V-' ^! . •■■■■:-
1 ■-;..
HISTORY
OF
MIDDLESEX COUNTT
MASSACHUSETTS,
WITH
! 1 ()! r 1 ; A P l-[ re A i . SKE]TCHES
I IF MANY OK ITS
Pioneers and Prominent Men.
illMl'II.KD ISI>Kl: TICK Si:i»F.KVISIliX i)F
I < I i \ \ M ! I ' ' \ I I I I ; [ >
VOL. II.
I Xj XjTJ S T K. ^^T E ID .
I'H 1 L.\ I)ELPHI.\:
.r. w . 1. 1 ; w I s A- ( • < >.
1 N il .
( 'opi/riqht, I.V'U.
liY J. \V. LKW IS Sc ('(».
All !:inf'l< lifterrM.
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CONTENTS OF VOL. II.
CITIES AND TOWI^S.
CHAPTER I.
LOWEXL 1
Early History.
CHAPTER n.
Lowell — {Continued) 16
The Tuwn of Lowell.
CHAPTER III.
Lowell— (Con^'ntterf) 26
City of Lowell.
CHAPTER IV.
Lowell— ( Conlinued) 50
Hayora.
CHAPTER V.
Lowell — (Continued) 58
Politics.
CHAPTER VL
Lowell — [Continued) 64
Baaka.
CHAPTER VII.
Lowell— fCona'nuerf) 71
MnDufacnirea.
CHAPTER Vin.
Lowell — (Continued) 112
Scboola.
CHAPTER IX.
Lowell — (Continued) 126
Ecclesiastical History.
CHAPTER X.
Lowell — (Continued) 179
Military.
CHAPTER XI.
Lowell — (Contintud) 188
The Freag.
CHAPTER XII.
Lowell — (Continued) U'o
Medical.
CHAPTER XIII.
Lowell — ( Conlinued) 222
Societies.
CHAPTER XIV.
Lowell — ( CoTtlinued) 231
Miscellaneous.
CHAPTER XV.
Chelmsfi-bd 239
Early History.
CHAPTER XVI.
Chelmsford — (Continued) 249
lodiao History — FreDcb aod lodiao Wars — War of the ReTo-
lutioo— Shays' BebellioQ — War of the Rebellioo.
CHAPTER XVII.
Chelmsford — (Conlinued) 259
Educational History.
CHAPTER XVIII.
Chelmsford — (Continued) 264
Manafactnreo.
CHAPTER XIX.
Chelmsford — {Continued) 269
MlscellaDeoua.
CHAPTER XX.
Dracut 276
Early Hlstoiy.
CHAPTER XXL
DRA.CVT— (Continued) 278
Indian History.
CHAPTER XXEL
Dractjt — (Continued) 284
ClTil and Docnmentary History.
CHAPTER XXm.
Dbacut — (Continued) 290
£ccleela«ticai and EducationaL
CHAPTER XXrV. ,.;^
DnxcuTr— (Continued) .i..5?lL
Jterolotlonary.War.
CONTEXTS.
' CHAPTER XLIII.
300 CdsckRD— {Continued) jS-l
Ci'nrurJ Fight— Brunt and Strife .if Revoluticiri.
CHAPTER XLIV.
CoscoRD—iConlinufd) .-,37
Prtigrees and Prosperity aa u Shire-town and ;i Literur) Ceiitie
CHAPTER XXV.
Dr.\cdt— ( Continued)
Shaj-8' Eebellion and MiBcellaneous.
CHAPTER XXVI.
Dracvt— (Continued) 3]g
War of the Kebellion— ManufactureB— BiograpliicaL
CHAPTER XXVII. i — Celebratioii»-3Ioui.ii,eut6-Hebrll,„n
• „, - ^-^ CHAPTER XLV.
The Beginnings. -v^j . .
CHAPTER XXVIII. | courts, School*. t«deti.s, I>„n.tiun». etc.
BiLLEKICA— (Ct)n(m»ed) p.og ,
The Indians and Indian Wara. CHAPTER XL VI.
Co.N'CORD— (Con(ini/C(/)
Professional and Official I'lti^ens— Coiirlusi.-n
(iu:',
CHAPTER XLVII.
CHAPTER XXIX.
BiLLERlcw — i Continued) .332
IteligioiiB lljotory.
CHAPTER XXX. : Lincoj-n ,112
Rtl.LKRIC.A. — [Continued) ."^SS f^r'r Hi>fMT—rlMir..lie-— Military llr-|..ry— Fnnch ju. I
Land Di,trib.mon-D>™en,berment. '"''""' ""■-■'■''- If- lutiou-l.ist ..f .s,|die,H-\Var ..1
^ l.-lj— W.ir of th.- Heb.-lh.jii— .\it ot lu. ■.i(.o.,iiir,n— Town
CHAPTER XXXI. ! "rtice,-, etc.
BiLLERicA— iCoH(miterf) 34O CHAPTER XLVIII.
B.llericaiatheRevolntinn. LlSVOL^-^ Continued) t^o;
CHAPTER XXXII. j <^"ll>'S^<''™'luaf=-Plo-in:.„5-E.lMc.,M..unl-B,inK|.i.l«ces
DiLLKRic.\— (CoHdnuet/) 3II 1 CH U'TEK MAX
Kdnrjuioll. j
I Aylr rt3.j
CHAPTER XXXIII. 1 I,itro.l..Mion -T..|.mU.M'I'.v -Ku.ly liMhun Tube,- Bound-
liK.LEttrcA — tConlinued) 34Q ] anesof the r. mm.
ii.iig.ou8 History. I CHAPTER L.
CH.\PTER XXXIV.
BlLLKKUA — i Continued)
31iaci'Ihiiieuiis.
349
\YF.R — (Omtinued)
Kariy Sftttlerrf.
M-2
CHAPTER XXXV.
Ty.NGSBORoumi 357
CHAPTER XXXVI.
M'DBUi
CHAPTER XXXVII.
Waylano 413
CHAPTER XXXVIII.
Maynard 437
CHAPTER XXXIX.
STOMiHASl 46]
CHAPTER XL.
Groton .501
CHAPTER XLL
('<J^i->i--'> .570
.■Settlement— &rly History — Indian Tloiihles — Captain
Wlueler'H Narrative.
CHAPTER XLII.
Conci^Wi—i (.'nnlinued) 577
CHAPTEi; LI.
.A.YER — {G'/i07/lli;'/l (5,50
Highways— I'. ■ii|Hayr—niidr,M:_T.n el II — M,,|., :,i,.| Pl...^
CHAPTER LH.
.\yer — [Continued) 6.57
Canals— Ruilroadi—I'ustdilii e -Tidosrapb— Telepbunc.
CII.VI'TER LI[[.
.\yf.k — ( t'iin/iniic(/l ,jm
Schools— Library — Water uoiks.
CHAPTER LIV.
.\yek - (toH(i»iic(/) gp.5
Industries— .\ucieut Mills--Maiiufiuton-3 -Xoiiipaivr».
CHAPTER LV.
Ay'er — I Continued) ^70
Reugiois Societies: B.ipli3( — Unitarian — Catholic — 1 ..n
gregfttlolMilirt— .Methiidist.
CHAPTER LVI.
.A.VER — iConlinuetl) qj^
Fire and File * 'oiiipaiiies.
CHAPTER LVII.
Independence in i'hnn;h and .-state— Preparations for Ke».i- 1 .-Vyer — (Conlinutd)
lutioa — Journal of a British Spy,
6S4
New Town— Agit.ition for Sot-off— lucorjioration.
CONTENTS.
CHAPTER LVIir. | CHAPTER LXXII.
Westford ''S9 ' Bedford— (Coiitiivteil) 828
Colonial Troubles— Botitoo Tea Party — Minute Heo — CoDCOHl
CHAPTER LIX.
Wakefield '1'
CHAPTER LX.
WiSCHESTER "■*''
Ci\il Htstury previuus to Itou.
CHAPTER LXI.
\Vl>"CHESTER — ( Conliitued) '-^b
EccIeBiastical History.
CHAPTER LXir.
BoXBOROliiU
CHAPTER LXI [I.
Reading
Tfi9
703
Fight— Women 8 Part— Battle of Banker Hill.
CHAPTER LXXJUI.
Bedford — {Continued) 831
Supplies for tha Amiy— Fiuancial Trouble*— Vote for GoTer-
nor under the CunstitutioD iu 1780.
CHAPTER LXXIV.
Bedford — (Continued) 834
Shays' Bebelllon and Subsequent Troubles — ClTll War— Bed-
ford's Honored Dead.
CHAPTER LXXV.
Bedford — i Coniinued) 836
CHAPTER LXIV
North READiyt;
808
Finaucial Troubles — ')ld Tenor and Lawful Money — Slavery
10 Bedford— Bill of Sale of a Negro Boy in 175«.
CHAPTER LXXVI.
BedfiiRD — I Continued) 838
Puhtic Charity — How Dispenseit— Town Farm for the Pour.
CHAPTER LXV.
Sll I
Bedford
The P:.rent Towni(--EHily lir.tut- aiiil S^ttl^iiicnt.,— The T»i>
Brothers — Dlsiharge of lu'li.in l hiiiiis— i;.<i ii-.n^— linui-
IKfriitiuii.
CHAPTKi; LXVI.
BEDFORD — (Cojilinwid)
X^nie -Uouu.l.iries— Beilcvnlrmi.— l!.i"i'l»— i'ii-.! M'-jmi--
Uou'^e and .Miiii-t»r— Chiirche., F.Tiiifd— T.iM-.i— ."'■in- "Id
Fniinli*'-; ami Sites.
CHAPTER LXV 11.
BEPFiiRn— l,Cb'i/i"':r('' ...
Ri'l.iiioii of First rhuMii ■nl r..uii— |ii»iiii»sk.h -I l;->.
Nichohiii B.jiv»»— Kiint Brll- Miuielry f \>\ . Xulh.iiii. 1
bheliii.iD dnd Rev. JoM-ph Pen uli.
(Jil.APTER LXV II I.
Beufobp — {ConliiivaU
Tim I'leriiy of New Kus:l»iiil— Itcv. Sauninl Meariis- Pace
.lud H.irtw^ll Fim.l— Will .d \iinn Pa^e— New Miiliii-j-
IIoU6e — SiiigiDS-J" hool— .'^.ibl'iiiU-?^' Iiool.
CHAPTER LXIX.
Bedford —(Ci^nttnued) 82L
S-parali'in hnw-ren Clmn li -ml r'ovii 1 iiiMnnu.l'on^n'ca-
tioiwl -oci.-ty iirsunized— Their ll.m.H;..r W..i/.hip— W,,rk
of I'liilariJU Chun h aud Firil I'.u :h— Death of llev.
:^amuel .-lenrn!=— .^teatii-.' [le^ctiidaiit-s- 1 huriih cl Christ.
i^HAPTER LXX.
Bedford— ( 'ijn(i«»e'') ^-'^
CHAPTER LXXVIL
Bedford — (Continued) 839
Burial-Grounds.
I CHAPTER LXXVIII.
I Bedford — (Continued) 840
Highways- Bridges and lUilroads.
^1„ I CHAPTER LXXrX.
j Bkdford — [Continued) 844
I jitai;c-llout«f»— Foat-Oflice — PystOiMier— Industries— Residen-
tial Town— luventiona.
i CHAPTER LXXX.
>!.* Bedford — (Coniinued)
846
8-::o
SrhouU and Libraries.
CH.VI'TER L.\'\t.
Bedford— I,' '■'"''""'''l ...
Indian Tn'ublefe-ludiii.hiiil ,s. rvir. — KxiK-in-iKe of Mary
I.une— 5la-twell Family— F«!ni.h NeutraUi- FreutU aud
Indian Wars.
8-J7
MiriiigJ— Likes— Ponds— Public-Houses— Bedford Springs.
CHAPTER LXXXL
I'.KDFORD — (Contintifd) 847
Fire-EnKine — Enforcement of Law— Drink Custom — Wltch-
. raft— Bounty for Crows, elc.
CH.\PTER LXXXII.
Bedford — ^Continued) 849
Profanity and Drunkenness Puniahed hy Law — Titblogiiien
aud their Duties— Minor Offl-Ters -English Rigbt.
CHAPTER LXXXIir.
BtDFORD — (Coatiaued) 850
Noted 0\'Ca6lon8.
CHAPTER LXXXIV.
Bedford — (Conlin'Uii) 851
Topi>grapbical and Miscellaueuuth
CHAPTER LXXXV.
Bedford — (Cnniintird) 853
Early Method of Collecfiug Taxes— Souin Early Oustoou and . .' <■■ ■
IniprovemcDts. .,.*., t
CHAPTER T.XXX VT i '
Littleton ^^t''^
CITIES AND TOWNS.
CHAPTER I.
LO WELL}
HY CHARLES C. CHASE.
KARLY HISTORY.
The spot on which the city of Lowell now stands
is not without hi.storic interest. Where now stretch
its busy streets, resounding with the innumerable
voices of industries, there once stood the thickly-
gathered wigwams of the red man of the forest, or
the humble anil scattered homes of the early English
settlers. Ever since tlie race began this spot has had
its peculiar attraction as the liabitation of man. It
was never a solitude. The echoes of human voices
have ever mingled with the soun<l of its water-falls.
The .^[errimack and Concord iiivcrs unite within
the limits of the city, and there are water-falls on
each of these .-itreams within a mile of their junc-
tion. The Hsli which sw.irmed about these falls had
from time immemorial attracted the Indian, .-md the
vast water-power which they aH'ordcd allured tlie
enterprising white man to the favored spot. The
two rivers have each an honored name in history.
What civilized man first discovered the Merrimack
is an interesting but unsettled question. De Monts,
Champlain and (Captain .John Smith each has his
claim to the honor. Doubtless, Champlain, the at-
tendant and the i)ilot of the French admiral, De
Monts, made the Hrst historic mention of the river;
for, in 11)04, in writing to France re.'tpecting the
transactions of the expedition of De Monts on the '
banks of the St. Lawrence, he says : " The Indians [
tell us of a beautiful river far to the south, which '
they call the Merrimac." .\gain, in the following !
seascm, when, on the night of July 15tb, the bark of
De .Monta had sailed from the Isle of Shoals to Cape
Ann. Champlain was sent to the shore by his com-
mander to observe five or six Indians who had in a
canoe come near the .admiral's bark. To each of
these Indians Champlain gave a knife and some bis-
1 III preparing tliede pafces, the viiliiuble hjetunes ut Lowell, by Rev.
Dr. Hfliry \. titled, Cliarle^ I'owley, LL. D., au«i Alfred GilniAO, Esq., ■
have l)L'en freely coiisulled, aud to these gelltlcliien tlio writer tenders
hla dilK'ere thiinks.
cuit, " which caused them to dance again better than
before." When he asked for information regarding
the coast, the Indians " with a crayon described a
river which we had passed, which contained shoals
and was very long." This river, without doubt, was
the Merrimack. On the 17th of July De Monts en-
tered a bay and discovered the mouth of another
river, which was evidently the Charles River.
It should here be remarked that some writers have
believed that the river whose mouth waa discovered
on the 17th of July was the Merrimack ; but the
fact that Champlain, on the KJth, while at Cape
Ann, was informed by the Indians that De Monts
had in the previous night passed unobserved a river
which was very long and had shoals, forbids the sup-
position that the river, whose mouth waa discovered
on the next day, whilesailing south from Cape Ann,
could be the Merrimack. Who was the first discov-
erer of the Merrimack, therefore, still remains in
doubt. Champlain clearly marks the identity of Cape
.\nn by mentioning the three islands near its point.
.\round the falls of these streams were the favorite
(Ishing-grounds of the Pawtucket tribe of Indians.'
Here in the spring-time, from all the region round,
they gathered to secure their annual supply of fish.
Here they reared their wigwams and lighted their
council-firea. Here, for the time at least, the In-
dian had his home. His women and children were
with him. On the plains, where the young of our
city celebrate their athletic gtimes, the sons and
daughters of the forest engaged in their rude and
simple sports. On (he waters, where now our pleas-
ure-boats gaily sail, the Indian once paddled his
light canoe.
The Pawtucket tribe was one of the largest and
most powerful of the Indian tribes. Gookin, a writer
of the highest authority in Indian history, informs us
that before the desolations of the great plague in
1617 the tribe numbered 3000 souls. Its domain ex-
tended over all the State of New Hampshire and
parts of Maine and Massachusetts. Little, however,
is known of their history before the coming among
them of the Rev. John Eliot, the great apostle to the
- Wamesits is the name giveo to the Indiaiu near Concord Blr«r, bui i
the Pawtucketa and Wamraiu belonged to ttae aune tilbe.
HISTORY OF MIDDLESEX COUNTY, MASSACHTTSETTS.
Indians, about sixteen years after the landing of the
Pilgrims at Plymouth.
This devoted Christian missionary, now forty-three
years of age, had been educated at the University of
Cambridge, England, and had subsequently, in the
new world, been settled, with the title of " teacher,"
over the church in Roxbury. By his labors some of
the Indiana of the vicinity had professed their faith
in Christ, and were known by the name of Christian
or Praying Indians. With some of these Praying In-
dians to aid him in his missionary work, Eliot vis-
ited, in 1647, the red men of the Pawtucket tribe on
the banks of the Merrimack and Concord. Passacona-
way, the Indian chief, with his sons, fled at their ap-
proach. Some of his men, however, remained and
listened to the message of the devoted apostle. In
the following year Eliot, upon a second visit, gained
the ear of the chief, who declared bis purpose
in future to " pray to God." In 1653, upon the peti-
tion of Eliot, the Legislature of Massachusetts granted
to the Pawtucket Indians the land lying about the
Pawtucket and Wamesit Falls. The tract thus
granted contained about 2500 acres. Gookin informs
us that every year in the beginning of May the
apostle Eliot " came to this fishing-place of the In-
dians to spread the net of the gospel to fish for their
souls."
Passaconaway, whose usual home was at Penna-
cook (now Cuncord, N. H.), ruled over a wide do-
main, extending from the Merrimack to the Piscat-
aqua. As a powwow and sorcerer he had a wide-
spread fame. It was thought that he " could make a
green leaf grow in the winter, the trees to dance
and water to burn." He lived to a great age. Gookin
says that he "saw him alive at Pawtucket when he
was about 100 years old.' In a speech which the
aged chieftain made to his tribe before his death, are
the following words : " I am now going the way of all
flesh, and not likely to see you ever meet together anv
more. I will now leave this word of counsel with
you, that you may take heed how you quarrel with
the English." He is supposed to have died about
1661.
Wannalancet, his son, now more than forty years
of age, became his successor. He respected the dying
advice of his father. He was a lover of peace, a man
of gentle nature. Too often the unsparing vengeance
of the white men, aroused to frenzy by the perfidy
and cruelty of other Indians, fell upon the head of
the innocent Wannalancet. But he refused to retali-
ate. His memory is recalled by every generous
heart with sentiments of honor mingled with pity.
The home of Wannalancet was on the banks ofthe
Merrimack, at Litchfield, N. H., about twenty miles
north of Lowell. In 1669 he came down the Merri-
mack, and, as a defence against the hostile Mohawks,
erected a fort upon the hill in Lowell which was
from this circumstance denominated Fort Hill. This
hill is now the property of the city of Lowell, which
' has generously adorned its grounds and n^^de it the
most beautiful of our public parks.
Lender the gentle Wannalancet the fortunes of his
tribe rapidly waned. Lawless white men seized upon
his lands. .\t length he fell into the hands of
enemies. Though set at liberty, he refused to return
to his home. In 1677, when about fifty-eight years of
age, he was visited by Indians from the north, who,
' as Eliot declared, " urged him partly by persuasion
i and partly by force to accompany them to their coun-
I try." The unfortunate and di.iheartened chief finally
t consented, and with a band of about fifty followers,
which embraced all but two of his once powerful
tribe, he departed to the wilds of Canada. As a tribe,
I the Pawtuckets long since perished from the earth.
Their name and their sad memory remain. An igno-
rant and indolent race, almost utterly destitute of
1 every art and comfort of civilized life, subi-isting upon
1 the coarsest food, and wasted both by pestilence and
i war, they melted away before the advancing ranks of
I the more enterprising and aggressive settlers from the
'< Old World. Few traces are now left, in our city, of
their habitation. An occasional Indian arrow head,
or other rude implement, dug up while laying the
foundations of some modern .structure, a few traces
of the old trench which once separated their lands
from those of the white man, remind us that we live
on historic ground. The familiar words " Pawtucket,"
" Wamesit," " Passaconaway," " Wannalancet," and
others, which the people of Lowell are fond of em-
I ploying in giving names to the streets and the vari-
ous institutions and enterprises of the city, attest the
I pride and pleasure with which we recognize the his-
toric fact that on the soil where our city now stands
there " once lived and loved another race of beings,'
I in whose fate we take a poetic interest, and whose
memory we do not wish to .see blotted out forever.
j Let ua also briefly notice the white men who, in
j early days, dwelt upon this favorite spot. In 1652
; about twenty of the inhabitants of Woburn and Con-
cord, Mass., petitioned the General Court to be al-
lowed to examine a tract of land lying on the west
side of the Concord River with the view of forming a
new settlement, and their petition was granted. They
found the land " a comfortable place to accommodate
God's people." The General Court gave them a tract
of land originally about six miles square, bounded on
one side by the Concord River beginning at its junc-
tion with the Merrimack. About the same time the
grant, already referred to, giving to the Pawtuckettribe
of Indians a tract of laud lying about the falls in the
Merrimack, was made upon the petition of the apostle
Eliot.
On the River Chelmer, in the County of Essex, in
England, there was a village called Chelmsford (Chel-
mer's ford), a name which seems to have been dear
to the little band of men to whom we have just re-
ferred ; for they give the name of Chelmsford to the
new settlement. This little colony of Englishmen in
LOWELL.
a few years receive an important addition to their
numbers and their wealth by the accession of a large
part of the members of the church in \Venham,Ma88.,
with their pastor, the Rev. John Fiske. The colony
consisted of men of the most devout religious char-
acter. So careful were they that no irreligious person
should come among them that no one was admitted
to citizenship except by "a major vote at public
town-meeting." Lands and accommodations were,
however, gratuitously offered to mechanics and artif-
icers who would set up their trades in the town.
The sound of innumerable looms and spindles, which
now is heard in everj- part of this (Sty, was not heard
her^for the tirst time when our great manufactories
were built, for, in l<i56, more than 230 years ago, at
the Jlay meeting of the town of Chelmsford, thirty
acres of land were granted to William How if he
would set up his trade of weaving and perform the
town's work. Similar urt'ers encouraged the erection
of a saw-mill anil a corn-mill, it being e.Kpressly
stipulated in case of the latter that a "sufficient mill
and miller" should he employed. Truly the far-see-
ing and wealthy men of Boston, who established the
great manufactories of our city, were not the first to
recognize the value of the work of the loom and spin-
dle, and to foster and encourage the manufacturing
interests of our country.
But the history of the town of (Chelmsford is not
the history of fvowcll; for the territory of the city
embraces only that part of the town known as East
(,'helmsford. Of the town of Chelmsford we need
onlv -^ay that from its earliest days its staid and pious
inhabitants, devoted mainly to the peaceful pursuits
of agriculture, have transinitte<l to their posterity an
honorable mime. The patriotic zeal with which they
espoused their country's cause in the days of the
Revolution, and their brave and generous participa-
tion in the datigers and expenses of the war, make a
historic record of which their posterity may well be
proud.
But of Kaat Chelmsford, which, in its early days,
was the name by which th^ site of our city was called,
let us brieHy apeak. At the beginning of the present
century this village contained forty-five or fifty
houses. The natural advant.-iges of the place — its t
water- falls anil its fertile meadows — attracted not only ]
the farmer, but the mechanic and artisan. There is !
on record a description of the village as it was nearly l
one hundred yearn ago. As one came down on the j
side of the Merrimack from Middlesex Village and I
past Pawtucket Falls, he passed successively the resi- I
dences of Silas Hoar, Amos Whitney, Archibald j
A[cFarlin, Captain John Ford, Captain Phineas |
Whiting (where now stands the splendid residence of \
Frederick .A.yer), Asahel Stearns, Jonathan Fiske,
Mr. Livingston (in a house once used as Captain
Whiting's store), and Joseph Chambers, a cooper.
Then came, near the siteof the Lowell Hospital, a red i
school-house, from whose windows the pupils, when
tired of their books, looked down upon the water-
falls and the huge rocks of the river.' Near the foot
of the falls lived Benjamin Melvin. Near by stood
the saw-mill and grist-mill of Nathan Tyler— mills
which, in 1810, were swept away by the ice in a win-
ter freshet. Mr. Hall, a blacksmith, lived on the site
1 of the Ladd and Whitney monument. Josiah Fletch-
er lived near the site of the John Street Congrega-
I tional Church. Crossing the Concord River, we come
to the "Old Joe Brown House,'' a two-story house
still standing conspicuously on East Merrimack
Street, in the open space just east of the Prescott
boarding-houses. Next, on the spot now occupied
by St. John's Hospital, was the " Old Yellow House,"
once a well known hotel and subsequently the resi-
dence of Judge Livermore.
This historic house has been moved back from the
street, but still is used as an appendage of the hos-
pital. On the site of the American Honse was an inn
kept by Joseph Warren. Nathan Ames and John
Fisher did a large business as blacksmiths near the
paper and batting-mill on Lawrence Street. " Mr.
Ames " (as Z. E. StOne, Esq., from whom I obtain
these facts, informs us) " was the father of the well-
known Springfield sword manufacturers of the same
name." Near the junction of Central and Thorndike
Streets were the houses of Johnson Davis, Moses
Hale and Ephraim Osgood. On the old Boston road
lived Sprague Livingston, and on a cross-road leading
to Middlesex Village Robert and Samuel Pierce.
Levi Fletcher lived between Chelmsford and Liberty
Streets, near the old pound. Near Gates' tannery
■itood a school-house. In this vicinity was the house
of John Gload and Samuel Marshall. On the Chelms-
ford road, as one goes towards the city poor-farm, was
the house of Isaac Chamberlain, on whose site was
supposed to be the house of John Chamberlain, whose
combat with the Indian chief Paugus, in"Loveirs
fight," has been " immortalized in history and in song."
Next beyond were the dwellings of Henry Coburn
and Simon Parker. Great interest attaches to the
latter house as having once been the residence of
Benjamin Pierce, Governor of New Hampshire, and
father of President Franklin Pierce. The following
extract from an article upon Governor Pierce, written
by Joshua Merrill, Esq., of Lowell, will not fail to
interest the reader: " Benjamin Pierce was bom in
Chelmsford (now Lowell) December 25, 1757. His
father, Benjamin Pierce, died when his son was six
years old. After his father's death he lived with his
uncle, Robert Pierce, a farmer, whose honse stood on
the^oad leading from Lowell to Chelmsford, where Or-
lando Blodgetfs stable now stands. He remained with
his uncle until April 19, 1775. He was then ploughing
in a field on Powell Street, directly west of the stone
stable erected by .\ldis L. Waite. He heard the firingof
guns, and soon messengers arrived notifying the in-
habitants of the battles of Lexington and Concord.
Young Pierce, then in his eighteenth year, chained
HISTOKY OF MIDDLESEX COUNTV, MASSACHUSETTS.
hia oteers, as he called them, to a stump ; went to the
house, took his Uucle's gun and equipments and started
for Concord on foot. The British had retreated be-
fore he arrived at Concord. He enlisted in Captain
Ford's company. Having entered the service at the
commencement of the war, he continued to the close.
In one of the battles, when the bearer of the colors
was shot, young Pierce seized the colors and bore
them to the front during the conflict."
Young Pierce, as a soldier, won a noble name, but
this is not the place co record his life. But there i.s
one incident in his life of such touching interest that
I can hardly forbear to mention it. At one time after
leaving the army, he became addicted to the habit of
too free a use of intoxicating liquor. His sister, with
whom he lived, remonstrated with him, but without
effect. One day he came home intoxicated, and when
his sister saw his condition the tears began to run
down her cheeks. She wiped them off, but they
would come. He looked at her a moment, and then
said : " Becky, tears are more powerful than words.
You shall never see me in this condition again.''
And she never did. Such power is there hidden in a
tear.
In subsequent years Governor Pierce, when he
came from his home in Hillsborough, New Hamp-
shire, to Lowell, to visit his old friends, took delight
in pointing out to them the stump to which, on April
1S>, 1775, he hitched his steers. He settled in Hills-
borough after the war, and was (lovernor of New
Hampshire in 1827-29. He died in 1839, at the age
of eighty-two years. His son, President Franklin
Pierce, was born in Hillsborough, November 23, 1804.
Other old residents of ninety or one hundred years
ago, might be named, but we must not go too far
away into the neighborhood of our city, or make our
narration tedious by repeating too many names.
There is perhaps a popular impression that the
proper history of Lowell began in 1822, when the first
great manufacturing company, The Merrimack, was
organized and began its operations in the village of
East Chelmsford; but surely a thriving town or city
does not first begin to exist when it gets a new name,
or when .some great event or enterprise gives it a new
and powerful impetus and brings it prominently be-
fore the public mind. Let us glance at a few of the
enterprises of this village of a date many years ear-
lier than 1822.
Middlesex Canal.— The Merrimack River, instead
of keeping, like other eastern rivers, its continuous
southern course to the ocean and having its mouth
at the harbor of the city of Lynn, abruptly farns
towards the northeast, a short distance above Paw-
tucket Falls, and reaches the ocean at the city of
Newbury port. Indeed, there are geological indications
that the river did once pursue its southerly course to
the ocean, passing along the west side instead of the
east side of Fort Hill. Mr. Cowley says : " The exca-
vations made for the Middlesex and the Pawtucket
Canals disclose unmistakable proofs that the channel
of the Merrimack, in this vicinity, was once a consid-
erable distance south and west of its present situa-
tion.'' Some great convulsion of nature bad changed
the bed of the stream.
The rocky bed of the Merrimack and its dangerous
falls were a great obstruction to the transportation of
the timber and other products of the country to the
cities on the Atlantic coast. It was this obstruction
which suggested the construction of a canal from the
bend in the river above referred to to the city of Bos-
ton, thus securing a far shorter and safer means of
transportation th«n had before existed.
The proprietors of the Middlesex Canal were in-
corporated in 1703. Col. Loammi Baldwin, of Wo-
burn, the animating soul of the enterprise, a man of
indefatigable industry and unyielding perseverance,
of sound judgment and fertile genius, was appointed
as engineer. The first turf was removed by Col.
Baldwin on Sept. 10, 1794. " The progress of con-
struction was slow, and there v\ere many embarrass-
ments. The purchase of land for the canal from
more than a hundred owners demanded skillful diplo-
macy." The canal was opened to public navigation
in 1803. It was "30 ft. wide and 4 ft. deep, with
twenty locks, seven aqueducts, and crossed by fifty
bridges. It was supplied with water by the ( 'oncor-l
River at Billerica, which at that place is 107 feet
above the tide in Boston Harbor, and 20 feet above
the Merrimack. It cost about :<">00,000." It has been
wittily remarked that, " like an accusing ghost, it
never strays far from the Boston and Lowell Railro.id,
to wiiich it owes its untimely end." In its early days
the succe.-s of the enterprise seemed secure. Its tolls,
rents, etc., steadily increased. In 1812 they were
:?12,(>00. and in ISKI they were $32,600. In the opin-
ion of Daniel Webster the value of timber bad been
increased .'So,(i00,00(l by the canal. Vast (luantitiesof
lumber and wood were transported ujwn it. Passen-
gers also were conveyed in a neat boat, which occu-
pied almost an entire day in reaching the city of
Boston. But by degrees the enterprise lost the confi-
dence of the public, and even of most of the proprie-
tors themselves. To keep in repair the aqueducts
and locks, the l>anks and the bridges, demanded
constant and very heavy outlays of money. The
death of its engineer. Col. Baldwin, in 1808, was an
irreparable loss. The aid granted by the Legislature
proved of little avail. Dividends were not declared.
Assessment after assessment, one hundred in all, was
extorted from the long-suffering stockholders. But
in 1819 the greatest difiiculties .seem to have been sur-
mounted, and the first dividend was paid. From
1819 to 183(5 were the palmy days of the enterprise.
But in 1835 the Boston and Lowell Railroad began a
disastrous competition. The tonnage dues on the ca-
nal, which in 1835 amounted to nearly $12,000, sunk
to a little over $6000 in 1836. The opening of the
Nashua and Lowell Railroad to traffic in 1840 wag
LOWELL.
another fearful blow to the prosperity of the canal.
The warfare with the railroads was pluckily waged,
till the expenditures of the canal outran its income.
It was vain to prolong the struggle further. The ca-
nal's vocation was gone, and its property waa sold for
$130,000. On October 3, 1859, the Supreme Court
issued a decree declaring that the proprietors had
" forfeited all their franchises and privileges, by rea-
son of non-feasance, non-user, misfeasance and ne-
glect."
Col. Baldwin, the distinguished engineer of this en-
terprise, deserves a brief notice. Having enlisted in the
army of the Revolution in April, 1775, he rapidly rose
to the position of colonel. With Washington he
crossed the Delaware in December, 1776, and partici-
pated in the gallant fight at Trenton. On retiring
from the army on account of ill health he returned to
the town of Woburn. where he passed a long and use-
ful life. He was the first high sheriff of Middlesex
County after its organization under the government of
the United States. He often served his town in public
offices, and to him the country is indebted for the
propagation of the celebrated Baldwin apple.
Pawtucket Canal. — This canal around Paw-
tucket Falls, as it lies entirely within the limits of
the city of Lowell, demands of us a more specific
notice.
The precipitous falls, the violent current and the
dangerous rocks aflbrded an almost impassable ob-
struction to the transportation of lumber and other
produce of the country to the cities on the coast.
From the head of the falls to the mouth of the Con-
cord River beiow is a descent of more than thirty
feet. Lumber and wood coming down the Merri-
mack had to be conveyed around the falls in teams
and formed into rafts in the river below. To obviate
this difficulty the plan was formed of constructing a
canal around the falls. For this purpose a company,
known as " The Locks and Canals Company," was
formed, to whom a charter was granted June 25. 1792.
The president of this company was Hon. .Fonathan
Jackson. Mr. T. B. Lawaon tells us that after many
preliminary meetings, and the consumption of many
good dinners, it was resolved that a " canal be cut at
Pawtucket Falls, on the side of Chelmsford, begin-
ning near the great landing-place, thence running to
' Lily Pond,' from thence by ' Speen's Brook ' to Con-
cord River." A contract was made with Joseph
Tyler to complete the proposed canal for £4344,
lawful currency. Tyler failing to fulfill the contract.
Thomas M. Clark, of Newburyport, was appointed
superintendent of the operation in January, 1796,
with the pay of $3.33 for every day of actual employ-
ment in the work of construction, together with his
board and traveling expenses. By the energy and
fidelity of Mr. Clark the canal was opened on Oct.
18, 1796, about four years from its inception. The
day of the opening was celebrated. Men, women
and children crowded around the banks to witness
the scene. The boat which was to make the first trip
through the locks was filled with the directors of the
company and invited guests. At this point a circum-
stance occurred which is thus narrated by Allen, the
historian of Chelmsford: "Scarcely had they en-
tered the first lock when the sides suddenly gave way.
The water, bursting upon the spectators with great
violence, carried many down the stream. Infants
were separated from their mothers, children from
their parents, wives from their husbands, young
ladies from their gallants, and men, women, timber,
broken boards and planks were seen promiscuously
floating in the water. All came safely to land, with-
out material injury."
The canal cost about $50,000, and proved a practical
success, although the dividends to its stockholders
were small, averaging, it is supposed less than four
per cent, annually.
But the future had other uses for the waters of this
canal than that of transportation of produce ; for in
1821, twenty-five years after its construction, it began
to be relied upon to furnish the water-power for the
great manufacturing enterprises which were then
springing up in our city. For this latter purpose it
is still employed. The property of the original com-
pany, once mainly owned in Newburyport, fell into
the hands of Boston capitalists engaged in the new
manufacturing enterprises, new directors were ap-
pointed and large purchases of land were made; but
the original name remains, and " The Proprietors of
Locks and Canals " .still, as a company, hold a very
large and valuable amount of the property of the
city, and exercise a controlling power in its great
manufacturing enterprises.
Bridges. — For nearly 150 years after the settlement
of the town the people of Chelmsford crossed the
Merrimack in ferry-boats. But on February 4, 1792,
the General Court of Massachusetts granted an act of
incorporation to certain persons as proprietors of Mid-
dlesex Merrimack River Bridge, subsequently known
as the Pawtucket Bridge. This bridge crossed the
.Merrimack at the head of Pawtucket Falls. It was
completed at a coat of about $8000, and opened on
November 5th of the same year. Its abutments and
piers were of wood, and it seems to have been cheaply
built, for thirteen years subsequently a new bridge
with stone abutments was constructed at the cost of
$14,500. The work of the construction of the first
bridge is interesting to the reader of the present day
as incidentally showing the change in the methods of
doing business within the last 100 years. This change
will be well illustrated by the following extracts from
the records of the company, as found by Mr. James 8.
Russell among the papers of the late Dr. J. O. Green.
" May 23, 17'J2. Meeting edjoursed till to-morrow momlog tU t
o'clock/ "
" Jone 11, 1792. Col. Loamml Baldwin appointed to procure one toa
of iron A two barrele of New Englaod ram."
"June 27, 1792. Each man to be allowed half-pint of mm per da^
when maeter workman calls for It"
HISTORY OF MIDDLESEX COUNTY, MASSACHUSETTS
" Aug. 27, 1792. Voted that Col. Baldwin be desired to procure one
barrel of New Eoglaod rum aud balf a barrel of West lodia rum Jvr
the proprieiort/ "
"Oct. 24, 1792. Voted that all persons tbat sball come oo Not. G, to
see tbe bridge [opened], be treated with flip .& toddy ut tbe expense or
the proprietora.'*
This was a toll-bridge, but free passage was voted
to all persons to any public meeting at tbe west meet-
ing-hou^ie in Dracut.
The tolls, until 1796, were designated in English
money, and for foot passengers were " from two-thirds
of a penny to one cent Si, five mills."
The enterprise proved a profitable one to the stock-
holders, netting for one period of thirty years an av-
erage income of more than twenty-four per cent, on
the cost. But the days of prosperity ere long had
passed away. The corporation had lived its three-
score years and ten. The days of toll-taking were
passing away and men were demanding a free passage
over every stream. The proposal in 1822 to build a
new bridge near Hunt's Fails, where now stands the
Central Bridge, threatened a dangerous rivalry. The
monopoly could not be sustained, and at length, in
18G1, the bridge was sold for $12,000 and made a free
bridge. Of this price the county of Jliddlese.x paid
$0000, the city of Lowell ji4000 and the town of
Dracut $2000.
" The freedom of the bridge," Mr. Gilman tells us,
" w:i8 received with great rejoicing. SIcFarlin's
horses drew the toll-gate across the bridge, preceded
by a band of music, and a gathering at Huntington
Hall, in which were represented Dracut & neighbor-
ing towns, look due notice of the affair."
It would be tedious to repeat the various recon-
structions of this bridge from 1805 to the construction
by the city of Lowell of the present substantial iron
structure, of which due mention will be made in the
proper place, in connection with the Central Bridge.
Allen informs us that the first bridge over the Con-
cord, near the cemetery, was built in 1658. This
bridge was removed higher up the river in H)62, and
again removed in 1699.
The first bridge at the mouth of the Concord (at
East Merrimack Street) was erected in 1774, and was
blown down by a gale before it was finished, and a
second bridge was erected. In 1819 a third bridge was
built at the joint expense of Tewksbury and Chelms-
ford.
MANDFAtrruRES. — In 1801 the first power-card-
ing machine in Middlesex County was set up in
Lowell by Moses Hale. Mr. Hale had a fulling-mill
on River Jleadow Brook, not many rods from the site
of the Butler School -house, and in this mill he placed
the new carding-machine on which in 1803 he carded
more than 10,000 pounds of wool. Such was the
humble beginning.
In 1818 Mr. Thomas Hurd purchased a building
60 feet long, 50 feet wide and 40 feet high, which in
1813 had been erected by Phineas Whiting and Col.
Josiah Fletcher for manutacturing purposes, and
fitted it up for the manufacture of woolen goods. This
building was .situated on or near the .site of the i)res-
ent Middlesex Mills. Here Mr. Hurd had sixteen
looms, employed twenty hands, and made 120 yards
of satinet per day. In addition to this building,
which was ofwood, he erected a larger building of brick
for his manufacturing operations. The latter build-
ing was destroyed by fire in June, 1825, and it
was rebuilt in 1826. This fire was the largest and
most destructive in those early days. Mr. Hurd be-
came bankrupt in the financial reaction of 1828, and
in 1830 his mills became the property of the Middle-
.sex Manufacturing Company.
Wmdowdkiss.— In 1802, on the banks of the Mid-
dlesex Canal, a few rods from the Merrimack River,
was erected a large building, 124 feet by i!2 feet, for
the manufacture of winduw-glass. This enterprise
employed about 100 persons, and made annually
about 330,000 feet of glass, the value of which was
$43,000.
Powder. — In 1818 powder-mills with forty pestles
were started on the Concord River by Moses Hale.
After various changes in the proprietorsliip of these
mills, O. ,M. Whipple became the 'ole ))ropriftor in
1827. This manufacture was at it.s zenith in the
Mexican War, when in one year nearly a million
pounds of powder were ptoduced. It Wius discon-
tinued in 1855. Mr. Whipple was a man of great
energy, and though he commenced with a small cap-
ital and in a humble way, he amassed a handsome
fortune, and became one of the foremost citizens of
Lowell.
Fisheries. — Not only the Indians, but the Eng-
lish settlers found in the waters of the .Mtrrimack and
Concord an abundant supply of fish. The rivers
teemed with salmon, shad and alewives. Instead of
the rude devices employed by the Indians, the fish in
great numbers were tiiken in nets and seines. Capt.
Silas Tyler, as quoted by Mr. Gilman, gives an inter-
esting account of fishing in his days: "The best haul
of fish I ever knew was eleven hundred shad and
eight or ten thousand alewives. This was in the
Concord, just below the Middlesex Mills. My uncle,
Jo% Tyler, once got so many alewives that he did not
know what to do with them. The law allowed us to
fish two days per week in the Concord and three in
the Merrimac. This law was enforced about as well
as the ' prohibitory law ' of the present day, and just
about xs much attention was paid to it. The Dracut
folks fished in the pond at the foot of Pawtucket
Falls. They would set their nets there on forbidden
days. On one occasion the fish wardens from Bil-
lerica came and took and carried oflT their nets. The
wardens, when they returned to Billerica, spread the
nets on the grass to dry. The next night the fisher-
men, in a wagon with a span of horses, drove to Bil-
lerica, gathered up the nets, brought them back and
reset them in the pond.
" People would come 15 or 20 miles on fishing days
LOWELL.
to procure these fish. Shad were worth five dollars
per hundred and salmon ten cents per pound."
But the palmy days of the fisherman have passed
away. The dams and numerous other obstructions
have almost entirely prevented the fish from ascend-
ing the streams. It is still a problem whether the
recent attempts to re-stock the rivers with fish, by
building fish-ways to facilitate their ascent over the
It was this sentiment that inspired many a far-see-
ing and patriotic American at the beginning of the
present century. It was not the spirit of enterprise
and the desire of gain alone that moved the noble men
who, nearly seventy years ago, laid the foundations of
the great manufactories of our city. The spirit of
patriotism also ennobled their great undertaking. As
we read the history of the inauguration of their great
falls, by hatching in the rivers spawn taken from i work we are compelled to admire their generous and
other places, and by protecting the fish by more strin-
gent laws, will ever prove successful.
Having defined and described the territory of our
city, and given a brief outline of its history in those
early days when it was the gathering-place of the Paw-
tucket Indians, and when, subsequently, it was known
as a quiet New England village, we come to a new
benevolent regard for the general welfare of our city,
and the moral purity of its inhabitants.
But before describing the work of these noble men,
let us briefly glance at their personal histories, — let
us know who and what they were.
Five of their number must receive especial notice :
Francis Cabot Lowell, because he was, in the gener-
era, when suddenly the uneventful life of the farm j ous language of his colleague, Honorable Nathan
gives place to the din and clatter of machinery and to
the bustle and activity of a great manufacturing es-
tablishment.
But before describing the beginnings of the great
enterprise, let us briefly recall some of the remoter
causes which led to its inauguration.
It is poor generalship to allow the enemy to hold
possession of the springs which supply the garrison
with water. It is poor statesmanship to allow another
nation to control the production and supply of the
Appleton, " the informing soul which gave direction
and form to the whole proceeding;" Patrick T. Jack-
son and Nathan Appleton, because, while the great
enterprise was still a doubtful experiment, they nobly
embarked in it their fortunes and their honor ; and
Kirk Boott and Paul Moody, because by their great
executive talents and their inventive genius they
made the experiment an assured and triumphant
success.
Francis Cabot Lowell may, in classic phrase, be
necessaries of life to the peo|)le of our own. Depend- ! styled the eponymous hero of our city, for from him
ence is the badge of slavery. Dependence upon Eng- | Lowell received her name. He is said to have been
land was the galling yoke upon the necks of our |
fathers. That immortal proclamation of their emau- |
cipation was not denominated " 77te Declaration of\
Rights," but "' The Declaration of Independence." But j
when political independence was gained, commercial ;
dependence remained. For the very clothing that
kept us warm we were dependent upon English capi-
tal and English skill. The scanty earnings of the 1
enfranchised American farmer found their way into i
the corters of the English manufacturer. This de- |
pendence weighed heavily upon the minds of patriotic i
men. \
The following extract from the Rev. Mr. Miles' |
" Lowell As It Was, and As It Is," exhibits in clear j
light our dependence upon other countries, in the first j
part of the present century, for our supply of cotton |
goods : 1
■■ Iq 1807 and ISOS there were imported from Calcutta 53.000,000 of \
yardd priDcipally uf coarse cotton goo4i8,aQd worth, ob prices tben were. <
over S12,UOO,(XtO. Id ISlo there were made in all the factories of the 1
United States, as appears by returns made by order of 3Ir. Gallatin, ,
thensecretury of the treasury, only 8oB,t4,5 yartls of cotton clotb. This ;
is not so tuany yards as four of the e;itAblishments of Lowell can now 1
(1845) tura out in one weelc. In 1307 the country received nearly all i
its cotton ){oods from Great Britain snd the East Indias. ' |
This dependence weighed like a galling yoke upon j
a free people. It began to be seen that if a country |
is to be truly free, it must have within itself all the
means of supplying the people with every necessary
and comfort of life. It must be able to live and to pros-
per, though every other nation should be blotted out.
a descendant of one of two brothers, Richard and
Percival Lowle. who came to Newbury, Massachu-
setts, from Bristol, England, in 1639. His grand-
father wiis Rev. John Lowell, who, in the first half of
the last century, was for forty-two years pastor of the
First Church in Newburyport. His father was John
Lowell, LL.D., judge of the United States District
Court of Ma.ssachuesetts.
Fkancis Cabot Lowell was born in Newbury-
port, April 7, 1775. He graduated at Harvard College
in 1793, when only eighteen years of age. He became
a merchant, but was driven from his business by the
embargo, the non-intercourse act and the war. He
went to Europe for his health in 1810, returning in
1813. Of his sojourn of three years in Europe, so
pregnant with results of the highest importance to
the future manufacturing interests of our country,
I shall hereafter speak. He died August 16, 1817, in
the prime of early manhood, at the age of forty-two
years. It was his son, John Lowell, who gave $240,-
000 to found the Lowell Institute in Boston.
Patrick Tracy Jackson was bom at Newbury-
port, August 14, 1780, and was the youngest son of
Hon. Jonathan Jackson, who was a member of the
Continental Congress and treasurer of Harvard Col-
lege and of the State of Massachusetts. Having
completed his education in Dummer Academy, when
about fifteen years of age, he entered the store of
Wm. Bartlett, of Newbiuyport, a wealthy merchant,
who is widely known as the munificent patron of the
8
HISTORY OF :\IIDDLESEX COUNTY, MASSACHUSETTS.
Theological Seminary at Andover, Mass. He proved
to be a young man of such remarkable energy, abil-
ity and fidelity, that before he was twenty years of
age Mr. Bartlett put him in charge of a cargo of mer-
chandise for St. Thomas, giving him authority above
that of the captain of the vessel. Subsequently he
made three voyages as captain of merchantmen. He
then engaged in commercial business in Boston, es-
pecially in the India and Havana trades.
In 1813 his brother-in-law, Francis Cabot Lowell,
returned from his long sojourn in Europe, witii his
mind filled with the idea of establishing in our own
country the manufacture of cotton goods. Mr. Jack-
son became convinced of tiie feasibility of Mr.
Lowell's plans and entered heartily into his viewH.
From this time a new life opens before him. He had
been driven from his mercantile business by the
war, and now he becomes a manufacturer, a railroad
builder, a man of intense energy and wonderful ac-
tivity in the inauguration and management of great
undertakings. Of his connection with the early history
of the cotton manufacturing enterprises of our country,
[ shall speak hereafter. He died in Beverly Septem-
ber 12, 18-17, .It the age of sixty-seven years.
Nathan .\i'vi,eton was born in New Ipswich, N.
H., October <>, 1779. When less than fifteen years of
age he entered Dartmouth College. He, however,
soon left the college to engage in mercantile busi-
ness in Boston with his brother Samuel. When of
age he became the partner of his brother, the title of
the firm being 8. & N. .Vppleton. His brother Sam-
uel became distinguislied both as a man of great
wealth and of almost unexampled benevolence. Of
Natliau Appleton's connection with Lowell & Jack-
son in establishing cotton manufactories, I shall
speak in the proper place.
Mr. Appleton was elected to Congress in 1830, and
again in 1842. He acquired great wealth. He died
iu Boston, July 14, 1S(J1, at the age of eighty-two
years.
Kirk Boott was the central figure in that group of
distinguislied men who laid the foundations of the
city of Lowell. As, in the introduction of the man-
ufacture of cotton in America, Francis Cabot Lowell
was the " informing soul," so in its introduction in
Lowell, Mr. Boott was the controlling will. He was
the leader without a guide. He solved problems be-
fore unsolved, and trod a path before untrodden.
Mr. Boott was born in Boston, Oct. 20, 1790, and
was of English extraction. His father. Kirk Boott,
came to Boston in 1783, and became a merchant in
the wholesale traffic in dry goods. He was the
builder of the Revere House, which, with the family,
he occupied until the close of his life. The son re-
ceived his early education in Boston. Subsequently
he studied at the Rugby School in England and
entered the class of 1809 in Harvard College. It was
probably due to Mr. Boott's taste for military life that
he left the college before completing the course of
study, and went to England, where he qualified him-
self to enter the British Army as a civil engineer. At
the age of twenty-one years he received a commission
in the Britisli Army and aubsei|uently was made
lieutenant in tiie Eighty-fifth Light Infantry and
with this regiment took part in the Peninsular Cam-
paign under Wellington, landing in Spain in August,
1813.
Mr. Boott ser\-ed till the close of the campaign, en-
gaging in the capture of San Sabastian, in the battles
of the Nieve and the Nivelle, in the passage of the
Garonne and in the siege of B.ayonne. Rev. Geo. R.
Gleig, once the chaplain-general of the British Army,
writes in 1887, when in the ninety-first year of bis
age, that lie remembers .Mr. Boott as his comrade
in that campaign, and as a " remarkably good-lnoking
man, a gallant soldier and a great favorite in the
corps."
.Vt tlie close of the wars of Napoleon the Eiirbty-
fifth Regiment was ordered to .America to take part
in the War of 1812. .Mr. Boott, being by birth an
American, refused to bear :irn)s ngainst his native
land.
His regiment, however, went to Aiiieiica. took pari
in the eng.agements near the eity of Washingtcm and
in the battle of New ( )rleans. M r. Boott, having visited
.\merica, returneil to England ami studied engineering
at the Military Academy at Saiidburst, before finally
resigning his commission.
Before returning to .\mer ic:i .Mr. Bontl married an
English lady, who belonged to a family of very high
|>rofessional standing, ami whom the Rev. l)r. Edson
calls " an excellent and devout woman, the very
beauideal nf :\n English lady." 'Mi coming to Bos-
ton he engaged with two brothers in mercantile pur-
suits, which, however, were attended with very lieavy
losses. So that when his friend, Patrick T. Jackson,
pjoposed to him to become the agent of the Merri-
mack Mills, in Lowell, he promptly accepted the po-
sition and came to East Clielmsti)rd (now Lowell) in
April, 1822, the year in which the first mill was
erected.
And here, for fifteen years, Mr. Boott found a field for
the exercise of his powers such as few men have enjoy-
ed, and which few men jiossess the ability to occupy.
He was guided by no precedent. Up to this time manu-
factures iu America had been carried on in small, de-
tached establishments, managed by the owners of the
property ; but now the great experiment was to to be
tried of so managing the affairs ofgreatjoint-stock com-
panies xs to yield to the owners a satisfactory profit.
To do this demanded a man of original commandirig
intellect, of indomitable courage and of iron will.
Such a man was Mr. Boott. For such a position his
natural ability and his military experience had ad-
mirably qualified him.
He entered upon his task with resolute courage and
conscientious devotion to duty. His life was an in-
tense life, every hour bringing its varied and urgent
// / / /r /J7-^- /^^
^
LOWELL.
duties. He was agent of the Merrimack Mills, sup-
erintendent of the Print Works, agent of the Propri-
etors of Locks and Canals. He bargained for the
construction of mills and had the general oversight
of the work.
His pen and pencil were busy upon drawings and
plans for new structures. He was arbiter in a
thou.sand transactions. He interested himself in the
public schools and in municipal afl'airs. In the re-
sponsive services of the Sabbath worship bis voice
rose above the rest, and he was everj-where acknowl-
edged as the leading, guiding master spirit.
He was not selfish and grasping. Though he lived
liberallj' and in an elegant home, he was very far
from being a wealthy man.
It is not strange that one whose mind was so deep-
ly absorbed and so heavily burdened with rea|>onsibili-
ties should sometimes, by the military brevity of his
decisions, oH'end the sensitiveness of other men. He
was almost overwhelmed with care^. In one of his
letters, in wliich he refers to an unwise business
transaction of a friend, he says, " I am almost wor-
ried out. Since this unhappy disclosure 1 get neither
sleep nor rest."
How fnr bis excess of cares affected bis physical
condition it is impossible to tell, but for several of
the last years of his life his friends observed the
signs of declining health. At length, on the lltb of
April, 1S37, as he sat in his chai.se, which stood in
the street near the Jlerrimack House, where be had
been conversing with a friend, he instantaneously
died and fell from his chaise to the ground. He was
cut off in the prime of his manhood, in the forty-
seventh year of his age. His death left a vacancy
which could not be filled. (»l his family, the wife
of t'harles A. Welch, Esq., of Bost<^in, and Mrs.
Eliza Boott, who has resided in or near London, are
the only survivors.
But wealth and character and high executive abil-
ity were not alone sufficient to set in motion the ten
thousand looms and wheels and the innumerable
spindles of the new enterprise. There was needed
also a man of inventive genius, like Hiram of old.
whom "Solomon fetched out of Tyre," and who was
" filled with wisdom and understanding and cunning."
Such a man was Pai'i, Moody, whom the distinguished
men mentioned above brought to their aid.
Mr. Moody was born in Newbury, Mass., May 21',
177!). His father was a man of much influence in
the town, and was known as " Capt. Paul Moody."
Two of his brorhers graduated from Dartmouth Col-
lege. His original design of living a farmer's life was
changed by the discovery that he was the possessor of
a genius for mechanical invention of no ordinary
character. By degrees his talents became so well
known that his aid was sought in positions of high
responsibility. In such positions he had been em-
ployed in the Wool & Cotton Manufacturing Com-
pany in Amesbury, and the Boston Manufacturing
Company in Waltbam. He gained a distinguished
name as the inventor of machinery for the manufac-
ture of cotton. He invented the winding-frame, a
new dressing-machine, the substitution of soap-stone
rollers for iron rollers, the " method of spinning yarn
foT filling directly on the bobbin for the shuttle," the
filling-frame, the double speeder, a new " governor,"
the use of the " dead spindle," and various other
devices which gave speed and completeness to the
work of manufacturing cotton. His inventive mind
was the animating spirit of the cotton-mill. His
presence and genius were invaluable factors in the
successful operations of the new enterprise. Besides
being a man of great inventive genius he was known
as an ardect and influential advocate of temperance
among the operatives in the mills, an exemplary
Christian, and a loving husband and father. He died
in .Tuly. 1831, at the age of fifty-two years. Of this
event Dr. Edson, in the funeral sermon delivered
,Iuly 10, 1831, says: "His death [has] produced a
greater sensation than any other event that has tran-
spired in this town. He died in the full strength of
body, in the very vigor of age and constitution."
Subordinate to these five distinguished leaders in
the enterprise, there were others of whom we should
also make mention as we pass.
EzKA WoRTHEN was born in Amesbury, Massa-
chusetts, February 11, 1781. He was the son of a
ship-builder, andafter securing a common-school edu-
cation he took up his father's trade. A fellow-work-
man and himself constructed a small vessel on their
own account. Leaving his trade, he turned his atten-
tion to the manufacture of woolen goods. In com-
pany with three partners, he erected in Amesbury a
brick mill, fifty feet by thirty-two feet, for the manu-
facture of broadcloth. In 1814 he accepted the invi-
tation of the Boston Manufacturing Company to take
charge of their machine-shop in -Waltham. After
a service of eight years in Waltham he was appointed
in 1822 the first agent of the Merrimack Manufactur-
ing Company, the earliest of the great Lowell com-
panies. He entered upon his duties with character-
istic energy and zeal. Soon appeared indications
of declining health. He often suflTered paroxysms of
pain. He was a man of an excitable temperament,
and his physicians warned him of approaching danger.
On June 18, 1824, while engaged in showing an awk-
ward workman how he should use his shovel, he sud-
denly fell and died.
He was a man of quick wit, bright intelligenc«and
kindly, genial nature. He had served theMerrimack
Company only two years, when he was cut down in
the prime of early manhood. His age was forty three
years. It was Mr. Worthen who had the honor of
being the first to suggest East Chelmsford and Paw-
tucket Falls as the place for the new city.
And here let us stop to observe how short were the
lives of the sis distinguished men who have just occu-
pied our attention. Only one of them reached the
10
HISTORY OF MIDDLESEX COUNTY, :MASSACriTTSETTS.
allotted three-score years aud ten. Mr. Appleton
lived eighty-two years, Mr. Jackson sixty-seven years,
Mr. Moody fifty-two years, Mr. Boolt forty-seven
years, Mr. Worthen forty-three years, and Mr. Lowell
forty-two years. Perhaps the assumption of so great
responsibilities was too severe a tax upon the human
brain. The longevity of many of the ablest English
statesmen, however, does not seem to warrant such a
conclusion.
