  under  the  government  and 
tuition  of  Mr.  John  Hoare  ;  the  number  of  those  Indians 
were  about  fifty-eight  of  all  sorts,  whereof  there  were  not 
above  twelve  able  men,  the  rest  women  and  children.  These 
Indians  lived  very  soberly,  and  quietly,  and  industriously, 
and  were  all  unarmed  ;  neither  could  any  of  them  be 
charged  with  any  unfaithfulness  to  the  English  interests. 

"  In  pursuance  of  this  settlement,  Mr.  Hoare  had  begun 
to  build  a  large  and  convenient  work-house  for  the  Indians 
near  his  own  dwelling,  which  stood  about  the  midst  of  the 
town,  and  very  nigh  the  town  watch-house. 

"  This  house  was  made,  not  only  to  secure  those  Indians 
under  lock  and  key  by  night,  but  to  employ  them  and  to 
set  them  to  work  by  day,  whereby  they  earned  their  own 
bread,  and  in  an  ordinary  way  ( with  God's  blessing )  would 
have  lived  well  in  a  short  time." 

That  any  suspicion  of  treachery  on  the  part  of  the 
Nashobah  Indians  was  ill  founded  is  evident  from  the  fact 
that  they  who  knew  the  most  about  them  had  an  unstinted 
belief  in  their  sincerity.  Their  conduct  from  the  beginning 
had  inspired  confidence.  Tahattawan,  the  Sachem  of 
Nashoba  who  once  dwelt  at  Nashawtuc,  as  tradition  has  it, 
became  one  of  the  first  converts  to  Christianity  by  the 
preaching  of  Eliot  at  Nonantum.  The  tribe  or  clan  which 
he  represented  went  to  Nashoba  from  the  region  of  the 
Musketequid,  by  the  advice  of  Mr.  Eliot  that  they  adopt 
the  government  that  Jethro  proposed  to  Moses  in  the 
wilderness,  whereby  they  were  to  choose  rulers  of  hundreds 
and  of  fifties  and  of  tens.  In  this  way  they  came  to  live 
in  towns  separate  from  the  English,  and  upon  this  principle, 
Natick  and  Nashoba  and  the  other  Indian  villages  or 
"Praying  towns  "  were  originated. 

As  the  sequel  to  the  removal  of  the  Nashobah  Indians 
to  the  place  provided  for  them  by  Mr.  Hoar  is  of  a  later 
date,  the  subject  will  be  left  here  to  be  resumed  in  its 
chronological  order. 

Before  dismissing  the  subject  however  it  may  be  appro- 


Concord  383 

priate,  since  these  Indians  are  properly  associated  with  the 
history  of  Concord  in  other  relations  than  those  which  are 
religious,  to  print  the  following  sketch  of  them  which  by 
permission  is  quoted  from  a  paper  prepared  by  Herbert 
Joseph  Harwood,  Historian  of  the  town  of  Littleton  and 
published  in  a  pamphlet  of  the  Littleton  Historical  Society 
entitled  Proceedings  No.  i. 

"John  Eliot  in  his  'Brief  Narrative'  written  in  1670  says, 
'Nashope  is  our  next  Praying  Town,  a  place  of  much  Afflic- 
tion ;  it  is  the  chief  place  of  Residence,  where  Tahattawans 
lived,  a  Sachem  of  the  Blood,  a  faithful  and  zealous  Chris- 
tian, a  strict  yet  gentle  Ruler;  he  was  a  Ruler  of  50  in  our 
Civil  Order ;  and  when  God  took  him,  a  chief  man  in  our 
Israel  was  taken  away  from  us.  His  only  son  was  a  while 
vain,  but  proved  good,  expert  in  the  Scripture,  was  Elected 
to  Rule  in  his  Father's  place,  but  soon  died,  insomuch  that 
this  place  is  now  destitute  of  a  Ruler.' 

"This  was  the  earliest  Nashoba  sachem  of  whom  we  have 
any  knowledge,  he  is  spoken  of  in  different  publications  and 
records  by  the  various  names,  Tahattawarre,  Tahattawan, 
Tahatawants,  Attawan,  Attawance,  Ahattawance  and  Natta- 
hattawants,  under  which  last  name  he  is  recorded  in  Suffolk 
deeds,  Vol.  i  No.  34  as  the  grantor  in  a  sale  made  in  1642, 
of  a  large  tract  of  land  on  both  sides  of  Concord  River  to 
Symon  Willard  in  behalf  of  Governor  Winthrop,  Mr.  Dud- 
ley, Mr.  Nowell,  and  Mr.  Allen. 

"The  tract  was  in  extent  3  760  acres  and  the  consideration 
*six  fadom  of  waompampege,  one  waistcoat  and  one 
breeches.'  In  the  deed  Nattahatawants  is  referred  to  as 
*sachem  of  that  land'  and  is  referred  to  by  some  writers  as 
sachem  of  Musketaquid  (Concord),  in  view  of  which  it  is 
important  to  note  that  Eliot  states  that  'Nashope' 
[Nashobah]  was  his,  'chief  place  of  Residence.' 

"Barber  gives  Tahattawan  jointly  with  Squaw  Sachem  as 
the  vendors  of  Concord  to  the  white  settlers  in  1635. 

"Tahattawan's  only  son  who  succeeded  him  as  sachem  of 
Nashobah  was  John  Tahattawan,  also  referred  to  as  Taha- 


384  Colonial 

tooner  by  Samuel  G.  Drake. 

"Old  Tahattawan  had  two  daughters  (at  least),  the  elder 
of  whom,  Tassansquaw,  married  the  celebrated  Waban,  and 
another  Naanasquaw  or  Rebeckah  married  Naanishcow  or 
John  Thomas. 

"Tahattawan's  son  referred  to  by  Eliot,  John  Tahattawan, 
was  one  of  the  signers  to  'an  agrement  mad  betwene  the 
Ingene  of  mashoba  and  the  Town  of  concord'  dated  '20  of 
10  mo.  1660'  and  if  the  record  on  Concord  books  is  an 
exact  copy,  both  he  and  John  Thomas  signed  their  own 
names,  while  seven  other  Indians  made  marks,  but  the  fact 
that  John  Thomas  in  171 4  signed  a  deed  by  mark,  and 
also  that  the  word  'and'  occurs  between  these  two  signa- 
tures on  the  record  would  tend  to  show  that  perhaps  there 
is  an  inaccuracy  in  the  record  and  all  may  have  made 
marks. 

"This  'agreement'  of  1660  conveyed  land  which  was  after- 
wards known  as  Concord's  second  grant. 

John  Tahattawan  died  before  1670,  and  left  a  widow 
Sarah,  daughter  of  Sagamore  John  of  the  Wamesits,  and 
children,  a  daughter  Sarah,  otherwise  called  Kehonosquaw, 
and  a  young  son  who  was  killed  at  the  age  of  12  years, 
Nov.  15,  1675  ^^  Wamesit,  near  Lowell,  when  a  party  of 
armed  men  of  Chelmsford  went  to  the  Indian  camp  and 
wantonly  fired  upon  them  in  retaliation  for  the  burning  of 
a  barn  of  which  the  Indians  were  suspected.  Five  women 
and  children  were  wounded,  among  whom  was  the  boy's 
mother  Sarah,  who  was  then  a  widow  for  the  second  time, 
having  had  as  her  second  husband  Oonamog,  ruler  of  the 
praying  Indians  of  Marlborough.  In  my 'Historical  Sketch' 
I  made  the  error  of  confusing  Sarah  the  widow  of  John 
Tahattawan  with  his  daughter  Sarah  or  Kehonosquaw. 

"After  the  death  of  John  Tahattawan,  Pennakennit  or 
Pennahannit  was  the  chief  of  the  Nashobah  Indians,  and 
was  also  'marshal  general'  of  all  the  praying  Indians  and 
attended  court  at  Natick.  He  was  also  called  Capt. 
Josiah,   and    was    no  doubt  the  last  who  could  be  called 


Concord  385 

Sachem  of  the  Nashobahs,  as  he  is  spoken  of  by  Gookin  as 
chief  in  1674,  and  in  the  year  following  the  settlement  was 
broken  up  by  King  Philip's  war. 

"Waban,  as  before  stated,  married  Tassansquaw,  the 
eldest  daughter  of  old  Tahattawan,and  is  supposed  to  have 
originally  been  of  this  vicinity,  though  it  is  not  by  any 
means  certain ;  his  name  is  also  spelled  Waaubon  or 
Waubon,  and  according  to  Samuel  Gardner  Drake, 
signified  '  wind.'  He  is  said  to  have  been  about  the  same 
age  as  Rev.  John  Eliot  and  consequently  was  born  about 
1604. 

"Winthrop  says  that  Eliot  in  beginning  his  labors  among 
the  Indians  in  1646,  preached  '  one  week  at  the  wigwam  of 
one  Wabon,  a  new  sachem  near  Watertown  mill,  and  the 
other  or  next  week  in  the  wigwam  of  Cutshamekin  near 
Dorchester  mill.' 

"Being  Eliot's  first  convert  to  Christianity  and  a  man  of 
much  strength  of  character,  Waban  was  of  great  assistance 
in  gaining  the  good  will  and  attention  of  other  Indians  and 
was  recognized  as  a  powerful  man  both  by  the  white  people 
and  by  the  Indians,  both  Christians  and  those  hostile  in 
King  Philip's  war. 

"An  instance  of  this  is  shown  in  the  letters  from  Sam 
Sachem  and  other  Indians  begging  for  peace,  printed  by 
Samuel  Gardner  Drake.  The  first  one  dated  July  6,  1676 
is  superscribed  To  all  Englishmen  and  Indians,  all 
of  you  hear  Mr.  Waban,  Mr.  Eliott,'  and  the  addresses  of 
three  of  these  letters  include  Waban's  name. 

"Waban  was  of  Natick  in  1674  and  the  chief  man  there 
when  Gookin  wrote  in  that  year,  adding  '  He  is  a  person 
of  great  prudence  and  piety:  I  do  not  know  any  Indian 
that  excels  him,' 

"He  was  alive  as  late  as  March  19,  1684,  at  which  date 
he  signed  by  mark  the  first  of  sixteen  Natick  Indians 
who  sent  a  letter  to  Mr.  Gookin  inviting  him  to  lecture, 
and  is  said  to  have  died  at  Natick  the  summer  following. 

"Waban's  son,  Thomas  Waban  of  Natick,  signed  in  17 14, 


386  Colonial 

a  deed  to  the  heirs  of  Col.  Peter  Bulkeley  and  Maj. 
Thomas  Henchman  of  half  of  Nashobah  plantation.  I 
own  the  original  document,  showing  Thomas  Waban's 
signature  in  a  good  hand.  Two  other  Indians  who  signed 
by  mark  were  John  Thomas  and  John  Thomas,  jr.,  also  of 
Natick. 

"The  town  records  of  Natick  were  written  at  one  time  by 
Thomas  Waban  in  the  Indian  language,  an i  it  is  said  he 
was  also  a  justice  of  the  peace  and  once  issued  a  warrant  as 
follows : 

'You  you  big  constable  ;  quick  you  catchum  Jeremiah 
Offscow ;  strong  you  holdum  ;  safe  you  bringum  afore 
me,  Thomas  Waban,  Justice  peace.' 

"A  story  is  told  by  Samuel  Gardner  Drake  of  Waban, 
which  may  perhaps  more  properly  be  told  of  his  son,  as 
follows:  A  young  justice  asked  Waban  what  he  would  do 
when  Indians  got  drunk  and  quarrelled  ;  he  replied  '  Tie 
um  all  up,  and  whip  um  plaintiff,  and  whip  um  fendant, 
and  whip  um  witness.' 

"Thomas  Waban's  Indian  name  was  Weegramomenit,  as 
we  learn  from  the  deed  to  Hon.  Peter  Bulkeley  of  Con- 
cord and  Maj.  Thomas  Henchman  of  Chelmsford  dated 
June  15,  1686  conveying  half  of  Nashobah  plantation. 
At  that  time  the  Indians  could  not  legally  sell,  but  were 
afterward  given  permission  by  the  General  Court  to  do  so, 
which  accounts  for  the  second  deed  of  the  same  land  in 
1 714,  previously  referred  to. 

"John  Thomas  or  Naanishcow  who  married  one  of  old 
Tahattawan's  daughters  is  referred  to  by  Gookin  as 
follows : 

"  Their  teacher  [i.  e.  at  Nashobah]  is  named  John 
Thomas,  a  sober  and  pious  man.  His  farther  was 
murthered  by  the  Maquas  in  a  secret  manner,  as  he  was 
fishing  for  eels  at  his  wear,  some  years  since,  during  the 
war.  He  was  a  pious  and  useful  person,  and  that  place 
sustained   a  great    loss  in  him."      By  '  teacher  '  he  meant 


Concord  387 

minister.     John  Thomas   had  sons,  Solomon   or   Naahke- 
nomenit  and  John  Thomas,  jr. 

"Several  of  these  relationships  I  established  by  the  signa- 
tures to  the  deed  of  June  15,  1686,  to  Bulkeley  and 
Henchman,  and  there  also  signed  that  deed,  '  Nuckomme- 
wosk,  relict  of  Crooked  Robin,'  '  Natahoonet  '  and 
'  Wunnuhhew  alias  Sarah,  wife  to  Neepanum  alias  Tom 
Dublet'  from  which  1  infer  they  way  have  been  also 
descendants  of  old  Tahattawan. 

"Other  Nashobah  Indians  were  Nasquan,  Merchant 
Thomas  or  Marchant  Thoms,  Wabatut,  Great  James 
Natocotus  a  blind  man,  Pompant,  Gomps  and  'Mr.  John 
Sagamore  '  who  was  the  father  of  Sarah  the  wife  of  Tom 
Dublet. 

"The  petition  of  Rev.  John  Eliot  for  the  incorporation  of 
the  several   Indian  towns  is  of  date  May  3,  1654  and  the 
portion  of  his  petition   that  relates  to  the   Nashoba  planta- 
tion is  the  following  : 

"First,  therefore  the  inhabitants  of  Nashoba  living  7  or  8 
miles  west  of  Concord,  desire  to  have  liberty  to  make  a 
town  in  y'  place,  with  due  accomadations  thereunto.  And 
though  Concord  have  some  conditional  grants  of  lands  y' 
way,  yet  I  understand  that  we  shall  have  a  loving  and  Chris- 
tian agreement  betwixt  them  and  the  Indians." 

The  response  to  the  petition  is  as  follows,  and  of  date 
May,  14,  1654 

"In  ans""  to  the  peticon  of  Mr.  Jno.  Elliott,  on  behalf  of 
severall  Indians,  the  Court  graunts  his  request,  viz. :  liberty 
for  the  inhabitants  of  Nashop  [Nashobah]  and  to  the 
inhabitants  of  Ogkoontiquonkames  [Marlborough]  and 
also  to  the  inhabitants  of  Hasnemesuchoth  [Grafton]  to 
erect  severall  Injan  tounes,  in  the  places  propounded  wi"" 
convejent  acomodacon  to  each,  provided  they  p'judice  not 
any  former  graunts  ;  nor  shall  they  dispose  of  it  wi""  out 
leave  first  had  and  obtajned  from  this  Court." 

In  his  history  of  Concord  Mr.  Shattuck  has  the  follow- 
ing reference  to  the  Nashoba  territory, 


388  Colonial 

"Nashobah,  lying  near  Nagog  Pond,  partly  in  Littleton 
and  partly  in  Acton  as  now  bounded,  accordingly  became  an 
Indian  town;  and  here  a  part  of  the  Praying  Indians  in 
Concord,  with  others  in  the  vicinity,  gathered  and  adopted 
civil  and  religious  order,  and  had  a  Ruler  and  other  muni- 
cipal officers,  though  no  church  was  formed.  Such  as  were 
entitled  to  Christian  ordinances  probably  went  to  Natick 
to  celebrate  the  communion  after  a  church  was  organized 
there  in  1660." 

Mr.  Harwood  states  that  he  has  found  no  authority  for 
supposing  that  the  town  of  Concord  ever  had  any  title  to  the 
territory  of  Nashoba,  but  he  locates  the  original  grant  outside 
of  any  English  town  boundary  lines. 

He  states  in  his  History  : 

"If  the  reader  will  look  at  a  map  of  Littleton  and  note 
the  following  points,  he  will  have  the  four  corners  of  the 
ancient  Indian  plantation  Nashobah  :  the  northwest  corner 
of  Littleton  on  the  side  of  Brown  Hill,  near  the  road  to 
Ayer,  was  one  corner  ;  a  point  near  the  centre  of  Boxboro', 
found  by  prolonging  the  present  west  and  south  lines  of 
Littleton,  till  they  meet,  was  another  corner  ;  the  westerly 
end  of  Nagog  pond  was  a  third  corner,  and  a  point  on  the 
Westford  line,  between  the  Dodge  place  and  Forge  Pond, 
was  the  fourth  corner.  It  was  uniformly  spoken  of  as  four 
miles  square,  but  was  not  exactly  that,  being,  as  we  have 
seen,  only  three  miles  on  one  '  side,  and  having  corners 
which  varied  slightly  from  right  angles." 

Repeatedly  in  ancient  documents  relating  to  lands  lying 
in  the  vicinity  of  the  Nashoba  grant  are  references  to  this 
tract  of  territory  in  a  way  that  leads  one  to  infer,  as  we 
believe,  that  it  was  a  distinctive  area  of  wilderness  land, 
entirely  independent  of  any  that  had  hitherto  been  granted. 
Petitioners  from  other  places  in  being  allowed  their 
requests  are  cautioned  not  to  intrude  upon  this  Indian 
reservation  nor  in  anyway  to  interfere  with  it  in  the 
establishing  of  boundary  lines ;  and  this  precaution  was 
observed  in  response  to  petitions  from  the  people  of  Con- 


Concord  389 

cord  and  made  even  after  the  granting  of  land  for  the 
"  feeding  grounds  "  from  which  "  Concord  Village  ",  after- 
wards Acton,  was  formed. 

The  lands  of  the  Nashoba  Indians  in  process  of  a  few 
years  after  Philip's  war  were  transferred  piecemeal,  or  in 
parcels  to  the  English  owners  or  occupants.  Lieutenant 
Joseph  Wheeler  of  Concord  by  trading  with  the  Nashoba 
Indians,  while  they  were  living  on  their  plantation,  became 
their  creditor  and  besought  of  the  Colonial  Court  in  1662, 
a  tract  of  two  hundred  acres  in  the  south  portion  of 
Nashoba  byway  of  satisfaction  ot  his  claim,  but  was  refused. 

Among  the  first  purchasers  of  land  of  the  Nashoba 
Indians,  if  not  the  very  first,  were  Peleg  Lawrence  and 
Robert  Robbins  of  Groton.  The  tract  purchased  by  these 
persons  was,  according  to  a  plan  on  file  at  the  State  House 
bearing  date  Jan,  2,  1686-7,  was  located  in  the  north  east 
corner  of  the  Nashoba  reservation,  with  an  area  of  a  half 
mile  in  width  by  two  in  length.  The  next  purchaser  of 
a  portion  of  the  plantation  from  the  aboriginal  owners  and 
the  first  for  which  a  deed  was  passed  was  made  Jnne  15, 
1869,  by  Hon,  Peter  Bulkeley  of  Concord  and  Major 
Thomas  Henchman  of  Chelmsford.  These  vendees 
bought  the  eastern  half  of  the  territory,  for  the  sum  of 
seventy  pounds.  The  deed  of  this  tract  was  placed  upon 
record  and  the  following  is  a  description  : 

"And  it  contains  one  moyety  or  halfe  part  of  said  Nash- 
oba plantations,  &  the  easterly  side  of 't;  It  is  bounded  by 
Chelmsford  plantation  (about  three  miles  &  three  quarters) 
on  the  easterly  side;  by  Concord  village  Land  Southward, 
about  two  miles  &  three-quarters  ;  Northward  it  is 
bounded  by  Land  sold  by  the  aforesaid  Indians  to  Robert 
Robbins  and  Peleg  Lawrence,  both  of  Groton  Town, 
which  land  is  part  of  the  aforesaid  Nashobah  plantation,  & 
this  is  exactly  two  miles  in  Length  &  runs  East  three 
degrees  Northerly,  or  West  three  degrees  southerly,  &  the 
South  end  runs  parrallell  with  this  Line;  On  the  Westerly 
side  it  is  bounded  by  the  remainder  of  said  Nashoba  plan- 


390  Colonial 

tation  :  &  that  West  Line  runs  (from  two  little  maples 
marked  with  H  for  the  Northwest  corner)  it  runs  South 
seven  degrees  &  thirty  minutes  east,  four  miles  &  one- 
quarter  ;  the  most  Southerly  corner  is  bounded  by  a  little 
red  oak  marked  H,  the  north  east  corner  is  a  stake  stand- 
ing about  four  or  five  pole  southward  of  a  very  great  Rock 
that  Lyeth  in  the  line  between  said  Nashobah  &  Chelms- 
ford plantation." 

After  the  foregoing  conveyances  there  was  left  in  posses- 
sion of  the  Indians,  says  the  historian  of  Littleton,  "only 
<-hat  portion  of  the  plantation  which  Danforth  in  his  plan 
designated  as  'Nashobah  the  Indians  part'  being  the  west- 
erly portion,  four  miles  long  on  the  west  line,  two  miles 
theoretically  on  the  north  line,  but  actually  only  one,  and 
412  poles  on  the  south  line,"  Deeds  from  the  Indians 
relating  to  the  transfers  are  on  record  at  the  Cam- 
bridge Registry  of  Deeds,  one  with  date  May  9,  1694, 
from  Thomas  Waban  of  Natick  to  Walter  Powers  of  Con- 
cord and  the  others  with  date  May  10,  1701  from  Solomon 
and  John  Thomas,  Jr.,  both  of  Natick,  to  Josiah  Whit- 
comb  of  Lancaster.  A  deed  confirmatory  of  the  title  to 
the  tract  bought  by  Bulkeley  and  Henchman  was 
given  in  1714  by  Thomas  Waban,  John  Thomas  and  John 
Thomas  Jr.,  to  Major  Henchman  and  the  heirs  of  Hon. 
Peter  Bulkeley.  The  original  deed  which  is  ancient  in 
appearance  and  bears  the  signature  of  Waban  and  the 
marks  of  the  other  grantees  is  in  the  possession  of  Herbert 
Harwood. 

For  years  it  was  a  grave  question  with  the  General 
Court  as  to  what  should  be  done  with  the  territory  once 
occupied  by  these  Indians.  Some  of  the  inhabitants  of 
Concord  wished  to  settle  upon  it  and  make  it  an  English 
town.  Some  of  the  neighboring  towns,  as  Groton  and  Stow, 
desired  to  annex  the  whole  or  a  part  of  the  territory  and 
thus  absorb  it  in  their  own  township.  Their  desires 
found  expression  in  the  form  of  petition  and  of  an  actual 
attempted    annexation    of   the    land.       Meanwhile    as  the 


Concord  39 1 

matter  was  left  open,  straggling  settlers  came  upon  the  land, 
and  some  by  right  oi  purchase  and  some  without  right 
made  their  home  there.  But  the  colonization  element  at 
length  prevailed;  and  in  response  to  a  petition  of  date  1711 
when  twenty-three  who  represented  themselves  "Inhabit- 
ants of  Concord,  Chelmsford,  Lancaster  and  Stow,"  etc., 
asked  the  General  Court  for  permission  to  settle  a  town- 
ship at  Nashoba,  a  committee  was  appointed  to  view  the 
land  and  make  a  report  of  it.  The  result  was  that  in  1713, 
it  was  decided  that  Nashoba  should  be  a  town  of  English 
people,  and  on  November  1 714,  an  act  incorporating  it  was 
passed  by  the  Court,  and  from  this  and  adjacent  territory 
the  town  of  Littleton  was  created. 

Only  a  few  of  the  Nashoba  Indians  ever  returned  to 
their  ancient  corn  fields  and  hunting  grounds  at  Nashoba 
after  their  exile  to  Deer  Island.  The  last  occupant  of  her 
race  was  Sarah  Dublet  the  wife  of  *'  Tom  Dublet  "  whose 
Indian  name  as  she  signed  it  in  the  deed  to  Bulkeley  and 
Henchman  was  Wunuhhew,  sometimes  called  "Sarah 
Indian."  Traces  of  the  Nashoba  Indians  have  occasionally 
been  discovered  about  their  ancient  haunts.  Especially 
have  they  been  found  in  the  vicinity  of  Nagog  Pond 
where  there  are  indications  of  ovens  and  sites  of  huts,  and 
where  it  is  said  there  was  once  an  Indian  fort. 

At  the  breaking  out  of  Philip's  war,  several  families  of 
white  people  were  living  in  that  part  of  Littleton  known  as 
Nashoba  but  which  was  really  in  Concord  Village. 
Prominent  among  these  families  was  Walter  Powers  whose 
estate  had  been  called  the  "  Powers  Farm  "  and  "  Nashoba 
Farm."  Upon  this  farm  there  once  stood  a  garrison  house 
which  was  long  called  the  "  Reed  House."  The  ruins  of 
this  building  are  now,  or  were  recently,  visible  at  the  foot  of 
Nashoba  hill.  There  was  also  visible  until  within  a  few 
years  vestiges  of  an  ancient  burying  place  which  probably 
contain  the  dust  of  the  Shepards,  the  Powers,  and 
others  of  the  earliest  pioneers,  who  soon  after  the  abandon- 
ment of  the  Nashoba  plantation,  and  the  fires  of  Philips 


392  Colonial 

war  had  fairly  faded  out  found  their  way  thitherward. 
The  old  graveyard  was  years  ago  ploughed  over  but  some 
of  the  grave  stones  which  found  their  way  into  a  wall  give 
unmistakable  evidence  that  thereabouts  they  were  once 
used  as  grave  markers.  It  may  be  proper  to  observe  be- 
fore leaving  this  subject  that  as  a  portion  of  Littleton, 
which  was  not  of  the  Indian  plantation,  may  have  been 
associated  and  known  by  the  name  of  Nashoba,  care  may 
be  necessary  in  making  a  distinction  between  the  two  tracts 
of  territory.  That  which  has  been  designated  as  Nashoba 
but  which  was  not  within  the  Indian  plantation,  is  a  part 
of  what  has  been  called  Concord  Village,  and  has  been 
known  as  "  Power's  Farm  "  and  "  Nashoba  Farm." 


THE 
NEW  YORK      \ 
'PIJBLIC  library] 
j^Astor,  Lenox  and  ryden,^ 
Foundafions, 


UWlii 


CHAPTER  XXXIX. 

'The  Narragansett  Campaign  —  Its  Object  and 
Nature — Names  of  Concord  Soldiers  —  Company  in 
which  they  Served — The  Officers  —  Return  of 
Order  of  Concord  Committee  of  Militia  —  Object  of 
the  Expedition  —  The  Swamp  Fort  —  The  Wintry 
March  from  Dedham  Plain  —  The  Fi^ht  — 
Description  by  Rev.  G.  M.  Bodge — Casualities  to  the 
Concord  Soldiers  —  Burial  of  the  Dead — The 
Return  March  —  Comments  on  Criticism  of  Conduct 
of  the  Campaign  —  Account  of  Petitions  for  Land 
Grants  —  Concord  Names  in  List  of  Land  Claim- 
ants—  The  '''■Long'  or  ''''Hungry'  March  —  Authen- 
tic Account  of  the  Swamp  Fight  by  Capt.  James 
Oliver 

THE  next  prominent  movement  in  which  Concord 
soldiers  were  engaged  was  the  famous  Narragan- 
sett   Campaign. 

In  December  1675,  a^t^f  the  retirement  of  King  Philip 
and  his  followers  from  the  Nipmuck  country  and  his  defeat 
about  Springfield,  the  United  Colonies  of  Massachusetts, 
Plymouth  and  Connecticut,  perhaps  for  the  double  purpose 
of  preventing  the  Narragansett  Indians  from  rendering  him 
aid  and  also  to  punish  them  for  alleged  acts  of  perfidy, 
fitted   out  an   Expedition. 

The  project  was  hastily  planned  and  placed  under  the 
command  of  General  Josiah  Winslow  of  Plymouth.  The 
army  consisted  of  one  thousand  men  ;  five  hundred  and 
twenty  coming  from  Massachusetts.  The  Massachusetts 
men  consisted  of  six  companies  of  foot  and  one  of  horse 
under  command  of  Samuel  Appleton  of  Ipswich.  The 
commanders    of   these    companies  were  as  follows  :        ist 

Z9Z 


3  94  Colonial 

Jeremiah  Swain,  Lieut.  ;  2nd  Samuel  Mosely,  Capt.  ;  3d 
James  Hosmer  Oliver,  Capt.  ;  4th  Isaac  Johnson,  Capt.  ; 
5th  Nathaniel  Davenport,  Capt.  ;  6th  Joseph  Gardner, 
Capt.  ;  Cavalry  Company.,  Thomas  Prentice,  Capt.  The 
Concord  men  were  in  Capt.  Davenport's  company,  and  the 
following  are  from  a  list  of  men  impressed  for  it  from  the 
several  towns.  Mass.  Archives,  Vol.  68,  page  100  and 
pages  67-100.  The  date  is  from  November  25  to 
December  3,  1675. 

The  list  is  made  up  of  men  from  Cambridge,  Woburn, 
Sudbury,  Cambridge  Village,  Reading,  Medford  and 
Concord. 

The  names  of  Concord  men  are  as  follows  :  Joseph  Busse, 
Abraham  Temple,  Samuel  Howe,  John  Wood,  Joseph 
Wheeler,  Thomas  Brown,  John  Wheeler,  Timothy  Rice, 
George  Hayward,  Steven  Farre,  John  Taylor. 

The  line  officers  of  Company  5  were  Nathaniel 
Davenport,  Capt.  ;  Edward  Tyng,  Lieut. ;  John  Drury, 
Ensign. 

Captain  Davenport  was  born  in  Salem.  He  was  a  man 
of  enterprise  and  ability  and  had  gained  some  distinction 
by  governmental  appointment.  His  experience  with  men 
and  his  daring  nature  fitted  him  for  a  military  leader.  He 
was  said  to  be  popular  with  his  men  ;  and  that  upon  taking 
command  he  made  a  speech  to  them  and  also  gave  them 
liberty  to  choose  their  own  sergeants  "  which  pleased  them 
very  well."  Lieut.  Ting  or  Tyng,  who  commanded  the 
company  after  Davenport  fell,  was  son  of  Capt.  Edward 
Tyng  and  was  born  March  25,  1649.  H^  was  subse- 
quently made  Lieutenant  Colonel  by  Go^.  Andros,  and 
after  the  reduction  of  Nova  Scotia,  Andros  appointed  him 
Governor  of  Annapolis,  but  on  his  way  there,  the  vessel 
that  conveyed  him  was  captured  by  the  French  and  he  was 
taken  to  France  where  he  died. 

The  following  is  the  return  of  the  order  of  the  Concord 
Committee  of  Militia  which  directed  them  to  impress  men 
for  the  country's  service,  a  part  of  which  service  was  in  the 


Colonial  395 

Narragansett  campaign.      State  Archives,  Vol.  68,  page  6c^. 

"To  the  honors  Court  sitting  in  Boston  j''  10"'  75. 

By  virtue  of  a  warrant  from  Maj'.  Simon  Wiilard 
directed  to  the  Comittee  of  the  Militia  in  Concord  requir- 
ing them  to  impresse  eleven  able  souldiers  well  fitted  &c: 
for  the  service  of  the  Country  in  the  present  expedition  : 
The  said  Comittee  have  impressed  (  &  accord  :  to  order  of 
hono'^'^  Council  doe  returne  the  names  of)  these  persons  ; 
viz  :  Joseph  Brusse,  Abraham  Temple,  Samuel  How, 
John  Wood,  Joseph  Wheeler,  Thomas  Browne,  John 
Wheeler,  Timothy  Rice,  George  Hayward,  Stephen  Farre 
&  John  Taylour,  who  were  at  present  (  most  of  them  & 
the  rest  seasonably  will  bee)  fitted  for  arms:  But  several 
of  them  doe  want  &  desire  to  be  supplyed  with  some 
cloathing  (  coates  especially  )  &  where  they  may  bee  accom- 
modated with  them  they  would  understand.  2^  lo'*"  75- 
Yo'  worships  humble  servant. 

Tim  :  Wheeler  Capt. 
of  Concord. 
Postscript. 

Wee  having  severall  Troopers  also  impressed  in 
this  Towne,  &  there  being  a  Company  of  Indians  ordered 
amongst  us,  w*^*"  wee  are  to  take  care  of:  Tis  humbly 
desired,  that  favor  may  bee  shown  us,  in  the  release  of 
some  ( if  it  may  bee  )  of  the  persons  above  mentioned. 

Tim  :  Wheeler." 

The  more  immediate  object  of  the  expedition  and  that 
which  has  rendered  it  famous  was  the  reduction  of  the 
Indian  stronghold  in  what  is  now  Kingston,  R.  I.  This 
fort,  for  such  it  has  been  called,  though  of  Indian  construc- 
tion, was  very  strong,  having  been  built,  it  is 
supposed,  under  the  direction  of  an  Englishman  by  the 
name  of  Teffe  or  Tift. 

It  was  situated  upon  an  upland  or  island  in  the  midst  of 
a  large  cedar  swamp  of  five  or  six  acres  in  area.  About 
the  place  was  a  circle  of  palisades    or  timbers  set  upright, 


39^  Colonial 

outside  of  which,  Hubbard  states,  was  a  hedge  of  almost  a 
rod  in  thickness.  The  "  Old  Indian  Chronicle  "  asserts 
that  it  was  in  the  middle  was  a  clay  wall  and  that  felled  trees 
were  about  it.  At  the  corners  and  exposed  portions  were 
block  houses  or  flankers  for  cross  firing  upon  any  who 
might  seek  entrance  between  them.  Within  the  enclosure 
were  several  hundred  wigwams,  and  there  the  Narragansetts 
had  ensconced  themselves  and  accumulated  their  winter 
stores.  At  one  corner  of  the  fort  where  the  defenses  were 
incomplete,  there  being  neither  hedge  nor  palisades,  the 
entrance  was  guarded  by  a  fallen  tree  about  five  feet  from 
the  ground. 

It  is  probable  the  Indians  relied  very  much  upon  the 
nature  of  the  ground  for  defense;  this  being  such  that 
except  when  it  was  frozen  an  approach  to  the  fort  would 
be  very  difficult  and  dangerous,  and  perhaps  this  was  one 
reason  why  the  attack  was  made  in  the  winter. 

The  Massachusetts  forces  mustered  on  Dedham  plain 
Thursday,  December  9,  1675.  ^"  ^^^  same  day  they 
marched  twenty-seven  miles  to  Woodcock's  garrison  in  the 
present  town  of  Attleboro.  On  December  10  they  arrived 
at  Seekonk,  and  on  the  12th  crossed  over  Patuxet  river, 
and  going  by  way  of  Providence  reached  Smith's  garrison 
at  Wickford,  R.  I.  at  night.  Several  days  were  then  spent 
in  scouting  and  skirmishing  and  on  December  18,  a  march 
was  made  to  Pettisqnamscott  where  the  Connecticut  force 
consisting  of  320  men  under  the  command  of  Major 
Treat  joined  them. 

This  army  it  is  alleged  was  the  finest  that  had 
ever  been  organized  in  America.  The  starting  was  a  sad 
one.  At  Pettisqnamscott  they  found  that  Bull's  garrison 
house  which  was  a  stone  building  and  at  the  time  con- 
sidered a  very  strong  one  had  been  destroyed  by  the 
Indians,  and  the  entire  expedition  was  compelled  to 
bivouac  in  the  open  air  with  a  driving  snow  storm  raging 
about  them. 

When   the    morning    broke    it  was  still    snowing ;     but 


Concord  397 

chilled  though  the  men  were  by  the  night's  exposure  they 
moved  forward  to  the  Indian  Fort  which  was  but  a  few 
miles  ahead. 

The  Massachusetts  men  were  in  the  advance  ;  the 
Plymouth  men  next,  and  the  Connecticut  contingent  at  the 
rear. 

The  snow  grew  deeper  as  the  march  progressed  and  it 
was  with  difficulty  that  the  men  plodded  forward  with  their 
heavy  packs  and  military  accouterments.  By  about  noon 
the  army  had  reached  the  border  of  the  large  swamp  in 
which  the  stronghold  was  situated.  As  they  came  in 
sight  of  it  a  body  of  Indians  were  discerned  which  the 
companies  of  Capts.  Davenport  and  Mosely,  which  were 
in  the  advance,  pursued  and  fired  upon. 

The  Indians  after  returning  the  fire  fled  into  the  swamp, 
the  English  following  without  waiting  for  orders  or  for  the 
other  companies  to  come  up. 

Upon  arriving,  however,  near  the  only  possible  entrance 
to  the  Fort,  which  was  by  a  long  fallen  tree  "  over  a  place 
of  water"  and  across  which  the  pursued  Indians  had  just 
passed,  Davenport  and  Morsely  halted  their  companies, 
hesitating,  doubtless  to  follow  over  a  path  so  perilous  and 
not  knowing  but  that  the  Indians  who  had  just  passed  over  it 
had  been  sent  to  decoy  them  to  a  place  deadly  of  entrance. 
But  the  halt  was  a  short  one ;  for  they  quickly  discovered  the 
incompleted  portion  before  spoken  of  and  the  two  compan- 
ies dashing  forward,  then  and  there  was  commenced  that 
terrific  conflict  which  for  three  hours  was  waged  with  a  most 
appalling  fierceness. 

We  quote  the  following  description  of  the  battle  by  Mr. 
Bodge. 