John Amory Lowell was born November 11.
1798. He was nephew and son-in-law of Francis C.
Lowell, for whom our city was named. He graduated
from Harvard College at the age of sixteen years.
During the management of Kirk Boott he made most
of the purchases of materials in Boston for the Merri-
mack Company. In 1835 he built the Boott Mills, of
which he was the treasurer for thirteen years. He
also built the Ma-ssachusetts Jlillsin 183'J, and served
as treasurer. Mr. Appletnn says of liim : " There is
no man whose beneficial intiuence in establishing
salutary regulations in relation to this manufacture,
e.'cceeded that of Mr. John Amory Lowell." Few
men have ever combined, to so remarkable a degree,
rare classical soholarship and great business capacity.
To these were added a brave and fearless spirit,
modesty and generosity. His long life was one of un-
tiring industry. He died October 31, 1881, at the age
of eighty-three years.
John W. Boott, eldest brother of Kirk Boott, was a
merchant in Boston in company with the elder Kirk
Boott, and afterwards with John A. Lowell, the
nephew and son-in-law of Francis C. Lowell. He
joined his fortunes with those of his brother Kirk,
and took ninety of the tUlO shares in the company first
organized.
It may be best to state at this point that of these
600 shares Kirk Boott, Jr., took 90, John W.
Boott 90, Nathan .\ppletou 180, Patrick T. Jack-
son 180, und Paul Moody HO. (Jthers soon afterwards
became shareholders.
Having brieriy shown who the founders of our city
were, we shall with greater interest and more intelli-
gently follow them in their united labor in establish-
ing our great manufacturing industries. Henceforth
their histories blend together.
The city of Lowell is fortunate in having the limits
of its history perfectly defined. No mist of doubt
beclouds its early days. Unlike some cities of the
ancient world, it was built, not by divine, but by
human hands. The walls of Thebes arose in obedi-
ence to the tones of Amphion"s golden lyre, but the
structures of Lowell are the work of the mason's
trowel and the Irishman's pickaxe, hod and shovel.
We know the history of the founders. Their very
thoughts have been recorded. The past is secure,
nor will the present and the future go unrecorded.
The germ of the history of the great manufacturing
industries of Lowell is to be found in the sojourn of
Francis Cabot Lowell in England and Scotland from
1810 to 1813. It was duriiit: these years that his
mind became inspired with the patriotic purpose of
securing for his own country the inestimable advan-
tage of being the manufacturer of its own cotton
fabrics. No doubt he also thought of the wealth
which he supposed would acrue to those who engaged
in the undertaking. He would have been more than
human if he did not. I cannot do better at this
point than to quote the language of the Hon. Nathan
Appleton : " My connection with the cotton manu-
factures takes date from the year 1811, when I met
my friend, Mr. Francis C. Lowell, at Edinburgh,
where he had been passing some time with his family.
We had frequent conversations on the -ubjcct of the
cotton manufacture, and lie informed me lliat he had
determined, before his return to America, to visit
Manchester for the pnrpuse of obtaining all possible
information on the subject, with a view lo the intro-
duction of the improved manufacture in the L'liited
tjtates. I urged him to do so, and jjromised him iny
co-operation.'' And here it will not be amiss briefiy to
show what there was in the manufactures of England
and Scotland that so much attracted the attention of
Mr. Lowell.
It has been said that the birthi)l:ice of cotton man-
ufacture was India, but th,at its second birthplace was
England. India manufactured, indeed, but its im-
plements were rude and it.s processes were slow.
England mantifactured, and its implements were the
most wondertiil products of human skill, and its pro-
cesses swift as the glance of the eye. This wonderful
rapidity was a new revelation to the world. It had
all come within one generation. A new era had
dawned — the era of invention. JIuch had long since
been done to please the taste of man, now something
is to be done to supply the comforts and relieve the
hardships of his life. Instead of slavishly supplying
power from his own muscles, he is hereafter to direct
the power which nature has put. into his hands, (t
seems inexplicable to human reason that painting,
sculpture, architecture, elo<iuence and poetry, which
demand the subtlest powers of the intellect, should
have reached their perfection two thousand years
ago, while the development of the useful arts, upon
which .so much of the happiness and comfort of man-
kind depend, has lingered on through ages of delay.
How wonderful it is that the genius which could see
an Apollo Belvidere in a shapeless block of marble,
could devise no improvement on the distafi" aud the
spindle !
These two simple implements and the one-thread
spinning-wheel had had undisputed sway for unnum-
bered years. Far back in the ages of mythology the
Parc;e spun from the distaff the thread of human life.
In the days of Solomon the virtuous woman laid her
hands to the spindle and her hands hold the distatf,
and even the writer well remembers that, in his boy-
hood, in the house of his grandparents, the rude and
cumbrous hand-loom filled the corner of the room,
LOWELL.
11
while the small, foot-turoed spinoing-wheel stood
before the fire.
One of our old residents, Mr. DaDiel Knapp, gives
us the following account of his early years : " In the
spring of 1814 my parents were young laboring people,
with five small children, the oldest not eleven years
old. AVe had cotton brought to our bouse by the
bale, to pick to pieces and get out the seeds and dirt.
We children had to pick so many poundb per day a.s
a stint. We had a whipping-machine, made four-square,
and, about three feet from the floor, wa.s a bed-cord run
across from knob to knob, near together, on which we
put a parcel of cotton, and, with two whip-sticks, we
lightened it up and got out the dirt and made it ready
for the card. My mother was carrying on the bleach-
ing business at this time. There was no chemical
process. The bright sun, drying up the water, did
the bleaching. This was the mode of bleaching at
this time."
This wonderful change attracted the attention and
admiration of Mr. Lowell. About 1760 the era o(
invention had begun, though as early as 1738 John
Kay had invented a method of throwing the shuttle
which enabled the weaver to d(j twice as much work
as before. The shuttle thus imjielled was called the
Jly shuttle. But this invention was seldom used until
1760. In 1760 Robert, the son of John Kay, invented
the drop-box, which enabled the weaver to employ
different colors in the same web. John Wyatt had.
in 1738, invented the method of spinning hi/ rollers,
Hargreaves invented the larJitiij-mifhiiie in ]7('U,
and the spin>iiii(/-/tnni/ ii\ 1764. In I 768 Arkwright
first set up his tpliiniini-framc, and then followed, in
1775, the invention of the mule by Samuel Crompton.
By this machine were pnxluced the finer qualities ot
thread. It superseded the jenny. .So wonderful are
its possibilities that more than a thousand threads
may be spun by one machine at the .same time, and
one workman can manage two machines. In 1785
Cartwright exhibited his first y^oifec/oom. I need not
speak of other inventions or of the various devices
for the perfection of cotton manufacture which at-
tracted the inquisitive mind of Mr. Lowell.
Upon his return, in 1813, he entered upon the
work of doing in America what he had seen
accomplished in the Old World. He enlisted his
brother-in-law, Patrick T. Jackson, as his associate,
who had been driven from his mercantile business by
the war, and who agreed to give up all other business
and take the management of the enterprise. The
partners purchased a water-power on the Charles
River in Waltham (Bemis' paper-mill), and obtained
an act of incorporation. Most of the stock of this
incorporated company was taken by Messrs. Lowell
& Jackson. The services of Paul Moody, whose skill
as a mechanic was well known, were secured.
Up to this time the power-loom had never been
used in America. Mr. Lowell was unable to procure
drawings of this machine in Europe, and he resolved
to make a machine of his own. He shot himself up
in the upper room of a store in Broad Street, in Bos-
ton, and, with a frame already wasted with disease, he
experimented for several months, employing a man
to turn the crank.
At length, after the new mill was erected in Walt-
ham, and other machinery was set up, Mr. Lowell set
in motion his improved power-loom, and, for the first
time, invited his friend, Nathan Appleton, to witness
its operation. Mr. Appleton says in his account of
this examination of this machine: "I well recollect
the state of admiration and satisfaction with which
we sat by the hour watching the beautiful movements
of this new and wonderful machine, destined, as it was,
to change the character of all textile industry. This
was in the autumn of 1814." With the skillful aid of
Mr. Moody other improvements were made. The
efficiency of Horrock's dressing-machine was more
than doubled. The double speeder was greatly im-
proved. "Spinning on throstle spindles and the spin-
ning of filling directly on the cops, without the pro-
cess of winding," was introduced.
Of this latter improvement, a pleasant anecdote i.s
told. I give it in Mr. Appleton's language ; " Mr.
Shepard, of Taunton, had a patent for a winding-
machine, which was considered the beat extant. Mr.
Lowell was chaflering with him about purchasing the
right of using tkem on a large scale at some re-
duction from the price named. Mr. Shepard re-
fused, saying, 'You must have them ; you cannot do
without them, as you know, Mr. Moody.' Mr. Moodv
replied : ' I am just thinking that I can spin the cops
direct upon the bobbin.' ' You be hanged ! ' said Mr.
Shepard; 'well, I accept your offer.' 'No,' said Mr.
Lowell, ' it is too late.' A new-born thought had
sprung forth from Mr. Moody's inventive mind, and
he had no more use for Mr. Shepard's winding-
machine."
The enterprise was now an assured success. The
capital of $400,000 was soon taken up and new water-
powers near Watertown were purchased.
In the War of 1812, when British manufactures
were excluded from our markets, the manufacture of
cotton goods was greatly increased, but the effect of
the peace in 1815 was to bring the American manu-
factures into ruinous competition with those of
England. The new American mills must have the
protection of a tariff, or every spindle must cease to
revolve. Mr. Lowell went to Washington and
earnestly urged upon Congressmen the necessity of
protection. At length Mr. Lowndes and Mr. Cal-
houn were brought to support the minimum duty
of 6} cents per square yard, and the measure was
carried. The tariff, together with the introduction of
the power-loom, proved sufficiently protective. Who
could then have believed that the same grade of cotton
cloth which sold for thirty cents per yard would be
sold in 1843 at only six cents?
And here, five years before the mills in Lowell were
12
HISTORY OF MIDDLESEX COTTNTY, MASSACHUSETTS.
started, the "informiug soul " of the enterprise dis-
appears from the scene. Mr. Lowell died in 1817, at
the age of only forty-two years.
We should add iu passing that it was the original
design of the founders of our American manufac-
tures to start at Waltham only a weaving-mill and
to buy their yarn of others. In the early days of the
cotton industry no one thought of turning cotton to
cloth in the same mill. Weaving was done here, and
spinning there. It- was a new thought, when the
loom was set up in Waltham, also to put in the
spindle.
These men believed that the only profitable way to
make cotton manufacturing successful was by joint-
stock companies with large capitals. As long as the
prices of goods were high and competition did not
demand a change, these companies were remarkably
successful. High salaries were paid to treasurers and
agents and fortune smiled on the stockholders. But
a change has come. Prices are extremely low. com-
petition is eager, and it begins to be a question
whether, in order to successful cotton manufacture,
it will not become necessary for individual owners to
run their own mills and dispense with high salaries
and too liberal .1 use of money. Rigid economy
seems to be the only means of securing fair profits.
Joint-stock companies are on trial.
We should fail to do justice to the memory of the
noble men who inaugurated this great enterprise if
we did not refer to their wise foresight in carefully
providing for the moral and religious welfare of the
operatives. In this beneficent work Francis C.
Lowell had been the leading spirit. John A. Lowell
once said of hiru that " nature had designed him for
a statesman, but fortune bad made him a merchant.''
The forecasting wisdom, the broad moral views, the
deep foundation on which all his plan.s for good were
laid, reveal the evident traits of statesmanship. "In
England and on the continent the operatives in the
mills were sordid, vicious and every way degraded."
He determined that it should not be so here, and
therefore built boarding-houses for the operatives and
put them under the care of matrons selected tor that
purpose. He paid pew taxes in churches for them.
He instituted schools and used every means to main-
tain in the daughters of the countrymen, who had
entered the mills, all the simplicity and purity of
their rural homes.
It is not pleasant to confess that it has been found
ditlicult, after the lapse of more than sixty years,
fully to maintain this high moral tone. But the fact
that it was maintained so bing as the operatives were
of pure New England birth does the highest honor
to the founders of our great manufactories.
The managers of our mills have sometimes found
it impossible to employ a number of American girls
sufficient for the demands for help. And so the for-
eigner began to be employed. But when the foreign
girl came, the Yankee girl departed. At the present
time a Yankee girl, born and bred among the New
England hills, is rarely seen in our mills.
We come now to the introduction of cotton manu-
facture in the city of Lowell. The insulHciency of
the water-power in Waltham demanded that a new
site should be sought where cotton-manufacturing
might be conducted on a magnificent scale. It is a
very interesting fact that the history of the selection
of the spot on which Lowell stands for that site is
minutely -known. The Rev. Dr. Edson, first rector
of St. Anne's Church, was fully acquainted with all
the facts, and in 1843 he kindly wrote them out for
preservation in the archives of the " Old Residents'
Historical Association." I can give but a brief ab-
stract of his interesting narrative.
j The proprietors of the Boston Manufacturing Com-
! pany at Waltham, anxious to extend their profitable
operations, in the winter of l.'>:.'l-2, were in search of
a site for erecting new mills. In tlii> search Mr.
Paul Moody, who was in their em|>loy at Waltham,
• became interested. On one occasion Mr. Moody took
Ills wife and daughter in his chaise, and went to
Bradford, M;\ss., for the purpo.se of visiting two of bis
children who were in Bradfonl .Academy, and also to
meet other gentlemen to examine water privileges in
the vicinity of that town. The day was rainy, and
I the gentlemen did not appear. The next day, with
I his family, he roile to .\mesbuiy, where he met his
I old xssociate. Mr. Ezra Worthen, who, when he
! learned the object of his search, said: "Why don't
you go up to Pawtucket F'alls'? There is a power
' there worth ten times as much as you will find any-
1 where else." Mr. Moody and Mr. Worthen went up
; to P.awtucket, examining Hunt's Falls on their way.
i and, taking dinner at the tavern of Mr. Jonathan
Tyler. Pawtucket Falls were examined, and they re-
turned to their res|)eotive homes.
I Jlr. Moody reported his observations to Mr. .lack-
' son, then in charge of the mills at Waltham, and Mr.
I Thomas M. Clark, of Newburyport, father of Bishop
I Clark, of Rhode Island, w.aa engaged to buy up the
shares of the proprietors of the locks and canals on
Merrimack River. These shares were purchased at
half their original cost, their value being very much
reduced on account of the construction of the Mid-
dlesex Canal. Several farms near the falls were also
purchased .at low r.ates.
Mr. Clark was selected as the best agent for the
transaction of this important business, in which
much prudence and some secrecy were demanded,
because in the construction of the canal, many years
before, he had held a responsible position, and was
well acquainted with all the parties. We have the
authority of Bishop Clark for stating that when his
father appeared among the farmers to purchase their
farms, some supposed that he was intending to start
up an enormous tannery, while others judged him to
be insane.
^t is interesting to recall the locations of the farms
LOWELL.
13
purchased by Mr. Clark. These farms were as fol-
lows: Nalhan Tyler's farm of forty acres, between
Merrimack Street and Pawtucket Canal, reaching
west nearly U> Dutton Street, and east as far as the
Massachusetts Mills; Josiah Fletchers farm of sixty
acres, lying between Merrimack Street and Merri-
mack River; the Cheever farm, lying above the Law-
rence Corporation ; Mrs. Warren's farm, lying be-
tween Central Street and Concord River, reaching
north as far as Pawtucket Canal, and south as far as
Richmond's Mills; Joseph Fletcher't. farm of about
100 acres, bounded on the north by Pawtucket Canal,
and on the east by Central Street. The farms con-
tained about 400 acres, and the average price paid
per acre was about SIOO. The entire purchase re-
quired about s40,00O. The united cost ol' the canal
and farms was about !S100,000.
To show the rapid increase in the value of these
farms, I need only mention that nine-tenths of the
Cheever farm were sold at eighteen dollars per acre,
but the sale of the other tenth being necessarily de-
ferred on account of the insolvency and sudden death
of the owner, this tenth when sold brought more than
^720 per acre.
And here let us pause lor a moment and briefly
trace th.' history of that most important i>arl of the
land described above, which \\e> between the Merri-
mac River and the Pawtucket Ciinal, and on whicli
now stand most of the great manufactories of the city.
.\bout lU.5o, at the solicitation of tlie .\postl<
Eliot, it was granted by llie State of Massachusetts tn
the Pawtucket Indians, who had erected their wig-
watus in great numbers upon it. and had, to some ex-
tent, cultivated the soli. In li;-<i', it wassold by tiie
Indians to Colonel .louatlian Tyugand Major Tb<)ma^
Henchman, the former of wbom resided near Wicasuck
Island, iu the Merriunic, wbicli now Iteloii-s t<i tlie
town of Tvngsboni'; til-' latter was an intluential man
among the early settlers of Clielmsford. These gentle-
men soon sold the land to torty lour citizens of (.'lielms-
ford. The above-naine<l owners arf by no means the
only proprietors of this interesting tract «f land. It
was at one time the property of Ensign William
Fletcher, one of the mutsl important of the early set-
tlers of Chehnsfi.rd. In the year 1688 it wac by two
Indians — J<din .Nabersha and Samuel Nabersba—
conveyed bv deed to .losiab Richardson, an ancestor
of the well-known attorneys-at-law of the same name,
now members of the Lowell bar. This deed is re-
corded at the registry in East Cambridge, and reads as
follows :
•■TlliK present imlfnlure wilnenselh an usreenienl l.el\reen Ji«ial.
Ki. barJeim, SeDr., of llitjlnnrunl, in llie C^.iinry uf Middlews, in New
Englalul, on yt- one |wrl, hihI .ioliu .Ne«lierl.;i, .I.»<-|.li Li'"- "nJ .Samu.l
.NMllert..!, of W..nms3erk, «c, f.ir ye lovi- we l-ar for ye Iwforesai.l Jo-
fiali, liave letl unto liini one liiircell of ian.l lyinc at ye nioutl. of I'.pn-
ronl river »nJ p.inly mum MerriniH.k Kiver, on ye 6.mtl, side of aaiil
River ; westerly tip.n, ye UiIlIi. being ye bounds of ye land whicli we,
ye Kiid Indians, sould tu :ilr. Tynge .md Mr. Henelinian : bomiIi by ye
little llro..ke ealK-d Speenn Br.iuke, all winch land we. ye said Indians
above uanie.l, have lelt nuto the above said JoHali for the space of One
Tbounnd and one. VMre to him, his heirs, execiiton, adminiBtratoreand
asBictiR lo u»e and improve as he, ye said .losiah, or his heirea, adminis
ti-Hlors or aMignr. shall see cause. For which he, ye said Josiah, is lo
pay al ye terms and one lobiicco pipe, if it be demanded. In vritne«
hereunto, this inih of .lanuary, in ye year of our Lord one tboawndsix
hundred eighty and eight.
".loHN JiEfltiEBBA [X] his mark.
"SABirEL Nesheeba [X] his mark."
The indolent and improvident Indians were wont
to dispose of their lands very readily and at a low
price to their enterprising white neighbors. On ac-
count of probable transactions, which have not been
recorded, the above account does not admit of an easy
and satisfactory explanation. There is, therefore, lit-
tle cause for apprehension that the descendants of
" ye said Josiah," now residents of Lowell and mem-
bers of the legal fraternity, will, upon the strength of
the above deed, deem it wise to lay claim to the vast
possessions of all the great manufacturing corpora-
tions of the city.
The site selected for a new manufacturing enter-
prise was remarkably adapted to the full development
of the designs of its far-seeing projectors. The fall of
thirty feet in one of the largest of American rivers
was at the time believed to aflbrd a supply of power
almost inexhaustible, the river having a water-shed
of 4000 sipiarf miles. The flattering success of their
manufacturing establishment at Waltham filled them
with buoyant hope of still greater success on the
banks of the Merrimack. They went promptly to
the work. First a dam is thrown across the Merri-
mack at Pawtucket Falls, and the Pawtucket Canal is
made wider and deeper. The work of digging and
blastinir nccupied '-Od men. The canal, when com-
pleted, wa> supposed to be capable of supplying
power for tifiy mills.
Thr Mi;ui;iM.\'K M.\sfrA(Ttu:iN(i Company,
the lirst of the great manufacturing companies of
Lowell, was incorporated February 0, 1822. The
persons named in the bill as forming the company
were Kirk Boott, William Applcton, John W. Bootl
and Fbene/'.er Appleton. The capital was ^000,000.
The company promptly began the work of construct-
ing their lirst mill in the spring of the same year.
Mr. Boott, as agent, comes upon the scene in April.
Under his energetic command the work moves on
apace. On September 1st, of the next year, the first
mill is completed ; water is let into the canal and the
wheel started.
Of this canal I ought to say that it was a branch of
the Pawtucket Canal and was constructed by the
Merrimack Company after purchasing the Pawtucket
Canal. Its course is near Dutton Street. Other
branches have been constructed as new mills have
needed them.
Mr. Ezra Worthen comes as superintendent of the
mills near the time of Mr. Boott's arrival. He en-
tered with energy aud zeal upou his new work.
While actively pushing forward the enterprise he
14
HISTORY OF MIDDLESEX COUNTY, MASSACHUSETTS.
falls dead in the presence of his workmen. He had
served only two years.
Mr. Worthen's successor, as superintendent, was
Warren Colburn, who had already, at Waltham, had
experience in the management of mills. Mr. Col-
burn was born at Dedham 179.3, and graduated at
Harvard College at the age of twenty-seven years.
From the interest in education which he acquired
while a teacher in Bo.ston he endeavored to improve
upon the text-books in arithmetic then in use by
publishing the Intellectual Arithmetic. The title
" Intellectual " was very properly given to the work,
because throughout the work fixed rules and formul.T
are studiously avoided, and a direct appeal is con-
stantly made to the intetlert and reason of the pupil.
This, together with other school-books published by
him, gave him a high reputation outside his work as
a manufacturer, and throughout his life he took a
deep interest in the cause of popular education. He
delivered public lectures and often served on the
Lowell School Committee. To him the schools of
our city are greatly indebted for their efficiency and
excellence. Mr. Colburn died September 13, IS.S.S,
;it the age of forty years.
The superintendents of the Merrimack .Mills have
been a.s follows : Ezra Worthen, from 1822 to 1S24;
Warren Colburn, 1824 to 1k;',.3; .lohn Clark, 18?.3 to
1848; Emory Washburn, 1848 to 1849; Edmund
Le Breton, 1849 to LS'iO; Isaac Hinckley, IS'iO to
186(5; .lohn C Palfrey, l.%6 to 1874; and Joseph
S. Ludlam from 1874 to the present time.
Pris'T Works. — We are told by Nathan Appleton
that in coming to Lowell it wiis the purpose of him-
self and Mr. Jackson to print calicoes as well as to
manufacture cotton cloth.
The work of printing calicoes by the ^lerrimack
Company began in the autumn of 1824 undpr the
supervision of Mr. Allan Poll')ck. .U'ter two years
Mr. Pollock resigned his position while the print-
works were not yet completed. In 1826, in order ^o
perfect the work of calico printing, .Mr. Boott went to
England to employ ihe needed engravers. Mr. John
D. Prince, an Englishman of high reputation for
skill in this art, was invited to come to Lowell, and
having resigned his position in Manchester, lie as-
sumed the superintendence of the Merrimack Print
AVorks.
Mr. Prince was paid a very liberal salary for as-
suming a position of very high responsibility, and
well did he meet the high expectations formed of
him. He filled the position for twenty-nihe years,
and then retired upon an annuity of $2000. He was
a true Englishman in life and manners, a man of
generous hospitality and of exemplary fidelity. He
died January 5, 1860, at the age of eighty years, leav-
ing to his friends the grateful memory of his social
virtues and to the poor the honor of being a noble,
cheerful giver.
In 1855 Henry Burrows succeeded Mr. Priuce as
superintendent of the print works. Mr. Burrows was
succeeded in turn by James Duckworth (1878); Robert
Leatham (1882); Joseph Leatham (1885); and by
the present incumbent, John J. Hart (1887).
The history of the Merrimack Company will be
more fully recorded in the appropriate place, when
we come to give an account of the other manufactur-
ing companies of the city, but so much of it as has
already been given .seemed ."o intimately connected
with the history of the city itself, that it could hardly
be omitted.
LoCK.s AND CANAL.S COMPANY. — When the Mer-
rimack Manufacturing Company purchased all the
jhares of the old Locks and Canals Company in 1822
they secured all the rights and privileges granted by
the charter to the old company in 1702. After con-
ducting the aflairs both of the new manufacturing
company and of the old Locks and Canals Company
its of one consolidated company for more than two
years, it appeared to be better to re-establish the
Locks and Canals Company, giving into its jurisdic-
tion all lands and water-power belonging to the com-
pany and retaining only the manufacturing opera-
tions. Tlii.-s was done on February 28, 1825, under a
-pecial act of the Legislature permitting it, and down
to the present time the company exists under the
charter of 1702.
The following have been the agents of this com-
pany since its reorganization : Kirk Boott, from 1>*22
to l.-<37 ; Joseph Tilden, from 1837 to 183.H; William
Boott, from 1838 to 1845; .Tames B. Francis, from
1845 to 1.885; .lames Francis, from lS.s,5 to the pres-
ent time, .lames B. Francis, on account of his long
service, deserves special notice.
.lA^rES BuHENf) Fr.A.Nti.s was born in ."southleigh,
(Xxfonlshire, England, .May 18, 1815. His father was
superintendent of Dutfryn, Llynwi and Forth Cawl
Railway in South Wales. The son was thus most
fortunately situateil for acquiring an early knowledge
of the work of an engineer, which was to occupy his
future life. When tburteen years of age he was em-
ployed upon the harbor-works of Forth Cawl, and,
subsequently, upon the Grand Western Canal.
At the age of eighteen years he came to America,
landing at New York .\pril 11, 1833. Fortune fav-
ored him ; tor at that time several of the earliest
-American railroads called for the services of men ot
his profession. He very soon found employment un-
der George W. Whistler, the distinguished engineer,
in the surveys of the New York, Providence and
Boston Railroad.
In the next year, Mr. Whistler having been em-
ployed to build the locomoti\es for the Boston and
Lowell Railroad, and to construct extensive hydraulic
works for the proprietors of locks and canals on the
Merrimack River, Mr. Francis accompanied him to
Lowell, and became associated with him in these en-
terprises.
When Mr. Whistler left Lowell, in 1837, Mr. Fran-
/s. =^
A-t-t^ C^-^'
LOWELL.
15
cig was appointed by the Proprietors of Locks and
CaDals as chief engineer. In 1845 he was chosen
agent also of the company. These offices he held
until 1884, when, after a service of fifty years, he
tendered his resignation. The company, however,
desiring to retain his services, appointed him to the
newly-created office of consulting engineer, and hi^
son. Colonel James Francis, was chosen his suc-
cessor as agent and engineer.
In his new position Mr. Fnincis is the consulting
engineer in all important worlvs connected with the
hydraulic improvements of Lowell, and where great
interests are at stake in other and distant parts of the
country, his professional services are frequently de-
manded.
Our limited space will permit only a briel
notice of Mr. Francis' works as a civil engineer.
During his long period of service he had the manage-
ment of all the water-power in Lowell, demanding
the important and delicate work of making an equita-
lile distril)Uti(in of this power amonir the various
manufacluring companies. Tlii.s work required many
original hydraulii- exjteriinents on a scalf tlial had
hitherto never been atteni]iled. The re.'sults of these
e.xperiments were i>ul)lislied in the profe.*sional world
in "Lowell Hydraulic Experiments,'" in IS-Vj. Thi."
wiirk, wliicli was republished in ISilS and l^'si!. is "a
recognized authority amonLr hydraulic engineers, both
in .Vmerica and in Europe.' lie has also jiuMished
"The .Strength of Cast-iron C^olumns," and many
other contributions to technical literature.
" Mr. Francis," says an able writer upon engineer-
ing, "may lie resarded as the founder nf a new school
of hvdraulic engineers by the inauguration of a sys-
tem of experimental research, which, through his
patient and careful study, has reached a degree of
perlcction before unknown. His experiments are
marked by exactness iTnin their very inception.''
There are in Lowell two monuments of his fore-
sight and skill which deserve to be recorded. The
first is the Northern Canal, constructed in 184ii, a
work of such massive strength and such perfection of
execution, that it cannot fail to command admira-
tion for ages to come. The second is what is known
as the " (iuard Locks. ' on I'awtucket Canal, con-
structed for the [lurpose of saving the city from in-
undation in case of a very high freshet upon the
Merrimack. Mr. Frencis having learned that in 1785
there had been a freshet in which the water rose
thirteen and a half feet above the lop of the dam at
the mouth of the Tawtucket Canal, and foreseeing
that should another similar freshet occur, the guard
locks, then existing, would inevitably give way, and
the city be inundated, constructed a gate and walls
which no freshet could sweep away. This work,
completed in 18">0, was a model of scitntific skill.
But to the casual observer who, on a fair day, viewed
the quiet waters of the canal, it seemed an unneces-
sary structure. The wags even styled it " Francis'
folly." But in two years (1862) there came a freshet
like that of 1785. The old works were swept away,
but the massive gate of Mr. Francis was now, for the
first time, dropped to its place and the city was
safe.
Though in his seventy-fifth year, Mr. Francis is
still pursuing the active duties of his profession.
During his past life he has often been honored with
municipal office. He was elected a member of the
American Society of Civil Engineers November 5,
1852, and was the president of that society from No-
vember 3, 1880, until January 18,1882.
The first sale of water-power by this compRny was
made to the Hamilton Manufacturing Company,
which was incorporated in 1825, with a capital of
$600,000.
The following facts in regard to the Locks and
Canals Company, I quote from Mr. Cowley :
*' For IweDtj- years the buoinoes of lliis company was to furDieh laud
& wnter-power, and build niilJR A machinen" for the variolic uiaoufac-
turiDg conipuDies. Tliey bave nerer eugnF^ed in manufacturing opera*
I tions. Tbev kept in operation tuo niacbiue fibups, a foundry A a bhw-
■ mill until 1845, Mben the Lowell Mncliine-Shupwaa incor]K>rated. Tbey
i C'HiBtructed all mill cauale to Rupply the various cumpaotee with «ater-
pi'wer, and erected nioel of the millB and the b<iardiDg hotises attached
to them. Tbey eniplovetl constantly from h\e to twelve hundred men,
j and built two hundred 1 fifty thousand dollan-' north of niKchinery per
annum. Tlieil' Bloi k waj. long the best of which Lowell could iMjast, he-
mp worth thrice and even four timer* its par value. Their preeeut Iniii-
; neBf Jb t" sufierintend the line of the water-power which ia leased hv them
! to the fieveral couipanieb. Their stuck 18 held by thew companies In tbe
same proi'ortion In which they hold tbe water.iwwor."
I In lS4l3 this company and the Essex Company, of
' Lawrence, by acts of the Legislatures of j\Iussflchu-
I setts and New Hampshire, became joint owners of the
extensive water-power afibrded by Lake Winnipiseo-
i gee, New Hampshire. This property was, in 1889,
' transferred by sale to a syndicate of gentlemen,
mostly manufacturers, in the State of New Hamp-
shire.
The most important of the works of the Locks and
Canals Company has been its construction of the
Northern Caaal, said to be the greatest work of its
kind in the United States. This canal was constructed
in 1840 and 1847, under the supervision of James B.
Francis as chief engineer. "The canal cost $530,-
000, employing in its construction 700 to 1000 persons,
and using 12,000 barrels of cement." It is 100 feet
wide and 15 feet deep, and about one mile in iength.
The whole work is one of such massive strength and
solidity, a great portion of it being cut through solid
rock, that, like very few of modern works, it will stand
unchanged in the far distant ages of the future. And
not for solidity and strength alone is it worthy of our
admiration, but its green banks, adorned with double
colonnades of trees and its attractive promenades,
with the waters of the Merrimack dashing down the
falls in close and full view, afford to the eye a very
pleasing prospect, and display t^i tbe. visitor a pictur-
esque scene of no ordinary beautj*.
The design of this canal is to aflbrd a fuller head of
16
HISTORY OF MIDDLESEX COUNTY, MASSACHUSETTS.
water for the mills than the old canal could supply.
The multiplicity of mills demanded a greater supply
than the old canal could aSbrd.
Before coming in our history to the incorporation
of the town of Lowell, let us gather up a few facts of
a somewhat miscellaneous character.
In 1822 a regular line of stages was established be-
tween East Chelmsford and Boston.
In 1824 the Chelmsford Courier, a weekly paper,
was started in Middlesex Village.
The United States post-office was established
in East Chelmsford (now Lowell) on May 13, 1824,
with Mr. Jonathan C. Morrill as postmaster.
On July 4, 1825, the first of the military companies
of our city was formed, and took the name of Mechan-
ics' Phalanx. Following this wsa the organization of
the City Guards, in 1841, the Watson Light Guards
in 1851, the Lawrence Cadets in 1855. But the mili-
tary history of our city will appear in another place.
On July 4, 1825, the anniversary of .Vmericau Inde-
pendence was celebrated, the orator being Rev. Ber-
nard Whitman, of Chelmsford, a public dinner being
served at the Stone House, near Pantucket Falls. I
give the names of the Fourth of July orators in Low-
ell from that date to the pr&sent, following Mr. t_'ow-
ley down to 1866.
They were Bernard Whitman, in 1825; Samuel B.
Walcott, in 1826 ; Elisha Bartlett, in 1828 ; Dr. l.*rael
Hildreth, in 1821>; Edward Everett, in 183" ; John
P. Robinson, in 1831 ; Thomas J. Cireenwood, in
1832; Thomas Hopkinson, in 1834; Rev. K. W.
Freeman, in 1835; Rev. Dr. Blanehard, in IS-'iii ;
Rev. Thomas F. Norris and John C. Park, in 1841 :
Rev. John Moore, in 1H47 ; Dr. Elisha Bartlett, in
1848; Rev. Joseph H. Towne, in 1851: Kev. Mat-
thew Hale Smith, in 1852; .lunathaii Kimball, in
1853; Rev. Augustus Woodbury, in 1855; Dr.
Charles X. Phelps, in I860; (leo. .V. Boulwell. in
1861 ; Alexander H. Bullock, in 1865.
On July 4, 1867, the statue of" Victory " in Monu-
ment Square was unveiled, and, on that occasion, ad-
dresses were given by Mayor Geo. F. Richardson,
Judge Thomas Russell, Gen. A. B. Underwood, (Jen.
Wra. Cogswell, Hon. John A. Goodwin and Dr. J. C.
Ayer, who presented the statue to the city. Ten
years later, on July 4, 1878, Hon. F. T. Greenhalge
delivered an oration, and, on July 4, 18711, the orator
was Geo. F. Lawton, I3sq. Ten years later, on .lulv
4, 1889, an oration was delivered in Huntington Hall
by Hon. Henry Cabot Lodge.
The change which took jilace immediately after
the war, in regard to celebrating the 4lh of July, is
very remarkable. The war seemed to have changed.
not the patriotism, but the popular taste of our citi-
zens. Our celebrations of the 4th have become spec-
tacular. Processions, regettaa, games and sports havt-
supplemented everything of an intellectual nature.
This, however, may be alleged in behalf of these
popular attractions, ;hat, while an oration can be
heard by only a few hundred, these can be enjoyed
by fifty thousand.
John .Vdams, the most eloquent advocate of the
Declaration of Independence in the Continental
Congress, on the day after that immortal proclama-
tion was passed, wrote to his wife these well-known
words in respect to the future celebration of that
day: "It ought to be solemnized with pomps, shows,
games, sports, guns, bells, bon-fires and illuminations
from this time forward forever.'' This prophetic de-
claration would seem to sanction the present methods
of celebrating the day. .\nd yet to every patriotic
man who seriously reHects upon the dangers which
have always threatened human liberty and free insti-
tutions tliere is reason for sober thought even on the
4th of July. Such .sober thought the people of Low-
ell once had when, on the eve of the celebration of
the day in 1881, the startling message came that an
assassin's bullet had robbed the Republic of its chief
magistrate.
CHAPTER II.
LO WEI. I.- I I'onlinued).
TIIF. luWN ()|- I.fiW F.LL.
The t<Mvn of Lctwell was incorporated March 1.
1826. For four years after the work on the Merri-
mack Mills was begun the village retained the name
oC Ea'.t Clielmsford. The number of iuliabitant.s in
this village had risen from '.'(lO, in 182", to 23"", in
[All',, more (ban eleven-lbld. These twenty-three
huiidrc'd people were lonijielled to go four miles — to
Clielmsford ('ciitre — to attend town-meetings and
transact other municipal business. The two villages
hail no common business relations and nu social sym-
|>athies. The ta.ves raised upon the valuable proper-
ty of the mills could be claimetl and expeniled by the
town of ( 'belnislbrd. The schools of the new village
were under the managenii-iit ot the towu. Various
motives conspired to make it the desire of East
Chelmsford to become a town by itself. This desire
wius gratified by its success before the Legislature in
obtaining an act of incorporation.
It is interesting to be able to know the precise
way in which the new town received the name of
" Lowell."
It seems that Derby, in England, a parliamentary
borough and manufacturing town, had, from early as-
.sociation or other cause, been suggested to the mind
of Mr. Boott as a fitting name for the new town. He
had also thought of the claims of Francis C. Lowell
to the honor of giving its name. When the act of
incorporation was completed, with the exception of
giving a name, Mr. Xathan Appleton met Mr. Boott
and questioned him in regard to filling tlie blank
with an appropriate name. Mr. Boott declared that
LOWELL.
17
he considered the question narrowed down to two,
"Lowell" or "Derby," to which Mr. Appieton re-
plied, " Then Lowell by all means," and Lowell it was.
Historic Classification. — Lowell having now
become an incorporated township with a rapidly
increasing population, and with rapidly multiplying
industrial, ecclesiastical and educational institutions,
it becomes necessary at this point, in order that the
reader may follow an unbroken and logically con-
nected narrative, to classify the various subjects of
its history, and in succession treat each subject by
itself. The remaining history of Lowell will there-
fore be considered under the following beads:
I. Annals of Lowell. — This will embrace, in a some-
what statistical form, the transactions, events and
facts, very briefly stated, which will give to the reader
a general idea of the city's growth and condition from
year to year, leaving for future consideration a more
complete description of the institutions of the city,
each in its appropriate class.
2. The political history of Lowell, with sketches of the
lives of its Mayors.
3. The Mmufactures of Lowell.
4. Banks and Insurance Companies.
5. Military History.
6. The Press.
1. Schools.
8. Churches. ,
9. Societies and Clubs.
10. Physicians.
II. Libraries and Literature.
ASXALS OF LOWELr..
1826. The year 182G was Lowell's first municipal
year. The legislative act incorporating the town was
signed by Gov. Lincoln March 1, 1826, and on March
2d, Joseph Locke, Esq., a justice of the peace, issued a
warrant to Kirk Boott to call a meeting of the citizens
on March Cth, to take the proper measures relative to
the establishment of a town government. The meeting
was called at " Balch & Coburn's tavern," now well-
known as the "Stone-house" near Pawtucket Falls.
There being no public hail, town-meetings' were called,
in those early days at this tavern or at Fryes tavern,
which stood on ihe site of the American House.
It is interesting to notice the character and stand-
ing of the men whom the new town tirst honored
with its offices. The moderator of this town-meeting
was Kirk Boott. The School Committee elected were :
Theodore Edson, Warren Colburn, Samuel Batchel-
der, John O. Green, Elisha Huntington, all of whom,
with the exception of Mr. Batchelder, had received a
college education and were men of great moral and
intellectual worth. None of them, however, gained
a more enviable name than Mr. Batchelder, a man of
the highest inventive genius, who lived to be nearly
ninety-five years of age, and of whom it was said by
high authority that "his name should be placed
among those of eminent Americans." I will not
even forbear to mention also the name of the town
clerk, Samuel A. Coburn, whose town records, still
preserved in the office cf our city clerk, are a model
for the imitation of all scribes in the ages to come.
At the town-meeting held May 8, 182G, Nathaniel
Wright, afterwards mayor of the city, was elected the
first representative of the town in the State Legisla-
ture, and Nathaniel Wright, Samuel Batchelder and
O. M. Whipple were chosen as selectmen.
The Merrimack Company had now (1826) been en-
gaged in the manufacture of cotton goods for three
years, and had three mills in operation.
The Hamilton Company had been chartered in the
preceding year with a capital of $600,000. The Mer-
rimack Print Works had been started in 1824.
The population of the town was about 2500.
St. Anne's Church had been consecrated in the
preceding year.
The First Baptist Church and the First Congrega-
tional Church were organized in this year.
A daily line of stages to Boston was established in
April.
The only bridge acrois the Merrimack had been
the Pawtucket Bridge, constructed in 1792, but in
December of this year the Central Bridge was opened
to travel.
The Middlesex Mechanics' Association had been
incorporated in the preceding year.
The town wa? divided in 1826 into five school dis-
tricts : the first district school house being on the site
of the present Green school-house; the second at
Pawtucket Fall?, near the hospital; the third near
the pound on Chelmsford Street; the fourth — the
" Eed School-house" — near Hale's Mills, and the fifth
on Central Street, south of Hurd Street.
At the gubernatorial election in April the number
of votes cast by the citizens of the new town was 162.
Governor Lincoln, the Whig candidate, had a plurality
of 42 votes and a majority of 28. But in future years
the Whig plurality became less decided.
Kurd's woolen factory was burned down.
1827. — Nathaniel Wright was re-elected to repre-
sent the town in the General Court.
The selectmen were Nathaniel Wright, Joshua
Swan, Henry Coburn.
A daily mail between Lowell and Boston was es-
tablished.
The first Savings Bank was established by the
Merrimack Corporation for the express benefit of the
operators, but it ceased to exist after about two years.
First Universalist Society formed.
1828. The representatives to the General Court
were: Nathaniel Wright and Elisha Ford. The se-
lectmen were: Nathaniel Wright, Joshua Swan,
Artemas Young.
In this year the Appieton Company was incor-
porated with a capital of $600,000, and the Lowell
Company with a capital of $900,000.
The population of Lowell in 1828 was 3532.
18
HISTORY OF MIDDLESEX COUNTY, MASSACHUSETTS.
In 1828 coal was introduced as a fuel in the town of
Lowell by Mr. William Kittredge.
William Kittredge was born in Newburyport,
Mass., June 11, 1810, and died at hia home ou East
Merrimack Street, Lowell, Nov. 28, 18S6, at the age of
seventy-six years. He was the son of Joseph Kitt-
redge, of Newburyport, and belonged to a family of
fourteen children, all of whom, save one, lived to the
age of maturity. Of the seven sons one received a
liberal education and became a clergyman, while
most of them were well-known men of ability and
integrity in the business world.
Mr. Kittredge's early education in the schools was
limited, but he was throughout hia life a careful ob-
server of the events of his time and a constant and
thoughtful reader of the history of all times. When
he was twelve years of age the family removed to
Dracut, Ma?s., where for several years they lived upon
a farm. When fifteen years of age, in 1825, Mr.
Kittredge came to Lowell and, as an apprentice to his
oldest brother, J. G. Kittredge, he learned the black-
smith's trade. Shortly before he became of legal age
he formed a partnership with this brother, in conduct-
ing an iron-store, a blacksmith-shop and a wood -yard.
A most interesting event in the early years of Mr.
Kittredge's business experience in Lowell was the in-
troduction into the city of coal as fuel. In 1828, when
he was eighteen years of age, while engaged in shoe-
ing a hor^e for S. H. Maun, Esq., a well known attor-
ney-at-law, lie was told by the lawyer that he had re-
cently seen upon a wharf in Boston some " black
rockn" which were dug from the earth and which
would burn. He advised Mr. Kittredge to procure a
quantity of this new fuel, and agreed to purchase of
him a portion of it. Accordingly two tons were pur-
chased by Mr. Kittredge on his individual account, at
the price of S20 per ton. To transport it to Lowell in a
baggage-wagon was an additional expense of S-1 per
ton. There were at hand no stoves or grates designed
for burning coal, and it was in the broad fire-place in
the lawyer's otfice that the first attempt was made to
burn the " black rocks" in Lowell. A grate was ex-
temporized, a roaring fire of wood was started and
upon it was thrown the coal in huge lumps. The
experiment failed. At length, after hours of labor,
the coal at some one's suggestion having been broken
up into about two bushels of small pieces, the " rocks"
began to glow. The fire waxed hotter and hotter.
The paint of the room began to blister. Somebody
gave the alarm of fire. Water was poured on, but
the fire still raged. The room was filled with steam,
and the alarmed and curious citizens gathered around
the office, some even venturing inside to view the
novel scene. The first load of coal is said to have
supplied the town of Lowell for nearly three years.
Slowly, however, coal came into use as a fuel. It
was first brought from Boston in barges, then by the
Middlesex Canal, and after 1835 by railroads. The
first shipment of coal by rail to Lowell for the
trade, about 1835, was consigned to Wm. Kittredge.
Upon the close of Mr. Kittredge's co-partnership
with his brother, about 1842, he conducted a large and
successful business in wood and coal. The coal busi-
ness was conducted by him individually except about
two years (1845—46), when he was in partnership
with Mr. Nathan R. Thayer, his wife's brother.
In 1842 he purchased of the Locks and Canals
Company land lying between Market and Middle
Streets, to which, at considerable cost and trouble to
himself, in 1856, he procured a branch track from
the location of the Boston and Lowell Railroad,
which track is to tlii.s date in constant use. His
yard now contained about 13,000 square feet, with a
street front of about 127 feet, and a dumping capacity
of upwards of 3000 tons of coal. Up to the clo.-e of
his long life he continued his ever-increasing and very
successful trade. Few of Lowell's men of busir.es^s
have been so long and so familiarly known. He was
the city's pioneer in his line of trade, and he has left
to those who follow him a record for integrity and
honor well worthy of their imitation.
Mr. Kittredge took an active and generous interest
in the welfare of the city of Lowell. At the time of
his death he was a trustee of the Central Savings
Bank and a director of the ilerchants' National
Bank. Though not a politician, he was three times
elected a member of the City Council of Lowell.
For a period of nearly thirty years he was a promi-
nent and honored member of the Kirk Street Church,
of which he was one of the founders.
Mr. Kittredge posse^sed a sympathetic and benev-
olent nature. In his death many a poor family lost
a faithful friend. He was a man of simple tastes, of
remarkable self-control and of a very genial «nd
buoyant spirit. The following words respecting him
from the pen of the Rev. C. A. Dickinson, his pastor,
contain much of truth as well as beauty : " We have
all been impressed with the quiet vein of humor
which seemed to flow through his whole life, like a
rippling rivulet through a quiet meadow, — new
bursting out into an occasional witticism, and now
disclosing itself only in the sparkling eye and the
beaming countenance; yet giving to the whole man
an indescribable something which made him a stand-
ing rebuke and protest against moroseuess and melan-
choly.'' In 1842 Mr. Kittredge married Nancy Bigelow
Thayer, daughter of Nathan Thayer, of Hollis, N. H.,
who survived him for two years. His children were :
(1) Francis William, who was born in 1S43, gradu-
ated from Yale College, and is now a successful at-
torney-at-law in Boston ; (2) Henry Bigelow, who
was born in 1844, and died in 1861; (3) Elltu Fra-
nia, who was born in 1847, and is the wife of Prescott
C. Gates, Esq., of Lowell ; (4) Anna Maria, who was
born in 1850, and is the wife of Dr. Charles T. Clif-
ford, of Lowell.
The Lowell Bank was incorporated with a capital
of 5=200,000.
//Tc^/c-i^i^pp^
/t-^^^£.^>^^
LOWELL.
19
Moses Hale died io 1828, at the age of sixty-three
years. He was bora in West Newbury, September,
176o. He came to East Chelmsford (now Lowell) in
1790, and built a mill on River Meadow Brojk (now
called Hale's Brook), for the purpose of fulling, dye-
ing and dressing cloth. The building now stands.
Other and far more extensive buildings were added-
In subsequent years Mr. Hale became interested in
a great variety of enterprises, among which were
dressing cloth, carding wool, grinding grain, sawing
lumber and manufacturing gunpowder. So extensive
were these works that in 1818 they were visited by
Hon. John Brooks, the Governor of the State. On
this occasion the Governor was escorted by the
Chelmsford Cavalry.
1829. — The representatives to the General Court
were: John P. Robinson and J. S. C. Knowlton.
The selectmen were: Nathaniel Wright, Joshua
Swan, Artemas Young.
In this year the Merrimack Lodge of Odd Fellows
was instituted.
In this year one of the mills of the Merrimack
Company was burned. The Lowell Institution for
Savings was incorporated. The town appropriated
SIOOO to purchase a fire-engine and hose. The town
voted to build a town-house.
Captain William Wyman was appointed postmaster
in 1829, and moved the post-office from Central Street
to the new Town Hali, now the City Government
Building.
The Middlesex Company was incorporated with a
capital of §500,000.
1830. The representatives to the General Court
were: Kirk Boott, Joshua Swan and John P. Robin-
son. The selectmen were: Nathaniel Wright, Joshua
Swan and Artemas Young. In this year the Middle-
sex Company was incorporated with a capital of Sl,-
000,000. The population of Lowell for 1830 was G477.
The Merrimack House was opened in 1830.
As early as 1829 such was the rapid increase in the
population of the town that the want of a convenient
hall for public meetings was seriously felt. In May
of that year a committee, which had been appointed
in reference to securing a new hall, reported that the
cost of erecting a suitable town building (the descrip-
tion of which was given) would be about S18,000.
By vote of the town a committee, consisting of Kirk
Boott, Paul Moody, Jonathan Tyler, Elisha Glidden
and Elisha Ford, was appointed to erect a town-house
at an expense not to exceed $18,000. The town-house
was erected in 1830 at a cost of about $19,000.
In popular language we may say that the City
Government Building, now occupied by our city offi-
cials, is the identical town-house of 1830. It was said
of the wandering palmer on returning from his pil-
grimage, in the days of knight-errantry, that
*'Tbe niotlier that Lini bnre
"Would scarcely know Uer 6od."
So the committee who, nearly sixty years ago,
erected the town-house for $19,000, could they come
back to earth again, would scarcely recognize its
identity. The bricks indeed remain, but the two
rows of short windows have given place to one row of
long ones. The hall in the second story haa disap-
peared; the long entry running through the building
parallel to Merrimack Street is no more ; the post-
office, very conveniently located on the farther side of
this entry, has long since begun its travels about the
city, and soon the comely house of which our fathers
were proud will sink into insignificance beside the
palatial edifice now to be erected.
1831. The representatives to the General Court
were Kirk Boott, Joshua Swan, J. P. Robinson, J. S.
C. Knowlton and Eliphalet Case. The selectmen
were Joshua Swan, Artemus Young and James Tyler.
In this year the Suffolk Manufacturing Company
was incorporated, with a capital of $600,000, and the
Tremont Mills, with a capital of $600,000. The
Lawrence Manufacturing Company also, with a capi-
tal of $1,500,000. To supply these three last-men-
tioned corporations with water the Suffolk and Wes-
tern Canals were cut.
The Railroad Bank was incorporated, and the
High School was opened in 1831.
July 7th. Paul Moody, one of the founders of
Lowell, died, at the age of 52 years. He is noticed on
another page.
1832. The representatives to the General Court
were : Ebenezer Applelon, Artemus Holden, O. M.
Whipple, Seth Ames, Maynard Bragg, William
Davidson, Willard Guild.
The selectmen were: Joshua Swan, Matthias
Parkhurst, Josiah Crosby, Benjamin Walker, Samuel
C. Oliver. In this year the Lowell Bleachery was
incorporated, with a capital of $50,000, and the Boott
Mills, with a capital of $1,200,000.
The population of Lowell in 1832 was 10,254. The
Lowell Mutual Fire Insurance Company was incor-
porated.
On Jan. 25th occurred the unique convivial celebra-
tion, by the Burns Club, of the seventy-third birthday
of Robert Burns. It was held at the Mansion House,
which then stood near Merrimack Street, on the site
of the present Massachusetts boarding-houses. The
feast was attended by nearly all the prominent citi-
zens of the town. The occasion was hilarious, not to
use a stronger term. The genial Alexander Wright,
a countryman of Burns and agent of the Carpel Cor-
poration, presided, and Peter Lawson, an intense
Scotchman, was toast-master. The table was graced
by the haggis, a favorite Scottish dish, whose ingredi-
ents are the finely-minced liver and lights of a calf
and a sheep, oat-meal, beef-suet, and salt and pepper,
the mixture being inclosed in a sheep's stomach and
boiled three or four hours. After a formal address
to the haggis by John Wright, brother of the presi-
dent, the repast began. Wine and songs and speeches
followed. Dr. Bartlett, Lowell's first mayor, made a
20
HISTORY OF MIDDLESEX COUNTY, MASSACHUSETTS.
speech and recited Burns' " Highland Mary." " The
Banks of Doun " and " Duncan Gray " were sung.
John P. Robinson, Lowell's most learned and bril-
liant lawyer, spoke of Tam O'Shanter and his gray
mare Meg. The comic Perez Fuller gave an im-
promptu medley, in which were laughable allusions
to the invited guests.
While the president, in the " wee " morning hours,
was making his closing remarkx some demoralized
reveler rudely interrupted and struck up the song,
"O, Willie brewed a peck o' maut," iu which all hil-
ariously joined. Finally, in parting, all joined hands
and made the old Mansion House resound with " Auld
Lang Syne."
September 15, 1832, Judge Edward St. Loe Liver-
more died at the age of seventy years.
1833. The representatives to the General Court
were: S. A. Coburn, John P. Robinson, Cyril French,
Simon Adams, Jacob Robbins, J. L. Sheafe, Jes=e
Fox, Royal Southwick, Joseph Tyler, Jonathan
Spalding. The selectmen were: Matthias Parkhurst,
Joshua Swan, Benj. Walker, Elisha Huntington,
Samuel C. Oliver. The population of Lowell in 1S33
was 12,963. In this year occurred that long-protracted
and exciting canvass for Representative in Congress,
between Caleb Gushing, of Newburyport (Whig), and
Gayton P. Osgood, of Aodovtr (Democrat), the vote
of Lowell favoring Mr. Gushing by a ^nlall majority.
The Irish Benevolent Society was started. The sys-
tem of sewerage was begun.
Among the many men of talent whom the rapidly-
rising town attracted within its borders was the cele-
brated Wendell Phillips. On leaving the Law School
at Cambridge in 1833, he came to Lowell and spent
about one year in the otlice of Luther Lawrence and
Elisha Glidden, who were then ic partnership, but
he did not practice in Lowell after being admitted to
the bar. Mr. Phillips' sketoh of Lowell society at
that time, as quoted by Mr. Cowley, will be read with
interest :
" Lowell was then crowded with able men — well-
read lawyers and successful with a jury ; among them,
scholarly, eloquent, deeplyread in his profession, and
a genius, was John P. Robinson. The city was rich
in all that makes good society — amiable, beautiful,
and accomplished women, hospitable and amply able
to contribute their full share to interesting anil sug-
gestive conversation, — gentlemen of talent, energetic,
well-informed and giving a hearty welcome to the
best thought of the day. The changes that thirty
years have made in that circle would afford matter
for a history deeply iuteresiing and very largely
sad."
In May, 1833, occurred a sensation which deeply
moved and interested the people of New England and
especially the citizens of Lowell. It wiis the trial for
murder of the Rev. Ephraim K. Avery, of Bristol,
R. I., who, during the two preceding years, had been
the pastor of the Methodist Church worshiping iu the
chapel near the site of the Court-House. While in
Lowell Mr. Avery had formed a somewhat intimate
acquaintance with Miss Sarah Maria Cornell, a mem-
ber of his church. On leaving Lowell for Bristol, R.
I., Miss Cornell had followed him and found a resi-
dence in Tiverton, a neighboring town. On the night
of December 20, 1832, she was foully murdered. The
trial (at Newport) of Mr. A^ery, who was arraigned
for her murder, occupied twenty-eight days. The
celebrated Jeremiah Mason was employed as counsel
on the defence, and Mr. Avery was acquitted.
It is said that no other clergyman of the United
States had been tried on an indictment for murder.
Tnis fact, added to the other remarkable circum-
stances attending this atrocious crime, made the whole
affair one of absorbing interest and of an intensely
sensational nature.
September 13, 1833. Warren Colburn, agent of the
Merrimack Mills, died at the age of forty years. He
was greatly instrumental in establishing and sustain-
ing the public schools of the city.
Iu 1833 the Lowell Police Court was established
with Joseph Locke as standing justice.
Judge Locke was born in Fitzwilliam, X. H., April
8, 1772. He graduated from Dartmouth College at
the age of twenty-seven years. Having been admitted
to the bar, he began the practice of law iu Billerica
in 1802. For eight years he represented that town iu
the Legislature. He held many offices, among which
were those of Presidential elector and member of the
Governors Council. He came to Lowell in 1833, and
was, in that year, made first judge of the Police Court.
He served in that office thirteen years, resigning iu
184G, when he was seventy-four years of age. He was
a man of sound learning and humane and generous
heart. He died November 10, 1833, at the age of
eigDty-one years.
Upon the resignation of Judge Locke, in 1S4G,
Nathan Crosby was appointed his successor. Judge
Crosby was born in Sandwich, N. H., February 12,
1798. He graduated at Dartmouth College in 1820.
He came to Massachusetts iu 182G, aad practiced law
in Amesbury and in Newburyport. He devoted sev-
eral years to lecturing and laboring in promotion of
the cause of temperance. In 1843 he removed to Low-
ell, where he was employed by the Manufacturing
Companies in securing the right to control the waters
of lakes in New Hampshire, for the benefit of the mills
in seasons of drought.
As judge of the Police Court he bore himself with
that dignity, humanity, courtesy and patience which
well become a good judge. He was, iu every sphere
of life, a true Christian gentlemen. He died after
holding the office for thirty-niae years, on February
10, 1885, at the age of eighty-seven years.
On February 25, 1885, Samuel P. Hadley, who had
long been the clerk of the court, was appointed Judge
Crosby's successor. Judge Hadley was born in Mid-
dlesex Village (now a part of Lowell) October 22,
LOWELL.
21
1831. He was educated at Phillips Academy, Law-
rence Academy and the State Law School. He
studied law with Isaac S. Morse, of Lowell, and
A. C. Bradley, of New York City. On August 1,
1857, he was appointed clerk of the Police Court of
Lowell, and was promoted to be justice of the court in
February, 1880.
It is interesting to learn the number and character
of the cases brought before our Police Court. For the
year endin»r October 1, 1889, the number of cases was
4040. Of these 3034 were " liquor cases." Of the
remaining lOOG, more than one-half are case.s of as-
sault and battery, etc., which are traceable to the use
of intoxicating drinks, while there were only two or
three hundred traceable to other cau:<es.
The sessions of this court begin at ten o'clock on
every working-day. The salary of the judge is f 2300.
President Jackson's Visit. — Few events in the
liittory of Lowell have been attended with so much
eclat, and remembered by the citizens with so much
pride and pleasure, as the visit of President J?,ckson,
June 2G and 27, 1833. What made the Presidential
visit 80 remarkable and so worthy of Bj)ecial de-
scription, was the unique and noveland very aucreasful
attempt of the managers of the great manufactories
of Lowell to display upon the streets, in gorgeous
procession in honor of the chief magistrate of the
nation, the thousands of Yankee mill girls then in
their employ. When to this attraction a long and
charming array of the children of the public schools
was added, it is not strange that from all the country
round, men, women and children gathered to witness
the brilliant display.
The days of railroads had not come, and it required
four entire days to ride in a carriage from Washington
to New England. The Presidential party consisted
of President Jackson, Mr. Van Buren, Gea. Cass, Mr.
Woodbury and Mr. Donalson, the President's private
secretary. The President was in feeble health, having
recently had a severe attack of sickness while in
Boston. Men who had formed their opinion of the
personal appearance of the man from reading of his
dauntless courage and his iron will, were greatly
disappointed when their eyes first rested on their
ideal hero. Says 5Ir. Oilman, then editor of the
Cjskel: " The old gentleman appears as though he
was very feeble. He has the appearance of a very
aged man ; bis white hair and thin, pale features,
bespeak a life of trial and hardship. He was, not-
withstanding, very complacent .and dignified; yet,
while looking at him, it seemed as if a tear would
start instead of a smile. It was with a peculiar
melancholy that we regarded him. Such a contrast!
his aged countenance, his hoary head, bowing all
around, and his feeble motion, the throng of eager
and curious faces crowding to obtain a clear view, and
the loud shouts that from time to time rent the air,
seemed illy to harmonize."
The Presideutial party had visited Salem and had
tarried an hour at Andover, where they visited the
seminaries and partook of a collation. On coming
from Andover to Lowell they were met on Nesmith
Street, south of Andover Street, where a brief speech
of welcome was made. The militaryand a cavalcade
of citizens re.«ted on Nesmith and Andover Streets.
On Andover Street were the civic organizations and
citizens, and on Church Street were the mill girls and
the school children. At the head of each division of
mill girls was a silk banner with the inscription:
" Protection to American Industry." The inscription
is a slogan still. There were nine of these banners,
white upon one side and green upon the other.
B. F. Varnum, Esq., was chief marshal, having
thirly-one asiisiants, the last survivor of whom, Col.
Jefferson Bancroft, died in January, 1890.
The President rode in a barouche with Mr. Van
Buren at his side. The booming of artillery on
Chapel Hill, overlooking the Concord, added to the
eclat of the pageant. At the junction of Church,
and Central Streets two fine hickory trees had been
transplanted — a delicate compliment to Jackson's
pet name, "Old Hickory." Good Master Merrill, a
stanch Jackson man, had brought out his boys in
thick array, who, as the general passed them, shouted
(as they, perhaps, had been instructed to ilo) not
"Hurrah!" but "Hurrali j'or Jcbckton!'' "The pro-
cession passed in review before the President, with
drums beating, cannon booming, banners flying, hand-
kerchiefs waving and nine times nine hearty cheeis
of welcome." But no part of the pageantry could
be compared to the procession of the Y'ankee girls.
They were over twenty-five hundred in number and
marched lour deep, all dressed in white, with parasols
over their heads.
Z. E. Stone, Esq., whose interesting account of
Jackson's visit I mainly follow, makes the following
quotation from a letter of an old citiizen; " As Gen-
eral Jackson rode through this line, hat in hand,
there was an expression on his features hard to de-
fine, partaking partly of surprise, partly of pride, and
a good deal of gratification. Julius Caesar, Napoleon,
Alexander, in their best estates, never bowed to ' two
miles of girls ' all dressed in white. It is quite
doubtful whether either of them could have survived
it. It was evident General Jackson did not know
what to mike of appearances at Lowell. He had
probably imbibed his ideas of a Northern manufactur-
ing town somewhat from the speeches of Southern
statesmen, and was prepared to meet squalid wretch-
eJness, half concealed for the purposes of the occa-
sion ; but when told that these fine blocks of build-
ings (fresher then than now) were veritable board-
ing-houses for the 'wretched' operatives in the fac-
tories, with the evidence of his own eyes as to the
condition of those operatives, he exhibited a good
deal of enthusiasm, aiid in various ways expressed
his gratification."
General Jack.son visited the Print Works and one
25
HISTORY OF 3IIDDLESEX COUNTY, MASSACHUSETTS.
of the mills of the Merrimack Corporation, where
all the machinery was in operation and the girls, in
holiday attire, exhibited to him the process of manu-
facturing cotton. Charles Dickens, in his "Notes for
American Circulation," deems the visit of Jackson
worthy of the following mention, which, however,
does but little credit to the accuracy of the great
writer : " It is said that on the occasion of the visit
of General Jackson or General Harrison (I forget
which, but it is not to the purpose) he walked through
three miles and a half of these girls, all dressed out
with parasols and silk stockings."
Major "Jack Downing's" account of the same occa-
sion is almost as worthy of belief as that of Mr.
Dickens. The major declared that at one time before
this, when the general was exhausted with hand-
shaking, he himfelf stepped for.vard and shook hands
with the multitude in his stead. Taking courage
from his success on that previous occasion, he ven-
tured to do a little bowing to the haLdaome Lowell
girls, whereupon the general pushed him aside and
said : " None of that, major; in the matter of shak-
ing hands you do very well, but when it comes to sa-
luting the girls I can manage that without your help."
On the next morning, after breakfast, Jackson, with
military promptness, at the appointed hour, took his
seat in the carriage to start for Concord, New Hamp-
shire, but Van Buren's seat by his side was vacant.
" Where is Van Buren ?" said the President. On be-
ing told thad lie had not come from the breafcf;i!-t
table, he replied : " Well, I sha'u't wait for hiin.
Drive on."
The qupstion naturally arise.", Can the Lowell mill-
girls of to-day form a procession like that which
greeted General Jackson more than fifty years ago?
The emphatic answer is " Ao." Perhaps there ia no
better place than this to speak of the great change in
the character of the female operatives in our jnills
during the first half-century of their existence.
During the first half of the present century the
n:w settlemen's on the fertile prairies of the West
called from the humble farms among the hills of
New England very many of her most ambitious and
enterprising sons. But New England's daughters,
though born with a spirit equally ambitious and en-
terprising, were compelled to remain in the old
homesteads on the hillsides. Little money could
they earn, though they had willing hands for labor.
Here and there one could earn, at teaching a short
summer school, a dollar a week and board. A poor
pittance was paid for domestic service. Custom for-
bade the Yankee girl to work, like the European
woman, in the fields. But when the great manufac-
turing enterprises were started in Lowell the services
of these same Yankee girls, waiting on the hillsides
for something for their ready hands to do, were
eagerly sought and most highly prized. They were
ju.st the help most needed. They brought with them
health, strength, patience, virtue aud intelligence.
Well could the successful and wealthy manufacturer
afford to pay generously such workmen as these. The
buildings, the machinery, the boarding-houses, all
were new. The grime of years bad not yet eomo
upon them. The humble country girl, who had rarely
held a silver dollar in her hand, felt a pleasing pride
at the end of every month upon receiving a sum
which, in her childhood on the hills, she had never
dreamed of earning. They had learned economy,
and many thousands were saved to be carried back
to their country homes. Many a mortgage which
had long rested on the small farm of the parents was
lifted by these noble and enterprising daughters.
JLany a young bride in the cottage on the hillside,
after the service of a few years in the Lowell mills,
was able to vie with the daughters of the wealthy
around her in the elegance of her outfit and the rich-
ness of her attire.
The shrewd managers of cur mills strove hard and
long to keep such, and only such, girls in their em-
ploy. And so successful were they that one of them
informs me that as late as 184G "every mill-girl was
a Yankee."
But gradually there came a change. Mills were
multiplied ; Yankee help was sometimes hard to be
found. In summer the mill-girl was fond of leaving
her loom and taking a vacation on the breezy hills
about her old home. Rival manufactories sprang up.
The margin of profits thus grew small. To insure
dividends every loom must be kept moving. At fir~t
operatives were sought in Nova Scotia to supply the
increasing demand. These operatives proved very
acceptable substitutes for the Yankees. But still
greater numbers were needed, and then, very gradu-
ally, Irish girls, and after them, French girls from
Canada, began to be employed. But different races
do not always work well together, es|)ecially in cases
in which there is supposed to exist a social ine-
quality. And so it came to pass that as the foreign
girl came, the native girl went.
But there is another still more efficient cause, per-
haps, of the withdrawal of the Yankee girls from the
mills. Within the last fifty years almost countless
new avenues of labor and enterprise have been
opened to American women. Almost innumerable
sewing-machines demand the service of the nimble
tiugers of iutelligent girls. As accountants in places
of business, as telegraph operators, as saleswomen in
the retail trade, as clerks of professional men, and in
other positions too numerous to mention, the intelli-
gent and educated girls and women of America are
finding employments more agreeable to their tastes
than can be found amidst the din and clatter of the
mills.
In process of time, too, the grime and dust of age
settle down over the once new and neat buildings
and furniture, and render them less attractive than
when the freshness of early days was upon them.
Moreover, it is doubllcsa true that the second geue-
LOWELL.
23
ration of miil-owners cares less for the moral status
of the operatives, and more, perhaps, for the divi-
dends, than did their noble fathers who laid the
foundations of these great enterprises. From all
these causes it has come to pass that a class of opera-
tives, somewhat inferior in culture and intelligence,
now fills the place of the Yankee girls who welcomed
the Hero of New Orleans in the streets of Lowell.
I am informed by a gentleman, who is intimately
conversant with the subject, that at the present time
about one-fourth only of the Lowell mill operatives
are Yankee girls, whilst the other three-fourths con-
sist in about equal numbers of French and Irish.
But still the mills find in these girls skillful and
efficient operatives. The Irish girls have many ex-
cellent characteristics, and the French are said to be
intelligent and quick to learn.
In October, 1833, the town of T/Owell was honored
by a visit from another illustrious man, the Hon.
Henry Clay. la the preceding year Mr. Clay had
been the Whig candidate for the Presidency, in oppo-
sition to President Jackson, and, though defeated de-
cidedly in the canvass, he had not lost the glory of his
great name. If any American state.sman, more than any
other, was able to rouse in the hearts of his followers
the seotimects of admiration and intense devotion, it
was Henry Clay — the " gallant Harry of the West.''
The present generation can hardly understand this
admiration, for they cannot behold his magnetic
presence nor hear his eloquent voice. Mr. Clay was
received with distinguished honor, and in the evening
he addressed the citizens in the Town Hall.
But Kirk Boott, Lowell's first citizen, refused to
share in any of the honors bestowed upon the distin-
guished guest, because, though Mr. Clay had advo-
cated the war against England of 1812, yet, in order
to close the contest, he had been instrumental, as
commissioner of the United States, in making a
treaty of peace which surrendered the very objects
for which the war was declared. Nor is Mr. Boott
the firs'. American who has felt the humiliation of the
treaty of peace at Ghent.
The year 1833 was, to Lowell, one of peculiar ex-
citement and interest. The great corporations were
mostly now in full operation. The grime of age and
use had not begun to gather on the fresh and elegant
structures of the mills and of the city. The great
experiment seemed flushed with success. The scene
was novel to all the world. Strangers from other
lands, like the Queen of Sheba, came to witness the
sight. Lowell for the time was one of the seven
wonders of the world. Other like cities had not yet
arisen to divide the admiration and wonder of men.
It was Lowell's youthful prime, when her admirers
were most numerous and moat ardent. At the present
day, such have been the wonderful inventions of
recent years, there is more to be admired than then,
hut the curiosity of men has been satisfied. Other
great manufacturing cities have sprung up all around,
and Lowell has ceased to be the one city of that pe-
culiar attraction which it once possessed. The gala
day of General Jackson's visit will never return.
1834. The representatives to the General Court
were : Samuel Howard, Kirk Boott, James Chandler,
Osgood Dane, Jesse Phelps and O. M. Whipple.
[There were in 1834 eleven vacancies. At that time
it required a majority to elect instead of a plurality
as at the present time.]
The selectmen were : Joshua Swan, Elisha Hunt-
ington, Wm. Livingston, Jesse Fox, Benjamin
Walker.
In this year Eliphalet Baker, Walter Farnsworth
and George Hill, of Boston, having purchased of Mr.
Park the flannel-mill in Belvidere, near Wamesit
Falls, begin the manufacturing business under the
name of the Belvidere Flannel Manufkcturing Com-
pany.
The Lowell Advertiser started, and Belvidere was
annexed. On May 31, 1834, a steamboat, ninety feet
long and twenty feet wide, was launched above Paw-
tucket Falls to run on Merrimack River. It was
owned by Joel Stone and J. P. Simpson, of Boston,
and was called the " Herald." Mr. Stone was its first
captain. It plied twice per day between Lowell and
Nashua. On account of the shortness of the distance
and other causes the enterprise failed. The traveler,
to gain so short a ride upon the water, did notcare to
shift his baggage from the stage-coach. However, Mr.
Joseph Bradley continued to run the boat until the
opening for travel of the Lowell & Nashua Kaiiroad.
This railroad was incorporated in 1835.
The celebrated David Crocket, the comic statesman
of Tennessee, visited Lowell May 7, 1834. He was
an ardent Whig, and about 100 young Whigs of Lowell
gave him a banquet at the American House in the
evening. He was greatly pleased wkh his reception
and declared that he was dead in love with New
England people.
If the object of history is to give to the reader an
accurate and life-like view of the condition of a people,
I can hardly fulfill my task in a better way than by
quoting from the autobiography of this intelligent ob-
server the following words : " I had heard so much of
[Lowell] that I longed to see it. I wanted to see the
power of machinery wielded by the keenest calcula-
tions of human skill. We went down among the fac-
tories. The dinner bells were ringing and the folks
were pouring out of the houses like bees out of a gum.
I looked at them as they passed, all well dressed,
lively, and genteel in their appearance. I went in
among the girls and talked with many of them. Not
one of them expressed herself as tired of her employ-
ment. Some of them were very handsome. I could
not help reflecting on the difference of condition be-
tween these females, thus employed, and thatof olher
populous countries where the female character is de-
graded to abject slavery."
Colonel Crocket served two years in Congress. Ttro
24
mSTORY OF MIDDLESEX COUNTY, MASSACHUSETTS.
years after visiting Lowell he fell in battle while
fighting in the cause of Texas against Mexico.
In November, 1834, George Thompson, the distin-
guished English philanthropist, came to Lowell for the
second time. On his first visit, in October of that year,
he had spoken in the Appleton Street Church. Upon
his second visit he was to deliver three anti-slavery
addresses on three consecutive evenings, in the Town
Hall, which was then in the second story of our pres-
ent City Grovemment Building.
Mr. Thompson had a great name already acquired
in England. Mr. Z. E. Stone, whose account of Mr.
Thompson's visit I follow, writes as follows: "He
had been a leader in the struggle for emancipation in
the West Indies ; and on the passage of the Act of
Emancipation was specially complimented in the
House of Lords by Lord Brougham,' who said : ' I
rise to take the crown of this most glorious victory
and place it upon George Thompson.'
At the time of this visit to Lowell, some of the lead-
ing citizens, engaged in manufac'.uring, believed it
would be prejudicial to the interests of our mills if
their patrons in the South ^ihould learn that the per.ple
of Lowell were interfering with their rights .is slave-
holders. Others affected to believe that Mr. Thomp-
son was an emissary of England, sent hither to dis-
turb our peace and break down our institutions. On
the day on which the last of his three lectures was to
be given, a placard was posted in the streets from
which I take the following words: 'Citizens of
Lowell, arise! Will you suffer a question to be dis-
cussed in Lowell which will endanger the safety of
the Union ? Do you wish instruction from an English-
man ? If you are free-born sons of America, meet, one
and all, at the Town Hull this evening.'
"Mr. Thompson also received an anonymous letter
in which the writer says : there is a plot ' to immerce
him in a vat of indeluble Ink,' and advises him to
'leave the country as soon as po.ssible or it wil be
shurely carried into opperration, and that to before
you see the light of another son ! '
" On previous evenings brick-bats bad been hurled
at Mr. Thompson through the windows, and he had
been interrupted by cat-calls and other offensive
tlemonstrations. But on the coming evening it was
evident more serious danger was impending. When
the hour of assembling came, an unwonted crowd
gathered in the rear of the hall. It was a scene of
great excitement and all things foreboded a coming
storm. At this point the selectmen of the town in-
terfered and persuaded those in charge of the lectures
to put off the meeting till the afternoon of the next
day. The brave anti-slavery women of the audience
gathered about Mr. Thompson, and he escaped out
into the darkness and found shelter in the hospitable
home of Rev. Mr. Twining, pastor of the Appleton
Street Church. And thus ended what came very near
being a ' mob in Lowell.' "
The rapidlj'growing town now extends its bound-
aries. Not all of the city of Lowell is embraced in llie
territory of the village of East Chelmsford. The
towns of Tewksbury and Dracut have each contrib-
uted to our city, lands, which afford some of the most
attractive sites for many of the most elegant resi-
dences of our citizens. The land in East Chelmsford
was generally low and level, in some places even
covered with swamps and dotted with ponds, but the
parts which once belonged to Tewksbury and Dracut
rise in hills from the banks of the Merrimack and
afford delightful views, not only of the rest of the
city, but of the neighboring towns and of the lofty
hills and mountains which lie far to the west and
north.
Belvidehe. — This part of the city, once belonging
to Tewksbury, is bounded on the west by the Concord
and on the north by the Jlerrimack. The lowlands
near the falls in the Concord were once the hubila-
tion of the Pawtucket or Wamesit Indians. In the
Concord in early days were four islands, the largest
two of which are crossed by one in going from the
Prescott Mills directly to High Street Church. It is
interesting to know that the site of Belvidere was
once the property of Margaret, widow of John Win-
throp, earliest Governor of the Colony of Massachu-
setts Bay. After the death of the Governor, in H)4D,
the General Court granted to ilargaret Winthrop,
his widow, 3000 acres of land, bounded on the west
and north by the Concord and .Merrimack llivers.
This large tract evidently remained (wholly, or in
pari) in the hands of her descendants for many
years. For on February 12, ItiUl, .\dam Winthroj),
grandson of ^largaret, gives by deed one-fifth (undi-
vided) of these 3000 acres to Samuel Hnnt, from
whom, I suppose, the falls next below Pawtucket
Falls derive their name. In ITUD Timothy Brown
purchased a part of the Winthrop estate and built
upon it a large house, for many years a conspicuous
and widely-known landmark of our city, known as
the " Gedney House," or more familiarly as " The Old
Yellow House." This house rose aloft with a com-
manding view, adorned, as it was, by a long row of
Lombardy poplars. For a long time in "ye olden
days " it had been a noted inn, and its long halls had
olten resounded with music and the merry dance.
Mrs. Abbott, wife of Judge J. G. Abbott, of Boston,
who in her childhood lived in the house, thus de-
scribes it: "The mansion house was beautifully
situated at the confluence of the Merrimack and Con-
cord Rivers. Standing at an elevation of forty feet
above the water, it commanded a distant and lovely
view of both the streams. Back of the house, on the
opposite side of the Merrimack, rose Dracut heights,
as if to shield the spot from the north winds. It was
certainly a lovely old mansion."
This mansion, with about 200 acres of land adjoin-
ing it, constituted what was long known as the "Gedney
Estate," so named from a former owner. This estate,
in ISIG, was purchased by Judge St. Loe Livermore,
LOWELL.
25
the father of Mrs. Abbott, who, after being wearied
of politics and the buatle of a city life, had hoped
that on this quiet farm, far out in the country, he
should at length find for his declining years a jjlace
of grateful repose. Little did he dream that within
seven years be would look down from thi.squiet home
upon one of the busiest scenes ever presented to the
view in the history of human industry — the begin-
nings of the great manufacturing enterprise of the
future city of Lowell.
Judge Livermore was a man of marked ability,
and " he had associated with men prominent in let-
ters and in politics in this and other countries." His
lather bad been a justice of the Supreme Court of
New Hampshire, as well as member of the United
States Senate, of which he was president jtro tempore
for several years: while he had himself served three
terms in the United States House of Representatives,
and filled many other important offices. It was be
who gave to his part of the city the name of " Bclvi-
dcrc." He died Sept. 15, 1832, aged seventy years.
The farm of Judge Livermore was sold in 1831 to
Thomas and John Nesmilh for $25,000. The Nesmith
brothers had been successful leaders in Derry, K. H.,
and they purchased the land for the purpose of di-
viding it up into city lots to be sold as residences.
They fully accomplished their purpose, and on this
land now Eland many of the most costly and elegant
houses of the city. The Nesmiths both lived to good
old age in the mansions on the Livermore farm,
which they had erected for their declining years,
Thomas living to the age of eighty-two years, and
John to the age of seventy-six years.
The large farms lying next to that of Judge Liver-
more and belonging to Zadoc Rogers and Captain
Wm. Wyman, are now, in like manner, being
divided into lots admirably adapted for elegant resi-
dences, and it is safe to assert that no part of the city
is more attractive and beautiful than Belvidere.
The annexation of Belvidere was for about five years
— from 1820 to 1834 — a subject of much acrimonious
debate. Thetown of Tewksbury was not willing to sur-
render the taxes of a village of so much wealth, while
the people of Belvidere felt that they were virtually
citizens of Lowell. Their business and their social
relations allied them to Lowell. Accordingly, when
summoned to attend town-meetings at the centre of
Tewksbury, four or five miles away, they felt them-
selves unfairly treated by being compelled, at great
expense and loss of time, to meet with men with
whom they had neither business relations nor social
sympathies. They acted as they felt, and turned the
town-meetings into ridicule. Mr. Geo. Hedrick, our
aged fellow-citizcD, who was one of them, gives us
the following account of town-meeting days:
"We used to charier all the teams, hay-carts and
other kind of vehicles, and go down and disturb the
people of the town by our boisterous actions. As we
neared the village a 'hurrah." gave the warning of
our approach. We took extra pains to have a full
turn-out, make all the trouble we could, and have for
one day in the year a good time. At twelve o'clock
we adjourned to Brown's tavern to dinner, and hot
flip and other favorite beverages of those dsys were
freely partaken of. We met again at two o'clock
and kept up the turbulent proceedings until seven,
and returned home well satisfied with our endeavors
for the good of the town." On one occasion they
actually carried a vote to hold the next town-meeting
in the village of Belvidere. The old town at length
relented, and the new villape, as is usual ic such
cases, gained the victory. It was the mother against
the daughter and the daughter had her way. Belvi-
dere was annexed to Lowell May 29, 1834. Twice
since that date, by legislative acts, the unwilling town
has been compelled to surrender to the encroaching
city some of the most valuable parts of its territory.
1835. The representatives to the General Court
were : Kirk Boott, A. W. Buttrick, James Chandler,
Wm. Davidson, Artemas Holden, John Mixer, Mat-
thias Parkhurst, Alpheus Smith, Joseph Tyler, O. M.
Whipple, Benjamin Walker, Wm. Wyman, and John
A. Knowles. The selectmen were : Benjamin Walker,
James Russell, Wm. Livingston, John Chase, Wm. N.
Owen. This is the last of the ten years of the town-
ship of Lowell. The repeated re-elections of Samuel
A. Coburn, as town-clerk and of Artemus Holden, as
treasurer, indicate the high esteem in which they were
held. Joshua Swan's name also constantly recurs on
the town reoords. He was often honored as moderator
of town -meetings, representative to the General Court^
and selectman of the town. He was subsequently a
candidate for mayor.
Middlesex Mechanics' Building on Dutton Street
was erected in 1835.
The Lowell Courier begins as a tri-weekly, published
Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.
The Boott Cotton-Mills were incorporated in 1835
with a capital of Sl,500,000.
Aug. 22, 1835, a meeting was held to denounce all
agitations of the question of slavery. John Aiken,
John P. Robinson, Elisha Bartlett, John Avery and
Thomas Hopkinson were among the leading citizens
who participated in the doings of this meeting. There
was entertained in those days a fear of losing the trade
of the South by allowing the impression to go forth
thai Lowell was a hot-bed of abolitionism, where
intermeddling Englishmen, like George Thompson
were allowed, uurebuked, to traduce the inslitations
of America.
On Sunday, Sept. 20tb of this year, occurred an event
which for years deeply agitated the people of Lowell,
and which is still wrapped in mystery. Rev. Enoch W.
Freeman, the talented and popular pastor of th» First
Baptist Church, was suddenly seized with illness when
in his pulpit, which became so severe that he was
compelled to relinquish the attempted performance of
religious service. He was conveyed from the cliurcli
26
HISTORY OF MIDDLESEX COUNTY, MASSACHUSETTS.
to his home where he died after intense sufferings on
Tuesday morning His wife, in regard to whom ihere
were painful suspicions, married a second husband,
who, about five years after the death of Mr. Freemau,
died in a similar manner. Many other circumstances
conspired to arouse suspicion and to fasten upon the
wife the charge of murder. She was tried upon the
second otfence and acquitted in a court of law. But
for many years the sensation lingered in the memory
of our citizens.
Boston and Lowell Railroad. — The manu-
factures of the town demanded a vast amount of
traffic with Boston. In the colder months of the
year, when ice closed the Middlesex Canal, transpor-
tation over bad roads by wagons was tedious and
done at great cost, and, even in the summer months,
the canal afforded only a slow means of conveying
the great amount of merchandise. Six stages passed
daily from Boston to Lowell and back.
To remedy these difficulties it was at first proposed
to construct a macadamized road from Boston to
Loweil, and even estimates were made for this enter-
prise and a line surveyed. At this time the inventive
and far-reaching mind of Patrick T. Jackson was
turned to this subject of transportation. Already the
experiment of transportation by horse-power on iron
rails, or trams, used for reducing friction, had been
tried. At this juncture there came the tidings across
the water that Stephenson had proved that cars pro-
pelled by steam could be successfully employed on
these iron rails. •
This news decided the mind of Mr. Jacksen. He
clearly foresaw that what Lowell must have was not
a macadamized road, but a railroad, and that the pro-
pelling power must be, not horses, but steam. He
was now fifty years of age, and it was ten years since
he had accomplished his important work of establish-
ing in American the great cotton manufactures. He
enters upon the new enterprise with his wonted zeal
and energy. Men of wealth must first be peraunded
of the feasibility of the undertaking. If successful in
England, where there were great cities in close prox-
imity, the railroad might utterly fail in America.
To many, perhaps to most, the project looked quixotic
and hazardou'^. But Mr. Jackson did not falter; a
charter was obtained and the stock was taken.
The grading of the road, especially through the
mica, slate and gneiss rock near Lowell, proved un-
expectedly expensive. " The shareholders were rest-
less under increased aase-sments and delayed income."
At times the responsibility weighed heavily ou Mr.
Jackson, and deprived him of his sleep. At length
the great work was accomplished, and time has proved
the wisdom of its undertaking. Its cost was $1,800,-
000. iThe railroad was completed in 1835.
A railroad from Lowell to Bostou could now be
constructed at far less expense. Time has shown
that steeper grades and shorter curves are practicable,
and that sleepers of wood are even to be preferred to
those of iron. In a thousand ways time and experi-
ence have aided the civil engineer.
CHAPTER III.
LO WELL—( Continued).
CITY OF LOWELL.
183S. Governor Edward Everett signed the lefria-
lative act giving a city charter to the town of Lowell,
April 1, 1836. This was the third city charier granted
in Massachusetts, that of Boston bearing date of
1822, and that of S.ilem only one week earlier than
that of Lowell. With a population of more than
16,000, it was found impossible properly to transact
all official business in public town-meeting. In the
preceding year there had been ten town-meetings,
and there was a common sentiment among the best
and wisest of the citizens that the time had come for
an efficient city government. The committee ap-
pointed by the town on February 3, 183G, reported in
favor of such a government, alleging that under the
town government there was a want of executive power
and a loose way of spending money.
Still there were citizens so wedded to the demo-
cratic methods of town-meetings that they reluctantly
surrendered the municipal authority into the hands
of a select few. When the vote accepting the char-
ter was taken, more than one- fourth of the votes were
found in the opposition. The result was yeas, 961,
and nays, 328. The first Monday in May was fixed
upon as the day for filling the city offices under the
new government. And now begins an ardent politi-
cal contest. Ten years before, the Whigs commanded
such a preponderance in number that there would
then have been no doubt how a political struggle
would terminate. But by degrees the Democrats had
so gained in numbers and in influence that the party
which would throw into the canvass tlie greatest
energy and talent might indulge the hope of victory.
Each party put forward for the mayoralty its strong-
est man. Dr. Elisha Bartlett was (he candidate of
the Whigs and Rev. Eliphalet Case led on the Demo-
crats. They were both able men. Dr. Bartlett was
perhaps personally the most popular man in Lowell
— a man of pleasing address and high mental culture.
He had occupied a professor's chair in a medical
school, and had the elements of a popular leader.
Mr. Case was a man of ruder nature, but still a man
of marked ability. He loved the strife and turmoil of
politics, and entered with ardor upon the contest.
He had been the editor of the Lowell Mercury, and,
more recently, of the Advertiser, both Democratic
papers of militant type. He was, at the time of the
election, the postmaster of the city. Ou the morning
of the election Dr. Bartlett called at the post-office
LOWEl.L.
27
and walked arm-in-arm with Mr. Case to the polls,
each courteously voting for hia rival. The result
favored the Whig candidate, the vote standing 958
for Bartlett and 868 for Case. The aldermen elected
were William Austin, Benjamin Walker, Oliver M.
AVhipple, Aaron Mansur, Seth Ames, Alexander
Wright. On the School Committee elected were
Lemuel Porter, Amos Blanchard, Jacob Eobbins,
John O.Green, John A. Knowles, Thomas Hopkinson.
Among the twenty-four Councilmen elected were such
men as Thomas Nesniith, Thomas Ordway, George
Brownell, Sidney Spalding, John Clark, Stephen
Mansur, James Cook, Josiah B. French, Jonathan
Tyler, Tappan Wentworth.
1 cannot do better than to give a very brief notice
of some of these men. I shall thus best show the
cbsrncter and spirit of the times. I shall show how
our fiithers displayed their wisdom by intrusting
1 power in the hands most capable of wielding and
most worthy of the honor of possessing it. Such is our
method of judgment in private life — we estimate the
real character of a man by inquiring who they are in
whom he confides.
Of the aldermen, Captain William Austin was the
agent of the Lawrence Corporation ; Benjamin
Walker was a butcher, and one of the early directors
of first savings bank; Oliver M. Whipple was one
of Lowell's most prominent and successful men of
business ; Aaron Mansur was a well-known merchant ;
Seth Ames was the son of thecelebrated Fisher Ames,
of Dedham, a lawyer and a man of high culture;
Ale.vander Wright was the agent of the Lowell Mills,
a Scotchman by birth and a man of talent.
Of the Common C'juncil, Thomas Nesmilh was a
wealthy dealer and owner of real estate; Thomas
Ordway was for many years clerk of the city, a re-
vered deacon cf the Unitarian Church; George
Brownell was superintendent of the machine-shop— a
very responsible position ; Sidney Spalding was a
man of wealth and of high position in the world of
business ; John Clark was agent of the Merrimack
Company ; Stephen Mansiu — afterwards mayor — was
a dealer in hardware and one of Lowell's most prom-
inent men of business; James Cook — afterwards
mayor — was agent of the Middlesex Mills; Josiah B.
French — afterwards mayor — was a railroad contractor ;
Jonathan Tyler was a wealthy dealer in real estate ;
Tappan Wentworth was a lawyer of high standing,
and subsequently a member of Congress.
Of the School Board, Lemuel Porter was for many
years pastor of the Worthen Street Baptist Church ;
Amos Blanchard, a man of great learning, was long
the pastor of the First Congregational Church ; Jacob
Uobbius was an apothecary, and afterwards post-
master of Lowell ; John O. Green was a physician of
high professional standing; John A. Knowles was a
lawyer, long well known and highly respected in our
city ; Thomas Hopkinson was one of the ablest law-
yers in the State.
Lowell at that day, as baa been often remarked,
presented a remarkable array of men of talent. Per-
haps the novelty and the importance of the great
manufacturing enterprises of the city presented a pe-
culiar attraction to the minds of superior and am-
bitious men.
But not only is the ch,aracter of our early city
fathers indicated by that of the men whom they in-
trusted with power, but still more clearly by the wise
and beneficent 'measures which they promptly con-
sidered and promptly adopted. Among these meas-
ures were the erection of new edificts for the use of
the public schools, the preservation of the public
health, the lighting of the streets, the construction
of sidewalks, the establishment of a system of drain-
age, and the various other works of public utility,
which indicate a statesmanlike foresight and a high
moral sense. There were great interests at stake and
great responsibilities to be taken. The nine great
manufacturing companies alone had a capital of more
than $7,000,000, and employed nearly 7000 persons.
The city was tilled with young men and women, who,
having left the rural quiet of their country homes,
needed the care and protection of a wise city govern-
ment when exposed to the untried temptations of a
city life.
The condition of Lowell on becoming a city is ad-
mirably told in the following passage, quoted by Mr.
Oilman, in the inaugural address of Dr. Bartlett, the
first mayor of the city : " Looking back to the period
when I came among you, a penniless stranger, alike
unknowing and unknown, I find the interval of more
than eight years filled up with manifestations of
kindness and good will. One of the most striking
points of the entire history of our town and city con-
sists in the unparalleled rapidity of its growth. The
graves of our fathers are not here. The haunts of
our childhood are not here. The large and gradually
accumulated fortunes of nearly all our older towns
are not to bo found here. The great mass of wealth
which is centered here, and which hai made our city
what it is, is owned abroad. The proprietors do not
reside among us. The profits are not expended
among ua."
In 183G "the number of churches in Lowell was
thirteen — four Congregational, two Baptist, two Meth-
odist, one Episcopalian, one Universalist, one Chris-
tian Union, one Free- Will Baptist and one Catholic."
At the organization of the city government, on May
2d, John Clark was chosen president of the City
Council, and George Woodward clerk. Samuel A.
Coburn, who had been clerk of the town of Lowell,
was chosen city clerk.
The Lowell Dispensary was incorporated in 1836,
the corporators being John Clark, James Cook and
James G. Carney.
"April 16th the Legislature passed an act, removing
a term of the Supreme Judicial Court and one of the
Court of Common Pleas from Concord to Lowell.
28
HISTORY OF MIDDLESEX COUNTV, .AfASSACFIUSETTS.
For the accomodation of these courts, rooms were
fitted np in the Market-House, which was erected in
the following year."
1837. Mayor, Elisha Bartlett; population, 18,010.
From this year until 1850 the city governments were
inaugurated about April lat, the municipal electioQ
being in March.
On the Ist of April a profound sensation was pro-
duced by the sudden death of Kirk Boott. He died
while sitting in his chaise near the Merrimack House.
He was forty-seven years of age.
The suspension of specie payment in all the banks
of the United States in 1837 did not seriously atfect
the mills of Lowell.
As early as 1835 the question was agitated of build-
ing a great central market. A population of 17,000,
it was thought, stood in sore need of such a stiucture.
At one time a committee was appointed to erect such
building, but a short time before Lowell ceased to be
a town all votes respecting the erection of a market
were rescinded, and it was left to the city govern-
ment, in 1837, to commit the folly of erecting, on
Market Street, a building which the people did not
need and which they would not patronize. The cost
was .?46,000.
All attempts to make a central market of this
building have failed. The stalls hired by market-
men were not patronized, and the inarket-meu moved
out. If the people would not come to them, they
could go to the people. Men prefer a small market
near their homes to a large one far away.
1838. Mayor, Luther Lawrence. On October Sth
railroad cars began to run regularly from Lowell to
Nashua.
'"A county jail, on the modern plan of separate
cells, was erected in 1838. It was taken down after
the completion of the county jail in 1858," having
stood about twenty years.
1839. Mayor, Luther Lawrence, who was killed by
accident fifteen days afier assuming his office, and
Elisha Huntington was elected m.iyor by the City
Council. He was at the time a member of the City
Council. Mr. Lawrence assumed his office April 1st,
and was killed April 16th. In this year the Mas.sa-
cbusetts Cottou-Mills were incorporated.
November 1st. The Lowell Hospital A.ssociation
was formed. Kirk Boott's private residence, which
stood not far from the site of John Street Congrega-
tional Church, was purchased for a hospital building
and moved to the place, near Pawtnckct Falls, wheie
it now stands. The hospital is the property of the
large corporations, the treasurers of the mills having
control of it. Its design is to atford medical and sur-
gical aid to persons in the employment of the mills
who need it. It is not a free hospital. When a pa-
tient, who is an operative in the mills, fails to pay, the
company for whom he works pays his bills.
The physicians in special charge of this hospital
have been Dr. Gilmau Kimball, Dr. George II. Whit-
more, Dr. John W. Graves, Dr. Hermoa J. Smith.
Buc in recent years the medical charge has been
committed to a stall' of physicians who gratuitously
serve in turn for terms arranged by themselves.
There is also a superintendent and resident physician
of the hospital, elected by the trustees. For the
year 1889 tlie stiitf of physicians was L. S. Fox,
M.D., W. T. Carolin, M.D., J. B. Field, M.D., H. S.
J-.hnson, M.D., F. W. Chadburne, M.D., and Wm.
B. Jackson, M.D. The resident physician was C. E.
Simpson. Matron, Miss C. B. Whitford. Number
of patients treated from Jan. 1, 18SS, to Jan. 1, 1889,
299, of whom eighteen died.
1840. Mayor, Elisha Huntington. Population,
20,981. The South Common, containing twenry acres,
and the North Common, uontaiuing ten acres, were
laid out in 1840.
Mr. Cowley gives us the following: "Sever.nl at-
tempts had heretofore been made for the establish-
ment of a theatre or nuiseum in Lowell, but had
failed. In 1840 this project was renewed with better
success. The museum was first started in the fourth
story of Wyman's Exchange, by Moses Kimball [af-
terwards of the Boston Museum]. The first i)er-
formance was on the fourth of July, 1840, and was an
excellent substitute for the blarneij usually indulged
in on that day. The first collection of curiosities
was procured from Greenwood's old New England
Jluseum in Boston. But the business did not pay.
In 1845, Noah Gates purchased the museum of Mr.
Kimball, and the removal by him, in ]S4(), of the
museum into the building formerly owned by the
Free-Will Baptist Church, provoked 'strong indigna-
tion in Zion.' The church w.as at once fitted up for
dramatic entertainments ; but so great was the oppo-
sition to it that in 1847 the City (.'ouncil refused to
license any more exhibitions of ibis kind."
The Liiu-eU Offering was started in 1840. This
paper receives notice on another page. From its
unique character it has gained, both in this country
and in Europe, a distinguished name. All its articles
being the contributions of mill giils, it had a charac-
ter unlike that of any other publication in the world.
1841. Mayor, Elisha Huntington.
Jan. 11th. Benj. F. Varnum, sheriff" of Middlesex
County, died at his home in Centralville, at the age
of forty-six years. He was the son of General Joseph
B. Varnum, of Dracut.
From 12 to 1 o'clock ou the 7th of Aiiril the bells
of the city were toiled on accouut of the death of
President Harrison.
Mr. Cowley gives us the following item : " Until
1841 there had been no substantial bridge over the
Concord River connecting Church and Andover
Streets. The first structure was a floating bridge for
foot-passers. The next was a bridge set upon piles.
But in the year above-named a double-arch stone
bridge was constructed, which in 1858 was replaced
by the i)resent single-arch structure."
LOWELL.
29
In June, 1841, th" Lowell Cemetery, situated near
Concord River and Fort Hill in Belvidere, was con-
secrated with appropriate ceremonies. The address
on the occasion was delivered by Rev. Dr. Amos
Blanchard. James G. Carney and O. M. Whipple
appear to have been the foremost of our citizens to
urge the establishment of this cemetery. Mi. Whip-
ple was president of the corporation for its first
thirty years. Forty acres were first purchased. Sub-
sequently it was enlarged to seventy-two acres. The
original price of a lot containing 300 square fret was
$10, but from time to time the price has increased
until a lot, completely prepared lor u^e, costs S250.
The cemetery has a beautiful stone chapel, presented
by Mrs. C. P. Talbot, also a stone olBce near the
gateway. It has bten adorned in various ways, until
it has become a cemetery in which the citizens of
Lowell take a justifiable pride. A new entrance on
the Belvidere side will add much to the convenience
of the citizens.
The Edson Cemetery, on Gorham Street, belongs to
the city of Lowell. It is well cared for by the city
and is kept and adorned with much taste. The same
may also be said of the Catholic Cemetery, on Gorham
Stree:, near by the EJsou Cemetery.
Before the great manufactories were started, Eist
Chelmsford had two cemeteries. One was at the cor-
ner of Brancli and School Streets, and it is still kept
with much care, and is the burial-place of some
families who lived upon the spot in early days. The
other was on the banks of the Merrimack in Belvidere,
Iving between East Merrimack and Stackpole Streets,
and east of Alder Street. This has been discontinued,
the bodi«s of those who were buried there having
been removed. The spot is now appropriated for
private residences.
1842. Mayor, Nathaniel Wright.
Charles Dickens visited Lowell in 1842. The im-
presiion made ui)on him by the new manufacturing
city in America, so unlike any English city, is told in
his "American Notes." A brief quotation will suffice:
"In this brief account of Lowell, and inadequate
expression of the gratification it yielded me, I have
carefully abstained from drawing a comparison be-
tween these factories and those of our own land. The
contrast would be a strong one, for it would be be-
tiveen the Good and Evil, the living light and deep-
eat shadow. I abstain from it, because I deem it just
to do so. But I only the more earnestly adjure all
those whose eyes may rest on these pages to pause
and reflect upon the differeuce between this town and
those great haunts of desperate misery.''
1813. Mayor, Nathaniel Wright. June 19th was a
gala day in Lowell. John Tyler, President of the
United States, visited the city. He arrived at the
Northern Depot about 10.30 o'clock, and there met
an imposing array. A platform was erected near at
hand, from which Dr. Huntington, chairman of the
committee of arrangements, delivered a speech of
welcome, and the President made reply. It was a
beautiful June day, and everything appeared at its
best. The children of the public schools graced the
occasion. Arrayed in order near the landing were
the High School girls, " beautiful as the morning."
The Stark Guards, from Manchester, N. H., the Low-
ell Alechanics' Phalanx, the National Highlanders,
the Lowell Artillery and the Lowell City Guards
adorned the procession. A carriage drawn by six black
horses conveyed the President, Governor Morton, of
Massachusetts, Dr. Huntington and Robert Tyler.
Then followed twenty-five carriages and a cavalcade
of citizens, under Col. Butterfield. All was beauti-
ful — only one thing was wanting, and that was en-
thusiasm. The course pursued by Mr. Tyler after
the death of the lamented Harrison had chilled the
hearts of the men who, in 1840, with wild delight,
had shouted, " Tippecanoe and Tyler, too."
1844. Mayor, Elisba Huntington. Population,
25,163. In thi< year the City School Library was es-
tablished, on May 20th. Central Bridge was rebuilt,
and an experiment of paving streets was first made.
Our city may be justly proud of its streets. It has
enjoyed this advantage over older cities, that from its
earliest days the belief was univeri<al that its destiny
was to become a city. Its broad streets, with gener-
ous sidewalks, have been laid out under the influence
of this belief.
Feb. 16th. Zadoc Rogers died, at the age of seventy
years. He was born in Tewksbury in 1774, and pur-
chased the well-known Rogers farm in Belvidere in
1805. Most of Belvidere is built on this farm of 247
acres, and the Livermore farm, of 150 acres. The
Rogers farm was kept nearly intact until 1883, when it
was purchased by a syndicate, consisting of Ethan A.
Smith, Eli W. Hoyt, Freeman B. Shedd and Thomas
R. Garrity, and sold in house lots. These lots are
being rapidly covered with elegant residences, in
modern style.
The Prescott Manufacturing Company was incor-
porated, with a capital of $800,000.
In this year the poet Whittier became a resident
of Lowell. He came to take charge as editor of the
Middlesex Standard, an anti-slavery paper, which,
however, failed of success. The people of Lowell do
not boast of the short sojourn of the poet in Lowell,
but still they feel a pardonable pride and pleasure in
knowing that the man whom a distinguished Senator
has called " the most beloved man in the nation"
was once their fellow-citizen. Though in feeble
health while in Lowell, his pen was busy, and in bis
little work entitled, " The Stranger in Lowell," hehas
given us a very pleasant transcript of his thoughts
and feelings as he walked our streets. I can, per-
haps, give no better illustration of these thought*,
and of the humane and generous nature of the poet,
than is found in the following quotation from his
little book, in which he speaks of the Irish laborers
of our city :
30
HISTORY OF -MIDDLESEX COUNTY, MASSACHUSETTS.
"For myself, I confess I feel a sympathy for the
Irishman. A stranger in a strange land, he is to me
always an object of interest. The poorest and rudesc
has a romance in his history. Amidst all his appar-
ent gayety of heart and national drollery and wit the
poor emigrant has sad thoughts of the ' ould mother
of him,' sitting lonely in her solitary cabin by the bog,
side ; recollections of a father's blessing and a sister's
farewell are haunting him ; a grave-mound in a dis-
tant churchyard, far beyond the 'wide wathers,' has
an eternal greenness in his memory : for there, per-
haps, lies a ' darlint child ' or a ' swate crather ' who
once loved him."
Mr. Whittier was in Lowell during the Presidential
canvass of the autumn of 1844, the candidates being
Clay, Polk and Birney. His paper, the Standard
advocated the election of James G. Birney, of Mich-
igan, who received in Lowell 246 votes.
1845. Mayor, Elisha Huntington.
The Stony Brook Railroad Company was incorpor-
ated, with a capital of 1:300,000.
The Lowell Machine-Shop was organized as a cor-
poration, with a capital of S300,000.
In 1845 manufacturing in the city of Lawrence was
begun by the Essex Company.
In this year was published " Lowell as It Was and
as It Ls," by Rev. Dr. Henry A. Miles. This excel-
lent little work was the first published history of
Lowell in book-form. At that time there were two
very divergent and antagonistic sentiments in regard
to the comparative moral and industrial claims of
large corporations and of private enterprise in the
manufactures of our country. It was to repel the
charge that large corporations led to oppression, cor-
ruption and nepotism, that Dr. Miles seems to have
written his history. Fully half of the book is de-
voted to showing that the mills of Lowell were man-
aged by wise and benevolent men, and in a manner
calculated to promote the moral welfare and the high-
est good, not only of the operatives, but of the com-
munity at large. It is the common belief that such
a book could not now be truthfully written. No doubt
the general character of the operatives has depreci-
ated. The Yankee girls, reared among the New-
England hills, have departed, and girls of foreign
birth have taken their places. So, too, the owners
and managers of the mills have changed. The early
founders are gone. The grime of age has robbed the
buildings of some of their freshness and beauty, and
the ideal days are past. But we can concede no
more. The structures are still noble structures, the
owners and managers are still noble men. If the
great enterprise has lost something of the freshness
of youth, it has gained much of the stability of man-
hood. A nobler class of men cannot be found than
the agents of our mills. The influence of the man-
agement of our mills is consistently and firmly on the
side of morality. lu every grade of service in these
mills may be found very many men of devout relig-
ious character. In all that promotes the moral wel-
fare of man, these great corporations can proudly
challenge comparison with the best regulated private
manufacturing enterprises in the world.
In 1845 the City Council authorized the purchase
of the North Common for §12,857, and the South
Common for $17,954.
In this year the Middlesex North District Medical
Society was organized. This society has doubtless
done much to give dignity and character to the med-
ical profession, but quackery, like the hydra slain by
Hercules, has a hundred heads, and will not readily
relinquish its hold upon the minds of credulous men.
What is most disheartening in the labors of a society
like this is the fact that very many men who are
shrewd and sensible in all things else have a decided
predilection for quackery in the healing art.
In October, 1845, a large fire in a building owned by
the Middlesex Company, on Warren Street ; loss,
$30,000.
February 5th. The residence of AVm. Smith, Esq.,
on Dracut Heights, was burned. This fire will long be
remembered. A heavy snow fell throughout the day,
and, in the night, when the fire occurred, the driving
snow-flakes filled the air, so that it was impossible to
locate the fire. All the heavens seemed illumined
with a glowing light. The superstitious were said to
believe the end of the world had come.
1846. Mayor, Jefferson Bancroft; population, 20,-
127. Whipple's Mills were established by O. M.
Whipple on the Concord River in this year.
January 2d. A fire occurred in Bent & Bush's store,
on Central, opposite Middle Street. The night of the
fire was " bitter cold," and there was much sufler-
ing from cold.
1847. Mayor, Jefferson Bancroft.
June 30th. President Polk visited Lowell. He was
received upon hi.s arrival by Mayor Bancroft, >vho de-
livered a speech of welcome. The mills were closed
and thousands of operatives and others filled the
streets. A procession (under I. W. Beard, chief mar-
shal), in 'which were the Lowell City Guards, the
Westford Rifle Company and the Mechanics' Phalanx,
with a cavalcade of citizens, escorted him through
the city. A superb supper was furnished at Mechan-
ics' Hall. He visited the Middlesex and Pre.scott
Mills on the next morning, and proceeded to Concord,
N. H. Hon. James Buchanan attended the President
upon his tour.
September 12th. Patrick T. Jackson, one of the
founders of Lowell, died at the age of sixty-seven
years. He is noticed on another page.
The City Institution for Savings was organized.
The Appleton Bank was incorporated with a cap-
ital of 5100,000.
1848. Mayor, Jefferson Bancroft.
The reservoir ou Lynde Hill was constructed under
the superintendence of J. B. Francis. Its capacity is
1,201,641 gals. It is the property of the Corporations
LOWELL.
31
and is used for extinguishing fires, supplying water to
the Corporation, boarding-houses, etc.
The Salem and Lowell Railroad was incorporated ;
also the Traders and Mechanics' Fire Insurance
Company.
The Stony Brook Railroad was opened to travel
September 16, 1848. Abraham Lincoln visited Low-
ell. As President Lincoln had not yet attained re-
nown, it is interesting to inquire whether the people
of Lowell who heard his speech in the City Hall ap-
preciated the exalted talents and worth of the man.
He was called to Lowell to speak in behalf of the
election of Zachary Taylor, the Whig candidate for
the Presidency. The City Hall was crowded, ladies
being present. Hon. Homer Bartlett was president
and Alfred Oilman, Esq., secretary. Of Mr. Lincoln's
speech the Courier says: "Abraham Lincoln, of Illi-
nois, addressed the assembly in a most able speech,
going over the whole subject in a masterly and con-
vincing manner, and showing beyond a peradventure
that it is the first duty of the Whigs to stand united,
and labor with devotion to secure the defeat of that
party which has already done so much mischief to
the country. He was frequently interrupted by bursts
of warm applause."
The discovery of gold in California in 1848, was an
event of great importance to Lowell. It diverted the
attention of the young men of New England from
manufacturing and other enterprises at home to the
dazzling prospects of sudden wealth on the shores of
the Pacific. What Lowell mifrht now have become, had
the gold of California not withdrawn from it so much
of its enterprise and talent, is only left to imagination
and conjecture. The wonderful development of the
States west of the Mississippi has, doubtless, also
greatly affected the growth and wealth of our city,
by alluring young men to "go west."
1849. Mayor, Josiah B. French.
In April, 1849, George W. Whistler, the distin-
guished railroad engineer, died at St. Petersburg,
Russia, at the age of forty-nine years. He was born
at Fort Wayne, Ind., in 1800; graduated at West
Point when nineteen years of age, and was made
professor in that school at the age of twenty-one
years. He afterwards served as engineer in the
army. In 1834 he became engineer to the Proprie-
tors of Locks and Canals, at Lowell. His talents were
demanded in the construction, at the machine-shops,
of locomotives for the Boston and Lowell Railroad,
which was then being constructed.
This, being a new work for American engineers, de-
manded the highest skill. In this work Mr. Whistler
distinguished himself. When other roads were
equipped his services were demanded, both in New
England and the West. His talents brought him
fame. The Emperor of Russia invited him to Rus-
bia as consulting engineer of railroad*. In this ser-
vice he remained until his death, in 1849.
On Sunday, September 9th, occurred what has been
called "The Battle of Suffolk Bridge," an affair which
approached more nearly a riot than any other which
Lowell has witnessed. The Irish people, who in
great numbers had settled on the " Acre " and its vi-
cinity, had not left all their national feuds in the old
country. The " Corkonians " and " Connaught men,"
who spoke different dialects, had long indulged a
mutual hostility even here in America. In 1849 a
large class of lawless and violent men had roused the
old factional strife to such an extent that the police
of the city were compelled to interfere. At length
on Sunday, the 9th of September, the conflict began
in earnest. Showers of stones and brickbats filled the
air. The women even took part and supplied the
combatants with mis-iiles. The bells were rung and
the Fire Department came out and aided in quelling
the riot. The " City Guards " and " Phalanx " met
in their armories, but they were not called into ac-
tion. The mayor persuaded the crowd to disperse.
September 2d. Father Mathew, the apostle of tem-
perance, visited Lowell, lectured in the City Hall, and
secured about 4000 names to his temperance pledge.
1860. Mayor, Josiah B. French. Population, 33,-
383.
In this year the Prescott Bank was incorporated.
Gas was first introduced in Lowell. The Court-House
was erected.
December 16th. Great fire in Belvidere, Stott's
Mill and other buildings being burned. Los-", $37,-
400.
1851. Mayor, James H. B. Ayer.
The Daily Morning News was started.
Tne first fair of the Middlesex Mechanics' Associa-
tion was opened September 16th.
January 28th. John Clark died at the age of fifty-
four years. He was born in Waltham, 1796, and
graduated at Harvard College. At first he engaged
in teaching in Salem, and then in trade in Boston.
He came to Lowell in 1833 to act in the position of
agent of the Merrimack Company, to succeed Warren
Colburn. He was deeply interested in Lowell's pros-
perity. He was once president of the Common Coun-
cil and on the Board of Aldermen, and was greatly in-
strumental in founding the City Library.
The part of Lowell now called Centralville was, by
act of the Legislature, set off from the town of Dra-
cut in 1851. In the beginning of this century Dracut
was a town of about 1300 inhabitants, sparsely settled
and devoted to agricultural pursuits. They were of
pure New England stock, devout and orthodox in
their religious life. The Varuums and the Coburns
were families of high moral and intellectual worth,
who have transmitted to their numerous posterity an
honorable name. General Joseph B. Varnum held a
high position among the statesmen of America, hav-
ing been a Representative in Congress for sixteen
consecutive years, in four of which he held the office
of Speaker of the House. He was also at one time
president pro laxporc of the United Slates Senate.
32
HISTORY OF MIDDLESEX COUNTY, MASSACHUSETTS.
Id the early years of this century, the only bridge
leading from Dracut to East Chelmsford (now Low-
ell) was that at Pawtucket Falls, but after the mills
of the Merrimack Company began to be erected in
1822, such was the increase in the number of inhabit-
ants living near the Merrimack River and below
Pawtucket Falls, and such the activity of business,
that something more than a chain ferry was needed
to meet the wants of travel and business. la 182G
a bridge took the place of the ferry. It was of wood,
uncovered, and about 540 feet in length. Its cost was
$12,000. It was rebuilt in 1844 and again in 1862, at
a cost of about 134,000. Th« iron bridge built by the
city in 1883 at a cost of §118,000 is a graceful and
substantial structure and is an honor to the city.
The village of Centriilville stands upon the slope
of the highest hill within the limits of our city, and
commands a splendid view of the great manufactur-
ing establishments on the south side of the river.
Especially in the evening, when these establishments,
stretching far along the river's banks, glow with in-
numerable lights, is the scene resplendent and beau-
tiful. Few places are more attractive for private
residences than the hillsides of Centralviile.
1852. Mayor, Elisha Huntington. The proposi-
tion to build Huntington Hall was adopted by the
City Council.
In April occurred the great freshet of 1852, when
boats were used in some of the streets of Belvidere.
An account of the freshets in the Merrimack River
for a period of more ihau a hundred years has been
written by James B. Francis, Esq., the well-known
civil engineer. From this account we learn that the
earliest recorded freshet occurred in October, 1785.
It was also the greatest of which there is any record
or tradition. At Nashua the rise in the river was
thirty-two feet, and at the head of Pawtucket Falls it
was more than thirteen feet. There was then no
bridge at Pawtucket Falls to obstruct the course of
the water. In the freshet of 1852, which occurred
after the bridge and the dam had been constructed,
the water rose fourteen fett, somewhat higher than in
1785. But from the fact that at Nashua the water
rose about two feet higher in 1785 than in 1852, it is
evident that the earlier freshet was the greatest.
The guard dam and gates of the Pawtucket Canal,
constructed under Mr. Francis' s-upervision, and des-
cribed on another page, to protect the city of Lowell,
are models of engineeringskill.
In the freshet of 1870 the water rose thirteen feet
above the dam, and in the freshets of 1859, 1862,
1865, 1869 and 1878 its rise was more than ten feet.
May 6th. Louis Kopputh, the Hungarian patriot,
visited Lowell. At St. Paul's Church in the evening
he was formally received and welcomed by the mayor.
Dr. Huntington, and he delivered before the people
of Lowell a speech remarkable for its felicity and
beauty. In this year w.is made the first attempt to
enforce a prohibitory liquor law.
1853. Mayor, Sewall G. Mack. In this year the
Belvidere Woolen Company was organized, and the
Wamesit Bank incorporated. Capital of the bank,
•SIOO.OOO. Corporations reduce the hours of labor to
eleven per day. Lowell Museum burned.
In the first part of 1853 an attempt was made in
Lowell to enforce the prohibitory liquor law, which
was enacted in the previous year by the State Legis-
lature. This first attempt failed. The law referred
to was the first of the kind in Massachusetts.
November 10th. Judge Joseph Locke died atihesge
ot eighty-one years. He was chief justice of the Police
Court for thirteen years. He is noticed on another
page.
In this year was erected the depot, containing
Huntington and Jackson Halls, the former being
named from Dr. Elisha Huntington and the latter
from Patrick T. Jackson.