"The  companies  of  Capts.  Davenport  and  Johnson  came 
first  to  this  place,  and  those  officers  at  once  charged  through 
the  gap  and  over  the  log  at  the  head  of  their  companies; 
but  Johnson  fell  dead  at  the  log,  and  Davenport  a  little 
within  the  fort;  and  their  men  were  met  with  so  fierce  a  fire 
that  they  were  forced  to  retire  again  and  fall  upon  their  faces 


39^  Colonial 

to  avoid  the  fury  of  the  musketry  till  it  should  somewhat 
abate.  Mosely  and  Gardiner,  pressing  to  their  assistance, 
met  a  similar  reception,  losing  heavily,  till  they  too  fell  back 
with  the  others,  until  Major  Appleton  coming  up  with  his 
own  and  Capt.  Oliver's  men,  massed  his  entire  force  as  a 
storming  column,  and  it  is  said  that  the  shout  of  the  com- 
manders that  the  Indians  were  running,  so  inspired  the  sol- 
diers that  they  made  an  impetuous  assault,  carried  the 
entrance  amain,  and  beat  the  enemy  from  one  of  his  flankers 
at  the  left,  which  afforded  them  a  temporary  shelter  from  the 
Indians  still  holding  the  blockhouse  opposite  the  entrance. 
In  the  mean  time,  the  General,  holding  the  Plymouth  forces 
in  reserve,  pushed  forward  the  Connecticut  troops,  who  not 
being  aware  of  the  extent  of  the  danger  from  the  block- 
house, suffered  fearfully  at  the  first  entrance,  but  charged 
forward  gallantly,  though  some  of  their  brave  officers  and 
many  of  their  comrades  lay  dead  behind  them,  and  unknown 
numbers  and  dangers  before.  The  forces  now  joining,  beat 
the  enemy  step  by  step,  and  with  the  fierce  fighting,  out  of 
their  block-houses  and  various  fortifications.  Many  of  the 
Indians,  driven  from  their  works,  fled  outside,  some  doubt- 
less to  the  wigwams  inside,  of  which  there  were  said  to  be 
upward  of  five  hundred,  many  of  them  large  and  rendered 
bullet-proof  by  large  quantities  of  grain  in  tubs  and  bags, 
placed  along  the  sides.  In  these  many  of  their  old  people 
and  their  women  and  children  had  gathered  for  safety,  and 
behind  and  within  these  as  defences  the  Indians  still  kept 
up  a  skulking  fight,  picking  off  our  men.  After  three  hours 
hard  fighting,  with  many  of  the  officers  and  men  wounded 
and  dead,  a  treacherous  enemy  of  unknown  numbers  and 
resources  lurking  in  the  surrounding  forests,  and  the  night 
coming  on,  word  comes  to  fire  the  wigwams,  and  the  battle 
becomes  a  fearful  holocaust,  great  numbers  of  those  who 
had  taken  refuge  therein  being  burned. 

When  now  the  fortress  and  all  its  contents  were  burning, 
and  destruction  assured,  our  soldiers  hastily  gathered  their 
wounded  and  as  many  as  possible  of  their  dead,  and  formed 


Colonial  399 

their  column  for  the  long  and  weary  march  back  to  Wick- 
ford." 

As  the  result  of  the  battle  about  80  were  slain  on  the 
side  of  the  English  and  150  wounded.  The  Indians  lost 
about  300  killed,  although  prisoners  reported  their  dead  to 
be  as  many  as  700,  and  if  their  wounded  were  in  the  usual 
proportion  to  the  number  of  the  slain  then  the  casualities 
of  those  dreadful  hours  might  run  into  the  thousands. 

The  casualties  to  the  Concord  men  were :  George  Hay- 
ward  killed,  and  Abraham  Temple  and  Thomas  Browne 
wounded. 

That  the  position  of  the  company  in  which  the  Concord 
soldiers  served  was  one  of  extreme  peril  is  indicated  by  the 
terrible  manner  in  which  Capt.  Davenport,  their  com- 
mander was  riddled  by  bullets,  the  circumstances  of  whose 
death  is  thus  narrated  in  the  "Old  Indians  Chronicle": 
"Before  our  men  came  up  to  take  posession  of  the  Fort  the 
Indians  had  shot  three  bullets  through  Capt.  Davenport 
whereupon  he  bled  extremely,  and  immediately  called  for 
his  Lieut.  Mr.  Edward  Ting,  and  committed  the  charge  of 
the  Company  to  him,  and  desired  him  to  take  care  of  his 
Gun,  and  deliver  it  according  to  Order  and  immediately 
died  in  his  place." 

Ninigret,  chief  of  the  Niantick  Indians  informed  Gen. 
Winslow  that  his  men  buried  twenty  four  bodies  of  the 
English  at  the  Fort  and  asked  for  a  charge  of  powder  for 
each. 

Forty  of  the  English  soldiers  were  buried  at  Wickford, 
and  the  spot  was  long  marked  by  a  tree  called  the  "  Grave 
apple  tree,"  But  comparatively  little  is  recorded  of  the 
march  back  to  Wickford. 

The  night  was  bleak,  the  wild  storm  of  snow  which  was 
raging  at  the  start  continued. 

The  dread  of  ambuscade,  the  scant  knowledge  of  the 
country,  by  which  some  lost  their  way,  not  to  meet  the 
main  body  till  the  next  morning,  the  sad  loss  of  comrades 
who  might  have  been  townsmen  or  neighbors,  all  contributed 


400  Colonial 

to  make  the  night  dreary  and  the  journey  a  terrible  one. 

It  was,  however,  considered  unwise  to  bivouac,  so  the 
column  moved  on  bearing  with  them  210  of  their  wounded 
and  dead,  and  this  after  marching  from  morning  till  mid- 
day and  from  that  time  engaging  in  fearful  combat  until  the 
sun  sank  behind  the  dark  storm  cloud,  leaving  them  to 
find  their  way  in  darkness  over  a  strange  country. 

The  fort  of  the  Narragansetts  was  utterly  destroyed.  The 
wigwams  being  of  frail  inflammable  material  and  fanned  by 
the  rough  wind  of  that  tempestuous  December  night,  an 
resting  upon  no  foundation  but  the  bare  earth,  all  vestige 
of  this  defenced  city  of  the  aborigines  and  even  the  identity 
of  the  spot  might  have  been  lost  except  for  tradition 
and  a  few  scattered  relics  ;  but  these  have  been  faithful  to 
their  trust,  and  the  spot  v/here  the  Swamp  Fight  occurred 
is  pointed  out  to  a  certainty.  Many  bullets  have  been  found 
in  the  vicinity  and  charred  corn  and  cooking  utensils  and 
arrow  heads.  As  criticism  of  the  English  has  sometimes 
occurred  on  the  ground  that  the  closing  scene  of  an  event 
already  sufficiently  calamitous  was  unnecessary  we  quote 
from  the  last  mentioned  author. 

"I  wish  here  to  record  my  protest  against  the  unjust, 
often  weak,  and  always  inconsiderate,  criticism  bestowed 
upon  our  leaders,  in  this  campaign,  and  especially  in  this 
battle,  for  their  lack  of  foresight  in  abandoning  the  shelter 
and  provisions  of  the  fort,  their  sacrifice  of  the  lives  of  our 
wounded  men  through  their  removal  and  the  dangers  and 
fatigues  of  the  long  march,  and  their  inhumanity  in  burning 
the  helpless  and  innocent  in  their  huts  and  wigwams. 

It  is  well  to  remember  at  the  start  that  many  of  the 
wisest,  ablest  and  bravest  men  of  the  three  colonies  were 
the  leaders  in  this  affair.  A  noble  commander,  wise  and 
brave  :  reverend  ministers,  by  no  means  backward  with 
their  opinions  ;  the  most  prominent  and  skillful  surgeons 
the  country  afforded  ;  veteran  majors  and  captains  of 
Massachusetts  and  Connecticut,  with  their  veteran  soldiers 
fresh    from    severe   experiences    in  the  western    campaign, 


Concord  4O1 

inured  to  danger  and  experienced  in  Indian  wiles  and 
deceits  :  against  all  these  we  have  recorded  only  the 
remonstrance  of  Mr.  Church,  who  up  to  that  time,  at  least, 
had  experience  in  Indian  warfare  only  as  a  scout,  and  the 
only  record  we  have  of  any  protest  by  him  was  made  many 
years  after  the  affair.  And  again,  from  the  standpoint  of 
their  conditions  as  nearly  as  we  can  now  judge,  it  seems 
that  their  hasty  retreat  was  wise.  They  were  some  sixteen 
miles  from  their  base  of  supplies  (  it  is  doubtful  if  they  had 
noted  the  Indian  supplies  until  the  burning  began).  There 
was  no  way  of  reaching  their  provisions  and  ammunition  at 
Wickford  except  by  detaching  a  portion  of  their  force  now 
reduced  greatly  by  death,  wounds  and  exposure.  The 
number  of  Indians  who  had  escaped  and  were  still  in  the 
woods  close  at  hand  were  unknown,  but  supposed  to  be 
several  thousand,  with  report  of  a  thousand  in  reserve 
about  a  mile  distant.  These  were  now  scattered  and  de- 
moralized, but  in  a  few  hours  might  rally  and  fall  upon  the 
fort,  put  our  troops,  in  their  weakened  condition,  upon  the 
defensive,  and  make  their  retreat  from  the  swamp  extremely 
difficult  if  not  utterly  impossible,  encumbered  as  they 
would  be  by  the  wounded,  whose  swollen  and  stiffened 
wounds  in  a  few  hours  would  render  removal  doubly  pain- 
ful and  dangerous.  Added  to  this  was  the  chance  of  an 
attack  upon  the  garrison  at  Wickford,  and  the  dread  of 
a  midnight  ambuscade,  which  every  hour's  delay  made 
more  likely  and  would  render  more  dangerous." 

When  the  men  of  the  Massachusetts  force  were  ready 
to  march  for  the  reduction  of  the  Narragansett  Fort,  a 
proclamation  was  made  in  the  name  of  the  Governor  to  the 
soldiers  that,  "  If  they  played  the  man,  took  the  Fort,  and 
drove  the  enemy  out  of  the  Narragansett  country,  which  is 
their  great  seat,  they  should  have  a  gratuity  of  land  besides 
their  wages." 

Years  after,  a  petition  was  presented  to  the  General 
Court  by  the  people    living    in    several    towns    of   Essex 


4o2  Colonial 

County  dated    June  4,    1685,  asking  for  a  tract    of  land 
pursuant  to  the  foregoing  promise. 

The  Court  responded  to  the  petition  favorably,  and 
allowed  the  grant  of  a  tract  of  land  eight  miles  square  in 
the  Nipmuck  country  "  provided  it  be  laid  out  so  as  not 
to  interfere  with  any  former  grants,  and  that  an  Orthodox 
minister  on  their  settlement  of  thirty  families  be  settlec* 
within  four  years  next  coming."  Mass.  Col.  Records 
Vol.  5  page  487. 

For  forty  years  nothing  more  was  done  in  the  matter. 

The  place  specified  for  the  grant  was  remote,  and  the 
conditions  imposed  hard  to  be  complied  with. 

In  process  of  time,  however,  when  the  Massachusetts 
and  Plymouth  colonies  had  become  one,  and  went  by  the 
name  of  the  Province  of  Massachusetts  Bay,  a  petition 
was  again  presented  by  Samuel  Chandler  and  Jacob  Wright 
of  Concord  in  behalf  of  themselves  and  a  number  of  other 
persons,  recalling  the  act  of  the  General  Court  in  1685, 
and  asking  that  a  grant  of  land  might  be  made  to  the 
petitioners. 

The  result  was  that  a  committee  was  appointed  consist- 
ing of  Mr.  Samuel  Chandler  of  Concord  and  two  others 
who  were  fully  empowered  to  lay  out  an  area  oi  land  eight 
miles  square,  in  some  unappropriated  land  of  the  Colony 
for  the  purpose  set  forth  in  the  petition. 

A  list  also  was  to  be  prepared  by  the  committee,  of  those 
who  by  reason  of  service  in  the  Narragansett  war  or  their 
legal  representatives  were  entitled  to  a  share  in  the  lands 
thus  laid  out. 

As  it  turned  out  that  the  number  of  claimants  as 
reported  by  the  committee  was  so  great  that  the  land  grant 
would  be  insufficient  for  them  all,  the  committee  was 
instructed  to  lay  out  "  two  tracts  of  land  for  Townships  of 
the  contents  of  six  miles  square,"  the  same  conditions 
being  imposed  as  in  the  first  order. 

After  some  delay  and  some  controversy  as  to  the 
sufficiency  of  the  lands  granted  there   being  disagreement 


Concord  4O3 

between  the  Council  and  House  of  Representatives  with 
regard  to  it,  the  latter  body  January  19,  1 731,  sent  up  to  the 
Council  a  pleading  message  in  advocacy  of  the  claims  of  the 
Narragansett  soldiers  and  their  representatives.  The 
following  is  a  copy  of  a  part  of  this  paper  : 

"And  one  great  Reason  is  that  there  was  a  Proclamation 
made  to  the  Army  in  the  name  of  the  Government  (  as 
living  Evidences  very  fully  testify )  when  they  were 
mustered  on  Dedham  Plain  where  they  began  their  March, 
that  if  they  played  the  man,  took  the  Fort  &  Drove  the 
Enemy  out  of  the  Narraganset  Country,  which  was  their 
great  Seat,  that  they  should  have  a  gratuity  in  Land  besides 
their  Wages  ;  and  it  is  well  known,  &  our  Sitting  to  hear 
this  petition  is  an  Evidence  that  this  was  done  ;  and  as  the 
Conditions  have  been  performed,  certainly  the  promise  in 
all  Equity  &  Justice  ought  to  be  fulfilled;  and  if  we  Con- 
sider the  Difficulties  these  brave  men  went  through  in 
Storming  the  Fort  in  the  Depth  of  Winter,  &  the  pinching 
wants  they  afterwards  underwent  in  pursuing  the  Indians 
that  escaped  through  a  hideous  Wilderness  famously  known 
throughout  New  England  to  this  day  by  the  Name  of  the 
hungry  March  ;  and  if  we  further  Consider  that  until  this 
brave  though  small  army  thus  played  the  Man,  the  whole 
Country  was  filled  with  Distress  &  fear  &  We  trembled  in 
this  Capital  Boston  itself  &  that  to  the  Goodness  of  God  to 
this  army  We  owe  our  Fathers  &  our  own  Safety  & 
Estates,  We  cannot  but  think  that  those  Instruments  of 
Our  Deliverance  &  Safety  ought  to  be  not  only  justly  but 
also  gratefully  &  generously  rewarded  &  even  with  much 
more  than  they  prayed  for.  If  we  measure  what  they 
receive  from  us,  by  what  we  enjoy  and  have  received  from 
them. 

We  need  not  mention  to  the  Honorable  Board  the 
Wisdom  Justice  and  Generosity  of  Our  Mother  Country 
&  of  the  ancient  Romans,  on  such  Occasions,  Triumph, 
Orations,  Hereditary  Honors  &  privileges  all  the  Riches, 
Lands  &  Spoils  of  War  and  conquered  Countrys  have  not 


A.OA.  Colonial 

been  thought  too  great  for  those  to  whom  they  have  not 
owed  more  if  so  much  as  We  do  those  our  DeHverers  :  & 
We  ought  further  to  observe  what  greatly  adds  to  their 
merit  that  they  were  not  Vagabonds  &  Beggars  &  Out- 
casts, of  which  Armies  are  sometimes  considerably  made 
up,  who  run  the  Hasards  of  War  to  Avoid  the  Danger  of 
Starving :  so  far  from  this  that  these  were  some  of  the  best 
of  Our  men,  the  Fathers  &  Sons  of  some  of  the  greatest  & 
best  of  Our  families  and  could  have  no  other  View  but  to 
Serve  the  Country  &  whom  God  was  pleased  accordingly 
in  every  remarkable  manner  to  Honour  &  Succeed." 

A  result  of  this  message  and  a  renewal  of  the  soldiers' 
petition  was  the  appointment  of  a  committee  for  an  adjust- 
ment of  claims  ;  and  pursuant  to  the  work  of  the  committee 
townships  were  confirmed,  among  which  was  Narragansett 
township  No.  6,  now  Templeton,  Mass. 

This  township  was  confirmed  to  one  hundred  and  twenty 
claimants  or  their  representatives  then  living  in  the  towns 
of  Concord,  Groton,  Marlborough,  Chelmsford,  Billerica, 
Lancaster,  Lexington,  Stow,  Framingham,  Littleton, 
Sherborn,  Stoneham,  Southborough  and  Woburn. 

Samuel  Chandler  of  Concord  was  one  of  the  Committee 
to  have  the  matter  in  charge. 

The  following  are  the  familiar  Concord  names  found  in 
a  list  given  in  the  old  "Proprietors*  Record"  Book  in 
Templeton,  headed 

"June  24,  1735.     Those  that  drawed  their  lots  in  the 
Narragansett  Township  No.  6." 

No.  of  lot  Claimant  Grantees  and  references. 

49  Samuel    Chandler    for Joseph    Buss 

52  Samuel   Chandler  for  .   .   .  Assignee  to  John  Taley 

1 9  Benjamin  Temple  .  in  the  right  of  his  father  Abraham 

9  96  Simon  Davis 

39  Johnathan  Buttrick  .   .  for  heirs  of  Samuel  Buttrick 

8  Ephraim  Brown  ...  for  his  father  Thomas  Brown 

14  Samuel  Miles 

26  John  Wood 


Concord 


405 


80  Joseph  Buckley   .   .       .  for  his  father  Peter  Buckley 

18  George  Farrar  i heir  to  Samuel  How 

118  Daniel  Adams  .   .  for  his  father-in-law  Daniel  Dean 

III  Daniel  Billings  for  his  father  .   .   Nathaniel  Billings 

643        Joseph  Wheat  for Moses  Wheat 

117  Abraham  Taylor 

7  Samuel    Hartwell   for  his  father Samuel 

120  David     Wheeler  .   ,   .  assignee  to  Samuel  Greeland 

79  Thomas  Ball 

69  Ebenezer  Wheeler for  his  father  John 

23  Nathan  Brooks for  "Snow" 

42  Eleazer  Bateman 

25  John  Wheeler for  his   brother  Joseph 

32  Joseph  Wood 

43  John  Adams 

21  Ephraim  Temple 

102  John  Barrett 

The  following  is  an  additional  list  which  purports  to 

be  the  names  of  Concord  Claimants. 

Claimants  Grantees 

Samuel  Chandler assignee  to  John  Griggs 

Samuel  Chandler  Jr assignee  to  John  Kent 

Jonathan  Whiting  alive 

Jane   Cane for  her  father  John  Cane 

William  Clark heir  to  John  Taylor 

James  Russel for  his  father  Benjamin 

The  Concord  soldiers  were  probably  absent  from  home 
about  two  months,  during  which  time  they  were  subjected  to 
great  hardship  occasioned  by  long  marches,  hunger  and 
cold. 

After  the  withdrawal  of  the  expedition  to  Wickford  it 
rested  till  after  the  last  of  January.  The  snow  storm  that 
was  raging  at  the  time  of  the  battle  lasted  several  days  and  was 
followed  by  a  sudden  thaw  which  swelled  the  streams  and 
softened  the  ways  making  marching  difficult. 

After  the  first  of  February  however,  the  forces  broke 
camp    and    then  and    there  began  the  forward  movement 


Concord  406 

which  for  generations  was  designated  as  the  "Long  March" 
or  "Hungry  March."  The  objective  point  was  the  Nip- 
muck  Country.  The  course  to  it  was  long  and  circuitous. 
The  provisions  gave  out  and  the  httle  army  was  forced  to 
kill  some  of  its  horses  to  sustain  life.  The  toe  harrassed 
their  flank  and  rear,  and  after  a  long  and  fruitless  attempt 
to  bring  him  to  an  open  engagement  they  arrived  worn  and 
weary  at  the  region  of  the  Connecticut  river,  and  General 
Appleton  seeing  that  the  Expedition  could  accomplish  no 
further  purpose,  came  from  Marlborough  to  Boston,  reaching 
there  about  the  first  of  February. 

As  Concord  was  creditably  represented  both  as  to  the 
town's  soldiers  who  took  part  in  the  Swamp  fight  and  the 
position  which  they  occupied,  it  may  be  appropriate  to  pub- 
lish the  following  account  of  the  engagement  as  it  is  given 
in  a  letter  from  Capt.  James  Oliver  who  commanded  the 
third  company.  The  letter  is  taken  from  Hutchinson's 
History  of  Massachusetts,  Vol.  i  page  272  third  edition. 
In  this  work  the  authorship  of  the  letter  which  is  without 
a  signature  is  attributed  to  Major  Bradford,  but  it  has  been 
asserted  by  Mr.  Drake  author  of  "Book  of  the 
Indians"  who  had  seen  the  original,  to  have  been  signed  by 
Capt.  Oliver. 
"  Narraganset  26""  ii""  month  1675. 

After  a  tedious  march  in  a  bitter  cold  night  that  followed 
Dec.  12'''  we  hoped  our  pilot  would  have  led  us  to  Pom- 
ham  by  break  of  day,  but  so  it  came  to  pass  we  were  mis- 
led and  so  missed  a  good  oportunity.  Dec.  13"^,  we  came 
to  Mr.  Smith's,  and  that  day  took  ^c^  prisoners.  Dec.  14*^ 
our  General  went  out  with  horse  and  foot,  I  with  my  com- 
pany was  left  to  keep  garrison.  I  sent  out  30  of  my  men 
to  scout  abroad,  who  killed  two  Indians  and  brought  in  4 
prisoners,  one  of  which  was  beheaded.  Our  Army  came 
home  at  night,  killed  7  and  brought  in  9  more,  young  and 
old.  Dec.  15**',  came  in  John,  a  rogue,  with  pretence  of 
peace,  and  was  dismissed  with  this  errand,  that  we  might 
speak  with  Sachems.     That  evening,  he  not  being  gone  a 


407  Colonial 

quarter  of  an  hour,  his  company  that  lay  behind  a  hill  killed 
two  Salem  men  within  a  mile  of  our  quarters,  and  wounded 
a  third  that  he  is  dead.  And  at  a  house  tnree  miles  off 
where  I  had  10  men,  they  killed  2  of  them.  Instantly, 
Capt.  Mosely,  myself  and  Capt.  Gardner  were  sent  to  fetch 
in  Major  Appleton's  company  that  was  kept  3  miles  and  an 
half  off,  and  coming  they  lay  behind  a  stone  wall  and  fired 
upon  us  in  sight  of  the  garrison.  We  killed  the  captain  that 
killed  one  of  the  Salem  men,  and  had  his  cap  on.  That 
night  they  burned  Jerry  Bull's  house,  and  killed  17.  Dec. 
16*''  came  that  news.  Dec.  17'^  came  news  that  the  Con- 
necticut forces  were  at  Petasquamscot,  and  had  killed  4 
Indians  and  took  6  prisoners.  That  day  we  sold  Capt.  Dav- 
enport 47  Indians,  young  and  old  for  80/.  in  money.  Dec. 
17  ""  we  marched  to  Petasquamscot  with  all  our  forces,  only 
a  garrison  left ;  that  night  was  very  stormy  ;  we  lay,  one 
thousand  strong,  in  the  open  field  that  long  night.  In  the 
morning,  Dec.  19'^,  Lord's  day,  at  five  o'clock  we  marched. 
Between  12  and  i  we  came  up  with  the  enemy,  and  had  a 
sore  fight  three  hours.  We  lost,  that  are  now  dead,  about 
68,  and  had  150  wounded,  many  of  which  are  recovered. 
That  long  snowy  cold  night  we  had  about  18  miles  to  our 
quarters,  with  about  210  dead  and  wounded.  We  left  8 
dead  in  the  fort.  We  had  but  12  dead  when  we  came  from 
the  swamp,  besides  the  three  we  left.  Many  died  by  the 
way,  and  soon  as  they  were  brought  in,  so  that  Dec.  20**^ 
we  buried  in  a  grave  34,  next  day  4,  next  day  2,  and  none 
since  here.  Eight  died  at  Rhode  Island,  one  at  Petasquam- 
scot, 2  lost  in  the  woods  and  killed  Dec.  20,  as  we  heard 
since;  some  say  two  more  died.  By  the  best  intelligence 
we  killed  300  fighting  men;  prisoners  we  took,  say  350, 
and  above  300  women  and  children.  We  burnt  above  500 
houses,  left  but  9,  burnt  all  their  corn,  that  was  in  baskets, 
great  store.  One  signal  mercy  that  night,  not  to  be  forgot- 
ten, viz  :  that  when  we  drew  off,  with  so  many  dead  and 
wounded,  they  did  not  pursue  us,  which  the  young  men 
would  have  done,  but  the  sachems  would  not  consent ;  they 


4o8  Concord 

had  but  lo  pounds  of  powder  left.  Our  General,  with  about 
40,  lost  our  way  and  wandered  till  7  o'clock  in  the  morn- 
ing before  we  came  to  our  quarters.  We  thought  we  were 
within  1  miles  of  the  enemy  again,  but  God  kept  us  ;  to 
him  be  the  glory.  We  have  killed  now  and  then  i  since, 
and  burnt  200  wigwams  more  ;  we  killed  9  last  Tuesday. 
We  fetch  in  their  corn  daily  and  that  undoes  them.  This 
is,  as  nearly  as  I  can,  a  true  relation.  I  read  the  narrative 
to  my  officers  in  my  tent,  who  all  assent  to  the  truth  of  it. 
Monhegins  and  Pequods  proved  very  false,  fired  into  the 
air,  and  sent  word  before  they  came  they  would  so,  but  got 
much  plunder,  guns  and  kettles.  A  great  part  of  what  is 
already  written  was  attested  by  Joshua  Teffe,  who  married 
an  Indian  woman  a  Wampanoag.  He  shot  20  times  at  us 
in  the  swamp,  was  taken  at  Providence  Jan'y  14,  brought 
to  us  the  16**',  and  executed  the  18*^.  A  sad  wretch,  he, 
never  heard  a  sermon  but  once  these  14  years.  His  father 
going  to  recall  him  lost  his  head  and  Hes  unburied." 


THE 

NEW  YORK 

PUBLIC  LIBRARY 

Astor,  Lenox  and  TUden  , 
Foundations. 


CHAPTER  XL. 

The  Advance  of  the  English  to  the  Nipmuck  Country 
—  Movements  of  Canonchet  —  Indian  Depredations 
in  the  Spring  of  idy^-d  —  Their  Descent  upon  Con- 
cord Village  —  Isaac  and  Jacob  Shepard  Slain  — 
Mary  Shepard  made  Captive  —  Place  of  the  Trag- 
edy —  Description  of  the  Event  —  l^he  Escape  of 
Mary  Shepard — I'he  Removal  of  the  Nashoba 
Indians  from  Concord  —  Sketch  of  Capt.  Samuel 
Mosely  —  His  Antecedents  —  Character  of  His  Sol- 
diers. 

ON  Feb.  12,  1675,  occurred  the  "Nashoba  incident" 
or  the  massacre  at  "Concord  Village"  as  the  Con- 
cord "new  grant"  was  sometimes  called. 

After  the  desertion  of  their  fort  and  perhaps 
while  the  wigwams  with  their  charred  corn  heaps  were  still 
smouldering,  Canonchet  and  the  remnant  of  his  warriors 
who  with  some  of  the  families  had  escaped  while  the  burn- 
ing was  yet  going  on  returned  to  their  ruined  homes  to 
gather  it  may  be  what  little  remained  of  their  rude  imple- 
ments for  cooking,  or  any  unburnt  provision  which  for  the 
time  being  they  might  subsist  upon.  They  buried  their 
dead,  cared  for  the  wounded,  and  after  sending  their  women 
and  children  who  survived  the  fight  and  flames  to  a  place 
of  safety,  sullenly  and  with  a  savage  determination  started 
on  the  track  of  their  destroyers  as  they  marched  forth  from 
Wickford.  At  every  step  they  harried  them  till  they 
reached  the  Connecticut  valley  where  Canonchet  formed  an 
alliance  with  the  Nipmucks  at  their  old  headquarters  at 
Meminisset  near  Brookfield. 

At  this  time  it  is  supposed  that  Canonchet  rather  than 
409 


4 1  o  Colonial 

King  Philip  was  the  real  leader  of  the  great  horde  of  con- 
federated but  unorganized  Indians,  which  it  is  believed  at 
this  stage  of  the  war  had  planned  to  drive  the  English  from 
the  Nipmuck  country.  But  Canonchet  soon  went  on  an 
errand  to  the  southward  where  things  went  adversely  to  him 
and  he  was  captured  and  shot.  A  little  later,  Philip  went  west- 
ward, perhaps  seeking  new  alliances  in  New  York,  even 
visiting,  it  may  be,  the    Maquas  or  Mohawks. 

In  the  meantime,  during  the  closing  months  of  the  year 
1675,  ^^^  ^^^  y^^i*  ^^  ^^'^^^  t\n\Q  by  the  reckoning  called  "Old 
Style"  ended  in  March,  the  Indians  were  more  or  less  broken 
up  into  small  marauding  parties  or  squads,  which  scattered 
over  the  country  disturbed  the  inhabitants  and  every  now  and 
then  pounced  upon  the  defenseless  homesteads.  On  Febru- 
ary 1st,  one  of  these  squads  made  a  descent  upon  the 
home  of  Thomas  Eames  situated  upon  the  southerly  side 
of  Mt.  Waite  near  the  present  South  Framingham,  and 
burned  the  buildings  after  killing  or  taking  captive  his  fam- 
ily of  ten  persons  while  Mr.  Eames  was  absent  at  Boston 
to  obtain  a  stock  of  ammuunition  with  which  to  defend 
them. 

Feb.  10,  Lancaster  was  burned,  the  Rowlinson  garrison 
captured,  and  the  wife  of  Rev.  Joseph  Rowlinson  the  min- 
ister was  carried  away  captive.  On  the  12th,  the  Indians 
made  a  raid  on  Concord  village,  now  a  part  of  Littleton, 
and  killed  two  men  and  captured  a  girl. 

The  place  of  the  tragedy  was  on  the  south  side  of  Qua- 
gana  Hill,  and  the  persons  slain  and  captured  were  children 
oi  Ralfe  and  Thanklord  Shepard  who  went  from  Maiden 
near  a  place  since  called  Bell  Rock  to  Cone  )rd  village, 
where  he  bought  of  Lieuf  Joseph  Wheeler  of  Concord  610 
acres  lying  in  the  form  of  a  triangle  between  the  Indian 
plantation  of  Nashoba  and  that  part  of  Chelmsford  which 
is  now  Westford;  Nagog  pond  forming  the  base  of  the  tri- 
angle, the  apex  being  two  miles  one-quarter  and  sixty  rods 
north  from  the  southwest  end  of  Nagog  pond. 


Concord  411 

The  names  of  the  persons  slain  and  captured  were  Isaac, 
Jacob,  and  Mary. 

Isaac  was  born  June  20,  1639,  and  married  Mary  Smed- 
ley,  1667.  Jacob  was  born  in  1653,  and  Mary  the  young- 
est of  the  family  was  born  in  1660  or  1662. 

When  the  Indians  swooped  down  upon  the  Shepard 
homestead  the  ground  was  covered  with  snow  to  such  a 
depth  that  snow  shoes  were  used.  The  event  happened 
on  Saturday,  and  Isaac  and  Jacob  were  threshing  in  the  barn. 
Being  aware  of  the  perilous  times,  they  had  set  their  sister 
on  the  summit  of  a  hill  to  watch  for  Indians;  but  the  sav- 
ages eluded  her  vigilance  and  before  she  was  aware  of  their 
presence  she  was  captured  and  her  brothers  were  slain. 

Tradition  does  not  inform  us  just  where  the  girl  was 
taken  to  ;  some  think  it  was  in  the  neighborhood  of  Lan- 
caster, others  that  it  was  as  far  off  as  Brookfield,  but  wher- 
ever it  was  she  soon  escaped  and  returned  home. 

Hubbard  in  his  narrative  of  the  Indian  wars  says  of  Mary 
Shepard  that  "she  strangely  escaped  away  upon  a  horse  that 
the  Indians  had  taken  from  Lancaster  a  little  while  before." 
Tradition  asserts  that  she  escaped  during  the  night  follow- 
ing the  day  of  her  capture  and  arrived  home  the  next 
morning. 

Rev.  Edmund  Foster  a  former  minister  of  Littleton  in  a 
"Century  Sermon"  preached  in  the  year  181 5,  stated 
concerning  the  event  that  tradition  says  the  girl  was 
carried  by  the  savages  to  Nashawa,  now  called  Lancaster, 
or  to  some  place  in  the  neighborhood  of  it. 

Samuel  Gardner  Drake  in  his  notes  on  the  "Old  Indian 
Chronicle"  says  that  the  leader  of  the  band  who  slew  the 
Shepard  brothers  is  supposed  to  have  been  Netus,  the  same 
who  attacked  the  Eames  family,  and  who  was  sometimes 
called  the  Nipmuck  Captain.  Netus  was  slain  the  22nd  of 
March  following,  by  a  company  of  men  from  Sudbury,  who 
with  some  soldiers  from  Marlboro  found  him  asleep  with 
a  company  of  Indians  around  their  campfire,  Foster  says 
that  in  the  dead  of  night  as  related    by  tradition,   Mary 


4^2  Colonial 

Shepard  took  a  saddle  from  under  the  head  of  her  Indian 
keeper  when  sunk  in  sleep  increased  by  the  fumes  of  ardent 
spirit,  put  the  saddle  on  a  horse,  mounted  him,  swam 
him  across  Nashawa  river,  and  so  escaped  the  hands  of  her 
captors  and  arrived  safe  to  her  relatives  and  friends. 

Mrs.  Rowlinson  says  that  the  onlv  time  she  ever  saw  any 

Indian  intoxicated  during  her  captivity  was  just  before  her 

release  when  John  Hoar  had  given  her  master  some  liquor 

as  part  of  her  ransom  and  he  got  drunk  on  it. 

The  Removal  of  the  Nashoba  Indians  from  Concord 

TO  Deer  Island. 

Soon  after  the  massacre  at  Quagana  hill  a  movement  was 
made  to  remove  the  Nashobas  from  the  care  of  their  friend 
John  Hoar  to  Deer  Island,  Boston  Harbor. 

As  we  have  in  an  early  chapter  of  this  work  referred 
briefly  to  this  event  giving  some  account  of  it,  we  will  here 
only  supplement  it  with  such  additional  statements  as  were 
not  there  brought  out,  and  properly  belong  to  the  period 
upon  which  we  are  writing. 

During  the  stay  of  these  Indians  at  Concord  under  the 
charge  of  John  Hoar  they  were  given  employment,  and  are 
represented  as  being  contented  ;  but  there  were  intermed- 
dlers  in  their  affairs;  and  a  part  of  the  Concord  people 
allowed  their  dislike  of  all  Indians  to  take  such  acute  form 
as  to  send  for  the  savage  adventurer,  Capt.  Samuel  Mosely 
to  take  them  away. 

And  here  it  is  important  to  pause  in  our  narration  suffi- 
ciently long  to  set  forth  some  facts  connected  with  the  life 
and  character  of  Samuel  Mosely,  whose  name  and  fame  in 
King  Philip's  war  were  both  savory  and  unsavory. 

Samuel  Mosely  was  the  son  of  Henry  Maudsley  who 
came  from  England  to  Massachusetts  in  1685  in  the  ship 
Hopewell.  The  family  was  of  Lancashire,  England,  and 
the  name  was  there  spelled  Maudesley.  Henry  lived  at 
Braintree  where  Samuel  was  born  June  14,  1641.  Samuel 
spelled  his  name  Mosley  ;  he  married  Ann  Addington.  In 
1688  he  was  one  of  a  commission  sent  to  treat  with  the 


Concord  413 

Narragansett  Indians,  and  In  connection  with  this  service  is 
called  "Captain." 

In  a  work  entitled  "The  Present  State  of  New  England," 
it  is  said  of  him  "This  Captain  Mosley  has  been  a  Priva- 
teer at  Jamaica,  an  excellent  soldier  and  an  undaunted 
spirit ;  one  whose  memory  will  be  honored  in  New  England, 
for  his  many  eminent  services  he  hath  done  the  Public." 

That  Samuel  Mosely  had  been  somewhat  of  an  adven- 
turer upon  the  high  seas  is  probably  true.  One  writer  says 
of  him  that  "he  had  visited  Jamaica  in  the  way  of  trade,  and 
the  adventurous  spirit  had  been  excited  and  schooled  per- 
haps by  Sir  Henry  Morgan  and  his  associate  buccaneers; 
the  result  of  which  was  the  bringing  home  to  Boston  the 
prizes  from  some  unmentioned  enemy." 

A  part  of  the  experience  of  Capt.  Mosely  as  a  quasi 
mariner  was  obtained  by  acting  on  a  permit  from  the  Court 
to  take  reprisals  from  the  Dutch,  who  in  several  instances 
had  captured  vessels  belonging  to  the  English. 

In  1674  and  5,  he  was  given  the  command  of  an  expedi- 
tion for  this  purpose  which  was  fitted  out  by  some  mer- 
chants in  Boston  whose  comm^ce  had  been  molested,  and 
succeeded  in  taking  three  vessels  —  the  "Edward  and 
Thomas"  whose  captain  was  Peter  Roderigo,  the  "Penob- 
scot Shallopp"  Cornelius  Anderson,  Captain,  and  the  "Shal- 
lopp  called  Philipp." 

The  crews  who  manned  these  vessels  were  brought  into 
Boston  April  2'  1675  ^"^  imprisoned  to  wait  their  trial  for 
piracy  the  following  May. 

Much  excitement  existed  during  the  trial  of  these  men 
and  some  sympathy  was  expressed  for  the  Dutch  prisoners 
who  set  up  a  defense  by  pretending  to  produce  a  commis- 
sion given  by  William,  Prince  of  Orange,  and  the  allega- 
tion of  an  infringement  of  the  law  of  nations  on  the  part  of 
the  American  ships  by  trading  with  the  French  while  the 
Dutch  were  at  war  with  them.  The  result  of  the  trial  was 
that  five  out  of  nine  who  were  indicted  for  piracy  were  con- 
victed and  sentenced  to  be  put  to  death.   It  occurred,  how 


4I4  Colonial 

ever,  that  on  account  of  the  existence  of  the  Indian  war  an 
execution  of  the  sentence  was  deterred,  and  Roderigo  upon 
his  own  petition  was  pardoned;  and  Anderson,  having  been 
acquitted,  both  entered  the  Colonial  service  as  soldiers. 
When  the  war  broke  out  by  the  slaying  of  Sassamon  or 
Sausamon  and  the  attack  upon  Swansea  which 
quickly  followed,  three  companies  were  raised  to  meet 
the  emergency,  one  of  infantry  from  Essex  county  ;  one 
from  Suffolk  ;  and  a  company  of  horse  from  the  various 
towns  of  Middlesex.  The  Suffolk  company  was  commanded 
by  Samuel  Mosely,  and  is  supposed  to  have  been  made  up  in 
part  of  some  of  these  adventurers. 