1854. Mayor, Sewall G. Mack.
On July 28, 1854, occurred the most extensive fire
ever witntssed in Lowell. It caught about 4i o'clock
P.M., in a small shed or stable near the corner of
Lowell and Dummer Streets. The buildings around
were very combustible, and the south wind was blow-
ing. The intense heat overpowered the firemen and
the fire had its way. Twenty-two buildings were
burned and about 600 persons were made houseless.
But the buildings burned were so cheap and frail that
the actual amount of property destroyed did not ex-
ceed S30,000, a loss much smaller than that of many
other less extensive fires.
1855. Mayor, Ambrose Lawrence ; population .37,-
554. In this year Central Briilge was, by the City
Council, made a public highway.
The registry of deeds for the Northern District of
Middlesex County was opened. March 17, 1855,
\Vm. Livingston died.
In June of this year the Middlesex North Agricul-
tural Society was organized with Win. Spencer as
president. Its history is on another page.
July 22d, Dr. Elisba Bartlett, first mayor of Lowell,
died at Sinithfield, R. I., at the age of fifty-one years.
August 18th. Abbott Lawrence died at the age of
sixty-three years. He was born in Groton in
1792, and was brother to Luther Lawrence, second
mayor of Lowell. He employed his great wealth and
talents in advancing the manufacturing interests of
Lowell, and for him the city of Lawrence was named.
WiLMAM LiVIxosTOX affords us a remarkable
example of a truly self-made man. Fortune maybe
said to have smiled upon him only once, and that was
when she gave him the rising city of Lowell as a fair
field for the exercise of his remarkable force and
energy of character. All else he wrought out with
his own hands.
He was born April 12, 1803, in Tewksbury, Mass.,
and was the son of Wm. Livingston, a respectable
farmer. Having dutifully served his father until he
was twenty years of age, he came to East Chelmsford
y .
-^ ''/'/// /-y .^ .'
LOWELL.
33
(now Lowell) just at the time wiien the first
mills were starting, and when all willing hands
could find something to do. He began as a simple
laborer. In due time his energy and economy
enabled him to purchase a horse and a cart. Soon
lie begins to employ other men and other teams. His
force and ambition bore him still upward. In two
years he became a coniractor. His enterprise and
fidelity gave him a name. He made contracts fur
excavating earth and constructing the stone-work for
canals in Lowell, in Nashua, X. H., and at Sebago
Lake in Maine. At length he took very many and
very large contracts for constructing the mills of the
great corporations in Lowell. He cjnstructed a caual
in the State of Illinois. He erected saw and planing
mills for manufacturing lumber from the forests ot
New Hampshire. His varied contracts and enter-
prises from the days of his early manhood to the com-
pletion of the Salem and Lowell Railroad, in 1850,
are too numerous to be mentioned in this brief
sketch.
But these profitable contracts do notsati.sfy his am-
bition. He established in Lowell a depot for the sale
of grain, lumber, wood, coal, lime, brick and cement.
He purchased land near Thorndike Street, and
erected store-houses for his extensive and increasing
business. While he was engaged upon bis contracts
this business assumed large proportions, employing a
capital of «^0,000 to $100,000, and it is still carried on
ill the hands of Hon. Wm. E. Livingston, his enter-
prising son.
Mr. Livingston was also a man of courage. When
the Boston & Lowell Railroad demanded for freight
what he esteemed an exorbitant charge, he did
not hesitate to make war upon the monopoly by ad-
vocating the construction of comjieting roads. To
this conflict was due the early construction of the
Lowell and Lawrence and the Salem and Lowell
roads. It was through the persistent efforts of Mr.
Livingston before the Legislature of Massachusetts
tliat the charters of these roads were obtained in
spile of tlie earne?t remonstrance of the Boston and
Lowell road. It was mainly due to his wonderful force
and energy that these roads were promptly com-
jileied. The act incorporating the Lowell and Law-
rence road was passed in 1S4G, and the road was fin-
ished and in running order before the close of 1847.
To accomplish this remarkable work of enterprise
and despatch required much night labor, of which
Mr. Livingston had the personal supervision. It was
in this work that his zeal surpassed his prudence
for he contracted a very severe atfection of the lungs,
from which he never recovered.
As a citizen, Mr. Livingston was among the most
prominent in advancingthosepublicenterprises which
pertained to the growth and permanent prosperity of
the city.
He was a Democrat in politics, an earnest, sincere,
upright man, and special foe of all monopolies. He
iJ-ii
did not aspire to political honors, though he fre-
quently received the suffrages of his fellow-citizens.
He often held office both in the town and city of
Lowell. In 183G and 1837 he was a member of the
Senate of Massachusetts. He was also president of
the Lowell and Lawrence Riilroad.
Mr. Livingston acquired a large estate. In 1852
he erected for himself, on Thorndike Street, one of
the most elegant private residences in the city.
In 1855 it became evident that his pulmonary dis-
ease would end in consumption. Having gone to
Jacksonville, Florida, in the vain hope of regaining
his health, he died in that city, March 17, 1855, in
the fifty -second year of his age.
1856. Mayor, Elisha Huntington.
Post-office removed from Middle to Merrimack
Street.
November 7th. Thomas Hopkinson died at Cam-
bridge in the fifty-third year of his age. He waaborn in
New Sharon, Maine, in 1804, and graduated at Har-
vard in 1830. He was one of Lowell's ablest lawyers.
Having been appointed president of the Boston and
Worcester Railroad, he left Lowell about 1849, and
resided in Cambridge.
1857- Mayor, Stephen Mansur.
This was a year of financial distress. There was a
general stagnation in business. Some of the mills
stopped, some ran on short time, and many workmen
were unemployed.
A chime of eleven bells was placed in the tower of
St. Anne's Church.
January IGth. Hon. Thomas H. Benton visited Low-
ell. He delivered a lecture before the " Adelphi " in
the evening on the " Preservation of the Union,"
prefacing it with observations upon what he had seen
in Lowell during the day. He had visited the mills
and the boarding-houses, and seemed greatly pleased
and very agreeably disappointed. The following is
one of his remarks : " I had supposed the houses
were small, mean and poorly ventilated, as are those
of which we read in the old world, but on entering
I find the walls and parlors furnished as well as those
in which the members of Congress board in Waah-
ingtoii."
This celebrated Democratic Senator, peer of Clay,
Calhoun and Webster, was cordially welcomed by the
people of Lowell.
March 3d. George H. Carleton died at theage of fif-
ty-two years. He was born in Haverhill, January 6,
1805; came to Lowell, August, 1827, and bought out
Daniel Stone, Lowell's first apothecary. Carleton's
apothecary store, on Merrimack Street, was for many
years by far the best known of itj kind in the city.
It still retains his name. His old and almost illegi-
ble sign is still over the door, and is a pleasing me-
mento of the respect which his successors cherish for
his name. His life was identified with the life of the
city and of St. Anne's Church, of which he was a
warden. He was alderman of the city in 1838-39, '41.
34
WlSTOrvY OF MIDDLESEX COLLM'i.', MASSACHUSETTS.
From September 10th to October 7th was held tlie
second Fair of the Middlesex Mechanics' Association.
July 1st. Richmoud's paper-mill was burned. Loss,
$21,000.
In 1857 was started The Trumpet, a sensational
paper. The editor, James M. Harmon, found his
business of lampooning the respectable people of
Lowell somewhat expensive, having received a Hog-
ging from one of them, and being sent to the House
of Correction three months for slandering another.
1858. Mayor, Elisha Huntington.
The present bridge across the Concord, at Church
Street, waa built at a cost of §11,295.
November 5th. Hon. Nathaniel Wright died at the
age of seventy-five yeara.
March 20th. The new County Jail, on Thorndike
Street, was first occupied. This magnificent structure
cost $150,000, and contains one hundred and two
cells. If the annual rent of this building should be
reckoned at 10 per cent, of its cost, and if every cell
werekeptcoustantlyoccupied. the average annual rent
of a cell would be 'iXZ'l. When to this is added the
average cost of each occupant for food, salaries of
officers, etc., the very lowest annual expense to the
county of each prisoner is S-100. Thus a scoundrel,
who thinks his family of six persons fortunate if they
can atl'urd to occupy a tenement whose annual rent is
fifty dollars, finds, when he is so fortunate as to get
into this magnificent jail, the county lavishes upon
liim alone an expense which, if bestowed upon his
large and suffering family, would enable them to live
almost in luxury. To squander money thus ap-
jiroaches very near a crime.
1859- Mayor, James Cook.
Ollice of superintendent of schools established.
The first steam tire-engine procured.
November 14th. Thomas Ordway died at the age
of seventy-two years. He was born in Amesbury,
Mass., in 17S7, and was the son of the principal vil-
lage physician. He started business as a trader in
Newburyport in 1S09, but the great tire in 1810 con-
sumed his store and his goods. In 1821 he opened a
store in Concord, N. H. After three or four years
he came to Lowell and opened a store in the britk
block, corner of Worthen and Merrimack Streets. In
1838 he was elected city clerk, and he held the office
nearly twenty years. As city clerk and as a revered
deacon of the Unitarian Church he was long one of
the best known and most beloved citizens of Lowell.
1860. Mayor, Benjamin C. Sargeaut. Population,
30,827.
January 5th. John D. Prince died. He is noticed
on another page.
January 12'.h. Joseph Butterfield, a deputy sheriff
for nearly fifty years, died at the age of seventy-five
years.
March 28th. Park Garden, in Belvidere, purchased
by the city for a Common.
July 2d. The Registry of Deeds for the Northern
District of Middlesex County was opened with A. B.
Wright as register. Up to this date deeds of real es-
tate in Lowell had been recorded in the registry at
East Cambridge. Mr. Wright's successors have been
I. W. Beard and J. P. Thompson, the present incum-
bent.
July 14th. Nicholas G. Norcross died at the age of
fifty-five years. He was born in Orono, Maine, De-
cember 25, 1805. In his early life he was engaged in
an extensive lumber business on the Penobscot River.
On coming to Lowell, about 1845, he began a large
busines^s in lumber on the Merrimack, by which he
gained to himself the well-knowu title of ''Lumber
King."
186L Mayor, Benjamin C. Sargeant.
February 20th. Pawtucket Bridge made free ami the
event celebrated.
April lOtli. Addison O. Whitney and Luther C.
Ladd killed while marching in the Sixth Massa-
chusetts Regiment through lialtiuiure.
I July 14th. Nathan Appleton, died in Boston, at the
I age of eighty-two years. He was a Boston merchant
: of great wealth, and was most deeply interested in the
I establishment of cotton manufactures in Lowell,
i having subscribed for IS'i of the original IIOO shares
of the Merrimack Compaiiy. His tine, full-length
portrait graces Mechanics' Hall, and ''Appleton
I Street'' and "Appleton Bank " and "Appleton Com-
i pany " attest the honor in which his name is held in
our city.
,Vugust2d. The Sixth Regiment return from the war.
September 5th. tJeueral Butler having returned to
Lowell, alter the capture of the forts at Hatteras
IiiUt, was received with enthusiasm liy the people of
the city. He was escorted from ihu depot by four
military companies and received an address of wel-
come from Mayor Sargeant.
September 24ih. Prince Jerome Napoleon, with his
wife, the Princess Clotilde, daughter of Victor Em-
manuel, King of Italy, visited Lowell.
1862. Mayor, Hocum Hosford. Central Bridge
rebuilt.
Four Lowell companies enlisted for nine months'
service in the war.
August 9th. Edward G. Abbott was killed at the bat-
tle of Cedar Mountain, at the age of twenty-two years.
Major Abbott was the son of Judge J. G. Abbott, and
a graduate of our High .School and Harvard College.
He was a brave soldier and a young man of high
promise. His death produced a profound sensation.
French Immigiiatiun.— The city of Lowell during
the last twenty-five years has received into its labor-
ing class a very large number of French Canadians.
This remarkable migation began about 1863. The
number of French in Lowell amounted to about 1200
in 18(58, and now has reached 15,000, and forms a
very important part of the inhabitants of our city.
The French settlers in Canada occupy a large por-
tion of what has been known as East Canada, along
f(r^ 7^^ //'<'«.* 1 y /?^ ciXi.-* ■> o
LOWELL.
35
the bants of the St. Lawrence and the lower courses
of its tributary streams. They now number perliaps
1,000,000 souls and constitute more than one-third of
the inhabitants of ihe Province. They have been left
far behind in the race of weahh and progress by the
settlers of English origin, and to a very great extent
they live a laborious lite upon small farms which are
too often encumbered with debt. Their few cities
have increased in inhabitants slowly, and there are
few great manufactories of any kind in which the
willing laborer can earn sufficient money to start in
life or pay off the debt upon his humble farm.
In recent years it has come to these people like a
revelation that such are now the facilities of travel
by railroad that only a few hours will bring them to
the great manufacturing towns and cities of New
England, where they can readily exchange their
labor for ready money. With this incentive before them
few at first quit their rural hemes and more and more
followed. Herein New Euglandnotonly the father, but
mother, son and daughter, found ready work for ready
hands. Almost all came with the intention of return-
ing to pay off their debt and spend their remaining
days in their old homes. Very many actually do
this. Others never return. Perhaps a sou or a
daughter marries in New England and their affec-
tions are in their new home, or some profitable busi-
ness invites them to remain. Many of them pay an-
nual visits to Canada when business is less active, and
it is an interesting scene when large numbers gather
at our depots with baggage of every description to
start for their old homes. To many the pleasing ex-
citements of city life, or the facilities of reaching a
church of their own fiiith, or the advantages of good
public schools, present a powerful motive to remain
in New Eng'.and. Their old rural homes in Canada,
where no church nor school is near at hand, and
where business languishes, have by degrees lost their
charm and so they never return.
Still they love their native language and are proud
of it. They wish to iearn the English, but not to
give up the French. Above all things they hold fast
to the religion of their fathers. They are mostly de-
vout Catholics, and in their new homes they faith-
fully follow and obey their religious teachers. They
are often to be seen, even early in the morning, in
Ion"' procession, men, women and children, with
book in hand, thronging the sidewalks of our streets.
Father Gariu, the excellent and honored pastor of
St. Joseph's Church, informs me that on every Sunday
morning his spacious church on Lee Street is filled in
succession with five different audiences. And so
crowded has this church become that he is now erect-
ing a new and very spacious church on Merrimack
Street for the accommodation of the rapidly increas-
ing- number of French Canadian people. As laborers
they prove to be an industrious and intelligent class.
Tliey perform a very large part of the manufacturing
work of our city.
1863. Mayor, Hocum Hosford.
January 2Gth. First Sanitary Fair in Lowell.
September 9th. Lowell Horse Railroad Company
began to lay track?".
April 1st. Stephen Mansur, mayor of the city in
1857, died at the age of sixty-four years.
June 3d. Solon A. Perkins was killed in an engage-
ment at Clinton, Louisiana, at the age of twenty-seven
years. Major Perkins was son of Apollos Perkins,
and a graduate of our High School. He wasasuperior
scholar and a gallant soldier. Lowell had no richer
offering to make.
1864. Mayor, Hocum Hosford.
January 9th. Dr. John C. Dalton died, at the age
of sixty-eight years. He was born in Boston, and
graduated at Harvard. He was, for many years, a
distinguished physician in this city and in Chelms-
ford.
March 1st. Lowell Horse Railroad opened.
April 4th. George Wellman died, at the age of
fifty-three years. He was born in Boston, May IC,
1810. He came to Lowell when twenty-five years of
age, and was for many years in charge of a carding-
room of the Merrimack Corporation. He became
distinguished as an inventor, and is especially known
as the inventor of the self top-card stripper, which
has become one of the most important factors in cot-
ton manufacture.
April 23d. Celebration of Shakespeare's birth at
Huntington Hall.
May 6tb. Henry L'.vermore Abbott was killed in
the battle of the Wilderness at the age of twenty-two
years. Major Abbott was a fon of Judge J. G. Ab-
bott, a graduate of our High School and of Harvard
College and was a young man of fine intellect and
high promise.
May IGth. First National Bank incorporated.
June 7lh. J. H. B. Ayer, mayor of the city in 1851,
died at the age of seventy -six years.
July 17th. Three companies of the Sixth Regiment
enlist for 100 days.
August 16th. Captain William Wyman, second
postmaster of Lowell, died at the age of eighty-two
years. He was the owner of the farm on the heights
of Belvidere on which now stand many of the most
elegant private reridences of the city. He constructed
many of the buildings of the city, one of which —
Wyman'o Exchange — still bears his name. He was,
for many years, one of the most conspicuous and
enterprising men of the city.
October 20th. John P. Robinson died at the age of
sixty-five years. See Bench and Bar.
Captain Jonathan Spalding. — The high moral,
intellectual and social culture of Lowell in its early
davs has been the subject of very common remark,
and has frequently elicited the admiration of
strangers. The celebrated Wendell Phillips, who, in
1833, was a citizen of Lowell, said of the city thirty
vears afterwards: "Lowell was then crowded with
36
HISTORY OF .MIDDLESEX COUNTY, MASSACHUSETTS.
able men, and was rich in all that makes good so-
ciety, — amiable, beautiful and accorapliahed women,
— gentlemen of talent, energetic, well-informed, giving
a hearty welcome to the best thought of the dav."
This enviable condition of Lowell was greatly due
to the humane and generous policy of the merchant
princes of Boston who were the founders of the city.
It was also partly due to the large number of men of
talent and culture whom the new and magnificent
manufacturing enterprise had attracted to the spot.
But a third and very important factor was the high
character of the people already living in the quiet
village of East Chelmsford, where Lowell now stands.
The fertile fields lying for miles around Pawtucket
Falls were owned by thrifty farmers, whose spacious
homes were the abodes of generous ho.-pitality and
of much social refinement. Among them were men
of talent and high political position. On the north
side of the river was General Joseph B. Varnum,
who, for more than twenty years, was a member of
Congress, for four of which he was Speaker of the
House of Representatives, and for one year President
])ro tempore of the United States Senate. On the
south side was the sturdy young farmer, Benjamin
Pierce, who gained an honorable name as au officer
in the Kevolutionary War, and who afterwards be-
came Governor of New Hampshire and the father of
a President of the United States. On these farms
were the ancestors of many of the best families of
our city, and the names of Varnum, Coburn, Spald-
ing, Hildreth and others are still honored names.
To this class of substantial farmers belonged Jonathan
Spalding, the subject of this sketch.
Capt. Spalding was born at East Chelmsford (now
Lowell), June 12, 1775, and died at his home, on Paw-
tucket Street, Lowell, April 17, 1SG4, at the age of
eighty-eight years. He was born at his father's farm-
house,npar Pawtucket Falls, but the home of his in-
fancy and childhood was situated near the junction of
Merrimack and Central Streets. His father was Joel
Spalding, a respectable farmer, and his grandfather.
Col. Simeon Spalding, who lived near the centre of
Chelmsford, was an otBcer in the Revolutionary
army, and one of the most important and influential
men of the town, being the trusted representative of
Chelmsford in the Legislature of the State in the
days of the Revolutionary War, a member of the
Provincial Congress of Massachusetts in 1775, and a
delegate to the convention for framing a Constitution
of the Slate in 1770. Edward Spalden, the great-
grandfather of Col. Spalding, was one of the earliest
settlers of Chelmsford.
The father of Capt. Spalding spent his life upon
his farm, if we except a short time in which he
served in the Revolutionary army. He was present
at the surrender of Burgoyne at Saratoga. In 1790,
just 100 years ago, the family removed from the
house in which Capt. Spalding was born to the man-
sion-house on Pawtucket Street, in which he spent
the remaining years of his long life, and which is
still in the possession of Sarah R. Spalding, his only
daughter.
Capt. Spalding owed his military title to his ap-
pointment in his early manhood to the captaincy of
a company of cavalry. Through life he carried
with him something of the pcsitiveness of military
discipline. Though he was very deeply interested in
the promotion of the public welfare, he was never
ambitious of political honor. He was, however, in
1833, a member of the Legislature of the State.
When it became evident to him ihat the city of
Lowell was destined to cover his ancestral farm, he
sold the larger part of it to a syndicate of gentle-
men, consisting of William Livingston, Sidney Spal-
ding and others, and it was divided into house-lots
for the homes of the people of the rapidly-extending
city. He, however, retained as much of the
est.ite as would meet his wants and pleasures while
living in retirement, and his last years were peace-
fully and pleasantly passed at the old homestead.
Capt. Spalding was (bnd of books, and was happy
in his domestic relations. He loved to rehearse to
his family the events of early days, and tell cf the
simi)le scenes of rural life, when the good people of
the town were wont to ride to church on horseback,
keeping the Sabbath with the profoundest rever-
ence, and devoting to the solemn service the entire
day, from the rising of the sun to th.3 going down
thereof. He had the pleasure of witnessing, from their
very ince|)tion, the rise and development of the great
manufacturing enterprises which have made Lowell
known the world around.
Capt. Spalding was a man of delicate sensibility
and refinement of feeling, and possessed that union
of gentleness and firmness which always gives grace
to manners and dignity to character. He was of a
social nature, and was upon terms of friendly iuter-
C'jurse with ilr. Boott and other distinguished meu
of LoweH's early days. Of the hospitality of his
home a large circle of friends have many pleasant
memories. His quiet and [leaceful life was prolonged
far beyond the allotted age of man, and it afforded a
noble illustration of that pure and strong New Eng-
land character to which is due so much of the sta-
bility, prosperity and glory of our country. His wife,
Sarah Dodge Spalding, died in 1837, at the ageof for-
ty-nine years. Of his two sons, who survived him. Dr.
Joel Spalding will be probably noticed iti this work
among the physicians of Lowell, and J. Tyler Spal-
ding, who was a member of the firm of Ward &
Spalding, in Boston, died in 1872, at the homestead
in Lowell, at the age of forty-two years.
1865. Mayor, Josiah G. Peabody. Population, 30,-
990. The effect of the War of the Rebellion upon
the people of Lowell is indicated by the fact that
just before the war, in 18G0, the population was
greater by 5837 than at its close, in 1865. But even
before the war, such was the financial prostration
LOWELL.
37
aud distress of the country, that the population of the
city in 1860 was less by 727 than in 1850.
June 17th. The dedication of theLadd and Whitney
monument occurred. Lowell hnd never seen so splen-
did a pageant. The procession before the dedication
contained a vast array of high officials and organiza-
tions dressed in uniform, too numerous to be men-
tioned. The exultation at the successful issue of the
war inspired the occasion, and men of every class
delighted to honor the two younp Lowell soldiers
who were the first to shed their blood in the great
civil conflict. The oration was delivered by Massa-
chusetts' " War Governor,'' Andrew. The monument
does honor to the city. The words of the finely ap-
propriate inscription upon it, selected by Governor
Andrew, are found in Milton's Samson Agonistes, lines
1721-4, and are the words of Manoah, the father of
Samson, as he contemplates the bravery and death of
liis son :
" Nothiu? is here fur teftre, notbins to wail
Or kuuck the breuat ; Do weuknead, nu contempt,
Dispraise, or bltinic ; DOtliiug but well uDd fair,
Atiti what liiuy quiet us ia a death bo uuble."
December 11th. Elisha Huntington died at the age
of seventy years. Probably no citizen of Lowell has
filled so many office?, or has so long enjoyed, in
political and municipal aflairiS, the favor of his fel-
low-citizens.
1866. Mayor, Josiah G. Peabody. Population,
30,878.
January 17tb. Chase's Mills burned. Loss, $173,-
000. Probably the most destructive fire that has oc-
curred in Lowell.
August Gth. Music Hall opened.
September 3d. Perez Fuller died at the age of
seventy years. He was born in Kingston, Mass.,
1797. Mr. Fuller was a tailor by trade. He was a
]>erson of very unique character. While he was a
quiet, thoughtful man, so sober in appearance as al-
most to look sad, be possessed a vein of wit and humor
which made him the delight of all who loved fun. For
years no convivial occasion in Lowell was complete
without a comic song from Mr. Fuller. As an ama-
teur actor he exhibited remarltable natural talent.
He was withal so genial a companion that he became
a general favorite. It is hardly to the credit of the
mirth-loving people of the *ity, whom he so often
delighted, that in our cemetery there is no stone to
mark his grave.
1867. Mayor, George F. Richardson.
February 4lh. Young Men's Christian Association
organized.
March 29th. St. John's Hospital incorporated.
February 4th. First fair in aid of the Old Ladies'
Home.
April 21st. Joshua Swan died at the age of seventy-
nine years. He was born in Methuen, Mass., and
came to East Chelmsford (now Lowell) in 1S24, and
entered into the em|)loy of the machine-shop, where
he served as a contractor till 1840. While Lowell
was a town no man probably received bo many offices
as Mr. Swan. He was often selectman and modera-
tor of meetings, etc. He represented both town and
city in the Legislature. He was in the Council aud
Board of Aldermen, and served as county commis-
sioner three years from 1848.
July 4th. The statue of Victory, presented to the
city by Dr. J. C. Ayer, was unveiled in Monument
Square, in the presence of 15,000 or 20,000 spectators.
This statue is of bronze and is seventeen feet high.
It stands upon a granite pedestal. It is modeled
after a statue in front of the royal palace in Munich.
The figure is of a draped woman with wings, extend-
ing the wreath of victory in one hand and holding a
harvest sheaf of wheat in the other. It commemor-
ates the success of the national arms in the War of
the Rebellion.
July lOth. Old Ladies' Home, on Fletcher Street,
was dedicated.
1868. Mayor, Geo. F. Richardson.
March 11th. Samuel L. Dana, LL.D., died at the
age of seventy-three years. He was born in Am-
herst, N. H., 1795, and entered Harvard College
when only fourteen years of age. He served as lieu-
tenant of the First Artillery in the War of 1812. He
became a physician by profession, and practiced in
Waltham, but his great attainments in the science of
chemistry gained him the appointment of chemist to
the Merrimack Manufacturing Company. He came
to Lowell in 1834. Probably no citizen of Lowell
has made so high attainments in science. He was an
unassuming man of the most sterling worth.
May 30lh. Decoration Day firot celebrated.
December 4th. Gen. U.S. Grant visited Lowell. He
caine by invitation of the members of the City Grov-
ernmect, who met him in Boston and escorted him to
the city. The general seemed desirous of avoiding
display, and only three carriages were provided for
the occasion. He visited the Merrimack Company's
mills and the Print Works, the Carpet Mill and the
Lawrence Mills. There was a display of flags, and
crowds filled the streets, but the pageantry which at-
tended the visits of President Jackson and President
Tyler was wanting.
December 21st. Old Residents' Historical Associa-
tion organized with Dr. John O. Green as president,
and Z. E. Stone as secretary.
March 17ih. Samuel Burbank died at the age of
seventy-six years. He was born in Hudson, N. H., and
came to Middlesex Village (now a part of Lowell) in
1823, where he engaged in trade. Subsequently he was
adealer in clothing and hardware on Central Street for
many years. Few citizens of Lowell have been bet-
ter known or more highly honored. He was twice in
the Common Council, twice in the Board of Alder-
men, three times in the State Legislature. He was
also warden of St. John's Church. On the day of
his burial, as if by a spontaneous movement, the
38
HISTORY OF MIDDLESEX COUNTY, MASSACHUSETTS.
stores of the city were closed. So much do men
honor inte(!rity of character.
18S9. Mayor, Jonathan P. Folsom.
May 26th. The Lowell Hosiery Company was in-
corporated with a capital of $200,000.
October 15th. Hon. John Nesmith died at the age
of seventy-six years.
December 27 th. Masons celebrate St. John's Day
in St. Anne's Church.
Hon. John Nesmith. — The ancestry of Mr. Nes-
mith may be traced to that colony of sturdy Scotch-
men who, iu 1G90, sought the fertile fields of northern
Ireland, and settled on the River Bann, in the county
of Londonderry. From this colony came his great-
grandfather, Dea. James Nesmith, who, in 1719, set-
tled in Londonderry, N. H., and was one of the pro-
prietors of the town and an elder in the Presbyterian
Church. Thomas, the eldest son of Deacon Nesmith,
settled in the neighboring town of Windham, and ac-
quired a large estate. John, the son of Thomas, and
father of the subject of this sketch, was a merchant in
Windham, and died at the age of forty-four years,
leaving a family of nine children. John, the fourth
child, who was born August 3, 1793, and at the time
of his father's death was thirteen years of age, was
put to service as a merchant's clerk in Haverhill, Mass.
After five years in this position he formed a part-
nei^ship with his elder brother, Thomas, and engaged
in trade, first in Windham and subsequently in Derry,
N. H. During several of the later years of this part-
nership the brothers also carried on an extensive
and very successful commission business in New
York. Mr. John Nesmith conducted this branch of
the business of the firm and had his residence in that
city.
Having acquired property in trade, they came to
Lowell in 1831, and purchased of Judge Edward St.
Lae Livermore his estate of 150 acres in Belvidere
for S25,000, and sold it in house-lots to the cit'zens
of the rapidly-growing town. This enterprise brought
them still greater wealth.
But Mr. Nesmith was far from being contented
with dealing in real estate. He aspired to intellec-
tual achievements. His active mind enjoyed inves-
tigation and experiment. He studied works of science,
Le invented machines, he sought out new devices in
the mechanic arts; as he walked the streets his brow
was knit in thought, he peered into the future, and was
knov/n in the business world as a far-seeing man. It
was he who, foreseeing the advantage of controlling
the waters of Winnepiseogee and Squam LakeS, in
New Hampshire, for the benefit of the Lowell mills
in seasons of drought, purchased, on his own account,
the right to use these waters — a right which the
manufacturers were subsequently obliged to purchase
of him. It was he who, discerning the fitness of the
site of the city of Lawrence for manufacturing pur-
poses, purchased large portions of the land on which
that citv stands.
Among the machines invented by Mr. Nesmith
were one for making wire fence and another for
weaving shawl fringe. He engaged iu the manufac-
ture of blankets, flannels, printing cloths, sheetings
and other fabrics. He was either agent or owner of
mills in Lowell, Dracut, Chelmsford and Hooksett,
N. H.
He was a man of ardent, aggressive nature. His
convictions were positive and he could not meekly
bear opposition. His marked character brought him
public distinction. He was elected to municipal of-
fices. He was twice chosen Presidential elector and
once Lieutenant-Governor of the Siate. However,
he was not a politician, but a moralist. In political
contests it was not the partisan, but the moral, aspect
that moved him. The temi)erance aud anti-slavery
causes found in him a liberal contributor aud a life-
long friend.
In domestic life he spent freely from his large es-
tate to make his home one of comfort aud of beauty.
His graperies and his hot-houses, his fruit-trees and his
shrubbery, his fine lawn adorned with noble ornamen-
tal shade-trees, all attest his refined t:\ste, his love of
the beautiful and his tender care for the happiness of
those he loved. In his declining years he was not
the man to retire to the ease and repose so often
sought by the aged, but he Vvorked while strength
la>ted. He died not so much from disease as because
his physical powers could no longer endure the ac-
tion of his mind.
In his will he made generous provision for the in-
digent blind of New Hampsliire, and for a park iu
the town of Franklin in that State.
His death occurred October 15, 1SG9, in the
seventy-seventh year of his a^e.
1870. Mayor, Jonathan P. Folsom. Population,
40,928.
Jan. ISth, Rev. Dr. Amos Blanchard died. A sketch
of his life is found in Church History.
March 2d, B. C. Sargeant, mayor of the city in 18G0-
61, died at the age of forty-seven years.
March loth. Natives of !Maiue hold a festival iu
Huntington Hal!.
Col. Thomas Nesmith. — Very many of the early
settlers of New England were the choice spirits of
the British Isles. It was their love of liberty, their
superior enterprise, and, above all, their ardent
desire for religious freedom, that compelled them to
forsake their kindred a.nd the land of their birth,
and to welcome the hardships of a free life in the
new world. Conspicuous among these brave and
hardy einierants were the early settlers of London-
derry, N. H., and the adjacent towns. In 1690 their
forefathers had removed from Scotland to find a
fairer home and more fertile fields on the river Bann,
in the north of Ireland, and had settled in the county
of Londonderry. They were uncompromising Presby-
terians, and the persecutions which in Scotland they
had suflVrcd I'rom the English government and the
/
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h. . -.
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LOWELL.
39
Established Church had only confirmed their con-
victions and inspired in them an ardent love for
independence.
From these Scotch people in Londonderry in Ire-
land came the early settlers of Londonderry in New
England. Among them was Dea. James Nesmith,
the great-grandfather of Col. Thomas Nesmith, the
subject of this sketch. Dea. Nesmith came to
America in 1719, and was one of the sixteen pro-
prietors of the town of Londonderry, now in the
State of New Hampshire. His son Thomas, from
whom Col. Nesmith received his name, was one of
the first settlers of Windham (once a part of London-
derry), and was an enterprising farmer who, for the
times, acquired a large estate. John Nesmith, son of
the latter, and father of Col. Nesmith, remained upon
the homestead. The farm contained about 400 acres
and the spacious farm-house had seventeen rooms
and a store attached to it, together with a large hall,
which was a famous place for balk and dances in
"ye olden time." John Nesmith kept a country
store and did a thriving business. When forty-four
years of age he died suddenly, leaving a widow with
nine children.
Col. Thomas Nesmiih was born in Windham,
N. H., Sept. 7, 1788. His early education was ob-
tained in the district school and in the institution
now known as the Pinkerton Academy, in Derry.
When his father died he was eighteen years of age.
His mother was a woman of remarkable ability lor
business, although from lameness she was able to walk
only with a crutch. She resolved to retain the store
and rely upon her sons to carry on the business and
thus support the family. And doubtless it was in
this school of necessity that Col. Nesmith learned
those lessons of wisdom and foresight that made him
in future years one of the safest of financiers, and
one of the shrewdest and most far-seeing of the early
founders of the city of Lowell. He learned to lake
and to bear the responsibilities which the large
fiimily of a widowed mother imposed upon an older
son.
When twenty-four years of age he formed a partner-
ship with his younger brother John, and started a
store in Windham, in which they continued business
for about ten years. During this time he carried on a
very profitable business in the purchase and sale of
linen thread, which in those days was manufactured
on the small foot-wheel in private families. In 1822
the partners opened a store in Derry, where they con-
tinued in trade for about eight years.
In 1831 they retired from business and devoted
themselves to real estate, purchasing of Judge St.
Loe Livermore his large estate in Belvidere, in the
town of Tewksbury, for S2d,000, with the purpose of
selling it in house-lots demanded by the rapidly in-
creasing population of Lowell. This fine swell of
land, bounded on two sides by the Concord and the
Merrimack, became a part of the city about three
years after its purchase. It contains 150 acres and
upon it have been erected very many of the most
elegant homes of the city. The results of this enter-
prise, when added to the accumulations of trade in
earlier years, made the Nesmith brothers among the
most opulent of the citizens of Lowell.
Colonel Nesmith, though not a seeker for office, had
his share of official responsibilities. In early life he
was inspector of schools, and held other town offices
in Windham. In the War of 1812 he enlisted as a
soldier for, three months, and served as third lieute-
nant in Captain Bradley's company, stationed at
Portsmouth. In 1820 he was chosen colonel of the
Eighth Regiment of New Hampshire Militia. After
coming to Lowell he served two years in the City
Council, and he was a director of the Merchanib'
Bank.
His last years were spent in his home on Park
Street, his large estate affording him sufficient and
congenial employment. Colonel Nesmith was a
gentleman of the old school, dignified in manner and
observant of the gentle courtesies of social life.
It is to the honor both of the head and heart of
Colonel Nesmith that in his last will he left to his
native town of Windham $3000 for founding and per-
petuating a public library, $1000 to the High Street
Church Sab bath -School, of which his own children
had been members, and $25,000 as a fund for the sup-
port of the poor of Lowell. He died July 31, 1870,
at the age of eighty-two years.
1871. Mayor, Edward F. Sherman.
February 8th. The fir^t case of small-pox occurred.
This disease became epidemic in the city and was
the occasion of much excitement and alarm. The
city government was very severely blamed for inef-
ficient action in checking the disease, and many
citizens were roused to anger and indignation. It is
easy to judge after an event what should have been
done. The disease prevailed till autumn, and 580
persons were attacked by it, of whom 178 died.
October 23d the Board of Health reported that all
danger from small-pox had passed. The city ex-
pended S2G,000 on account of this epidemic. Its
origin is traced to an emigrant family who settled in
Mill Street. This family, having a sick child, used
every means to conceal the fact that the disease was
small-pox. The parents reported it as a case of mea-
sles. After the child had died a "wake" was held
in the house, and before the truth became known
large numbers had been exposed.
March 14th. City Council appropriated $15,000 to
establish a fire-alarm telegraph.
April lltli. Central Savings Bank organized.
August 22d. Framingham and Lowell Railroad
opened for travel.
December 9th. The Grand Duke Alexis, of Russia,
visited Lowell.
December 29th. Odd Fellows' Hall dedicated.
Sidney Spaldikg wa» born in East Chelmsford
40
HISTORY OF MIDDLESEX COUNTY, MASSACHUSETTS.
(now Lowell) November 14, 1798, and died at bis res-
idence on Middlesex Street, Lowell, on September 2,
1871, at the age of nearly seventy-three years. He
was the son of Micah Spalding, a respectable farmer
of East Chelmsford, whose farm-house, in which his
son was born, still stands on the corner of School and
Liberty Streets, in Lowell. In lively contrast to the
namerous equipages which now daily traverse the
once quiet farm of Mr. Micah Spalding it is fitting to
record that he was the possessor of the first chaise
owned in East Chelmsford. He died April 23, 1830,
at the age of seventy -seven years, while his wife, Mary
Chamberlain [Spalding], lived to the greit age of
ninety-one years.
The Spalding family is so numerous in Lowell and
its vicinity, and bears so honorable a name, that a
brief record of the ancestral line of the subject of
this sketch will not fail to interest the reader.
Edward Spalding, his earliest American ancestor,
seems to have joined that devout band from the towns
of Woburn and Concord, who, about lCo2, being in
search of a new place of settlement, had discovered a
tract of land on the west side of Concord River,
which they pronounced " a comfortable place to ac-
commodate God's people," and which, on making it
their home, they had called Chelmsford (Chelmer's
ford), probably in affectionate remembrance of
Chelmsford in England, on the banks of the river
Chelmer. Edward Spalding was in the first Board of
Selectmen in the town. John, the oldest sou of Ed-
ward, came with his father to Chelmsford when about
twenty-one years of age and lived to the age of eighty-
eight years. Joseph, son of John, also lived in
Chelmsford and died in 1728, at the age of fifty-four
yeais. Simeon Spalding, son of Joseph and grand-
father of Sidney Spalding, was far the most distin-
guished of his ancestors. He represented in the Leg-
islature the town of Chelmsford during the eventful
years preceding the Revolutionary War and during
the first years of the war. The fact that he possessed
the full confidence of his patriotic constituents indi-
cates the quality of his own patriotism. He had the
military title of colonel. Colonel Spalding was a
prominent Free Mason and for several years the his-
toric Pawtucket Lodge, of Lowell and vicinity, held
its meetings at his house. Micah, the son of Colonel
Simeon Spalding, was, as belbre stated, the father of
Sidney Spalding.
Mr. Spalding, after completing his elementary
education, became a clerk in tiie glass woiks
of Middlesex Village (now Lowell), a village which,
situated at the head of Middlesex Canal, was in those
early days a very important centre of business. At
length he opened a store in this village, which in two
or three years he relinquished in order to engage in
trade in Savannah, Georgia. But after visiting the
South he found neither the climate nor the institu-
tions of Georgia agreeable to his tastes and he re-
turned to New England. It was while in Georgia
that he imbibed those political principles which
made him an ardent Free-Soiler during the restof hia
life.
His next business adventure proved to be most for-
tunate. In company with four or five other gentle-
men, in 1830, while Lowell was a town, he purchased
the farm of Jonathan Spalding, in the south part of
Lowell, and proceeded to divide it into house-lots for
the rapidly increasing population of the town. This
proved to be the enterprise which occupied most of
the remaining years of liis life and from which he de-
rived most of his wealth.
However, he took a prominent part in the con-
struction of the Lowell and Lawrence and the Salem
and Lowell Railroads, in the stock of which he was a
large owner. At the time of his death he was presi-
dent of the former road and director of the latter.
Although Mr. Spalding was not ambitious for po-
litical honors, he was for four years a representative of
Lowell in the General Court. He was one year a
member of the Common Council and for two years
in the Board of Aldermen. In 1861 he was nomi-
nated as candidate for mayor of Lowell, but he de-
clined the honor. Had he received the election he
would have graced the olBce, for he was a gentleman
of superior talent for business, of cultivated manners
and of commanding personal presence. His tastes
led him to the <|uiet enjoyments of domestic lile. He
was fond of books, and in his elegant and attractive
home he had much to allure him from the walks of
political life.
He, however, had his share of human sorrow.
He lived to see the death of two wives and all of
their four children. ' His third wife and one dai^gh-
ter, -Miss Harriet Sidney Sjialding, survive him. Dr.
Charles Parker Spalding and Mr. Frederic Parker
Spalding, who are sons of his third wife by her for-
mer husband, Frederic Parker, Esq., attorney-at-law,
and who were adopted by Mr. Spalding and received
his name, are now respected citizens of Lowell.
1872. Mayor, Josiah G. Peabody.
January. William North died attheage of seventy-
eight years. He was born in Weatherslield, Conn.,
July 12, 1794. He held the position of superintendent
of the dyeing department of Middlesex Mills. He
was a man of great moial worth and was affection-
ately called " Father North." He was often honored
with city offices. He was especially identified with
St. Paul's Methodist Church.
February. City Library removed to Masonic Block.
February 10th. E. F. Sherman, mayor of the city
in 1S71, died at the age of fifty-one years.
March loth. People's Club orgai;ized.
April 27th. George Brownwell died at the age of
nearly seventy-nine years. He was born in Ports-
mouth, R. I., August 8, 1793. After working as a ma-
chinist in Fall River and Waltham,he came to Lowell
in 1824, and was among the first machinists of the
Lowell Machine Shop. Ou the death ol Paul Moody
■> ',..
y^ // r< ^af,,rj
LOWELL.
41
be succeeded him as superintendent of the machine
tihop. He retired from active business in 1845. He
was a member of the Common Council, of the Board
of Aldermen and of the Legislature, and was one of
Lowell's first citizens.
April 26ih. Oliver M. Whipple died at the age of
seventy-eight years. He was born in Weathersficld,
Vt., May 4, 1794, and came to East Chelmsford (now
Lowell), in 1818, nearly eight years before the town of
Lowell was incorporated, and established a powder
manufactory which he operated thirty-seven years.
He was a man of great energy and he took a very
active part in developing the enterprises ot the city
ill its early days. He was honored both by the town
and city of Lowell with many offices, and is justly
esteemed one of the founders of the city.
August 3d. An embassy Irom Japan visited the
city.
The Pawtucket iron bridge was finished in 1872, at
a cost of $3G,000, half of which was paid by the town
of Dracut.
Lowell Water-Works.— On November 27, 1872,
the pumping-engine of the water-works was first set
in motion.
Very soon after Lowell received her city charter
(1S3C), the question of an adequate water supply
attracted the attention of the city government.
In June, 1838, Mr.'F. M. Dexier, civil engineer, of
Boston, was employed to ascertain the level of Tyng's
and Long Ponds, and of Merrimack River above
Pawtucket Falls, and also the probable cost of intro-
ducing water from each of these sources. One item of
the engineer's report was that an outlay of §168,000
would furnish a daily supply of 1,200,000 gallons
from Tyng's Pond.
It was in 1848, ten years afterwards, that this re-
port was taken from the table and referred to the
proper committee. William E. Worthen, engine'=r,
was engaged to investigate and report the cost of sup-
plying with water 7a,000 inhabitants. He reported
that no pond in the vicinity of Lowell could furnish
a sufficient supply and recommended the taking of
water from the Merrimack River as the most feasible
plan. To do this would require au outlay of $400,000
or $500,000.
Here again the question rested for seven long years.
In 1855 an act of the Legislature was obtained
allowing the city to take a water supply from Merri-
mack Rivtr.
In 18G0 more surveys were made and reported upon,
and referred to the next city government, and then
follows a long rest of sLx years.
lu 18G6 the city government raised a committee on
water supply, and appointed Mr. L. F. Rice as engi-
neer. The plau reported made Beacon Hill, at the
head of Sixth Street the place for a reservoir, and
West Sixth Street the place for a pumping station.
It was estimated the total cost of introducing water
from the Merrimack, would be $750,0U0. This plau
was submitted to a vote of the people of Lowell and
rejected.
But soon there follows a change in the popular
sentiment. The friends of the water supply measure
take courage. Again on February 23, 1869, a popu-
lar vote was taken with the result of 1868 for the
measure and 1418 against it. By this vote the city
government was instructed to proceed and to intro-
duce water into the city for extinguishing fires and
for domestic uses.
The committee into whose hands was put the
charge of executing the work consisted of the mayor,
Mr. Folsom, Aldermen Scott and Latham and Coun-
cilmen Anderson, Greenhalge, Haggett and Lamson.
New investigations were now made. Water taken
from various sources was again analyzed. The water
from the Merrimack River and Beaver Brook was pro-
nounced purest. The Council decided in favor of
Beaver Brook, with an estimated cost of over
$1,000,000.
Again opposition arises. In November, 1869, the
proposition of postponing the whole matter was
brought to a popular vote and negatived by a very
decided majority, the yeas being 824 and the uays
2754. So decided an expression of the popular will
settled the matter. And cow the work proceeds.
Messrs. Levi Sprague, William E. Livingston and S.
K. Hutchinson were appointed as the Board of Water
Commissioners and Mr. Joseph P. Davis as engineer.
The plan adopted was that of the engineer, who re-
commended that water be taken from Merrimack
River at a probable cost of $1 .265,000. This was the
final plan, and it has been carried into successful exe-
cution. Very few if any dispute its wisdom.
Mv space will not allow me to speak at length of
the filter galleries, conduits, engines, pumps, and a
thousand other appliances necessary to the comple-
tion of the great work. The rest must be given in a
statistical form. The annual report for 1888 gives us
the statistics below :
The reservoir lot od BeacoD Hill contains 17 acres. The reservoir
itself covere nearly seveu acres.
Total leiigib of u'Hier mains, miles 85
Kunilier of water-takers 15,500
Kstiiiialeil population supplied 70,000
Tnlnl charges from all sources for 1888 185,000
Ket bonded indebtedness of the city for water-
works $1,191,160
Amount of receipUi above expeuditarei ID 1888 . $o,244
Total expenditures on water-works 14,453,583
Number gallons water pumped in 1888 1,822,01X490
Number tons of coal consumed in 1888 1,8(^
Average price of coal per ton in 188S f4-44
Kumber of gallons of water used daily per capita G6^
1873. Mayor, Francis Jewett.
May 1st. Young Women's Home dedicated.
July 9th. Fisher A. Hildreth died at the age of
fifty-five years. He was born in Dracut February 5,
1818. His home was in Centralville, and through his
life he was identified with the city's histoiy. As
editor of several Democratic papers and as post-
42
HISTORY OF MIDDLESEX COUNTY, MASSACHUSETTS.
master of the city he became very widely known.
He acquired wealth and from his estate wiia erected
the "Hildreth" block. He was a man of talent and
enterprise.
August '24th. Dr. Edson's eightieth birthday cele-
brated.
September 29th. The Daily Times appears as a
morning paper.
1874. Mayor, Francis Jewett.
March 7lh. Fiftieth Anniversary of the organiza-
tion of St. Anne's Church celebrated.
April 20th. Fire at Wameait Mills ; loss, $40,000.
September 24th. G. A. R. Hall dedicated.
December Ist. Lowell & Andover Railroad opened.
October 31st. Rev. John O'Brien ' died at the age
of seventy-four years.
In 1874 the village of Pawtucketville (1000 acres)
was set off from Dracut to Lowell. This village,
many years older than Centralville, haa a history
reaching back into the last century. Here, in 1711,
was established the old church whose history is else-
where given. The bridge over the Merrimack at this
place, incorporated in 1792, had drawn people to the
spot. This village, formerly known ;ia West Dracut,
is now one of the most pleasant and attractive parts
of our city.
In the same year (1874) Middlesex Village (060
acres) was set off from Chelmsford to Lowell. The
history of this village also runs back into the pi\at
century. Here started the Middlesex Canal, which
was incorporated in 1793 and opened in 1804. It
was a busy place in those early years. It is now a
quiet village adorned with pleasant homes.
By the annexations of Belvidere, Centralville,
Piiwtucketville,Middle3ex Village, etc., the territory of
Lowell haa been very greatly extended. Belvidere
alone contained five square miles. The extent of the
city now is more than twelve square miles, having
been enlarged by annexations in 1832, 1834, 1851,
1874, 1879, 1888.
The original territory of Lowell was not an inviting
place for private residences. The low grounds, inter-
spersed with swamps, sprinkled with clumps of bushes,
dotted with muddy ponds, hardly promised health
and a pleasant home to the new-comer. Well does
the writer remember how, at the time he contem-
plated coming to Lowell in 1845, his wise physician
shook his head and warned him of the peril to which
he was exposing his family. But by an admirable
system of drainage and the annexation of these four
villages, all of which are inviting and eligible spots
for healthy homes, Lowell may, on the score of
healthfulness and neatness, challenge comparison
with her sister cities.
Lowell haa now outgrown the crude and barren
aspect of a city in the rough process of being built,
and is fast putting on that settled and homelike ap-
> Fur biugrnphy soe " St. Patrick's CliurcU llittory."
pearance which time alone can give. When the poet
Whittier was, for a short time in 1844, a citizen of
Lowell, he missed "the elm-lined avenues of New
Haven and the breezy leafine^-s of Portland," and
even declares that " for the last few days it has been
as hothereaa Nebuchadnezzar's furnace." However, he
kindly adds : " But time will remedy all this." The
prophecy has proved true. Few cities present more
to please the eye than Lowell. Its streets are broad
with spacious grades and well paved side-walks, and
lined throughout with elms and maples in the very
prime of beauty.
The decaying old buildings, cheaply constructed in
uncouth style many years ago, and standing hard
upon the traveled street, such as too often mar the
beauty of older cities, do not appear in Lowell. The
city stands upon the border line between the decay of
age and the freshness of youth.
Nor is the scenery of Lowell without its charms.
As the traveler approaches the city from the east,
along the banks of the Merrimack, and passes the
elegant residence of Gen. Beuj. F. Butler, there is
spread out before him a scene resplendent with
beauty. On his right across thestream rise gracefully
th« heights of Centralville, crowned with forest trees,
while at their feet the waters of the river dash and
foam as, amidst the huge boulders, they descend the
fails. Far up the river two graceful bridges, spanning
the stream, are outlined on the western sky, while on
the south side of the Merrimack are ranged in long
array the vast structures of our great maiiufactorie;,
with their graceful chimneys towering far above them.
Let the traveler now turn to the left and, ascending
Lynde's Hill in Belvidere, view a far different scene
but one of equal beauty. At his feet, nestling amidst
the green foliage of the trees, are the ten thousand
homes of a thrifty and happy people, the numerous
church spires proclaiming that in the hearts of this
people there is a better worship than that of Mam-
mon. Against the western sky, and forty miles away,
stretches the long range of the Pack Monadiiock
Mountains in New Hampshire, while far beyond them
rise the dim outlines of the Grand Mouaduock. At
the left also rises the peak of Mount Wachuset in our
own State. The whole scene is one of great loveli-
ness, mingling with the triumphs of human art the
charms and beauties of nature.
1875. Mayor, Francis Jewett. Population, 49,GS8.
January 7th. Kalakaua, King of the Sandwich
Islands, visited Lowell.
March 31st. Knights of Pythias dedicated their
new hall.
July 1st. New City Charter adopted by popular
vote.
June. Tappan Wentworth died at the age of seventy-
three years. He was born in Dover, N. H., Feb. 24,
1802, and was a descendant of Thomaa Wentworth,
the celebrated Earl of Strafford. He married Anne
McNeil, a niece of President Franklin Pierce. He
4^^^ ''C7-z^t^/i^_
LOWELL.
43
came to Lowell in Nov., 1833, aud entered upon the
practice of law, in which he gained a very high repu-
tation. He was honored with many offices in the
city and the State, and in 1852 was elected to Congress
by the Whig paity.
1876. Mayor, Charles A. Stott.
January 13th. Reform Club organized.
February 8th. Fiftieth anniversary of the First Bap-
tist Church celebrated.
March Ist. Lowell celebrated the fiftieth anniver-
sary of its incorporation as a town. General Butler
delivered an oralion and addresses were made by
Hon. John A. Lowell, Marshall P. Wilder, Dr. John
(). Green, Rev. Warren H. Cudworth, Jonathan
Kimball, Bishop Clark, of Rhode Island, C. A. Stott,
mayor, and Rev. Dr. Miner. The poem for the occa-
sion was written by John S. Colby. Music by the
Lowell Choral Society and the Germania Orchestra
of Boston.
June 6th. The First Con^egational Church cele-
brated its fiftieth anniversary.
June 8th. Dom Pedro II., Emperor of Brazil, visited
Lowell.
October 23d. Albert Wheeler died at the age of
sixty-three years. He was born in Concord Decem-
ber 15, IS] 3, and came to Lowell when ten years of
age. In 1836 he engaged in the grocery busineirs on
Tilden Street, and in the same place continued the
trade for forty years. Few citizens of Lowell have
been so familiariy known. His genial, social nature
gained him many friends.
August 21st. Josiah B. French, mayor of the city
in 1849 and 1850, died at the age of seventy-six
years.
Josiah Bowers French. — In the first quarter of
the present century there were upon the farms and
the hillsides of New England many families of
smart and promising boys who had been reared in
virtuous homes, whose physical powers had been
strengthened by the necessity of labor, and whose
stout hearts .and willing hands only waited for an
opportunity to take up the serious duties of life
and to make for themselves an honorable name.
Such a family was that to which belonged Josiah
Bowers French, the subject of this sketch ; and such
an opportunity was the commencement of the great
manufacturing enterprises of Lowell about seventy
years ago. Luther French, the father of Mr. French,
was a respectable farmer in the town of Billerica,
four of whose sons — Josiah B., Abram, Walter and
Amos B. — came to Lowell in early life and became
men of high standing and enterprise among the
founders of the city.
Josiah B. French was born in Billerica December
13, 1799, and died at his home on Chelmsford Street,
Lowell, August 21, 1S76, at the age of seventy-six
years. His early education was limited to the dis-
trict schools. At the age of eleven years he left
home, not to return, and lived with two of his
uncles, attending school and working upon the farm
for his board and clothing. One of these uncles
resided in Salisbury, N. H. For two or three years
of his minority he worked in a store, and for a
short time he was engaged in trade in Charles-
town.
Mr. French had this advantage in life : that he
was a man of fine personal bearing, tall, erect and
commanding, giving the impression to one who met
him that he was no ordinary man.
At the early age of twenty -four years he seems to
have attracted attention to his merits, for he then
received from Sheriff Nathaniel Austin an appoint-
ment as one of his deputies for Middlesex County.
Upon this appointment he became a resident of
Lowell, where he held the office until 1830, acting,
meantime, as collector, and serving in various
minor offices.
In 1826 he engaged in the service of the Central
Bridge Company, and took part in disposing of its
stock. He was appointed coroner in 1827, collector
of taxes of the town of Lowell in 1829 and assessor
in 1833-34.
In 1828 he was active in the work of organizing
the Old Lowell Bank, the earliest of the discount
banks of the city. Of this bank he was for several
years a director.
From 1831 to 1846 he did an extensive business
in staging on various lines of travel. He had a
contract for carrying the United States mails be-
tween Boston and Montreal. Of the old method of
staging Mr. French gave an interesting account in
a paper read before the Old Residents' Historical
Association on May 4, 1874, in which he said :
■' The number of stages arriving at. and leaving
Lowell, at the time when the Boston and Lowell
Railroad went into operation, in 1835, was forty or
forty-five each day." The railroad greatly inter-
fered with his staging, but he continued to carry
the mails afterwards. It was many years before the
railroad was extended to Montreal.
The talents of Mr. French were recognized by
his frequent appointment to office. In 1835 he was
elected on a citizen's ticket as Representative of
Lowell to the General Court of Massachusetts, and
long afterwards, lin 1861, he was again elected.
In 1836 and in 1842 he was a member of the Com-
mon Council. In 1840 and 1841 he was chief en-
gineer of the Lowell Fire Department. From 1844
to 1847 he was one of the commissioners of Middle-
sex County. He took an active part in the incor-
poration of the City Institution for Savings, and also
of the Appleton Bank. With both of theae institu-
tions, either as trustee or director, he was connected
from the beginning, and shortly before his death he
became president of the Appleton Bank.
Few men have engaged in so great a variety of
enterprises and employments. In 1847 he, with
others, took a large contract in the construction of
44
HISTORY OF MIDDLESEX COUNTY, MASSACHUSETTS.
the Ogdeiisburg Railroad, which occupied him for
about two years. While engaged upon this contract
and absent from the city, he was, upon a citizens'
ticket, elected mayor of Lowell. In the office of
mayor he distinguished himself as a financier. In
the next year he was re-elected, holding the office in
the years 1849 and 1850. In 1851 he was chosen
president of the Northern Railroad of New Hamp-
shire. This position, however, he aoon resigned in
order to engage with his brother Walter in a large
contract involving three million dollars, in the con-
struction of a railroad in Ohio. His brother having
been killed in the lailroad drawbridge disaster at
Norwalk, Conn., in 1853, the completion of this im-
portant contract fell upon Mr. French. For about
fourteen of the later years of his life he served as
agent of the Winnipiseogee Lake Cotton & Woolen
Company at Lake Village, N. H.
For a period of several months before his death, in
1876, his declining health forbade his acti\e pursuit
of the duties of his busy life.
Mr. French, though not an active politician, was
ranked as a member of the Democratic party. In re-
ligious sentiment he was a Unitarian.
He will long be remembered as among the most
sagacious and enterprising business men of the early
days of the city of Lowell.
1877. Mayor, Charles A. Stott.
July 29th. The First Uuiversalist Church celebrated
its fiftieth anniversary.
Captain Joxathan Tyler was born in East
Chelmsford (now Lowell) January 17, 1790. He was
one of the seven sons of Nathan Tyler, who resided
near the foot of Pawtucket Falls. His father, who
was for the times a man of large estate, was employed
upon the river in boating and rafting, and the son, in
his earlier years, followed his father's occupation.
In those early days, before railroads existed, a vast
amount of lumber was brought in rafts down the
Merrimack. At Pawtucket Falls the rafts were
broken up, and the lumber, having been drawn by
teams to the foot of the falls, was there formed again
into rafts. These operations employed many men
and many teams, and made the vicinity of the Falls
a scene of busy life.