That  Mosely  and  some  of  this  element  gravitated  together 
as  comrades  in  arms,  "doing  duty"  near  Brookfield  shortly 
after  the  Wheeler  disaster  is  indicated  by  the  following 
statement  preserved  among  the  state  archives  Vol.  68  page  7. 

"Boston,  October  y*"  13,  1675. 
To  the  honored  Governor  &  Councell  of  the  Massathusets 

Colony  in  New  England. 

These  are  to  signyfie  that  Cornellius \_sic~\  Con- 
sort the  Dutchman  was  uppon  the  Contryes  Servis  Att  qua- 
bage  and  by  the  Councle  of  Warre  there  was  sent  out 
Capt.  of  the  for  lorne  And  Afterward  marched  to  Grot- 
ton  &  Chemsfort  According  to  my  best  Advice  continued 
in  the  Countryes  Servis  six  weekes  Cornellius  being  Reddy 
to  depart  the  Country  &  myself  being  here  att  boston  the 
Major  Willard  being  Absent  I  granted  this  ticket. 

Thomas  Wheeler,  Capt. 
Cornelius  Anderson  was  sometimes  called  Cornelius  Consort. 

So  popular  was  Capt.  Mosely  that  although  he  was  out- 
side the  line  of  official  succession  by  the  stiff  rule  of  colon- 
ial promotion,  so  that  he  could  not  hold  a  commission  in 
the  regular  way,  he  raised  an  independent  company  of  no 
volunteers  in  three  hours. 

As  late  as  May  5,  1676,  Samuel  Mosely  received  a  com- 
mission while  connected  with  the  command  of  Major  Sav- 


Concord  4t^ 

age  and  the  wages  of  his  soldiers  were  raised  by  popular 
subscription. 

Mosely  and  his  men  in  addition  to  their  wages  were  to 
have  all  the  profits  accruing  from  the  plunder  or  sale  of 
Indian  captives;  and  in  case  these  did  not  prove  sufficient 
the  Court  was  to  make  up  the  balance. 

"On  August  34,  1676  at  a  great  sale  of  Indian  captives 
he  is  charged  with  i  boy  and  girle  6^;  &  13  squawes  & 
pappooses  20 jC^ 

Savage  says  that  Mosely  died  Jan.  1680.  He  died 
intestate.  His  administratrix  was  his  widow  Ann  Mosely 
and  among  his  assets  as  inventoried  mention  is  made  of  an 
old  musket  and  sword  in  the  "Garret." 

That  all  the  men  that  served  under  Capt.  Mosely  were 
adventurers  or  were  recklessly  inconsiderate  of  the  claims 
of  humanity  is  not  to  be  presumed.  For  even  if  at  the  out- 
set his  men  were  unlike  the  average  of  those  who  served  in 
other  companies,  yet  regiments  and  companies  were  subject 
to  change.  As  the  ranks  were  thinned  by  the  enemy  and 
the  hardships  of  marches  and  exposure  to  extreme  weather, 
they  were  doubtless  replenished  with  whatever  material  came 
to  hand.  Hence  we  may  perhaps  account  for  the  presence 
of  occasional  names  associated  with  some  of  the  old  towns 
of  Middlesex  county.  The  discovery  of  the  name  of  Rich- 
ard Adams  of  Sudbury  who  was  wounded  in  the  Swamp 
Fight  while  serving  In  Capt.  Mosely's  company  may  have 
led  the  writer  to  make  the  statement  In  his  History  of  Sud- 
bury that  the  quota  sent  from  that  town  for  the  Narra- 
gansett  Expedition  served  In  Mosely's  company ;  whereas 
the  fact  Is  that  the  men  from  Sudbury  were  In  the  company 
of  Capt.  Davenport  and  served  with  the  soldiers  from  Con- 
cord. The  name  of  Richard  Adams  is  found  In  a  list  of 
Mosely's  men  who  mustered  at  Dedham  Dec.  9,  1675  ^°^ 
the  Narragansett  campaign.  Mass.  Archives  Vol.  167  page 
293.  In  that  list  are  names  that  are  unfamiliar,  some  of 
them  perhaps  being  French  or  Dutch  anglicised  In  spelling. 
In  estimating  the  character  of  Capt.  Mosely  we  are  not  to 


4 1 6  Colonial 

infer  simply  from  the  fact  that  he  is  accredited  with  certain 
Indian  captives  which  were  sold  to  him  that  he  was  excep- 
tionally severe  in  his  dealing  with  the  savages,  it  being 
asserted  in  Capt.  Oliver's  letter  that  on  a  certain  day  "we 
sold  Capt.  Davenport  47  Indians,  young  and  old  for  80^ 
in  money."  It  was  the  common  practice  to  dispose  of 
Indian  prisoners  in  this  way.  Even  the  wife  and  child  of 
King  Philip  were  sold  into  West  Indian  slavery.  Mosely's 
character  is  to  be  judged  by  his  own  isolated  conduct,  not 
by  practises  that  he  engaged  in  in  common  with  others. 
Neither  are  we  to  suppose  that  he  was  altogether  uncouth 
in  manner,  nor  wholly  lacking  in  that  culture  which  charac- 
terized some  of  the  early  colonists.  He  was,  we  infer  from 
his  influence  upon  and  association  with  the  leaders  of  the 
times,  their  peer  in  matters  of  petty  diplomacy,  and  even, 
it  may  be,  partook  of  the  customary  reverence  for  and 
recognition  of  things  sacred. 


THE 
NEW  YORK 

f  PUBLIC  LIBRARY^ 

A,. 


CHAPTER  XLI. 

Movements  of  the  Indians  after  the  Narragansett 
Campaign  —  Expedition  into  the  Nipmuck  Country 

—  Dismissal  of  Soldiers  from  the  Garrison    Houses 

—  The  Disastrous  Results  —  Advance  of  the 
Indians  to  the  Eastward  —  The  Alarm  —  'The 
Starting  of  Relief  Companies  —  Soldiers  from  Boston 
Watertown  and  Concord —  Capt.  Samuel  tVads- 
wortK s  Command  —  His  Arrival  at  Marlborough — 
The  Return  to  Sudbury  —  The  Ambuscade  —  The 
Wadsworth  Fight  at  Green  Hill — The  Forest 
Fire —  The  Rout  —  Escape  to  the  Mill  at  Hop 
Brook  —  Burial  of  the  Slain  —  'The  Woodland 
Grave  —  Siege  of  the  Haynes  House  —  Attempted 
Rescue  by  the  Concord  Men  —  Ambuscade  of  the 
Concord  Soldiers  —  The  Route  Taken  to  Sudbury. 

AS  before  observed,  after  the  Narragansett  Swamp 
Fight  and  the  ending  of  the  "Hungry  March," 
repeated  depredations  were  committed  npon  the 
frontier  towns  from  the  Connecticut  river  easterly 
as  far  as  Concord  Village.  But  these  predatory  bands  were 
easily  concentrated  at  the  call  of  King  Philip  who  by  the 
departure  of  Canonchet  to  Connecticut  about  this  time  had 
become  the  sole  director  of  the  Nipmuck  Indians  and  what 
few  fugitive  Narragansett  confederates  remained  with 
them.  Shortly  after  the  middle  of  February  it  was  reported 
that  there  were  two  large  fortified  Indian  encampments  in 
the  central  part  of  Massachusetts,  one  near  the  Wachuset 
hill,  the  other  at  Meminesset.  To  meet  the  existing  con- 
ditions, the  Colonies  of  Massachusetts  and  Connecticut  pro- 


41 8  Colonial 

posed  organizing  another  army  consisting  of  six  hundred 
men.  The  Massachusetts  contingent  was  placed  under  com- 
mand of  Major  Thomas  Savage,  and  marched  to  Meminis- 
set  about  March  ist.  They  found  that  the  foe  had  disap- 
peared. For  some  cause  the  Indians  who  were  gathered 
about  Wachuset,  were  not  attacked  and  the  Council  prob- 
ably considering  it  inexpedient  for  the  force  to  remain  longer 
in  search  of  the  enemy  ordered  Major  Savage  to  withdraw 
■  his  troops  and  return  to  Boston.  For  a  time  the  principal 
opposing  forces  were  the  troops  stationed  at  the  central 
garrison  houses  and  those  engaged  in  the  ranging  service 
between  them.  At  some  of  these  central  posts  the  forces 
were  quite  efficient  and  commanded  by  able  captains,  as  for 
example,  the  one  at  Marlboro,  which  from  about  February 
5th  till  into  the  following  April  was  in  charge  of  Capt.  Samuel 
Brocklebank,  who  was  stationed  there  after  his  return  from 
the  Narragansett  expedition,  whither  he  went  with  a  reen- 
forcing  column  after  the  troops  left  Wickford. 

But  the  forces  at  these  posts  were  soon  after  weakened 
by  an  order  of  the  authorities  dismissing  some  of  the  men  ; 
the  council  thinking  perhaps  that  the  foe  was  subdued. 
But  the  opinion  was  sadly  erroneous,  and  to  some  of  the 
soldiers  and  settlers  it  was  a  fatal  one.  Shortly  after  the 
order  had  been  complied  with  the  Indians  again  became 
active,  and  along  the  frontier  there  were  signs  of  a  renewal 
of  hostilities.  The  forest  rang  with  their  shouts  of  triumph. 
The  old  garrison  doors  closed ;  and  everywhere  the  towns 
were  put  in  a  posture  of  defense.  Nor  was  the  preparation 
premature.  Soon  reports  came  of  burnings  and  plunder- 
ings;  and  messengers  went  speeding  through  the  forest  to  the 
Council  for  relief.  On  Feb.  21st  a  part  of  Medfield  was 
burned.  On  March  13th  Groton  was  destroyed.  On  the 
26th  the  Indians  fell  upon  Marlboro  burning  a  part  of  its 
dwellings,  and  on  the  28th,  Rehoboth  was  assailed.  That 
Philip  was  present  with  this  large  body  that  was  moving 
eastward,  while  it  may  not  be  absolutely  proven,  is  alto- 
gether probable.    According  to  Mrs.  Rowlandson,  who  was 


Concord  419 

a  captive  among  them,  he  was  in  the  vicinity  of  Wachuset 
about  that  time  with  a  large  force  of  Indians.  It  is  hardly 
probable  that  the  wily  chieftain,  so  near  a  large  body  of 
his  warriors,  would  not  be  present  directing  their  movements 
on  their  way  easterly. 

When  the  tidings  reached  the  Council  at  Boston  great  con- 
sternation was  created.  Never  before  had  King  Philip  with 
so  large  a  force  been  as  near  the  metropolis  of  the  Bay  Col- 
ony. Messengers  were  sent  out  with  the  news  in  every 
direction,  the  militia  was  put  in  motion  and  everything  pos- 
ible  was  done  to  check  the  enemy's  advance.  But  there  was 
little  need  of  any  extra  messengers,  the  towns  of  Middlesex 
were  already  astir.  The  signal  given  from  hamlet  to  hamlet 
had  aroused  the  watchful  inhabitants  and  whatever  forces 
could  be  spared  were  sent  at  once  to  the  line  of  dan- 
ger. A  force  was  despatched  from  Boston  consisting 
of  from  fifty  to  one  hundred  soldiers.  Another  was  started 
from  Watertown  led  by  Capt.  Hugh  Mason.  Others  who 
hurried  to  the  front  were  a  "ply  of  horse"  from  the  troop 
of  Capt.  Prentice  under  Corp.  Phipps,  and  Capt.  Hunting 
with  forty  friendly  Indians,  also  a  body  of  twelve  men  from 
Concord. 

The  company  from  Concord  was  made  up  in  part  at 
least  and  perhaps  wholly  of  the  town's  citizens,  some  of 
whom  may  have  been  eligible  to  impress  but  not 
in  the  service,  kept  at  home  it  may  be  for  garrison  work. 
History  does  not  inform  us  of  this  matter,  neither  does  trad- 
ition. The  record  says,  "Twelve  resolute  young  men ; " 
and  there  is  every  reason  to  infer  that  upon  the  first  indica- 
tion of  the  near  approach  of  the  foe  to  their  sister  town  of 
Sudbury  they  presented  themselves  voluntarily,  and  without 
being  bidden  hastened  to  the  rescue. 

It  would  be  interesting  to  follow  in  detail  so  far  as  there 
is  data  for  it,  the  fate  or  fortune  of  each  of  these  detach- 
ments as  they  hurried  to  the  scene  of  action  and  became  a 
part  of  it.      But  as  only  a  portion  of  them  are  nearly  related 


420  Colonial 

to  the  history  of  Concord  we  are  called  upon  to  confine  our 
narrative  chiefly  to  those. 

The  detachment  sent  from  Boston  was  commanded  by 
Capt.  Samuel  Wadsworth,  an  experienced  officer  who  had 
served  in  the  Nipmuck  country  under  Major  Savage,  going 
to  the  relief  of  beleagured  Lancaster,  a  short  time  previous. 
Hastening  with  all  speed  up  through  Sudbury  to  Marl- 
boro, where  it  was  reported  at  his  starting  that  the  enemy 
had  concentrated,  he  arrived  about  midnight  of  April  20, 
and  reported  to  Capt.  Brocklebank,  who  had  been  left  in 
charge  of  the  garrison  house  there,  all  other  houses  having 
been  burned. 

It  took  but  a  short  time  for  Wadsworth  to  learn  that 
after  sacking  and  destroying  the  town  the  Indians  had  gone 
in  the  direction  of  Sudbury.  Without  stopping  for  needed 
rest,  having  exchanged  some  of  his  tired  soldiers  and  younger 
men  for  a  part  of  the  garrison  guard  and  accompanied  by 
Capt.  Samuel  Brocklebank  who  desired  to  go  to  Boston  to 
speak  to  the  Council,  Wadsworth  at  once  retraced  his  steps 
back  to  Sudbury,  where  he  arrived  probably  by  early  after- 
noon the  day  following. 

Upon  his  entering  the  town  there  appeared  about  one 
hundred  Indians,  which  Wadsworth  may  have  supposed  was 
Philip's  main  force,  or  at  least  a  detachment  from  it, 
and  one  which  he  could  pursue  with  safety  and  easily 
capture  ;  but  it  was  a  mistake,  and  the  mistake  was  fatal. 
The  Indians  had  resorted  to  their  old  ruse  of  using  decoys ; 
and  the  same  tragic  experience  that  befell  Capt.  Wheeler 
at  Brookfield  and  Capt.  Lathrop  at  Bloody  Brook,  and 
Capt.  Beers  near  Northfield  and  notably  in  one  of  the  later 
wars  Gen.  Braddock,  was  in  store  for  Capts.  Wadsworth 
and  Brocklebank,  old  Indian  fighters  notwithstanding  both 
officers  were. 

Upon  seeing  the  savages  the  English  pursued,  but  sud- 
denly and  without  warning  were  surprised  by  a  number  esti- 
mated at  from  one  thousand  to  fifteen  hundred  who  fired 
upon  them  from  a  place  of  concealment  at  or  near  the  foot 


Concord  4i  I 

of  Green  hill  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile  from  the  present 
South  Sudbury  village.  The  trap  had  been  cunningly  set 
and  as  cunningly  sprung.  The  Indians  had  allowed  the 
English  to  pass  up  through  the  town  during  the  night,  and 
during  their  march  to  and  from  Marlboro  had  placed  in  wait- 
ing so  many  of  their  men  as  were  needed  for  the  ambuscade 
When  Wadsworth  returned,  as  they  believed  he  would  upon 
receiving  intelligence  of  their  absence  from  Marlboro,  they 
were  in  readiness  to  meet  him  with  their  murderous  volleys. 
After  the  first  firing  by  the  Indians,  which  was  not  so  deadly 
as  might  be  supposed  from  their  vantage  ground.  Wads- 
worth  closed  up  his  little  company  for  a  valiant  defence,  and 
from  that  time,  which  was  probably  not  far  from  mid  after- 
noon, the  fight  continued  till  after  nightfall.  On  the  one 
hand  it  was  a  combat  for  life,  on  the  other  for  a  mastery 
over  the  main  force  of  the  English  which  stood  between 
themselves  and  the  spoliation  of  the  town  of  Sudbury. 

No  sooner  had  Wadsworth  recovered  from  the  surprise 
than  he  attempted  to  gain  the  hill  top,  and  so  successfully 
that  by  night  he  had  reached  it,  and  with  a  chance  that  the 
foe  would  be  held  in  abeyance  till  reenforcements  reached 
him. 

From  tree  to  tree,  from  rock  to  rock,  from  over  fallen 
logs  the  fire  of  Wadsworth's  men  was  doubtless  well  directed; 
while  the  enemy  although  strong  and  active  were 
kept  well  in  the  distance  not  daring  to  fight  at  close  quar- 
ters. 

The  indications  as  set  forth  in  Philip's  war  are  that  the 
savage  was  too  cowardly  for  open  combat.  He  depended 
upon  surprises  and  trickery  or  upon  overwhelming  numbers. 
A  mistake  of  the  Council  and  Colonial  committees  may 
have  been  in  believing  that  they  could  capture  the  Indians 
by  large  expeditions  by  which  they  were  chased  from 
point  to  point  in  a  vain  attempt  to  draw  them  into  open 
battle.  The  Indian's  mode  of  living  and  familiarity  with  the 
country  enabled  him  to  elude  all  such  efforts,  and  except  lor 
the  destruction  of  an  Indian  fort  and  village  large  bodies  of 


41:2  Colonial 

troops  in  carefully  planned  campaigns  were  a  partial  failure, 
and  only  furnished  opportunity  for  Indian  ambushment. 

Wadsworth  had  gained  the  hilltop  and  was  within  night's 
friendly  shelter  both  of  which  he  had  probably  longed  for, 
but  the  wily  enemy  impatient  of  the  stubborn  de- 
fense and  aware  that  just  over  the  hill  to  the  easterly  was 
the  Watertown  company  endeavoring  to  break  through  to 
his  relief  and  that  with  the  morning  other  reenforcements 
would  arrive,  as  a  last  resort  set  fire  to  the  forest.  The  cri- 
sis had  come.  The  flames  fanned  by  the  April  breeze  set 
out  upon  their  disastrous  errand  without  mercy.  Soon  they 
reached  the  top  of  the  hill  where  the  brave  little  company 
stood  fearless  to  face  anything  human  but  powerless  to  do 
battle  with  this  new  agent.  The  last  moment  of  their 
remaining  together  had  arrived.  They  broke,  they  ran, 
down  through  the  brushwood  and  the  thickening  smoke  and 
through  the  gauntlet  of  savages.  The  Indian's  opportunity 
had  come.  Before  the  conflagration  was  started  they  had 
doubtless  so  stationed  themselves  as  to  form  a  complete  circle 
around  the  fire  enclosed  space ;  so  that  when  there  was  a 
struggle  to  escape  from  the  flames  not  an  Englishman  would 
have  a  fair  chance  of  escape.  Only  too  successfully  was  the 
programme  carried  out ;  for  of  the  forty  or  fifty  men  more 
or  less,  who  had  fought  through  the  long  hours  of  that 
April  afternoon  from  the  foot  to  the  summit  of  Green  hill 
less  than  a  score  escaped  and  found  shelter  in  the  neighboring 
mill  by  the  brook.  All  the  others  had  fallen  or  been  taken 
captive,  and  when  the  morning  sun  arose  and  the  terrible 
night  shadows  had  lifted,  the  charred  and  mangled  corpses 
of  that  band  of  brave  men  lay  scattered  over  that  piece  of 
burnt  woodland  to  be  gathered  in  kind  embrace  by  a  com- 
pany of  whites  and  friendly  Indians  and  laid  in  one  large 
lone  grave  in  the  wilderness. 

The  burial  scene  as  described  in  Gookin's  History  of  the 
Praying  Indians  is  as  follows  : 

"Upon  the  11^^  of  April  early  in  the  morning  over  forty 
Indians  having  stripped  themselves  and  painted  their  faces 


Concord  423 

like  to  the  enemy,  they  passed  over  the  bridge  to  the  west 
side  of  the  river  without  any  Englishmen  in  the  company, 
to  make  discovery  of  the  enemy  (which  was  generally  con- 
ceded quarter  thereabout),  but  this  did  not  at  all  discourage 
our  Christian  Indians  from  marching  and  discovering,  and 
if  they  had  met  with  them  to  beat  up  their  quarters.  But 
God  had  so  ordered  that  the  enemy  were  all  withdrawn  and 
were  retreated  in  the  night.  Our  Indian  soldiers  having 
made  a  thorough  discovery  and  to  their  great  relief  (for 
some  of  them  wept  when  they  saw  so  many  English  lie  dead 
on  the  place  among  the  slain),  some  they  knew,  viz,  those 
two  worthy  and  pious  Captains,  Capt.  Brocklebank  of  Row- 
ley and  Capt.  Wadsworth  of  Milton,  who  with  about  thirty 
two  private  soldiers  were  slain  the  day  before.  .  .  .  As  soon 
as  they  had  made  a  full  discovery,  [they]  returned  to  their 
Captains  and  the  rest  of  the  English,  and  gave  them  an 
account  of  their  motions.  Then  it  was  concluded  to  march 
over  to  the  place  and  bury  the  dead,  and  they  did  so. 
Shortly  after,  our  Indians  marching  in  two  files  upon  the 
wings  to  secure  those  that  went  to  bury  the  dead,  God  so 
ordered  it  that  they  met  with  no  interruption  in  that  work." 

A  rude  stone  heap  was  placed  over  the  grave,  it  may  be 
for  the  double  purpose  of  protecting  and  of  marking  it. 
In  1730,  President  Wadsworth  of  Harvard  College,  son  of 
the  Captain,  caused  a  slate  stone  to  be  erected  beside  the 
spot.  From  this  time  there  was  another  long  season 
of  neglect.  The  spring  time  came  with  its  decoration 
of  violets  and  wood  grass,  the  autumn  with  its  falling 
leaves,  and  the  winter  with  its  kindly  mantling  snows, 
each  in  its  turn  tenderly  placing  its  appropriate  token  upon 
the  lonely  grave.  At  length  after  the  lapse  of  nearly  two 
centuries  the  appearance  of  the  place  was  changed  by  the 
establishment  of  a  more  imposing  memorial. 

Having  narrated  the  leading  events  of  the  battle  of 
Green  hill  we  are  in  a  position  to  consider  the  movements 
of  the  men  from  Concord. 

On  the  night  that  Capt.  Wadsworth  left   Marlboro  and 


4^4  Colonial 

while  yet  on  the  march  back  to  Sudbury  the  Indians  were 
busy  in  preparation  for  assaulting  the  garrison  houses  of 
the  town.  These  houses  contained  at  that  time  in  all  prob- 
ability all  the  inhabitants  on  the  west  side  of  the  river; 
the  people  on  the  east  side,  or  what  is  now  Wayland  hav- 
ing fled  for  protection  to  the  fortified  meeting  house,  and 
fortified  parsonage  of  Rev.  Edmund  Brown,  the  former 
situated  at  a  spot  still  pointed  out  in  the  town's  first  bury- 
ing ground,  and  the  latter  at  the  junction  of  Mill  brook 
and  Sudbury  river. 

The  principle  garrison  attacked  was  that  known  as  the 
Walter  Haynes  house.  This  house  stood  upon  the  west 
side  of  the  Sudbury  river,  the  same  stream  which  in  Con- 
cord is  called  the  Concord  river,  near  the  meadows  about 
midway  between  the  present  Sudbury  centre  and  Wayland 
centre. 

The  attack  upon  this  house  began,  according  to  the  "Old 
Petition"  about  six  o'clock  in  the  morning  and  was  kept  up 
till  after  mid  day,  at  times  the  fight  occuring  in  the  very 
door  yard.  To  this  garrison  house  the  Concord  men 
directed  their  course.  They  probably  arrived  in  the  vicin- 
ity in  the  early  forenoon.  The  fight  at  Green  hill  had  not 
then  begun,  and  part  of  the  Indians  had  passed  over  the 
main  causeway  and  "town  bridge,"  which  are  a  part  of  the 
"old  road"  from  Wayland  to  Sudbury  center  and  were 
doing  mischievous  work  on  the  east  side.  A  sufficient  force 
was  probably  left  at  the  Haynes  house  to  keep  up  a  hard 
fight  with  the  inmates  and  to  prevent  it  from  being  reenforced. 
As  the  Concord  men  drew  near  the  garrison  house,  they 
saw  a  small  company  of  Indians  near  it,  and  doubtless  suppos- 
ing that  these  were  all  and  that  they  could  easily  overcome 
them  and  gain  entrance  to  the  building,  they  rushed  forward 
forgetful  in  their  impetuosity  of  the  risk  of  an  ambuscade. 
No  sooner  were  they  within  the  power  of  the  designing  sav- 
ages than  the  latter  arose  in  great  force  and  placing  them- 
selves between  the  English  and  the  garrison  house  fell  upon 
them  with  great  ferocity  and  so  disastrous  was  the  onslaught 


Concord  4!i^ 

that  but  one  escaped.  The  "Old  Indian  Chronicle"  says  : 
"They  were  waylaid  and  eleven  of  them  cut  off."  Hub- 
bard says:  "These  men  at  the  first  hearing  of  the  alarm, 
who  unawares  were  surprised  near  a  garrison  house,  in  hope 
of  getting  some  advantage  upon  a  small  party  of  the  enemy 
that  presented  themselves  in  a  meadow.  A  great  number 
of  the  Indians,  who  laid  unseen  in  the  bushes,  suddenly 
arose  up  and  intercepting  the  passage  to  the  garrison  house 
killed  and  took  them  all." 

That  resistance  was  made  we  may  infer  both  from  tradi- 
tion and  from  a  fragment  of  record  relating  to  the  estate  of 
James  Hosmer  who  was  among  the  slain.  The  former  says 
"There  was  a  bold  resistance  ;"  the  latter,  which  is  a  Probate 
matter,  speaks  of  Hosmer  as  "being  slayne  in  an  engagement 
with  the  Indians  at  Sudbury  on  the  21st  of  the  2nd  month 
in  the  year  1676."  The  names  of  the  fallen  that  have  been 
preserved  are  James  Hosmer,  David  Comy,  William  Hey- 
wood,  Samuel  Potter,  Joseph  Buttrick,  John  Barnes,  Josiah 
Wheeler  and  Jacob  Farrar.  Tradition  is  for  the  most  part 
silent  as  to  the  circumstances  or  any  incident  connected 
with  the  start,  the  march,  or  the  exact  details  of  the  disaster. 

We  may  presume  that  the  start  was  an  exciting  one. 
Perhaps  the  quick  ear  of  James  Hosmer  was  the  first  to 
catch  the  faint  sound  of  distant  firing  as  at  nightfall  on  the 
day  previous  he  went  out  to  fodder  the  stock  on  his  father's 
farm  near  the  Assabet :  or  it  may  be  that  the  tidings  were 
brought  by  a  scout  from  over  the  Sudbury  boundary  line, 
who  scouring  the  forest  had  seen  the  impress  of  many  moc- 
casins, the  sure  sign  of  the  presence  of  a  war  party.  Certain 
it  is  that  there  were  warnings  of  an  Indian  invasion  in  the 
neighborhood  of  Concord,  for  only  a  few  days  before,  the 
people  of  Sudbury  had  informed  the  Council  at  Boston  by 
a  letter  of  Rev.  Edmund  Brown  their  minister  that  the 
woods  were  "pestered  with  Indians"  and  that  several  of  the 
town's  citizens  had  been  shot  at ;  and  asking  that  men  who 
had  been  impressed  to  serve  abroad  might  be  sent  home. 
It  was  only  the  day  before  the  little  company  from  Con- 


4^^  Colonial 

cord  started  that  Thomas  Plympton  was  slain  at  Boone's 
plain  in  the  town  of  Stow,  as  he  was  trying  to  aid  Mr. 
Boone  and  son  to  reach  a  place  of  safety. 

Neither  is  there  any  tradition  as  to  the  direction  that 
these  Concord  men  took.  The  main  road  to  the  Sudbury 
cast  precinct  is  through  what  is  now  the  town  of  Lincoln. 
If  the  soldiers  took  this  road,  it  would  lead  them  to  cross 
the  river  at  the  "old  town  bridge"  and  to  approach  the  gar- 
rison house  from  the  southerly  passing  along  the  causeway 
from  the  bridge  until  they  reached  the  west  side  of  the  mead- 
ows at  a  point  near  the  beginning  of  the  old  Lancaster  road 
opened  about  1663.  From  this  point  we  have  only  con- 
jecture to  go  by  in  determining  the  further  movements  and 
the  exact  whereabouts  of  these  men  ;  but  assuming  that 
we  are  correct  in  the  the  supposition  that  they  went  on  the 
east  side  of  the  river  which  would  take  them  over  the  "town 
bridge"  and  the  causeway,  a  route  which  we  believe  was  the 
only  practicable  one  in  time  of  high  water,  we  think  it  fairly 
safe  from  the  known  facts  and  the  lay  of  the  land  to  make 
the  following  supposition;  that  the  majority  of  the  Indians 
who  were  assailing  the  Haynes  house  on  becoming  aware 
of  the  approach  of  men  to  reenforce  it  concealed  themselves 
in  the  neighboring  shrubbery  near  the  meadow,  leaving 
only  a  sufficient  number  in  sight  to  lead  the  reenforcing 
party  to  believe  they  could  easily  overcome  them  or  gain 
entrance  to  the  house  in  spite  of  them.  The  eager  English 
in  their  usual  forgetfulness  of  Indian  trickery  and  in  their 
impatience  to  render  relief  might  naturally  rush  across  the 
arm  of  meadow  which  extended  from  the  causeway  just 
mentioned  to  the  upland  adjacent  to  the  Haynes  house. 
When  fairly  upon  the  arm  of  meadow  which  was  covered 
with  water  at  that  time  doubtless,  the  concealed  Indians  had 
only  to  rise  up  and  intercept  them.  By  closing  in  upon 
their  rear  all  retreat  would  be  cut  off,  and  the  main  recourse 
to  be  had  was  to  fight  where  they  were,  as  the  broad 
expanse  of  flooded  meadow  to  the  easterly  would  make 
escape  in  that  direction  quite  difficult,  while  at  the  west- 


Concord  427 

erly  end  of  the  arm  of  meadow  as  it  terminates  in  the  upland 
all  escape  could  easily  be  prevented  by  a  small  force. 

The  foregoing  theory  not  only  accords  with  Hubbard's 
description  of  the  event  but  it  explains  why  the  men  fell 
on  the  meadow  land. 

That  this  conjecture  is  correct  may  be  indicated  by 
the  following  facts  relating  to  the  locality.  From  the  point 
where  the  causeway  proper  ended  near  the  Lancaster  road 
as  before  described,  there  has  been  a  rude  path  and 
a  strip  of  low  causeway  that  extended  over  the  arm  of  the 
meadow  which  in  front  of  the  Haynes  house  reached  to 
the  upland  at  the  westerly.  This  path  has  served  the 
double  purpose  of  hauling  hay  and  of  a  way  to  the  house ; 
and  it  probably  extended  beyond  the  house  northerly, 
and  was  perhaps  a  part  of  the  way  which  the  town  voted 
should  extend  the  whole  length  of  the  river  meadow  to  the 
town  bounds.  The  strip  of  causeway  over  the  meadow  arm 
is  today  known  as  the  Water  Row  road  and  in  time  of  high 
water  has  frequently  been  flooded  in  modern  times. 

The  bodies  of  five  of  the  slain  soldiers  remained  where 
they  fell  till  the  next  morning  and  then  were  recovered  by 
a  searching  party  who  went  for  them  in  boats  and  brought 
them  over  the  flood  to  the  town  bridge,  as  stated  in  the 
petition  of  Warren  and  Pierce  who  helped  bury  them.  The 
occasion  of  delay  in  securing  the  bodies  was  the  perilous 
condition  of  things  on  the  west  side  of  the  river.  It  pre- 
sumably was  not  till  early  afternoon,  or  the  time  that  Wads- 
worth  reached  Green  hill,  that  the  savages  withdrew  from 
about  the  garrison  houses  to  concentrate  for  an  attack  upon 
his  command.  By  way  of  the  old  "Lancaster  road"  which 
passed  very  near  or  directly  over  a  part  of  the  Green  hill 
battle  ground,  it  was  only  about  a  mile  distant.  The  sound 
of  firing  while  the  action  was  going  on  at  Green  hill  could 
doubtless  have  been  heard  during  the  hours  of  the  late  after- 
noon and  into  the  night  quite  distinctly;  so  that  the  inhabi- 
tants to  the  eastward  had  cause  for  believing  that  the  entire 
territory  of  the  west  precinct  was  dangerous  to  venture  upon. 


4^8  Colonial 

Moreover  every  soldier  was  on  duty  for  defense  of  the  gar- 
risons or  was  endeavoring  to  reenforce  Wadsworth.  On  the 
east  side  the  inhabitants  doubtless  durst  not  venture  forth 
on  the  sad  mission  of  gathering  up  the  slain  ;  for  although 
they  had  in  the  morning  driven  about  two  hundred  Indians 
over  the  town  bridge  and  causeway  by  a  running  fight,  yet 
they  knew  not  how  soon  a  defeat  of  Capt.  Wadsworth 
might  come  and  the  disengaged  savages  flushed  with  vic- 
tory rush  back  with  overwhelming  numbers  to  over- 
come them.  Those  were  hours  in  which  to  care  for  the  liv- 
ing not  for  the  dead.  It  was  a  day  of  distress  and  calamity  ; 
dark  with  its  disasters,  and  dreadful  in  its  uncertainties, 
and  it  may  be  a  wonder  how  human  hearts  could  endure 
the  strain. 

What  became  of  all  the  dead  we  know  not  :  we  may  con- 
jecture, however,  that  after  the  strife  had  subsided  they  were 
sought  after  and  found ;  and  if  so  were  tenderly  borne  back 
to  Concord,  or  carried  to  the  same  lone  spot  upon  the  river 
bank  and  laid  beside  the  bodies  of  their  late  comrades. 

The  exact  locality  of  the  spot  where  these  men  were 
buried  may  be  easily  conjectured  ;  as  it  was  high  water  there 
would  be  but  one  practicable  place  near  the  bridge  and  that 
would  be  on  the  eastern  bank  of  the  river  just  north  of  the 
bridge  and  the  road.  The  place  is  still  a  quiet  one.  No 
intrusion  of  farm  building  or  summer  cottage  has  as  yet 
broken  the  quietude  in  the  immediate  vicinity.  The  place 
has  remained  to  this  day  unmarked  by  any  memorial 
of  man's  erection  but  there  are  land  marks  which  have 
been  there  through  the  centuries.  The  bridge,  which  it 
is  said  was  the  first  framed  one  in  Middlesex  county,  has 
had  several  successors.  The  river,  although  a  new  channel 
was  long  years  ago  cut  by  man  as  a  shorter  course  for  its 
waters,  still  bends  its  friendly  arm  to  the  banks  near  which 
they  were  laid,  as  if  reluctant  to  leave  it. 

As  to  the  story  of  the  sole  survivor  history  and  tradi- 
tion are  alike  silent.  We  know  not  his  name  nor  how  he 
escaped.  We  may,  however  suppose  that  at  the  first  firing 
the  five  whose  bodies  were  earliest  recovered  fell  at  about 


Concord  429 

the  same  place  being  perhaps  foremost  and  where  the  water 
was  shallow.  The  seven  whose  bodies  were  not  at  first  found 
may  have  retreated  further  back  where  the  water  was  deeper, 
and  scattered  about ;  while  the  one  who  survived  may  have 
straggled  forward  to  the  upland  unobserved  by  the  savages 
and  escaped  into  the  woods  or  crossed  over  the  flood. 

Perhaps  in  no  other  instance  in  King  Philip's  war  did  a 
town  suffer  the  loss  of  so  many  men  on  any  one  occasion 
in  their  endeavor  to  succor  others.  There  were  slain  in  the 
town  of  Sudbury  on  that  fateful  day  not  far  from  fifty  armed 
Englishmen  that  there  is  a  record  of;  and  of  these  about 
one  fourth  part  were  from  Concord. 

As  to  the  substantial  value  of  the  sacrifice  of  the  Con- 
cord soldiers  we  may  not  be  able  at  this  distant  day  to 
determine.  Doubtless  anything  that  drew  off  the  force  of 
savages  in  their  onslaught  on  the  Haynes  house  was  an 
advantage,  as  it  gave  the  inmates  a  respite.  It  is  also  pre- 
sumable that  by  a  detention  of  a  portion  of  Philip's  warriors, 
he  incurred  greater  loss  at  the  hands  of  Wadsworth.  But 
whatever  the  service  rendered  by  the  sacrifice  it  was  a  most 
worthy  one.  The  loss  was  severe  in  Concord  homes  and 
there  was  mourning  in  families  from  which  some  member, 
perhaps  the  head  of  the  household,  had  gone  out  never  to 
return.  Although  no  general  Indian  invasion  occurred 
there  during  the  war  yet  her  loss  on  that  sad  spring  day  was 
greater  than  that  of  some  towns  that  were  attacked. 

As  some  of  the  leading  facts  and  features  both  of  the 
Wadsworth  fight  and  the  burial  of  the  bodies  of  the  slain 
Concord  soldiers  are  set  forth  in  a  petition  of  Daniel  War- 
ren and  Joseph  Pierce  to  the  Colonial  Court,  we  quote  it, 
Mass.  Arch.  vol.  68  p.  224  : 

"To  Inform  the  Honoured  Counsel  of  the  Service  don 
at  Sudbury  by  severall  of  the  Inhabatance  of  Watcrtown  as 
our  honoured  Captain  Mason  hath  Allready  informed  a 
part  of  thereof  in  the  petion:  but  we  who  wear  thear  can 
moer  largely  inform  this  honoured  Councel :  that  as  it  is 
said  in  the  petion  that  we  drove  two  hundred  Indians  over 


430  Colonial 

the  River :  wee  followed  the  enimie  over  the  river  and 
joyned  with  som  others  and  went  to  see  if  wee  could  relieve 
Captain  Wadsworth  upon  the  hill  and  thear  we  had  a  fight 
with  the  Indians  but  they  beinge  soe  many  of  them  and  we 
stayed  soe  long  thar  we  wear  allmost  incompasscd  by  them 
which  cased  us  to  retreat  to  Captain  Goodanous  Garrison  ; 
and  their  we  stayed  it  being  ner  night  till  it  was  dark  and 
then  we  went  to  Mr.  Noices  Mill  to  see  if  we  could  find 
any  that  were  escaped  to  that  place  all  though  they  wear  noe 
persons  dwelling  there  ;  but  thear  we  found  :  13  :  or:  14: 
of  Captain  Wadsworths  men  who  wear  escaped  some  of 
them  wounded  and  brought  them  to  Sudbury  towne ; 

On  the  next  day  in  the  morning  soe  soon  as  it  was  light 
we  went  to  looke  for — Concord  men  who  wear  slain  in  the 
River  middow  and  thear  we  went  in  the  colld  water  up  to 
the  knees  where  we  found  five  and  we  brought  them  in 
Conus  to  the  Bridge  fut  and  buried  them  thear;  and  then  we 
joined  ourselves  to  Captain  Hunton  with  as  many  others  as 
we  could  procuer  and  went  over  the  River  to  look  for  Captain 
Wadsworth  and  Captain  Brattlebank  and  the  soldiers  that 
wear  slain ;  and  we  gathered  them  up  and  Buried  them  ; 
and  then  it  was  agreed  that  we  should  goe  up  to  Nobscot  to 
bring  the  Carts  from  thence  into  Sudbury-Towne  and  soe 
returned  Hom  againe  ;  to  what  is  above  written  we  whos 
nams  are  subscribed  can  testifi  : 

dated  the  :6:  of  march  178;  Daniel  Warrin 

:79:         Josep  Peirce 

There  was  for  several  years  a  controversy  relating  to  the 
date  of  Philip's  attack  upon  Sudbury ;  some  considering  it 
April  I  8th,  others  April  i\st.  The  probate  record  referring 
to  James  Hosmer  gives  it  the  21st  as  do  some  others.  The 
date  on  the  old  grave  stone  gives  it  April  18  ;  this  date 
having  been  taken  it  is  supposed  from  Hubbard's  history. 

The  true  date,  however,  was  definitely  settled  by  the 
discovery  a  few  years  ago  of  an  old  petition  which  was 
signed  by  a  large  number  of  the  inhabitants  of  Sudbury 


Concord  43 1 

and  presented  shortly  after  tne  war  to  the  Colonial  Court. 
This  document  which  is  among  the  State  Archives  Vol.  30 
page  205  is  interesting  and  valuable.  We  quote  the  fol- 
lowing passage  from  it  as  it  sets  forth  the  condition  of 
things  in  Sudbury  when  the  Concord  men  went  to  its  res- 
cue. The  date  assigned  for  the  fight  is  y^  21""  April  1676. 
To  y^   Hon'''^  GovernoUr   Dept  Govern'   Magistrates  and 

Deputies  of  y^  Gtn^^  Court  assembled  at  Boston  y® 

11*^  October  1676. 
The  hum*"'*  Petition  of  y*  poore  distressed  Inhabitants 
of  Sudbury  Humbly  Sheweth.  That  whereas  yo'  impover- 
ished Petition'^  of  Sudbury  have  received  intelligence  of  a 
large  contribution  sent  out  of  Ireland  by  some  pious  &  well 
affected  p'sons  for  y^  releife  of  their  brethern  in  New 
England  distressed  by  y^  hostile  intrusion  of  y^  Indian 
Enemy,  and  that  upon  this  divers  distressed  townes  have 
presenied  a  list  of  theire  losses  sustained  by  fireing  and 
plundering  of  their  Estates.  Let  it  not  seeme  presumption 
in  yo'  poore  petitioners  to  present  a  list  of  what  damages 
we  sustained  by  y^  Enemyes  attempts  hopeing  that  o"^  lott 
will  be  to  be  considered  among  our  brethren  of  the  tribe 
of  Joseph  being  encouraged  by  an  act  of  our  Hon'''^  Gen" 
Court  that  those  who  have  sustained  considerable  damage 
should  make  address  to  this  p''esent  Session.  And  is  there 
not  a  reason  for  our  releife  ?  Not  only  by  reason  of  Our 
great  losses  but  alsoe  for  Our  Service  p'^formed  in  repelling 
y^  Enemy  !  Let  y*  Most  High  have  y^  high  praise  due 
unto  him  ;  but  let  not  ye  unworthy  Instruments  be  forgot- 
ten. Was  there  with  us  any  towne  so  beset  since  y^  warre 
began,  with  twelve  or  fourteen  hundred  fighting  men  vari- 
ous Sagamores  from  all  Parts  with  their  men  of  Armes  & 
they  resolved  by  our  ruin  to  revenge  y*  releife  which  Our 
Sudbury  volunteers  afforded  to  distressed  Marlborough  in 
slaying  many  of  y*  Enemy  and  repelling  y*  rest.  The 
strength  of  our  towne  upon  y^  Enemy's  Approaching  it  con- 
sisted of  Eighty  fighting  men.  True  many  houses  were 
fortified  &  Garrison'd  &  tymously  after  y^  Enemy's  invasion, 


43  ^  Colonial 

and  fireing  some  Volunteers  from  Watertowne,  &  Concord 
&  deserving  Capt :  Wadsworth  with  his  force  came  to  Our 
re  leife,  which  speedy  &  noble  service  is  not  to  be  forgotten. 
The  Enemy  well  knowing  our  Grounds,  passes,  avenues,  and 
Scituations  had  neare  surrounded  Our  towne  in  y®  Morning 
early  (wee  not  knowing  of  it)  till  discovered  by  fireing  sev- 
erall  disserted  houses  :  the  Enemy  with  greate  force  &  fury 
assaulted  Deacon  Haines  House  well  fortified  yet  badly 
scituated,  as  advantageous  to  y*  Enemys  approach  &  dan- 
gerous to  y^  Repellant,  yet  (by  y^  help  of  God)  y^  garrison 
not  onely  defended  y^  place  from  betwene  five  or  six  of  y"^ 
clock  in  y*  Morning  till  about  One  in  y^  Afternoon  but 
forced  y*  Enemy  with  Considerable-  slaughter  to  draw-off. 

Many  Observables  worthy  of  Record  hapned  in  this 
assault,  Vizt  That  noe  man  or  woman  seemed  to  be  pos- 
sessed with  feare;  Our  Garrison  men  kept  not  within  their 
garrisons,  but  issued  forth  to  fight  y^  Enemy  in  theire  sculk- 
ing  approaches  :  Wee  had  but  two  of  our  townesmen  slaine, 
&  y*  by  indiscretion,  none  wounded ;  the  Enemy  was  by 
few  beaten  out  of  houses  which  they  had  entered  and  were 
plundering ;  And  by  a  few  hands  were  forced  to  a  running 
flight  which  way  they  would  ;  The  spoyle  taken  by  them 
on  y*  East  side  of  y^  river  was  in  greate  p'^  recovered." 

Almost  immediately  after  the  fight  at  Sudbury,  the  In- 
dians betook  themselves  to  the  westward.  Their  work  had 
been  done  but  there  are  reasons  for  believing  that  they  did 
not  consider  it  successfully  done.  Mrs.  Rowlandson  who 
was  with  them  writes  in  her  book  of  "Removes"  that  "They 
came  home  without  that  rejoicing  or  triumphing  over  their 
victory  which  they  were  wont  to  show  at  other  times,  but 
rather  like  dogs  [as  they  say]  which  have  lost  their  ears, 
when  they  went,  they  acted  as  if  the  devil  had  told  them 
that  they  should  gain  the  victory,  and  now  they  acted  as  if 
the  Devil  had  told  them  they  should  have  a  fall.  Whether 
it  were  so  or  no,  I  cannot  tell,  but  so  it  quickly  proved, 
for  they  quickly  began  to  fall,  and  so  held  on  that  Summer 
till  they^came  to  utter  ruin,     Hubbard  says; 


Concord  433 

"It  was  observed  by  some  (at  that  time  their  prisoners, 
since  released),  that  they  seemed  very  pensive  after  they 
had  come  to  ther  quarters,  showing  no  such  signs  of  rejoic- 
ing as  they  were  usually  wont  to  do  in  like  cases.  Whether 
from  the  loss  of  some  of  their  own  company  in  that  day's 
enterprise  (said  to  be  an  hundred  and  twenty^  or  whether 
it  were  the  devil  in  whom  they  trusted,  that  deceived  them, 
and  to  whom  they  paid  their  addresses  the  day  before  by 
sundry  conjurations  of  their  powwows,  or  whether  it  were 
by  any  dread  that  the  Almighty  sent  upon  their  execrable 
Blasphemies  which  'tis  said  they  used  in  the  torturing  of 
some  of  their  poor  captives  (bidding  Jesus  come  and  deliver 
them  out  of  their  hands  from  death  if  he  could)  we  leave 
as  uncertain,  though  some  have  so  reported.  Yet  sure  it  is, 
that  after  this  day  they  never  prospered  in  any  attempt  they 
made  against  the  English,  but  were  continually  scattered 
and  broken  till  they  were  in  a  manner  all  consumed." 

The  Old  Petition  states, 

"Secondly,  y*  service  pformed  at  Sudbury  by  y*  help 
of  y'  Almighty  whereby  y^  Enemy  lost  some  say  100, 
some  105,  some  120,  and  by  that  service  much  damage 
prevented  from  hapning  to  other  places  whereby  y*  Country 
in  Generall  was  advantaged,  reason  requires  some  favorable 
considerations  to  y*  servants  of  Sudbury.  For  if  it  be  con- 
sidered what  it  hath  cost  our  Country  in  sending  out  some 
forces  some  of  which  p  ties  have  not  returned  with  y'  ccr- 
taine  ncwes  of  such  a  number  slaine  as  with  us." 

A  variety  of  facts,  circumstances  and  statements  in- 
dicate that  the  21st  day  of  April  1676  was  a  day  of 
destiny  to  King  Philip,  and  that  the  long  hours  of  stub- 
born resistence  by  the  combined  forces  that  confronted  him 
were  disastrous  in  the  extreme. 

His  losses  can  never  be  known.  Probably  somewhere 
in  the  wilderness  many  graves  were  made  or  else  many  car- 
cases remained  unburied  a  prey  to  the  beasts  and  birds. 

It  is  true  that  had  the  battle  at  Sudbury  never  occurred 
victory  to  the  English  would  have  finally  come,  since  it  is 


4j4  Colonial 

the  rule  in  history  that  a  superior  race  supplants  the 
weaker.  But  at  this  juncture,  time  was  of  much  account. 
Every  day  and  hour  that  the  strife  continued  lives 
were  being  consumed  by  an  almost  intolerable  bitterness  ; 
homesteads  were  growing  fewer  and  fewer ;  households 
were  becoming  thinned  and  hearts  sickening  with 
hopes  deferred.  But  whether  Philip  received  the  decisive 
blow  at  Sudbury  or  not,  certain  it  is  that  about  that  time 
his  fortune  began  to  change.  A  new  army  was  raised  to 
operate  against  him  ;  dissensions  crept  into  the  ranks  of  his 
followers  ;  and  after  some  desultory  fighting,  the  great  chief- 
tain turned  his  footsteps  towards  his  old  home  at  Mount 
Hope,  and  in  the  following  summer  he  was  shot  by  a  rene- 
gade from  his  own  race.  Capt.  Hull  in  his  contemporary 
diary  wrote  "Aug.  12,  Sagamore  Philip  that  began  the  war 
was  slain." 

With  the  death  of  Philip  the  war  closed  except  at  the 
eastward,  whither  some  of  the  vanquished  savages  had 
betaken  themselves. 

With  the  closing  of  the  war  there  soon  followed  an  utter 
downfall  of  the  red  race,  that  once  dominated  New  England. 
The  overthrow  was  final ;  and  so  complete  was  the  destruc- 
tion of  Indian  supremacy  that  it  was  stated  in  a  proclama- 
tion of  Thanksgiving  in  December  of  that  year  "Of 
those  several  tribes  and  parties  that  have  hitherto  risen  up 
against  us,  which  were  not  a  few,  there  now  scarce  remains 
a  name  or  family  of  them  in  their  former  habitations,  but 
are  either  slain,  captivated,  or  fled  into  remote  parts  of  this 
wilderness,  or  lie  hid,  despairing  of  their  first  intentions 
against  us." 

The  instances  where  any  of  the  Indians  kept  their  wig- 
wams as  permanent  homes,  or  became  squatters  or  wild 
freeholders  of  the  waste  woodlands  were  exceptional.  They 
made  up  a  mere  vagrant  element,  beseeching  but  little  more 
of  their  conquerors  than  a  night's  shelter,  a  bit  of  bread,  or 
some  coarse  work. 

For  a  while  they  lingered  in  the  settlements  in  isolated 


Concord  43  ^ 

or  fragmentary  families  as  if  loth  to  lose  all  their  iden- 
tity. But  it  was  to  little  purpose,  and  only  as  a  fire  which 
flickers  before  it  goes  out;  for  although  men  of  great  heart 
have  sought  to  tan  the  fading  embers  of  the  race  into 
a  flame  there  yet  remains  for  it  of  earth  but  dust  and 
darkness.  The  race  will  doubtless  have  no  resurrection 
except  such  as  will  come  to  all  mortals,  but  the  process 
of  total  extinction  has  been  slow  and  painful.  Even  as  late 
as  into  the  i8th  century  the  latch  string  of  the  farm  house 
was  occasionally  pulled  at  nightfall  by  some  wayfaring  abo- 
rigine who  came  seeking  temporary  shelter  or  a  place  of 
resting  upon  the  fireside  mat.  Now  and  then  also  there 
straggled  into  the  village  or  hamlet,  an  object  of  interest  to 
the  children,  a  company  of  two  or  three  forlorn  and  neg- 
lected creatures  who  more  fortunate  than  their  fellows  had 
survived  the  hate  of  one  generation  and  not  starved  upon 
the  hospitality  of  another,  begging  for  the  small  price  of  a 
willow  basket  or  a  birch  broom.  But  the  end  of  this 
came,  and  the  years  have  passed  into  decades,  and  decades 
into  scores  since  the  last  pure  bred  Massachusetts  aborigine, 
a  rude  lone  tenant  at  suffrance,  was  seen  in  the  land  which 
he  once  owned. 

As  a  race  the  Indians  have  passed  away,  without  a  his- 
tory except  as  the  white  man  has  written  it,  or  made  it  a 
part  of  his  own,  and  without  one  work  of  coarse  art  where- 
with by  strange  hieroglyphics  to  inform  the  world  what  he 
once  was. 

It  may  never  be  definitely  known  just  how  many  men 
were  engaged  in  the  struggle  at  Sudbury.  The  following 
summary  perhaps  fairly  sets  forth  the  English  force.  In  the 
command  of  Capt.  Wadsworth  50  men.  In  that  of  Capt. 
Cowell  18,  soldiers  from  Concord  12,  Sudbury  soldiers  80. 

Beside  these  there  was  a  company  of  Christian  Indians  in 
charge  of  Capt.  Hunting  and  a  "ply  of  horse"  from  Capt. 
Prentice's  troop  under  the  command  of  Corporal  Phipps. 
The  following  is  a  summary  of  the  soldiers  known  to  have 
been  killed  before  the   Indians  left  Sudbury.      Of  Wads- 


43^  Coloniat 

worth  command  two  Captains,  one  Lieutenant  and  twenty- 
six  private  soldiers,  29 
'  Concord  soldiers,  1 1 
Captain  Cowell's  command,  4 
Sudbury  men,  i 

That  these  are  all  the  fatalities  is  hardly  probable  since 
the  records  of  the  events  are  so  scant,  the  time  of  fighting 
was  so  long  and  the  number  of  combatants  were  so  many. 
It  would  be  almost  remarkable  if  none  of  the  Watertown 
men  were  slain  and  only  one  of  the  soldiers  of  Sudbury. 

The  Sudbury  records  give  but  very  little  information  rel- 
ative to  the  Indian  invasion.  There  is  an  order  giving 
direction  as  to  logs  that  were  used  in  the  fortifications  about 
the  meeting  house,  but  this  is  about  all.  The  inhabitants 
of  the  various  towns  that  were  the  hardest  beset  by  the  sav- 
ages were  too  much  engaged  in  the  struggle  for  sheer  exist- 
ence to  keep  a  written  account  of  current  events,  momentous 
although  they  were,  and  the  town  clerks  were  only 
expected  to  make  a  record  of  things  that  strictly  appertained 
to  the  public.  Stationary  was  expensive ;  all  were  not 
able  to  write ;  and  the  importance  of  saving  data  for 
historic  purposes  was  a  matter  perhaps  little  thought 
of.  Family  traditions  would  for  a  time  naturally  keep 
fresh  the  memory  of  husbands,  fathers,  brothers  and  sons, 
and  it  is  not  improbable  that  more  than  one  grave  in  the 
woods  had  its  lonely  pathway  which  was  occasionally  trod- 
den by  the  inhabitants  of  neighboring  farm  houses  ;  but 
after  a  time  new  families  gave  place  to  the  old  and  these 
paths  were  no  longer  trodden.  It  may  be  supposed  that 
after  the  havoc  of  battle  bodies  of  scattered  combatants 
were  here  and  there  found  and  buried  where  they  fell.  A  few 
years  ago  a  person  while  digging  on  the  estate  of  Mr. 
Francis  F.  Walker,  not  far  from  the  Green  hill  battle 
ground,  found  what  might  have  been  such  a  grave.  There 
was  a  slight  discoloration  of  the  earth  about  the  rusty  bar- 


Concord  4^  7 

rel  of  a  firearm  and  that  was  all.  According  to  the  author- 
ity of  the  Indians,  if  any  reliance  is  to  be  placed  on  their 
rude  reports,  more  Englishmen  were  slain  at  Sudbury 
than  there  is  any  record  of.  The  following  letter  of  Capt. 
Jacobs  of  the  Marlborough  garrison  to  the  Council  gives 
the  estimate  of  the  English  loss  as  set  forth  by  the  Indians 
on  the  morning  after  their  invasion  of  Sudbury  : 

"This  morning  about  sun  two  hours  high  ye  enemy 
alarmed  us  by  firing  and  shouting  towards  ye  government 
garrison  house  at  Sudbury."  He  goes  on  to  state  that 
"soon  after  they  gave  a  shout  and  came  in  great  numbers 
on  Indian  Hill,  and  one,  as  their  accustomed  manner  is 
after  a  fight,  began  to  signify  to  us  how  many  were  slain  ; 
they  whooped  seventy-four  times,  which  we  hope  was  only 
to  afiright  us,  seeing  as  we  have  had  no  intelligence  of  any 
such  thing,  yet  we  have  reason  to  fear  the  worst,  consider- 
ing the  numbers,  which  we  apprehend  to  be  five  hundred 
at  the  most,  others  think  a  thousand." 


CHAPTER    XLII 

'The  Attack  Upon  Lancaster  —  Capture  of  Mrs. 
Mary  Rowlandson  —  Efforts  for  Her  Release  — 
Heroic  Services  of  Thomas  Doublet  or  Nepanet  — 
Humane  Work  of  John  Hoar^  Esq.  —  The  Process 
of  Ransom  —  Extracts  from  the  Book  of  Removes 
—  Rowlandson  Rock. 

AS  stated  in  a  previous  chapter  the  Indians  attacked 
the  town  of  Lancaster  on  the  loth  of  February. 
This  however  was  not  the  only  time,  the  first  being 
on  Sunday  Aug.  30,  1675.  "^he  attack  was  led  by  a  chief 
named  Monoco,  or  one-eyed  John,  and  the  point  of  attack 
was  the  house  of  a  Scotch  settler  named  Mordecai  Macloud. 
At  that  time  seven  persons  were  killed.  Other  mischievous 
work  was  done  in  the  place  and  its  vicinity,  and  taken  all 
together  perhaps  no  other  settlement  suffered  more  during 
Philip's  war  by  the  burning  of  its  buildings,  the  slaughter 
of  its  inhabitants  and  the  captivity  of  the  living. 

The  town  is  situated  in  Worcester  county  along  the 
Nashua  river;  and  the  first  settlement  by  the  English  was 
begun  there  in  1643.  Lancaster  like  Groton  which  also 
was  successively  assailed  is  historically  associated  with  Con- 
cord, inasmuch  as  the  three  towns  had  Major  Simon  Wil- 
lard  as  a  chief  promoter  of  their  early  interests. 

The  Indians  who  dwelt  in  the  vicinity  of  Lancaster  were 
the  Nashaways,  whose  tribal  relations  were  with  the  Nip- 
mucks.  After  the  sad  happenings  on  August  30,  the 
people  of  Lancaster  gathered  together  in  several  garrisons 
and  measures  were  taken  to  defend  them  by  details  of  sol- 
diers. But  notwithstanding  the  presence  of  the  soldiers, 
towards  the  last  of  January  1675-6,  word  was  brought 
by  several  Christian  Indians  that  the  place  was  in  jeopardy. 
438 


t 


u 


'Ui^^^ 


OH  THE  HILL  NASHAWTUCV 
i  AT  THE  MEETING  OF  THE  Rivt, 
AND  ALONG  THE  BANKS 
LfV&DTHEINDIAN  OWNERS  i 
MUSKETACUID 
viEFC 


TABLET  AT  EGG  ROCK. 


ON  THIS  FIEID 

THE.M(NUTE  MEN  AND  MlLlTf/A 

rORMEO  BEFORE  MARCH(NG 

DOWN  TO  THE 

FICHTAT  THE  BRIDGE 


TABLET  ON   BATTLE  LAWX. 


THE 

NEW  YORK 

PUBLIC  LIBRARY 

Astor,  Lenox  and  TUcleHy 
Foundations. 


Concord  43  9 

One  of  the  Indians,  Quanapohit,  whom  the  Council  had 
employed  to  act  as  a  spy  in  the  woods  about  Wachuset 
and  on  towards  Brookfield  predicted  the  very  day  of  the 
proposed  attack.  Another  of  them  named  Kattenanit 
brought  a  similar  report. 

After  escaping  from  the  hostile  Indians  at  Meminisset 
whither  he  had  gone  to  obtain  important  facts,  he  trav- 
elled upon  snow-shoes  about  eighty  miles  to  Boston  to 
report  to  Major  Gookin  that  about  four  hundred  Indians 
were  on  their  way  to  attack  Lancaster,  arriving  with  his 
message  in  a  wearied  and  half  famished  condition.  The 
authorities  at  once  despatched  messengers  to  Marlboro, 
Concord  and  Lancaster  to  fortify  in  great  haste  ;  but  the 
order  came  too  late.  The  blow  had  fallen.  Before  Capt. 
Wadsworth  could  reach  the  town,  the  savages  had  encom- 
passed it  and  burned  the  bridge  on  the  regular  road,  and  it 
was  only  by  the  fidelity  of  the  friendly  Indian  guides  that 
Wadsworth  and  his  company  being  led  along  another  route 
escaped  an  ambush.  By  Wadsworth's  safe  detour  a  part  of 
the  town  was  saved,  but  it  was  only  a  part.  The  garrison 
house  of  Rev.  Joseph  Rowlandson  was  burned  and  of 
thirty-seven  or  forty  persons  within  it  only  one  escaped 
death  or  captivity  ;  among  the  captives  was  Mr.  Rowland- 
son's  wife. 

The  capture  of  Mrs.  Rowlandson  was  one  of  the  sad- 
dest events  of  Philip's  war  and  called  out  unusual  sympathy. 
It  was  terrible  enough  to  be  slain  by  the  tomahawk  and  to 
have  the  body  subsequently  subjected  to  the  scalping  knife, 
but  it  was  doubly  terrible  for  womankind  in  helpless  cap- 
tivity to  be  subjected  to  a  wilderness  exposure  in 
time  of  war  with  whatever  of  want  or  long  marches  or 
rough  weather  might  betide  her  captors  and  also  to  be  kept 
in  suspense  as  to  what  the  end  might  be ;  but  such  was 
captivity  among  the  Indians.  They  held  their  pris- 
oners for  a  ransom.  The  English  sold  their  Indian 
prisoners  into  slavery  ;  the  Indians  sold  their  English 
captives  to  the  white  men.     To  lighten  the  burdens  of  the 


44^  Colonial 

captives  and  make  their  lives  more  tolerable  would  not 
hasten  the  day  of  their  redemption. 

Mrs.  Rowlandson  was  held  in  captivity  from  Feb.  lo  to 
May  1.  During  this  time  she  was  compelled  to  travel  from 
place  to  place  with  her  Indian  captors  and  so  be  an  unwill- 
ing witness  to  many  daring  and  revolting  exploits.  She 
was  a  close  observer  and  after  her  release  wrote  and  pub- 
lished a  detailed  account  of  her  captivity,  noting  the  daily 
movements  of  her  captors  and  giving  a  graphic  description 
of  their  ways  of  living,  their  customs,  and  their  treatment 
of  prisoners.  The  book  is  known  as  "Mrs.  Rowlandson's 
Removes ;  "  a  title  suggestive  of  the  frequent  changes  to 
which  she  was  subjected.  The  author  describes  the  grand 
pow-wow  held  by  the  Indians  just  previous  to  their  assault 
on  Sudbury,  and  some  of  the  incidents  connected  with  the 
event  in  general  so  that  the  book  is  a  great  acquisition  to 
the  literature  relating  to  King  Philip's  war. 

Soon  after  the  capture  of  Mrs.  Rowlandson  great  efforts 
were  made  to  ascertain  the  amount  demanded  for  her  safe 
delivery  to  the  English,  to  raise  the  sum  and  to  secure  the 
services  of  some  one  who  would  be  able  wisely  and  suc- 
cessfully to  negotiate  with  the  savages.  The  following 
description  of  the  release  of  Mary  Rowlandson  is  by  Rev. 
George  M.  Bodge  in  his  work  on  "Soldiers  in  Philip's  War"  : 

"Rev.  Mr.  Rowlandson  sought  the  aid  of  the  Council 
in  his  efforts  to  redeem  the  captives,  many  of  whom  were 
his  own  kindred.  At  first  it  was  impossible  to  find  any  one 
of  the  friendly  Indians  willing  to  venture  as  messengers 
among  the  hostiles,  mainly  because  they  had  been  so  cruelly 
and  shamefully  abused  by  tne  English  and  were  now  con- 
fined at  Deer  Island,  where  they  could  not  be  accused  or 
placed  under  suspicion.  At  last,  however,  one  Tom  Dub- 
let,  or  Nepanet,  consented  to  go,  and  was  fitted  and 
instructed  by  Major  Gookin,  and  upon  April  3d  started 
from  Cambridge,  and  returned  with  the  answer  of  the 
Sachems  on  April  12th.  The  correspondence  between  the 
Council  and  the  Sachems  is  still  preserved,  in  part,  though 


Concord  44 1 

the  original  letters  are  lost.  The  messenger  brought  back 
word  from  Sam  Sachem,  Kutquen  and  Quanohit,  Samuel 
Uskatuhgun  and  other  owners  of  the  captives  taken  at 
Lancaster  that  all  were  well  except  the  youngest  child 
of  Mr.  Rowlandson,  who  was  dead.  At  last,  after  many 
negotiations  by  the  faithful  Nepanet,  Mr.  John  Hoar,  of 
Concord,  who,  more  than  any  man  in  the  colony,  had  the 
confidence  of  the  Indians,  accompanied  by  Nepanet,  and 
another  friendly  Indian,  "Peter  Conway,"  and  bearing  the 
ransom,  twenty  pounds  in  money  and  goods,  raised  by  sev- 
eral gentlemen  for  the  redemption  of  Mrs.  Rowlandson, 
met  the  Sachems  near  Wachusett  Hill,  and  on  May  2d 
received  and  conducted  that  lady  to  Lancaster,  and  the  next 
day  to  Boston.  The  other  captives  were  redeemed  at  vari- 
ous times  and  places  afterwards. 

The  place  where  Mr.  Hoar  met  the  Sachems  is  well  iden- 
tified, being  marked  by  a  large  rock  called  "Redemption 
Rock,  "  a  noble  landmark  near  the  ancient  Indian  trail,  be- 
tween Lancaster  and  Mount  Wachusett,  and  in  the  present 
town  of  Princton,  on  the  easterly  side  of  a  beautiful  valley, 
across  which,  in  the  distance,  towers  Mount  Wachusett. 
The  locality  is  known  as  "Everettville,"  from  the  name  of 
an  ancient  family  who  have  lived  here  for  generations.  In 
1880,  Hon.  Geo.  F.  Hoar,  of  Worcester,  a  lineal  descend- 
ant of  the  chief  actor  in  this  transaction,  for  the  English, 
purchased  the  land  containing  this  site  and  set  it  apart  for 
memorial  purposes,  and  caused  the  following  inscription  to 
be  placed  upon  the  face  of  the  rock  : 

"  Upon  this  rock  may  2d  1676 

WAS   MADE  THE  AGREEMENT  FOR  THE  RANSOM 

OF  MRS.  Mary  Rowlandson  of  Lancaster 

Between  the  Indians  and  John  Hoar  of  Concord 

King  Philip  was  with   the  Indians  but 

REFUSED  his  CONSENT.  " 

As  several  of  the  principal  actors  in  the  release  of  Mrs. 
Rowlandson  were  connected  with  the  town  of  Concord,  and 


44  2  Colonial 

the  graphic  description  which  she  gives  sets  forth  some  of 
the  methods  and  some  thing  of  the  character  of  the  com- 
batants with  whom  the  colonists  had  to  deal,  we  have  con- 
sidered it  expedient  to  publish  some  portions  of  the  book 
already  referred  to,  entitled  "The  Narrative  of  the  Captivity 
and  Restoration  of  Mrs.  Mary  Rowlandson  ": 

"On  the  tenth  of  February,  1675,  came  the  Indians 
with  great  number  upon  Lancaster.  The  first  coming 
was  about  Sun-rising  ;  hearing  the  noise  of  some  guns,  we 
looked  out;  Several  Houses  were  burning,  and  the  Smoke 
ascending  to  Heaven.  There  were  five  persons  taken  in  one 
house,  the  Father  and  the  Mother  and  a  sucking  Child  ;  they 
were  knocked  on  the  head  ;  the  other  two  they  took  and 
carried  away  alive.  Their  were  two  others  who,  being  out 
of  their  garrison  upon  some  occasion,  were  set  upon  ;  one 
was  knocked  on  the  head,  the  other  escaped:  Another  there 
was  who  running  along  was  shot  and  wounded,  and  fell 
down  ;  he  begged  of  them  his  life,  promising  them  money 
(as  they  told  me),  but  they  would  not  hearkan  to  him  but 
knockt  him  in  head,  and  stript  him  naked,  and  split 
open  his  bowels.  Another,  seeing  many  of  the  Indians 
about  his  Barn,  ventured  and  went  out,  but  was  quickly 
shot  down.  There  were  three  others  belonging  to  the 
same  garrison  who  were  killed,  the  Indians,  getting 
upon  the  roof  of  the  Barn,  had  advantage  to  shoot  down 
upon  them  and  their  Fortifications.  Thus  these  murtherous 
wretches  went  on  burning  and  destroying  before  them. 

"At  length  they  came  and  beset  our  own  house,  and 
quickly  it  was  the  dolefuUest  day  that  ever  mine  eyes  saw. 
The  House  stood  upon  the  edge  of  a  hill ;  some  of  the 
Indians  got  behind  the  hill,  others  into  the  Barn,  and 
others  behind  anything  that  could  shelter  them ;  from 
all  which  places  they  shot  against  the  House,  that  so 
the  Bullets  seemed  to  fly  like  hail;  and  quickly  wounded 
one  man  among  us,  then  another,  then  a  third.  About  two 
hours  (according  to  my  observations  in  that  amazing  time) 
they  had  been  about  the  House,  before  they  prevailed  to  fire 


Concord  443 

it  (which  they  did  with  Flax  and  Hemp,  which  they  brought 
out  of  the  Barn,  and  there  being  no  defense  about  the 
House,  only  two  Flankers  at  two  opposite  corners  and  one 
of  them  not  finished,  they  fired  it  once  and  ventured  out  and 
quenched  it,  but  they  quickly  fired  it  again,  and  that  took. 
Now  as  this  dreadful  hour  came  that  I  have  often  heard  of  (in 
time  of  War,  was  as  it  was  the  case  of  others),  but  now  mine 
eyes  see  it.  Some  in  our  house  were  fighting  for  their 
lives,  others  wallowing  in  theirs,  the  House  on  fire  over 
our  heads,  and  the  bloody  Heathen  ready  to  knock  us  on 
the  head  if  we  stirred  out:  Now  might  we  hear  Mothers 
and  children  crying  out  for  themselves,  and  one  another, 
'  Lord,  what  shall  we  do  ? '  Then  I  took  my  Children 
(and  one  of  my  sister's),  hers  to  go  forth  and  leave  the  house : 
but  as  soon  as  we  came  to  the  dore  and  appeared  the  In- 
dians shot  so  thick  that  the  Bulletts  rattled  against  the 
house,  as  if  one  had  taken  an  handfull  of  stones  and  threw 
them,  so  that  we  were  fain  to  give  back.  We  had  six  stout 
dogs  belonging  to  our  Garrison,  but  none  of  them  would 
stir,  though  another  time,  if  any  Indian  had  come  to  the 
door,  they  were  ready  to  fly  upon  him  and  tear  him  down. 
The  Lord  hereby  would  make  us  the  more  to  acknowledge 
his  hand,  and  to  see  that  our  help  is  alwayes  in  him.  But 
out  we  must  go,  the  fire  increasing  and  coming  along  be- 
hind us,  roaring,  and  the  Indians  gaping  before  us  with 
their  Guns,  Spears  and  Hatchets,  to  devour  us.  No  sooner 
were  we  out  of  the  House  but  my  Brother-in-Law  (being 
wounded  before  in  defending  the  home),  in  or  near  the 
throat  fell  down  dead,  whereat  the  Indian  scampered 
shouted  and  hallowed,  and  were  presently  upon  him,  strip- 
ping off  his  cloaths,  the  bullets  flying  thick;  one  went 
through  my  side,  and  the  same,  (as  would  seem,)  through 
my  bowels  and  hand  of  my  dear  child  in  my  arms.  One 
of  my  elder  Sister's  Children,  named  William,  had  then  his 
Leg  broken,  which  the  Indians  preceiving,  they  knocked 
him  on  head.  Thus  were  we  butchered  by  those  mer- 
ciless  Heathen,  standing  amaized,  with  the  blood  running 


444  Colonial 

down  to  our  heels.  My  eldest  Sister  being  yet  in  the  House 
and  seeing  those  wofull  sights,  the  Infidels  haling  Mothers 
one  way,  and  Children  another,  and  some  wallowing  in  their 
blood  :  and  her  elder  son  telling  her  that  her  Son  Will- 
iam was  dead,  and  myself  was  wounded,  she  said.  And, 
*Lord  let  me  dy  with  them'  which  was  no  sooner  said, 
but  she  was  struck  with  a  Bullet,  and  fell  down  dead  over 
the  threshold.  I  hope  she  is  reaping  the  fruit  of  her  good 
labors,  being  faithfull  to  the  service  of  God  in  her  place. 
In  her  younger  days  she  lay  under  much  trouble  upon 
spiritual  accounts,  till  it  pleased  God  to  make  that  precious 
Scripture  take  hold  of  her  heart,  2  Cor.  12.  9.  *And  he 
said  unto  me  my  Grace  is  sufficient  for  thee.'  More  than 
twenty  years  after  I  have  heard  her  tell  how  sweet  and  com- 
fortable that  place  wa?  to  her.  But  to  return  :  The  Indians 
laid  hold  of  us,  pulling  me  one  way,  and  the  Children 
another,  and  said,  'Come  along  with  us  : '  I  told  them  they 
would  kill  me :  they  answered,  ^l^  I  were  willing  to  go 
with  them,  they  would  not  hurt  me.' 

"  O  the  dolefull  sight  that  now  was  to  behold  at  this 
House  !  *Comc,  behold  the  works  of  the  Lord,  what  deso- 
lation he  has  made  in  the  earth.'  Of  thirty  seven  persons 
who  were  in  this  one  House,  none  escaped  either  present 
death,  or  a  bitter  captivity,  save  only  one,  who  might  say 
as  he;  Job  i.  15  *And  I  only  am  escaped  alone  to  tell  the 
news.'  There  were  twelve  killed,  some  shot,  some  stab'd 
with  their  Spears,  some  knocked  down  with  their  Hatchets. 

"  That  I  may  the  better  declare  what  happened  to  me 
during  that  grievious  Captivity,  I  shall  particularly  speak 
of  the  severall  Removes  we  had  up  and  down  the  Wilder- 
ness." 

The   First    Remove. 

"  Now  away  we  must  go  with  thos  e Barbarous  Creatures, 
with  our  bodies  wounded  and  bleeding,  and  our  hearts  no 


Concord  445 

less  than  our  bodies.  About  a  mile  we  went  that  night,  up 
upon  a  hill  within  sight  of  the  Town  where  we  intended  to 
lodge,  there  was  hard  by  a  vacant  house,  (deserted  by  the 
English  before,  for  fear  of  the  Indians.)  I  asked  them 
whether  I  might  not  lodge  in  the  house  that  night  to  which 
they  answered,  what  will  you  love  English  men  still? 
this  was  the  dolefullest  night  that  ever  my  eyes  saw.  O 
the  roaring  and  dancing  and  singing,  and  yelling  of  those 
black  creatures  in  the  night,  which  made  the  place  a  lively 
resemblance  of  hell.  And  as  miserable  was  the  wast  that 
was  made  of  Horses,  Cattle,  Sheep,  Swine,  Calves,  Lambs, 
Roasting  Pigs,  and  Fowl  [which  they  had  plundered  in  the 
town]  some  roasting,  some  lying,  some  burning,  and  some 
boyling  to  feed  our  merciless  Enemies;  who  were  joyful 
enough  though  we  were  disconsolate.  To  add  to  the  dole- 
fulness  of  the  former  day  and  the  dismalness  of  the  present 
night,  my  thoughts  ran  up  on  my  losses  and  sad  bereaved 
condition.  All  was  gone,  my  Husband  gone  (at  least  sep- 
arated from  me  he  being  in  the  Bay ;  and  to  add  to  my 
grief,  the  Indians  told  me  they  would  kill  him  as  he  came 
homeward)  my  Children  gone,  my  Relations  and  Friends 
gone,  our  House  and  home  and  all  our  comforts  within 
door,  and  without,  all  was  gone,  (except  my  life)  and  I 
knew  not  but  the  next  moment  that  might  go  too.   *     * 

The  Second    Remove. 