In 1816 Captain Tyler married Civil S., daughter
of Captain Benjamiu Bulterfield, a wealthy farmer
and a prominent man in East Chelmsford. Mrs.
Tyler became widely known in Lowell, having lived
to the great age of ninety-lour years.
Upon his. marriage Captain Tyler began business
for himself, as landlord of the American House, on
Central Street, a house which he owned through life.
After nine years in this position he, for a lew years,
was landlord of the Mansion House, which then stood
near the corner of Merrimack and Bridge Streets.
Public-houses in Lowell's early days were places of
great importance, being frequented by men of every
class, who, from curiosity, or for trade, or tor finding
a home, resorted to the new and thriving town. To
these the hotel was their first home. Here, too, the
wealthy mill-owners from Boston took many a good
meal. Having by his shrewdness and enterprise ac-
quired wealth in his early days, he spent the last half
of his long life in dealing in real estate, in erecting
buildings, many of which are ornaments to the city,
and in wise and profitable speculation. His residence
during these years was upon Park Street.
Captain Tyler was an upright, industrious, enter-
prising man, who thought much and said little.
Though he never sought public honors, yet such were
his ability and worth that his fellow-citizens often
placed him in positions of responsibility and trust. At
difierent times he was one of the selectmen of the
town, a member of the Common Council and of the
Board of Aldermen, and a representative in the State
Legislature. In his will he left $10,000 for the poor
of Lowell.
Captain and Mrs. Tyler, both having been born on
the soil of Lowell, and both having spent there the
whole of their long lives, became to a very remark-
able degree identified with the city itself. Both be-
ing most intimately conversant with the history of
the city, their death robs us of a historic treasure
which can never be replaced.
Captain Tyler died October 14, 1877, at the age of
eighty-eight years. Mrs. Tyler died May 11, 1886, at
the age of ninety-four years.
1878. Mayor, John A. G. Richardson.
April 24th. The Lowell District Telephone Com-
pany began operations.
July 3d. James C. Ayer' died at the age of sixty
years.
September 26th. First annual regatta of the Ves-
per Boat Club.
July 3d. Artemas L. Brooks died at the age of sev-
enty-four years. He was born in Groton, N. H.,
1803, and came to Lowell in 1832. For forty-seven
years he was well known as a house-builder and man-
ufacturer of lumber. He was a conspicuous advocate
of the moral reforms (jf his day, and stood at the
front in every good cause.
December 30th. Electric lights tried in Merrimack
Mills.
May 13th. The Lowell Art Association was formed,
with Thomas B. Lawson as president.
1879- Mayor, John A. G. Richardson.
February 5th. Samuel Batchelderdied at the age of
nearly ninety-five years, an age greater than that of
any other of the founders of Lowell. He was born in
Jatfrey, N. H., in 1784. When a young man he engaged
in trade in Peterboro' and Exeter, N. H. In 1808 he
began the manufacture of cotton in New Ipswich, N. H.
Such were his ability and success in this enterprise
that he was invited to participate in establishing the
great manufactories of Lowell. He was a man of
1 See biugrapUy Id chapter ua Manufactures,
LOWELL.
45
science and invention. Tlie machines he invented
and the offices he held are too numerous to be men-
tioned. He was the most active aj^ent in starting the
Hamilton Mills. He took a very lively interest in
the affairs of the town of Lowell. Even at the age
of eighty-six years he was president of the Hamil-
ton, the Appleton, the Essex, the Everett, the York
and the Exeter Mills. There are few examples on
record of men of such intense mental activity and of
such a vast variety of responsibilities who have at-
tained so great an age. His last years were spent on
his estate in Cambridge, Mass.
July 1st. Morning Mail first issued.
September 2(5th. The Unitarian Church celebrated
the fiftieth anniversary of its organization.
1880. Mayor, Frederic T. Greenhalge. Popula-
tion, 5'J,485.
January 14th. Charles Stewart Paruell visited
Lowell.
September Cth. First Catholic Parochial School
opened.
October 5th. Seventy first meeting of the American
Board of Commissioners for Foreign MiEsions held
m Lowell.
October Cth. Chase & Faulkner's mills destroyed
by fire.
188L Mayor, Frederic T. Greenhalge.
January 31st. The School Committee voted to
supply all the children of the public schools with
frtc text books at the expense of the city. This deci-
sion is now almost universally acquiesced in.
January. Electric Light Company organized.
February 22d. City Council voted to introduce the
high service water system.
April 6lh. Hocum Hosford, mayor of the city in
1SG2-3-4, died at the age of fifty-five years.
May 6th. A'»sociated Charities organized.
September 6lh. " Yellow Tuesday." The darkness
of this day did not probably equal that of the " dark
day " in May, 1780. It was characterized by a gloom
which fell on the earth like a yellow pall.
October 13th. Citizens voted to build Aiken Street
Bridge.
October 31st. John Amory Lowell died at the age
of eighty-three years. He built the Boott and Mas-
sachusetts Mills.
1882. Mrtvor, George Runels.
Josiah Gates died May 4, 1882.
Theodore H. Sweetser' died May 8, 1882.
April 11, 1882. Rev. Dr. Eden B. Foster died at the
age of sixty-eight years.
August 5th. Central Bridge burned. The structure
was of wood and was entirely consumed.
1883- Mayor, John J. Donovan.
February 23d. Fiftieth anniversary of the opening
of the Edson Grammar School celebrated.
May 7th. Vote of City Council to establish a free
1 For biogmiiliy 8:k: chupU.-!' ou Ik-ucli ao<l Bar.
reading-room and to make the City Library a free li-
brary. The great number of men and boys who daily
frequent the free reading-room attest the wisdom of
this vote.
June 25ih. Rev. Dr. Edson died at the age of
ninety years. He was rector of St. Anne's Church
for nearly sixty years.
In 1883 the Erie Telephone Company was organ-
ized with a capital of $5,000,000 ; Wm. A. Ingham
was the first president. The business of this com-
pany is limited to Cleveland, Ohio, and the States
of Arkansas, Texas, Minnesota and South DiJcxta.
The company pays four per cent, annual dividends.
Levi Sprague, president for 1890 ; C. J. Glidden, sec-
retary and treasurer.
Djniel Ayer, from whom the part of Lowell called
" Ayer's City " derives its name, died at Bath-on-the-
Hudsou, December 30, 1883. Mr. Ayer was born in
Canada. He came to Lowell in his youth. After
several failures in Lowell and elsewhere to acquire
wealth by purchat-ing land and selling it in houife-
lots, at length fortune smiled upon him, whert upon
he made a feast for his former creditors in Lowell, at
which each guest found under his plate the full
amount that was due him. Mr. Ayer was a peculiar
man, and had other eccentricities besides that of pay-
ing his honest debts. He once had the honor of rep-
resenting Lowell in the State Legislature.
September 18th. New Central Bridge opened to
travel.
October 10th. The Paige Street Free Baptist
Church celebrated its fiftieth anniversary.
November ISlh. New standard of time went into
efl'ect.
The iron Central Bridge was finished in 1883; cost,
$118,000.
The iron Aiken Street Bridge was finished in 1883;
cost, $190,W0. The Aiken Street Bridge is much
longer than the Central Bridge.
October, 188.^. The New England Telephone and
Telegraph Company was organized under the laws of
the State of New York. It was formed by consolidat-
ing several companies which had formerly operated iu
Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont and most of Mas-
sachusetts. The wonderful invention of the telephone,
and the prospect of its early introduction into all the
channels of business, produced a profound impression
and gave rise to a vast amount of honest and dishon-
est speculation. Enterpribing men and unscrupulous
men alike saw in the invention the promise of untold
wealth suddenly acquired. There was a general craze.
The ignorant and inexperienced, with a wild rush,
followed the acute financiers and the unscrupulous
speculators into the telephone business. New com-
panies sprang up on every side, the stock in which
was eagerly sought. Credulous men and confiding
women freely invested their money and never exactly
knew where it went to.
These numerous companies soon learned that to
46
HISTORY OF MIDDLESEX COUNTY, MASSACHUSETTS.
operate a telepbooe was something very different
from simply forming a company and taking in the
money of credulous men. It was found that the com-
panies must combine in order to succe-sful operation.
In this combination the original Bell Company, hav-
ing the power, took the lion's share of the vast capi-
tal of ?12,( 00,000. This capital almost equals the
combined capital of all the great manufacturing cor-
porations of Lowell. These corporations can show
vast and splendid possessions, — lands, buildings, ma-
chinery, canals, which challenge the wonder and ad-
miration of the beholder, but where are the colossal
possessions of the New England Telephone Com-
pany ?
This company, under its present officers, is,
doubtless, well and honestly managed, and it has the
confidence of the community. It deserves high praise
for saving from the wreck so much as it has succeeded
in saving. The wrong lies further back than the for-
mation of this company. The stock of the compjuiy,
if sold to-day, would restore to tho3e who purchased
it seven years ago, a little more than half of the
money invested.
In the earlier days of the telephone Lowell seemed
to be the central city of telephone speculation and
management, and probably the people of no other
city have lost so heavily in purchasing telephone
stock. It is this that warrants the mention of this
subject in a history of this city.
The headquarters of the New England Company
are now in Boston. The company pays aanuaily a
stock dividend of three and one-half per cent. In 1S88
the company paid in dividends, >'284,651. The gross
earnings were SI, 127, 307; expenses, !i85t),.380 ; net
earnings, $270,726 ; number of local exchange con-
nections, 26,520,535 ; number of regular employees of
all classes, 518.
1884. Mayor, John J. Donovan.
Charles Morrill, superintendent of 'the schools of
Lowell for seventeen years, died April 2, 1884. Mr.
Morrill was born in Waltbam and was the son of Rev.
Jonathan C. Morrill, first postmaster of Lowell. He
was educated at WatervilleCollege, Maine, was chosen
princi|)al of the Green School iu Lowell in 1845, and
became superintendent of Lowell public schools in
1867. He died in office at the age of sixty-five years.
Charles P. Talbot died July 6th.
August 30, 1884. Colonel Joseph S. Pollard died at
the age of seventy-two years'. Colonel Pollard was
born in Plaistow, New Hampshire. Before coming to
Lowell in 1854 he had been elected Representative
and Senator to the Legislature of New Hampshire.
He was also a Representative from Lowell in the
Massachusetts Legislature and for two years alder-
man of the city. For fourteen years he was an in-
spector in the Boston Custom-House.
October 30th. Horace J. Adams died at the age of
sixty-six years. He was born in Haverhill, New
Hampshire, and came to Lowell in 1S33. .Is senior
partner in the firm of Adams & North, dealers in
furniuire for many years, he became one of the best
known of the citizens of Lowell. He was a very
prominent member of St. Paul's Methodist Church.
John A. Kuowles' died July 24, 1884.
The Colwell Motor.— The American Triple
Thermic Motor Union, a company formed for the in-
troduction, as a motive-power, of the Triple Thermic
Motor, familiarly known as the " Colwell Motor," had,
in its earlier years, its headquarters in this city, and
for its president and principal manager, the Rev. T.
M. Coiwell, a citizen of Lowell. The laws of Massa-
chusetts do not grant charter.^ to companies who.se
capital, like that of this company, is as large as $25,-
000,000. Accordingly a charter was secured from the
State of New York, and the city of New York is now
the headquarters of the company. But Lowell was
the field of its early operations, and the citizens of
I Lowell have been most deeply affected by the success
or failure of the enterprise.
So much heat is required in the production of
steam, and there is so great a waste of power in ap-
plying it in the propulsion of machinery, that it has
long been the dream of men of inventive talent to
find a vapor which can be produced with far less
heat, and applied with far less waste. Experiments,
with more or less success, have been made for this
purpose with ether, chloroform and bisulphide of
carbon, all of which can be evaporated at a far lower
temperature than water, and all of which are very
volatile liquids and under certain circumstances dan-
gerously explosive.
In the year 1850 the attention of engineers was at-
tracted to an engine invented by Vincent du Trem-
bley, known as the Binanj Vapor Enyinc, in which
steam produced in one boiler was made, by means of
tubes, to evaporate the ether in a second boiler, the
latter vapor being applied to the propulsion of ma-
chinery. Du Trembley's binary vapor engines proved
to be more economical in the consumption of coal
than the common steam engine, and atone time they
were employed in seven ocean steamers, which plied
from France to Brazil, or from France to Africa.
Though every caution was employed in these engines
to prevent the contact of the ether with the fire, it
was found impossible to prevent occasional accidents.
At the very time when preparations were being made
to introduce these engines into five other vessels, by
one of these unfortunate accidents one of the first
seven vessels, the ship " France," was set oa fire and
burned. This disaster was a sad disappointment, and
its result was a return to steam.
Afterwards the Ellis engine presented its claims.
This, too, was a binary vapor engine employing, in-
stead of ether, the bisulphide of carbon. This vola-
tile but inexpensive liquid presents to the engineer
very serious obstacles to its use, among which are its
1 For biography see cbui)lei' ou Bench auil Bai-.
LOWELL.
47
liabiliiv to explosions, its offensive odor, and the diffi-
culty of finding a proper lubricant for the engines in
which it is used. The Ellis engine was also employed
to propel vessels and was used in the Atlantic Works
in East Boston. The Heyer Brothers of Boston in-
vested heavily in this enterprise. But the engine
proved a failure, and the invested money was lost.
Steam again asserted its dominion.
About the year 1879 Mr. William S. Colwell, of
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, an engine-maker by trade,
after long study, believed he had found the means of
obviating the objections to the use of the bisulphide
of carbon, and constructed an engine which he is said
to have run in a quiet way for about one year. An
application for a patent was filed July 2G, 1879. At
length, in August, 1883, an engine was set up and put
to actual service in West Forty-sixth Street, New
York, parties having been induced to invest in the
enterprise in the preceding year.
Not having the means of starting the enterprife
of introducing the new engine without aid, Mr.
Colwell associated with him Mr. J. H. Ca.mpbell, an
attorney, aud Mr. James McLain, a chemist, both of
New York City. His brother, P^ev. Dr. T. M. Col-
well, pastor of the First Baptist Church in Lowell,
became his principal manager and representative be-
fore the public. Dr. Colwell is a man of ability,
having great power over the minds of those who are
jissocia'.ed with him, and he entered upon the new-
enterprise with an ardent zeal and untiring energy
which commanded success. He was president of the
company, formed in 1884, for the development and in-
troduction of the patent, with its office in Shedd's
Block, in Lowell. The friends of the enterprise were
buoyant and ardent. It was claimtd that the self-
same heat which in steam gave a 14 horse power,
would give a 63-hor3e power after passing from the
steam into the bisulphide vapor, and that of the
60,000,000 tons of coal annually used in the United
States for creating sleam, 45,000,000 would be saved.
Many clergymen, especially of the Baptist persuasion,
became officers in the company or shareholders.
Widows and men of small means were approached
and urged to purchase stock. They were told if the
rich had heretofore had all the favors of fortune, now
there w:i3 a chance for men of humbler means also
to become suddenly wealthy. The excitement grew
apace. The story is told of a woman who had 54000
well invested in a bank. She was sorely tempted to
withdraw it and invest it in the stock of the new
motor. The cashier of the bank dissuaded her from
withdrawing it. But after hearing the president
])reach on Sunday she sent into the bank her check
for withdrawing the full amount, declaring thai she
could no longer doubt after listening to the preaching
of so good a man. There was in the persuasive lan-
guage of the president an ardor and positiveness
which begat conviction in the excited mirtds of those
who already wished to believe, and had begun to in-
dulge in the fond dream of wealth. To confirm this
statement it is enough to quote from a speech of Dr.
Colwell delivered before the shareholders in May,
1884, the following sentences: "I believe the har-
vest is now ready for the sickle." " Over 300
engines have been applied for." "If any of you
feel, for any reason, that yon would rather have your
money back, and ten per cent, additional, you may
have it." "The largest amount of leakage in 6
months would not be greater in bulk than a grain of
wheat." "I will pay any man $500 if he will show
me how to explode bisulphide of carbon." The
report that Jay Gould had invested s;l,000,000 in
the enterprise added to the excitement. In the
minds of the faithful the most extravagant expecta-
tions were indulged. Stock which was va'ued at
*G00,000 jumped to $5,000,000, and then to $25,000,-
OUO. It was claimed that the engine saved seventy -five
per cent, of coal, and therefore would and must be intro-
duced into all the places where steam is now employed.
How much the people of Lowell have invested in
Colwell motor stock it is impossible to tell, but the
amount is very large. It is believed that very many
persons of humble means aud credulous nature have
risked their all. After the encine in New York was
abandoned an engine was set up on Jackson Street,
Lowell, in May, 1885. This engine, for a while, was
used to generate a current of electricity for the elec-
tric lights of the city. Ere long it gave place to a
steam-engine, and the Colwell motor slept for many
months. But, in the summer of 1889, Mr. Warren
Aldrich, the owner of the building and part owner of
the engine itself, set it to running to carry certain
machinery. On the afternoon oi July IGth a start-
ling explosion was heard in the building, and the
alarm of fire was rung. The flames, however, were
soon subdued, and it proved that a quantity of bisul-
phide had escaped into a drain and there exploded.
The explosion, without doing much real damage toany-
thing of value, fully proved that this volatile liquid,
when mixed with a certain amount of air, is a dan-
gerous explosive. The engine was not disabled, but
it has quietly ceased to work.
To a heartless looker-on, when he considers that
five years ago this great enterprise with its capital of
$•25,000,000, with its shares at $5000 each, with its
president, a doctor of divinity, announcing that over
300 engines had been applied for, is now unable to
show a single engine in action, and haa not actually
sold one of those 300 engines applied for, the prospect
of success seems truly forlorn and dim. Not so with
those whose fortunes are at stake. They are easily
satisfied, and their hopes are easily kept alive. It is
said that a citizen in passing by the quiet Colwell
motor works on Jackson Street, saw a lone Irishman
digging in the dirt. " Patrick," said he, " what are
you digging that hole in the ground for?" "To kape
the stockholders azy," was the prompt reply of the
son of Erin.
48
HISTORY OF MIDDLESEX COUNTY, MASSACHUSETTS.
It is asserted, in explaining the explosion, that Mr.
Aldrich did not have the sanction of the company in
starting up the engine, and that he did not know how
to manage it. The hopeful friends of the enterprise
are fully persuaded that their favorite invention, as
all things great and good have done before, is now
only passing through the Red Sea of public distrust
and scorn, and that by and by they will sing a soug uf
triumph like that of Miriam of old.
1885. Mayor, Edward J. Noyes. Population,
G4,051.
The Tayior Street stone bridge was finished in 1SS5.
Cost, $100,000, including expense for approaches and
land damages.
Feb. 10th. Judge Nathan Oosby died at the age of
eighty-seven years. He was born in Sandwich, N. H.
He came to Lowell, Nov., 1S43, was commissioned
judge of the Police Court May ID, 184(3, and held
the office thirty-nine years, until his death. He was
a man of high character and pure li/e. He was a
geotluman of the old school, and few men have
equaled him in natural dignity and self-control.
Nov. 14, 1885. Edward Tuck died at the age of
seventy-nine years.
December 22d. Dr. John O. Green died at the age
of nearly eighty-seven years. He was a notive of
Maiden, and he came to East Chelmsford (now Low-
ell) in 1822. He was a worthy compeer of Dr. Edson
in establishing and sustaining our public-school sys-
tem. The lives of very few of the citizens of Lowell
are so fully identified with the life of the city itself.
See medical chapter.
1886. Mayor, James C. Abbott.
Wm. C. Gray died Ai)ril 3, ISSC, at the age of
seventy-seven years. He was born in Tiverton, R. I.,
came lo Lowell in 1829, established the Boston &
Lowell Expres<, employing teams for five years, until
the Boston & Lowell Railroad was opened to business.
As an expressman for many years, he was most famil-
iarly known in our streets. He acquired property
and once owned the Washington House. His prop-
erty was mainly lost by speculation. He held the
offices of alderman and deputy sheriff.
Mrs. Civil S. Tyler, widow of Capt. Jonathan
Tyler, died May lltb, at the advanced age of ninety-
four year-<. She was the daughter of Capt. Benj.
Butterfield, of Chelmsford. She was landlady of the
Mansion House in the early days of the city, and
from her birth she was on the ground and was familiar
with all the history of Lowell from its origin. Prob-
ably no other Lowell lady has been so long and so
widely known. She was a lady of great moral and
intellectual worth.
May 4th. Charles Hovey died at the age of sixty-
eight years. He was burn in Acton, 1817, and came
to Lowell in 1832. For fifty-four years he wai an
apothecary on Merrimack Street, and few citizens of
Lowell have been so well known. He grew up with the
city and held many positions of trust in church and
business life. He stood aloof from politics and pre-
ferred the more unobtrusive life of a private citizen.
He was a man of great moral worth.
On April 1st was celebrated the fitueth anniversary
of the incorporation of the city of Lowell, in Hunt-
ington Hall. The hall was tastefully decorated with
Howers and pot-bouse plants and with streamers and
festoons of bunting. On raised seats in front were
400 children of the public .schools, who formed a
chorus for celebrating the day. The forenoon was
occupied with music from the children and the Amer-
ican .Orchestra and by a historical address upon the
schools of Lowell, by C. C. Chase. The alternoon
exercises consisted of an address by His Honor, the
mayor, J. C. Abbott, a poem by Lieut. E. W. Thomp-
son, an oration by Hon. F. T. Greenhalge and music
by the Apollo Quartette and the American Orchestra.
A social levee and reception in the evening closed
the celebration.
1887. Mayor, James C. Abbott.
May 27th. Rev. Dr. Owen Street died, at the age of
seventy-one years.
August 19th. Alvau Clark, the celebrated con-
structor of telescopes, died in Cambridge, at the age
of eighty-three jears. Mr. Clark was born in A.sh-
field, Mass., March S, 1804. He came to Lowell in
1825, and left it in 1827. AVhile here he was an en-
graver for calico printing at the Merrimack Print
Works. His marriage here, at the age of twenty-two
years, was the first marriage in the town of Lowell.
It occurred March 25, 182C, not many days after the
incorporation of the town.
On the last night of 1887 the Worthen Street Bap-
tist Church was burned. For many years before this
no church property iu Lowell had beeu destroyed by
fire.
1889. Mayor, Charles D. Palmer.
January 12th. The engine-houses aud armories on
Palmer and Middle Streets were destroyed by fire.
An engine-house, on the site of that destroyed by
fire, was commenced in 1S8S, and finished m 1889.
This house is equipped with all the most-approved
appliances demanded by the Fire Department for ihu
most efficient means of extinguishing firts. It is
claimed that it is, iu these respects, the most complete
structure in New England. lis cost is $-50,000.
Another engine-house was commenced in 1888 on
Westford Street. It was completed in 1889, at a cost
of $18,000.
Another engine-house, ou High .Street, begun in
1888, and fini-hed in 1889, cost !?23,000.
Lowell takes pride iu the completeness and effi-
ciency of her fire service.
Novem >r 15th. Colonel Fister, commissioner oi
the Post-Office Department for selecting the site of a
new post-office for the city of Lowell, recommended
the site of St. Peter's Church, corner of Appleton
and Gorham Streets. His recommendation has beeu
adopted by the Post-Office Departmcut. Through the
nu^'i yj T^UiveA
i_
LOWELL.
49
efforts of the friends of this site the Government be-
comes the owner of it by the payment of one cent.
The appropriation by Government for the building of
the new post-office is 8200,000.
1889. Mayor, Charles D. Palmer.
Notwithstanding the extraordinary outlays in re-
building the engiaehouse on Palmer Street, and the
erection of two other engine-houses and several
school-houses, the debt of the city was increased in
1889 by only about S9000. The debt at the close of
1889 was as follows : Ordinary debt, S991,502 ; debt
for water works, $1,141,555. Total, $2,130,117. The
erection of a new city-hall and memorial building,
already contracted for at an estimated cost of S500,-
000, together with a new high school building, will,
in the near future, greatly increase the debt of the
city. Still, it is believed that the increase meets the
ajiprob.ation of the citizens.
July 17th. The stable of the Lowell Horse Rail-
road, on East Merrimack Street, was burued. This
fire was notable for the rapidity of its progress, the
lofty height of its spire of flame, and the remarkable
success of the Fire Department in preventing its
spread. In it 117 horses were burned and thirty-one
cars, the loss of the property being about SIOO.OOO,
on which the insurance was about $74,000.
Aug. 23d. Rev. Stedman W. Hanks died, at the
age of eighty years. He was the first pastor of John
Street Congregational Church. For many years be-
fore his death he was secretary of the Seaman's
Friend Society in Boston.
Oct. 8th. The new opera-house of Fay Brothers &
Hosford was opened. The audience was addressed
by Mayor Palmer and Hon. F. T. Greenhalge, mem-
ber of Congress. The poem written by John S.
Colby was a production worthy of the occasion.
This building fills a want long felt by many of
the people of Lowell. More spacious play-houses
may be found in other cities, but it is claimed that
there are none which exceed this in the general
beauty and effect of its interior. It is constructed
wholly of brick an 1 iron, and is as nearly fire-proof
as possible. It is situated between Central and Gor-
ham Streets, not fronting fully upon either street,
and it makes no pretence at external beauty. Its
seating capacity is 1600.
The Training School-house, of Charles Street, was
finished in 1889, at a cost of $28,000.
A.MOo BiNXEY Fkexch was born in Billerica July
3, 1812, and died at his residence on Bridge Street,
Lowell, on March 23, 1890, at the age of seventy-eight
years. His father was Luther French, a respectable
farmer in Biller-ca. Lieut. William French, the earli-
est American ancestor of Mr. French, came to America
in 1G35, and was a leading citizen of Billerica, hav-
ing been, in 1003-04, the first representative of the
town in the Legislature of Massachusetts.
Jlr. French was one of the four sons of Luther
French, who came to Lowell in the early days of the
4-ii
city, and were known as business men of superior
ability. Of these brothers, Josiah B., the old-
est, was once mayor of Lowell. A sketch of his life is
given on another page of this work. Abram, the
■second in age. came to Lowell in 1833, and was long
a well-known merchant tailor in the city. He was a
member of the Common Council, and for several
years on the Board of School Committee. Walter,
the third brother, after keeping restaurants in Low-
ell and in Manchester, N. H., became a contractor in
the construction of several important railroads, and
was killed in 1853 in the railroad disaster at Nor-
walk, Conn., at the age of forty-three years. Amos
B. French, the subject of this sketch, and the young-
est of the four brothers, came to Lowell when about
eleven years of age. His first employment was in the
service of the manufacturing companies of the city.
In 1835 he eslablished a restaurant on Central Street,
and afterward added a dance-hall, which for many
years was a place of popular resort. It always gave
character and re-tpectability to a social event to say
that it was at " French's.''
In 18G3 he was succeeded in the restaurant busi-
ness by Nichols & Hutchins, and he became senior
partner of the firm of French & Puffer, dealers in
crockery, on Central Street. In this firm he con-
tinued until the time of his death, a period of
twenty-seven years, enjoying the entire confidence of
the community as a man of the strictest integrity and
highest character.
Mr. French never sought political distinction, but
he was a man of such courteous and affable address,
and of Buch modest worth and dignity of character
that few men could more successfully appeal to the
suffrages of his fellow-citizens. He was in the Board
of Aldermen in 1870 and 1871, and at the time of his
death he was a director of the First National Bank
and of the Lowell Mutual Fire Insurance Company.
He was also a trustee of the Lowell Institution for
Savings.
The following tribute to Mr. French's character
was furnished, at the writer's request, by his pastor,
the Rev. George W. Bicknell :
" In many respects the life of ;\Ir. French was an
unostentatious one, yet it exerted a great influence
for good. There was always something about his
presence which inspired those associated with him.
In his business relations he was honest, upright and
reliable. His word was as good as his bond. He
took advantage of no man. He accumulated quite a
fortune, but it was the result of straightforward and
legitimate transactions. His generosity and iinsel-
fisbness would never have allowed him to become
rich. His long career among our business men gave
him an enviable position. Mr. French was as mod-
est as he was manly. His was a rich and noble char-
acter. Genial, affable, sympathetic, always kind, he
won the love of companions and associates. His
heart beat for humanitv, manifesting itself so often
50
niSTORV OF MIDDLESEX COUNTY, MASSACHUSETTS.
in ministering to the poor and suflTering, in liundreds
of acts of charity, of which the world knows noth-
ing. Truly it may be said of him that he determined
not to let the right hand know what the left h:ind
did, and yet, as occasion called, he kept both hands
active.
" His friendship was rich and valuable. He was
true. Those who confided in him did not misplace
their trust. He had a kind word for all. Many
eyes were dimmed with tears when he passed away.
"Mr. French was a devoted and enthusiastic mem-
ber of the First Universalist Church, reflecting its
great principles of love, kindness and righteousness
in his daily life."
1890. Mayor, Charles D. Palmer.
From Mayor Palmer's inaugural address, at the
organization of the city government for 1890, on Jan.
0(h, we learn the following: The expenditure for
hchools in Lowell for 1S89 was $188,905; the number
of inmates of the alms-house, 602 ; average, 249 ; the
number of alarms of fire during the year, 115. The
number of electric lights was 177; of gas-lights, 959;
of gasoline-lights, 416; total number of lights sus-
tained by the city, 1552 ; the total length of city sew-
ers, 55 miles; total length of city streets, 102 miles;
cost of caring for parks and commons, SS070 ; cost of
caring for public cemeteries, §4200 ; totai length of
main pipes in water-works, 470,747 feet ; total num-
ber of hydrants, 824; expenditures for school-houses
for 1888 and 1889, §107,000.
On April 14th occurred, at Huntington Hall, the
anniversary exercises of the Port Royal Society,
whose members belonged to the land and naval forces
operating in the vicinity of Port Royal, S. C, during
the Civil War. Judge Advocate Charles Cowley de-
livered an address recalling the memories of the
eventful days in which he took part in the operations
of the s-quadron sent to reduce the rebel forts. Rev.
Dr. Chambre, of Lowell, Hon. John Reed, of Cam-
bridge, Eric B. Dahlgren, Frederic F. .Vyer and
others took part in the proceedings. A poem was
read by Lieut. E. W. Thompson.
CHAPTER IV.
LO WELL -{Cunliiiucd).
MAYORS.
In preparing the following sketches of the lives
of the mayors of our city 1 have been greatly aided
by biographical notices of nineteen of their number
published in the Vox Populi, in 1874 and 1875. If
it shall be thought by any that I have too uniform-
ly bestowed upon these men words of praise, I can
only say that my words have been sincere. I have
known all but one of the mayors of Lowell, and I
believe them to be a class of noble men. I think
it highly to the honor of the people of Lowell that
they have had the wisdom to bestow their highest
offices upon men like these. The character of a peo-
ple is indicated by the character of the men whom
they choose to represent them. It is one of the fe-
licities of popular government that even bad men
rarely venture to nominate bad men like themselves
for high office. Though exceptions occur, such,
happily, is the rule. It is in the lower grades of
office that bad men are found, and there, too often,
corruption begins.
The portraits of all but five of the twenty-six may-
ors of Lowell adorn the walls of the City Govern-
ment Building. They are accurate and highly fin-
ished likenesses, most of them being from the skill-
ful band of our fellow-citizen, the late Thomas B.
Lawson, Esq.
Dr. Ei-I.sha Eartlett, the first mayor of Lowell,
was born in Smithfield, R. I., October 0, 1804. His
parents belonged to the Society of Friends. When
twenty-two years of age he graduated as Doctor of
Medicine at Brown University, and after spending a
year in foreign travel and study, he came to Lowell to
enter upon the practice of his profession. His genial
nature, his fine personal appearance and his all'able
manners soon made him a general favorite, and iu
1830, when only thirty-two years of age, he had the
honor of being elected as fir.st mayor of Lowell, and
was re-elected iu 1837. He was not a politician, nor
were the labors of official life specially agreeable to
his nature. He loved his profession and was fond of
literary pursuits. He was the author of valuable
medical works. As an orator he held a high position.
There was a jjoetic charm in his eloquent language
which captivated the hearer. The writer has still a
vivid recollection of bearing his opening lecture in a
course delivered more than fifty years ago before the
Medical School of Dartmouth College. The beautiful
and eloquent language with which he portrayed the
sacredness of the physician's office at the bedside of
the dying and amidst the most tender and solemn
scenes of domestic life, left an impression upon the
mind which can never be effiiced. But another
writer will speak of him as &. physician. It is my
part only to write of him as a citizen whom Lowell
honored by electing him as the first mayor of the
city.
Dr. Bartlett spent his last years as an invalid in
his native town of Smithfield, R. I. He died in the
prime of manhood at the age of fifty-one years.
Ll'ther Lawrence, second mayor of Lowell, was
born in Groton, Massachusetts, September 28, 1778.
He was the son of Samuel Lawrence, an officer in the
Revolutionary Army. He w.as the oldest son of five
brothers who constituted a family of distinguished
name. His brother Abbott, especially, acquired re-
nown as American Jlinister to the Court of St. James,
and as a merchant prince of the most exalted char-
acter. The whole family were interested deeply iu
LOWELL.
51
the manufactures of Lowell. Abbott Lawrence's
name is mentioned in tlie acts of incorporation of the
Tremont, tbt' Boott and the Massachusetts Mills of
our city. Luther Lawrecce graduated from Harvard
College when twenty-three years of age, and having
completed his legal studies, settled as a lawyer in his
native town. His fellow-citizens paid him the honor
of sending him repeatedly to the General Court, and
in 1821 and 1822 he was chosen Speaker of the Lower
House. It was, in part, to care for the great amount
of property invested by himself and his brothers in
our mills that he removed his residence to Lowell in
1831, where he engaged in the practice of his profes-
sion and soon acquired distinction. He was elected
mayor in 1838 and 1839. About two weeks after en-
tering upon the duties of his second term of office
he was, on April 16, 1831), accidentally killed in the
Middlesex Mills by falling into a wheel-pit. His age
was sixty-one years. His sudden and tragic death
was the occasion of universal sorrow. He was a man
of kindly heart, of high honor, of sound judgment
and unselfish and liberal spirit. The citizens of Low-
ell desired to pay him the respect of a public funeral,
but his family declined to accepc the proffered honor.
He was buried in his native town.
Dr. Eusha Huxtisgtos, mayor of Lowell in
IS-lt), 1841, 1844, 1845, 1852, 185G, 1858 and most of
1859 waa born in Topsfield, Massachusetts, April 9,
179G, and was the son of Rev. Asahel Huntington, for
nearly twenty-five years the minister of that town.
At the age of fifteen years he entered Dartmouth
College and graduated in 1815. After attending medi-
cal lectures at Yale College and taking his degree in
medicine, he came to Lowell iu 1824 to enter upon
the practice of his profession — a practice which for
more than forty years he followed with great popu-
larity and success. He was indeed a " beloved physi-
cian." Probably no citizen of Lowell has ever so
long and so uniformly held the honor and affection of
the people. Lowell was never weary of bestowing
honors upon him. For nearly eight years he was
mayor of the city. When in any cause success
seemed doubtful, courage and hoi)e revived if Dr.
Huntington consented to take the lead. He was
born a gentleman, and it was in his very nature to
win men by his kind and affable ways.
Though a modest man, he was always before the
public. The partiality of his fellow-citizens placed
him there. Not only did he fill all the higher grades
of municipal office, but he was a church warden, an
overseer of Harvard College, and in 1852 Lieutenant-
Governor of the State.
His name will not be allowed to pass into oblivion.
One of our streets is Huntington Street and our most
spacious public hall is Huntington Hall. His por-
trait graces the City Government Building and the
reading-room of the Middlesex Mechanics' Associa-
tion. In St. John's Church, of which he was a war-
den, a window has been placed in which there i; a
life-size figure, in his honor, of St. Luke the "be-
loved physician." His only daughter is the wife of
Professor J. P. Cooke, of Harvard College, and one of
his sons is Rev. Dr. William R. Huntington, rector
of Grace Church, New York City. Dr. Huntington
died December 13, 1865, at the age of nearly seventy
years.
Nathaniel Wriqht was born in Sterling, Mass.,
Feb. 13, 1785, and was ihe oldest son of Hon. Thomas
Wright. He entered Harvard College when nineteen
years of age and was admitted to the bar at the age
of twenty-six years, having in Lowell pursued the
study of law under Asahel Stearns, who was subse-
quently a member of Congress and Professor of Law
in Harvard College. Prof. Stearns, when in Lowell,
occupied the house on the corner of Pawtucket and
School Streets, which became the residence and
properly of Mr. Wright. The house has in recent
years been occupied by Mr. Gerrish, the son-in-law of
Mr. Wright. The law-office of Mr. Wright was on
the Dracut side of the river, where he acted as post-
master before 1824, when the first government post-
oftice was established on Tilden Street, in East
Chelmsford (now Lowell). Mr. Wright succeeded to
the business of Prof. Stearns and enjoyed a good
practice, and to a remarkable extent possessed the
confidence of the community. When Lowell became
a town, in 1826, he was chosen on the first Board of
Selectmen and he was the first representative to the
General Cuurt elected by the town. He was three
times re-elected to these offices. In 1842 he was
elected mayor on the Citizens' ticket as a repre-
sentative of the interests of the citizens of Lowell
who believed that the Corporations were exercising an
undue amount of control over public affairs and
were oppressively treating their employees. His
opponent was Dr. Elisha Huntington, the Whig
candidate, who was supposed to favor the interests of
the Corporations. In 1843 the Whigs adspted him
as their candidate and elected him.
Mr. Wright was a man of few words, of decided
action, of clear perceptions and sound judgment.
He was a sound man of business and was averse to
popular display. He died Nov. 5, 1858, at the age of
nearly seventy-four years.
Jefferso:^ B.\xcroft was born in Warwick,
Mass., April 30, 1803. The circumstances of his youth
con>pe;led him to begin very early a life of self-
sujiport and self-reliance. First upon a farm in Athol,
Mass., and then in a blacksmith shop, with few
educational advantages, he spent the first years of
his long and honorable life. Coming to Lowell iu
1824, he found employment in the mills until
1831. His position as overseer in theAppleloo Mills
was in that year exchanged for that of deputy sheriff
under Sheriff B. F. Varnum. This office he held for
twenty years, filling meant' me various other trusts, such
as collector of taxes, chief engineer of the Fire Depart-
ment, and member of the Common Council and Board
HISTORY OF MIDDLESEX COUNTY, MASSACHUSETTS.
of Aldermen. He bears the title of colonel from
having been chosen the first colonel of the Fifth (now
Sixth) Regiment. He held the office of mayor of
the cily in the years 184(3-7-8. He also represented
Lowell in the State Legislature in the years 1840-41-
50-51. In 1853-4-5 he was warden of the
State Prison. In 1860 he was again appointed
deputy sheriff and performed the duties of th.at
position until 1887, when advancing age compelled
him to retire. The last two years of his life were
spent upon his farm in Tyngsboro', Mass.
Col. Bancroft was endowed by nature with qualities
which have well deserved the honors which have
been bestowed upon him. His dignified personal
bearing and his commanding presence well befitted
his military title and admirably qualified him to per-
form the duties of sheriff in the courts of law. He
died in Tyngsboro', Jan. 3, 1890, at the age of nearly
eighty-seven years.
JosiAH B. French. — (For biography see chapter
on City of Lowell.)
James H. B. Ayer was born in Haverhill, Mass.,
17S8. He was a descendant in the fourth generation
of the celebrated Captain Samuel Ayer, first captain
of the town of Haverhill, who, on August 28, 1708,
when the French and Indians, under the infamous
Hertel de Rouville, attacked the vill.ige of Haverhill,
and killed the minister of the town and many of its
inhabitants, rallied his little company of s^ildiers, pur-
sued the retreating enemy, and sacrificed his life in a
brave attack upon ihem.
Mr. Ayer, when a young man, engaged in trade
and in teaching school in the town of Amesbury. He
subsequently came to Lowell in 1823, while the first
mill of the Merrimack Compauy was not yet com-
pleted, .and was employed by this company and the
Locks & Canals Company to take charge of the lum-
ber department. In this service he was engaged
until 1846, when he was associated for five years with
Horatio Fletcher in the lumber business. He was
next employed as paymaster of the Locks & Canals
Company.
Being one of the earliest employes of the enterprise
of establishing manufactures in East Chelmsford, he
held many offices of honor and trust in the early days
of Lowell. He was one of the selectmen of Chelms-
ford, also one of the assessors both of Chelmsford and
Lowell. He assisted in running the boundary line
between Chelmsford and Lowell. He was for twenty
years warden of St. Anne's Church. He was alder-
man in 184'J and 1850, and was mayor of the city in
1851. During his last twelve years he was paymaster
of the Locks & Canals Company.
He died June 7, 1864, at the age of seventy-six
years, and was buried in Amesbury, Mass.
He was a man of good sense, high character and
sterling honesty.
Sewall G. Mack w.is born in Wilton, N. H., No-
Tember 8, 1813. Kemoviug to Amherst, N. H., in
his boyhood, he there engaged, while yet a young
man, in the business which he has followed through-
out his active life. He came to Lowell in 1840, and,
in company with Mr. Daniel Cushing, established
the well-known firm of " Cashing &, Mack, dealers in
stoves, &c."
Mr. Mack gained the confidence of the community
not only as an honorable business man, but as a citi-
zen who could be intrusted with important responsi-
bilities in conducting municipal affairs. In 1843 and
1846 he was a member of the Common Council, and
in 1847 he served in the Board of Aldermen. lu
1853 and 1854 he was mayor of the city. In 1862 he
was a member of the Legislature. With this last ser-
vice his political career was closed, and he retired to
the more congenial sphere of business life. That may
be said of him which can be said of very few who
engage in trade, that he pursued the same business
and almost in the same place for about forty-six
years.
About three years since he withdrew from active
business life, but ho still finds, at the age of s-eventy-
six years, much to occupy and interest his mind. He
is president of the Lowell Gas Company, and also
president of the Five Cents Savings Bank, and has
long been a director of the Railroad Bank, and of the
Stony Biook Railroad. Besides these there are many
other positions of trust which are wont to be bestowed
upon a man so long and so well-known as he for his
fidelity, ability and knowledge of business. Add to
these also the care of his own large estate. Probably
in his declining years no labors are more congenial to
him than those which pertain to the welfare of Kirk
Street Congregational Church, in which he has long
lield the office of deacon, and of which he is one of
the most liberal supporters.
Dr. Ambrose Lawuexce was torn in Boscawen,
N. H., May 2, 1816. His early years were spent
upon a farm, and he had not the advantage of a lib-
eral education. He came to Lowell when twenty-one
years of age and worked as a machinist for the Suf-
folk Corporation. Soon, however, turning his mind
to the study of dentistry, he opened a dentist's office
in 1S3"J in a building on or near the site of the pres-
ent post-office, where he remained for about thirteen
years. In 1852 he erected for his residence the house
on John Street, which is now known as " Young
Women's Home." He was in the City Council iu
1S40, and in the Board of Aldermen iu 1851 and
1859. In 1855 he was mayor of tlie cily, having been
the candidate of the Ameiicau or "Know-Nothing"
party in its most prosperous days.
Dr. Lawrence took an active part in re-organizing
the Fire Department, iu the iutroduction of pure
water into the city and in making Central Bridge
free. He possesses an active and inventive mind and
through the success of the Amalgam Filling invented
by him, and extensively need by dentists, he has
made himself wealthy. He is a man of mirthful
LOWELL.
53
spirit and it has been said of him that he loves a
joke better than a good dinner. He is not a partisan
in politics, though he was wont to take part with the
Whigs. For more than twenty years he has resided
in Cambridge and Bost3n,his present residence being
Boston Highlands.
Stephen RIansur was bora in Temple, N. H.,
August 25, 1798. At the age of sixteen years he
began to serve as a hired man upon a farm. His am-
bition, however, did not allow him long to occupy an
inferior position. When only twenty-one years of
age he became the proprietor of a hotel and stables
in Boston. Having had some experience in working
upon a canal during a short residence in the State of
New York, he came to Lowell in 1822, when the
work of widening the Pawtucket Canal was begun,
and was appointed as an assistant superintendent of
that undertaking. In 1830 he commenced (with a
partner) the hardware and crockery business. In thi.s
business he continued almost to the end of his life,
occupying for many of his last years a store on or
near the site of the Boston & Maine Depot, on
Central Street.
He gained the confidence of his fellow-citizens,
and was elected in 1S3G, and again in 1850, a member
of the State Legislature. He was twice in the Com-
mon Council and three times in the Board of Alder-
men. He was mayor of the city in 1857. After this
he stood aloof from public office.
Mr. Mansur was a religious man and was closely
allied to the interests of the First Baptist Church, of
which he was a deacon. lu his church relations he
was highly esteemed. He was a pian of good busi-
ness qualities and of sterling common sense. He
died April 1, 18G3, at the age of nearly sixty-four
years.
James Cook was born in Preston, Conn., October
4, 1781. His father was the proprietor of a fulling-
mill, and it was while employed in his youth in his
father's mill that the son gained that knowledge of
the manufacture of woolens for which he was after-
wards distinguished, and in which he 8i)ent his early
manhood. In those early days the New England
farmers raised their own wool, and made it into cloth
in their own families. Cloth thus made was sent to
the clothier's mill to be fulled, colored and dressed.
Mr. Cook was the oldest of a family of seven sons,
and it devolved upon him to learu the clothier's
trade in his boyhood. After the War of 1812 the
three oldest brothers commenced the busine?8 of
manufacturing broadcloth in Northampton, Mass.
But Lowell at that time presented advantages for
manufacturing woolens so much superior to those at
Northampton, that in 1828 the brothers sold out.
Mr. Cook was employed as the first agent of the
Middlesex Company in Lowell in 1830, and under his
management this company inaugurated the manufac-
ture of woolens on a large scale. Mr. Cook's experi-
ence and skill were exhibited in many valuable im-
provements, especially in adapting the Crompton
loom in making woolen as well as cotton fabrics.
So successful were these operations, that in the
third year a dividend of thirty-three per cent, was
declared. For six years, beginning with 184G, he had
charge of the Winooski Mills at Burlington, Vt.,
during which he received the gold medal of the
American Institute for his manufactures. He subse-
quently had charge of the Uncas Woolen-Mills of
Norwich, Conn.
After the disaster brought upon the Middlesex
Mills in Lowell by the gross mismanagement of
Lawrence, Stone & Co., Mr. Cook was a second time
made the agent of these mills, and held the position
one year, leaving the properly greatly improved.
Giving up the business of a manufacturer, he spent
his last years in the insurance business. Though not
a politician, he was twice a member of the Common
Council, and was elected by the American party as
mayor of the city for 1859. My limited space will not
allow me to rehearse his history as a military man in
the War of 1812, in which he skillfully captured a
British barge. He died April 10, 1884, at the ad-
vanced age of nearly ninety years.
Besjamix C. Sargeakt was born in Unity, New
Hampshire, February 11, 1823. From Unity he re-
moved in his boyhood to Windsor, Vermont. When
sixteen years of age he came to Lowell and entered,
as clerk, the book -store of Abijah Watson, his brother-
in-law. About 1842 he went to New York, where he
found employment in a book-store for about three
years. In 1845 he opened a store on Central Street,
on or near the site of the Central Block. Subse-
quentiy he established a book-store in the City Gov-
ernment Building, in which he continued throughout
his life.
Mr. Sargeant was five times a member of the
Common Council and was three times elected presi-
dent of that body. He was mayor of the city in 18G0
and 18G1, and proved himself to be an efficientofficer.
He was known as a religious man and was a vestry-
man of St. Anne's Parish. His manners were cour-
teous and his bearing dignified. He made an excel-
lent presiding officer, and Lowell had a worthy repre-
sentative in him on public occasions. His popular-
ity is indicated by the fact that the Sargeant Light
Guard received its name from him.
He left no children. After a long and painful ill-
ness he died on March 2, 1870, at the age of forty-
seven years.
HoctTM HosFORD was born in Charlotte, Ver-
mont, November 8, 1825. He worked upon his
father's farm until his twentieth year, during the last
three of which he had its entire management. Though
his means for educating himself were limited, he was
appointed teacher of a district school when only
eighteen years of age. When twenty years old he
came to Lowell and found employment in Gardner &
Wilson's dry -goods store at a salary of 1150. After a
54
HISTORY OF MIDDLESEX COUNTY, MASSACHUSETTS.
service of a few years as clerk, he sucoeedod Daniel
West, one of his former employers, as proprietor of a
store on Merrimack Street, and continued in the dry-
goods business on this street during the remainder of
his life.
With his partner, Arthur G. Pollard, he erected on
Merrimack Street in 1874-75, the spacious and elegant
building known so well to the citizens of Lowell as
the store of " Hosford & Co." It is a model building
fitted with every convenience adapted to the trade.
Mr. Hosford was a member of the Common Council
in 1860, and of the Board of Aldermen in 1801 and
1867. He served as mayor of the city in 1862, being
the youngest person who had ever served in ihisoifice.
He was re-elected as mayor for the years 1863 and
1864. He was a member of the State Legislature in
1866. His capaciiy for business gained for him ap-
pointments to places of high responsibility. He was
a director of the Boston & Lowell, and the Lowell &
Lawrence Railroads, and in 1875 he succeeded General
Stark as manager of the Boston & Lowell Railroad.
In the latter position he served during the rest of his
life, being at the same time treasurer of the Lowell
Hosiery Company, and of the Vassalborough Woolen-
Mills.
In 1864 he was chosen president of the Jlerchants'
National Bank. In the above and many other posi-
tions, too numerous to be mentioned, Mr. Hosford
exhibited a capacity for business, a soundness of
judgment and a clearness of perception which have
given him a high rank among the first citizens of
Lowell.
His most distinguished honor is that attained as
mayor in the years of the Rebellion. In those years
of sorest trial he served his city nobly and gained the
titleof " War Mayor."
He died April 5, 1881, at the age of fifty-five years.
JosiAH G. Peabody was born in Portsmouth, N.
H., December 21, 1808. In 1824, after having for four
years worked upon a farm in Haverhill, Mass., he
came to Lowell, in order to learn the trade of carpen-
ter and house-builder. Here he engaged in the ser-
vice of Captain John Bassett, then a well-known
builder. He seems to have finished his somewhat
limited education at Atkinson Academy, N. H. In
1833, when only twenty-five years of age, he entered
upon the business of contractor and builder. Among
the buildings erected by him are the bank building
on Shattuck Street, the Kirk Street Church, the Lee
Street Church, the lunatic hospital at Taunton, and
the Custom- House at Gloucester. From 1808 to the
present time he has been engaged in the manufacture
of doors, sashes and blinds at the Wameait Steam-
Mills in this city.
In the Lowell Fire Department Captain Peabody
has seen long and arduous service, and for eleven
years he was iu the Board of Engineers. He was
elected captain of the Mechanic Phalanx in 1S43.
He was in the Massacliu.-etts Legislature in 1837
and in 1855, and was in 1856 a member of the Gov-
ernor s Council under Governor Gardner. He was
twice in the Common Council and once in the Board
of .A.ldermen. In 1865, 1866 and 1872 he was m.ayor
of the city. In this office he served the city most faith-
fully. He is a man of affairs, a true Yankee, abound-
ing in energy, force and courage. The cause of tem-
perance has no firmer friend or a more constant and
consistent worker. His presence is still familiar in
our streets, and he bears with ease and grace the bur-
den of more than eighty years.
George Fraxcis Richardson. — (For biography
see Bench and Bar chapter.)
Jonathan P. Folsom was born in Tamworth, N.
H., October 9, 1820. At the age of five years he re-
moved to Great Falls, where he remained twelve years.
Having afterwards served two or three years as clerk
in a store at Rochester, N. H., he came to Lowell in
1S4U, when twenty years of age. Here lie became a
clerk with the firm of Din-more i; Read, on Merrimack
Street. After two years he went South and entered
as clerk into the service of James Brazer, in Ben.son,
Alabama, where he was appointed postmaster of the
town. Having spent about six years in the South, he
returned to Lowell and entered the service of David
West, having as a fellow-clerk Mr. Hosford, who af-
terwards became mayor of the city.
After two years in the store of Mr. West he went
into trade for himself on Merrimack Street. Since
that time, in different capacities, he has, down to the
present year, been engaged ;n the dry-goods business.
Mr. Folsom was a member of the Common Council
in 1856 and 1S()7 ; a member of the Bojird of Alder-
men in 1859-61-62 and 1873, and mayor of the city
in 1869-70. In 1871-72 he represented Lowell in
the State Legislature. He has also been a trustee of
the Central Savings Bank and a director in the Old
Lowell National Bank.
Mr. Folsom has always been known as a man of
ngreeable presence and afl'able manners. At his
second election to the mayoralty he received every
vote cast but two, — a nearer approximation to unan-
imity than any other mayor has ever attained.
Edward F. Sherman was born in Acton, Mass.,
Feb. 10, 1821. He came to Lowell when a child and
attended school under Master Bassett in the school-
house built and owned by the Merrimack Company.
This building stood upon the site of the Green School-
house, and is the same in which Dr. Edson first
preached on coming to Lowell, ilr. Sherman once
publicly read an amusing account of Master Bassett's
school, the substance of which is fuund in this volume
under the head of " Schools."
Mr. Sherman graduated from Dartmouth College in
1843, and had the honor in a subsequent year of giv-
ing an oration before the college upon taking his de-
gree of Master of Arts. He was for some time en-
gaged in teaching, having been elected preceptor of
the academy in Canaan, N. H., and that in Pittsfield,
LOWELL.
55
Mass. He commenced the study of law about 1846
iu the office of Hon. Tappan W'entworth, and subse^
quently became Mr. Weniworth's partner. In 1855
he was elected to the office of secretary of the
Traders' and Mechanics' Insurance Company, — an
office which he held during the rest of his life.
In ISGl and ISCC he served as member of the Legisla-
ture of Massachusetts, and in 1870 was in the Board of
Aldermen. For several years he served on the School
Committee. In 1871 he was mayor of the city, having
been nominated by the Citizens' party. Though well
qualified for the place, he did not seek it. He had in
previous years been affected with pulmonary disease,
and could ill afford to incur the labors and excitement
attending the performance of his duties in the mayor-
alty. Most unfortunately the small-pox prevailed in the
city in an epidemic form, and from every side his ad-
ministration was severely and, doubtless, often un-
justly, charged with inefficiency in checking it. The
strain was too severe for his sensitive nature. He
went to the sick-bed upon quitting the mayor's chair,
and died In six short weeks. His death was on his
birthday. His age was fifty-one years. He was a
man of kind heart, of very pleasing address, of
scholarly tastes and of superior iutellectual powers.
Fkaxcis Jewett was born in Nelson, N. H., Sept_
19, 1820. His father, who was a farmer, suffered so
severely from a serious lameness, that his son in his
early years was compelled to assume, in conducting
the farm, the responsibilities of a man. Mayor Jew-
ett is by no means the first man whose misfortunes in
youth have laid the fouudations of future success and
made them leaders of men. He seems to have finished
his education at the Baptist Seminary in Hancock.
Young Jewett possessed a robust and powerful
frame, and a mind to match. He early learned to
grapple with the labors and hardships of life with
courage and buoyant energy. His townsmen recog-
nized his merit, and before he was twenty-eight years
of age he was twice elected to the Board of Selectmen.
Before finally quitting his farm he had, in the winter
months, found employment as a butcher in Middlesex
Village, now a part of Lowell. In 1850, with a cash
capital of S200, he started business as a butcher in
that village. Twenty years later he established him-
self in business in the place on Middlesex S:reet
where he now resides. His place of business is now
on Button Street.
Mr. Jewett has always been a favorite among the
voters. His sturdy manliness, his thorough honesty,
his kindly bearing and his sound common sense win
the confidence of the common people, and they like
to give him offices of trust. He has been twice
elected to the Common Council and twice to the
Board of Aldermen. In 1873, 1874 and 1875 he was
mayor of the city, and iu 1877 and 1870 he was State
Senator. He was chosen elector in the Garfield cam-
paign in 1880, and in 1887-SS-8'J he was on the Gov-
ernor's Council. He has filled every office well.
Charles A. Stott was born in Centralville while
it was yet a part of the town of Dracut, August 18,
1835. The annexation of Centralville to Lowell oc-
curred in 1851. No other mayor of the city had
been born within its limits. He pas-sed through all
the grades of our public schools, and has spent his
whole life within the city. His father, Mr. CharUs
Stott, was a man of marked individuality, who came
when a young man from England almost penniless,
and by persistent industry and great energy and strict
economy acquired wealth and an honored name. He
was superintendent of the Belvidere Woolen Manu-
facturing Company, which was established by him,
and was known as a skillful and very successful
manufacturer.
Major Charles A. Stott, the son, upon leaving the
High School, became a clerk under his father, and
several years after his father's death he has become
agent and president of the company, — a company
which has long enjoyed very great success.
Major Stott, in the early part of the Rebellion,
took an active and patriotic part in raising troops,
and served as major in the Sixth Regiment of nine
months' men. This regiment, which was in the ser-
vice from August, 1862, to June, 1803, was stationed
at Suffolk, Va., and was under the command of A. S.
FoUansbee as colonel, and O. F. Terry as general.
After leaving the service, he built a flannel-mill
on Lawrence Street, which was for a time operated
by him. But this property he sold, and became, as
stated above, the agent and president of the mills
established by his father. He occupies an elegant
private residence on Nesmith Street.
Major Stott holds a high position in the Masonic
order. In 1859 and 18G0 he was a member of the
Common Council, and was in the Board of Aldermen
in 1869 and 1870. He was mayor of the city in 1876
and 1877. He enjoys the esteem of his fellow-citi-
zens, and, what is very highly to his honor, he has
the affection and respect of those who are in his
employ.
JoHX A. G. Richardson was born in Lowell,
October 13, 1840, and was educated in the public
schools of the city. On leaving the High School, he
formed a partnership with his brother in the pro-
vision business in Lowell. When thirty-four years of
age (1874), he was elected by Ward 4 a represent-
ative to the General Court of Massachusetts. That
a young Democrat should thus be selected \>j a Re-
publican ward, which had always put Republicans
in office, is a very pleasing indication of the peroonal
popularity of the man. In 1878 and 1879 he was
mayor of the city. Lowell had elected no Demo-
cratic mayor for twenty-eight year?. The very flat-
tering majority received by Mayor Richardson at hia
second election is ample testimony to the acceptable
manner in which he had fulfilled the duties of his
office in hie first year.
In the Rebellion he belonged to Company C of the
56
HISTORY OF MIDDLESEX COUNTY, MASSACHUSETTS.
Sixth Regiment, and three times went with hia regi-
ment on its southern campaigns.
Mr. Richardson is not a politician. His tastes
lead him to the pursuits of business life. Since re-
tiring from his position as mayor, he has engaged in
the provision business in Lowell, and since 1SS2 in
the wholesale beef trade in Minneapolis, Minn.