"  But  now,  the  next  morning,  I  must  turn  my  back  upon 
the  Town,  and  travel  with  them  into  the  vast  and  desolate 
Wilderness,  I  knew  not  whither.'  It  is  not  my  tongue,  or 
pen  can  express  the  sorrows  of  my  heart,  and  bitterness  of 
my  spirit,  that  I  had  at  this  departure  :  but  God  was  with 
me,  in  a  wonderfull  manner,  carrying  me  along,  and  bear- 
ing up  my  spirit,  that  it  did  not  quite  fail.  One  of  the 
Indians  carried  my  poor  wounded  Babe  upon  a  horse,  it 
went  moaning  all  along  I  shall  dy,  I  shall  dy.  I  went  on 
fast  after  it,  with  sorrow  that  cannot  be  expresst.  At  length 
I  took  it  off  the  horse,  and  carried  it  in  my  arms   till  my 


6  t'oloniat 


44 


strength  failed,  and  1  fell  down  with  it ;  then  they  set  me 
upon  a  horse  with  my  wounded  Child  in  my  lap,  and  there 
being  no  furniture  upon  the  horse  back;  as  we  were  going 
down  a  steep  hill,  we  both  fell  over  the  horses  head,  at 
which  they  like  inhumane  creatures  laught,  and  rejoyced  to 
see  it,  though  I  thought  we  should  have  ended  our  days, 
so  overcome  with  so  many  difficulties.  But  the  Lord 
renewed  my  strength  still,  and  carried  me  along,  that  I 
might  sec  more  of  his  Power  ;  yea,  so  much  that  I  could 
never  have  thought  of,  had  I  not  experienced  it. 

"After  this  it  quickly  began  to  snow,  and  when  night 
came  on  they  stopt ;  and  now  down  I  must  sit  in  the  snow, 
by  a  little  fire,  and  a  few  boughs  behind  me,  and  my  sick 
Child  in  my  lap  ;  and  calling  much  for  water  being  now 
(through  the  wound)  fallen  into  a  violent  Fever.  My 
own  wound  also  growing  so  stiff  that  I  could  scarce  sit  down 
or  rise  up  ;  yet  so  it  must  be  that  I  must  sit  all  this  cold 
winter  night  upon  the  cold  snowy  ground,  with  my  sick 
Child  in  my  arms,  looking  that  every  hour  would  be  the 
last  of  my  life  ;  and  having  no  Christian  friend  near  me 
either  to  help  or  to  comfort  me.  Oh,  I  may  see  the  won- 
derfull  power  of  God,  that  my  spirit  did  not  utterly  sink 
under  my  affliction :  still  the  Lord  upheld  me  with  his 
gracious  and  mercifull  Spirit,  and  we  were  both  alive  to  see 
the  light  of  the  next  morning.  '''  *  '•'  " 

Twentieth    Remove. 

"On  a  Sabbath  day,  the  sun  being  about  an  hour  high  in 
the  afternoon;  came  Mr.  John  Hoar  (the  Council  permit- 
ting him  and  his  own  foreward  spirit  inclining  him)  together 
with  the  two  foremcntioned  Indians,  Tom  and  Peter  with 
their  third  Letter  from  the  Council.  When  they  came 
near  I  was  abroad:  though  I  saw  them  not,  they  presently 
called  me  in,  and  bade  me  sit  down  and  not  stir.  Then 
they  catched  up  their  Guns,  and  away  they  ran,  as  if  an 
Enemy  had  been  at  hand  ;  and  the  Guns  went  off  apace. 
1  manifested  some  great  trouble,  and   they  asked  me  what 


Concord 


was  the  matter  ?  I  told  them,  I  thought  they  had  killed 
the  Englishman  (for  they  had  in  the  meantime  informed 
me  that  an  English-man  was  come)  they  said,  No  ;  They 
shot  over  his  Horse  and  under,  and  before  his  Horse;  and 
they  pushed  him  this  way,  and  that  way,  at  their  pleasure  : 
showing  what  they  could  do  :  Then  they  let  them  come  to 
their  Wigwams  1  begged  them  to  let  me  see  the  English- 
man, but  they  would  not.  But  there  was  I  fain  to  sit  their 
pleasure.  When  they  had  talked  their  fill  with  him  they 
suffered  me  to  go  to  him.  We  asked  each  other  of  our  wel- 
fare, and  how  mv  Husband  did,  and  all  my  friends?  He 
told  me  they  were  all  well,  and  would  be  glad  to  see  me. 
I  now  asked  them  whether  I  should  go  home  with  Mr. 
Hoar?  They  answered,  No,  one  and  another  of  them; 
and  it  being  night,  we  lay  down  with  that  answer;  in  the 
morning,  Mr.  Hoar  invited  the  Saggamores  to  Dinner; 
but  when  we  went  to  get  it  ready,  we  found  that  they  had 
stolen  the  greatest  part  of  the  Provision  Mr.  Hoar  had 
brought,  out  of  his  Bags,  in  the  night.  And  we  may  see 
the  wonderful  power  of  God,  in  that  ons  passage,  in  that 
when  there  was  such  a  great  number  of  the  Indians  together 
and  so  greedy  of  a  little  good  food  :  and  no  English  there 
but  Mr.  Hoar  and  myself:  that  there  they  did  not  Knock 
us  in  the  head,  and  take  what  we  had  :  there  being  not  only 
some  provision,  but  also  a  Trading-cloth,  a  part  of  the 
twenty  pounds  agreed  upon.  But  instead  of  doing  us  any 
mischief,  they  seemed  to  be  ashamed  of  the  fact,  and  said, 
it  was  some  'Matchit  Indian  that  did  it.'  Oh,  that  we 
could  believe  that  there  is  no  thing  too  hard  for  God  !  God 
shewed  his  Power  over  the  Heathen  in  this,  as  he  did  over 
the  hungry  Lyons  when  Daniel  was  cast  into  the  den. 
Mr.  Hoar  called  them  betime  to  Dinner,  but  they  ate  very 
little,  they  being  so  busie  in  dressing  themselves  and  get- 
ting ready  for  their  Dance.  *  '''  ''■  On  Tuesday 
morning  they  called  their  General  Court  (as  they  called  it) 
to  consult  and  determine  whether  I  should  go  home  or 
no;  and  they  all  as  one  man  did  seemingly  consent  to  it, 


44^  Colonial 

that  I  should  go  home,  except  Philip,  who  would  not  come 
among  them.      *      *      * 

"  But  to  return  again  to  my  going  home,  where  we  may 
see  a  remarkable  change  of  Providence.  At  first  they 
were  all  against  it,  except  my  Husband  would  come  for 
me;  but  afterwards  they  assented  to  it,  and  seemed  much 
to  rejoice  in  it;  some  asked  me  to  send  them  some  Bread, 
others  some  Tobacco ;  others  shaking  me  by  the  hand, 
offering  me  a  Hood  and  Scarf  to  ride  in  ;  not  one  moving 
hand  or  tongue  against  it.  Thus  hath  the  Lord  answered 
my  poor  desire,  and  the  many  earnest  requests  of  others 
put  up  unto  God  for  me.  In  my  travels  an  Indian  came 
to  me,  and  told  me,  if  I  were  willing,  he  and  his  squaw 
would  run  away,  and  go  home  along  with  mc  :  I  told  him 
No  :  I  was  not  willing  to  run  away,  but  desired  to  wait 
God's  time,  that  I  might  go  home  quietly,  and  without 
fear.  And  now  God  hath  granted  mc  my  desire.  O  the 
wonderfull  power  of  God  that  I  have  seen,  and  the  experi- 
ence that  I  have  had  :  I  have  been  in  the  midst  of  those 
roaring  Lyons  and  Savage  Bears,  that  feared  neither  God, 
nor  Man,  nor  the  Devil,  by  night  and  day,  alone  and  in  com- 
pany :  sleeping  all  sorts  together,  and  yet  not  one  of  them 
ever  offered  me  the  least  abuse  of  unchastity  to  me,  in  word 
or  action.  Though  some  are  ready  to  say,  I  speak  it  for 
my  own  credit :  But  I  speak  it  in  the  presence  of  God,  and 
to  his  Glory.  Gods  Power  is  as  great  now,  and  as  sufficient 
to  save  as  when  he  preserved  Daniel  in  the  Lions  Den  ;  or 
the  three  Children  in  the  firey  Furnace,  I  may  well  say  as 
his  Psal.  107,12*0  give  thanks  unto  the  Lord  for  he  is 
good,  his  mercy  endureth  forever.  Let  the  Redeemed  of 
the  Lord  say  so  whom  he  hath  redeemed  from  the  hand 
of  the  Enemy,'  especialy  that  I  should  come  away  in  the 
midst  of  so  many  hundreds  of  Enemies,  quietly  and  peaca- 
bly,  and  not  a  dog  moving  his  tongue.  So  I  took  my  leave 
of  them,  and  in  coming  along  my  heart  melted  into  tears, 
more  than  all  the  while  I  was  with  them,  and  I  was  almost 
swallowed  up  with  the  thoughts  that  ever  I  should  go  home 


Concord  449 

again.  About  the  Sun  going  down,  Mr.  Hoar  and,  myself 
and  the  two  Indians  came  to  Lancaster  and  a  solemn  sight 
it  was  to  me.  There  I  had  Jived  many  comfortable  years 
amongst  my  Relations  and  Neighbors,  and  now  not  one 
Christian  to  be  seen,  nor  one  house  left  standing.  We  went 
on  to  a  Farm  house  that  was  yet  standing,  where  we  lay  all 
night ;  and  a  comfortable  lodging  we  had  though  nothing 
but  straw  to  ly  on.  The  Lord  preserved  us  in  safety  that 
night,  raised  us  up  again  in  the  morning,  and  carried  us 
along,  that  before  noon  we  came  to  Concord.  Now  was  I 
full  of  joy,  and  yet  not  without  sorrow  :  joy  to  sec  such  a 
lovely  sight,  so  many  Christians  together,  and  some  of  them 
my  Neighbors.  There  I  met  with  my  Brother,  and  my 
Brother  in  Law,  who  asked  me  if  I  knew  where  his  Wife 
was  ?  Poor  heart !  he  had  helped  to  bury  her  and  knew  it 
not;  she  being  shot  down  by  the  house  was  partly  burnt :  so 
that  those  who  were  at  Boston  at  the  desolation  of  the  town, 
and  came  back  afterward,  and  buried  the  dead,  did  not  know 
her.  Yet  I  was  not  without  Sorrow,  to  think  how  many 
were  looking  and  longing,  and  my  own  Children  amongst 
the  rest,  to  enjoy  that  deliverance  that  I  had  now  received 
and  I  did  not  know  whether  ever  I  should  see  them  again. 
Being  recruited  with  food  and  raiment  we  went  to  Boston 
that  day,  where  I  met  with  my  dear  Husband  but  the 
thoughts  of  our  dear  Children,  one  Being  dead,  and  the 
other  we  could  not  tell  where,  abated  our  comfort  each  to 
the  other.  I  was  not  before  so  much  hcm'd  in  with  the 
merciless  and  cruel  Heathen,  but  now  as  much  with  pit- 
iful, tender-hearted,  and  compassionate  Christians.  In  that 
poor,  and  distressed,  and  beggarly  condition  I  was  received 
in,  I  was  kindly  entertained  in  severall  Houses;  so  much  I 
received  from  several,  (some  of  whom  I  knew,  and  others 
I  knew  not)  that  I  am  not  capable  to  declare  it.  But  the 
Lord  knows  them  all  by  name  :  The  Lord  reward  them 
sevenfold  into  their  bosoms  of  his  spirituals,  fcr  their  tem- 
porals. The  twenty  pounds  the  price  of  my  redemption 
was  raised    by  some   Boston    Gentlemen  and    Mr.   Usher 


450  Colonial 

whose  bounty  and  religious  charity,  I  would  not  forget  to 
make  mention  of.  Then  Thomas  Shepard  of  Charlestown 
received  us  into  his  House,  where  we  continued  eleven 
weeks  ;  and  a  Father  and  Mother  they  were  to  us.  And 
many  more  tender  hearted  friends  we  met  with  in  that  place. 
We  were  now  in  the  midst  of  love,  yet  not  without  much  and 
frequent  heaviness  of  heart  for  our  poor  Children,  and  other 
relations,  who  were  still  in  affliction.  The  week  following, 
after  my  coming  in,  the  Governor  and  Council  sent  forth 
to  the  Indians  again  ;  and  that  not  without  success,  for  they 
brought  in  my  Sister,  and  Goodwife  Kristle ;  Their  not 
knowing  where  our  Children  were,  was  a  sore  tryal  to  us 
still,  and  yet  we  were  not  without  secret  hopes  that  we 
should  see  them  again.  That  which  was  dead  lay  heavier 
upon  my  spirit,  than  those  which  were  alive  and  amongst 
the  Heathen;  thinking  how  it  suffered  from  its  wounds, 
and  I  was  in  no  way  able  to  relieve  it;  and  how  it  was 
buried  by  the  Heathen  in  the  Wilderness  from  among  all 
Christians.  We  were  hurried  up  and  down  in  our  thoughts, 
sometimes  we  should  hear  a  report  that  they  were  gone  this 
way,  and  sometimes  that ;  and  that  they  were  come  in,  in  this 
place  or  that :  We  kept  inquiring  and  listening  to  hear  con- 
cerning them  but  no  certain  news  as  yet.  About  this  time 
the  Council  had  ordered  a  day  of  public  Thanks-giving  : 
though  I  thought  I  had  still  cause  of  mourning,  and  being 
unsettled  in  our  minds,  we  thought  we  would  ride  toward 
the  Eastward  to  see  if  we  could  hear  anything  concerning 
our  Children.  And  as  we  were  riding  along  [God  is  the 
wise  disposer  of  all  things]  between  Ipswich  and  Rowly  we 
met  Mr.  William  Hubbard,  who  told  us  that  our  Son 
Joseph  was  come  in  to  Major  Waldrens,  and  another  with 
him,  which  was  my  Sisters  Son.  I  asked  him  how  he  knew 
it?  He  said,  the  Major  himself  told  him  so.  So  along 
we  went  till  we  came  to  Newbury  ;  and  their  Minister  being 
absent,  they  desired  my  Husband  to  Preach  the  Thanks 
giving  for  them  ;  but  he  was  not  willing  to  stay  there  that 
night,  but  would  go  over  to  SaHsbury,  to  hear  further,  and 


Concord  451 

come  again  in  the  morning ;  which  he  did,  and  Preached 
there  that  day.  At  night  when  he  had  done,  one  came  and 
told  him  that  his  Daughter  was  come  in  at  Providence ; 
Here  was  mercy  on  both  hands  :  Now  hath  God  fulfiled 
that  precious  Scripture,  which  was  such  a  comfort  to  me  in 
my  distressed  condition.  When  my  heart  was  ready  to  sink 
into  the  Earth  [my  Children  being  gone  I  could  not  tell 
whither]  and  my  knees  trembled  under  me,  And  1  was 
walking  through  the  valley  of  the  Shadow  of  Death  :  Then 
the  Lord  brought,  and  has  now  fulfiled  that  reviving  word 
unto  me  :  Thus  saith  the  Lord,  Refrain  thy  voice,  from 
weeping,  and  thine  eyes  from  tears  for  thy  work  shall  be 
rewarded  saith  the  Lord,  and  they  shall  come  again  from 
the  Land  of  the  enemy." 


CHAPTER     XLIII 

List  of  Names  of  Concord  Soldiers  in  King  Philip's 
War  —  Miscellaneous  Services  of  the  Town  — 
Incidental  Hardships  —  The  Loss  of  Men  —  Bio- 
graphical Sketches  of  the  Killed  and  Wounded. 


T    I    '^HE   following  are  lists  containing   the  names  of 
i         some  of  the  soldiers  who  served  in  King  Philip's 
A        War.     A  list  of  the  names  of  soldiers    accred- 
ited for  services  performed  under  Capt.   Joseph 
Sill  in  1675-76  ; 

William  Barrett  Lt.  John  Melvin 

James  Wheeler  Thomas  Adams 

Richard  Taylor  Joseph  Bateman 

Moses  Wheate  Hopewell  Davis 

Richard  Woods  John  Bateman 

WiUiam  Ball 
In  1675  Capt.  Sill  was  engaged  in  service  from  Sudbury 
westward  toward  Wachusett  Hill ;  and  subsequently  by 
order  of  Major  Simon  Willard  he  was  employed  in  guard- 
ing supplies  and  in  guard  duty  about  the  various  garrison 
houses. 

Among  the  names  of  persons  who  served  as  soldiers  in 
defense  of  the  garrisons  are  the  following  Concord  names  : 
Feb.  29.   1675-6. 
"Under  Capt.  Wheeler  at  Groton  garrison"  : 
Samuel  Fletcher  Senr.  Samuel  Fletcher  Junr. 

Eleazer  Brown  Stephen  Gobble 

Moses  Wheate  Richard  Pasmore 

(perhaps  Hosmer) 
Nov.  9, —  1675. 
John  Wood  Josiah  Wheeler 

Hugh  Taylor 
452 


CONCORD   HIGH   SCHOOL,    1865. 


THE  OLD  NORTH   PRIMARY  SCHOOL-HOUSE. 


THE 

,,      f^EW  YORK       , 

'  PUBLIC  LlBRAj^Y 

^stor,U^oxandTWen^ 
Foundations. 


Concord  453 

Another  list  under  Capt.  Wheeler  at  Groton  in  garrison 
service  : 

Samuel  Fletcher  Jr.  Stephen  Gobble 

Eleazer  Ball  Daniel  Adams 

Moses  Wheate  Richard  Pasmore 

John   Potter  Simon  Willard 

Benjamin  Graves 
The  following  are    "later  credits  for  Military  Service" 
of  Concord  men  from  the  Ledger  of  John  Hull: 
Nov.  24,  1676 
William  Jones 

Jan.  24,  1676 
Humphrey  Barrett  William  Hartwell. 

The  following  names  are  of  men  accredited  as  being 
under  Major  Simon  Willard  from  Aug.  7th  to  Jan.  25, 1675, 
whose  sur-names  were  familiar  in  Concord : 

Paul  Fletcher,  John  Barrett,  John  Heale,  James  Smedly, 
Josiah  Wheeler,  Daniel  Adams,  John  Bateman. 

In  the  list  from  which  these  are  taken  is  the  name  of 
Simon  Willard,  a  son  of  Major  Simon  Willard,  and  Philip 
Read  "Doctor,"  Dr.  Philip  Read,  we  conclude,  is  the  same 
person  who  styled  himself  "Physition"  and  who  having 
married  a  daughter  of  Richard  Rice  made  a  home  in  Con- 
cord and  practised  medicine  there  and  also  in  Sudbury, 
Watertown  and  Cambridge.  We  have  no  means  of  know- 
ing whether  he  went  to  the  war  acting  in  any  other  cap- 
acity than  as  a  private  soldier  although  he  is  designated 
"Doctor."  Neither  do  we  assert  that  Dr.  Read  went  to  the 
war  from  Concord,  since  about  the  year  1670  he  was  com- 
plained of  for  making  a  comparison  of  Rev.  Edward  Bul- 
keley  as  a  preacher  with  Parson  Estabrook  saying,  that  the 
former  was  not  worthy  to  carry  the  latter's  books  after  him. 
Dr.  Read  paid  £10  for  the  offense  and  for  a  time  left  the 
town 

Assignment  of  Wages. 
Concord  —  Town  Cr.  By  Sundry  accts  : 

John     Wheeler,    Joseph   Wheeler,  Abraham     Temple, 


454  Colonial 

Thomas  Wheeler,  Junr.,  David  Gobely,  Benjamin  Graves, 
James  Sawyer,  Nathaniel  Billings,  William  Kean,  John 
Haslock,  Joseph  Chamberlain,  Stephen  Gobble,  Benjamin 
Chamberlain,  John  Lakin,  Richard  Blood. 

We  do  not  claim  that  in  every  instance  in  the  following 
lists  where  a  name  has  been  a  familiar  one  in  Concord  that 
therefore  the  person  having  it  is  to  be  accredited  as  a  sol- 
dier serving  from  that  town.  But  we  claim  that  more  or 
less  of  them  belonged  to  Concord  citizens  and  that  in  some 
of  the  lists  nearly  all  if  not  everyone  did  so. 

We  have  no  means  of  knowing  whether  the  names  of  all 
the  soldiers  of  Concord  who  served  in  King  Philip's  war 
were  placed  on  record,  neither  may  we  know  how  many 
were  impressed  and  how  many  were  volunteers.  Further- 
more, we  may  not  know  how  many  served  as  substitutes  for 
soldiers  in  other  towns  ;  nor  how  many  men  in  other  places 
may  have  been  accredited  to  Concord. 

The  method  of  obtaining  a  "quota"  of  troops  was  for 
the  Colonial  Council  or  commanding  officer  in  charge  to 
issue  a.  warrant  directed  to  a  constable,  or  a  committee  of 
militia  in  each  municipality  which  was  returnable  to  the  said 
Council  or  General  officer. 

Besides  the  service  performed  in  response  to  calls  of  the 
colony  to  aid  other  towns  and  engage  in  expeditions,  much 
militia  work  was  done  at  home.  The  town  was  near  the 
danger  line  and  repeatedly  threatened  with  invasion,  and  it 
was  essential  to  be  at  all  times  prepared  for  an  attack. 

There  were  also  in  the  town  at  various  times  refugees 
from  other  places  whose  persons  and  property  called  for  pro- 
tection. Sometimes  carts  were  required  with  armed  convoys 
to  carry  people  and  their  belongings  to  a  place  of  safety. 
To  fill  all  these  requisitions  and  at  the  same  time  man  their 
garrison  houses  and  keep  up  such  patroling  of  the  township 
as  would  prevent  surprises  was  an  arduous  task.  To  accom- 
plish this  not  only  took  every  able  bodied  soldier  but  even 
the  youth  were  sometimes  summoned  into  the  service,  as 


Concord  455 

is  shown   by  the  following  paper,  Mass.  Archives,  Vol.  69, 
page  134: 

"To  the  Hono:''''  Gov"" :  and  Councell  now  sitting  in  Bos- 
ton June  28 : 1677 
The  Request  of  the  Millitia  of  the  towne  of  Concord 

"Humbly  sheweth  that  the  millitia  of  the  said  towne 
receiveing  a  warrant  from  the  worp"  Maj''  Gookin  to  im- 
press foure  men  for  the  service  of  the  Country  :  and 
being  Informed  that  those  that  were  to  be  prest  were  in- 
tended onely  to  scout  about  Chelmsford ;  and  the  said 
Militia  not  being  able  to  obtaine  those  persons  that  were 
intended  and  desired  they  sent  foure  youths  promiseing  to 
releive  them  within  one  week  after  they  went  but  as  soone 
as  they  came  to  Chelmsford  they  were  conducted  to  black 
point  where  they  now  remaine. 

"Our  humble  request  to  yo'^  Hon"  therefore  is  ;  that  you 
will  please  to  consider  how  unfitt  these  youths  are  for  the 
Countryes  service :  namely  Samuell  Stratton,  John  Wheat, 
John  Ball :  Thomas  Wolley :  :  and  that  they  may  be  dis- 
missed from  the  said  service  :  and  be  returned  home  with 
the  first  that  doe  returne,  so  shall  we  ever  pra)  for  y"" 
Hon'^  &c. 

Timothy  Wheeler  Capt 

in  the  name  of  y^  Millitia." 

As  a  result  of  the  necessity  of  their  keeping  sol- 
diers at  home  excuses  were  made,  as  shown  by  the 
postscript  to  the  report  of  the  Committee  of  Militia 
concerning  the  men  called  from  Concord  to  the  Narragan- 
sett  expedition  ;  the  request  being  that  some  already  in  ser- 
vice be  released. 

But  the  military  service  was  not  the  only  strain  upon  the 
community.  The  soldiers  were  to  be  furnished  with  food 
and  clothing.  Their  stock  of  ammunition  was  to  be  kept 
up,  and  such  other  commodities  as  were  convenient  for  car- 
rying on  war  were  to  be  contributed  as  occasion  called  for. 

For  months  the  town  of  Concord  was  a  general  military 
head-quarters,  having  a  gunsmith,  and  a  magazine. 


45^  Colonial 

A  no  small  element  of  hardship  to  the  town  of  Con- 
cord during  Philip's  war  was  its  liability  to  a  sudden  attack 
of  the  Indians.  The  place  would  naturally  be  a  coveted 
one,  for  the  reason  that  it  had  a  magazine,  and  a  gunsmith  and 
was  a  resort  of  war  refugees  and  was  a  rendezvous  for 
troops  from  abroad.  As  indicating  the  general  solicitude 
is  the  following  copy  of  a  record  relating  to  the  escape  of 
several  squaws  who  were  under  guard. 

"Concord  this  13'^:  June  1676. 
Hono'^''  Gouerno^  Leuer' 

"Inasmuch  as  heare  has  been  a  sad  accident  befallen  us 
through  the  ocation  of  nedglegent  persons ;  which  had 
trust  Imposed  to  them:  to  keep  sentery  over  three  old 
squas  &  one  papoose,  these  watchmen  fell  all  asleep,  and 
in  the  meanetime  y*  squas  made  theire  escape  ;  from  them  ; 
which  may  produce  a  great  deale  of  damage  to  us  y'  arc 
resident  in  Concord ;  because  we  are  aftraid  they  are 
acquainted  with  ye  Condition  of  o""  towne,  &  what  quan- 
tyty  of  men  we  have  gon  out ;  &  which  way  they  are 
gone  ;  which  may  prove  very  obstructive  to  o""  army  in  their 
design;  we  had  a  Capt ;  appoynted  over  the  magaseinc ; 
which  I  thought  to  be  suffitient  to  give  a  Charge  to  12 
men  ;  to  keep  senternalls  over  three  old  squas  ;  I  hope  yo'' 
bono''  will  be  pleased  to  take  it  into  Consideration  &  send 
us  some  more  strength  to  suport  us  from  o""  enemies  ;  for 
we  are  in  dayly  fear ;  y*  they  will  make  an  asault  on  o*" 
towne  ;  So  hopeing  yo"^  hono^  cannot  Impute  any  Blame 
to  him  ;  who  wish  to  yo'  honor  y^  best  y*  may  be;  by  yo*" 
bono"  most  Humble  Servant 

John  Haywood ; 
Consta''." 
Mass.  Archives,  v.  133,  p.  193. 

By  this  report  we  infer  that  the  condition  of  affairs  was 
so  precarious  that  it  was  considered  essential  to  place  a  strong 
guard  over  a  few  Indian  women  lest  escaping  they  report 
the  weak  condition  of  the  town  s  defences.  When  it  was 
reported  to  the  Council   that  the  squaws  had  made    their 


Concord  457 

escape  the  situation  was  considered  sufficiently  serious  to 
warrant  the  Council  in  forwarding  immediately  a  re-enforce- 
ment of  twenty  men. 

The  actual  loss  of  inhabitants  to  Concord  by  the  war 
may  never  be  known.  It  is  considered  certain  that  sixteen 
were  slain  outright,  but  as  in  all  wars  more  or  less  deaths 
were  doubtless  occasioned  indirectly  by  exposure,  sickness 
and  wounds.  Neither  may  it  ever  be  ascertained  what  were 
the  names  of  all  the  slain  or  where  all  of  them  lived. 

The  following  are  brief  biographical  data  relating  to  per- 
sons from  Concord  who  were  killed  or  suffered  from 
wounds  while  engaged  in  Philip's  war. 

Samuel  Smedley  who  was  slain  while  with  Capt.  Wheeler 
at  Brookfield  was  a  son  of  Baptist  Smedley  and  a  brother 
of  Mary  whose  husband  Isaac  Shepard  was  killed  at  Con- 
cord village.  He  was  one  of  the  eight  who  fell  at  the  first 
firing  in  the  ambuscade  at  the  swamp.  Doubtless  his  body 
was  buried  with  his  comrades  in  an  obscure  grave. 

Of  the  Concord  Smedleys  or  Smeadleys,  John  and  Bap- 
tist or  Baptiste  came  to  the  town  prior  to  1636.  They 
were  of  Huguenot  descent,  and  it  has  been  suggested  may 
have  come  from  Matlock,  in  Derbyshire,  England  where 
some  of  the  Smedleys  have  since  lived.  Baptiste  had  his 
houselot,  according  to  Walcott,  near  Franklin  Dakin's. 
John  lived  at  or  near  the  present  residence  of  Hon.  John 
S.  Keyes  in  the  vicinity  of  the  Battle  Ground.  Baptiste 
Smedley  died  Aug.  16,  1675.     John  died  the  same  year. 

Samuel  Smedley  son  of  Baptiste  married  Hannah 
Wheeler  in  1667;  Hannah  a  daughter  was  born  July  28 
1669;  Mary  was  born  1671  ;  and  Samuel  Feb.  28,  1673. 
The  following  is  the  record  of  his  birth.  "Samuell  Sonne 
of  Babtist  and  Kathrine  Smedley,  the  7,  4  mo,  1648."  The 
inventory  is  on  file  at  the  Probate  Records  by  the  admin- 
istrator of  Samuel  Smedley  ;  and  one  of  the  articles  speci- 
fied is  the  following —  "2  horses  lost  in  the^Country's  sar- 
vice.  06,0,0" 

"2  horses  was  kild  with  him  at  the  ffight  at  quapoge." 


Colonial  458 

As  to  Henry  Young  who  was  shot  at  the  Brookfield  gar- 
rison house  while  looking  from  the  window,  we  have  found 
nothing  but  what  Capt.  Wheeler  says  of  him  in  his  narra- 
tive. That  he  was  a  brave  man  is  evident  from  the  fact 
that  he  was  selected  to  be  a  companion  to  Ephraim  Curtis 
in  his  attempt  to  elude  the  viligant  savages  and  bear  beyond 
their  lines  a  summons  for  relief.  The  whereabouts  of  his 
grave  is  doubtless  as  unknown  as  that  of  Smedley.  The 
old  burying  ground  at  Brookfield  may  have  received  his 
remains  but  of  the  earliest  burial  place  of  that  town  its 
historians  have  given  but  little  definite  information. 

Isaac  and  Jacob  Shepard  who  were  slain  at  Quagana  hill 

^#  in  Concord  village  were  the  third  and  sixth  sons  of  Ralph 

and  Thanklord  Shepard.      Isaac  was  born  June  20th  1639, 

and  Jacob  was  born  June   1657.     The  oldest  son  of  the 

*\     family  of  Ralph  and  Thanklord  was  Abraham  who  married 

\    Jan.   2d   1673;    and  a  younger    son  was   perhaps  Daniel; 

^cM'  Mary  who  was  made  captive  was  the  youngest  child  and 

J;,  was  born  about  1660 — 1662. 

'^<::,       Isaac  Shepard  married  Mary  Smedly  a  daughter  of  Bap- 

/«>'"^tiste  Smedly  of  Concord.     A   Probate   Record  informs  us 

that  "adminstration  on  the  estate  of  Isaac  Shepard  late  of 

Concord"  was  allowed  to  Mary  Shepard  his  "relict  widow" 

jointly  with  Abram  Shepard  her  brother.     The  inventory 

of  the  estate  sets  forth  the  following  property  "A  farme  at 

Nashobe,  one  house  one  barn  12  ac     of  broken  up  land  10 

of  meadow  witn  the  rest  of  the  ffarme."     The  entire  estate 

was  valued  at  £,1^0.   From  this  farm  at  Nashoba  through  a 

long  wilderness  path  Isaac  went  to  visit  Mary  Smedley  the 

maiden  of   Huguenot  ancestry  and  thither  he  took  her  to 

dwell  among  his  own  kindred. 

We  know  of  no  record  relating  to  Jacob  Shepard  except 
of  his  birth.  Both  Isaac  and  Jacob  it  is  supposed  lived  on 
a  portion  of  land  formerly  owned  by  Lieut.  Joseph  Wheeler. 
Their  father  Ralph  came  to  America  in  the  ship  Abigail 
from  Stepney  Parish  London  in  1635.  After  residing  in 
several  towns  he  went  to  Maiden  where  he  became  deacon. 


Concord  459 

From  Maiden   he  made  his  way  through  the  woods  to  the 
territory  near  Nashoba  called  Concord  village. 

The  barn  In  which  the  men  were  threshing  was  situated 
it  is  believed  on  the  south  side  of  a  lane  to  what  is  now  or 
was  lately  the  Cyrus  Pickard  place  near  the  road.  Mary 
the  sister  was  on  the  hill  near  by,  and  tradition  has  pointed 
out  the  exact  spot,  a  boulder  on  the  south  side  of  the  hill 
near  the  top.  In  the  Concord  Records  is  this  entry 
"Thomas  Strelght  and  Mary  Shepard  married  by  Justice 
Peter  Bulkeley  May  28,  1683." 

In  the  case  of  the  Concord  soldiers  killed  at  Sudbury 
there  is  a  great  discrepancy  between  the  date  of  their  deaths 
on  the  town  records  and  elsewhere. 

The  record  there  made  is  that  James  Hosmer,  Samuel 
Potter,  David  Corny  and  John  Barnes  died  on  March  31, 
1676.  The  error  is  thought  to  have  been  occasioned  by 
some  Imperfect  entry  or  transcription.  The  following  are 
brief  biographical  sketches  of  five  of  the  seven  whose  iden- 
tity and  connection  with  the  fight  at  Sudbury  has  been 
established  as  matter  of  record  : 

James  Hosmer  as  has  been  stated  In  a  former  chapter 
lived  near  his  father  by  the  Assabet  river,  at  the  present 
Concord  Junction.  He  married  Sarah,  a  daughter  of  John 
White,  an  early  and  well-to-do  proprietor  of  lands  at  Lan- 
caster. The  following  Is  a  Probate  record  relative  to  the 
estate  of  James  Hosmer,  Jr. ; 

"An  Inventory  of  the  estate  ot  James  Hosmer  junior, 
of  Concord,  In  Middlesex,  deceased,  being  slalne  in  the 
ingagement  with  the  Indeans  at  Sudsburie,  on  the  21  of  the 
second  month  in  the  yeare  1676. 

Prizers     James  Hosmer  Senr. 
Henry  Woodis 
John  Scotchford 
Thomas  Wheeler 

Rev.  George  W.  Hosmer  D.  D.  who  was  a  lineal 
descendant  of  James  Hosmer  and  formerly  President  of 
Antloch  College,  and    lately  pastor  of  Channing  Church 


460  Colonial 

Newton,  stated  in  a  letter  concerning  his  ancestor  who  was 
several  generations  from  him  as  follows: 

"My  grandfather  when  resistance  was  in  vain,  plunged 
into  the  river  to  swim  across  and  a  bullet  passed  through 
his  head." 

James  Hosmer  Jr.  was  a  brother-in-law  of  Rev.  Joseph 
Rowlandson  of  Lancaster  The  following  is  from  the  old 
records  "James  Hosmer  and  Sara  White  married  Oct.  14, 
1658." 

Samuel  Potter  was  a  son  of  Luke  Potter  who  early  set- 
tled at  Concord  and  who  was  a  deacon  in  the  church  there 
as  late  as  1697.  Samuel  Potter  Senior  married  for  his 
second  wife  Mary  Edmonds  in  1644. 

The  following  are  from  the  Concord  early  records, — 

"Samuell  the  sonne  of  luke  and  Mary  Potter  the  i,  of 
the  1  mo.  1648." 

"Samuel  Potter  and  Sarah  Right  married  8  Jan  .  1673" 

"Samuell  Potter  husband  to  Sarah  his  wife :  died  3 1 
march  1676." 

The  house  lot  of  Luke  Potter  the  father  was  on  Potter's 
Lane  since  Heyward  street. 

Joseph  Buttrick  was  a  son  of  William  Buttrick  who  came 
to  Concord  in  1635.  J^*€^h  married  for  his  first  wife  Sarah 
Bateman  who  died  in  1664,  and  for  his  second,  Jane  Good- 
now  of  Sudbury.  Joseph  Buttrick  was  a  child  of  the  first 
wife.     The  following  arefrom  Concord  old  records  : 

"Mary,  daughter  of  Will  Buttricke  &  Sara  his  wife  borne, 
17, June: 64" 

"Sara,  wife  of  Will  Buttricke  died  17,  July  :  64." 

"William  Buttrick  &  Jeane  goodnow  married  21  feb. 
1667." 

Of  Daniel  Comy,  Shattuck  says  that  he  was  at  Concord 
in  1664.  We  conjecture  that  the  first  name  of  Corny  is 
David  rather  than  Daniel.  There  are  the  following  refer- 
ences to  David  Comy  among  the  early  records ; 


Concord  461 

"John  son  of  David  &  Elizabeth  Corny  born  18,  Oct. 
1665." 

"David  son  of  David  Corny  &  Elizabeth  his  wife  borne 
14,  Nom'  1666. 

"Ester  daughter  of  David  Corny  born  14,  12,  75. 

"Elizabeth  wife  of  david  Corny  died  4  March  70,  71." 

John  Barnes,  Shattuclc  states  was  at  Concord  in  1661, 
and  married  Elizabeth  Hunt  in  1664. 

Josiah  Wheeler  was  a  son  of  Obadiah  Wheeler  one  of 
the  town's  early  settlers  and  one  of  the  first  three  Wheelers 
who  arrived  at  Concord,  the  other  three  of  the  six  who  set- 
tled there  arriving  in  1639.  Obadiah  Wheeler  Sr.  died  Oct. 
27,  1671.  aged  63,  and  his  wife  Susannah  died  1650.  Oba- 
diah Wheeler  the  4th  son  married  Elizabeth  White  in 
1672,  and  was  father  to  Obadiah,  Josiah,  Samuel,  Joseph, 
and  others. 

Obadiah  Wheeler  lived  in  the  vicinity  of  Brook  meadow. 
The  following  is  part  of  a  Probate  record  relating  to  the 
estate  of  Josiah  Wheeler  : 

"An  Inventory  of  the  estate  of  Josiah  Wheeler,  of  Con- 
cord in  the  County  of  Middlesex,  deceased  being  slain  by 
the  engagement  with  the  Indians  at  Sudsburie  on  the 
twenty-first  of  the  second  month  in  y*  yeare  1676." 

We  have  discovered  nothing  concerning  David  Curry 
beyond  a  statement  that  the  Middlesex  Probate  Records 
afford  evidence  that  he  was  a  victim  to  the  Indian  ambush- 
mentat  Sudbury  on  April  21st.  Neither  have  we  been  able 
to  gather  much  information  relative  to  Jacob  Farrar.  A 
John  and  Jacob  Farrar  were  proprietors  in  the  town  of  Lan- 
caster as  early  as  1653.  According  to  Shattuck  John  died 
Nov.  3,  1669  and  Jacob  either  a  son  of  John  or  Jacob  mar- 
ried Hannah,  daughter  of  John  Hougnton  Esq.  1668  and 
was  killed  by  the  Indians  August  22,  1675.  ^^^  ^°"s 
Jacob,  George,  Joseph  and  John,  the  same  author  informs 
us  sold  their  property  in  1697  to  an  uncle  of  the  name  of 
Houghton  and  removed  to  Concord. 

Among  the  names  of  the  men  who  went  from   Concord 


4^2  Colonial 

to  join  the  Narragansett  Expedition  in  1675,  ^^  ^^^  name 
of  Stephen  Farre,  which  name  we  conjecture  may  have 
been  pronounced   Farrar. 

The  following  is  the  biographical  data  of  the  Concord  sol- 
diers who  met  with  casualities  in  the  Narragansett  Expedi- 
tion. 

George  Hayward  who  was  killed  at  the  Swamp  Fight  may 
have  been  a  son  of  George  Hayward  who  early  built  a  corn 
mill  at  the  southwest  part  of  the  town  and  died  March 
1 67 1.  We  have  no  record  of  his  birth  but  conclude  from 
the  fact  that  we  have  seen  the  name  of  the  mill  proprietor 
written  in  history  George  Hayward  senior,  that  George  the 
soldier  was  his  son. 

Abraham  Temple  who  was  one  of  the  wounded  at  the 
Swamp  Fight  was  a  son  of  Richard  Temple  who  had  a  mill 
on  Spencer  Brook.     An  old  record  states  of  him,  — 

"Abraham  Temple  and  Deborah  hadlocke  married  4 
desem     1673." 

"Richard  son  of  Abraham  Temple  &  Debra  his  wife 
borne  6,  Oct.  1674." 

Thomas  Brown  the  other  wounded  soldier  at  the  Swamp 
Fight,  lived  in  the  North  quarter  beyond  the  Concord  river 
on  what  has  since  been  the  Edwin  S.  Barrett  place  and  in 
the  neighborhood  of  Boaz  Brown  whose  home  was  on  the 
place  since  occupied  by  Eli  Dakin. 


CHAPTER     XLIV 

Historical  Sketches  of  Major  Simon  Willard,  Lieut. 
Edward  Oakes^  Lieut.  Simon  Davis,  Capt.  Thomas 
Brattle. 

BEFORE  closing  the  subject  of  Concord  in  King  Phil- 
ip's war  it  is  proper  to  give  some  further  account  of 
Maj.  Simon  Willard  who,  as  before  stated,  was  one  of 
her  most  conspicuous  citizens,  and  of  several  other  officers 
who  served  at  that  time,  and  are  associated  with  the  town. 

The  more  prominent  military  service  of  Simon  Willard  as 
related  to  the  public  at  large  began  when,  in  1653,  he  was 
appointed  Sergeant- Maj  or  of  the  forces  of  Middlesex 
county. 

In  October,  1654,  he  was  made  commander-in-chief  of 
a  levy  of  a  little  more  than  three  hundred  footmen  and 
horsemen  who  were  sent  out  by  the  United  Colonies  in  an 
expedition  against  Ninigret,  the  Sachem  of  the  Niantics, 
returning  to  Boston  with  his  troops  by  October  24. 

The  result  of  the  expedition  was  the  obtaining  of  a  satis- 
factory agreement  with  Ninigret  and  also  with  the  Pequod 
Indians. 

Among  the  earlier  services  of  Mr.  Willard  in  Philip's 
war  was  the  organizing  of  the  Colonial  troops,  and  one  of 
his  first  acts  in  the  field  was  his  part  in  the  relief  of  the 
Brookfield  Garrison.  At  that  time  he  was,  with  Capt. 
Parker,  about  starting  with  his  company  of  forty-six  men 
to  look  after  some  Indians  to  the  westward  of  Lancaster 
and  Groton,  having  five  friendly  Indians  with  him  as 
scouts.  Soon  after  this  he  was  in  command  of  a  consider- 
able force,  consisting,  among  others,  of  the  companies  of 
Captain's  Lathrop,  Beers  and  Mosely,  sent  to  range  the 
country  about  Brookfield.  463 


4^4  Colonial 

According  to  a  paper  presented  to  the  Court  after  the 
decease  of  Major  Willard,  asking  payment  for  his  services, 
there  is  evidence  that  from  Sept.  20,  1675,  ^°  April  18, 
1676,  "the  major  was  employed  about  the  country  busi- 
ness Settling  of  Garrisons  in  towns  and  settling  of  Indians 
at  Concord  and  Chelmsford,  and  other  business." 

For  several  months  Major  Willard  was  occupied  in  the 
various  towns  assisting  in  their  defence,  and  soon  after  the 
return  of  the  Narragansett  expedition  at  the  arrival  of 
Canonchet  in  the  Nipmunck  country  the  Council  ordered 
him  to  raise  a  large  force  of  mounted  men  to  do  duty  in 
the  vicinity  of  Groton,  Lancaster  and  Marlboro. 

The  miscellaneous  nature  of  the  military  services  of 
Major  Willard  may  be  set  forth  by  the  following  copy  of  a 
report  sent  by  him  to  the  Colonial  Court,  giving  an  account 
of  his  movements  from  March  21  to  29,  1675-6,  Mass. 
Archives,  Vol.  68,  p.  186  : 

"A  short  narrative  of  what  I  have  attended  unto  by  the 
Councill  of  late,  since  I  went  to  relieve  Groatton.  The 
21:1:  75-76,  I  went  to  Concord,  and  divided  the  troope 
committed  unto  me  from  Essex  &  Norfolke  into  three  pts 
one  to  garde  the  carte,  pressed  from  Sudbury,  one  pt  for  y^ 
carte  pressed  from  concord,  both  to  Lancaster,  one  pt  for 
y*  carte  that  went  from  Charlestowne  &  Wattertowne  that 
went  volintiers  or  wear  hiered  when  I  had  sent  them  to 
their  severall  places  I  came  downe  being  the  22  :  i  :  75-6  : 
&  went  to  concord  the  25:1:  75,  when  I  come  there  & 
inquired  how  it  was  with  Lancaster  the  answer  was  they 
wcare  in  distresse,  I  p^sently  sent  40  horse  thither  to  fetch 
away  corne,  and  I  went  that  night  to  Chellmsfoord  to  se 
how  it  was  with  them,  they  complayned,  Billerikye  Bridge, 
stood  in  great  need  of  being  fortified,  I  ordered  that  to  be 
don,  allso  they  told  me,  that  the  Indians  made  two  great 
rafte  of  board  &  rayles,  that  they  had  gott,  that  laye  at  the 
other  syd  of  the  river.  I  ordered  20  souldiers  to  go  over 
&  take  them,  &  towe  them  downe  the  River,  or  p'serve 
them  as   they  se  cause,  the  27  oi  this   instant  I  went  from 


THE 


'^OB/idati 


'ions, 


SITE  OF  MAJOR  SIMON  WILLARDS  HOUSE 


Concord  465 

Chellmsord  to  concord  agayne  when  I  came  there,  the 
troopers  that  I  sent  to  Lancaster  last  had  brought  away  all 
the  people  there,  but  had  left  about  80  bushells  of  wheat  & 
Indian  corne,  yesterday  I  sent :  40  :  horses  or  more  to  fetch 
it  away,  &  came  down  from  concord,  this  day  I  expect  they 
will  be  at  concord.  Some  of  the  troope  I  relesed  when  this 
last  worke  was  don,  the  other  I  left  order  to  scout  abroad 
until  they  heare  from  me  agayne,  I  thought  it  not  meet  to 
relese  men,  when  we  stand  in  need  of  men,  my  desire  is  to 
know  what  I  shall  do  herein  concord  &  chelmsford  look 
every  day  to  be  fired,  and  wold  have  more  men  but  know 
not  how  to  keepe  them,  nor  paye  them,  your  humble 
servant.  Simon   Willard  29  :  i  :  76." 

As  a  surveyor  Mr.  Willard  was  also  celebrated.  About 
1652  he  was  sent  as  a  commissioner  to  establish  the  north- 
ern boundary  of  Massachusetts  at  the  head  of  the  Merrimac 
river ;  and  it  is  said  that  the  letters  S.  W,,  which  some 
years  since  were  found  upon  the  Bound  Rock  near  Lake 
Winnepesaukee,  were  probably  the  initials  of  his  name. 

For  prominent  service  in  the  settlement  of  Lancaster 
Mr.  Willard  was  presented  with  a  large  land  tract,  and  it 
is  supposed  that  he  removed  to  that  town  in  1659.  Sub- 
sequent to  his  removal  he  acquired  a  strip  of  territory  in 
Groton,  now  situated  in  the  town  of  Ayer.  This  land  has 
been  known  as  the  Nonacoicus  grant,  it  being  adjacent  to 
a  brook  of  this  name. 

Upon  this  tract  of  territory  Mr.  Willard  erected  a  house 
which,  according  to  a  map  made  by  Thomas  Danforth, 
surveyor,  was  situated  not  far  from  the  present  county  road 
leading  from  Ayer  to  Shirley  Village.  The  exact  spot 
where  this  house  stood  has  not  been  positively  ascertained; 
it  is  believed,  however,  that  it  was  upon  a  knoll  about 
twenty-five  rods,  more  or  less,  from  the  county  road  on 
the  southerly  side.  This  conjecture  is  favored  by  the 
nature  of  the  locality.  The  spot  is  near  the  junction  of 
Nonacoicus  brook  and  the  Nashua  river,  where  the  inter- 
vale or  meadow  extends  quite  a   distance   southerly  before 


466  Colonial 

reaching  the  uphind,  thereby  affording  good  land  for  culti- 
tion.  Nearby  is  a  considerable  rivulet,  making  convenient 
the  watering  of  stock  and  the  supplying  of  the  house. 
The  proximity  of  the  Nonacoicus  brook  and  Nashua  river 
afforded  opportunity  for  fishing  and  the  bottom  lands 
about  them  for  game  ;  moreover,  the  Nashua  river,  running, 
as  it  did,  through  Groton  and  Lancaster,  formed  a  con- 
venient water  way  between  the  two  towns  ;  and  for  this 
reason  Mr.  Willard  would  naturally  place  his  homestead 
near  it.  In  early  times  streams  passing  through  a  wilder- 
ness country  were  made  use  of  both  for  transportation  and 
personal  passage.  The  Indians  in  the  upper  country  were 
accustomed  to  make  use  of  them  for  one  or  both  of  these 
purposes  and  in  the  time  of  the  intercolonial  wars  these  water- 
ways were  sometimes  watched  by  companies  of  provincial 
rangers  who  lay  in  wait  to  intercept  any  enemy  who  might 
use  the  water  courses  for  reaching  the  settlements. 

The  spot  just  indicated  was  well  situated  for  defense, 
it  being  so  elevated  as  to  command  a  near  view  of  the  sur- 
rounding country.  About  this  locality  formerly  there  was 
quite  a  hamlet ;  the  marks  of  cellar  holes  being  still  visible. 
Upon  the  knoll  until  within  about  a  half  century  ago  a 
house  was  standing  which  when  demolished  was  very  old. 
This  may  have  been  the  immediate  successor  of  the  Wil- 
lard house,  or  at  least  the  second.  As  Mr.  Willard  went 
to  Groton  from  Lancaster  in  1671,  the  house  was  probably 
erected  the  same  year.  We  may  suppose  that  it  stood 
quite  alone,  the  estate  being  a  large  one  and  the  house 
according  to  the  plan  of  Danfoith  being  in  the  central 
portion.  Another  circumstance  making  presumable  its 
isolated  condition,  is  that  it  was  not  called  a  garrison  house 
which  we  believe  it  would  have  been  if  there  had  been 
homesteads  about  it. 

But  although  removed  from  near  neighbors  and  about 
five  miles  from  any  cluster  of  dwellings  at  central  Groton, 
the  Willard  house  in  Philips  war  was  much  frequented  by 
military  men  for  military  purposes.     As  it  was  on  the  main 


Concord  .    467 

line  of  frontier  territory  along  the  region  of  the  Nashua 
river  and  the  general  course  of  scouting  parties  as  these 
made  their  way  through  the  wood  from  Dunstable  to 
Groton  and  Lancaster  on  past  Washacum  and  Wachusett 
to  Quinsigamond,  it  became  a  place  of  rendezvous ;  and 
its  comfort  and  geniality  were  often  shared  in  by  the  worn 
soldiers  and  their  tired  horses.  Bunches  of  stacked  mus- 
kets in  the  door  yard  may  not  have  been  unusual  objects, 
while  in  the  nearer  forest  to  the  northerly  by  the  river  side 
and  upon  the  stony  ridge  at  the  eastward  and  along  the 
wilderness  road  toward  Shabbokin,  where  the  road  which  is 
now  a  common  highway  was  then  a  trail  toward  Lancaster, 
may  have  been  many  times  seen  the  vigilant  sentry.  The 
house  was  attacked  by  the  Indians  and  burned  March  13, 
1676.  The  family  were  absent  at  the  time,  warning  having 
been  given  of  the  approach  of  the  Indians. 

March  2nd  the  town  of  Groton  was  put  on  its 
guard  by  the  presence  of  a  band  of  savages  who  pillaged 
several  houses  and  stole  some  cattle.  This  act  of  hostility 
had  sent  the  inhabitants  of  the  scattered  homesteads  to  the 
several  garrison  houses  of  the  town  and  saved  many  people 
who  would  otherwise  have  perished.  When  on  March  13 
the  final  attack  came  Major  Willard  who  with  his  men  was 
scouting  among  the  exposed  towns  and  arranging  for  their 
defense  went  immediately  with  a  squadron  of  cavalry  to 
the  town's  relief;  but  he  arrived  too  late.  The  town  was 
destroyed.  Forty  dwelling  houses  had  been  laid  in  ashes, 
and  also  the  meeting  house. 

The  first  house  destroyed  was  that  of  Major  Willard 
at  Nonacoicus  and  it  is  not  altogether  unlikely  that  he 
passed  the  smoking  ruins  of  his  own  homestead  on  his  way 
to  the  rescue  of  the  central  village. 

There  are  two  scenes  in  the  history  of  Simon  Willard 
that  are  especially  interesting — one,  when  the  noble  old 
officer  over  seventy  years  of  age  rode  hurriedly  over  the 
rough  wood  roads  followed  hotly  by  his  troop  in  eager 
impatience  to  arrive  at  Brookefield  in  season  to  rescue  his 


Colonial 

former  townsmen  of  Concord  or  their  sons  and  Capt. 
Wheeler  an  associate  officer ;  and  the  other,  his  ride  to 
Groton  where  his  own  home  was  situated  and  his  own  son 
was  the  minister. 

After  the  destruction  of  Groton,  the  inhabitants  and  the 
portion  of  goods  that  had  been  saved,  as  soon  as  it  could  be 
done  with  safety,  were  conveyed  through  the  woods  to  the 
lower  towns  ;  a  considerable  portion  of  them  being  left  at 
Concord. 

It  is  pleasant  to  contemplate  that  in  selecting  temporary 
abiding  places  for  his  Groton  townsmen  he  showed  a  pre- 
ference for  his  old  Concord  home,  and  it  may  be  that  the 
welcome  accorded  to  the  Groton  exiles  was  the  more  hearty 
because  they  had  been  associated  in  their  homes  with  Simon 
Willard. 

The  house  of  Major  Willard  at  Groton  was  never 
rebuilt.  Soon  after,  he  went  to  Charlestown  where  he  died 
April  24,  1676. 

When  the  "piping  times  of  peace"  returned  and  the 
sunlit  forest  with  its  kindly  sheltering  shades  again  afforded 
safety  and  the  birds  sang  there  sweetly  undisturbed  by  the 
harsh  war  sounds,  some  one  perhaps  repaired  to  the 
deserted  and  desolated  spot  still  lovely  in  its  forest 
environment,  and  scraping  away  the  cold  grey  ashes  and 
finding  a  foundation  which  the  fires  of  war  had  not  crum- 
bled, built  upon  it.  For  years,  the  structure  then  erected 
endured.  The  storms  swept  over  it  and  scoured  its  shingles 
or  tore  its  thatching.  It  finally  fell;  the  place  again  was 
left  vacant,  and  today  the,  traveler  as  he  passes  along 
the  country  road  may  see  in  the  near  distance  in  a 
pleasant  pasture  a  few  bunches  of  low  shrubbery  which 
alone  remain  to  remind  one  of  the  former  residence  of 
Simon  Willard. 

But  to  the  interested  reader  of  the  town's  early  his- 
tory there  is  about  these  silent  objects  and  surroundings  a 
special  significance.  The  rough  rocks  and  loosely  lying 
stones  may  have  been  resting  places  for  the  exulting  savage, 


Concord  469 

as  he  sat  on  that  dismal  March  morning  after  applying  the 
torch  and  watched  the  flames  as  they  consumed  the  dwell- 
ing place  of  one  whom  he  intensely  hated  and  feared. 
The  little  rivulet  that  still  creeps  down  through  the  grassy 
runlet  and  crosses  the  highway  in  its  passage,  affording  now 
the  simple  service  of  a  wayside  watering  place,  was  once  it 
may  be  rippled  by  the  bucket  of  Madam  Willard  or  her 
servants.  Where  the  interval  broadens  out  from  the  river 
and  brook  until  by  its  gentle  winding  it  reaches  almost 
within  view  from  the  door,  the  younger  children  of  the 
family  in  the  season  when  the  "sound  of  falling  nuts  is  heard" 
may  have  repaired  with  their  coarse  baskets  to  gather  wal- 
nuts and  chestnuts,  or  to  pick  cranberries. 

Another  man  who  did  good  service  in  Philip's  war  and 
who  spent  a  portion  of  his  life  in  Concord  was  Lieut. 
Edward  Oakes. 

He  came  from  England  in  1640,  and  lived  for  many 
years  in  Cambridge  where  he  was  a  selectman  twenty-six 
years.  His  wife's  name  was  Jane  ;  and  the  names  of  four 
of  his  children  were  Urian,  Edward,  Mary  and  Thomas, 
the  two  former  having  been  born  in  England.  He  was  a 
Deputy  to  the  Gen.  Court  from  Concord  in  1683,  4,  and  6. 

Lient.  Oakes  did  service  during  King  Philip's  war  in  tlie 
troop  of  Capt.  Prentice,  who  commanded  one  of  the  ^xt. 
troop  of  horse  in  the  colony.  To  belong  to  a  cavahy 
company  was  a  privileged  position.  The  members  had 
extra  pay  and  were  generally  from  the  more  thrifty  and 
well  to  do  families,  each  one  owning  his  own  horse.  Lieut. 
Oakes  was  in  the  summer  campaign  at  Mount  Hope. 
The  fact  that  he  was  Lieutenant  in  Capt.  Prentice's  Com- 
mand is  evidence  of  a  creditable  record.  He  died  at  Con- 
cord Oct.  13,  1689,  aged  about  85. 

Simon  Davis  was  a  son  of  Dolor  Davis  who  was  a  peti- 
tioner for  Groton  in  1656.  His  father  married  Margery  a 
sister  of  Major  Simon  Willard. 

Simon  and  his  brother  Samuel  made  their  homes  in 
Concord  and    had  families  the    descendants  of  which  are 


470  Colonial 

^^^^^~~"~'^        ^^^^^~^~"'™'''^^"^^~™'~'^~~'""~"  ™™ 

widely  scattered  and  greatly  respected. 

Simon  Davis  subsequently  became  a  Lieutenant  and  then 
a  captain,  and  in  King  Williams  war  with  forty  troopers 
and  thirty  foot  soldiers  was  appointed  to  defend  the  frontier 
from  Dunstable  to  Marlborough.  Beside  serving  faithfully 
as  a  soldier,  captain  Davis  successively  occupied  several 
civic  offices,  being  a  representative  about  1689.  He  mar- 
ried Mary  a  daughter  of  James  Blood  in  1660  and  Died 
June  14,  1713  aged  77.  It  is  said  that  three  Governors 
John  Dav's,  George  Robinson  and  John  D.  Long  have 
descended  from  this  family. 

Another  Officer  who  was  connected  with  the  town  of 
Concord  was  Capt.  Thomas  Brattle  at  one  time  a  merchant 
in  Boston  and  a  member  of  the  Artillery  Company  in 
1674.  He  purchased  of  the  Indians  large  tracts  of  terri- 
tory along  the  Kennebec  and  Merrimac  rivers  and  owned 
the  iron  works  at  Concord.  From  1678  to  1681  he  was  a 
deputy  from  Lancaster.  He  was  one  of  the  founders  of 
the  Old  South  Church  in  Boston  and  married  EHzabeth,  a 
daughter  of  Capt.  William  Tyng.  Thomas  Brattle  was 
appointed  Cornet  of  the  Suffolk  troop  on  May  30  1670, 
became  Lieutenant  Oct.  13,  1675,  ^^^  captain  May  9, 
1676. 

Thomas  Brattle  while  Cornet  on  Sept.  8,  1675  conducted 
a  detatchment  of  soldiers  for  distribution  in  the  towns  of 
Dunstable,  Groton  and  Lancaster,  and  arranged  with  the 
people  for  their  doing  garrison  duty  among  them.  He 
was  engaged  in  the  organization  and  supply  of  several 
expeditions  and  was  with  the  Narragansett  army  after  the 
Swamp  fight. 

He  died  April  5,  1683  leaving  it  is  stated  the  largest 
estate  in  New  England  at  that  time.  His  sons  Thomas  and 
William  graduated  at  Harvard  College  and  both  were  cel- 
ebrated and  popular. 

Before  closing  the  subject  ot  the  connection  ot  Concord 
with  Philip's  war  we  would  observe  that  some  of  the  mili- 
tary methods  employed  during  the  period  correspond  quite 


Concord  47 1 

nearly  to  some  of  the  practices  of  the  period  just  preceding 
the  war  of  the  Revolution.  For  instance  the  function  of 
the  "committee  of  militia"  was  similar  to  the  later  com- 
mittee of  safety  and  the  latter  may  have  had  its  origin  in, 
or  been  a  continuation  of  the  former.  In  the  time  of 
Philip's  war  in  a  town  adjacent  to  Concord,  according  to  its 
historian,  the  inhabitants  who  were  capable  of  bearing  arms 
were  divided  into  two  military  organizations,  one,  which  was 
made  up  of  two  thirds  of  the  inhabitants,  acting  as  the  reg- 
ular militia,  and  the  remaining  third  standing  in  readiness 
to  act  at  a  moment's  warning,  suggesting  both  by  the  num- 
ber of  men  in  each  organization  and  by  the  service  expected 
of  those  in  the  latter  that  here  may  have  been  the  origin  of 
the  "Minute  men."  The  company  that  stood  in  readiness  to 
act  at  a  moment's  notice  was  known  as  "The  Alarm."  If 
this  was  the  practice  in  neighboring  places,  without  evidence 
to  the  contrary  we  may  suppose  it  was  so  in  Concord,  and 
perhaps  the  twelve  men  who  went  to  the  rescue  of  Sud- 
bury, were  Minute  men. 

The  signal  service  consisting  in  the  firing  of  several  mus- 
kets succesively  may  have  given  rise  to  the  same  signal 
service  of  a  subsequent  century. 

The  making  use  of  the  town  of  Concord  as  a  rendezvous 
of  soldiers,  a  place  for  war  refugees,  for  a  gunsmith,  a 
"Magazine,"  and  a  deposit  of  military  stores  may  have 
caused  it  to  be  used  for  a  military  purpose  in  both  the 
intercolonial  wars  and  in  the  conflict  of  1775. 

Thus  closed  the  tragic  and  grimly  picturesque  period  of 
King  Philip's  war;  a  period  in  which  the  valor  of  the 
United  Colonies  of  Massachusetts,  Plymouth  and  Con- 
necticut had  been  many  times  demonstrated,  and  in  which 
the  endurance  and  resources  of  the  respective  towns  had 
been  severely  taxed.  Both  races  left  that  in  their  records 
which  they  had  great  reason  to  regret,  and  which  judged  by 
the  standards  of  later  years  is  far  from  being  commendable. 
The  English  in  their  fighting  qualities  even  when  they  were 
displayed    under    circumstances    which    were  wild    and    ill 


47^  Colonial 

adapted  to  the  usual  conditions  of  waging  war,  had  shown 
themselves  the  masters,  although  by  an  inconsiderate  rash- 
ness or  overconfidence  they  had  suffered  their  greatet 
losses.  Their  work  had  been  open  and  their  methods  if 
not  unmixed  with  cruelty  had  been  tactful  and  orderly. 
The  Indians  had  shown  themselves  coarse  adepts  in  trickery 
and  without  successful  comprehensiveness  of  plan.  Their 
chief  resource  was  the  ambuscade,  and  they  seldom  attacked 
where  the  forces  were  equal.  We  know  of  but  one  notable 
instance  of  open  siege  by  them,  or  of  carrying  a  fortified 
place  by  storming  it.  The  incidental  references  to 
their  traits  as  brought  out  in  the  various  war  records,  and 
in  the  literature  of  the  times  set  forth  we  believe 
far  less  of  a  native  nobility  to  the  life  and  character 
of  the  savage  than  the  poet  has  associated  with  him.  He 
was  gross  in  his  general  habits.  The  forest  cleanliness  that 
belongs  to  bird  or  beast  Vv^as  not  observed  by  him,  and  the 
precariousness  of  his  manner  of  living  points  to  him  as 
being  lazily  improvident.  Some  of  his  faultiness  in  these 
respects  is  brought  out  by  Mrs.  Rowlandson  in  a  manner 
so  marked  as  to  make  the  very  reading  of  the  descriptions 
alm.ost  repulsive.  In  short  the  general  testimony  of  the 
entire  contest  is  that  Indian  observation  of  Euro- 
peans for  a  portion  of  two  generations  had  not 
removed  him  from  his  ancient  barbarity  nor  led  him 
to  abstain  from  vile  practices  which  he  observed  before 
he  had  ever  seen  a  white  man.  It  is  the  old  story  oft 
repeated  in  ethnological  history  that  nature  alone  is  ill 
suited  to  reform  a  sin  stained  soul. 

But  on  the  other  hand  Philip's  war  remarkably  affirmed 
the  province  of  grace  and  the  gospel  to  do  a  work  in  the 
human  heart  that  even  war  with  all  of  hell  that  there  ma 
be  in  it  cannot  erase  or  eradicate. 

The  Praying  Indian  although  persecuted  by  his  own 
and  his  adopted  race  stood  firm  between  the  two  fires  and 
amid  all  the  tribulations  by  which  he  was  tested  he  could  be 


Concord  473 

depended  upon  in  the  hour  of  a  "forlorn  hope"  as  none 
other  of  his  race  could  be. 

Job  Kattenanit  of  Natick  dragging  himself  to  the  door 
of  Major  Daniel  Gookin's  house  in  Cambridge  a  short 
time  before  midnight  on  Feb.  9th  after  a  journey  of  eighty 
miles  from  the  Indian  village  at  Meminimisset  bringing 
intelligence  in  confirmation  of  a  report  made  by  Quanapaug 
a  Christian  convert  of  the  Nashaway  Indians  whom  Gov. 
Leverett  had  employed  as  a  scout,  that  the  Indians  would 
in  twenty  days  fall  upon  the  English  settlements  and  first 
attack  Lancaster,  and  Tom  Doublet  speeding  through  the 
long,  lonely  forest  with  a  message  from  the  Governor  in 
behalf  of  distressed  Mrs.  Rowlandson  are  emphatic  tributes 
to  God's  saving  power  among  the  heathen  and  to  the 
untiring  efforts  of  His  servant  the  Apostle  Eliot  who 
declared  it. 

These  faithful  Christians  famished  and  almost  over- 
come by  their  long  fatigue  bore  witness  to  their  loyalty  to 
the  newly  found  faith  by  all  the  eloquence  of  noble  endur- 
ance. True  there  may  have  been  among  the  Christian 
Indians  religious  renegades  and  cases  of  mistaken  conver- 
sion, instances  of  which  Mrs.  Rowlandson  has  cited  in  her 
"Removes;"  but  so  it  has  been  with  some  of  the  alleged 
conversions  among  civilized  Christians,  and  the  spurious 
only  proves  the  value  of  the  genuine. 

As  to  some  of  the  war  measures  of  either  side  there  is 
but  small  opportunity  to  be  apologetic.  Each  dealt  with 
its  captives  with  a  cruel  commercialism  that  can  under  no 
circumstances  be  condoned  much  less  commended. 

That  both  contestants  believed  themselves  right  we  may 
not  question  but  how  this  could  be  is  not  so  easily 
explained.  The  same  inexplicable  way  of  thinking  and  ot 
viewing  things  may  have  had  its  influence  here  as 
in  years  later  when  the  pious  colonist  with  a  composure  of 
conscience  that  is  remarkable  convicted  witch  suspects. 

That  the  fathers  were  great  in  their  heroic  faith  is  beyond 


474  Colonial 

controversy  for  this  only  could  have  kept  them  through 
their  hours  of  trial.  That  they  meant  well  in  what  they 
did  few  can  doubt  who  know  them  ;  but  how  they  could 
justify  some  of  their  means  to  their  righteous  aims  and  ends 
is  beyond  our  knowledge.  Ail  we  can  do  is  to  be  generously 
charitable. 


CONCORD  SQUARE,  1903. 


CONCORD  S(2UARE,  1840. 


CHAPTER  XLV 

Changed  Condition  of  the  Colony  at  the  Close  ot 
King  Philips  War  —  Process  of  Recuperation  — 
Erection  of  a  New  Meeting  House  —  Evangelical 
Character  of  the  Concord  Church  —  Progress  in 
Educational  Affairs  —  Early  Circulating  Library  — 
Donation  of  Land  by  Capt.  Timothy  Wheeler  — 
Real  Estate  Transactions  —  Adjustment  of  Riparian 
Rights  of  the  Bulkeley  Mill  Privilege  —  Settlement 
of  the  Controversy  Concerning  the  Blood  Farms  — 
Historical  Sketch  of  the  Blood  Family  —  Indian 
Deeds  in  Confirmation  of  Old  Titles. 

AFTER  the  close  of  King  Philip's  war  the  colonial 
towns  were  not  slow  in  engaging  in  the  work  of 
reconstruction  and  soon  there  was  once  more  seen 
upon  the  hillsides  and  along  the  glades  safe  and  pleasant 
homesteads  and  plenteous  harvest  fields'  After  the  wag- 
ing of  the  terrible  conflict  a  sense  of  security  came  over 
society  and  there  was  fresh  inducement  to  effort.  The  local 
Indian  question  it  was  believed  had  been  settled.  There 
was  no  longer  the  possibility  of  a  sudden  uprising  by  which 
all  progress  might  be  impeded  and  any  enterprise  that  had 
been  undertaken  destroyed.  It  had  become  safe  now  to 
invest  in  new  lands  to  further  clear  away  the  forest,  and  to 
erect  bridges  and  make  passable  roads. 

It  was  now  considered  comparatively  safe  to  live  in  any 
portion  of  central  or  southern  New  England.  The  traveler 
could  make  his  journey  through  the  wood  without  danger 
of  an  interruption  or  signs  of  an  enemy.  The  settler's  wife 
could  build  a  fire  for  the  evening  meal  and  her  husband  in 
the  distant  field  could  smile  at  the  sight  of  the  cheerful 

475 


47^  Colonial 

chimney  smoke  and  the  thought  of  supper  that  would 
await  him  as  he  left  his  hard  day's  work  without  having 
his  happiness  interfered  with  by  a  consciousness  that 
the  rising  smoke  might  attract  savages.  The  children 
could  gather  fresh  flowers  in  the  meadows  ;  women  could 
venture  alone  by  the  countryside  and  cattle  could  be  allowed 
to  browse  at  will  in  the  brushwood  with  only  the  merry 
tinkle  of  the  cow  bell  to  disclose  their  whereabouts,  so  great 
had  become  the  security  almost  immediately  after  the  war 
had  fully  ended. 

The  town  of  Concord  in  common  with  others  of  the 
colony  early  felt  the  welcome  impetus  and  was  not  back- 
ward in  taking  advantage  of  the  brightening  prospect  and 
in  accepting  of  the  invitation  of  new  circumstances  to 
develop  her  resources.  Centrally  situated  as  she  was 
among  the  townships  of  the  county  her  territory  was  both 
convenient  and  attractive  and  from  time  to  time  new 
names  were  added  to  her  list  of  inhabitants. 

With  the  changed  conditions  came  new  sights  and  sounds 
which  formed  a  contrast  with  what  had  just  preceded  them 
which  was  very  marked. 

Instead  of  the  hurrying  footsteps  of  forest  messengers 
coming  with  tidings  of  the  near  approach  of  war  parties 
and  the  sight  of  new  levies  of  soldiers  sent  by  the  Council 
to  rendezvous  at  Concord  and  perhaps  be  billeted  upon  the 
inhabitants,  and  of  clumsy  carts  loaded  with  the  goods 
of  fleeing  refugees  whose  homes  were  menaced  and  guarded 
by  a  convoy  of  grim  troops,  there  was  heard  the  rattle  of 
the  hay-rigging  coming  from  the  meadow  loaded  with  sedge 
or  from  the  field  with  corn,  or  the  load  of  wood  from  the 
forest  or  there  might  have  been  seen  jogging  to  the  grist  mill, 
the  farmer  from  some  remote  district  or  from  the  border  of 
some  adjacent  town  ;  or  the  teamster  from  "up  country" 
going  to  market  with  his  produce  and  that  of  his  neighbor 
to  be  exchanged  in  barter  for  such  commodities  as  they 
could  not  produce  or  make  for  themselves. 

To  a  small  extent  the  townships  that  had  suffered  the 


Concord  477 

most  severely  in  the  war  were  assisted  by  the  colony  in  a 
temporary  abatement  of  taxes.  In  1676  valuable  assistance 
was  rendered  from  a  fund  sent  to  America  from.  Ireland 
called  the  "Irish  Charity  Donation  or  Fund."  The  gift 
was  designed  for  the  people  of  Massachusetts,  Plymouth, 
and  Connecticut  colonies  and  was  made  "by  divers  Chris- 
tians in  Ireland  for  the  relieffe  of  such  as  are  Impoverished 
Distressed  and  in  Nessesitie  by  the  late  Indian  Wars."  It 
came  to  this  country  by  the  "Good  ship  called  the  Kath- 
rine  of  Dublin."  The  fund  is  supposed  to  have  been  pro- 
cured by  Rev.  Nathaniel  Mather  a  brother  of  Increase. 

The  tax  abatement  for  the  town  in  1676  was  ^^50.  The 
amount  allowed  Concord  people  from  the  charity  fund  was 
^50,  Eighteen  families  consisting  of  seventy-two  persons 
received  benefits  from  the  fund. 

The  goods  contributed  consisted  of  oat  meal,  wheat, 
malt,  butter,  and  cheese.  The  appraised  value  of  these 
was  as  follows  :  malt  "i8s  per  ball,  butter  6d,  cheese  4d. 

During  the  entire  colonial  period  we  conclude  that  the 
regular  routine  of  town  business  went  on  without  much 
essential  variation.  There  were  about  the  same  officials  to 
be  chosen  from  year  to  year  the  same  objects  for  which  to 
appropriate  money  and  the  same  ways  and  means  to  be 
employed  for  meeting  these  things. 

There  was  a  careful  surveilance  by  the  town  of  all  its 
officials  and  of  its  affairs  in  general,  and  but  little  if  any- 
thing was  left  at  loose  ends  which  appertained  to  the  public 
interest. 

The  following  copy  of  instructions  given  to  the  Concord 
selectmen  in  the  year  1672  shows  the  nature  of  subjects  to  be 
looked  after. 

"'Instructions  given  to  the  Selectmen  of  Concord  for 
the  year,  1672. 

I  To  see  that  the  ministers  Rates  be  discharged  according 
to  time 

1  To  ascamen  whether  the  meting  house,  be  finised  accord- 
ing to  agreement,  &  if  not,  that  it  may  be ;  but  if  the 


478  Colonial 

agreement  be  fulfiled,  then  to  take  cear  that  somthing 
be  done  to  keep  the  water  out,  and  that  the  pulpct  be 
altred. 

4  That  spedy  kere  be  taken  to  mend  or  demales,  the  foote 

bridg  over  the  Riv*^  at  the  Iron  Works : 

5  To  treat  with  Capt.  Thomas  Wheler  about  his  leese  of 

the  Townes  farme  &  if  it  may  be  upon  Resonable 
termes  to  alter  that  perticuler  wherein  the  Towne  is 
Jn  Jnoiyned  to  send  such  a  nomber  cattle  yearly  to  be 
herded  by  him ; 

6  To  let  out  the  land  &  housing  where  now  John  Law 

dweles  ;  for  the  benefet  of  the  towne, 

7  To  take  order  that  all  Corn  filds  be  sufficentiy  fenced 

in  seson,  the  Crane  fild  &  bricke  keld  field  espe- 
cially ; 

8  And    that  incorigment    be  given    for    the    destroing  of 

blackburds  &  Jaies; 

9  That  speciall  cear  be  taken  to  preuent  damiag  by  swine 

in  corne  fieldes  &  medows 

10  That  shepe  &  lames  be  keept  from  doing  damiag  in 

cornefields  ; 

1 1  To  make  a  Record  of  all  the  habitationes,  that  are  priv- 

iledged  with  liberty  at  Comones ; 

12  To  take  account  of  the  laste  yeares  selectmen  for  what 

is  don,  [due?]  to  the  Towne  by  Reent  by  John  Law, 
or  by  givft  by  Joseph  Meriam  ;  or  otherwise  of  wright 
dew  to  the  Towne,  not  to  Restraine  the  selectmen  from 
lenity  towards  John  Law  ; 

13  To  see  that  menes  lands  both  Improved  &  unimproved 

be  truly  broth,  [brought  in] 

14  To   take  care  that  vndesiarable  persones  be  not  enter- 

tained ;  so  as  to  become  inhabitants 

15  To  take  cere  that  psones  doe  not  ouer  Charg  ther  Com- 

ones with  Cattle, 

1 6  That  all  psones  that  have  taken  the  oath  of  fidellity  be 

Recorded, 


Concord  479 

17   That  cere   be  taken  that  Cattle   be  herded,  as  much  as 
may  be,  with  convenence 
These  perticolers  were  agreed  vpon  by  vs  whose  names 
are  vnderwriten  nehamia.  hunt ;  John  fflint ;  John 

miles;  Will  dated  4:  i.mo.  ^^72  heartwell ;  Tho  ;  Wheler 
Joshuah  brooke  Joseph ;  heaward ;  Gershom.  Brooke, 
Humpry  barit  John  Billings" 

But  while  public  proceedings  usually  moved  on  uninter- 
ruptedly and  with  only  here  and  there  a  ripple  of  change  or 
excitement  in  1689  the  rule  was  broken  in  upon  by  an  event 
which  disturbed  the  whole  town.  This  was  an  order  by 
the  colonial  authorities  to  compel  all  who  would  participate 
in  home  government  to  become  freemen  or  in  other  words 
to  qualify  themselves  by  taking  the  following  "freeman's 
oath." 