He is a gentleman of cordial address and pleasing
manners, and readily wins the respect and favor of
his fellow-citizens.
Frederic T. Gkeenhai.ge was born in Clitheroe,
a parliamentary borsugh of England, in the county
of Lancaster, on July 19, 1842. His father, William
Greenhalge, who had been an engraver in the famous
Primrose Print Works at Clitheroe, came to Lowell
about 1SS4, and was employed at the Merrimack
Print Works to take charge of the copper roller en-
graving. Young Greenhalge was then about twelve
years of age. He passed through all the grades of
the Lowell public schools, in which he was known as
a boy of superior talent. At the examination for ad-
mission to the High School he received the highest
rank of all the candidates, and, upon graduating Irom
the High School, he received a Carney medal, and
was acknowledged as the first boy in his class.
Especially did he excel as a declaimerupon the stage
thus early giving promise of that ability as an orator,
which he has exhibited in recent years. He entered
Harvard College in 1859, but the death of his father
compelled him to relinquish ihe hope of completing
his course, and to return to the serious responsibili-
ties which were placed upon him as an only son.
After teaching school and engaging in other labors
for self-support, he entered upon the study of law in
theofBce of Brown & Alger. In 18(53 he engaged
in the war, and was employed in the commissary de-
partment in Newbern, N. C. While at Newbern he
was seized with malarial fever, which compelled him,
after months of sickness, fo return home. Again he
devoted himself to the study of the law, and was ad-
mitted to the bar in June, 1865. His talents brought
him early success, and made him the object of popu-
lar favor. He served in the Common Council in 1868
and 1869, and in the School Board in 1871. In the
years 1880 and 1881 he was mayor of the city. I have
not the space to mention all the minor otBces which
he has held. He is everywhere recognized as a man
of high promise. He was elected to Congress in
November, 1888, and his many friends contidently
believe that in the arena of political debate he will
gain a high rank among our ablest orators.
George Runels was born in Warner, N. H., Feb-
ruary 3, 1823. During his first sixteen years he
worked upon the farm or in the blacksmith shop of
his father or his brother. In his seventeenth year he
came to Lowell, and for one season engaged in the
work of stone-cutting with Gardner K. Eastman. He
then went to sea in a whaling vessel. His vessel suf-
fered shipwreck near the Fiji Islands, in the South
Pacific Ocean. He escaped in a boat, and after three
days upon the water he was rescued by a passing ves-
sel. He next found employment on a trading vessel,
and was engaged in the South seas in selling tortoise-
shells and beche de mer, a species of slug used as a
delicacy by the Chinese in making soup. At length,
on board an English vessel, he traded in the Indies,
and while in Calcutta was attacked with the cholera,
and was confined to a hospital for six weeks. In
1844, having followed the seas for four years, he re-
turned to his work of stone-cutting in the service of
Mr. Eastman.
April 1, 1846, he engaged in the business of stone-
cutting for himself on Middlesex Street. Four years
after this he spent a few months in California. In
1S51 he purchased a farm in Waterbury, Vt. Re-
maining upon his farm about three years, he returned
to his business of stone-cutting in Lowell, which he
followed for more than twenty years. For the last
ten years he has been engaged in erecting buildings
and caring for his estate.
In 1S62 he was a member of the Common Council,
and in 1S64 and 1S73 he was in the Board of Alder-
men. He served as mayor of the city in 1882.
Mr. Runels is a man of modest merit, sound judg-
ment and strict integrity. Though not a politician,
he is everywhere known as a worthy, upright man,
who in his mayoralty served the city most faithfully.
John J. Dokovax was born in Y'onkers, N. Y.,
July 28, 1843. He came to Lowell when three years
of age, and was educated in the public schools of the
city. On leaving the High School he entered as
clerk into the employment of Mr. Gove, proprietor of
the Chapel Hill Grocery. Upon attaining his major-
ity, he was received as partner in the business, and
so continued until the death of Mr. Gove, in 1869.
The firm, known as Donovan & Co., was then estab-
lished. This firm still continues to do business as
grocers at 266 and 267 Central Street, and is consid-
ered cue of the best-established firms in the city. Its
commodious building is well adapted to the exten-
sive business of the firm. The firm deals largely in
powder, dualin and explosives, and has a store-house
in Tewksbury, in which its explosives are kept. In
1884 Mr. Donovan projected and constructed all the
lines of the Atlantic Telegraph Company east of
Boston. For many years he has been a. prominent
public mau.
In 1883 and 1SS4 he was mayor of the city. In
1886 he was Democratic candidate for the Fiftieth
Congress, and was, in 1888, president of the State
Democratic Convention. On April 30, 1889, he de-
livered the oration at the city's celebration of the
centennial anniversary of Washington's inaugural, and
also the memorial address on Decoration Day, May
30, 1889.
Mr. Donovan is still in the prime of life. He has
already made for himself an enviable record for sa-
gacity in business and for popular talent. His friends
LOWELL.
57
may naturally and confidently expect that still higher
lionors await him in the future.
EnwAED J. NoYES was born in Georgetown, Mass.,
September 7, 1841, and carae to Lowell when seven
years of age. Having passed through the primary
and grammar schools of the city, lie completed his
education at the academies of Groton, Mass., and
Newbury, Vt. While he was at Newbury the War
of the Rebellion broke out, and young Noyes, at the
age of twenty years, returned to Lowell, and entered
upon the service of recruiting soldiers for General
Butler. Under General Butler he went to Ship Isl-
and in 1861, and with him he entered New Orleans
on May 1, 18G2, being at the time temporarily upon
the general's staff. He rose in the service from
lieutenant to major. In 1862 he was appointed cap-
tain of the First Texas Cavalry, made up of Texans
who had been driven out of their State for their Union
sentiments. In this frontier and hostile position in
Texas he was exposed to almost daily encounters and
met with hardships and perils which few of our regi-
ments endured.
In Jlay, 1863, while charging through the enemy's
line of battle, he received a wound in the slioulder,
which confined him for some time to a hospital in
New Orleans. From this wound he has never com-
))letely recovered. When the war was drawing to a
close, in December, 18G4, he returned to Lowell. In
1860 and 1867 lie was engaged in planting cotton. In
18U8 he engaged for a year in the study of law in
Columbia College, N. Y. Until 1881 he was en-
gaged in private business. In that year and in 1882
he was chief of police in Lowell. In 1885 he was
mayor of the city. After engaging for two or three
years in private business he again, in 1888, became
chief of police in Lowell. He now (IS90) holds the
office of superintendent of the horse railroads of
Lowell.
Mayor Noyes bears an excellent record, both as a
brave soldier and as an efficient man of business. He
is admirably qualified for the position of chief of
police on account of his personal bravery and his
knowledge of law. To his new office he brings the
qualities which will doubtless command success.
James C. Abbott was born in Andover, Mass.,
June 3, 1825. Being the son of a widow he early
learned the lessons of industry and self-reliance
which have marked his manhood. He graduated
from Phillips Academy, at Andover, and entered
Dartmouth College, where he remained two years.
At Harvard Law School he laid the foundation of
his success as a lawyer. Having studied law with
I. S. Morse, Esq., in Lowell, he opened an office in
Canal Block, having as his partner Harrison G.
Blaisdell, Esq.
He has now practiced law in Lowell nearly forty
years, and gained the reputation of a careful and
conscientious student, and a wise and faithful coun-
selor. Few men are more punctual in the discharge
of their duties, or more faithful and painstaking in
the execution of the trusts confided to them. Mr.
Abbott has never sought office. His honors have
been thrust upon him. He was a member of the
State Senate in 1887, and was for six years in the
School Board. He held the office of mayor of the
city in the years 1886 and 1887, and was in the Board
of Aldermen in 1880.
Since holding the office of mayor, Mr. Abbott has
devoted himself to the practice of his profession. He
is, however, president of the First National Bank, of
which he had previously been a director. He also
holds the office of commissioner of sinking funds.
He is president of the Lowell Mutual Fire Insurance
Company.
In the business world Mr. Abbott is esteemed a
safe, cautious, judicious man, whom it is safe to
trust. In politics his straightforward honesty and
conscientiousness make him an excellent executive,
but a poor partisan. He is thoroughly respected by
his political opponents as a man who cannot be man-
aged, and who will do the right thing when he sees
it. His practice of his profession has been remunera-
tive, and he has an elegant private residence on Fair-
mount Street.
Chakles D. Palmer was born in Cambridge,
Mass., November 25, 1845. His father, George W.
Palmer, was a book publisher and manufacturer.
The son graduated from the Dwight Grammar School,
of Boston, in 1858. On graduating from the Boston
Latin School, in 1864, he had the honor of receiving
one of the four Franklin medals. He graduated
from Harvard College in 1868.
With the purpose of becoming a manufacturer he
entered the service of the Washington Mills Com-
pany, in Lawrence, in which he exhibited such marked
ability that in 1869 he was appointed by one of the
United States commissioners to the Paris Exhibition
to the service of collecting statistics relating to the
wool industry in Canada.
For about ten years, beginning with 1872, he was
a member of a co-partnership for the manufacture of
woolen shoddy in North Chelmsford.
In 1880 he married Rcwena, youngest daughter of
the late Fisher A. Hildreth, Esq., of Lowell, who died
in 1873, leaving a large estate. It was in managing
the affairs of this estate that Mr. Palmer was em-
ployed from 1880 to the time of his election to the
mayoralty of the city. As mayor he has served the
city two years, 1888 and 1889, and he has now en-
tered upon his third year of office. It is only just to
say that he has more than met the expectations of
his friends. He has exhibited an independence of
action, a devotion to duty, and a correctness of judg-
ment, which give him a high rank among men distin-
guished for executive ability.
58
HISTORY OF MIDDLESEX COUNTY, MASSACHUSETTS.
CHAPTER V.
LO WELL—^ ConLinued).
POLITICS.
Lowell, having had its first election under a city
charter, it will be interefting, at this point, to turn
our attention to its political history both as a town
and as a city.
lu iis early elections, as a town, the Whigs had a
very decided preponderance. In the Presidential
election of 1828 John Quincy Adams received almost
three times as many votes as General Jackson, and
at the gubernatorial election of that year Levi Lin-
coln received more than seven times as many votes
for Governor as all his opponents. Gradually the
Democrats gained upon the Whigs until, in 1835, at
the last town election. Governor Everett received but
a bare majority over Marcus Morton.
After Lowell became a city, in 1836, no Democrat
was elected mayor of the city until 1848, when, after
three trials in the same month, Josiah B. French had
a majority of thirty-three over Daniel S. Richardson,
the Whig candidate, and Mr. French svas re-elected
in 1849. The next Democratic mayor was J. A. G.
Richardson, who, in 1877, had a majority of eighty
over Charles A. Stott. Mr. Richardson was re-elect-
ed in 1878 by a very heavy majority. In 1882 J. J.
Donovan, the Democratic candidate, was elected, and
in 1883 he was re-elected by a decided majority. In
1885 and 1886 J. C. Abbott, a Democrat, was elected.
In 1854 Ambrose Lawrence, the American, or Know-
Nothing candidate for mayor, received more than
five-sixths of the entire vote of the city. In every
other year a Whig or Republican has been elected,
either upon a strict party ticket or on a citizens'
ticket. The two parties now, 1890, are nearly equally
divided ; but the probability is that there are more
Democrats than Republicans, the balance of power
being in the hands of the voters who belong to neither
of the two great parties.
A third party has, in some years, acquired a con-
siderable strength in Lowell, conspicuously the
Kuow-Nothings, in 1854. From 1840, when James
G. Birney, the Anti-slavery presidential candidate,
received forty-two votes at the gubernatorial election
in 1852, when Horace ilann received 1202 votes, the
Anti-slavery party increased in strength, but the
Kansas troubles and the war merged them in the
Republican party. Again, the Prohibition party, in
1880, nominated for the mayoralty Hon. J. G. Pea-
body, who received 1279 votes. The fact that there
was no Democratic candidate in a great measure ac-
counts for this large Prohibition vote. This vote has
not often exceeded 200.
Many of the best citizens of Lowell have always
favored non-partisan nominations for city olficera.
Their theory is certainly plausible, and it implies a
high sentiment of patriotism ; but in practice the
people of Lowell have not been induced, for any con-
siderable time, to sustain it. Men are not so consti-
tuted that they can be regularly led to work with and
vote for men in the city eleciions whom they have
bitterly opposed as unfit for ofiice at the State elec-
tion only five weeks before. Non-partisan nomina-
tions are found practicable only when some important
question of public utility baa greater weight in the
minds of the voters than their party affiliations.
However, as will be seen below, in several of our
municipal elections non-partisan nominations have
been successful.
In the following record of the elections in Lowell
for sixty-three years I have omitted to name candi-
dates who have receive"d only a few votes :
In 1826, at the first election for Governor in
the town of Lowell, the result was, Levi Lincoln, of
Worcester, 95 ; James Lloyd, of Boston, 53.
In 1827, for Governor, Levi Lincoln, of Worcester,
89; Wm. C. Jarvis, of Cliarlestown, 22.
In 1828, for Governor, Levi Lincoln, 157; Elijah
H. Mills, of Northampton, 14. For President, John
Quincy Adams, 278 ; Andrew Jackson, 97.
In 1829, for Governor, Levi Lincoln, 127; Marcus
Morton, of Taunton, 21.
In 1830, for Governor, Levi Lincoln, 298; Marcus
Morton, 87. The population of Lowell in 1830 was
6477.
In November, 18!il, for Governor, Levi Lincoln,
264; Marcus Morton, 228.
In 1832, for Governor, Levi Lincoln, i'>75 ; M;ucus
Morton, 441. For President, Henry Clay, 694 ; An-
drew Jackson, 412.
In 1833, for Governor, John Davis, of Worcester,
452 ; Marcus Morton, 395.
In 1834, for Governor, John Davis, 893 ; Marcus
Morton, 668.
In 1835, for Governor, Edward Everett, of Boston,
826 ; Marcus Morton, 768.
In these ten years Messrs. Lincoln, Davis and Ever-
ett were the successful Republican candidates iu the
State elections.
In 1836, Lowell's first year under a city charter,
the elections resulted as follows : For mayor, Elisha
Bartlett, 958; Eliphalet Case, 868. For Governor,
Edward Everett, 864; Marcus Morton, 908. For
President, Daniel Webster, 878; Martin Van Buren,
894. Until 1846 the municipal elections were in the
spring and other elections in the autumn.
In 1836, Edward Everett was elected Governor and
Martin Van Buren President. Dr. Bartlett was a
physician, and Mr. Case an editor. It is proper here
to remark that throughout this political record the
officers mentioned as e!ectied assumed the duties of
their office in the next year after election, with this
exception, that until 1847 the mayors of the city were
LOWELL.
59
elected and entered upon their office in the spring of
the same year.
In 1867, for mayor, Elisha Bartlett, 1018; Elipha-
let Case, 817. For Governor, Edward Everett, 1058:
Marcus Morton, C28.
In 1838, for mayor, Luther Lawrence (Whig),
871 ; John W. Graves (Dem.), 529. For Governor,
Edward Everett (Whig), 871 ; Marcus Morton
(Dem.), 640. Mr. Everett was elected Governor in
1838. Mr. Lawrence was a lawyer, and Mr. Graves a
physician.
In 1839, for mayor, Luther Lawrence, 91C ; Josiah
B. French (Dem.), 215. For Governor, Edward
Everett, 1033; Marcus Morton, 812. Mr. Morton
was elected Governor in 1839. Mr. French was a
contractor. Upon the death of Mr. Lawrence, only a
few days after entering upon the duties of his office.
Dr. Elisha Huntington, who was a member of the
Common Council, was chosen his succesaor.
In 1840, for mayor, Elisha Huntington (Whig),
1093; Josiah B. French, 644. For Governor, John
Davis, 143G ; Marcus Morton, 941. For President,
Wm. H. Harrison, 1470 ; Martin Van Buren, 856.
Mr. Harrison was elected President, and Mr. Davis
Governor. Dr. Huntington received now his first
election. For many years he was the favorite candi-
date to be put forward when, in order to carry an
election, there was demanded a candidate of great
personal popularity. He was a practicing physician
in Lowell for many years. The population of Lowell
in 1840 was 20,981.
In 1841, for mayor, Elisha Huntington, 1032 ;
Jonathan Tyler, 523. For Governor, John Davis
(Whig), 1170; Marcus Morton, 1030. Mr. Davis
was elected Governor. Dr. Huntington had made so
popular a mayor that there was not a serious opposi-
tion to his re-election. A ticket headed by Mr.
Tyler (a Whig) received about one-third of the votes
of the city, the Democrats probably sustaining this
ticket in most case.-!.
In 1842, for mayor, Nathaniel Wright, 967 ; Elisha
Huntington, 94.S. There being no election on the
first trial, a second trial gave Mr. Wright, 1159 ; Dr.
Huntington, 1096. For Governor, John Davis, 1234;
Marcus Morton, 1263. Samuel E. Sewall, of Rox-
bury, candidate of the rising " Liberty " party, 128.
Mr. Jlortou was elected Governor. Mr. Wright was
a Whig. He was put up against Dr. Huntington by
citizens who believed that the corporations had been
exercising an undue influence in city aflairs, by dic-
tating to employees how they should vote, by
threatening to remove from their employ those who
did not vote as required. Messrs. Aiken and Bartlett,
agentsof the Lawrence and Boott Corporations, were
in 1842 special objects of attack. This sentiment led
to the nomination of Mr. Wright, who was elected at
the second trial. The Vux Fopuli was started in the
preceding year as the representative of this senti-
ment. It was designed as ;in expression of the vokc
of the people on the question of Corporation influence
and control.
In 1843, for mayor, Nathaniel Wright (Whip),
1093 ; Elisha Huntington, 224 ; John W. Graves, 577 ;
Josiah B. French, 85; others, 123. For Governor,
George N. Briggs (Whig), of Pitlafleld, 1473 ; Mar-
cus Morton, 1175 ; Samuel E. Sewall, 206. In the
city election party lines were not closely drawn.
There were two Whig candidates and two Demo-
cratic candidates, and many scattering votes. Mr.
Briggs this year received the first of seven elections
as Governor of Massachuetts. He is the last of our
Governors whose terms of office have extended beyond
four years. The normal period seems now to be three
years. Gardner, Banks, Claflin, Rice, Long, Robinson
and Ames each served three years.
In 1844, for mayor, Elisha Huntington, 1477 ;
Jonathan Tyler (Whig), 935. For Governor, George
N. Briggs, 1791 ; George Bancroft, of Boston, 1138 ;
Samuel E. Sewall, 203. For President, Henry Clay,
1742 ; James K. Polk, 1091 ; James G. Birney, 246.
Governor Briggs was re-elected. James K. Polk was
chosen President. Jonathan Tyler was the " Citizen's "
candidate, on a non-partisan ticket.
In 1845, for mayor, Elisha Huntington, 1280 ; Geo.
Brownell (Whig), 198; Jonathan M. Marston (Demo-
crat), 123 ; others, 188. For Governor. George N.
Briggs, 1484 ; Isaac Davis, of Worcester, 655 ; Samuel
E. Sewall, 160. Governor Briggs was re-elected in
the city election. Mr. Brownell was superintendent
of the machine shops and Mr. Maraton was a dealer
in liquors. These two gentlemen received but few
votes because at this election there was no organized
opposition to the re-election of Dr. Huntington.
In 1846, for mayor, on first ballot, Jefl"erson Ban-
croft (Whig), 988 ; Joshua Swan (Whig), 813. On
second ballot, Bancroft, 1307 ; Swan, 196. Both Mr.
Bancroft and Mr. Swan were Whigs. There was some
local opposition to the regular Republican nominee,
Mr. Bancroft, in Ward Four. Complaint was made
that this ward had been neglected in the distribution
of offices. The nomination of Mr. Swan gave expres-
sion to that feeling, and the Democrats probably voted
for him. For Governor, in 1840, George N. Briges,
1576 ; Isaac Davis, 669 ; Samuel E. Sewall, 228. Mr.
Bancroft was a deputy sherifl" and Mr. Swan was a
contractor at the machine shop.
In 1846 there were two municipal elections. Here-
tofore the municipal year had begun in the spring, but
hereafter it is to begin in January. Hence the second
election in December, 1846, for the city government
of the year 1847. At this election the vote was, Ban-
croft, 1307 ; Swan, 196. There was no party conten-
tion, both candidates being Whigs.
Municipal election, December, 1817, and State elec-
tion, November, 1847. For mayor, Jeflerson Ban-
croft, 1032; Josiah B. French (Democrat), 655; Elisha
Huntington, 228. For Governor, Geo. N. Briggs,
60
HISTORY OF MIDDLESEX COUNTY, MASSACHUSETTS.
1655; Caleb Gushing, of Newbirryport, 1282; Samuel
E. Sewall, 172.
Disaffection with Mr. Bancroft in Wards 3 and 4
explains the vote for Dr. Huntington. But little in-
terest was taken in this election, and the vote was
very small. Governor Briggs is re-elected. For the
two years the Mexican War had somewhat disturbed
the politics of the country. Even in Lowell, John
P. Kobinson, probably its most brilliant lawyer,
though a stanch Whig, favored the election of Gen-
eral Gushing, the Democratic opponent of Governor
Briggs. This opposition of Mr. Robinson gave biith
to that well-known poem of James R. Lowell, the
keen satire of which well outlines the local cause that
brought it forth :
"GiivenerB. ip a sensible mnn;
lie alftys to homo and looks arter his fulkd ;
He draws liis furrcr ez stniislit uz lit- can,
Au' into nobody's tater-patcb pukca.
But John P.
Robinson, he
Sez, he wouDt go fur Guvcaer B.
"Gineral C, he goc6 in fur the war,
Ho don't vully principle inore'n an old end ;
Wat did God make us raytional crect<*is fer —
But glory aud gunpoMdor, plunder and blooil ?
So, Johu P.
Kobinson, ho
Sez. he shall vote for Gineral C."
Municipal election in December, 1S48, and State
and National election in November, 184S. For mayor,
at first trial, Daniel S. Richardson, 1080 ; Josiah B.
French, 723 ; John W. Graves, C74 ; Oliver M. Whip-
ple, 249 ; Jefferson Bancroft, 88. At the second trial,
Richardson, 1305 ; French, 810 ; Graves, 064. At
the final trial, French, 1577; Richardson, 1544, and
others, 21 ; and Mr. French was elected by a plural-
ity of 33, and by a majority of 6. For Governor,
Geo. N. Briggs, 1976 ; Stephen G. Phillips, of Salem,
1221 ; Caleb Gushing, 441. For President, Zachary
Taylor, 1959; Martin Van Buren, 1096 ; Lewis Cass,
870. Mr. Tdylor was elected President, and Governor
Briggs re-elected. Mr. Richardson was a lawyer. A
comparison of the Presidential election with the city
election would seem to indicate that in the latter the
Anti-slavery party generally voted for Mr. French.
Oliver M. Whipple was a manufacturer of powder, and
one of the oldest and most prominent citizens. The
second and third trials in the city election were de-
manded because, at that time, a plurality did not
elect. Scattering votes could defeat an election.
Municipal election December, 1849, and State elec-
tion November, 1849. For mayor, Josiah B. French,
1521; Geo. Brownell (Whig), 1285. For Governor,
Geo. N. Briggs, 1659; Geo. S. Boutwell, of Groton,
759; Stephen C. Phillips, of Salem, 663. Governor
Briggs was re-elected, and Mayor French is compli-
mented with a second election. Mr. Brownell was
superintendent of machine shop.
Municipal election December, 1850, and State elec-
tion November, 1850. For mayor, James H. B. Ayer,
1811; Abner W. Buttrick, 893. For Governor, Geo.
N. Briggs, 1790; Geo. S. Boutwell, 891 ; Stephen G.
Phillips, 743. Mr. Boutwell was elected Governor.
Mr. Ayer was the paymaster of the Locks and Canals
Company, and Mr. Buttrick was a grqcer. Governor
Briggs meets with his first defeat in a gubernatorial
election. The population of Lowell in 1850 was
33,383.
Municipal election December, 1851, and State elec-
tion November, 1851. For mayor, Elisha Hunting-
ton, 2021; John W. Graves, 1S3S. For Governor,
Robert C. Winthrop, of Boston, 1915; Geo. S. Bout-
well, 1342; John G. Palfrey, of Cambridge, 681-
Governor Boutwell was re-elected.
Municipal election Dec, 1852, and State and
National election Nov., 1852. For mayor at first
trial, Sewall G. Mack, 1961 ; John W. Graves, 1919,
others, 48. Second trial, Mack, 1954; Graves, 1878.
For Governor, John H. Clifford, 1789 ; Henry W.
Bishop, of Lenox, 1236 ; Hor.ice Mann, of Newton,
the Free-Soil candidate, 1202. For President, Win-
field Scott, 2032; Franklin Pierce, 1576; John P.
Hale, 684. Mr. Clifford was elected Governor and Mr.
Pierce President. Mr. Mack was a dealer in stoves,
etc. In this year the Free-Soil vote reached its
highest point. It is probable that Mr. Mann, whose
vote was the highest, received support from the other
parties out of personal considerations.
JIunicipal election Dec, 1853. and State election
Nov., 1853. For mayor, Sewall G. Mack, 1979 ; John
Nesmith, 700; Weare Clifford, 697; Wm. Fiske, 275.
For Governor, Emory Washburn, of Worcester, 1927;
Henry W. Bishop, 942; Henry Wilson, of Natick,
973 ; Bradford L. Wales, of Randolph, 351. At the
city election John Nesmith was the Free-Soil candi-
date and Wm. Fiske the Temperance candidate. Mr.
Washburn was elected Governor. Mr. Nesmith was a
manufacturer and dealer in real estate. Mr. Fiske
was a dealer in lumber. In 1853 the people of the
State were called to vote upon the .icceptance of the
new Constitution formed at the constitutional conven"
tion under the control of a coalition of Democrats
and Free-Soilcrs. The Whigs under Washburn and
the National or Hunker Democrats under Wales suc-
ceeded in defeating most of the articles of the pro-
posed Constitution.
JIunicipal election Dec, 1854, and State election
Nov., 1854. Fur mayor, Ambrose Lawrence, 2651 ;
Joseph Bedlow, 442. For Governor, Henry J. Gard-
ner, of Boston, 2863 ; Emory Washburn, 902 ; Henry
W. Bishop, 353. In the city election, Mr. Lawrer.ce
was candidate of the " American (commonly called
" Know-Nothing") party" and Mr. Bedlow of the
Whigs. Mr. Lawrence was a dentist. Mr. Bedlow
was in the service of the Lawrence Corporation. In
the State election Mr. Gardner was the candidate of
the " Know-Nothing" party. The sudden rise of the
new party and its sudden decline are remarkable phe-
nomena in the history of politics. The wild rush of
LOWELL.
61
politiciana of every shade to join the winning side
rendered the party too unwieldy to be subject to the
control of its wiser leaders, and the misconduct of a
lew soon brought reproach and defeat upon the
whole.
Municipal election Dec, 1855, and State election
Nov., 1855. For mayor, Elisha Huntington, 2290 ;
Alfred Gilman, 1402. For Governor, Henry J. Gard-
ner, 175.) ; Erasmus D. Bench, 1014 ; Julius C. Rock-
well (Whig), of Pitisfield, 971. Mr. Gardner was re-
elected. Mr. Beach was the Democratic candidate
and Mr. Rockwell the Whig candidate. Mr. Gilman
was the American or " Kuow-Jsothing" candidate for
mayor, and Mr. Huntington the Whig candidate.
Mr. Gilman had been postmaster of Lowell in the
administration of Presidents Taylor and Fillmore.
He had also been an editor.
Municipal election Dec, 1856, and State and
National election Nov., 185G. For mayor, Stephen
Mausur, 1915; Elisha Huntington, 1870. For Gov-
ernor, Henry J.Gardner, 2940; Erasmus D. Bench,
1259; Luther V. Bell, of Cliarlestown, 127. For
I'resideiit, John C. Fremont, 3U87 ; James Buchanan,
1248. Mr. Mansur was a dealer in hardware. In this
year there was i)revailing a very strong sentiment in
favor of non-partisan munici))al government. Many
of the b(st citizens of Lowell who were not politi-
cians publicly joined in a movement to elect Dr. Hun-
tington on a non-partisan platform. He was there-
fore i)Ut up in opposition to the Whig candidate, Mr.
Mansur. lu 185lj Mr. Gardner was re-elected Gover-
nor and Mr. Buchanan President. In 1856 the Whigs
generally supported Mr. Gardner. Those who did
not, under the name of "American and Whig party"
supported 51 r. Bell. The three parties were called:
" American Rei)ublican," " Democratic, " " American
and Whig."
Municipal election Dec. 1857, and State election
Nov., 1857. For mayor, Elisha Huntington, 2000;
Wm. North (Rep.), 1449. For Governor, Nathaniel
P. Banks, of Waltham, 1710; Erasmus D. Beach,
1076; Henry J. Gardner, 1151. Mr. Banks was elec-
ted Governor. Dr. Huntington \v;)s the Citizens'
" non-partisan " candidate. Mr. North, the Repub-
lican caudidate, was a dyer at the Middlesex Mills.
Dr. Huntington's long experience aided him as a
candidate in this year of financial distress, when wise
counsel was in great demand.
Municipal election Dec, 1858, and State election
Nov., 1858. For mayor, James Cook (Rep.), 1737;
E|)hraim B. Patch (Dem.), 1209. For Governor, N.
P.Banks, 1754; E. D. Beach, of Springfield, 1070;
Amos A. Lawrence, 397. Mr. Banks was elected
Governor. Mr. Cook had been an agent of the Mid-
dlesex Mills, but for many years he was engaged in
tiie insurance business. Mr. Patch was an auctioneer.
Municipal election, Dec. 1850, and State election
Nov. 1859. For mayor, Benj. C. Sargeant (Rep),
1772; Levi Sprague (Rep.), 1457. For Governor,
N. P. Banks, 1612 ; Benj. F. Butler, 1140; Geo. N.
Briggs, 342. Mr. Banks was elected Governor. Mr.
Sargeant, candidate of the American Republican
parly, defeats Mr. Spragt'.e, candidate of a Citizens'
movement. Mr. Sargeant was a bookseller, and Mr.
Sprague a contractor.
Municipal election Dec. 1860, and State and Na-
tional election Nov., 1860. For mayor, B. C. Sar-
■geant, 2073 ; Francis H. Nourse (Rep.), 1393 ; John
O. Green, 138 ; James K. Fellows, 105. For Gover-
nor, John A. Andrew, of Boston, 2750 ; E. D. Beach,
988 ; A. A. Lawrence, of Brookline, 443. For Presi-
dent, Abraham Lincoln, 2776 ; Stephen A. Douglas,
1002 ; John Bell, 435 ; John C. Breckenridge, 142.
Mr. Andrew was elected Governor, and Mr. Lin-
coln President. In the city election Mr. Nourse, a
Republican, was put up by those who had become
disaffected with Mayor Sargeant's administration in
1859. John 0. Green represented the peace party,
and J. K. Fellows the Democrats. Mr. Nourse was
engaged in railroad business, and Mr. Fellows was a
watchmaker. In the National election Bell was the
candidate of the " Union " party, commonly called the
" Bell and Everett '' party, and John C. Breckenridge
of the regular Democrats. Mr. Douglas had the sup-
port of the Douglas Democrats. The threatening war
had drawn new party lines. The population of
Lowell in 1800 was 36,827.
Municipal election, Dec. 1861, and State election
Nov., 1861. For mayor, Hocum Hosford (Rep.),
1719; John W. Graves, 1664. For Governor, John
A.Andrew, 2139; Isaac Davis, of Worcester, 1003.
Mr. Andrew was elected Governor. Mr. Hosford
was a merchant and was known as Lowell's " War
Mayor."
Municipal election Dec, 1802, and State election
Nov., 1862. For mayor, Hocum Hosford, 1876 ; Ar-
thur P. Bonney (Rep.), 1320. For Governor, John
A. Andrew, 1977 ; Charles Devens, Jr., of Worces-
ter, 1427. Governor Andrew was re-elected. Mr.
Bonney was a Republican, and was the regular Re-
publican candidate. He was a lawyer.
Municipal election Dec, 1803, and State election
Nov., 1863. For mayor, Hocum Hosford, 1231 ; others,
18. For Governor, J. A. Andrew, 1723; Henry W.
Paine, of Cambridge, 669. Gov. Andrew was re-
elected. In this year the war was upon us, and Mr.
Hosford was kept in ofi&ce by common consent. In no
city election had there eve. been so few votes. Two
causes conspired to render the vote small, — first, there
was no party contest, and second, the day of election
was, in the afternoon, very rainy.
Municipal election Dec, 1864, and State and Na-
tional election Nov., 1864. For mayor, Josiah G.
Peabody (Rep.), 1099; Abner W. Buttrick (Dem.),
944. For Governor, John A. Andrew, 2401 ; Henry
W. Paine, 1106. For President, Abraham Lincoln,
2473; Geo. B. McClellan, 1090. Gov. Andrew was
re elected. President Lincoln was re-elected. Mr.
62
HISTOllY OF MIDDLESEX COUNTY, MASSACHUSETTS.
Peabody was a door, sash and blind maker, and Mr.
Buttrick was a grocer.
Municipal election Dec, 1865, and State election
Nov., 1865. For mayor, J. G. Peabody, 1517 ; B. C.
Sargeant, 1513. For Governor, Alexander H. Bul-
lock, 1875 ; Darius N. Couch, of Taunton, 58<. Mr.
Bullock ia elected Governor. At the city election
Mr. Peabody, candidate of the Workingmtn's party,
defeats Mr. Sargeant, candidate of the Union Repub-
lican party, by a plurality of four votes.
Municipal election Dec, 186C, and State election
Nov., 1866. For mayor, Geo. F. Richardson (Rep.),
1923; AlbertB.Plympton, (Rep.), 1089. ForGovernor,
A. H. Bullock, 2602 ; Theodore H. Sweetser, of Lowell,
766. Gov. Bullock was re-elected. Mr. Plympton
was a master mechanic and a Republican. He was
put up by the workingmen and the citizens against
Mr. Richardson, the Republican candidate.
Municipal election Dec, 1867, and State election
Nov., 1867. For mayor, G. F. Richardson, 3214;
scattering, 13. For Governor, A. H. Bullock, of
Worcester, 2395 ; John Q. Adams, of Quincv, 1598.
Gov. Bullock was re-elected. JIayor Richardson had
no opponent.
Municipal election Dec, 1868, and State and Na-
tional election Nov., 1868. For mayor, Jonathan P.
Folsom (Rep.), 2008; E. B. Patch, 1850. For Gover-
nor, \Vm. Claflin, of Newton, 3135; J. Q.Adams,
1622. For President, U. S. Grant, 3152; Horatio
Seymour, 1593. Mr. Claflin was elected Governor,
and Gen. Grant President. Mr. Folsom was a dry-
goods merchant.
Municipal election Dec, 1869, and State election
Nov., 1869. For mayor, J. P. Folsom, 3133; pcatter-
iug, 2. For Governor, Wm. Clatlin, 2306; J. Q.
Adams, 1413 ; Edwin M. Chamberlain, of Boston,
235. No mayor of Lowell has received a vote so
nearly unanimous aa that given to Mr. Folsom in 1869.
Gov. Clatlin was re-elected. Mr. Chamberliin was
the candidate of the Labor Reform party.
Municipal election Dec, 1870, and State election
Nov., 1870. For mayor, Edward F. Sherman (Rep.).
2246; Charles A. Stott (Rep.), 1667. For Governor,
Wm. Claflin, 2002; J. Q. Adams, 1003; Wendell
Phillips, of Boston, 646. Gov. Claflin was re-elected.
Mr. Phillips was the " Labor Reform candidate."
Mr. Stott was a manufacturer. Jlr. Sherman was a
lawyer. He was nominated by the "Citizens" in
opposition to the Republican nominee, Mr. Stott. He
WHS not a politician and did not seek the mayoralty,
but was selected on account of his well-known ability.
But both he and the City Council of 1870 incurred
great reproach and blame for their course of alleged
inaction in checking the spread of the small-pox,
which prevailed to an alarming extent this year.
The population of Lowell in 1870 was 40,928.
Municipal election December, 1871, and State elec-
tion November, 1871. For mayor, J. G. Peabody,
2136 ; Charles A. Stott, 1709. For Governor, William
B. Washburn, of Greenfield, 1598; J. Q. Adams,
1046 ; Edwin M. Chamberlain, of Boston, 237 ;
Robert C. Pitman (Temperance), 97. Mr. Wash-
burn was elected Governor. Mr. Stott was the Citi-
zens' candidate against Mr. Peabody, the Republican
candidate. The Citizens' movement this year was
less popular on account of the fact that the officers
elected by that movement in the preceding year had
incurred so much blame in regard to the prevalence
of small-pox.
Municipal election December, 1872, and State and
National election November, 1872. For mayor,
Francis Jewett (Rep.), 2378; Hocum Hosford, 1968.
For Governor, William B. Washburn, 3474; Frank
W. Bird, of Walpole, 16S1. For President, U. S.
Grant, 3467 ; Horace Greeley, 1673. Governor Wiish-
burn was re-elected. Gen. Grant was also re-elected.
Mr. Jewett was a butcher. Mr. Hosford was the can-
didate of the Citizens' party. At this time very many
citizens favored non-partisan municipal nomnuitions.
In this year the mayor was elected by the Republi-
cans, but the aldermen by the Citizens'. Both can-
didates for the mayoralty were Republicans.
Municipal election December, 1873, and .'?tate elec-
tion November, 1873. For mayor, Francis Jewett,
3390 ; scattering, 3. For Governor, William Gaston,
of Boston, 2150; William B. Washburn, 1584. Gover-
nor Washburn was re-elected. Mayor Jewett was
re-elected almost without opposition.
Municipai election December, 1874, and State elec-
tion November, 1874. For mayor, Francis Jewett,
3221 ; H. Hosford, 1386. For Governor, Thomiis Tal-
bot, of Billerica, 2939; William Gaston, 2655. Mr.
Gaston was elected Governor. .Mr. Hooford was the
nominee of a Citizens' movemtiit.
Municipal election December, 1875, and State elec-
tion November, 1875. For mayor, C. A. Stolt, 2578 ;
J. C. Abbott (Dem.), 2027. ForGovernor, Alexander
H. Rice, of Boston, 2583 ; William Givston, 2533 ;
John I. Baker, of Beverly, 42. Mr. Rice was elected
Governor. Mr. Abbott, the Democratic candidate fur
mayor, was a lawyer.
Municipal election December, 1876, and State and
National election November, 1876. For mayor, C.
A. Stott, 3013; J. A. G. Richardson (Dem.), 2897.
For Govrrnor, A. H. Rice, 3831 ; C. F. Adams, of
Quincy, 2919. For President, Rutherford B. Hayes,
4003; Samuel J. Tildeu, 3089. Governor Rice was
re-elected, and Mr. Hayes elected President. Mr.
Richardson, the Democratic candidate for mayor, was
a provision dealer.
Municipal election December, 1877, and State elec-
tion November, 1877. For mayor, J. A. G. Richard-
son, 3068 ; C. A. Stott, 2988. For Governor, A. H.
Rice, 2808; William Gaston, 2650; Robert C. Pit-
man, of Newton, 727 ; John I. Baker, of Beverly,
223. Governor Rice was re-elected. Mr. Richardson
was the Democratic candidate for mayor.
Municipal election Dec, 1878, and State election
LOWELL.
63
Nov., 1878. For mayor, J. A G.Richardson, 4138; Na-
thaniel C. yanboru (Reji.), 1809. For Governor, Benj.
F. Butler, of Lowell, 4238 ; Thomas Talbot, 377.') ;
Josiah G. Abbott, of Boston, 132. Mr. Talbot was
elected Governor. Mr. Sanborn, the Republican
candidate for mayor, was a photographer.
Municipal election Dec, 187'J, and State election
Nov., 1879. For mayor, Frederick T. Greenhalge
(Rep.), 4092; Jeremiah Crowley (Dem.), 3148. For
Governor, B. F. Butler, 4397; John D. Long, of Bing-
ham, 3332 ; J. Q. Adams, of Quincy, 110 ; Daniel C.
Eddy, of Hyde Park, 55. Mr. Long, Republican,
was elected Governor. Mr. Greenhalge, the Repub-
lican candidate for mayor, and Mr. Crowley, the
Democratic candidate, were lawyers.
Municipal election Dec, 1880, and State and Na-
tional election Nov., 1880. For mayor, F. T. Green-
halge, 4054 ; J. G. Peabody, 1279. For Governor, John
D.Long, 5411; Charles P.Thompson, 3893; Charles
Almy.of New Bedford, 35. For President, James A.
Garfield, 4513; Wiufield S. Hancock, 3917. Gov.
Long was re-elected and Mr. Garfield elected President.
Mr. Peabody was the nominee of the Prohibition
party for mayor. The population of Lowell in 1880
was 50,485.
Munic.pal election Dec, 1881, and State election
Nov., 1881. For mayor, Geo. Runels (Rep.), 3794; J.
A. G. Richardson (Dem.), 2411. For Governor, John
D. Long, 2972 ; C. P. Thompson, 2817 ; Charles
Almy, of New Bedford, 178. Gov. Long was re-elect-
ed. Mr. Runels was a stone-mason.
Municipal election Dec, 1882, and State election
Nov., 1882. For mayor, J. J. Donovan (Dem.), 4257 ;
Francis Jewett (Rep.), 381G. For Governor, B. F. But-
ler, 50C5 ; Robert R. Bishop (Rep), of Newton, 3538;
Charles Almy, of New Bedford, 51. Mr. Butler was
elected Governor. Mr. Donovan was a grocer.
Municipal election Dec, 1883, and State election
Nov., 1883. For mayor, J. J. Donovan, 4952 ; J.
H. McAlvin (Rep.), 4111. For Governor, Benj. F.
Butler, 5445; Geo. D. Robinson (Rep.), of Chicopee,
4373; Charles Almy, 48. Mr. Robinson was elected
Governor. Mr. McAlvin, the Republican candidate
for mayor, was for many years treasurer of the city.
Municipal election, Dec, 1884, and Slate and Na-
tional election Nov., 1SS4. For mayor, Edward J.
Noyes (Rep.), 5012 ; Geo. W. Fifield (Dem.), 4477.
For Governor, G. D. Robinson, 4982; Wm. G. Endi-
cott, 30 13; Julius H. Seely, of Amherst, 127; Mat-
thew J. McCafferty, of Worcester, 800. For President,
Grover Cleveland (Dem.), 3710; James G. Blaine
(Rep.), 4785. Gov. Robinson was re-elected. Mr.
Cleveland was elected President.
Municipal election Dec, 1885, and State election
Nov., 1885. For mayor, E. J. Noyes (Rep.), 4316;
James C. Abbott (Dem.), 4571. For Governor, G. D.
Robinson, 3918; Fred. O. Prince (Dem.), 387C;
Thomas J. Lothrop, 5G. Gov. Robinson was re-
elected Governor and Mr. Abbott mayor.
Municipal election December, 188G, and State
election, November, 188G. For Mayor, J. C. Abbott,
4843; Albert B. Plympton (Rep.),"4022. For Gov-
ernor, Oliver Ames (Rep.), of Eastoc, 4171 ; John A.
Andrew, 4271 ; Thomas J. Lothrop, of Taunton, 1S7.
Mr. Ames was elected Governor.
Municipal election December, 1887, and State elec-
tion November, 1887. For Mayor, Charles D. Pal-
mer (Rep.), 5G05; Stephen B. Puffer, 4520. For
Governor, O. Ames, 489G; Henry B. Lovering (Dem.),
4429; William H. Earle, of Worcester, 90. Gov-
ernor Ames was re-elected ; Mr. Palmer had been
a manufacturer, and Mr. Puffer was a dealer in pro-
visions.
Municipal election December, 1888, and State and
National election, November, 1888. For Mayor, C.
D. Palmer, 5636 ; Nathan D. Pratt (Dem.), 5059. For
Governor, 0. Ames, 5566 ; William E. Russell, 5274 ;
William H. Earle, 128. For President, Benjamin
Harrison (Rep.), 5G30 ; Grover Cleveland, 522G. Gov-
ernor Ames was re-elected, and Mr. Harrison was
elected President ; Mr. Pratt was a lawyer.
Municipal election December, 1889, and State
election November, 1889. For Mayor, C. D. Pal-
mer, 5465 ; J. Crowley (Dem.), 5208. For Governor,
J.Q. A. Brackett (Rep.), 4313; W.E.Russell (Dem.),
4856 ; John Blackmer (Pro.), 284.
Municipal Officebs. — The presidents of the Com-
mon Council have been : John Clark, 1836 and 1844;
Elisha Huntington, 1837-39; Pelham W. Warren,
1840; Tappan Wenlworth, 1841 ; Joseph W. Mansur,
1842; Oliver March, 1843; Daniel S. Richardson,
1845, '46; Joel Adams, 1847 ; Thomas Hopkinson,
1839 and 1848; John Aiken, 1849 ; Ivers Taylor,
1850; George Gardner, 1851; Benj. C. Sargeant,
1852, "56, ' 58; Wm. A. Richardson, 1853, 54 ; Alfred
Gilnmn. 1855; Frederic Holton, 1857 ; Wm. P. Web-
ster, 1859 ; Willi»m F. Salmon, 18(i0 ; Wm. L. North,
18G1 ; Geo. F. Richardson, 1862, '63; Geo. Ripley,
18(34, '65; Gustavus A. Gerry, 1866, '67; Alfred H.
Chase, 1868; Wm. Anderson, 1869; Albert A. Hag-
gett, 1870, 73, '76 ; Henry P. Perkins, 1871, '72 ; Nathan
W. Frye, 1874; Benj. C. Dean, 1876; John F. Kim-
ball, 1876, '78 ; E. B. Pierce,1879,'83 ; Earl A.Thissell,
1880 ; C. C. Hutchinson, 1881 ; Wm. N. 0<-good,
1882; John J. Hogan, 1884; Alfred V/. Chadwick,
1885 ; Walter M. Sawyer, 1886 ; James H. Carmichael,
1887; Edmund B. Conant, 1888; Wm. E. Westall,
1889.
In 1839 and 1876 there were two presidents, each
serving a partial term.
The city clerks have been: Samuel A. Coburn
1836 to 1837 inclusive (he was also town cleik <rcm
1826 to 1835) ; Thomas Ordway, from 1838 to 1853 ;
Wm. Lamson, Jr., from 1854 to 1857; John H.
McAlvin, from 1858 to 1868 ; Samuel A. McPhetres,
from 1869 to 1881 ; David O'Brien, from 1882 to
1884, also in 1887; Samuel M. Chase, from 1885 to
188G ; Girard P. Dadmun, from 1888 to 1889.
G4
HISTORY OF MIDDLESEX COUNTY, MASSACHUSETTS.
The city treasurers have been : William Davidson,
ISSGto 18S2; John A. Buttrick, 1843 to 1846; Itha-
mar A. Beard, 1847 to 1850; John F. Kimball, 1851
to 1855 ; Isaac C. Eastman, 1856 to 1860 ; Geo. W.
Bedlow, 1861 to 1864; Thomas G. Gerrish, 1865 to
1869 ; John H. McAlvin, 1869 to 1882 ; Van Buren
Sleeper, the present incumbent, 1883.
The city physicians have been : Charles P. CofEn,
1836, '39; Eli3haBartlettl840, '41 ; Abraham D.Dear-
born, 1842, '43; David Wells, 1844-46; Abner H.
Brown, 1847-50 ; Joel Spaulding, 1851-55 ; Lather B.
Morse, 1856. '57 ; John W. Graves, 1858-60 ; Moses
W.Kidder, 1861-63; Nathan Allen, 1864, '65; Geo. E.
Pinkhara, 1866-68 ; John H. Gilman, 1869 '70 ; Wal-
ter H.Leighton, 1871, '72; HermonJ.Smith, 1873-77;
Leonard Huntress, 1878; Edwiu W. Trueworthy,
1879-81; Willis G. Eaton, 1882-84; J. J. Colton,
1885-87; J. Arthur Gage, 1888, '89.
The city auditors have been : John Nesmitb, 1836;
Joseph W. Mansur, 1837 ; Horatio G. F. Corliss, 1S38;
John G. Locke, 1840-48 ; Geo. A. Butterfield, 1849, '50 ;
Wm. Larason, Jr., 1851-53 ; Leonard Brown, 1854, '55;
James J. Maguire, 1856 ; Henry A. Lord, 1857 ; Geo.
Gardner, 1858-74 inclusive ; David Chase, 1875 to
the present time, except that in 1887 Wm. J. Cough-
lin was auditor.
The city marshals have been : Zaccheus Shedd,
1836, '37, '40, '41, '48, '50; Henry T. Mowatt, 183S;
Joseph B. Butterfield, 1839; Charles J. Adams,
1842-47 ; Geo. P. WalHron, 1849 ; James Corrin, 1851 ;
Edwin L. Shedd, 1852-54; Samuel Miller, 1855; Wm.
H. Clemmence, 1856, '58, '74, '77 ; Eben H. Rand,
1857, '59; Frederic Lovejoy, 18C0, '61, '78 ; Bickford
Lang, 1862-71; Charles P. Bowles, 1872, '73; Albert
Pinder, 1879, '80 ; Edward J. Noye^ 1881, '82, '88,
'89; Micha^il McDonald, 1883, '84 ; Jacob B. Favor,
1885, '86 ; Frank Wood, 1887.
CHAPTER VI.
LO \V£LL—{ Contimud).
BAXK.S.
The national discount banks of Lowell are all be-
lieved to be in a sound financial condition. The fact
that the stock of every one of them is fur above its
par value indicates the popular confidence in the
safety of their management. For many years very
few semi-annual dividends have been omitted. Their
general management has been conservative, and all of
them have a surplus suliicieutly large to ensure sta-
bility in times of financial reverses.
For the statistics of the discount banks given below
I am much indebted to the late Mr. Charles Hovey,
who, ou February 4, 1S86, read a valuable article upi'u
these banks before the "Old Residents' Historical
Association.'
Of the Savings Banks of Lowell it may be said that
they all have the confidence of the community. All
are now paying dividends amounting to four per cent,
per annum. But extra dividends are rarely paid.
With the low rates of interest now prevailing in the
business world, savings banks, for years to come, will
hardly be able to pay annually more than four per cent.
The law of the Slate forbidding these banks to in-
vest in Western mortgages tends to keep down the
dividends, while it also tends to give security and
safety to the institutions.
Discount Banks of Lowell — Old Loicell Xational
Dunk. — Thi.s bank, under ihe name of "The Lowell
Bank," was incorporated March 11, 1828, two years
after Lowell became a town. Of the persons named
in the act of incorporation none are living. They
were Phineas Whiting, Samuel Bacheider, Thomas
Hurd, Daniel Richardson, Kirk Boott, Paul iloody,
Josiah Crosby, Nathaniel Wright. The Board of Di-
rectors elected in 1828 were Nath. Wright, Jot^iah B.
French, Kirk Boott, Joshua Bennett, Jonathan Morse
(2d), Phineas Whitirg, Thomas Hurd, Amos Whituey,
Benj. F. Varnura, Daniel trhattuck.
The capital of this bank has been from its origin
5^200,(100, It was authorized to commence business
as a National Banking Association June 22, 1865, and
it has since been known as "The Old Lowell National
Bank." Its first place of business was in the brick
block next west of Worthen Street, which was then
known as the " Bank Block." From 1833 to 1845 its
banking-rooms were in the old Wyman's Exchange
on Central .Street. From 1S45 to 1878 its place of
business was in the second story of the bank building
on Sliattuck Street, erected by "The Lowell Institu-
tion for Savings." Since the latter date it h.ns occu-
pied rooms in the second story of the new Wyman's
Exchange, corner of Meirimack and Central ;^treets.
The new Wyman's Exchange is a sub>tantial brick
edifice; but the old Wyman's Exchange, which stood
for many yeais as a conspicuous land mark of the city,
was a lofty stone building so profusely lighted with
windows as to present to the eye the appearance of
dangerous instability. It was the prevailing belief
that in case of fire it would surely collapse. "There
is a tradition that the first cashier, who was a careful
man, always intended to run into the bank-vault
whenever the building should fall."' The building
was taken down in 1878.
Below are the names of the presidents and cai-hiers
of the bank, with the date of their appointment and
the number of years of service.
Presidents: Nathaniel Wright, 182S (30 year* ) ;
James G. Carney, 1S5S (1 year): John O. Green, 1859
(2 vears); Joshua Bennett, 1861 (4 years); Edward
Tuck, 1865 (19 years) ; John Davis, the present incum-
bent, 1884. Cashiers: James G. Carney, 1828 (17
year-); David Hyde, 1815 (4 years); .John L. Ord-
•jr^-s-^'^-.
(^ t>'i--U'
c^ i-^^ t^c-,^ ty ^i
C^ •■-
A
LOWELL.
65
way, 1849(14 year^); Charles M.Williams, the present
incumbent, 1863. The present board of directors is;
Edwsrd M. Tucke Fhineas Whiting, A. B. Wood-
worth, George F. Penniman, Ed. T. Rowell, John
Davis, Jacob Nichols, Joseph L. Chalifoux, James
F. Puffer.
Edward Tuck belonged to that class of sturdy men
of business who, starting life upon an humble New
England farm, h.ive, by their native force and en-
ergy, iichieved a distinguished success and left an
honorable name. He was born in Fayette, Me.,
March 31. 180(>, and died at his home in Centralville,
Lowell, November 14, 188-'), at the age of nearly
eighty years. He was of pure New England descent,
the following being the direct line of his American
ancestors :
1. Robert Tuck, who, about 11)30, came to America
from Gorleston, a town lying 124 mile-t northeast of
London, .iiid now containing about 4000 inhabitants.
In 1638 he settled in Winnacunnet, (now Hampton),
N. H. He kept the first public-houss in the town,
was a chirurgeon by profe-sion,a selectman and town
clerk, as well as " clarke of the writls." 2. Edward
Tuck, who came to America with his father and set-
tled in Hampton, where be died in 1652. 3. John
Tuck, a carpenter by trade, who was born in 1652,
near the time of his father's death, and lived in
Hampton to the age of ninety years. He erected a
grist-mill and a fulling-mill on Nilus River, and was
probably a man of pro[)erly. He was a devoutly re-
ligious man, who read his Bible through twelve times,
and was deacon of the church for twenty-seven years.
He was also a selectman and representative of Hamp-
ton in the Legislature of the State. 4. Edward Tuck,
a carpenter by trade, who was born in 16(14-95, and
lived to the age of seventy -eight years in Kensington,
N. H. 5. Jesse Tuck, who lived u[)on the paternal
estate in Kensinglon. He was born in 1743, and
died in 1826, at the age of eighty-three years. 6.
Jesse Tuck, father of the subject of this sketch, who
was born in Kensington, in 1773 or 1774, and set-
tled in Fayette, Kennebec County, Me., where he
died in the sixty-eighth year of his age.
Edward Tuck remained upon his father's farm until
he was twenty-one years of age, receiving his educa-
tion from the schools of the town and from theacad-
emv in the neighboring town of Farmington, Me. He
came to Lowell in 1828, while only a few of the mills
were, as yet, in operation, and found employment in
the hotel of S. A. Coburn, which is now known as
the Stone House, on Pawtucket Street, the late resi-
dence of J. C. Ayer. After two years of service in
the hotel and in one of the factories, be engaged in
trade for about eight years. In 1832 he mHrried
Miss Emily Coburn, of Dracut. In 1838, when thirty-
two years of age, he entered upon the express busi-
ness between Boston and Lowell, in which he con-
tinued with marked success until 1855, a period of
seventeen vears. It was in this busine-'-s that he laid
5-ii
the foundation of bis e.^tate. In 1855 be became a
broker in Boston, still retaining bis home in Lowell.
This business he followed until advancing years de-
manded that he should relinquish it.
It was as expressman and broker that Mr. Tuck
became more familiarly known in the streets of
Lowell than almost any other citizen. He was a
marked man. His strong constitution, firm health
and fine physical development left the impression
upon those who met him that he was a man of no
ordinary ability. He was a man of force, will, en-
ergy, dispatch. He kept his object steadily in view.
He meant business. He was never in a hurr)% but
always on time. He was noted for system, method and
punctuality. A writer for the press once playfully re-
marked of him : " Probably there is no man in Lowell
who has been over the Boston and Lowell Railroad
as many times as Edward Tuck, president of the Old
Lowell National Bank. Rain or shine, every day of
the week, excepting Sundays and holidays, he may
be found on his way to Boston. His companion
down is the Boston Post; returning, the Transcri/,t.
He quietly absorbs his paper, giving especial attention
to the financial and commercial department."
On returning from Boston Mr. Tuck brought with
him not on*y the documents pertaining to his busi-
ness, but a hearty good-cheer for his friends, the most
recent news from the commercial world, and the
last good story which he had heard on 'Change and
which he knew well how to repeat and adorn.
Though Mr. Tuck possessed that buoyant and
cheerful spirit which good health and love of action
are wont to bestow, yet few men have drank more
deeply of the cup of sorrow.
Of his three children, hie eldest daughter, Augusta,
wife of Captain T. W. Hendee, shipmaster, died in
1864, on board her husband's ve-rsel in the Indian
Ocean. Her two only children did not long survive
her. Eleanor, the second daughter of Mr. Tuck, be-
came the second wife of Captain Hendee. After four
short years of married life spent in England and
Bombay, the husband died upon his vessel, leaving
his wife thus bereft upon the ocean. Returning to
Lowell, she also died in four years. Thus in the
brief space of a few years the father was bereft of his
son-in-law and all his children and grandchildren,
with only one exception. He bore his deep affliction
with exemplary fortitude.
Mr. Tuck, on account of his marked ability, was
often placed in positions of trust and honor. He
was alderman of Lowell in 1856, 1859 and 1873, a
member of the State Legislature in 1870, and for fif-
teen years president of the Old Lowell National
Bank. In every position he earned the name of an
honest and able man, who had a wholesome contempt
for all pretence and sham.
An attack of paralysis, in 1879, clouded, with phy-
sical weakness and suffering, the last six years of his
long and busy life.
66
HISTORY OF MIDDLESEX COUNTY. MASSACHUSETTS.
His wife survived him, but lias deceased since the
death of her husbaod. Of his family only one now
remains, Hon. Edward M. Tuclce, secretary of the
Traders and Mechanics' Insurance Company, .ind nt
the present time (1890) a member of the Senate of
Massachusetts.
The Railroad Bank. — This bank was incorporated
in 1831. The names of Ebenezer Appieton, Eben-
ezerChadwick, William Lawrence, KirkBoott, Lemuel
Pope and John P. Robinson appear in the act of
incorporation.
These gentlemen, being mostly Boston men and
owners of stock in the manufacturing corporations of
Lowell, had, as their object, the establishment of a
bank for the special use of these corporations. For
nearly forty years the banking business of the cor-
porations was done through this bank. From it also
was for a long time obtained the money for the
monthly pay-rolls of the operatives in the mills.
The first board of directors was: Luther Lawrence.
Paul Moody, Elisha Glidden, Henry Cabot, .Joshua
Swan, Kirk Boott and Ebenezer Appieton.
The names of the presidents and cashiers, with the
date of their appointment and the number of years of
service are as follows:
Presidents: Luther Lawrence. 1831 (S years) ; Pel-
ham W. Warren, l.s.3;» (ti years); B. F. French, 1840
(8 years); S. W. Stickiiey, 1853 (22 years); Jacob
Rogers, the present incumbent, 1875. Cashiers: Pel-
ham W. Warren, 1831 (8 years); S. W. Stickney,
1830 (14 years); John F. Rogers, 1853 (17 years);
James S. Hovey, 1870 (15 year?); Frank P. Haggett,
the present incumbent, 1885.
From 1831 to 183(5 the banking-rooms of the insti-
tution were at the corner of Central and Hurd Streets.
From 1836 to 1845 it occupied a room in the second
story of a building erected by itself, at the corner of
Merrimack and John Streets, and on the site of the
building now occupied by the Five Cent Savings
Bank. From 1845 to 1859 it occupied a room in the
bank building on Shattuck Street. From 1S59 to
1889 it occupied rooms in the Carleton Block on
Merrimack Street, now known as Odd Fellows' Block.
Its present place of business is on Merrimack be-
tween Kirk and John Streets. Its capital at its in-
corporation was $200,000. From time to time die
capital was enlarged as Corporation business increased
until it reached $800,000. When this business di-
minished it was reduced to $400,000, and this is its
present capital. When, in 1885, the capital was re-
duced to $400,000, a dividend of fifteen per cent, was
paid from the accumulated surplus. No semi annual
dividend has ever been omitted.
The names of the present board of directors are :
Jacob Rogers, Sewall G. Mack, George Motley,
George Ripley, James B. Francis, A. G. Cumnock,
James Franci.i.
City Bank. — An institution called "The City
Bank " was incorporated in March, 1836, Jo.-<eph
Locke, Jonathan Tyler and John Nesmith being
named in the act of incorporation. But the financial
distress and panic which came upon the country in
the next year made it so difficult for the ntw bank
to comply with the requirements of law, that the en-
terprise was abandoned.
Appieton Bank. — This bank was chartered in 1847,
si,xteen years after the Railroad Bank began business.
Its capital was at first $100,000, then §200,000, and at
List $300,000. Its first directors were John A.
Knowles, Isaac Farrington, J. B. French, John Nes-
mith, Abner W. Buttrick, Sidney Spalding, George
Bragdou, Ransom Reed, John W. Graves, none of
whom now survive.
Below are the names of its presidents and cashiers,
with date of their appointment and the number of
years of their service :
Presidents: John X. Knovvles, 1847(21 years); J. B.
French, in 1876. who, from ill health, did not assume
the active duties of his ottiies .folin F. Kimball, the
present incumbent, 1876. Cashiers: John .\. But-
trick, 1847 (12 years): John F. Kimball, 185'. (IS
years); E. K. Perley, the present incumbent, 187ii.
The present directors are: John F. Kimball, Addison
Putnam. William E. Livingston, Freeman B. Shedd,
D. W. C. Farriuirton, \ViHiaui Nichols, William S.
Bennett, W. W. Wilder.. The dividends have aver-
aged about ten percent, per annum.
This bank first occupied a brick building, owned
i)y itself, on the corner of Central and Hurd Streets.
on tile site of which the bank erected in 1878 the
elegant four-story building which it now occupies.
PiesroU Ban/:. — This bank was incorporated in
1850 with a capital of •■<200,"00, which, in 1865, when
it became a national bunk, was increased to ?'300.000.
The first directors were : Joel Adams, Samuel Bur-
Ijank, Daniel S. Richard.son, Joshua < 'unverse, Charles
B. t'oburn, Andrew C. Wheelock, .irtemas L. Brooks,
James H. Rand, Elijah .M. Read, Rufus Clement,
Isaac \V. Scribner. The presidents have been ; Joel
Adams, appointed 1850; Charles B. Coburn, 1864;
Daniel .S. Richardson, the present incumbent, 1874.
The cashiers have been ; .Vrtemas S. Tyler, 1850
(twenty-two years); Alonzo .1. Coburn, the press nt
incumbent, 1871. Its banking office was at first in a
building on the site of the present Mansur Block on
Central Street, but in 1865 the bank moved into the
building (Nos. 26 and 28 Central Street) which was
erected by itself. The present directors are : D. S.
Richardson, George F. Richardson, Hapgood Wright,
C. U. (.'obnrn, Daniel Gape, N. M. Wright, C. A.
Stott, W. A. Ingham, A. A. Coburn, J. W. Abbott, J.
.\. Bartlett.
Waniesit Bank. — This bank was incorporated
.\.pril 28, 1853, with .i capital of $100,000. Its pres-
ent capital is $250,000. Its first directors were :
Sidney Spalding, Horace Howard, Ignatius Tyler,
Charles H. Wilder, .\biel Rolfe, Abram French,
Henry C. Howe, Samuel Horn, Alpbeus R. Brown.
LOWELL.
67
In 1865 it was reorganized as a natiooal bank. Its
presidents have been : Horace Howard, appointed in
1853; William A. Richardson, 1860; Charles Whit-
ney, 1867 ; Henry C. Howe, the present incumbent,
1887. Its cashiers have been : John A. Buttrick,
1853; G. W. Knowlton, the present incumbent, 1874.
The pre^ent Board of Directors is: Samuel Horn,
Prescott C. Gates, Seth B. Hall, William H. Wiggiu,
Perley P. Perham, Samuel Kidder, G. W. Knowlton,
Francis Jewett, James W. Bennett, H. S. Howe. Its
place of busines-s is at ISii Uliddlesex Street, near the
Northern Depot, in a brick block owned by the bank.
Meirhants' National Bank. — This bank was incor-
porated in 1851 with a capital of $100,000, which has
been increased three times and is now $400,000. Its
first directors were: Harlan Pillsbury, Thomas Nes-
mith, Albert Wheeler, W. W. Wyman, Daniel Swan,
Joseph Bedlow, Samuel T. Lancaster, George F.
Richardson, Hocum Hosford, Isaac S. Morse, Asa
Hildreth. Its presidents have been : Harlan Pills-
bury, appointed in 1854 (ten years); Royal South-
wick, l-'^iM (eight months) ; Hocum Hosford, 18G4 (two
years); H. W. li. Wi^'htman, lS7t', (four years); Ar-
thur P. Boniiey, the present incumbent, 1880. Its
cashiers have been : Eliphalet Hills, appointed in
1854 (ime year); J. N. Pierce, Jr., 1855 (eighteen
years) ; ("harles W. Eaton, 1873 (eleven years) ; Wal-
ter W. Johnson, the i>resent incumbent, 1884. The
present directors are: Arthur P. Bonney, Samuel T.
Lanca.ster, William H. Andeison, Cyrus H. Latham,
Aina-sa Pratt, William Shepard, Albert F. Nichols,
Frank T. Jaijues, Michael Collins, .Vrthur G. Pollard,
George Kunels. Until 1870 its office was in the sec-
ond story of a building owned by itself (Merrimack
Street, No. 311). Since that date it has been on the
first story of the sitnic building. This bank was
changed to a national batik in 1864.
Firnl Naliimal Bank. — This bank was organized un-
der the national law February 16, 18()4, with a capital
of $250,000, which has remained unchanged. Its first
directors were: James K. Fellows, James C. Ayer,
Gilman Kimball, Isaac Place, James C. Abbott, Ei)h-
raiin Brown, J. W. Daniels, .\. P. Bonney, Joseph
H. Ely. Its presidents have been : Arthur P. Bon-
ney, appointe<l 1864; James C. Abbott, the present
incumbent, 1880. Its cashiers have been: George F.
Hunt, 1864 (two years); George B. Allen, 1866 (four-
teen years) ; Walter M.Sawyer, the present incum-
bent, 1880. The present directors are : J. C. Abbott,
Amos A. French, Ephraim Brown, Samuel N. Wood,
Gilman Kimball, Patrick Derapsey, A. C. Taylor,
Joseph S. Brown, W. H. Parker, John Lennon,
Thomas Costello. Its place of business was at the
corner of Central and Middle Streets until 1884,
when it took possession of the building erected by
itself on Central Street.
Lnwell Co-operative Bank. — This bank was char-
tered by the State of .Massachusetts, April 20, 1885,
with an authorized capital of .?1,000,000. From its
organization its officers have remained the same.
They are as follows : President, A. B. Woodworth ;
Secretary, George W. Batchelder; Treasurer, George
E. Metcalf. The directors are: Joseph L. Sedgley,
Leonard Evans, Jr., Charles T. Rowland, E. G.
Baker, John O. Gulline, John Dobson, Thomas Col-
lins, S. J. Johnson, James E. White, J. D. Hartwell,
George W. Brothers, Edwin S. Bickford, Caleb L.
Smith, James Markland, Samuel A. Byam.
The banking-office is at No. 6 Central Block, Cen-
tral Street.
The profits (interest) credited to shares during the
last year were 7.i per cent.
The monthly meetings are held on the first Thurs-
day after the 10th day of each month. Money is
loaned at every meeting to build a house, buy ahouse
or pay off a mortgage. Motto : " Save your money —
ownyo'tr home."
Savings Banks — Lowell Intlitulion for Savings —
The Lowell Institution for Savings was incorporated
(October, 1829, and was the first incorporated savings
bank of our city. More than two years before this
date the Merrimack JIanufacturing Company had,
without legislative sanction, received money from its
operatives on deposit, with interest on the same con-
ditions as those existing in savings institutions. In-
terest at 6 per cent, per annum was allowed, and this
interest ceased to be paid when the depositor left the
employment of the company. This beneficent plan,
however, being of somewhat doubtful expediency, as
well as doubtful legality, was suspended in Julv,
1829.
In the Hamilton Mills a similar plan for savirgthe
earnings of the operatives from the losses which they
frequently suffered for want of a safe place of de-
posit seemed greatly to be needed, and the agent, Mr.
Samuel Batchelder, opened books of deposit for the
operatives on the savings bank principle. But when
it became doubtful whether the charter of the com-
pany would allow banking business to be done by a
manufacturing company, the agent, with others, pe-
titioned the Legislature for the incorporation of a
savings bank. The petition was granted and an act
of incorpi)ration was passed. But so small was the
number of responsible men who participated in the
work of establishing a bank thus incorporated, that
the petitioners felt compelled to appoint themselves
as trustees of the new institution. Mr. James G.
Carney was induced to act as treasurer, and the ex-
periment began.
The first important transaction of this institution
was the negotiation of a loan of about $17,000 with
the town of Lowell a few months after the bank be-
gan to receive deposits. The refusal of the town au-
thorities, however, to continue to pay the rate of in-
terest required by the bank, and the difficulty experi-
enced by the institution in loaning its depositsapon the
prescribed rates, raised the question, in the next year
(1830), whether it would not be advisable either to
63
HISTORY OF MIDDLESEX COUNTY, MASSACHUSETTS.
" close the concerns of the institution or to reduce the
rate of dividends.'' The result was that on Nov.],
1830, the rate of interest was reduced frcm o per
cent, to 4 per cent. At the latter rate the bank con-
tinued to pay dividends for about fifty years. Extra
dividends, however, have from time to time been
paid, but not oftener than once in three years.
The management of this institution has been emi-
nently safe and conservative. It has, throughout
the sixty years of its existence, been almost ab.so-
lutely exempt from loss. Its first treasurer held his
office for forty years, always prescribing to himself
the most rigid and conscientious discharge of duty,
and allowing in others no trifling or evasion of the
rules prescribed. \t no time of financial panic or
peril has the confidence of the people of Lowell in
this institution been shaken.
Its cautious and consei'vative management is indi-
cated by the following by-law: "The funds of the
institution may be invested in loans on mortgages of
real estate within this State, provided that the whole
amount loaned on mortgage shall not at any time ex-
ceed a third part of the whole funds of the institu-
tion at the time of making the loan, and no loan
shall be made lor more than half the value of the es-
tate pledged.''
The amount of deposits in this bank were, in 18.3(1,
§7037; in 1840, j;305,S9.".; in 1S.">(I, #705,7G1 : in LStiO.
?1,14(;,093; in 1870, *;|,.i8S, 128 ; in 1880, .■:'2,'.ni!1,7o3 ;
in 181»0, .$4,384,871.
In 1878 the average amount of each depositor was
■•^401i, while forty years before, in l'^38, it was ^IS'>.
The amount of ^100 deposited in this bank in 182'.'
would, in 1880, be $2471), and in 1890 about i>2SS().
The presidents have been : Elislia ("Hidden, 1820 to
1835; Theodore Edsot:, 183.J to 1883; John (J. (Jreen,
1883 to 188(3; Charles A. .Savory, the present incum-
bent, 188(j.
The treasurers have been : .1. G. Carney, 1829 to
18(39; George .1. Carney, the present incumbent,
1869.
Trustees for 1889 are: George Motley. Franklin
Nickerson, C. A. Savory, S. Kidder, A. B. French,
Frederick Bailey, A. St. .John Chambre, J. W. B.
Shaw, Frederick Taylor, Cyrus .M. Fisk.
James G. Carney, who, for nearly forty years, was
treasurer of this bank, deserves a special notice. He
was born in Boston, February 14. 1804, and was
trained to business in the service of William Gray,
one of the most distinguished of the merchants oi
Boston, who, for two years, was Lieutenant-Governor
of Slassnchusetts. Mr. Carney came to Lowell in
1828, when twenty-four years of age, to fill the office
of first cashier of the Lowell Bank, which was estab-
lished in that year. In 1829 he was elected treasurer
of the Lowell Institution for Savings. He aided in
organizing the Bank of Mutual Redemption in Bos-
ton and was, at one time, its president. He was one
of the originators of Lowell Cemetery and was among
its trustees. He was a man of marked personal dig-
nity, of unusual firmness of character, and was re-
markably accurate and methodical in his official work.
His name will long live in Lowell. He died of pneu-
iionia, February 9, 1S(!9, at the age of sixty-five year.s.
Cili/ /nsfitu/ion for .Suringt. — This bank was organ-
ized 1847. The first president was Rev. Henry A.
Miles, who, in 1853. was succeeded by Rev. Daniel
C. Eddy. In 18.57 Dr. Xathan Allen was chosen,
president and remained in office twenty-two years.
The present incumbent, Hon. F. T. Greenhalge, was
elected president in 1S89.
The first treasurer, .lohn A. Buttrick, held the office
twenty-eight years, and was succeeded, in 1S75, by
his son, Frederic .\. Buttrick.
The banking olHce, ever since the organization, has
been on the corner of Hurd and Central .Streets.
The [iresent Board of Trustees is : Frederic T.
Greoidialge, William E. Livingston, N. M. Wright.
William Nichols, Charles R. Kimball, William S.
Rinnett. Addison I'litnam, John F. Howe, .Samuel T.
LatRa.sler, Edward K. rcrley. (Quarters commence
on the second Saturday of .lanuary, .\pril, July and
•Jctober.
Amount of deposit October o, l.'<89. ?^''.,0S(;,<,)10.
This very large deposit indicates the popular confi-
dence in tlrs institution. Its management has been
luarked throughout with wisdom and fidelity.
Brief mention should be made of John .A. Buttrick,
the first treasurer, to who.se fidelity and ability the
very high standing of this bank is largely due. He
was born in Stetson, Maine, April 14, 181.X. In liis
childhood his family removed to Framingham. in this
State, and his youth was spent upon a farm. .\t the
age of .si.xteen years he was a student in Phillips
-Academy in .\ndover. For several years he taught a
private sihool iti Medford. In 1830 b': came to Low-
ell, and lor fotir years was in the grocery trade with
his brother. From 1843 to 1847 he was trea.-urer of
the city of Lowell. In 1847 he was chosen cashier of
the .V|iplelon Bank and treasurer of the City Institu-
tion for Savings. Having resigned the cashietthip
of the bank in \>^'i'>. he devoted the rest of his life to
the duties tif treasurer of the Savings Bank. This
was his life-work and here he gained a very honor-
able name. His reputation is historic. His fellow-
citizens loved to honor him. He was elected Re[>re-
sentalive and Senator to the State Legislature, and
member of the ."^chool Committee. He was an honest
man of simple manners. He was genial, compassion-
ate and conscientious, and Lowell hiis lost few citi-
zens who will be so afi'ectionately remembered. He
died March .'U, 1870, at the age of sixty-six years.
J.riwell Fi If- Ceil/ .'y'ariiKjs Bun/.. — This bank was in-
corporated in 1854. Its presidents have been : Hora-
tio Wood, 1854 to 1885; Sewall G. Mack, the present
incumbent, 1885.
Its treasurer, Artemas S. Tyler, has been in office
since its organization.
LOWELL.
G9
Trustees for 1889: William F. Salmon, John H.
McAlvin, C. E. A. Bartlett, Dudley Foster, Albion C.
Taylor, Charles Coburn, George F. Pennimau, AsaC.
Russell, George F. Richardsou, George S. Cheney,
Arthur Staples.
Deposits from five cents to $10(10 are received
Hours of bu.sine3s from niae to one o'clock, and on
Saturday evenings from seven to nine o'clock.
Quarters commence on the first Saturday of January,
April, July and October. Amount of deposits on
September 28, 1889, $1,322,740.
The banking-rooms of this bank were the same as
those of the Prescott Bank until the winter of 1874,
when it took possession of the elegant building, with
marble front, erected by itself, on the corner of Mer-
rimack and John Streets.
Tlie Mechanics' Savings Ban/:. — This bank was or-
gaoized in 18(>1. Its presidents have been William
A. Burke, 1861-87 ; Jeremiah Clark, the present in-
cumbent, 1887. Its treasurers have been John F.
Rogers, 1801-70; C. F. Battles, 187(1-71; C. C.
Hutchinson, the present incumbent, 1871.
Trustees for 1889: J. Clark, Jacr)b Rogers, Isaac
Cooper, Alfred (Tilnian, F. RodlifT, J. V. Keyes,
A. G. Cumnock, C. S. Hiklreth, John Davis, James
Francis, W. W. Sherman, E. M. Tuck, James G.
Hill, William D. Blanchanl, James M. Marshall,
Francis Carl, William G. Ward. Edwin H. Cum-
mings, Edward N. Burke.
Quarters commence on the first Saturday of March,
June, September and December.
Hours of business from 9 to 1 o'clock daily, and
from 7 to 9 on Saturday evenings.
Amount of deposits on August 1, 1889, $1,.S80,201.
The first place of business of this bank was in the
rooms of the Railioad Bank in Odd-Fellows' Hall,
the treasurer, ,Iohn F. Rogers, being also cashier of
the Railroad Bank. Rutin 1871 the banks separated.
The Savings Bank, with Mr. Hutchinson as treasurer,
for two years occupied rooms in the rear of the dis-
count bank. In 1873 the Savings Bank took posses-
sion of the first story of the building on Merrimack
Street, which it had erected for its use. It removed
from the first story to the second story of this building
in 1889.
John F. Rogers, the first treasurer of this bank de-
serves a special notice. He was born in Exeter
y. H., December 1, 1819. He fitted for college at
Exeter, but did not pursue his studies further. Learn-
ing the hardware business in New York, he set up a
hardware store in Lowell in 1845. In 1853 he became
cashier of the Railroad Bank, and held the office
through a period of seventeen years. From 1801
until his death, in 1870, he was treasurer of the Me
chanics" Savings B:;knk. Few men have lived a life
so pure and so devout. Few were so much beloved
and few so much lamented. He died in the prime of
manhood, at the age of fifty-one years.
Central Savings Ban/:. — This bank was incorporated
in 1871. Its president from its incorporation has
been Oliver H. Moulton. Its treasurers have been
J. N. Pierce, 1871-72; Samuel A. Chase, the present
incumbent, 1873. Trustees in 1889: O, H Moulton,
E. Brown, Patrick Lynch, Henry C. Church, George
Itunels, J. C. Abbott, E. Boyden, Cyrus H. Latham,
Willard A. Brown, Amasa Pratt, Benjamin Walker,
Joseph R. Hayes, John S. Jaques, J. P. Folsom, A.
G. Pollard, George F. Scribner, Prescott C. Gates,
S. N. Wood, Frederick Ayer, Joseph 8. Brown, Dan-
iel Swan, Robert Court, Charles W. Saunders, Ezra A.
.\dams, George L. Hunloon, George W. Young.
The quarters commence on the first Saturday of
February, May, August and November.
Its hours of business are from 9 to 1 o'clock, and
on Saturday evenings from 7 to 9.
There is a safety-vault in connection with the
bank.
Amount of deposits, October 20, 1889, $1,915,172.
Its place of business is the Merchants' Bank build-
ing, 39 Merrimack Street.
Merrimac/: lilver Savings Ban/:. — This bank was in-
corporated in 1871. Its president, from its incorpora-
tion has been J. G. Peabody. Its treasurers have
been G. W. Knowlton, 1871-74; A. J. Flint, 1874-
79; Nathan- Lamson, the present incumbent, 1879.
Trustees in 1889 : A. D. Puffer, Atwell F. Wright,
Charles Runels, C. J. Glidden, W. A. Ingham, F.
RodlifT, Jr., Crawford Burnham, J. C. Johnson, James
W. Bennett, Horace Ela, B. F. Sargent, C. F. Var-
ntiin, G. W. Knowlton, C. E. Adams, Alfred Barney,
R. G. Bartleti, Setb B. Hall.
The quarters commence on Ihp first Saturday of
February, .May, August and November.
The hours of business are from 9 to 12, and from 2
to 4 o'clock on Mondays. Tuesdays, Thursdays and
Fridays ; and from 9 to 12, and 7 to 9 o'clock on
Saturdays.
' Interest is paid on any sum, from SI to j^lOOO. No
deposit received above S1600.
Amount of deposit, on October 20, 1889, S830,G34.
The place of business is at 189 Middlesex Street,
near the Northern Depot.
Fire IxsrnANCECo.MPANiE.s. — In the early days of
Lowell almost all its fire insurance business was done
by three companies, viz., the Middlesex Mutual Fire
Insurance Company, of Concord, Mass.; the Merri-
mack Company, of Andover, and the Lcuvell Mutual
, Fire Insurance Company, of Lowell. The last of
these three companies was for nineteen years the only
fire insurance company in Lowell.
It was incorporated March 0, 1832, and commenced
business in April following. Its first place of busi-
ness was in the Railroad Bank Building, situated on
the site of the present Appleton Bank Building, on
Central Street. The office was subsequently removed
; to the Mansur Building, corner of Central and Mar-
I ket Streets, where it remained for over forty years.
About five years siuce, in 1884, it was removed to the
70
HISTORY OF MIDDLESEX COUNTY, MASSACIITTSETTS.
second story of tlie building erected and occupied by
the First National Bank.
Its presidents have been — Luther Lawrence, elected
in 1832; Elisha Glidden, 1834 ; John Nesmith, 1836;
Jonathan Tyler, 1837 ; Horace Howard, 1841 ; J. B.
French, 1851 ; J. H. B. Ayer, 1853 ; J. K. Fellows,
1860; J. C. Abbott, the present incumbent, 1880.
Its secretaries and treasurers have been — Samuel
F. Haven, 1832; Tappan Wentworth, 1835; J. M.
Mansur, 1837; R. G. Colby, 1841; Isaac S. Morse,
1845; Jacob Robbins, 1852 ; George W. Bean, 1860;
Wm. P. Brazer, 18G2 (temporarily) ; James Cook,
1862; Charles W. Drew, 1877; E. T. Abbott, 1883.
The original directors, elected in 1832, were — Kirk
Boott, Luther Lawrence, Elisha Glidden, Aaron
M.insur, Nathaniel Wright, John C. Dalton, Seth
Ames, Benj. Walker, Matthias Parkhurst.
The directors for 1889 were — Wm. H. Wiggin, .1.
K. Fellows, Wm. P. Brazer, Charles A. Stott, Wm.
E. Livingston, J. C. Abbott, Benj. Walker, Amos B.
French, N. M. Wright, A. G. Pollard, E. T. Abbott,
P. C. Gates.
For several of the first years of this company no
premiums were paid, a deposit note being relied upon
for assessment. The business of this company out-
side of Lowell was formerly done by agents, who, for
the sake of the profit arising from their commission,
were found to take risks which ought to have been
rejected. From these risks the company met with
such serious losses by fire, that in 1S53 it was voted
not to take any more risks outside the city. The
result has been most satisfactory. Losses by fire
have now for many years been very few. The com-
l)any is in a liighly prosperous condition. Dividends
are paid of sixty per cent, for five years, fifty i)er
cent, for three years, thirty-three and one-third per
cent, for one year. The fact that all proi>erty in-
sured is in the city of Lowell may, to some, suggest
the d.anger that a disastrous fire in the city would
prove disastrous to the company; but the excellent
Fire Department of Lowell, the cautious manner in
which property is insured, and the conservative
character of the directors an<l othcera of the companv
have gained for it the highest confidence of the citi-
zens. The risks of this company in 1889 were nearly
*3,000,000.
This company employs no agents, the business be-
ing done wholly at the home office under the supervi-
sion of the director.s.
In preparing this article I am indebted for aid to
J. K. Fellows, Esc]., a former president of the com-
pany.
Trailers and Mechiinics' Fire Insurance Company. —
This company was incorporated in 1848, and com-
menced business in June of that year, as a mutual
company. In 1854 a charter was granted the com-
pany to add to the mutual department a stock depart-
ment, with a capital of S50,0O0, which was, in 1870,
increased to $100,000. Business was transacted by '
j both these departments until 1881, when the stock
I department was dissolved and the stock and surplus
divided among the stockholders. The number of
I shares in 1861 was 500.
The presidents of this company have been : Thomas
Hopkinson, elected in 1848; Sewall G. Mack, 1850;
Joshua Converse, 1855; C. B. Cobiirn, 1860; Levi
Sprague, the present incumbent, 1874; James H.
Rand acted temporarily as president in 1855, and again
in 1857.
The secretaries have been : James Dinsmoor, 1848 ;
Edward F. Sherman, 1855; Orrin F. Osgood, 1872 ;
E. M. Tuck, the present incumbent, IS74.
The original directors were : Thomas Hopkinson,
Thomas Nesmith, X. C. Wheelock, Joshua Converse,
E. F. Watson, James H. Rand, Peter Powers. Henry
Read, Sewall G. JIack, Benjamin \\'eaver, Nathaniel
Critchett.
At the great fire in Boston, in 1872, the company
suH'ered a loss of S230,O00, which it ha:* paid in full,
and it is now in a very prosperous condition.
From the Massachusetts Fire Insurance Report,
Dec. 3, 1888, we take the following: Gross assets.
$565,207; gross liabilities, !;li(7,42S; surplus, Suii7,-
778; gross cash income lor 1S88. $143,206.
Amount at risk in 1S8'J, $26,:;70,lii5 ; cash assets,
$565,450. Dividend on five-year policies, 70 per
cent.
The directors in 1880 are: Levi Sprague, C. C.
Hutchinson,. lacob Rogers, Charles H.l^'olmrn, (ieorge
K. Richardson, W. F. Salmon, S. T. Lancaster, Julin
F. Kimball, D. S. Richar(lsf>n. Henry C. Howe.
The place of business of this company was al firsi
on or near the site of the present Appleton Bank
Block; but in 1.S52 it was removed to the lorner of
Central and .Middle .Streets.
Tlie Howard Fire Iii.surniire Coiiijxini/ w.is organized
in September, 1848. (ta first directers were: <Jliver
M. Whii)ple, William Fiske, .Foei Adams, Emory
Washburn, Joshua iMeirill, David Dana, Stephen
Cushing, Elijah .M. Read, Samuel Burliank, Sidney
Spalding, A. W. Buttrick, Thomas Hopkinson, Dan-
iel S. Richardson; jiresident, Oliver M. Whipple;
secretary, Frederick Parker.
Its capital was $;')0,000, which was in a short time
increased to $100,000, and subse(|ueutly to $2oo,000.
Jlr. Whipple, the first president, held the office
until 1851 or 1852, and was then succeeded by Dr.
Nathan Allen, who, in 1862, was succeeded by Joshua
W. Daniels. Ephraim Brown became president and
treasurer in 1865, and remained in office to the close
of the existence of the company, in 1872.
The first secretary and treasurer, Mr. Parker, held
his office until 1852, when he was succeeded by
Joshua W. Daniels. Mr. Daniels became both pres-
ident and treasurer in 1862. He resigned in 1865.
Ephraim Brown became secretary in 1862, and was
succeeded in 1864 by Henry B. White, who in turn
was, in 1867, succeeded by Sewall A. Faunce, who
LOWELL.
remained secretary until the close of the company's
existence in 1872. In 1864 the principal business
office of the companr was removed from Lowell to
Boston.
NotwithsUnding the loss of $19,000 in July, 1866,
by the great Portland fire, the company prospered.
It had paid a dividend in 1865 of 20 per cent, and
from 1868 to 1872 the annual dividends were 10 per
cent. At the time of the great Boston fire, in 1872,
the company was in a prosperous condition. Its
amount at risk was $10,000,000, and its surplus $17ri,-
000, about seven-eighths as large as its capital. In
that fire the loss was $840,000, which swept off all its
assets, and it ceased to exist.
CHAPTER VII.
LOWELI^i Continued).
MAXUF.iCTURES.
There are two reasons why the history of the man-
ufactures of Lowell should be brief: first, like all
things else in the city, they have had a comparatively
brief existence ; and second, the great manufactures
of Lowell are so much alike, that the history of one
is, in many cases, but a repetition of that of another.
In recording the early history of the city we have
already mentioned the small manufacturing enter-
prises which were existing in East Chelmsford in the
early years of the present century. There were the
caw-mill and grist-mill of N.ithan Tyler, near Paw-
tucket Falls, not far from the site of the Lowell Hos-
pital ; the woolen-mills of Thomas Hurd, near the
site of the Middlesex Mills, in which twenty hands
were employed : the glass factory at Middlesex Vil-
lage ; the powder-mills of O. M. Whipple, near the
Concord River ; the mills of Jloses Hale, started in
1801, on River Meadow Brook; and various other
such small manufactories, as in those early days were
found, especially near a water-fall.
It should be remarked that the fulling-mills
which existed in those early days throughout the
country had for their design the finishing of the
cloth which was made by band in the homes of the
people.
The early manufactures of East Chelmsford were
mostly of woolen goods, although, in 1813, Phineas
Whiting and Josiah Fletcher, with a capital of S3000,
had erected a modest wooden building near the site of
the Middlesex Mills, for the manufacture of cotton.
But after about five years the mill was sold to Thomas
Hurd, who began in itthe manufacture of woolen goods
and satinet. It was then a serious question whether
America could compete with England in the manu-
facture of cotton. In favor of England were cheaper
labor, greater capital, superior skill and established
reputation. In favor of America were cheaper cot-
ton, more abundant water-power and the superior en-
terprise of a people in the vigor of youth.
Francis Cabot Lowell seems to have been the first
to inspire in the minds of enterprising Americans the
full conviction of the feasibilitj' of this competition.
As already stated, on a previous page, the power-loom,
improved by the skill of Mr. Lowell, had, in 1814, been
introduced into the cotton manufactory of the town of
Wallham. The success of the experiment in Walt-
ham, on the Charles River, led to the construction of
the mills at Lowell, on the Merrimack River, whose
abundant waters and splendid falls seemed to promise
a power which was almost inexhaustible.
In giving a brief history of the great cotton manu-
factories of the city of Lowell, I propose to avoid
minute statistical items, and to present to the reailer
only a general accountof these great enterprises, with
an occasional notice of the prominent men who have
gained a distinguished name, both as successful man-
ufacturers and as citizens of Lowell.
1. The Eleven Great Mantjfactdring Corpo-
rations.
The Merrimack Manufacturing Company,
whose history, interwoven, as it is, with the early
history of the city, has already been partially given,
was incorporated in 1822 with a capital of S600,000.
The capital has been four times increased, and is now
$2,r,00,000.
Its treasurers have been Kirk Boott (appointed
1822), Francis C. Lowell (1837), Eben Chadwick
(1839), Francis B. Crowninshield (1854), Arthur T.
Lyman (1877), Augustus Lowell (1877), Charles H.
Dalton (1877), Howard Stockton (1889).
The superintendents of the mills have been Ezra
Worthen (1823), Paul Moody (1824), Warren Colburn
(1825), John Clark (1833), Emory Washburn (1848),
Edward L. Lebreton (1849), Isaac Hinckley (1849),
John C. Palfrey (1865), Joseph S. Ludlam (1874).
Of the first four of these superintendents, mention
has already been made in another part of this work.
Emory Washburn was called to his office in the
Merrimack Mills, from his practice as attorney-at-
law in Worcester. On leaving his position in Lowell,
after a service of a few months, he returned to bis
practice of law in Worcester, and became a judge and
Governor of the State.
Edward L. Lebreton had been a practicing lawyer
in Newburyport, and had official connection with
Suffolk Bank, Boston. He died in Lowell only a few
months after his appointment as agent.
Isaac Hinckley, before coming to Lowell, was su-
perintendent of the Worcester and Providence Rail-
road. After a service of sixteen years in the Merri-
mack Mills, he resigned to take the office of president
of the Philadelphia, Wilmington and Baltimore
Railroad.
HISTORY OF MIDDLESEX COUNTY, M VSSACFIUSETTS.
John C. Palfrey was appointed superintendent of
the Merrimack Mills after serving as engineer in the
United States Army. He was in office from the close
of the war in 1865, until 1874, when he resigned to
take the position of treasurer of the Manchester
Mills, in Manchester, N. H. He still holds the lat-
ter office.
Josephs. L'jdlam, before coming to the Merrimack
Mills, was engaged in mining operations in the State
of Michigan.
The superintendents of the Print- Works have been
Kirk Boott (1822), Allan Pollock (1823), John D.
Prince (1826), Henry Burrows (18oo), James Duck-
worth (1878), Robert Leatham (1882), Joseph Lea-
tLani (1885), John J. Hart (1887).
The superintendenls of the Print- Works in Lowell
have generally been selected in England for their
technical knowledge of calico-printing.
Mention elsewhere in this work is made of Kirk
Boott aud John D. Prince.
Allan Pollock, before his appointment as superin-
tendent, waji a maker of mathematical iuxtriiments in
Boston.
Henry Burrows was, before coming t<) Lnwell, an
expert calico-printer in Englan<l.
.Tames Duckworth was a calico-printer in the Mer-
rimack Mills before hi.i appointment as .superinten-
dent.
Robert and Joseph Leatham, father ami son, were
English e.Kperts in the calico-priutinir.
John .1. Hart also w.is invited from England to the
position of superintendent, as an e.xpert in the art of
calico-printing.
Directors for 1 889: Selh Bemis, president; (Jeo.
B. Chase, Arthur T. Lyman, C. Wm. Loring, Charles
H. Daiton, .Vuguatus Lowell, Charles P. Bowditch.
-Vgent: Joseph S. Ludlam.
Preparatory to the beginning of the manufacture
of cotton goods by the Merrimack Company and the
Hamilton Company (wliieli soon followed the Merri-
mack), 500 men were em|)loyed in building a dam
acrns's the Merrimack at Pawtucket Falls, in enlarg-
ing the Pawtucket Canal, and in constructing lateral
canals for conducting water-power from the Paw-
tucket Canal to the mills. These improvements cost
8120,000.
On September 1, 1823, the first mill having been
completed, the water w.as let into tlie canal (con.-itruct-
ed for the special purpose of bringing water from the
Pawtucket Canal to the mills of the Jlerrimack
Company), and the wheels started. The first cloth
was made in November, 1823, and on January 3,
1824, took place the first shipment of goods.
The policy of this company has always been most
liberal. It has rendered valuable pecuniary aid to
churches of different denominations, to schools,
aud various institutions designed to promote the re-
ligious, moral and intellectual interest of the com-
munity. Its boarding-houses, designed lor its opera-
tives, have always been models of neatness and order,
and its long brick block of tenements on Dutton
Street is a building which, for taste and elegance,
compares well with the dwellings of private citizens
of wealth. Hon. Thomas H. Benton, the distinguished
United States Senator from Missouri, on visiting
the boarding-houses, probably those of this company,
declared thai the operatives " live in large, stately
houses, and that one finds in them the same kind of
furniture as you will find in a Congressman's house
in Washington."
On Jan. 7, 1827, five years after the first mill was
erected, it was destroyed by fire.
The number of mills has increased to six. There
are also " immense storehouses, boar<ling-houses,
and stables ; and small buibling'i without number."
The management of the Merrimack Mills, almost
throughout their history, has been conducted with
cousumniflte ability.
The stock of the company has ruled liigli in the
market, and the diviilends have been large. How-
ever, the course pursued by the .Merrimack and most
of the other mills of Lowell during the war of 1861
affords a very conspicuous e.xception. < )n this subject
Mr. Cowley uses the following language in his History
of Lowell :"
"During the late war the .Merrimack (!'onipaiiy
showed great lack of 'sagacity and foresight,' in
stopping their mills, in dismissing their operatives,
in discontinuing the purchase of cotton, and in sell-
ing their fabrics at a slight advance on their peace-
prices, and at less than the actual cost of similar fab-
rics at the time of sale. Instead of boldly running,
as companies elsewhere did, they took counsel of
their fears and their sp.acious mills stooil on the bank,
' As idle x-H A pniuU-il ^liip iipuli ii |»iiiii[etl dfK,'
"Thebluodersof this company were naturally copied
by others. . . . The other cotton companies actually
sidd out their cotton, and .several of them made
abortive e.xperiments in other branches of manufac-
tures, by which they made losses, direct and indirect,
exceeding the amount of their entire capital. It is
but fair to aild that most of these abortive e.xperi-
ments were made in opposition to the judgment of
the local agents."
Most unfortunately, at the very time when a bold
venture would have been rewarded with millions of
dollars, it was confidently assumed and ilanlarcd that
the true policy was one of " masterly inactivity."
The aver.age of the annual dividends paid by this
company for the first forty-five years was about 13
per cent., but for the last twelve years, about 7 per
cent.
The company manufactured 11,000,000 yards of
cotton cloth in 1839, 14,0o(),u00 in 1849, 19,000,000 in
1859, 22,000,000 in 1869, 42,000,00(1 in 1879, and 52.-
000,000 in 1889.
lu 1889 the number of yards dyed and printed web
48,000,000.
I
7
■' f^cC.u ,,cC /to cL
c/f.
LOWELL.
The following are some of the most important sta-
tistics for 1889. Number of mills, 5 ; number of
turbine-wheels, G; number of steam-engines, 97,
equal to 6000 horse-power.
Number of spindles, 156,480 ; number of looms,
4607; number of male operatives, 1000; number of
female operatives, 2000 ; number of yard.s made per
week, 1,000,000.
The Hamilton Manufactukixg Company was
incorporated Jan. 26, 1825, for the manufacture
of cotton goods, with a ca|>ital of 1600,000. Its
capital has been four times increased and is now
$1,800,000. Its treasurers, with date of appointment,
have been Wm. Appleton (1825), Ebenezer Appleton
(1830), Geo. W. Lyman (1833), Thomas G. Gary
(1839), Wm. B. Bacon (]8.i9), Arthur T. Lyman
(1860), Arthur L. Devens (1863), Eben Bacon
(1867), Samuel Batchelder (1869), Geo. R. Chap-
man (1870), James A. Dupee (1870), James Long
ley (1886), Charles B. Amory (1886).
Agents: Samuel Batchelder (1825), John Avery
(1831), O. H. Moulton (1864).
John Avery, after serving as a supercargo of a
merchant vessel for some time, went to Wnltliara,
Mass., as paymaster in one of the mills in that town.
F/om Waltham he came to Lowell to the position of
agent of the Appleton Mills, where he served three
years, after which he was for thirty-three years (from
1831 to 1864) agent of the Hamilton Mills.
Oliver H. Moulton, after serving as overseer in the
Pemberton Mills, in Lawrence, and as superintendent
of the Amoskeag Mills, in Manchester, N. H., was
appointed agent of the Hamilton Mills in 1864.
The superintendents of the Print Works have been
Wm. Spencer (1828), Wm. Hunter (1862), Wm.
Harley (1866), Thomas Walsh, assistant (1876).
Wm. Spencer came from England to take, in 1828,
the superintendence of the Hamilton Print Works.
He held the position for thirty-four years. He had
previously superintended print works in Ireland.
While in Lowell he took great interest in agriculture
and was president of the Middlese-ic North Agri-
cultural Society and of the Horticultural Society. He
was a man of noble public spirit and liberal senti-
ments. Kindred tastes made him a friend of Hon.
Daniel Webster.
Wm. Hunter came from England to Lowell to be
the overseer of the color shop of the Hamilton Print
Works. Subsequently he became, for four years,
superintendent of these works.
Wm. Harley, from Scotland, after serving as calico
printer in Southbridge, came to Lowell to serve for
ten years as superintendent of the Hamilton Print
Works. Thomas Walsh, of English birth, from being
an overseer in the printing-room, became superintend-
ent of the Print Works in 1867.
Directors for 1889 : .Tames Longley, Thomas Wig-
glesworth, C. H. Parker, Henry S. Grew, E. I. Browne,
James H. Sawyer, Charles B. Amory, C. W. Jones.
The plant occupies seven and one-half acres of
land. The motive-power consist* of ten turbine-
wheels and forty-one engines of 2600 horse-power.
Like the Merrimack Mills, the Hamilton Mills have
two departments; (1) The manufacture of cotton
cloth ; (2) The printing of calicoes.
The number of yards of cotton cloth manufactured
by this corporation in 1839 wa.s five million yards ;
1849, about nine millions ; 1859, eleven millions; 1869,
eleven millions; 1879, eighteen millions; 1889,
thirty-seven millions.
In 1889 the number of yards dyed and printed was
thirty-four millions.
In 1889 the number of mills, 6 ; looms, 3035 ; male
operatives, 800; female operatives, 1300; yards of
cloth made per week, 730,000.
The operations of this company began about four
years subsequent to those of the Merrimack Com-
pany.
Besides the mills for manufacturing and printing
goods, this company has erected very extensive store-
houses, boarding-houses and other buildings de-
manded by its extended and extending manufacturing
operations.
The goods manufactured include flannels, ticks,
prints, stripes, drills and shirtings.
The curtailment of the manufacture of cotton goods
by this company during the War of 1861, and the
substitution of the manufacture of woolen goods dur-
ing that period, proved disastrous. The wool and the
machinery for its manufacture were purchased at war
|)rices, and the woolen cloth sold at the greatly re-
duced prices which followed the war. It has cost the
company a long struggle to recover its loss. For the
last twelve years the average of the annual dividends
paid by this company has been less than four per
cent.
Ferdinami RoDl.lFF.— Ferdinand Rodliff, su-
perintendent of the cotton department, was born
February 6, 1806, in Seekonk, Massachusetts. His
parents came to America before the War of In-
dependence, his father being of German, and his
mother of English descent. At that time cotton man-
ufacture had just begun in this country, and a mill
was built at Seekoak, near the place of his birth.
Children were then put to work in the mills at an
early age, the small boys and girls being employed in
tending breakers. At the early age of seven years
Mr. RodlifT was put to work in the Central Mill in
Seekonk, his wages being fifty cents per week, while
the hours of labor were from five o'clock in the morn-
ing to seven o'clock in the evening, with a half-hour
for breakfast and three-quarters of an hour for dinner.
His opportunities for attending school were very
meagre, the schools being kept only a month or two
in the winter and the same time in the summer. He
continued at work in the Central Mill at Seekonk and
in attending school until he was seventeen years of
age, when he received the appointment of overseer of
T4
HISTORY OF MIDDLESEX COUNTY, MASSACHT^SETTS.
spinning. When we consider that he was then
scarcely more than a boy, tiie appointmeut was a high
testimonial of his character and worth.
When twenty years of age he 'vaa appointed general
overseer of ail the departments of the Messinger
Mill in Canton, Mas3achu.setts.
On June 28, 1827, when twenty-one years of age, !
he came to Lowell, and entered the employment of j
the Hamilton Manufacturing Company, as second ;
hand in the dressing department. In the autumu of
the same year he was appointed ;is overseer. After a |
service of twenty-five years as overseer in diB'erent i
departments he was appointed assistant superiuten- |
dent, the superintendent at that time being John
Avery, Esq. By this change he was brought into
contact with not only the manufacturing, but the
mechanical part of the work of the mill. The position
of assistant superintendent he has now held for more
than thirty-seven years.
Thirteen years ago, in 1877, when ilr. Rodlitt" had
completed a service of fifty years with the Hamilton
Manufacturing Company, he entertained serious |
thoughts of resigning his position on account of his i
advanced age, being then seventy-one years old.
Whatever feeling of delicacy he may have felt on !
account of his age. the Directors ot the Corporation
completely dispelled by a remarkable testimony ol
their appreciation of the value of his services.
<Jn the 27th day of .June, 1877, upon the comple-
tion of Mr. RodlitJ-s rtltieth year of continuous ser-
vice, the Directors of the Hamilton Company met at
Lowell, and he was called before them and presented
by the trea.surer, -Mr. Dupee. with a gold watch and
chain and a United States bond of .'SlOoii, together
with the following note :
" tlusli.N, .liioe 'JTtli, IiiTT.
*' tif'ir si> : To-riiurrnw will •'■iiii|iletH ihe tiftielb year itl aer\ ic-l reliijer-
L'tl by yuu lu llie Ilaliiiltoii Mniniluctniin^ < '■.uijiuriy.
'*Aa a testiiiiunlHl i.f their uitiirHc-Litioii of yitiir fanhfulDeS-s, intf yrttv
;ind aelf-Jenial, .inJ Vfur /e.ilitiis ;uiii litany co-operalioo with all the
"tJicera of the t/uinpany, the Dii-ectura ask your acceptaiice of a gold
watch aD'i a L'oiteiJ Stales btiiiil fur uUe thollsauii ijullars.
" With our Wrii uislies (or your health aad liappioeas we have the
pleasure to subscribe ourselves.
** Very cordially your friends.
(Signed) "James Longlev,
" TaoMAS WlfJ^LF-SW'OBTH,
"I'HAi. Henkv Pabkeh,
" Henky Savles,
" Henrv 3. Grew,
" .Tames Ellison,
" ja.1ies a. dcpee.
" To Ferdinand RodlllT, Esci. '
Since the presentation of this generous testimonial I
Mr. Rodliffhas for nearly thirteen years held his posi-
tion, performing with great punctuality and fidelity,
the duties appertaining to it, and receiving from his
superiors, his peers and his friends frequent testimon-
ials of the honor and affection in which they hold him.
Upon the occasion of his eightieth birthday, Feb-
ruary 6, 1886, he received the following letter from
the Directora of the Company :
" BosniN. February 'irh, ISMJ.
** P^-ir .Sir ■ The Direttitrs of the llaniiltuii Mauufactuniig Company
present their earnest coit^latulatiuns on this your eig:litieth birthday.
Wo beg to assure you of theirhigh appreoialiou of yuur services in the
enipluynient of this I'uiiw.ralitm, nearly tifly-niue yeai^, and to accept
their best wiahes for the lon;;er cunliuiiance of your remarkable health
and vi|;or of body and niiod.
" CordialW vour friends,
(Signed) " James LoNui.Er,
" Thumas Whjgleswobth,
" i;has. Henky Pabkeh,
" Henry S. i!rew.
*• Edward I. Browne,
".I. HtBRERT Sawyer,
"James A. Di iee.
•'Tn Ferdinand Rodli/f, Ks.] "
Mr. Rodliffhas now served in manufacturing com-
panies continuously for nearly seventy-seven years.
It would be difficult to find iiiiothei- man in America
who has done the same. Now, in his eighty-fifth
vear, he goes to his daily duties with elastic step,
atl'ording, by the soundness of his body, head ami heart,
an admirable illustration (if coiunlete manhood. He
enjoys the pleasant memories of a wcll-n(ient life —
"And that which ^hi'llM accoliipaliy old at:e,
As honor, love, .ihedielae, tr.io|id of ll ieii-U "
The .\pi'1.etijN Co.mpany was incorporated in
1828, with a capital of Siioo.iHlO, which ha- not since
been increased. Its mills are situated between the
Hamilton and Paw tucket Canals and west of the
Bamilton .Mills.
The treasurers of this company have been as fol-
lows : Win. .\ppleton (appointed in 1S2S). Patrick
T. Jackson (182!l). Ceo. W.Lyman ( ls:!2). Thomas
C. Cary 11841), \Vm. B. I'.acon (IS-'iH), Arthur T.
Lyman (18<11), .\rthur L. I>evens (isii.)). .lolin .\.
Burnham (lsti7), tieo. .Motley i l.sii7), .lames .\. I>u-
pt-e (1>174), Louis Robeson (188<;).
The superinteiidenLs have been .Ii.bii .Vvery (|.S28),
(ieo. .Motley (ls:U). .1. H. Sawyer (lsii7), Daniel
Wright (1881), Wm. H. McDavitt il.ss7i.
Mr. .\very is noticed under the history of the Ham-
ilton Mills, (leo. -Motley, from the office of clerk in
the counting-room of the Hamilton Mills, was, in
18.31, appointed superintendent of the .Vppleton
Mills, and filled the otBce with great ability and fidel-
ity for thirty-six years.
J. H. Sawyer, before his appointment as superin-
tendent of the Appleton Mills, in 1807, was superin-
tendent of the Otis Mills in Ware, Mass. He held
the office in Lowell fourteen years, and i» now treas-
urer of mills in Chicopee, Mass.
Daniel Wright, from the position of assistant of Mr.
Sawyer, became, on the retirement of Mr. Sawyer,
superintendent of the Appleton Mills in 1881.
Wm. H. McDavitt, having held the otlice of super-
intendent of the Globe Mills, in Woonsocket. R. L,
was appointed superintendent of the Appleton Mills
in 1887.
C. H. Richardson, before his appointment, in 1888,
as agent of the .A.ppleton Mills, was superintendent
of mills in Newark, N. J.
;;
/ c/ /lX'
LOWELL.
The motive- power in the Appleton Mills coDBists of
seven turbine-wheels and three steam-engines of 1550
horse-power. The turbine wheels were first success-
fully used in these mills, one of them having been
put in in the year 1844. Since that date the turbine-
wheels, which were introduced in the mills of Lowell
by Uriah A. Boyden, have gradually displaced the
breast-wheels, only a very few of which are still in
use. The main advantage of the turbine over the
breast-wheel is that it can be successfully used in
time of a freshet or very high water upon the river,
when the breast-wheel, on account of back water,
loses all or part of it* efficiency.
This company, sooner than some others, discovered
the mistake of inaction during the War of 1861, and
sooner recovered from it« ill effects. The average of
its annual dividends, however, for the last twelve
years have been less than four and a half per cent.
This company has five mills, 1639 looms, 260 male
operatives, 450 female operatives, and manufactures
350,000 yards per week.
The goods manufactured are sheetings, shirtings
and drillings.
The number of yards manufactured in 1839 was
5,000,000; in 1849,7,000,000; in 1859,8,000,000; in
1869, 8,000,000; 1879, 13.000,000, and in 1889,
16,000,000.
The Lowei-l Manitfacturing Compaxv was in-
corporated in 1828, with a capital of $900,000, which
has since been increased to $2,000,000. Among its
corporators were Frederic Cabot, William Whitney
and Richard C. Cabot. This company was the first
to use for weaving carpels, the power-looms, invented
by E. B. Bigelow, an invention so wonderful that it
seems to be almost endowed with intellect.
The following, relating to thiit company, is taken
from Hill's " Lowell Illustrated " : "The Company
originally commeneed operations with a single mill
four stories in height and about 200 ft. in length,
with a few necessary buildings for storing raw mater-
ials and manufactured goods, sorting wool and dye-
ing. About two-thirds of the space in this mill was
occupied for the manufacture of coarse cotton cloth,
called Osnaburgs, or Negro Cloth, which was largely
sold in the South for plantation wear. The remain-
ing space was utilized for the production of carpeting
on hand-looms, the weaving being done in the fourth
story. It was in one corner of this weave-room, par-
titioned off for the purpose, that the Bigelow power-
loom, which was destined to work such a revolution
in carpet-weaving, was built and perfected in 1842,
or about that time."
In 1848, when it was evident that Bigelow's inven-
tion could be profitably employed, a mill of one story
in height and covering nearly an acre of ground, was
erected and furnished with 260 of these looms for the
manufacture of carpets. About 1883 another spa-
cious mill, three stories high, was erected by this
company for the manufacture of Brussels carpets, and
was furnished with a Hartford automatic engine of
500 horse-power. The works of this company occupy
about ten acres on the south side of Market Street.
The directors of this company for 1889 were Daniel
S. Richardson, S. L. Thorudike, Augustus Lowell,
Israel G. Whitney, Augustus T. Perkins.
The treasurers have been, Frederick Cabot (1828),
George W. Lyman (1831), Nathaniel W. Appleton
(1841), William C. Appleton (1843), J. Thomas
Stevenson (1847), Israel Whitney (1848), Charles L.
Harding (1863), David B. Jewett (1864). Samuel Fay
(1875), George C Richardson (1880), ArthurT. Lyman
(1881).
The superintendents have been Alexander Wright
(1828), Samuel Fay (1852), Andrew F. Swapp (1874),
Alvin S. Lyon (1883).
Samuel Fay was born in Warwick, Massachusetts,
in 1817, and came to Lowell, when fourteen years of
age, to serve as clerk in the cloth-room of the Lowell
Corporation. Subsequently he held the position of
paymaster for six years, of superintendent for twenty-
two years, and of treasurer for six years. He died in
1880, having held positions of trust in the corporation
for forty-nine years.
Andrew F. Swapp was assistant superintendent of
Lowell Mills before his appointment as superintend-
ent. He had previously been overseer of the dye
works of the company. He died while in office.
Alvin S. Lyon, before hi§ appointment as superin-
tendent, had been superintendent of the Durfee Mills
of Fall River.
This company manufactures ingrain, Brussels and
Wilton carpets, worsted goods, and a limited amount
of cotton goods. Number of mills, 5; turbine-
wheels, 2; number of steam-engines, 5; looms, 485;
male operatives, 950 ; female operatives, 1150 ; yards
of carpets made per week, 75,000; number of yards of
carpeting during the year 1839, 130,000; 1849,
338,000; 1859, 1,300,000; 1869, 1,820,000; 1879,
1,924,000; 1889, 3,120,000.
For the last twelve years the average of the divi-
dends paid by this company ha.s been about four and
one-half per cent.
Alexander Wright was born in Arklestone,
near Paisley, in Scotland, May 4, 1800, and died at
his home in Lowell, June 7, 1852, at the age of fifty-
two years. He was the son of Duncan Wright, a
chemical bleacher by trade, who came to America in
1812, during the last war with Great Britain, and was
taken prisoner by Captain De Wolf, of the American
privateer, " The Yankee," and carried into the harbor
of Bristol, Rhode Island.
When De Wolf discovered the occupation of his
prisoner, he employed him as superintendent of a
bleachery, in which he had an interest, in Coventry,
Rhode Island. He is believed to have been the first
chemical bleacher in New England, if not the first in
America. The circumstance of his capture was the
cause of his resolve to settle in New England instead
71)
HISTORY OF MIDDLESEX COIINTY, MASSACIirSKTTS.
of Philadelphia, where lie had intended to fix his
home.
In 1815 his wife, who was a sister of the American
ornithologist, Alexander Wilson, with three sons,
one of whom was the subject of this sketch, followed
him to America. The father with his family now
located in Smithficld, Rhode Island, but after two
years removed to Waltham, Massachusetts, where he
started a bleachery on his own account. Three years
later the Boston Manufacturing Company, being
about to start a great manufacturing enterprise in
Waltham, bought out the bleachery of Mr. Wright,
whereupon he set up a new bleachery in Medway,
Massachusetts. He at length engaged in calico-print-
ing in Fall River, Massachusetts.
We now resume the history of the subject of this
sketch. Mr. Wright, following his father to America
when fifteen years of age, arrived at Boston in the
first ship which entered that harbor alter the close of
the war. When twenty years of age he commenced
the manufacture of coach lace in Medway, Mass.,
and continued in that business forsix years. He then,
in 1826, first conceived the idea of manufacturing
carpets, of which, up to this time, none had been
made in New England. He went to England to pro-
cure looms ami weavers. Upon his return voyagr-
"The Rival," the ship in which hesailed, was wrecked
on the American coast. But having, at length,
reached home in safety, he set up, in Medway. his
three looms and began the manufacture of carpets.
Misfortune, however, pursued him ; for in two years
his mill was destroyed by tire.
He was induced by Hon. Patrick T. tlackson, of Bos-
ton, to enter the service of the Lowi'll Manufacturing
( 'iiinpany, of Lowell, which was the first of the great
corporations of that city to engage in the iiiaiiufac-
ture of carpets. Mr. Wright was apjiointed the first
superintendent of that company in 18l!8, and he filled
llie ofllce with great ability and success until his
death, in 1852. He proved to be an officer whose afl^a-
bility of manners and thorough knowledge of hisbiis-
iness secured the confidence and respect of the stock-
holders and managers of the company.
Mr. Wright possessed fpialities of mind and heart
which admirably fitted him for bis responsible posi-
tion. He was of a frank and generous nature, which
readily won the affection and respect of all he met.
He was far more than a safe and skillful manager ol
mills — hew.asa public-spirited citizen, a generous and
hospitable neighbor and friend, a noble and bounti-
ful man in all the social and domestic relations of life.
He bore through life that sympathetic, gallant and
ardent na' lire which renilered him very dear to his
friends and made his death, while in the prime of his
manhood, a subject of sincere and universal grief.
Mr. Wright was noted for the ardor and enthusiasm
with which he pursued every enterprise in which he
engaged, and for the cheerful zeal with which he
pressed forward to the attainment of his object.
He was deeply interested in the public welfare.
His fellow-citizens often desired to bestow upon him
the honors of office. He was urged to allow himself
to be a candidate for the mayoralty of the city,
but he declined the honor. He was, however, twice
elected on the Board of Aldermen, and once represent-
ed the city in the Legislature of the .*tate. At the
time of his death he was a member of the Board of
School Committee.
His wife, two sons an<l five daughters survived
him.