"'I,  A.  B.,  being  by  God's  providence  an  inhabitant  and 
freeman  within  the  jurisdiction  of  this  commonwealth,  do 
freely  acknowledge  myself  to  be  subject  to  the  government 
thereof,  and  therefore  do  swear,  by  the  great  and  dreadful 
name  of  the  everlasting  God,  that  I  will  be  true  and  faithful 
to  the  same,  and  will  accordingly  yield  assistance  and  sup- 
port thereunto  with  my  person  and  estate,  as  in  equity  I  am 
bound,  and  also  truly  endeavor  to  maintain  and  preserve  all 
the  liberties  and  privileges  thereof,  submitting  myself  to  the 
wholesome  laws  and  orders  made  and  established  by  the 
same  ;  and,  further,  that  I  will  not  plot  nor  practice  any 
evil  against  it,  nor  consent  to  any  that  shall  do  so,  but  will 
timely  discover  and  reveal  the  same  to  lawful  authority  now 
here  established,  for  the  speedy  prevention  thereof;  more- 
over, I  do  solemnly  bind  myself,  in  the  sight  of  God,  that 
when  I  shall  be  called  to  give  my  voice  touching  any  such 
matter  of  this  state  wherein  freemen  are  to  deal,  I  will  give 
my  vote  and  suffrage,  as  I  shall  judge  in  my  conscience,  may 
best  conduce  and  tend  to  the  public  weal  of  the  body,  with- 
out respect  of  persons,  or  favor  of  any  man.  So  help  me 
God,  in  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ.'" 

At  an  early  stage  of  Colonial    history  only  a  freeman 


480  Colonial 

could  vote  or  hold    office  or  serve  on  a  jury ;    and   only 
church  members  could  become  freemen. 

This  rule  which  was  formally  in  force  till  the  close  of  the 
administration  of  Sir  Edmund  Andros  worked  to  the 
exclusion  of  many  substantial  citizens.  In  process  of 
time  however  the  rule  became  so  changed  that  by  taking 
the  oath  of  fealty  to  the  Colony  a  person  could  vote  in 
municipal  and  military  matters  and  hold  town  office.  By 
this  change,  whereby  it  was  made  possible  for  persons  to  be 
elected  to  office  without  being  subjected  to  the  process 
of  becoming  freemen,  an  active  participation  in  town  affairs 
became  more  general.  After  a  while  however  the  reform 
had  a  setback;  and  in  1689,  a  few  years  before  the  Colony 
passed  into  a  Province,  the  old  method  was  for  a  short 
period  revived  ;  and  again  no  one  could  vote  unless  he  had 
been  made  a  freeman.  The  immediate  result  of  this  move- 
ment was  to  lead  many  citizens  who  were  church  members 
to  apply  to  be  made  freemen. 

The  following  is  a  list  preserved  among  the  State 
Archives  Vol.  5  page  ^^l-,  containing  names  of  Concord 
citizens  who  having  complied  with  the  conditions  were  con- 
stituted freemen  at  the  time  of  the  revival  of  the  old  method 
of  eligibility.  That  they  were  church  members  is  evident 
from  the  fact  that  only  church  members  could  be  made 
freemen. 

"In  Concord  y^  3  of  i^'  munth  i6g^. 
An  acount  taken  of  the  nonfrreemen  which  are  free  hold- 
ers, whos  housing  and   Lands  do  amount  to  the  uallew  of 
six  rante  by  the  year. 

Mr.  James  Minerd  Nathanell  Stow 

Danell  Dane  Nathaell  Harwood 

Thomas  gobile  S(enior)      Eliphelet  fox 
Robord  Blood,  S  John  Ball 

John  wheler,  §  Samuel  fletcher 

Nemiah  hunt,  S  Timithy  Ries 

Samuell  Davis,  S  Samuel  Stratten 

John  Shaperd,  S  Johnethen  habord 


Concord  48 1 

Abraham  Tempel  Joshua  Wheler 

Recherd  Tempel  James  Smadly 

Isaac  Tempel  Nathanell  Buse 

Simon  Davis  John  wood 

Roberd  Blood  Abraham  wood 

Simon  Blood  Obadiah  wheler 

Josiah  Blood  John  Haward 

Judath  poter  Thomas  Wheler 

John  Jones  Steuen  Hosmer 

John  Hartwill 

Thomas  :  Wheeler  : 

HOMPHARY    BaRET 

Nathaniel  Billing    Select  men 
Steuen  Hosmor 
Eliphelet  ffox 
21  March  1689.     Voted  by  the  Court  to  be  ffremen 

Ebenezer  Prout,  Clerk 
Consenf^ 
Js*  Addington  Sec'^" 

Besides  the  foregoing  who  are  supposed  to  have  given 
the  Court  satisfactory  credentials  of  Church  membership 
upon  their  application  to  be  made  freemen,  we  have  the 
following  names  of  citizens  who  also  applied  to  be  made 
freemen  about  the  same  time  together  with  the  requisite 
certificate  for  church  membership, 

'•Concord  March  12'^  J 
All  whom  y^  knowledge  of  what  is  here  exp'ssed  doth 
concerne  may  please  hereby  to  understand,  that  y'  psons 
here  named  are  members  in  the  full  comunion  of  the 
church ;  Leiften*  Simon  Davis,  Leiften*  Jonathan  Prescot, 
Joseph  ftrench,  Thomas  Pellot,  Samuel  Hunt  ;  Eliezer 
fflag,  Samuel  Hartwell,  Samuel  Myriam,  John  Wheeler, 
Samuel  How,  Abraham  Taylor,  John  Hayward,  Nathaniel 
Ball,  Samuel  Wheate,  Timothy  Wheeler,  John  Myriam, 
Daniel  Pellet ;  Wittnesses  my  hand  ; 

Edward   Bulkely." 
/a2**  March,  1689. 


482  Colonial 

All  above  written  (Except  Daniel  Pellet)  voted  to  be 
ffreemen. 

his  age  being  questioned.  Js'  Addington  Sec""^. 

Ebenezer  Prout  Clerk. 
certificate  of  church  membership. 

These  documents  are  interesting  not  only  as  illustrative 
of  the  working  of  the  political  system  of  the  times,  but 
they  are  also  valuable  as  indicating  how  large  a  proportion 
of  the  town's  population  belonged  to  the  church. 

Among  the  more  important  events  which  occurred  at 
Concord  during  the  latter  part  of  the  Colonial  period  was 
the    building    of  a  new  meeting    house. 

As  stated  in  an  early  chapter  of  Part  i  the  first  meeting 
house  was  built  soon  after  the  settlement  began,  and  stood 
upon  the  little  hill  by  the  "strate  strete"  at  the  beginning  of 
Lexington  street.  This  which  was  undoubtedly  built  of 
logs  had  no  successor  upon  its  perched  position  on  the 
hill  top  but  was  followed  by  a  more  imposing  structure 
erected  upon  the  plain  by  the  brook.  Agitation  upon  the 
subject  of  a  new  house  of  public  worship  began  soon  after 
the  death  of  the  first  minister,  and  in  1667  a  vote  was  taken 
in  town  meeting  to  erect  one.  The  building  was  to  stand 
"between  the  old  edifice  and  Deacon  Jarvis',''  Jan.  27,  1668, 
a  committee  consisting  of  Capt.  Timothy  Wheeler,  Joseph 
Wheeler,  and  John  Smedly  was  chosen  to  plan  and  take 
charge  of  the  business  of  construction,  and  in  1672,  the 
selectmen  were  to  see  if  the  contract  for  completing 
the  work  had  been  fulfilled.  The  new  house  of  worship  in 
style  closely  resembled  the  old  meeting  house  at  Hingham, 
Mass.,  which  was  built  in  1 681.  It  had  a  peeked  roof 
with  four  sides  or  slopes  in  which  were  dormer  windows, 
and  was  surmounted  by  a  belfry.  The  main  structure  was 
nearly  square  and  had  a  gallery.  Along  the  walls  were 
ranged  a  few  pews,  but  the  center  was  mostly  filled  with 
plain  seats.  A  vane  was  on  the  spire  inscribed  with  the 
date,  1673. 

As    no  further   reference  will    be   made   to  ecclesiastical 


Concord  483 

matters  of  the  Colonial  period  we  will  observe  in  passing 
that  the  indications  relative  to  the  early  church  at  Concord 
arc  that  its  creed  and  its  ministers  were  evangelical,  and 
that  the  religious  traditions  of  the  town  are  in  substantial 
accord  with  those  of  the  typical  Pilgrim  and  Puritan.  The 
light  that  shone  in  the  wilderness  was  a  gospel  light  and 
among  the  twinkling  stars  that  glittered  through  their 
night  of  solicitude  and  sorrow  none  were  as  bright  to  the 
settler  as  that  which  arose  and  stood  over  the  place  where 
lay  the  Babe  of  Bethlehem.  The  Christ  of  that  first 
Christmas  was  the  Christ  of  the  Concord  colonist.  It 
was  to  His  word  that  he  looked  for  guidance,  by  His  sac- 
rifice he  believed  he  would  be  saved,  and  upon  this  rock 
he  built  his  church. 

One  sign  of  progress  after  the  close  of  Philip's  war 
was  an  increased  interest  in  education.  In  the  early  years 
of  the  township  learning  took  a  low  place.  The  times 
were  hard.  To  obtain  a  livelihood  required  the  greatest 
effort,  but  straightened  as  its  circumstances  were,  the 
town  was  early  supplied  in  its  several  districts  with  those 
who  were  competent  to  teach  the  children  and  youth  to 
read  and  write.  In  1665  complaint  was  made  against  the 
town  for  its  lack  of  a  "Lattin  Schoole  Mr."  It  was  also 
about  this  time  repeatedly  reminded  of  its  laxity  in  provid- 
ing educational  privileges  in  general. 

In  the  Mass.  Archives  Vol.  129,  page  130  is  a  paper  of 
indenture  executed  by  the  overseers  of  the  poor  of  the  town 
of  Boston  and  Ebenezer  Prout  of  Concord  by  which  a 
child  nine  years  of  age  was  to  be  brought  up.  She  was 
to  "Be  taught  perfectly  to  read  English,  Sew,  Spin,  and 
Knit  as  she  shall  be  capable  ;  "  she  was  to  be  supplied  with 
"wholesome  sufficient  meat,  drink.  Apparel,  washing,  & 
Lodging ; "  and  at  the  end  of  the  term,  she  was  to  be  dis- 
missed with  "two  new  Suits  of  Apparel  throughout,  one  for 
Lord's  days,  the  other  for  working  days." 

The  date  is  1688  and  the  term  of  indenture  was  until 
the  subject  became    21    years  old  or    was    married.     This 


484  Colonial 

transaction  between  Ebenezer  Prout  and  the  Boston 
guardians  of  the  poor  corresponds  in  its  substance  to  a 
report  of  the  town  constables  to  the  Council  of  the  state  of 
education  in  Concord  about  1680.  In  the  report  it  is 
stated  that  they  found  "no  children  or  youth  not  taught  to 
read  and  know  the  Capital  laws." 

In  addition  to  school  privileges  and  the  educational 
agency  and  influence  of  the  pulpit,  the  town  was  early 
favored  as  has  been  stated  in  another  part  of  this  volume 
with  a  catechistical  exercise  on  the  Lord's  day,  a  practice 
probably  the  first  of  its  kind  in  this  country,  and  if  it  may 
be  considered  a  Sunday  school  then  the  pioneer  Sunday 
school  in  America.  The  town  early  had  a  circulat- 
ing library  and  this  too  perhaps  was  the  first  one  in 
the  country.     In   1672,  the  town  instructed  the  selectmen 

"That  ceare  be  taken  of  the  bookes  of  marters  &  other 
bookes,  that  belong  to  the  Towne,  that  they  be  kept  from 
abeuce  uesage,  &  not  to  be  lent  to  any  person  more  then 
one  month  at  one  time." 

At  this  distant  day  it  is  not  easy  to  conceive  of  the  exact 
methods  of  pronunciation  in  the  every  day  conversa- 
tion. From  the  manner  of  spelling  it  is  possible  to  sup- 
pose what  may  have  been  the  style  of  pronouncing  certain 
syllables.  An  occasional  use  of  the  letter  a  instead  of  e  in 
such  words  as  certain  and  clerk  easily  leads  to  the  conjec- 
ture that  they  were  pronounced  as  to  the  first  syllable  like  a 
in  far.  In  the  use  of  the  letter  e  for  i  in  such  words  as  dis- 
trict and  little,  the  inference  is  that  they  were  pronounced 
as  they  were  spelled. 

The  writing  of  various  words  with  a  terminal  e,  which 
are  written  in  modern  times  without  it  as  in  the  words  "poore" 
and  "yeare"  may  suggest  the  possible  prolongation  or  trill- 
ing of  the  letter  r.  So  also  where  double  consonants  begin  a 
word  as  "ffirst"  for  first,  a  natural  conclusion  may  be  that 
the  sound  of  the  syllable  containing  it  was  somewhat 
lengthened. 


Concord  485 

The  absence  of  any  elision  of  the  letter  h  in  words  that 
begin  with  an  aspirate  lead  to  the  inference  that  none  of 
the  English  settlers  at  Concord  elided  the  aspirate  in  their 
talk. 

The  cause  of  common  schools  received  an  impetus  in  1687 
by  a  gift  of  land  as  set  forth  in  the  following  clause 
in  the  will  of  Capt.  Timothy  Wheeler  who  died  in  July  of 
that  year. 

"I  Give  to  the  Towne  of  Concord  my  house  that  stands 
near  Eliaz.  Fleggs  house  with  the  Land  that  itt  stands  upon 
and  is  joyned  to  itt;  w"*"  is  about  Three  acres  ;  be  itt  more 
or  Lesse  bounded  by  the  Highway  on  the  North  East  by 
my  Land  (viz')  the  Gutter  and  Eliazer  Fleggs  Land  on  the 
North  West  &  South  This  I  say  I  Give  to  the  said  Towne 
to  be  improved  as  foUoweth  [viz']  ;  That  about  halfe  an 
acre  of  the  said  Lott  be  laid  out  to  the  training  place  the 
fence  to  Run  from  the  Corner  of  the  House  to  the  brow  of 
the  Hill  upon  a  straight  Lyne ;  the  Dwelling  house  with 
the  rest  of  the  Land  w""  all  that  is  upon  itt  I  give  to  be 
Improved  for  the  furtherance  of  Learning  and  the  Support 
ofa  Schoole  in  the  said  Towne" 

The  more  notable  real  estate  transactions  during  the 
later  years  of  the  Colonial  period  consisted  mainly  in  the 
adjustment  of  relations  already  existing  or  in  minor  transfers 
of  original  grants. 

In  1667,  an  agreement  was  reached  relative  to  a  matter  ot 
controversy  which  had  long  been  going  on  concerning  the 
Bulkeley  mill  privilege.  As  has  been  stated  in  the  story 
of  the  town's  settlement  a  corn  or  grist  mill  was  caused  to 
be  erected  by  Parson  Peter  Bulkeley  on  the  mill  brook  the 
dam  of  which  was  near  the  present  public  square.  When 
he  died  the  property  was  conveyed  to  his  widow  Grace  Chet- 
wood  Bulkeley  and  shortly  after  there  arose  the  vexed 
question  as  to  what  were  the  exact  rights  of  flowage, 
which  were  accorded  to  the  mill  proprietor  when  the  town 
granted  the  mill  privilege.  The  land  about  the  mill  pond  was 
valuable  on  account  of  its  near  proximity  to    the  public 


486  Colonial 

places  and  it  might  take  but  a  slight  elevation  of  the  "splash 
boards"  of  the  dam  to  cause  the  water  of  the  pond  to 
encroach  upon  it  and  occasion  "wetness"  about  the  new 
meeting  house  grounds,  and  the  town  pound  and  perhaps 
damage  the  tan  pits.  In  several  instances  the  town  offi- 
cials had  been  instructed  to  guard  the  immediate  vicinity 
of  the  backyard  of  the  meeting  house  against  inundation 
from  the  water  of  the  mill  brook. 

But  the  temptation  to  augment  the  mill  power  by  increas- 
ing the  fall  at  the  flume  was  perhaps  only  a  natural  one,  and 
hence  in  spite  of  expostulation  on  the  part  of  the  public  the 
maximum  height  was  adhered  to  until  matters  were  settled 
by  arbitrament  of  the  court  whose  verdict  was  as  follows  : 

"i.  That  the  ounors  of  the  sajd  mill  shall  have  liberty 
from  tjme  to  time,  &  at  all  tjmes,  to  rajse  the  water  fowre 
fFoote  tcnn  inches  perpendiccular  ffrom  the  bottome  of  the  mill 
troffe,  as  now  it  lieth  at  the  head  of  the  milne  pond,  but 
the  wast  or  low  shott  not  to  be  made  narrower  then  now  it  is, 
or  to  be  raysed  higher  then  to  rajse  the  water  (at  the  head 
of  the  pond)  to  fower  ffoote  seuen  inches  ffrom  the  bottom 
of  the  milne  troffe  before  the  water  runns  ouer  the  wast. 

2.  What  land  lyeth  vnder  water,  by  reason  of  the  milne 
pond,  at  such  a  head  of  water  as  aforesajd,  shall  be  the  pro- 
priety &  propper  right  of  the  ounors  of  the  sajd  mill  for 
euer,  excepting  alwayes  that  land  which  the  toune  of  Con- 
cord haue  formerly  granted  to  any  of  their  inhabitants,  all 
w*^*'  land  each  proprietor  shall  enjoy  according  to  his  toune 
grant  after  the  mill  is  wholly  disannulled. 

3.  The  ounors  of  the  sajd  mill  for  euer  shall  not  be 
iable  to  sattisfy  any  damage  donn  to  any  person  or  persons 

whatsoeuer,  by  such  a  head  of  water  kept  and  majntejned 
as  before  sajd. 

4.  The  ounors  of  the  sajd  mill  foreuer  shall  enjoy  the 
benefit  of  all  that  water  w'^''  may  be  obteyned  by  any 
menes  formerly  attempted  i.  e.  to  the  higth  of  such  a  head 
of  water  as  aforesajd,  w'^''  water  shall  not  be  diverted  by  any 


Concord  487 

person  or  persons  whatsoeuer. 

5,      Lastly.     The  ounors  of  the  sajd   mill   foreuer  shall 

enjoy  priuiledge  on  the  comons  for  clay  &  sand  convenient 

for  the  repaire  of  the   mill   damage  from   tjme  to   tjme  as 

formerly  they  haue  enjoyed. 

Symon  Willard 
Jno  Founell,  & 

JOHNATHAN    DaNFORTH. 

The  Court  approoves  of  this  return." 

In  1686  there  was  an  adjustment  of  the  controversy 
relating  to  the  Blood  tarnis.  These  farms  consisted  of  cer- 
tain territory  in  and  about  the  present  town  of  Carlisle.  A 
part  of  them  was  owned  by  Robert  Blood  as  early  as  1642. 
Because  situated  outside  the  boundary  line  of  any  town  the 
dwellers  on  them  were  styled  borderers.  These  farms 
being  in  no  incorporated  town  were  without  civil  or  ecclesi- 
astical status.  The  occupants  paid  their  rates  in  Billerica 
but  when  the  Indian  war  came  they  paid  their  rates  in  Con- 
cord, and  had  the  protection  of  Concord's  garrison  houses. 
Subsequently  these  rates  by  order  of  the  Court  were  refunded 
to  Billerica.  The  question  of  jurisdiction  in  this  and  sim- 
ilar instances  was  settled  by  the  General  Court  Oct.  11, 
1682.  After  citing  facts  in  cases  of  a  like  nature  that  had 
occurred  in  different  places  it  ordered  that  Borderers  should 
pay  the  county  treasurer  two  shillings  for  every  two  hun- 
dred acres  of  land  ;  and  towns  were  to  "assess  all  country 
grants  of  lands  &  all  belonging  to  peculiar  persons  that  lye 
neercst  to  each  toune  or  tounes." 

Upon  this  authority  the  Concord  constables  went  to  the 
Blood  farms  with  a  tax  warrant.  They  were  roughly 
received  by  Robert  and  his  son.  The  consequence  was 
that  Robert  Blood  Sr.  was  fined  ten  pounds  for  ill  treat- 
ment of  the  officers  and  "vilifying  his  Majesty's  authority." 
The  exact  merits  of  the  case  at  this  distant  day  may  not  be 
known.  The  occupants  of  the  Farms  were  obliged  to  pay 
rates  whether  they  received  benefits  or  not.  Their 
roads    were    poor,    they    were  remote    from    church    priv- 


488  Colonial 

leges  and  were  doubtless  having  a  hard  time  enough 
in  the  distant  wilderness.  The  matter  was  however  settled 
March  17,  1686,  Robert  Blood  with  the  assent  in  writing 
of  his  sons  Robert  and  Simeon  negotiated  a  treaty  with 
Peter  Bulkeley  Esq,  Henry  Woodis  and  John  Smedly 
Senior,  acting  for  Concord,  by  which  Robert  Blood  should 
thereafter  pay  to  Concord  all  civil  and  ecclesiastical  dues 
incumbent  upon  him,  and  a  due  proportion  ot  whatever 
expense  there  might  be  in  building  and  repairing  the  meet- 
ing house. 

On  the  other  hand  Robert  and  his  heirs  were  to  be 
exempted  from  all  town  offices  and  their  waste  land  was 
not  to  be  reckoned  in  their  minister's  rates. 

It  was  also  agreed  that  convenient  roads  should  be  laid 
out  for  them  at  the  town's  expense,  and  no  town  rates 
were  to  be  assessed  to  them  except  as  above  specified. 

The  adjustment  of  the  civil  relations  of  the  "Blood 
farms"  to  the  town  of  Concord  ended  a  long  controversy 
and  one  in  which  all  the  parties  to  it  doubtless  believed 
that  they  were  in  the  right. 

By  the  terms  of  adjustment  however  the  territory  did  not 
necessarily  become  a  part  of  the  township  neither  was  it 
always  considered  a  part  of  it. 

For  years  after  the  discussion  was  ended  the  Concord 
selectmen  before  their  triennial  perambulation  of  the  town 
boundary  lines  were  accustomed  to  notify  the  proprietors 
of  the  Blood  farms  in  accordance  with  the  rule  usually 
observed  in  such  cases  where  the  officials  of  one  town  not- 
ify those  of  another  of  their  proposed  examination  of  bound- 
aries. 

These  farms  became  a  part  of  Carlisle.  The  following 
is  an  outline  sketch  of  the  Blood  family.  The  American 
ancestor  was  James,  who  went  to  Concord  in  1639.  James 
Blood  is  said  to  have  been  a  brother  of  Col.  James  Blood 
known  in  English  history  in  connection  with  the  reign  of 
Charles  11.  He  died  Nov.  17,  1683  leaving  a  large  estate. 
His  wife  Ellen  died  in  1674.     James  and  Ellen  Blood  had 


Concord  489 

five  children  Mary,  Richard,  John,  James  and  Robert. 

Mary  married  Lieut.  Simon  Davis.  Richard  was  one  of 
the  first  settlers  of  the  town  of  Groton  and  was  one  of  its 
prominent  land  proprietors.  He  left  a  large  family  of  chil- 
dren whose  descendants  have  been  quite  numerous.  John 
died  in  1692.  He  and  his  brother  Robert  owned  over  two 
thousand  acres  of  land  in  Concord  including  the  Blood  farms 
which  were  inherited  by  the  children  of  Robert. 

James  married  Hannah,  a  daughter  of  Oliver  Purchis  of 
Lynn,  and  lived  at  what  has  since  been  known  as  the  "Old 
Manse"  owning  a  tract  of  territory  thereabouts.  He  was 
a  deacon  in  the  church  and  died  Nov.  26,  1692.  His  wife 
died  in  1677.      They  left  only  one  child. 

Robert  married  Elizabeth,  a  daughter  of  Major  Simon 
Willard  in  1653.  They  had  twelve  children.  Robert 
Blood  died  Oct.  27,  1701.  His  wife  Elizabeth  died  Aug. 
29,  1690. 

In  1684,  many  years  after  the  purchase  and  transfer  a 
confirmatory  deed  was  obtained  from  the  heirs  or  their 
representatives  of  the  land  in  the  new  grant.  The 
reason  for  obtaining  these  deeds  was  the  preservation  of 
evidence,  and  the  importance  of  it  was  perhaps  occasioned 
by  the  threats  of  Sir  Edmund  Andros  to  vitiate  landed  titles. 
The  following  are  copies. 

"To  all  People  to  whom  these  presents  may  come,  Greet- 
ing Know  ye  that  We,  Mary  Neepanaum  John  Speen  and 
Sarah  Speen  Dorothy  Winnetow  Peter  Muckquamack  of 
Natick  and  James  Speen  &  Elizabeth  Speen  his  wife  of 
Waymasset  Indians  For  and  in  Consideration  of  a  valuable 
sum  of  money  to  us  in  hand  paid  by  Capt.  Timothy 
Wheeler  Henry  Woodis  James  Blood  and  John  Flint  The 
Receipt  whereof  we  do  hereby  acknowledge  and  therewith 
to  be  fully  satisfied  and  contented  have  sold  and  by  these 
presents  do  sell  aliene  enfeoffe  and  confirm  unto  the  said 
Capt.  Timothy  Wheeler  Henry  Woodis  James  Blood  & 
John  Flint  of  Concord  in  the  County  of  Middlesex  in  the 
Massachusetts  Colony  in  New   England   for  the  use  and 


490  Colonial 

behoof  of  themselves  and  the  rest  of  the  Proprietors  of  the 
said  Town  of  Concord  a  certain  tract  or  parcel  of  Land 
containing  by  Estimation  a  Thousand  acres  be  the  same 
more  or  less  and  is  situate  lying  and  being  within  the  last 
Grant  of  Land  by  the  General  Court  to  the  said  Town  of 
Concord  and  is  bounded  Southeast  by  Sudbury  &  the  Land 
of  Stow  alias  [Pompasitticut]  and  Northwest  by  the  said 
Stow  running  by  them  upon  that  Line  about  a  Mile  and  a 
Quarter,  near  to  a  Hill  by  the  ludians  called  Naaruhpanit 
and  from  thence  by  a  strait  Line  to  the  North  River  at  the 
old  bounds  of  the  said  Town  of  Concord  unto  them  the  said 
Timothy  Wheeler  Henry  Woodis  James  Blood  &  John 
Flint  for  themselves  and  for  the  use  &  behoof  of  the  Rest 
of  the  Proprietors  of  the  said  Town  of  Concord  to  them 
their  heirs  assigns  and  successors  forever  and  we  the  said 
Mary  Neepanaum  John  Speen  and  Sarah  Speen  his  wife 
Dorothy  Winnetow  Peter  Muckquamuck  and  James  Speen 
and  Elizabeth  his  wife,  do  hereby  covenant  and  Promise  to 
and  with  the  foresaid  Timothy  Wheeler  Henry  Woodis 
James  Blood  &  John  Flint  and  the  rest  of  the  Proprietors 
of  the  said  Town  of  Concord  that  we  are  the  true  proprietors 
of  and  have  good  Right  &  full  power  to  grant  bargain  &  sell 
the  above  granted  &  bargained  premises  unto  the  said  Timo- 
thy Wheeler  Henry  Woodis  James  Blood  and  John  Flint 
and  the  Rest  of  the  Proprietors  of  the  said  Town  of  Con- 
cord to  them  their  heirs  successors  and  assigns  forever  and 
that  the  said  Timothy  Wheeler  Henry  Woodis  James  Blood 
John  Flint  and  the  Rest  of  the  Proprietors  of  the  said  Town 
of  Concord  them  their  heirs  assigns  and  successors  forever 
shall  and  may  at  all  Times  and  from  time  to  time  forever 
hereafter  peaceable  have  hold  occupy  possess  and  enjoy  the 
above  granted  Premises  in  fee  simple,  be  the  same  more  or 
less  without  the  Let  denial  or  contradiction  of  us  the  said 
Mary  Neepanaum  John  Speen,  &  Sarah  Speen  his  wife 
Dorothy  Winnetow  Peter  Muckquamuck  and  James  Speen 
and  Elizabeth  his  wife,  or  any  of  us  or  any  of  our  heirs  or 
any  other  person  or  persons  whatsoever  lawfully  claiming  & 


Concord  49 ' 

naveing  any  Right  Title  or    Interest  therein  or  to   in    any 
part  or  parcel  thereof — 

In  acknowledgment  of  this  our  act  &  Deed  we  have  here- 
to put  our  hands  and  seals   this  fifth   Day  of    May  in   the 
year    of  our    Lord     one    thousand  six  hundred   eighty  & 
four 
Signed  Scaled  &  Del*^  in        John  Speen  his  mark  and  seal 

the  presence  of  Sarah  Speen  her  mark  and  seal 

Moses  Parker  James  Speen  and  seal 

Noah  Brooks  Elizabeth  Speen  her  mark  and 

Samuel  Wheeler  Jun""  seal 

Benjamin  Bohow  his  mark      Dorothy  Winnctow  her  mark 
Sarah  Bohow  her  mark  and  seal 

John   Speen  &  Sarah   his  wife  James   Speen  and   Eliza- 
beth his  wife  and   Dorothy  alias  Winnetow  acknowledged 
the  within  written  instruement  to  be  their  Act  &  Deed. 
May  5.  1684.  before  Pete'  Bulkeley  assist. 

The  following  deed  purports  to    convey   eight  thousand 
acres  : 

"To    People     to  whom    These    presents    may    come 

Greeting  Know  ye  that  We  John  Thomas  and  Naanons- 
quaw  his  wife  Tasunsquaw  The  Relict  of  Wawbon  dec"^ 
and  eldest  Daughter  to  Tasattawan  Sagamore  dec'^  Thomas 
Wawbon  her  son  Solomon  Thomas  John  Nasquaw  James 
Casumpal  Sen'  and  Sarah  his  wife  &  Sarah  the  Relict  widow 
of  Peter  Conoway  Indians  for  and  in  Consideration  of  the 
sum  of  one  and  twenty  pounds,  fifteen  of  it  long  since  paid 
to  us  [blank  in  record]  and  the  Remainder  which  is  six 
pounds  is  now  paid  to  us  by  Capt.  Timothy  Wheeler 
Henry  Woodis  James  Blood  and  John  Flint  of  Concord 
the  Receipt  whereof  we  do  hereby  acknowledge  and  there- 
with to  be  fully  satisfied  and  contented  have  sold  and  by 
these  presents  do  sell  aliene  enfeoffe  and  confirm  unto  the 
said  Timothy  Wheeler  Henry  Woodis  James  Blood  and 
John  Flint  of  Concord  in  the  County  of  Middlesex  in  the 
Massachusetts  Colony  in  New  England  for  the  use  & 
behoof  of  themselves  and  the   Rest  of  the  Proprietors  of 


49'^  Colonial 

the  said  Town  of  Concord  a  certain  Tract  or  parcel  of  Land 
containing  by  Estimation  Eight  Thousand  acres  be  he 
same  more  or  less  and  is  situate  lying  and  being  within  the 
last  Grants  of  Land  by  the  General  Court  to  the  Towntof 
Concord  and  is  bounded  Southeast  by  the  old  bounds  of  the 
said  town  of  Concord  and  is  bounded  Easterly  partly  by 
Billerica  partly  by  a  Farm  formerly  laid  out  b)  Major  Wil- 
lard  tor  himself  and  partly  by  Chelmsford  till  it  meets  with 
Nashoby  Line  and  then  Westerly  by  the  said  Nashoby 
to  the  Southeast  Corner  of  the  said  Nashoby  and  [then 
northerly]  by  the  said  N[ashoby]  till  it  meets  with  St[owJ 
and  so  bounded  northwest  by  the  said  Stow  till  it  comes 
Near  to  a  Hill  by  the  Indians  called  Naaruhpanit  and  then 
running  upon  a  strait  Line  to  the  North  River  at  the  old 
bounds  of  the  said  Town  of  Concord  unto  them  the  said 
Timothy  Wheeler  Henry  Woodis  James  Blood  John  Flint 
agents  for  the  Town  ot  Concord  and  to  the  rest  of  the  Pro- 
prietors of  the  Town  of  Concord  to  them  their  Heirs  and 
Successors  and  assigns  forever  and  we  the  said  John 
Thomas  and  Nasquaw  James  Casumpat  and  Sarah  his  wife 
and  Sarah  the  Relict  widow  of  Peter  Conoway  do  hereby 
covenant  and  promise  to  and  with  the  foresaid  Timothy 
Wheeler  Henry  Woodis  James  Blood  John  Flint  and  the 
rest  of  the  Proprietors  of  the  Town  of  Concord  that  we  are 
the  true  Proprietors  of  and  have  good  Right  &  full  power 
to  grant  bargain  and  sell  the  above  granted  and  barganed 
premisesunto  the  said  Timothy  Wheeler  Henry  Woodis 
James  Blood  &  John  Flint  and  the  rest  of  the  Proprietors 
of  the  Town  of  Concord  to  them  their  heirs  Successors  and 
assigns  forever  and  that  the  said  Timothy  Wheeler  Henry 
Woodis  James  Blood  and  John  Flint  &the  rest  of  the  pro- 
prietors of  the. said  Town  of  Concord  to  them  their  Heirs 
Successors  &  assigns  shall  and  may  at  all  times  &  from  time 
to  time  forever  hereafter  peaceably  have  hold  occupy  possess 
and  enjoy  the  above  granted  premises  in  fee  simple  be  the 
same  more  or  less  without  the  Let  denial  or  contradiction 
of  us  the  said  John  Thomas  and  Naaonsquaw  his  wife  Tas- 


Concord  493 

unsquaw  widow  and  eldest  Daughter  of  Tasattawan  Late 
Sagamore  dec^  Thomas  Wawbon  Solomon  Thomas  John 
Nasquaw  James  Casumpat  Sen""  &  Sarah  his  wife  and  Sarah 
the  Relict  widoPeter  Conoway  or  any  of  us  or  any  of  our 
heirs  or  any  other  person  or  persons  whatsoever  lawfully 
claiming  &  having  any  Right  Title  or  Interest  therein  or 
two  or  in  any  part  or  parcel  thereof. 

In  acknowledgement  of  this  our  act  &  Deed  we  have 
hereto  put  our  hands  and  seals  this  fourteenth  Day  of 
August  in  the  year  of  our  Lord  one  Thousand  Six  hundred 
Eighty  and  four. 

Signed  Sealed  &  Del'd,  John  Thomas  his  mark  and  seal 
in  tne  presence  of  Naanunsquaw  her  mark  and  seal 

Ebenezer  Ingolds  Tasunsquaw  her  mark  and  seal 

Joseph  Shambery  his  mark       Thomas  Wabon    and  seal 
Andrew  Pittamey  his  mark         Solomon  Thomas  his  mark 

and  seal 

James  Casumpat  Sen""  his  mark 

and  seal 

John  Nasquaw  his  mark  and  seal 

Sarah  the  widow  of  Peter 

Conoway  her  mark  and  seal 

Sarah  the  wife  of  James 

Casumpat  her  mark  and  seal 
Midd.  ss.  Concord  August  the  29  1730  before  his  Majesty's 
Court  of  General  Sessions  of  the  Peace  appeared  Mr. 
Joseph  Woolley  and  made  oath  that  he  was  present  and 
saw  John  Thomas  Naanonsquaw  Tasunsquaw  Thomas 
Wabun  Solomon  Thomas  James  Casumpat  John  Nasqua 
Sarah  the  widow  of  Peter  Conaway  and  Sarah  the  wife  of 
James  Casumpat  execute  the  within  Instrument  as  their  act 
&  Deed  and  that  he  together  with  Ebenezer  Ingolds  Joseph 
Shamberry  &  Andrew  Pittamey  at  the  same  time  set  to  their 
hands  as  Witnesses  to  the  Execution  thereof 

Att     Saml  Phipps     Cler.  Pacis" 
In  1 67 1  Peter  Bulkeley  of  London  a  son  of  Rev.  Peter 


494  Colonial 

Bulkeley  sold  to  Timothy  Prout  for  the  sum  of  ^^45,  a 
tract  of  land  of  which  it  is  said  "the  said  Farm  Lyeth  upon 
and  in  the  southerly  part  of  the  town  of  Concord. 

In  1683  and  84  it  is  asserted  in  a  deposition  that  three 
separate  families  lived  upon  this  land  viz  :  Thomas  Skinner, 
Thomas  Pratt,  Ephraim  Ropes. 

The  following  town  record  with  date  March  7,  1692, 
relates  to  the  transfer  of  a  small  piece  of  land  about  the 
present  public  square. 

"Eliazer  Flagge  of  sd  town  did  Request  of  the  towne  a 
peese  of  Grownd  near  to  the  meting  house  y*  bredth  of  y* 
pownd  all  between  the  pownd  &  y*  mill  Brook  ajoining  to 
y®  land  y'  was  formerly  Thomas  Danes,  and  the  Inhabi- 
tants did  then  freely  Give  the  sayd  litle  plott  of  Ground 
unto  the  sayd  Eliazer  Flagge  to  set  his  tan  pits  upon  it  as 
his  own  land." 

On  May  14,  1692  the  Massachusetts  Bay  Colony  passed 
into  a  Province,  and  the  old  charter  signed  March  14,  1629, 
gave  place  to  a  new  one  signed  by  King  William,  which 
remained  in  force  till  the  Revolution  in  1775. 

Before  the  going  out  of  the  old  Charter  and  the  coming 
in  of  the  new,  there  was  an  interval  of  six  years  or  more 
which  has  been  styled  the  inter  charter  period.  During 
this  interval  the  affairs  of  state  were  administered  by  a  com- 
mission which  came  to  this  country  in  the  frigate  Rose,  and 
consisted  of  a  council  of  which  Joseph  Dudley  was  the  Pres- 
ident. The  remainder  of  the  period  governmental  matters 
were  managed  by  Sir  Edmund  Andros  who  arrived  in  this 
country  Dec.  9,  1686,  on  the  Kingfisher  bearing  with  him 
authority  to  act  as  Governor  of  all  New  England. 

The  administration  of  Andros  was  an  obnoxious  one. 
There  was  oppressive  taxation,  increased  expenditures  by 
the  rulers,  and  a  threatened  invalidating  of  all  real  estate  titles. 
It  is  not  improbable  that  because  of  this,  Indian  deeds  were 
obtained  about  this  time  of  lands  bought  many  years  before, 
the  people  doubtless  thinking  that  a  deed  thus  obtained  of 
the  aboriginal  proprietors  would  stand  the  test  of  anything  ; 


Concord  49  5 

but  Andros  arrogantly  informed  the  people  that  such  papers 
were  worth  no  more  than  the  "scratch  of  a  bear's  paw." 

After  a  short  period  of  misrule  during  which  the  endur- 
ance of  the  people  was  terribly  strained,  and  toleration  of 
his  tyranny  was  almost  exhausted,  a  revolt  came.  The 
people  arose  in  defense  of  their  jeopardized  rights,  and 
with  great  unanimity  began  to  take  measures  to  defend 
their  traditional  liberties. 

The  administration  of  Andros  was  overthrown,  and  there 
was  a  reinstatement  of  the  government  which  existed  in 
1686. 

During  the  transition  from  a  colony  to  a  province,  soci- 
ety was  greatly  disturbed  and  the  people  of  the  various 
townships  met,  and  discussed  the  existing  condition 
of  things.  As  a  rule  they  were  quite  unanimous 
in  their  decisions  and  actions  concerning  their  charter 
privileges. 

During  this  process  of  political  change  Concord  was  with 
the  majority  in  an  adherence  to  vested  rights. 

On  April  19,  1689,  Lieut.  John  Heald  mustered  the 
town's  military  company  and  started  for  Boston  to  assist  in 
the  expected  revolt. 

When  the  town  met  in  convention  on  May  22,  to  con- 
sider the  situation,  their  vote  was  cast  for  a  reinstatement  of 
the  government  which  was  in  accordance  with  the  charter 
of  1685,  and  to  await  orders  from  the  new  sovereign  of 
Great  Britain. 

Before,  however,  the  meeting  of  the  Concord  people  in 
convention  by  their  delegates,  the  inhabitants  had  defined 
their  attitude  as  is  expressed  by  the  following  copy  of  the 
selectmen's  certificate. 

"Att  a  meeting  of  the  fFree-Holders  of  the  Townc  of 
Concord,  wee  do  mutually  desire  that  according  as  wee  have 
declared  ourselves  by  a  writeing  sent  by  the  Hands  of  our 
representatives,  that  our  authority  chosen  &  sworn  in  the 
year  1686  w'*'  the  deputy es  then  chosen  &  sent  to  the  court 
may  reasume  their  places  and  if  that  cannot  be  attained,  our 


49  6  Colonial 

desires  is  that  that  a  councell  of  war  may  be  chosen  &  set- 
tled by  our  representitives  when  met  together  att  boston 
w"^  the  rest  of  the  representitives  of  the  country." 

It  is  a  notable  fact  that  three  times  upon  the  19th   of 
April    with    about    a    century    between    each,    the    town's 
militia    have    marched    forth  in  the  interest  of   American 
democracy.     The  first  in  1689,  to  assert  it,  the  second  in 
1775  to  create  it,  and  the  third  in  1861  to  protect  it. 

At  this  period  the  "Clerk  of  Representatives"  was 
Ebenezer  Prout,  a  citizen  ot  Concord,  and  when  the  order 
was  issued  for  the  removal  of  Andros  for  safe  keeping  till 
he  could  be  returned  to  England,  there  to  be  tried  for  mal- 
easance  of  office,  the  order  was  signed  by  Mr.  Prout. 


INDEX 


Aantonuish,  276 

Acadians,  32 

Acton,  Mass.,  64  176  210  216  277  335 

388 
Acton  Minute  Company,  4  127 
Adams,  Daniel,  453 
Addington,  Ann,  412 

Joshua,  482 
Ahatawance,  31 
Ahattawance,  383 
Alcott,  Bronson,  10  13 

Louisa  M.,  10  13 
Allen,  Rev.  Thomas,  279 
Amherst,  General,  270, 
Anderson,  Cornelius,  413 
Andover,  Mass.,  350 
Andros,  Gov.,  334  394  480  494 
Annusnuc,  17  97   181  204  257  308 
Antiquarian  House,  7  310 
Apequinask,  371 
Appleton,  Major,  407 

Samuel,  393  398 
Ashland,  Mass.,  103 
Assabet,  28  98  125  129  170  181  250 

289  459 
Atawans,  274 
Atkinson,  Rebecca,  182 
Attawan,  383 
Attawance,  383 
Attleboro,  Mass.,  396 
Ayer,  Mass.,  84  388  465 

B 

Baker,  Amos,  288 

George  M.,  306 

William,  165  289 
Ball,  Eleazer,  453 

John,  65  480 

Nathaniel,  165  288 

Thomas,  405 


Banks,  Gov.  Nathaniel  P.,  17 
Barnes,  John,  425 
Barrett,  Capt.  Richard,  297 

Col.  James,  5  7  302  307  308 

Col.  Richard,  174 

Deacon  Thomas,  7  309 

Edwin  S.,  462 

Henry  A.,  305 

Humphrey  210  287  289  453 

481 

John,  453  405 

Joseph,  178  288  296  297 

Nathan,  304 

William,  452 
Bateman,  Eleazer,  405 

John,  452  453 

Joseph,  452 

Pond  285 

Sarah,  213 

Thomas,  64  65  99  101 

285  348 

William,  64  65 
Battle  Ground,  5  9 
Battle  Lawn,  308 
Bay  Road,  205 
Beaver  Pond,  39  278  285  286 
Bedford,  Mass.,  7  102  126  184  216  278 
Bedfordshire,  Eng.,  24  64 
Beers,  Lieut.  Richard,  336  337 
Bell  Rock,  410 
Berwick,  Eng.,  65 
Berry  Corner,  277 
Best,  Elizabeth,  210 
Billerica,   Mass.,  102  165  278  350  355 

356  404  492 
Billerica  Road  165 
Billings  Daniel,  405 

John,  288  479 

Nathaniel,  288  405 
Black  Horse  Church,  295 
Black  Horse  Tavern,  173 
Blackstone,  Sir  William,  198 


Index 


Bliss,  Rev.  Daniel,  15  305 

Phebe,  334 
Block  House,  300  304  306 
Blood,  Col.  James,  488 

Ellen.  488 

Ja  mes,  65  99  286  287  489 

289  308  470  337  488  492 

James  Jr.,  2  287  374 

John,  279  287  489 

Josiah,  481 

Mary,  374  489 

Richard,  454  489 

Robert,  217  279  480  481  487 

488  489 

Simon,  481 

Thomas,  287 
Bloody  Brook,  420 
Bodge,  Rev.  G.  M.,  371  378  379  440 
Bohow,  Benjamin,  338  491 

Sarah, 338  491 
Bound  Rock,  465 
Boxboro,  Mass.,  388 
Braintree,  Mass.,  180  324  350  371 
Brattlebank,  Capt.,  430 
Brattle,  Thomas,  249  470 
Bridge,  Darby,  124  129  219  231  233 

Derby,  129 

North,  4  57  17  124  125  127 

128  164 

Old  Town,  16  124 

Potter's,  129  155  291 

South,  13  17  38  125  129 

Fort,  129 
Brister's  Hill,  12 
Bristol  R.  I.,  344 
Brocklebank,  Capt.  Samuel,    418 

420  423 
Brooks,  Caleb  216  288 

Capt.  Thomas,  216 

Freeman,  12 

Gershom,  216  476 

Goodwife,  206  216 

Gov.  John,  216 

Grace,  216 


Brooks,  Hannah,  215 

Henry,  216 

Hon.  George,  M  216 

Hon.  Peter  C,  216 

Isaac,  288 

Joseph  216 

Joshua,  216  288 

Mary,  216 

Nathan,  405    ^     / 

Thomas,  6J?  r56  216  281 

283  286 
Brown,  Boaz,  287  462 

Eleazer,  452 

Ephraim,287  404 

John, 13 

Rev.  Edmund,  270  424  425 

Reuben,  7  16  310 

Thomas,   287   394  395  399 

404  462 
Broad  Meadow,  270 
Brooke,  Thomas,  212 
Brusse,  Joseph,  395 
Bryant,  82 
Bull,  Ephraim,  300 

Garrison  House,  396 
Bulkeley,  Col.  Peter,  386 

Daniel  327 

Dorothy  327 

Edward  327 

Eleazer  327 

Elizabeth,  333  334 

George  327 

Gershom  327 

Grace,  288  485 

Grist  Mill,   289  309 

Hon.  Peter,  333  349 

Jabez  327 

Jane,  333 

Jerry,  407 

John,  327  333 

Joseph,  327  405 

Mary,  327  333 

Nathaniel  327 

Peter  327 


Index 


111 


Bulkeley,  Peter  Esq.  165 

Rev. Peter,  22  63  64  1.55  173  27 

286  321  289  332  333  494  405 

Rev.  Edward,  286  288 

332  333  341  453 

Richard  327 

Robert,  325 

Thomas  327 

William  327 
Burgess,  Thomas,  165 
Busch,  J.  J.,310 
Buss,  Anne,  169 

Joseph,  394  404 
Buss,  Seigeant  William,  101  167    . 

William,  166  341348 
Buttrick,  Maj.  John,  7  213  307 

Jonas,  287 

Jonathan,  307  404 

Joshua,  287 

Joseph,  425  460 

Mary,  460 

Samuel,  404 

Sarah,  460 

William,    65  212  223  275 

284  287  340  348  460 

c 

Cambridge,    Mass.    20  23  24  83  8J7 

295  831  375  394  4.53  469  473 
Cane  Jane,  405 

John,  405 
Canonchet,  409  410  417  464      ' 
Canton,  Mass.,  377 
Carlisle,  Mass  ,  52  64  176  216  277  287 

488 

Bridge,  279 
Casumpal,  James,  339  491 

Sarah,  339  491  492 
Casumpat,  Peter,  492  493 

Sarah'  492  493 
Chamberlain,  Benj. 

Joseph,  454 
Chandler,  Samuel,  402  404  405 
Charles  River,  24 


Charlestown,  Mass.,  170  211  279  303 

321  450  464  408 
Chelmsford,  Mass.,  7  337355-357  384 

389  391  404  410456  464  465  492 
Child,  Lydia  Maria,  16 
Church,  Trinitarian,  8  165  166 
Clark, Rev.  Thomas,  333  3.50 

William,  405 
Cochituate,  Mass.,31  103 
Colefoxe,  William,  217 
Colonial,  The,  4  290  390  311  312 
Comy,  David  425  459  460  461 

Elizabeth,  461 

Ester,  461 

John, 461 
Conaway,  Peter,  339  491  493 
Concord   Junction,  98  129  4.59 
Conway,  Peter,  441  491-493 
Conkcascogan,  368 
Conkganasca,  368 
Cook,  Joseph,  340 
Costin,  Coslinor,  320 
Coventry,  Jonathan,  217 
Cowell,  Capt.,  435  436 
Coy,  Corporal,  355 
Crown  Point,  107  365 
Cromwell,  Oliver,  294 
Cudworth,  Gen.,  181 
Cummings,  Dr.  Alexander,  178 

Squire,  12 
Curtis,  Ephraim.  357-359  368  369  374 

Henry,  374 
Curry,  David,  461 
Cutshamekin,  385 

D 

Dakin,  Deacon  Samuel,  270  365 

Eli,  462 

Franklin,  457 

Samuel,  374  480 

Thomas,  183  265  285  288 
Dane,  Daniel,  286  480 

Joseph,  165 


IV 


Index 


Dane,  Thomas,   164 
Danes,  Thomas,    494 
Danforth,  Johnathan  487, 

Thomas,  275  276  340 
Davis,  Hopewell,  452 

Captain  Isaac,  4  126  127  368 

Dolor,  374  469 

John, 470      / 

Joseph,  288 

Ruth,  374 

Simon,  210  357  358  364  374 

404  469  470  481  489 
Dean,  Daniel,  288  405 

Joseph,  288 
Dedham,  Mass.,  48 
Densmore,  204 
Dennison,  Daniel,  351 
Dock  Square,  170 
Dorchester,  Mill,  385 
Doublet,  Thomas,  35  473  387  391 

440  473 

Sarah,  441 
Davenport,  Captain,  394  397  399 

407  415  416 
Drake,  Samuel  G.,  384-386  411  385 
Draper,  Roger,  280 
Dudley,  Catherine,  217 

Joseph,  349  494 

Thomas,  278 
Dunstable,  Mass.,  467  470 
Dunster,  President,  84 

E 

Eames,  Thomas,  410 
Eastham,  Mass.,  217 
East  Lexington,  Mass.,  101 
Eckfeldt,  Thomas,  307 
Edmonds,  Mary,  460 
Edmands.  Joshua,  284 
Egg  Rock,  30  96  98  125  298 
Elwell,  David,  297 
Emerson,  Edward,  334 

Ellen,  10 

Peter  334 


Emerson,  Ralph  Waldo,  9  10  11 16  298 

334 

Rev.  Joseph,  333  3.34 

Rev.  William,  9  15  147  33 

William,  334 
Endicott,  Gov.,  323 
Engoldsbey,  Ebenezer,  339 
Essex,  Mass.,  401  464 
Estabrook,  147  4.53 

Rev.  Joseph,  178  327  333 
Evarts,  John,  320 

William,  320 
Everettville,  Mass.,  441 
Everetts,  George,  165 
Exeter,  N.  H.  450 
Eyres,  Sergeant,  355 


Fairfield,  Conn.,  46  320  327 
Fairhaven  Bay,  158  286 

Pond, 17 
Farrar,  Elizabeth,  302 

George,  461 

Jacob,  425  461 

John,  461 
Farre,  Stephen,  394  395  462 
Farwell,  James,  288 

John, 165 
Fay,  Jonathan,  296 
First  Parish  Meeting  House,  71  47 
Flagg,  Eliazer,  494 
Fletcher,  Francis,  165  288 

Paul,  453 

Samuel,  452  453  480 

Samuel  Jr.,  452 

William,  165 
Flint,  Abigail,  325 

Benjamin,  325 

Edward,  324 

Ephraim,  288  324  333 

Farm, 324 

Hannah,  325 

James,  325 


Index 


Flint,  Jane,  325 

John,  210  287  324  337  349  479 

489-492 

Josiah.  181 

Mary,  325 

Rev.  Henry,  324 

Thomas,  65  90  153  224 

321-325 

William,  324 
Flint's  Bridge,  30 

Pond,  97  135 
Forest  Lake,  153 
Forge  Pond,  388 
Fort  Edward,  270 
Foster,  Rev.  Edmund,  411 
Fowler,  George,  52 
Fox,  Eliphalet,  165  288  480 
Framingham,  Mass.,  404 
French  Neutrals,  177 
French,  Daniel  W.  4 

Corporal,  356 

Reuben, 287 
Freeman,  Brister,  12 

Fenda, 12 
Fulhr,  William,  155  156 


Gardiner,  Joseph,  394  407 
Gobble,  Stephen,  452-454 

Thomas,  286  288  480 
Gobely,  David,  454 
Golden  Balls  Tavern,  172 
Goldsmith,  268 
Gomps,  387 
Gomgos,  336 
Gondisbert.  314 
Goodnow,  Jane,  460 
Goodmans,  Capt.,  430 
Gookin,  Capt.,  369 

General,  38 

Major,  29  31  36  37  276  340 

350  367  377  380  385  439 

440  473 


Grafton,  Mass..  387 
Grand  Pre,  N.  S.  32 
Grant,  U.  S.  18 
Graves,  Benjamin,  453  454 
Gray,  William,  296  298 
Green  Hill,  36  436  424  427 
Greenlaw,  W.  P.  333  335 
Griffin,  Richard,  323 
Griggs  John  405 

Groton,  Mass.,  83  84  176  321  335 
350  362  374389  390  404  438 
463-468  470 
Gulf  Brook  38   42 

H 

Habord  Johnethen  480 
Hadlocke  Deborah  462 
Half-way  Brook  270 
Hale  Sir  Matthew  198 
Hall  Stephen  340  374 
Halsted  William  261 
Hancock  John  7 
Hancock  Capt.  John  7 
Hapgood  Sydrach  340  355 
Harper's  Ferry  13 
Hartwell  Ebenezer  301 

John  165  288 

Jason  202  205 

Jazen  204 

Samuel  405 

William   24  25   101  182 

185  204  205  210  453  288 
Harvard,  Mass.,  83 
Harvard  College  84  147  320  325  328 

423 
Hartford,  Conn.,   24 
Harwood  Herbert  J.  383  390 

Nathaniel  480 
Harvy  Richard  74 

Margaret  74 
Hasnemesuchoth  387 
Haslock  John  454 
Haskins  Ruth  334 


VI 


Index 


Hassamnanesit,  377 
Hastings,  Corner  155 
Haverhill,  Mass.,  350 
Hawthorne.  Nathaniel  9-11 

Thomas,  15 
Haynes,  James  House  366  424  429 

John, 340 

Walter,  424  432 
Hayward,  George,  65183340395  399 

462 

Hannah,  182 

John,   173  182  183  270  340 

Joseph,  182  341  479 

Major,  337 

Mary,  183 

Mary,  182  183 

Sarah,  182 

Simon,  183 
Heald  John,  43  65  287  453  496 

Major,  B  F  277 
Heaward,  George,  99  281 
Heywood   Thomas  348  386  389  390 

Abel,  13  179  287 

George,   151  183  182 

John,  158  166  182  183  288 

Jonathan,  179 

Samuel,  182  183 

William,  425 

Sarah, 183 

Joseph,  183 

Benoni,  182 
Heyden  William,  288 
Hingham,  Mass.  146  350 
Hlnchman,  Thomas  210 
Hoar,  Bridget  181 

Daniel,  181 

Hon.  George,  F.  18  441 

Hon.  Samuel,  18  258 

Joanna, 180 

John  32  33  180-182  377  380  412 

441  446-449 

John,  Jr.  181 

Judge  E  Rockwood,  13  18  301 


Hoar,  Leonard  181 
Hoare,  33  34  35 
Hobbs,  Brook  101 
Hobbommoc,  28 
Hockhurst,  England,  64 
Hogpenwalk,  17  285 
Holland,  F  305 
Holdridge  Richard,  340 
Hooker,  Rev.  24 
Hopkinton,  16  377 
Hopkins,  250 
Hosmer,  14  64 

Abigail,  258 

Abner,  4 

Alice,  258 

Anne  258, 

Edmund,  282 

Ensign,  2  51  64 

George,  456 

Hannah,  258 

James,  24  46  64  101  250   258 

259  306  314  425  430  459 

John,  46  314 

Joseph,  258 

Mary,  258 

Stephen,  258 

Thomas,  258 
Hough  Atherton,  279 
How  Samuel,  394  405 
Howe  John,  172 
Hubbard,  15 

Deacon,  184 
Hunt  Capt.  129 

Elizabeth,  162  210 

Isaac,  210  211 

Hannah,  210  211 

Nehemiah,  210  211 
Robert,  211 
Samuel,  210 
Simon,  211 
William,  65  210  211 
William,  H  211 


Index 


Vll 


Hunton  Capt.  430 
Hurd's  Pond  211 

I 

Ingraham  Cato,  12  314 
Captain,  19 
Duncan,  12  19 
Ipswich,  Mass.,  450 
Irish  Charity  Fund,  477 


Lakin,  John,  454 

Law  John,  478 

Lancaster,  Mass.,  35  83  84  103  258  314 
321  335  340  350  379  390  391 
404  410  411  420  438  439  441 
460  461  464-467  470  473 

Lane  Albert,  289 

Lang  D.  G.,  289 


Island,  Deer,  32  35  36  181  380  412  440Lanham  District,  211 

Lathrop  Capt.,  463 


J 

Jacobs,  Capt.,  437 

Jarvis,  Edward,  293 

Jehojakim,  64 

Jobson,  93 

John  One  Eyed,  438 

Johnson   Edward,  65  66  70  72 

Jones  Captain,  397 

Elisha,  5  300-301 

Ephraim,  6  173  309 

James,  287 

John,  20  46  64  67  135  287  320 

Samuel,  301 

Tavern,  172  288 

Thomas,  301 

William,  453 
Joslah  Capt.,  384 

K 

Kato,  32  64  103 
Kattenanit,  473 
Kehonosquaw,  384 
Kelley  William,  340 
Kennebec  River,  470 
Kennedy  Louisa,  305 
Kent  John, 405 


Lawrence   Peleg,  387 
Lee  John,  296 

Dr.  Joseph,  178  227  295  296 
Silas,  296 
Lee's  Farm,  294 
Hill,  128 
Legrosse,  314 
Leihtenegger,  314 
Lettin  Richard,  280 
Leverett  Gov.,  473 
Lexington   Mass.,  6  10  17  99  101  205 

309  404 
Library  Public,  17  168  258  293  295  307 
Lincoln   Mass.,  6  11  17  101  163  176  216 

278  288  324  ^^g 
Littleton   Mass.,  30  103  335  349  377 

388  390-392  404 
Londonderry.  N.  H.  176 
Long    John  D.,  470 
Longfellow   Henry  W-,  16 
Lothrop   Daniel  (Mrs.),  11 
Lowell    Mass.,  103  377  384 
Lynde  Judge    180 
Lynn   Mass-,  294  321  340 

M 

Madoud  Mordacai,  438 


Keyes  John  S-,  5  173  289  301  302  305  Makunkokoag,  377 
Mrs.  John  S.,  304  Maiden,  Mass.',  410 

Prescott,307  Marlboro,  Mass.,  210  340  359  362 

Kingston,  R.  I.,  65  395  363  367  369  372  377  379 

Kneller  Sir.  Godfrey,  335  384  404  415  418  420  421 

Kutquen,  441  437  439  470 


Vlll 


Index 


Marshall,  Thomas,  294  321 
Marshfield,  Mass.,  333 
Mason,  Captain,  429 

Hugh,  216  419 

Robert,  275 
Massachusetts  Bay  70  292 

Bay*Colony  30  98  84  175 

204  218  335 

Massasoit,  344 

Mather,  Cotton,  47  50  61  177  197 

218 

Increase,  198  199  477 

Nathaniel,  477 
Matlock,  Eng.,  65  457 
Maudsley,  Henry,  412 
Maynard,  Mass.,  103 
Mayo,  Rev.  John, 171 
Medfield,  Mass.,  350  418 
Medford,  Mass.,  103  216 
Melvin,  John,  452 
Memininisset,  371  409  417  473 
Meriam's  Corner,  7  69  102  349 
Merlam  George,  99  165  28  388 

House,  300  312 

John,  165  288 

Joseph,  7  3  478 

Robert,  19  99  165    166  261  283 

288 
Merrimack,  Mass.,  16  84  335  370  373 

465  470 
Metacomet,  344 
Middlesex  Hotel,  19  290 
Miles,  Charles,  227 

Ester,  227 

Ezekiel,  227 

John,  226  227  288  479 

Jonathan  227 

Joseph,  227 

Lemuel,  404 

Martha,  227 

Nathan,  227 

Reuben, 227 

Samuel,  227 


Miles,  Sarah,  227 
Mills,  Mary,  301 
Medfield,  Mass.,  3.50 
Milton,  Mass.,  350 
Minerd,  James,  480 
Minot,  James,  157  179  210 

Rebecca,  157 
Montaup,  304 
Moody,  John,  333  334 

Mary,  334 
Moore,  Capt.,  179 

John, 340 
Morgan,  Sir  Henry,  413 
Mosley,  Capt.,  33 

Samuel,  394  397  398  463 
Mount  Hope,  304  344  434 
Muckquamuck,  Peter,  337 
Munroe,  Thomas,  6 
Musketequid  Indians,  32  35  103  133 
River,  16  27  124  125  128  258 

313 

Village,  3  38  67  95  96  98  101 
103  213  273  322 
Musqua,  64 
Musquanog,  64 
Musquashcut,  181 
Muttanktuckes,  fi4  275 

N 

Naacuhpavil,  339 

Naahkenomenit,  387 

Naamonushqua,  339  384 

Naanischoow,  384 

Nagog  Pond,  388  391 

Nantatucket,  97  98  133  243  244  245  275 

Nantanquatick,  274 

Napoleon,  12 

Narragansett  Indians,  396 

Fort,  401 

War,  348  402 
Nashawtuc  Hill,  17  27  28  42  76  84  97 

130  163  267  294  296  314 

River,  38  128  137  243  380 


IX 


Index 


Nashoba,  31  32  35  75  92  152  257  336 
337  339  341  344  348  373  377 
381  382  385  386  388  389  390 
391  392  410  459 
Nashoba  Indians,  384  385  387  388  389 
391  412 
Hill,  391 

Nashop,  387 

Nasquan,  387 

Nashua,  84  335 

Nassquaw,  336  339 

Natahoonet,  387 

Natick,  28  31  103  244  267  337  368  369 
377  384  385  386  288  390  473 

Natocotus,  387 

Nattototos,  336 

Nattahattawants,  383 

Neepanaum,  Mary,  338 

Nenimimsset,  369 

Nepanum,  64  103  257  337  387 

Nepanet,  35  92  98  103  320  440  441 

Newbury,  Mass.  450 

Newman,  Noah,  181 

Newtowne,  29 

Nimrod,  46  276 

Nine  Acres,  89  113  189  341 

Ninigret,  399  463 

Niantick  Indians,  399 

Nipmuck  Country,  367  368  369  370 
393  402  406  420  464 
Indians,  371  374  377  378  417 
438 

Nonacoicus,  84  465  467 

Nonantum,  31 

Northumberland,  65 

Northfield,  420 

Nipnet  Indians,  24 

o 

Oakes,  Lieut.  Edward  469 

Jane  469 
Ockoocagansetts  30  32 
Okkokomimesit  377 


Okkektommesit  387 

Odell,  Eng.  325  333  372 

Oliver,  James  394  406  416 

Oonamog,  384 

Oldham,  John  24 

Old  Manse,  9  282  289  300  301  303  308 

Orchard  House,  10  11 


Paige  Dr.  J.  R.  371 
Parker  Capt.  362  463 

James,  340 

Moses,  338 
Parsons  Capt.  Lawrence,  5  6  307  308 

Mary,  171 
Pasmore  Richard,  452 
Patuxet,  396 

Pawtucket  Falls,  30  103  126  335 
Pellet  Thomas,  165  288 
Pelham's  Island,  211 
Pennahanuit,  384 
Pettisquamscott,  396  407 
Philip  King,  16  35  124  451  368  371 

433  434 
Philips  Zachariah,  355 
Philosophy  School,  of  10 
Phipps  Corp.  419  435 
Pierce  Joseph,  430 
Pickard  Cyrus,  459 
Pitcairn  Major  John,  6  311 
Pitney  Andrew,  339 
Plympton  Samuel,  425 
Plymouth  (Mass.)  72  73  173  204  237 

344  345  368  393  471  477 
Pocasset,  368  371 
Pokanoket,  341  368 
Punkapog,  377 
Potter  John,  453 

Luke,  99  165  167  168  288  460 
Mary,  460  '" 

Patience,  62 

Peter,  195 

Samuel,  425  459  461 
Powers  Walter,  390  391 


Index 


Prentice  Capt.  380  394  419  435  469 
Prescott  Dr.  Abel,  179 

Dr.  John,  178 

Mary,  227 
Prescott  Sarah  J  289 
Pritchard  Serg.  357 
Proctor  Robert,  158 
Punkatasset,  17  76  96  97  189 
Purchis  Oliver,  340 
Putnam  Gen.  Rufus,  371 

Q 

Quanohit,  339  441 

Quannasit.  371 

Quaboag  353  359  367  371  451 

Indians,  371 
Quanapoag,  473 
Quagana  Hill,  410  458 
Quinsigamond,  369  469 
Quoil  Hugh,  12  314 

R 

Rand  William,  E  312 
Ratcliffe  Philip,  268 
Rawson  Edward,  281  336 
Read,  Dr.  Philip  178  453 
Reading,  7  333 
Red  Lion,  171 
Red  Horse  Tavern,  172 
Redemption  Rock,  441 
Redit  Susannah,  227 
Reynolds  Dr.  Grindall,  294  298 
Rice  Timothy,  480 

Mercie  Heard,  210 

Reuben,  310 

Richard,  96  165  168  221  225 

275  288  348  453 

Timothy,  394  395 
Richardson  James,  357 
Right  Sarah,  460 
Ripley  Dr.  15  129  137  147  286  289  308 

327 
Robbins  John,  94 


Robbins  Robert,  388 

Robinson  George,  470 

Roderigo  Peter,  413 

Rowlandson  Mrs.  35  412  418  432  439 

440  441  442  472  473 

Rev.  Joseph,  258  410  439  441 

460 
Roxbury,  31 
Russell  James,  405 
Rutland,  Mass.  371 

s 

Sachem,  64 

Sam,  441 
Sagamore    John  84  335 
Salem  50  198  324, 
Salisbury,  Mass.  458 
Sanborn,  Frank  B  13  16 

Mrs.  Frank,  B    13 
Sargent  Mrs.  George,  335 
Savage  Major,  35  418  420 
Sawyer  James,  459 
Seekonk,  396 

Shawshine,  103  133  252  278 
Saxonville,  35 
Scituate,  181 
Scotchford  John,  438  459 

Sergeant,  52  57  64  288 
Sewall  Judge  Samuel,  237  249 

Rev.  Dr.  269 
Shabbokin,  467 
Sudbury,  7  16  48  102  103  124  125  552 

172  176-178  210  223  258  270 

278  320  336  251  357  368  374 

376  415  420  424  428  433-440 

452  459  461 
Sharp  Mercy,  84 
Shattuck,  179  184  274  275  278 

284  287  335  460  461 
Shepard  Abraham  458, 

Isaac,  457  458 

Jacob,  458 

John,  336  480 

Mary,  411  459 

Ralfe,  410  458 


Index 


XI 


Shepard  Thanklord,  410  458 

Thomas.  47  450 
Sheperd  Mary,  411  459 
Sherborn,  Mass.  404 
Shirley  Village,  4G5 
Sill  Capt.  Joseph,  351  452 
Simonds  Mary,  182 
Smedley  Baptist,  285  287  457  458 

James,  288  453 

John,  99  101  146  287  289  301 

Katherine,  457 

Mary,   458 

Samuel,  122  165  191  208  457 

Sarah,  301 

Sofy,  117 
Smith  John,  99 

Lieut.  Col.  5 
Speen  James,  338 

John,  337 

Sarah,  337 
Springfield,  Mass.  368  393 
St.  Johns  College,  325 
Stoughton  William,  197  334 
Stow,  Mass.  65  338  390  391  404 

Cyrus,  288 

Nathan   B  165 

Nathaniel,  165  480 

Thomas,  284  286 
Stratten  Samuel,  288  348  350  480 

Soloman,  193 

Susan,  270 
Streight  Thomas,  459 
Swain  Jeremiah,  394 
Swamp  Fight,  462 
Swan  Samuel,  310 

John,  394  395  405 

Richard,  217  452 

William,  165  288 

T 

Tahattawan,  383 


Taylor  Abraham,  405 

Daniel,  7  309 

Hugh,  452 
Temple  Abraham,  395  399  404  453  462 

Benjamin,  404 

Ephraim,  405 

Rev.  J.  H.  371 

Richard,  287  462 
Thomas  John  336  239  384  386  387  390 

Solomon.  339  390 
Thoreau  Henry,  10-13  17  311 
Tisansquaw,  243  244  339 
Tyng  Lieut.  394 
Tyng  Capt.  Wm.  430 

u 

Underwood  Patty,  65 
Uskatuhgun  Samuel,  441 

V 

Vose  John,  288 

w 

Waban,  37  28  29  276  336  339  368  378 

389  384  385  390 

Thomas,  384  386 
Wabatut,  336 
Wabbaquasets  371 

Wachusett,  79  258  417  419  439  441 452 
Wadsworth,    Capt  365  379  420  423  428 

430  432 
Walcott,  100  164  178  183  216  277  282 

286  289  318  321  334  357 
Walden  Pond,  11 

Woods,  12 
Waldo  Rebecca  435  439        :i  "s  H 
Walker  Francis,  F.  436 

John,  356 
Waltham,  Mass.  450 
Wamesit  30  377  384 
Warren  Daniel,  429  430 


Washacum,  466 

William,  17  22  25-29  35  42  64  Watertown,    38  63  67  101 102  103  178 
97  274  280  298  336  339  382.386  207  216  318  320  323  336  385 

Tassansquaw,  384  385  432  436  453  464 


XI 1 


Index 


Waverley,  Mass.  101 

Wayland,  Mass.  16  209  .320  424 

Waymeset,  337 

Wayside,  10-11 

Wayside  Inn,  172 

Webb  Cowet,  274 

Weegramomenit,  386 

Weld  Rev  Thomas,  279 

Wenimisett,  371 

Wennetto,  64  337 

Weston,  Mass.  103  172  278 

Westford,  Mass.  388  410 

Westvale,  Mass.  341 

Weymouth,  Mass.  350 

Wheat  Joseph,  405 

Sergeant,  210 
Wheate  Moses,  165  288  405  452  45 


Wheeler  Samuel,  288  297 

Sarah,  334 

Susannah,  461 

Thomas,  65  99  165  280  288  320 

338  340  348  354  373 

Thomas  E.  Jr.  355  356-363  369 

454 

Timothy,  65 

93  146  157  210  216  276  280  281 

290  341  348  349  351  352  371 

373  395 

William,  297 
Whieldon   Ruth,  217 
Whitefield,  147  270 
White  Elizabeth,  461 

John,  459 
31  Samuel,  460 


Wheeler  Capt.  Thomas,  372  373  455  Sarah,  258 

457  458  478  Whiting  Jonathan,  405 

Capt.  Timothy,  337  338  364    WiHard  Abovehope,  132 


365  367  368  370  468  479 

David,  405 

Ebenezer,  405 

Ensign,  M-  99  101  210 

Ephraim,  65  280  320  373 

George,  64  99  101  165  284  281 

240  285  288 

Hannah,  55  457 

James,  452 

Jesse,  55 

John,  165  288  394  395  405 

453  480 

Jonathan,  55  288 

Joseph,  46  146  165   281  286 

288  289  336  339  340  348  373 

393  395  405  410  453 

Joshua,  165  206  288 

Joslah,  425  452  453  461 

Liut.  Joseph,  334  389 

Nathaniel,  373 

Obadlah,  55  270  285  461 

Rebecca,  179 

Ruth,  373 


Wicabuy  Pond,  371 

Willard  House,  84  87  94  130  294  296 

Willard  Major,  17  20  24  38  39  46-49 
52  53  82-85  87  90-99  131  153 
159  166  173  220  276  280  294 
298  313  321-323  335  337  339 
348  350  359  362  366  374  376 
380  383  395  438  452  453 
463  468 

Wickford,  R.  I.  396  399  411-409-418 

WightGeorge,  341 

Wigley  Edmund,  227  270  288  .340 

Wight  Peter,  261 

Willard  Margery,  469 
Mary,  132 
Samuel,  199  469 

Winnishen,  391 

Winslow  Josiah,  313  399 

Winthrop,  Gov-  64  171  278  279  383 

Woburn,  Mass.  101  372  404 

Wowtoquatuckquaw  276, 

Wood  Abigail,  258 

John,  394  395404452 


Index  xiii 


Wood  Joseph,  405  Wright  Amos,  7  309 

Michael,    166  183  270  285  Edward,  165  181 

288  Wright's  Tavern,  6  7  173  300  309  311 

Richard,  45  ^ 

William,  20  324  372  ^ 

Woodcock's  Garrison,  396  Yorkshire,  65 

Woodis  Henry,  210  275  284  286  459  Young  Henry,  357  438 

Wooley  Christopher,  165  „ 

Joseph,  339  ^ 

Worcester,  Mass.  369  66  302  103  375  zilpha,  12  314 
Wordsworth,  89  90 


ERRATA 

Line, 

7  Read  Little  Maid  for  Fair  Maid. 

15  Omit  often. 

10  Read  candlewood  light  for  candle  light. 


Zi 

(C 

one  of  his  first  mission  fields  for  his  first  mis-  \ 
sion  field.                                                                       j 

16 

cc 

Shepard  for  Shepherd.                                                    j 

37 

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8 

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who  for  whom.                                                                   ' 

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18 

cc 

/f  fordway  in  the  North  District  instead  \ 
of  the  fordway  over  the  North  Bridge.                    j 

30 

cc 

Thornton  Gould  for  Thornton.                                        | 

24 

cc 

catechistical  for  catechumenical. 

3 

cc 

1673  for  ^P7J.                                                                 1 

12 

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WdT^  for  ZCtfJ.                                                                                                 \ 

12 

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between  for  between.                                                        \ 

19 

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Walcott  for  Wolcott. 

7 

cc 

cows  for  row. 

10 

cc 

7^5/  for  75^7. 

24 

a 

catechistical  for  catechumenical.                                     \ 

1 1 

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Susanah  for  Susannah.                                                    1 

30 

cc 

//W  for  ////fi-^.                                                                  ] 

17 

cc 

plowing  {ox  plewing. 

21 

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at  for  ^j-. 

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grandsons  for  gandsons.                                                   j 

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westward  for  eastward. 

24 

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ministry  for  ministery.                                                      j 

5 

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22 

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/i'<?>'  for  /■/.                                                                           i 

18 

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probably  iox  probally. 

10 

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and  for  tf«. 

23 

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William  for  Joseph.