The MiPDLESE.x Comp.a..vv was incorporated in
183l>, with a capital of soOO.iMMl, which has since been
increased to ■■>7."fi,(HU>. .Vinong the corporators were
.Samuel Lawrence and William W. Stime. It en-
gaged in the manufacture of broadcloths, cassi-
meres, etc.
The treasurers of this company have been William
W. .'^tone (18W), Samuel Lawreme (H-lnV R. •'^. Fay
(18.-.7), George /.. .'^ilsbee I I.sSl>).
The agents have been .lames (.'ook (is.ioi. Nelson
Palmer (lS4'i), Samuel Lawrence (l>;4i'i\ • >. H. Ppitn
11847), William T.Mann ( is.-,l). .rn^lma Humphrey
(1>!.')21, Janu'S Cook llS-''8i, H. H. Perry ll8,=iS), (uis-
tavus V. Fox (18(;'.i), William C. Avery (l>:4). u. H.
Perry (1882!.
James Cook became mayoi- of Lowell in IS.oO. A
notice of liiiii will he foiiiiil :inioiig ihe sketches nt
the lives of the mayors of the city.
Xelson Palmer, who hail -erved under Mr. L'nok
as wiiol-K(irter in his mills in N..rthampioii, suc-
cee<led .Mr. Cook, in 184.''. as agent i>f the .^li(ldlesex
Mills of Lowell.
i^amiiel Lawrence was brother nf Amos and .\bbolt
Lawrence, of P.iisto;i. .\tter leaving the office of
ireasiirer of the Miitdlesex Mills, in which he was
charged witti gross lulsinaiiagemcnt. In- cnuaged in
the wool business in New York (ity, ami died in
.Stockbridge, Mass.
f). H. Perry was the son of the celebrated naval
commander, Oliver Ha/anl Perry, made illustrious
by his victory on Lake F.rie. He left the office of
agent of the Middlesex Mills to become one of the
firm of Perry. Wendell, Fay it Co., selling agents of
the mills. He died at his residence in Ando\er,
Ma.ss. His son, O. H. Perry, is the present agent of
these mills.
William T. .^Llnn served as paymaster in the Mid-
dlesex Mills before his appointment as agent.
Joshua Humphrey, before his appointment as
agent, was a naval officer. .After leaving his office as
agent, he returned to his home in Virginia, and be-
came an officer in the Confederate Navy during the
War of the I!ebelIion. He died in Virginia.
Gustavus V. Fox is noticed elsewhere in this work.
William C. Avery, on leaving Lowell, went to Cal-
ifornia, and engaged in agricultural pursuits. He
now, however, resides in Dedham, Miiss., where he
has been engaged in the woolen business.
LOWELL.
T7
The present agent, O. H. Perry, graduated at the
School of Technology in Boston, became superin-
tendent of the Middlesex Mills under Mr. Avery,
and is the successor of Mr. Avery as agent.
The directors for 18Sil were Benjamin F. Butler,
tieorge Higgiuson, T. .lefiierson Coolidge, M. E. Wen-
dell, C. P. Curtis, Augustus Lowell, George Z. Sils-
bee.
The plant occupies seven and one-half acres of
land bounded by Warren Street, Concord River and
the Pawtucket Canal.
The goods now manufactured by this company are
indigo-blue coatings, cassimeres, police, yacht and
cadet cloths, ladies' sackings and beavers.
The motive power consists of two turbine-wheels,
three breast-wheels, three engines of 250 horse-power.
Number of mills, 3; number of teasles used per
year, 1,000,000; wool used per week, 20,000 pounds;
number of male operatives, 400; number of female
operatives, oHd; number .of yards of cloth manufac
tured per week, 10,Oilti.
The number of yards of cassimeres and broadcloths
manufactured by this company in 1S39 was -J0O,000;
ill 1S49, l,l;;7,OO0; in 18o'J, 1,500,000; in 18(iy, TSO,-
IIOO; in IST'.i, l,19(i,fM)0; in 1SS!I, G')0,000.
This company has sutl'ered lar more than any other
In the lity from the mismanagement of the men
whom it had entrusted with ofhce. In 1858, the en-
tire capital having be^n lost by its officers^ the com-
pany was re-organized with new managers and new-
subscriptions to stock.
Since the re-organization in IS-iS the company has
had very gratifying success. The average of its divi-
dendf fur ihe last twelve year< has been nearly twelve
per cent.
The turbine-wlieel his entirely superseded the
breast-wheel, excefil in the Jliddlesex Mills, where
three breast-wheels of the old pattern are still in use.
This company has been a pioneer in the successful
manufacture in America of goods which had here-
tofore been im]>orted from Europe. Upon this sub-
ject the following statement of Samuel Lawrence,
treasurer of the company from 1 840 to 1857, is of in-
terest :
" When Uif Mi'ldlpst-x Ct-nil'aiiy ctiirted, in IS:ti'., nioet >»f the woolen
(ro.>ds fonsiinie'l tif re were fri'iii Kngliind, imported Ity n»en from York-
eliire, wh'i for nwuy yeitrh eviided piiyiug the fuH amount uf duties by
linder\Hluulioll. . . . I Hie of the dllticulties in Ihe early (irodlictioii of
wooleoh liere «afi a defect in dyeiiic- Tliis coni|iany was ntoet foniiuate
in early discovering that this evil arose from Ihe Bimpleut cause — the ini-
perfecl cleansing of the wool. . . .
"Mr. Cuinptuii, of Taunton. Mass., became employed by Ihe Middle-
Hex Company to adapt his principle to their looms to produce a fabric
like the Sedan, and wat^ entirely KnireMful. Thus crimnieuced in this
ronntl'y the manufacture of laney cassimeres. The shawl manufiicture
by Ills MiJdlest'X ('onip:iny was commenced in 1M47. I'p lo that time
the fringes were twisted by hand, ami Ihe success dejiended uiajn its l»e-
iDgdoiie bj machinery. At that lime .Mr. Millon D. Whipple was in
the employment of the company, jierfecting a felting machine, and be
was employed lo produce a twisting-machine for fringes, in which he
succeeded iterfeclly, and tliua gave this branch of industry to this
fountrv."
The Suffolk Manufacturing Company was
incorporated January 17, 1831, with a capital of
$600,000, and the Tremont Mills, March 19, 1831,
with a capital of $600,000. The two companies, in
1871, were consolidated and called the "Tremont A:
Suffolk Mills." The plant occupies ten and one-half
acres of land on both sides of the Northern Canal.
The capital of the consolidated company is $1,200,-
000.
The treasurers of the Suffolk Company were : John
W. Boott (1831), Henry Hall (1832), Henry V. Ward
(1859), Walter Hastings (1865), Wm. A. Burke
(1868), James C. Ayer (1870).
The treasurers of the Tremont Mills were : Wm.
Appleton (1831), Henry Hall (1832), Henry V. Ward
(1857), Walter Hastings (1865), Wm. A. Burke
(1868), James C. Ayer (1870).
The treasurers of the Tremont & Suffolk Mills
have been : James C. Ayei (1871), John C. Birdseye
(IS72), Arthur G. Lyman (1886), Alphonso S. Covel
(1887).
Agents of the Suffolk Manufacturing Company :
Robert Means (1831), John Wright (1842), Thomas S.
Shaw (18GS).
Agents of the Tremont Mills: Israel Whitney
(1831 ), John Aiken (1834), Charles L. Tilden (1837),
Charles F. Battles (1858), Thomas S. Shaw (1870).
.-\grnt8 of the Tremont & Suffolk Mills ; Thomas
S. Shaw (1871), Edward W. Thomas (1887). Kobert
Means, before his appointment as agent, was a mer-
chant in Amherst, N. H. He died suddenly in
Lowell, while in the performance of his duties as
agent.
John Wright was born in Westford, Mass., No-
vember 4, 1797. He graduated from Harvard Col-
lege, and was afterwards preceptor of the Westford
.Vcademy. He was afterwards principal of a large
school in Worcester, Mass., where he becytme agent
of a manufactory. He came to Lowell to act as
agent of the Suffolk Mills in 1842. This position he
occupied for the long period of twenty-six years.
His health failed him in 1868, and he resigned his
office. He died in 1869, at the age of seventy-one
years. Mr. Wright was a man of talent. He inter-
ested himself in the welfare of the city, and was a
member of the School Committee and State Senator.
He held various other positions of responsibility and
trust.
Thomas S. Shaw, before his appointment as agent
of the Suffolk Mills, had been superintendent of the
Boott Mills and agent of the Nashua Manufacturing
Company, Nashua. He is now agent of a mill in
Marysville, New Brunswick.
Israel Whitney had been a sea captain before his
appointment as agent of the Tremont Mills. After
resigning his office he became agent of the Great
Falls Manufacturing Company.
See notice of John Aiken as agent of the Lawrence
Mills.
78
HISTORY OF MIDDLESEX COUNTY, MASSACHUSETTS.
Charles L. Tilden, from serving; as clerk, was ap-
pointed agent of the company. On resigning the
office of agent he retired from active business.
Charles F. Battles was born in Dorchester, Mass.,
in 1818. He came to Lowell when sixteen years of
age, and was employed in the counting-room of the
Tremont Corporation. He became paymaster and
then agent of the corporation, holding the last posi-
tion twelve years. He was appointed treasurer of the
Mechanics' Savings Bank in 1870, but died the same
year at the age of fifty-two years.
Edward M. Thomas, after serving as draughtsman
in Lowell Machine-Shop, became superintendent of
the Willimantie Linen Mills, in Willimantic, Conn.
From this position he was, in 1887, appointed agent
of the Tremont and Suffolk Mills.
Directors of the Tremont and Suflolk Mills 1889 —
Arthur T. Lyman, Fre<lerick F. .\yer, Frederick
Xyer, Jacob Rogers, James W. ('lark, Harrison
Gardner.
This company manufactures cotton flannels, drill-
ings, sheetings and shirtings, dress goods and fancy I
shirtings. Its motive-power consists of eleven ttir- |
bine-wheels, three engines of 20(10 horse-power.
Number of males employed, 500; number of females
employed, 14IMI; number of spindles, 113,0iiO; num-
ber of looms, .'{SOO ; number of yards per week, ,
(500,000. '
Before the consolidation the Suffolk Company made
cotton cloth, in 18.39, 4,ti8tt,000 yards; in 1849,
.''i.-JOO.t.MiO; in 18.^)9,8,008,(1(1(1; in 18()9, (1,500,000, and
the Tremont Mills in 1839, (;,741,iiOO ; in 1849, (!,240,- [
000; in 18.'.9, 11,9^0,000; in 1869, t>,7t30,0O0. '
Since the con.solidation the Tremont and Suffolk
Company made, in 1879, •2C),00O,0OO ; in 1S89, 29,-
O0(»,(_IO0.
The experiment of manufacturing cassimeres j
during the war was made by both these companies,
and to both it proved a disastrous failure and a great
loss of capital.
The average of dividends of the consolidated com-
pany during the last twelve years has been nearly six [
and one-half per cent.
In recent years very great changes and improve-
ments have been made in the buildings of this com- I
pany. The original buildings can scarcely be recog- j
nized in the spacious and substantial structures of
to-day. !
The Lawrence Manufacturing Company was
incorporated in 1831, with a capital of *1, 200,000, '
which has since been increased to 11,500,000. The
plant is on the Merrimack River, west of the Merri-
mack Mills.
The treasurers of this company have been : Wil- !
liam Appleton (1831), Henry Hall (1832), Henry V. '.
Ward (1857), T. Jefferson Coolidge (1868), Lucius M. i
Sargent (1880). |
The agents have been: William Austin (1830),;
John Aiken (1837), William S. Suuthworlh (1849), '
William F. Salmon (1865), Daniel Hussey (1869),
John Kilburn (1878).
Capt. .\u3tin, before his appointment as agent of
the Lawrence Mills, was warden of the State's Prison
at Charlestown, Mass. John Aiken was born
in Bedford, N. H., graduated from Dartmouth Col-
lege, practiced law in Manchester, Vt. (where he
also was a teacher in Burr Seminary), was for three
years agent of the Tremont Mills, in Lowell, and for
twelve years agent of the Lawrence Mills, and after-
wards treasurer of the ( 'ochecho and Salmon Falls
Mills. He held various civil offices, and was a man
of commanding influence and marked ability. He
died in .-Vndover, Mass., in 1864.
William S, .Southworth, before he became agent of
the Lawrence Mills, was a practicing lawyer in Ben-
nington, Vt. Upon leaving Lowell he returned to
liis practice of law at Bennington.
William F. Salmon, before Lis appointment as
ngent of the Lawrence Mills, had been paymaster and
superintendent of the Lowell Mills. Since being
agent of the Lawrence Mills he has been manager of
the Lowell Hosiery (_'i*rapany.
Daniel Hussey, before coming to Lowell, was agent
of the Nashua Mills, of Nashua, N. H. After leav-
ing Lowell he w.is treasurer of the (ireat Falls Manu-
facturing Company, of Great Falls, N. H.
John Kilburn, while ageijt of the Naumkeag
.Mills, in Salem, -Mass., wjis appointed agent of the
Lawrence .Manufacturing Company in 1878.
From IS'Il to |S(i4 the manufactures of this company
consisted of the various grades of cotton cloth, but
-ince 1864 one of the most important of its manu-
factures has been cotton hosiery for women. .Vnother
lirancli of business has been knitted underclothing.
The following statistics are for 1889, instead of
1890, as in other cases :
The motive-power consists of twelve turbines and
five steam-engines. Number of mills, 5 ; of spindles,
120,000; of looms, 3432; of males employed, 1051 ;
of females employed, 2089; firoducts per week, 696,-
526 yards of cotton cloth, 17,046 dozen hosiery, 900
ihirts and drawers.
The various manufactures are shirtings, sheetings,
cotton fiannels, cotton and merino hosiery.
The average of dividends paid by this company for
the last twelve years has been nearly nine per cent.
The introduction of the manufacture of hosiery, in
the time of the war, was attended with the loss of
about ?oOO,000, but in recent years this manufacture
has yielded a large ])rofit.
This company has kept abreast of the times, hav-
ing erected substantial and spacious store-houses and
other buildings, and having promptly introduced the
most approved machinery.
The Lawrence Company manufactured, in 1839,
10,400,000 yards of cotton cloth; in 1849, 13,520,000 ;
in 185a 18,720,000; in 1869, 15,600,000; in 1879,
23,100,000.
CL^ ^ en L, C
^
LOWELL.
79
The Lowell Bleacheey was incorporated in
1833, with a capital of $50,000, which has been in-
creased to ^00,000.
Its treasurers have been John Clark (1833), James
C. Dunn (1834); Charles T. Appleton (1835), Samuel
G. Snelling (1859), Percivnl Lowell (1886).
The agents of the company have been Jonathan
Derby (1833), Joseph Hoyt (1834), Charles T. Apple-
ton (1835), Charles A. Babcock (1849), F. P. Apple-
ton (185.i), Fordyce Coburn (1880), F. P. Appleton
(1882), James N. Bourne (1886).
Messrs. Derby and Hoyt served the company only
about one year each.
Charles T. Appleton had been connected with the
Bleachery in Waltham, Mass., before coming to
Lowell. On leaving the office of agent he became
treasurer of Lowell Bleachery.
Charlen A. Babcock, before his appointment as
agent of the Bleachery, was paymaster in one of the
corporations. <.^u resiguing his office as agent he be-
came a member nf the tirm of A. & A. Lawrence, in
Boston.
F. P. .\ppletoc, before becoming agent of the
Bleachery, officiated as a Unitarian clergyman. On
resigning his office as agent lie retired from active
busines.s.
Fordyce Ooburii, from the position of overseer on
the Corporation, was made agent. He died while in
the office.
James N. Bourne, the present incumbent, before
his appointment as agent, had been the superintend-
ent of the Bondsville Bleachery, and had been con-
nected with Kitson's Machine Company.
Directors for 1889: Auirus'.us Lowell, Harrison
Gardner, Daniel S. Richardson, Percival Lowell,
Charles F.. Whitin.
The buildings of this couipany are the bleachery
and the dye-works. Tne motive-power consists of
one turbine, six engincsof 1200 horsepower. Number
of males employed, 3fi0 ; number of females em-
ployed, 40; number of yards dyed per year, 15,000,-
dOO : number of pounds bleached per year, 10,000,000.
The Boott C()TTf)N-MlLL.« were incorporated in
1835, with a capital of .•?1.200,00((, which has not
been increased. Among the corporators were Ab-
bott Lawrence and John A. Lowell.
The treasurers of this company have been John A.
Lowell (1835), J. Pickering Putnam (1848), T. Jeffer-
son Coolidge (1858), Richard D. Rogers (1865), Au-
gustus Lowell (1875), Eliot C. Clarke (1886).
The agents of this company, Benj. F. French (1836),
Linus Child (1845), Wm. A. Burke (1862), Alexan-
der O. Cumnock (1808).
Benj. F. French was educated for the bar and had
practiced his profession in Amherst, N. H. He en-
gaged in the business of manufacturing in Nashua,
and from Nashua was invited to Lowell. He served
the Boott Company as agent from 1836 until 1845,
when he accepted the presidency of the Railroad
Bank. He was a man of high character and liberal
culture.
Linus Child was born at Woodstock, Conn., in
1802. He graduated from Yale College in 1824,
studied law in New Haven and engaged in the prac-
tice of law at Southbridge, Mass, He was six times
elected to the Senate of Massachusetts. For seven-
teen years (from 1845 to 1862) he was agent of the
Boott Mills. While in Lowell he was prominent in
promoting the interests of the city in religious, civil
and political matters, holding city offices, and exer-
cising a large and beneficent influence. After leaving
Lowell he practiced law in Boston. He died in 1870,
at the age of sixty-eight years.
A. G. Cumnock, the present agent, has risen to his
position through all the grades of service in the
Boott Mills.
Directors in 1889: Augustus Lowell, Eliot C.
Clarke, C. Wm. Loring, Arthur T. Lyman, Edward
\V. Hooper, Augustus Flagg, Edward I. Browne.'
The plant is on the south side of the Merrimack
River, and is separated from the Concord by the
.Massachusetts Mills. The mills have, since 1861,
been extensively altered, and all the buildings of
this company are substantially constructed. Before
the war the stock of this company, for several years,
was mucli depressed and for a season paid no divi-
dends, but in recent years it has seen greater pros-
perity. For the last twelve years the average of
annual dividends has been over eight per cent.
The motive-power consists of nine turbines, and
four steam-engines of 1750 horse-power. " The com-
pany has [seven] mills of modern style in full opera-
tion, and the interior arrangements and machinery
are the best that can be devised."' The plant occu-
pies about nine acres of land, a part of it being in
Centralville, where it is proposed in due season to erect
new buildings. The goods manufactured by this
company are sheetings, shirtings and printing cloth.
The number of mills is seven ; number of spindles,
148,412; number of looms, 4002 ; males employed, 478;
females employed, 1500 ; yardsof cloth made per week,
800,000 ; number of yards of cloth made in 1839.
8,061,000; in 1849, 10,273,000; in 1859, 15,579,000;
In 1869, 16,715,000; in 1879, 27,106,000; in 1889
40,300,000.
Alexander G. Cumnock. — The great manufac-
turing corporations of Lowell were not institutions
of slow and gradual growth, but they sprung into
being at once, full-grown and strong. They were
founded by wealthy merchants of Boston who had
counted the cost and knew well what they were do-
ing. They were men of noble aims and comprehen-
sive views, and acted upon wise and benevolent prin-
ciples.
In the early years of these corporations, so great
was the desire to promote the general welfare of the
manufacturing community, that it was the custom to
select, as agents and managers, men who, without any
80
HISTORY OF MIDDLESEX COUNTY, MASSACHUSETTS
special and practical knovvledge of maDufacturiag,
had acquired a high reputation and influence in the
business in which they were already engaged. But
in later years the problem of management has become
more difficult. The capacity of the mills, the amount
of work performed and of money invested have be-
come greatly increased. Competition has sprung up
00 every side. The margin of profits has been grow-
ing less and less. In order to insure dividends the
most approved methods of manufacturing must be
introduced, and goods must be made at the lowest
possible expenditure.
Hence it has come to pass in recent years that
agents and managers must have, in addition to the
high character, liberal views and business ability
formerly possessed, another qualification, namely, a
thorough and intimate knowledge of the best meth-
ods of manufacturing.
To this class of manufacturers belongs Alexander
G. Cumnock, the present agent of the Boott Cotton-
Mills, and the subject of this sketch.
Mr. Cumnock was born in Glasgow, Scotland, Sep-
tember 28, 188t. His facher, Robert L. Cumnock,
was a freeholder of Glasgow and a man of fair estate.
Four years after the birth of the son the family re-
moved to Johnstone, thirty miles from Glasgow,
where the father engaged in manufacturing. Eight
years later the father resolved to relinquish his busi-
ness in Scotland and seek hia fortune as a farmer in
the ne'sr world. .Accordingly, in 1848, with his wife
and his two children, he came to America, and after
a brief sojourn in Lowell he settled upon a farm in
Mason, \. H., where he reared a family of eleven
children.
Of the eight sons, five have been remarkably suc-
cessful in manufacturing. It is believed that no
other family in America has the practical control of
such extensive manufacturing operations.
Alexander <t. Cumnock went to Lowell at the age
of twelve years and entered the Edson Grammar
School. He spent three years in this school, which
terminated his school life. He began, in his early
years, the work of preparing himself for promotion.
He devoted his evenings to study. For several win-
ters he took lessons in draughting. For two winters
he look lessons in book-keeping and general business
in JlcCoy's Commercial School in Lowell, and also
for one winter he studied in connection with a com-
mercial college in Boston. The patient toil and ap-
plication, of which he was an example, were the
secret of his success.
After leaving school he entered the Hamilton Milis
and was employed in the spinning-room. From this
point it is interesting to trace the rapid |)rogress of
the enterprising mill-boy, step by step, up to his
present enviable position. In 1854, when twenty
years of age, he was appointed third hand in the
spinning-room on the Boott Corporation, then under
Hon. Linus Child as agent. Three years later he be- '
came second hand. .\t the age of twenty-five years
he was invited by Mr. Straw, agent of the Amoskeag
Mills in Manchester, N. H., to take the position of
overseer of a spinning-room in those mills. To pre-
vent his acceptance of this otfer, Mr. Child promoted
liim to the position of overseer in the spinning-room.
.\fter si.\ years he was appointed superintendent of
the Boott Mills, an office next to that of agent. In the
next year he was chosen agent of the Quinneboag Man-
ufacturing Company, of Danielsonviile, Conn. After
holding this position two years, he was, in IStiS, upon
the resignation of William A. Burke, chosen to suc-
ceed him in office as agent of the Boott Cotton-Mills,
one of the most extensive manufacturing corporations
in New England.
This position oi high responsibility he has now
successfully filled for twenty-two years. Meanwhile
the operations of this great corporation, with a cap-
ital of $1,200,000, have been greatly enlarged, the
number of epindles having been increased from ti4,-
nO(( to 1-51,000.
Outside his official station, Mr. ('uninock has occu-
pied various positions of tnist in civil life. He is a
trustee of the Mechanics' ."Savings Bank, a director of
the Lowell Gas-Light Company, and a director of the
Railroad National Bank. In 1872 he was in the
Board of Aldermen, and held the imjiortant position
of chairman of the (.'oinmittee on Water Works,
when the policy of the management of these works
was in process of formation.
Mr. Cumnock is a man of generous nature, with a
hearty sympathy with all that pertains to the virtue
of society and the welfare of the city. Foriune has
favored him, and he has been remarkably successful.
His success, however, has not been attained without
patient toil, unremitting efibris, and a high purpo.se to
" ilo lii.1 bent iilwaijs.''
The MA.ssACHfsETTS CoTTON-Mn,L.s were incor-
porated in 1839, with a capital of §1,200,000, which
has since been increased to $1,800,000, by the absorp-
tion of the Prescott Company.
The Prescott Company was incorporated in 1844,
but was soon abso.-bed in the Massachusetts Company.
The trejisurers have been John A. Lowell (1839),
Homer Bartlett (1848), Geo. Atkinson (1872), Charles
L. Lovering, 1890.
Agents: Homer Bartlett (1840), Joseph White
(1849), Frank F. Battles (185t)), Wm. S. Southworth
(1889).
Homer Bartlett was born in Granby, Mass., in
1795, and graduated from Williams College in 1818.
He was a Presidential elector in 1844 anfl member of
the Governor's Council in 1854. In 1849 he left the
office of agent of the Massachusetts Mills to accept
that of treasurer. The latter office he held until 1872,
when he was seventy-seven years of age. He died in
1874, at the age of nearly seventy-nine years.
Joseph White, upon leaving his position as agent,
serveil for several years as secretary of the Massachu-
y.' y\
\ n
/f
/o
LOWELL.
81
setta Board of Education. He now resides in VVil-
liamptown, Mass.
A notice of Mr. Battles is found on another page
of tbis work.
Mr. Southworth, the present agent, bad served as
superintendent of the mills before his appointment
a.s Hgent.
Directors for 189(1 : Augustus Lowell, Edward L
Browne, Benj. W. Crowninshield, Robert Treat
Paine, Charles P. Bowditch, Augustus P. Loriug,
Charles L. Lovering.
The plant of the Massachusetts Cotton Mills
since the purchase of the I'rescott Mills, in 1847,
covers eight acres. The motive power consists
of thirteen turbines and four steam-engines of 1250
horse-power. Number of males employed, 560;
number of females em[)loyed, 1250; number of spin-
dles, 12<).(i48 ; number of loom.s, 372H ; number of
yards of cotton cloth made per week, ftOO.OOO ; num-
ber of pounds of cotton used per week, 300,000.
The good* made by this company consist of sheet-
ings, shirtings and drillings.
The original buildings of this corporation have been
very greatly enlarged and impnived. The basement
stories, which were formerly occupied with the pon-
derous breast-wheels, are now used for the manu-
facture of cloth.
The following extract from Hill's " Lowell Illus-
trated," will show the e.'ctent of the operations of
this company :
" By the substitution of flat for pitched roofs and
the adaptation of basements for manufacturing
purposes, when the lircast-wheels were discarded, six
full stories are obtained in nearly all the principal
buildings of this Company ; and their aggregate
lenirth is twcnty-tive hundred feet and a total floor
area of fifteen and one-half acre.s (now increased to
eighteen acres). These figures include store-houses,
but e.\clude several minor buildings, as shops, waste
and wheel-hou-^es, stables, etc., from one to three
stories in height."
The number <<\' yards of cotton cloth made by this
company in l>!4'.i was lo,;^,73,000 ; in 18-i'.», 28,172,000;
in 18611, 17,40<;,OW; in lS7;t, 38,714,000; in 1880,
47,.'230,0ii().
The average of dividends for the last twelve years
has been about five and one-half per cent.
Fraxr F. Battles. — The great manufacturing
corporations of Lowell have no worthier represen-
tative, no man more fully identified with their interests,
in mind and heart, than Frank F. Battles, the late
agent of the Massachusetts Mills.
Mr. Battles was born in Dorchester, Mass., Feb. 12,
1820, and died at his home on .Mt. Washington Street,
Lowell, Sept. lit, 1S8',I, at the age of nearly seventy
years. He was of New England descent. His grand-
father, Jonathan Battles, was a farmer in Stoughton,
M:iss., a stern and sturdy man of the early days. His
father, Joseph Battles, held the position of overseer
6-ii
ID a manufacturing establishment in Dorchester.
When Mr. Battles was twelve years of age he came
to Lowell with his father, who, on account of his ex-
perience as a manufacturer, had been invited to aid
in starting the new mills of the Tremont Corporation
of that city. After leaving the service of the Corpo-
ration he spent his last years upon his farm in
Derry, N. H., where he died in 1845.
Mr. Battles, on coming to Lowell with his father's
family, became a pupil in the North Grammar School
(now Bartlett), and afterwards entered the High
■School, which was then under its first principal,
Thomas M. Clark, now Bishop of Rhode Island.
Among his schoolmates were Gen. Benj. F. Butler
and Capt. Gustavus V. Fox.
Upon leaving the High School he was appointed
clerk in the Railroad Bank, then under the preai-
dency of Benj. F. French. When the Dwight Mills,
of Cabotville (now Chicopee), were started, Mr. Battles,
upon the recommendation of Hon. Homer Bartlett,
was appointed paymaster of that Corporation. When
twenty-six years of age he was invited back to
Lowell to the position of paymaster of the Prescott
Mills. He subsequently became superintendent of
those mills, and in 185G, when the Massachusetts
Mills had absorbed the Prescott, he was appointed
agent of the combined Corporations, a position which
he filled with great ability and success until 1880,
when his declining health demanded his retirement.
He held this latter oftice forty-three years.
Upon leaving his official position he found for
himself 8 pleasant home on Mount Washington
Street, where his friends fondly hoped, and even be-
lieved, that his former health was returning; but
upon the evening of September 10, 1889, after retir-
ing for the night, he suddenly died of apoplexy.
The news of his sudden death produced a profound
sensation. Probably Lowell had no citizen who was
ever more sincerely mourned. Especially that very
large number who, in his long ofKcial career, had
served under him, and had experienced the generous
kindness of his noble nature, heard the sad tidings
with feelings of filial tenderness and grief. The rela-
tions of Mr. Battles to his employes were of a peculi-
arly interesting character. He seemed t«j take pride
in his workmen. He recognized them politely on
the street. He dealt generously with those who
erred. When a charge was made before him he was
wont to ask : "Are there not some extenuating cir-
cumstances?" At his death the feeling was univer-
sal that a ffood man had fallen. But his goodness
did not consist in doing no harm, but was that of an
intelligent, thoughtful, just man, who believed that
goodness is the highest attribute of humanity.
He was favored by nature. He had a fine personal
bearing, and was of genial, courtly manners. In his
conversation and intercourse with others there was a
natural charm which did much to win for him their
affection and respect. By those who knew him best
82
HISTORY OF MIDDLESEX COUNTY, MASSACHUSETTS.
it is asserted that his unostentatious benevolence in
the bestowment of gifts of charity was one of his
most marked characteristics.
Mr. Battles uever sought civil office. He was,
however, a director of the Railroad National Bank,
and he served aa alderman in 1870 and 1871.
Lowell Machine-Shop. — The following record
of this corporation is in part taken from an .irlicle
in " Lowell Illustrated," by Frank P. Hill :
"The building of cotton machinery was first begun
by the Merrimack Manufacturing Company, to equip
their second mill, it being then impossible, by reason
of stringent laws imposed by England, to import it.
They erected for this purpose a four-story building
similar to a cotton-mill, and after having completed
their machinery, early in 1826, sold the business and
tools to the Proprietors of Locks and Canals.' The
latter company continued to do a large business in
building machinery for cotton-mills till 1845, a period
of nineteen years. They also engaged in building
locomotives and making machinists' tools.
But in 1845 a new company, with the title of Low-
ell Machine-Shop, was incorporated, which pur-
chased the plant of the Proprietors of Locks and
Canals, and this company has continued the building
of cotton machinery up to the present time.
The original corporators of the company were Ab-
bott Lawrence, Nathan Appleton and John A. Low-
ell. The capital, which orginally was ••?500,000, is
now increased to :!;900,000.
The treasurers have been ; J. Thomas Stevenson
(1845), William A. Burke (1876), Robert H. Steven-
8on*(1884), Charles L. Pierson (1889).
The superintendents have been : William A.
Burke (1845), Mertoun C. Bryant (1862), Andrew
Moody (1862), George Richardson (1870), Charles L.
Hildreth (1879).
M. C. Bryant, before his appointment as superin-
tendent, was a civil engineer, having taken an import-
ant part in starting the works of the Lowell Gas Com-
pany. He died in office.
Andrew Moody, before being superintendent, had
been a machinist and contractor in the machine-
shop. On resigning the office of superintendent he
retired from active business.
George Richardson had been a draughtsman and
contractor in the machine-shop before his appoint-
ment as superintendent. He died while in office.
C. L. Hildreth, having been in service in the ma-
chine-shop for forty-five years, is now superintendent
of the works.
Directors for 1889 : Richard D. Rogers, J. Hunting-
ton Walcott, Augustus Lowell, Robert H. Stevenson,
George P. Upham, Arthur J. Lyman, Charles L.
Pierson.
The shops and foundry of this corporation are
located between the Pawtucketand Merrimack Canals,
and the whole plant, including boarding-houses, oc-
cupies nearly thirteen acres.
" The Lowell Machine-Shop has facilities for turn-
ing out annually complete cotton machinery repre-
sented by 160,000 spindles. The floor surface of the
shops, foundry, etc., exceeds nine acres."
This company manufactures every kind of machine
used by manufacturers of cotton or paper. The num-
ber of shops is seven, together with the foundry
and the smithy. The number of men employed is
1600; number of tons of wrought-iron annually con-
sumed, 11(»0; of cast-iron, 8500; pounds of brass
composition, 55,000 ; tons of anthracite coal used an-
nually, 3500; of smithy coal, 500.
The motive-power consists of seven turbines of 500
horse-power, three steam-engines of 410 horse-power.
The average of the annual dividends paid by this
company for the last twelve years has exceeded nine
per cent.
William Alvord Bi'RKE was born in Wino^^or,
Vt., July 7, 1811, and died at his home on Nesmith
Street, Lowell, May 28, 1887, at the age of seventy-
six years. He was a descendant of Richard Burke,
of Sudbury, Mass., who came to this country about
the ye;ir 1660, and who?e great-grandson, Solomon
Wait Burke, was one of the earliest settlers of Wind-
sor.
Mr. Burke's early education was obtained in the
public schools and in the Academy of Windsor, where
he very early exhibited unusual powers for the ac-
quisition of knowledge, having at the age of six years
attained to a considerable acquaintance with the
Latin language. It was the ambition of his early
years to pursue a collegiate course of study, but cir-
cumstances forbade it, and at the age of fifteen years
he entered the machine-shop of the Nashua Manufac-
turing Company, at Nashua, N. H., whither his
family had now removed.
Mr. Burke exhibited such ability and fidelity in his
new calling, that at the age of twenty-three years he
was placed in charge of the machine-shop owned by
Messrs. Ira Gay A Co., of Nashua. But still further
promotion awaited him, for at the end of two years
lie was put in charge of the repair shop of the Boott
Cotton-Mills of Lowell, and was also appointed master
mechanic of these mills.
In 1S39, when twenty-eight years of age, he was
elected agent of the recently-erected machine-shop of
the .\mo8keag Manufacturing Company of Manches-
ter, N. H. This position he held until 1845. During
all these years he had been educating himself in the
management of large bodies of men, and in the me-
chanical construction oi' machinery used in cotton-
mills. The education thus obtained was of the high-
est service to him in the positions of great responsi-
bility in which he was yet to be placed.
In 1845 the new corporation, known as the "Low-
ell Machine-Shop," purchased of the " Proprietors of
the Locks and Canals" their large machine-shop, in
which had been built most of the machinery for the
mills of Lowell. These works were then, and still
■/-'/.-i--t-
/
■'Jy/t 2/'^^
^'-/?,
-C-^/^ />-/ ^
LOWELL.
83
are, the largest works of the kind in America. Over
tbem the company appointed Mr. Burke as superin-
tendent when at the age of thirty-four years. To
• commit so important a trust to bo young a man
seemed to many a hazardous experiment. But Mr.
Burke proved equal to the demand. The ta>-k was
arduous, and the difficulties great, but he brought
with him a well-trained mind, a sound judgment and
an indomitable will. He rose above every obstacle
and held the position with honor for seventeen years.
In 1862 he was appointed agent of the Boott Cot-
tou-Mills, in which he had previously been master
mechanic. This year was to the mills of Lowell a
year of perils and disasters. The war had raged for
one year and had brought confusion and dismay.
Many mills had been closed ; operatives had left the
city; to obtain cotton was almost impossible, and all
things demanded a leader of astrongwill and asteady
hand. Mr. Burke wa.s called to tread a |)ath before
untrodden. But he went boldly forward. He de-
manded the substitution of new machinery for the
old. and the adoption of the most approved methods
of manufacture. The change inspired new life. Con-
fidence and ho])e revived. The stock, which b.ad fal-
len below par, now gradually rose high upon the
scale of manufacturing stocks of the country, and the
administration of Mr. Burke proved an eminent suc-
cess.
In 1S<!8 he resigned his position in the Boott i\Iill,~
to accept the office of treasurer of the Tremonl Mills
and Surtblk Manufacturing Company. After holding
this office two years he resigned it to take the position
of assistant treasurer of the Great Falls Manufacturing
Company, in Great Falb, N. H., and of the I)wighl
Manufacturing Company, of Chicopee, Mass., botli ol
which were among the largest mills of the kind in the
country.
As treasurer of these mills he was in a position of
high authority. His policy wa.s never timid. Even
against the remonstrances of stockholders he insisted
that the first step to be taken by these mill.* — all of
which were in an unsatisfactory condition — wa.s to
expend money freely to place them in the most efl'ec-
tive condition. Old machinery must give place to
new. Old structures must be rebuilt. The latest in-
ventions and imjirovements must be introduced. To
do this against the opposition of the timid, reijuired
both firmness and courage. But the work was done,
and time proved the wisdom of the [)olicy.
In 187G Mr. Burke, now sixty-five years of age, re-
ceived his host appointment to a |)osition of high re-
sponsibility. He was elected treasurer of the Lowell
" Machitie-Shoi>," in which, in Ins early years, he had
been the efficient and successful superintendent. This
position he held until I8S4, when the infirmities of
age and declining health demanded his retirement.
After three years he closed liis long and busy and
honorable life.
Mr. Burke possessed qualities which admirably
adapted him to the command of other men — a strong
will, a fixed purpose, a firm Bell-control and a sound
judgment. His mind was conservative. He indulged
in no speculations, and took no part in the faiscinating
schemes of visionary men. He had no taste except
for things permanent and substantial.
He was a director in several of the institutions of
the city, was president of the Mechanics' Savings
Bank for twenty-six years, and for two years during
the Civil War was a member of the Board of Alder-
men.
In 18.37 he married Catharine French, of New Bed-
ford, N. H., who died in 1870. In 1872 he married
Elizabeth M. Derby, who still survives. His surviv-
ing children are Catharine Elizabeth, Annie Alvord
and Edward Nevins Burke.
Chakle.<! Lewis HiLniiETH is a descendant of
Richard Hildreth, who belonged to that company of
thirty-nine persons — most of whom were inhabitants
of Woburn and C!oncord, 5Iuss. — who, in ltj.j.3, pe-
titioned the Legislature of Massachusetts for a grant
of land bordered by the Merrimack and Concord
Rivers, and lying near Pawtucket Falls. This tract
embraced the site of the city of Lowell. Their peti-
tion being granted, they formed a settlement, to which
they gave the name of Chelmsford. In this devout
and sturdy band of farmers were the progenitors of
many of the founders of the city of Lowell.
It is an interesting fact in regard to Richard Hil-
dreth, that, upon his petition, the Legislature of Mas-
sachusetts granted t« him a lot of laud containing 100
acres, for the reason that he " had a wife and many
small children, and, being a husbandman, he was
greatly disadvantaged partly by the hand of God de-
priving him of the use of his right hand, whereby he
was wholly disabled to labor." This lot of land, lying
in Westford — which was formerly a [lart of Chelms-
ford — has now been in the hands of Richard Hil-
dreth and his descendants for seven generations, and
is the projierty of Charles L.. Hildreth, the subject of
this sketch.
Mr. Hildreth was born in Concord, N. H., October,
9, 1823, and is the son of Elijah Hildreth, a farmer,
who, after his sou's birth, became a resident of New
Ijiswich, N. H.
Mr. Hildreth, having finished his education at the
academy at New Ipswich, at the age of twenty-two
years, came to Lowell almost an entire stranger, and
began work in the Ijowell Machine Shop. After a ser-
vice of three years as a workman he became a con-
tractor in the machine-shop, and continued in the lat-
ter position about ten years.
In 1858, on account of the great depression of bus-
iness, which began in the preceding year, he engaged
as foreman in the Industrial Works of Bement &
Dougherty in Philadelphia, where he remained about
two years. Having returned to Lowell, he became,
in 18G5, foreman in the machine-shop, a position
which he held for fourteen vears. In 1879 he was
84
HISTORY OF MIDDLESEX COUNTY. MASSACHUSETTS.
elected superintendent of the machine-shop, an office
whose importance is indicated by the fact that tlicsi-
works are the largest of the kind in America, and in
them is manufactured most of the machinery of the
great manufacturing corporations of the city of Low-
ell. This position he has now held for eleven years.
In addition to his regular official duties, Mr. Hil-
dreth takes a deep and active interest in various
beneficent institutions of the city. To the Jliddle-
sex Mechanic Association he has been especially de-
voted, giving to its affairs much of his time and
thought. In remodeling and rearranging its lilirary
he took an active interest, and in 1873 he served as
president of this association.
From 1868 to 1871 he wjis a member of the Bunnl
of Aldermen of Lowell, and, as chairman of the
Committee on Lands and Buildings, he took puit in
the erection of the Green School-house, the iiiosi
elegant and imposing of the school-houses of tlie city.
Mr. Hildreth is a man of broad synipiithies, til
cordial addre.ss, of sound judgment and of lirm pur-
pose. As the manager of one of the most important
institutions of the city he has the all'ection and re-
spect of those in his employ, and the entire conlidence
of the community. Having served during almost his
entire business life in the works of which he now has
the oversight, he is thoroughly conversant with all
the duties appertaining to bis office.
The following table of the statistics of the [ireccd-
ing eleven great manufacturing companies ot ]>owell,
is taken from the " Year Book " for 1889, i)ublisheil
by the Jlorning Mail Company :
Tiilal cnpitiil iiivpsted 81 1,i.')",i"mi
" iiunilter oC cpiinlles ^ti'.",_*'.:ii
" " luutiia .;l,t^'.il
'■ " feniHlee enipli'j'wl, It.^iii:; ; nrnka,
T.Tli'J l:i. |r,j
•• " ynrd^ cottuii clotli witv.-ii |i»t
week .'», 11115, 7.",r»
" '* " priDled \>er week l.tioU.'HH)
'* " " iljed per Huuutii lr.,iHHi,(ru)
" " " rarpeting per u-^ek . . . T5,<»"t
*• " " wtiitlen ilulli per week . . l'.!,."i"'>
" *' poiiDja hleiiclied [>er HHiiun) . . . lo,(«m,iMMt
" " " mttori L-uttbiiDied per week 1.0<>4,JU.J
" ■* " clean wool per week . . l"JiP,iirri>
** *^ tons coal per anuuni (iiivliuliue
smithy T'i. liii;
*' '* bnsliels cliarconl Iter aiiuiiiii . . . lo.JiHi
*• " t^alloiiH oil |>er aotMiiii I^T.ntl'j
" " ponnUs starch {ler aiiniliii . . . :;,'.nV>,Mr,
" " tonti wnni^ht-irim (ter aiiiiuiii . . 1,'JIKI
" " '* cast-iron per uliiiiiui .... >»,;".tm
" " " aleel |>er auiiinii ;j(ii)
" " pounds bntfis compositii-ii per
nniiiini -S.^juKl
" " turbine-wtieels ^."l
'* " ateuui-eagiuea liih
" weekly pay roll (exclusive of Lowell Bleach-
erv) Sll.l,":!*
" taxes paid ?l(t;l,7;i.'KjS
From this table it appears that the number of yards
of cotton cloth woven annually in these mills is more
than 260,000,000. To enable the mind more clearly to
comprehend this vast amount, it may be said that
this cloth would encircle tht- earth nearly six times,
and if stretched in a straight line, would extend over
a distance so great that a man traveling forty miles
per day would not reach the end of it in ten years.
2. Minor M.^scf.^ctures.
FlBRH MASUFACTrRE.*. — The Belridere Woolen-
M//s.—The life of Charle.s Stott, the late agent
and principal proprietor of the Belvidere Woolen
Manufacturing Company, is so intimately blended
with the history of the mills themselves that both
should be written on the same page.
These mills have a history running further back,
perhaps, than that of any other of the nulls of Lowell.
Thomas Hurd, who began the inanufactiire of satinet
on the Concord River in l.Sl.'i, ownetl the water priv-
ilege at the mouth of tlKit river, both on the east and
west sides. He sold the [irivilcge on the east, or l!(-l-
videre side, to Win'hrop Howe, a man.ifncliiier of
tlaunel by hand-looms, who in l.'*27 s(dd it to Harri-
.son (r. Howe, who introdiiccil the power-loom, in
lS.i2 .Mr. Howe sold it to Warren. Rarry A Park, of
Bosion, who in 18;^4 sold it to Wliitwell, Bonil it
.Scaver, who in 18.';.'i scdil it to FarnswortI), Baker iV
Hill.
It was under the latter cimipany that Mr. Stott be-
came connected with these mills, and for many years
was so identilied with them that in common parlance
tliey are known as " Slotts .Mills."
Charles r?tott was born .4iignst 21, 179;!, at Roch-
dale, a parliamentary borough ill i.,ancashire, England
famed, even in the days of <iueen Elizabeth, lor iis
manufacture of woolen goods. His parents being in
humble life, he was at the early age of seven years
put to work in a woolen-mill in wliicli the service
was so exacting as to leave him only the opp<irtiiiiity
of ac<]uiring the most limited education. The hours
of labor extended from five o'clock in the morning to
nine o'clock in the evening. When the years of
manhood came his ambition pidni|iteil him to leiive
the ranks of the day laborers and to begin business
on his own account. But fortune did not smile upon
him in England, and at the age of tweiity-.seven years
he resolved to begin life anew in America. In 1.^26
he lantlefl in Boston with two shilling pieces in his
pocket, his only riches. One of these shillings he kept
through life as a souvenir of his early struggles. It
still remains in the hands of his son, Hon. Charles \.
Stott, ex-mayor of Lowell.
In .\merica Mr. Stott first found employment in a
manufactory in .Viulover, Mass. In 1828, with three
associates, he began to operate the Jlerrimack Mills
in Dracut, Mass. After seven years in this business
he became, in 18.35, agent of the Belvidere Woolen-
Mills, then owned by Farnswortli, Baker & Hill.
This company having become bankrupt, Mr. Stott
formed a partnership with Mr. Farnswortli, one of the
company, and under the firm-name of Farnsworth &
Stott they engaged in runnlug the mills.
^^ % x^^
LOWELL.
85
Misfortune, however, pursued Mr. Stott into the
new world, for within the space of about one year the
mills were twice burned. After these di8.ister3 a new
company was formed called the Belvidere Woolen
Manufacturing Company, of which Mr. Stott became
the president and the active manager. Under the
sagaciou.-; and energetic control of Mr. Stott the en-
terprise was crowned with remarkable success. In
1862 a new mill was erected by the company on Law-
rence Street. Both these mills during tlie la-it nine-
teen years of his life Mr. Stott managed with a sa-
gacity and skill which have been rarely equaled.
Mr. Slott, by his long connection of forty-six years
with the Belvidere Mills, acquired a very high and a
very honorable reputation among the successful
manufacturers of the country. He was a man of de-
cided character and very marked characteristics. He
led a pure and simple life, and he cared not for office
or honors, for dress or fajihion, for equipage or dis-
play. He loved his business heartily, and to it lie
devoted all his powei's. It is said of him that when
age had rendered him too infirm to move with his
wonted activity from room to room in his mills, it was
his delight to sit for long hours near some rew and
curious manulacturing machine to admire the skill of
its construction and the beauty of its o|)eration.
(jutside of bis chosen sphere Mr. Stott rarely par-
ticipated in the afl'airs of civil or of social life. He
was, however, a director of the I'rescott Bank from its
orgai:ization. He was a member of the Pawtucket
Lodge of !M:isiius, having received his degree in
Lodge of Hope, Rochdale, England, in l.S2.'i. He was
a constant and exemplary worshiper in High Street
Congregational Church
He died on June 14, 1881, at his residence on
Cliesluut Street, at the age of eighty-iwo years.
At bis funeral, in High Street Church, there was a
large concourse of citizens by whom he was honored
and revered. It was an interesting and touching in-
cident of the solemn occa-sion, that he was borne to
the grave by workmen in his mills who had long
known him and had toiled by his side.
Hon. Charles \. Stott succeeds his father as agent
and president of the Belvidere Woolen Manulacturing
Company, Mr. John Stott being superintendent of
Mill No. 2. In its two mills the company employs
2o0 hands, and manufactures tlanneU and dress-
goods. The oldest mill of the company is situated on
Howe Street.
The Stirling Mi/Is were built by Charles Stott, agent
of the Belvidere Woolen-Mills, as a private enterprise.
They were run by his son, Charles A. Stott, for eight
years, when they were purchased by a corporation,
the principal owners being Parker, Wilder i Co., of
Boston. The agent of the Stirling Mills is Edward
I). Holden. The mills have seventy-two looms, 5000
spindles and employ 13o hands, making 2.000,000
yaids of flannel per year.
F/aiinel Mills, etc., of C. P. Talbot 1- O;.— The ex-
tensive manufacturing plant of this company is in
North Billerica, but from the fact that their store is
in Lowell and that the senior partner was long one
of the most prominent citizens of Lowell, a sketch
of his life containing an account of the manufac-
tures of the firm is here inserted.
Charles P. Talbot belongs to that class of ster-
ling men, who, by their courage and energy have
turned the adversities and defeats of their early
years into the very means of final success and tri-
umph.
He was of English extraction and was born in
Templemore, Ireland, May 19, 1807, and died at his
home on Chestnut Street, Lowell, July C, 1884, at the
age of seventy-seven years. He was the lineal de-
scendant of John Talbot, first Earl of Shrewsbury,
who, in 1458, at the age of eighty years, died at the
battle of Chatillou, leaving estates in Ireland, on one
of which, in Templemore, the ancestors of Mr. Tal-
bot resided.
In 1807, William Talbot, the grandfather of Mr.
Talbot, with his family, came to America, and in con-
nection with his son Charles, the father of the sub-
ject of this sketch, eng.-iged in the manufacture of
broadcloth in Cambridge, N. Y. Charles Talbot, the
father, wius evidently a man of property and culture;
for he brought with him a large library, in which
were several editions of Shakspeare. His enterprise
ill Cambridge was probably unsuccessful, for in 1819
he removed his business to Danby, Vt., where, after
four years, he died, leaving his wife with a fiimily ot
eight children without means of support. The two
oldest sons, Jidin and Charles P., the latter being then
sixteen years of age, were removed from school and
put to work in aid of the support of the family. The
mother w:is a woman of great energy and possessed
those sterling qualities which afterwards character-
ized her son.
In 1825, two years after the death of her husband,
she removed to Northampton, Mass., with the hope
of finding employment for her older sons in the
woolen-mills of that place, and for the better educa-
tion of the family. Mr. Talbot, after working in the
mills at Northampton, came to Lowell, to act as over-
seer in the Middlesex Mills of this city. In 1834,
when twenty-seven years of age, he went from
Lowell to Williamsburg, near Northampton, where
he engaged in woolen manufacture on his own ac-
count. But the business panic of 1837 proved ruin-
ous to his enterprise, and he disposed of his businesf
in Williamsburg in 1838, and returning to Lowell, he
soon rented of the Middlesex Canal Company certaiu
buildings in North Billerica, where he commenced
the manufacture of dye-stufl"s.
And here fortune seems first to have smiled upon
him, for he soon purchased and enlarged the estab-
lishment, and in 1839 formed a partnership with his
brother Thomas, under the title of C. P. Talbot &
Co For twelve years the brothers operated the dye-
86
HISTORY OF JITDDLKSEX COUNTY. MASSACIirSETTS.
wood mills with such marked succes"*, that in 1851
they purchased of the canal coinpaii}' the water-
power and other property and erected mills for the
manufacture of Hannels.
Before this, in 1849, they had started their chemi-
cal works in North Billerica, and they had also, as
early as 1842, opened a store in Lowell for the sale
of dye-stuffs and chemicals. This store was first
located on Central Street, opposite the Washington
House, subsequently for many years in the Market
House on Market Street, and recently in tlie Talbot
Block on Middle Street.
And here it is interesting to compare the humble
beginning of the enterprise in IS'iS with its present
coudiiion. We see ilr. Talbot in 1838, his former
business having been luiricd by the linancia! panic of
the previous year, beginning in a rented building and
in a small way a new manufacture, with nothing to
aid him but hia firm will, his admirable self-reliance
and his fi.xed resolve to retrieve his fortunes.
In order to mark the contrast, it is enough to set
before the reader a summary of the present condition
of the two great manufacturing companies which
have arisen out of that humble beginning. 1st. The
Talbot Dye-Wood an<l Chemical Company man-
ufactures sulpburic, muriatic ami nitric acids, oil of
vitriol, extract of imligo, blue vitriol, solutions of
tin, 7.inc and antimony, tin crystals, drugs, dye-woods,
etc., employing thirty men. 2d. The Talbot Mills
make all-wool flannels and dress goods, using twenty
seta of cards, IGG looms and employing '2~'> men.
But the reputation of Mr. Talbot doea not <lepen(l
alone upon his business talents and the courage with
which he has met the reverses of life, but also upon
the noble qualities of his heart, his generous sympa-
thies, his indignant scorn of every act of o|)pression,
his charity for the poor and his open and hearty es-
pousal of every gooil cause. His convictions were
positive, and the friends of humanity knew where to
find him.
In all that paternal and generous treatment of the
employes of the firm which has already been de-
scribed in the sketch of his brother Thomas, found
on another page, the elder brother was in hearty
sympathy and generous co-operation.
The two brothers were alike and r^fforded an admi-
rable example of fr.iternal sympathy. In both the
moral nature predominated. In both the love of
honor, justice and kindness rose nobly above the love
of gain.
The earlier years of the elder brother were in-
tensely occupied with the unsolved problem of busi-
ness success and he had no time and acquired no
love for political honors, while the younger brother
came later upon the stage when the prospect of suc-
cess in business seemed already .-ussured, and very
naturally his active mind turned upon the important
questions of Civil Government and led him to accept
the exalted position which he so honorably filled.
Both had their battles in life, both fought with equal
bravery and both came out of the cnnHict with e<iual
honor.
Mr. Talbot loved his liojne. In the domestic circle
he was most tender and indulgent. Me was fond of
books and was a thoughtful reader. Hi.s reading took
a wide range, but he was especially familiar with the
English CliUfsics.
His wife survives him. Of bis two sons, Edward
R. died in 1872 and Julian resides in Lowell. His
only daughter is the wife of Richard H. Ewart, a
merchant in New York. The sketch of the life of
Mr. Talbot would not be complete without further
reference to his excellent wife and to the memorial
chapel which she erected in \^Si> to her husband's
memory.
Jlrs. Harriet E. Talbot was born Sept. 7, ISIG, and
was the daughter of Captain John and Polly Rt>gers,
of Lempster, New Hampshire. She became the wife
of Mr. Talbot May Z, I.S:j.'.. In the year following
the death of her husband, wishing to erect some me-
morial of his name which would at once be an honor
to the city and a fitting monument of his worth, she
devised and erected in the Lowell Cemetery a modest
and beautiful cha[)el. It is constructed of stone, hav-
ing before the entrance a graceful arch adorned with
flowering plants and climbing ivy. The structure
ailmirably comports with the well-known tastes of
her departed husband. It was dcdicateil on Novem-
ber 1, 1881). .\n ap|>ropriate eulogy of Mr. Talbot
was pronounced by Rev. Mr. Seward, his Ibrmer pas-
tor and friend, and it was formally dedicated by the
Rev. Dr. Street in language impressive and solemn,
in which he called down the benediction of God
'■ upon her who had cau.sed it to be erected."
L(jivell Felling-Mith, Pawtu<ket Street, manufacture
•ill kinds of hairf'eltlng lor uon-conducting, lining
and packing purposes. About I,200,(J0it pounds of
American and Runsian cattle-hair consumed annu-
ally. Fifteen hands are employed.
Moses A. Johnson in lS.'>y started the felting busi-
ness on Howe Street. In 18G5 Mr. Johnson and his
partners, George Bruerton and Williau) E. Bloodgood
purchased a aaw-mill on Pawlncket Street and trans-
formed it into a felting-mill. This firm in IStiS sold
out to William H. Thompson, Mr. Jounson taking
the position of manager. On the death of Mr. John-
son, in 1874, Henry M.Thompson, son of the jiroprie-
tor, became manager. The latter bought out his
partner in 1881 and is now sole proprietor.
Nocelly Siispeiiiler Worl.:i, Hale Street, manufacture
elastic and non-elastic webs, web-straps, braid, cords
and suspenders, employing thirty-five hands. The
proprietors, Josiah and John Harriman, removed their
business from Tanner Street to Howard Street in 1881
and to Hale Street in 1886. These works have been
twice enlarged.
FaiilLntT Mills.— In 1863, Alfred H. Chase erected
a large brick mill between Lawrence Street and Con-
LOWELL.
87
cord River, for the manufacture of woolen goods,
and, in 1864, L. W. Faulkner also erected a similar
mill in the immediate neighborhood for a like pur-
pose. On October G, 1880, a fire caught in the dry-
room of the Chase Mill, and both mills were con-
sumed. The loss upon the Chase Mill was $185,000,
and upon the Faulkner Mill over $100,000. Both
were fully insured. As to amount of loss this was
Lowell's largest fire. The Faulkner Mill was rebuilt
in 1881, and, in 1886, the Chase Mill property was
purchased by L. \V. Faulkner and his sons, Fred-
erick and John A. Faulkner, and a large mill erected
on its site. The two mills are known as " The
Faulkner Mills." The manufactures are dress goods,
fabrics, flannels and gents' suitings. The firm also
operate the Livingston Mill, on Thorndike Street.
The machinery in both mills embraces 13,000 spindles
and 184 broad fancy looms, the product being $900,-
000 per year, and the number of operatives about 500.
Both water and steam are used as motive powers.
T%e Siiyden Bagging Company, Mechanics^ Mills,
Dutton Street, manufactures press bagging used in
the process of obtaining cotton-seed oil. Five looms
are run and 100,000 to 125,000 pounds of worsted are
used annually. Five hands are employed. Thomas
Sugden started this business about 1873. Mr. Sugden
died in 1888. The business is now managed by
James Brown and Edward Craven.
J. M. Spurr, oc Shattuck Street, manufactures cus-
tom shirts, shirt-bosoms, cufis, etc. He started
business in the place which he now occupies, in 1870.
He employs four hands.
The Kew England Bunting Company has its origin
in the small manufactory for press-dyeing flannel,
started by John Holt, in 1852.
John Holt was born in Dorchester, N. H., Decem-
ber 26, 1812. When eighteen years of age he came
to Lowell and worked at cabinet-making from 1830 to
1852. In ihe latter year he commenced the work of
press-dyeing flannel in a small wooden building on
Davidson Street. In 1863 he began the manufacture
of flannel in the stone mill on Davidson Street, now
occupied by the New England Bunting C 
