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Digitized by the Internet Arcinive

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The Institute of Museum and Library Services through an Indiana State Library LSTA Grant

http://www.archive.org/details/historyoftownofh11hing

HISTORY

OF THE

TOWN OF HINGHAM,

MASSACHUSETTS.

IN THKEE VOLUMES.

Volume I. — Part I.
HISTORICAL.

HISTORY

OP THE

TOWN OF HINGHAM,

MASSACHUSETTS.

IN THREE VOLUMES.

YoLUME I. — Part I.

HISTORICAL.

PUBLISHED BY THE TOWN.

1893.

SSnibersttg Press :
John Wilson and Sox, Cambridge.

PREFACE.

TN the year 1827 a History of Hingham was compiled
by Solomon Lincoln, Jr., which was published by
Caleb Gill, Jr., and Farmer and Brown, of Hingham. It
was a small volume of one hundred and eighty-three
pages, the work of private enterprise, and only three
hundred copies were printed. Many of the copies have
been destroyed or lost, or distributed among the families
of persons who have removed from Hingham ; collec-
tors of rare books have also contributed to make the
work still more scarce, and of greatly enhanced money
value ; so that it has been difficult to secure information
concerning the early annals of the town. Moreover the
last half-century has been prolific with changes in our
local affairs as important as any in all our previous
history. It therefore became a matter of sufficient public
interest for the town to take some action in relation to
the publication of its history, and at the annual meeting
in 1882 a committee was appointed to consider the expedi-
ency of publishing a History of Hingham. This committee
made a report at the annual town meeting, in 1883, recom-
mending " that the town cause a History of Hingham
to be prepared and published, and that a committee be
appointed to have entire charge of the publication."

vi Preface.

The report was accepted, the recommendations adopted,
and the following committee appointed to ca,rry the same
into effect, viz. : —

George Lincoln. E. Waters Burr. Edmund Hersey.

Fearing Burr. Elijah Shute. Amasa Whiting.

John Gushing. Henry Stephenson. Joseph 0. Burdett.

Francis H. Lincoln. John D. Long. Walter L. Bouvfi.

Amasa Whiting was unable to serve, and Arthur Lincoln
was appointed in his place.

Liberal appropriations have been made by the town
from time to time, for the accomplishment of the work.

The first question which confronted the committee was,
" Who shall write the History ? " It was agreed at -once
that for the preparation of the Genealogies of Hingham
families Mr. George Lincoln was best fitted, on account of
the amount of material already in his possession, his many
years of research, and his familiarity with the families
of the town. He was therefore employed by the com-
mittee to furnish that portion of the work. Had there
been known to the committee any one person possessing
the ability and taste for historical writing, the leisure to
devote to it, and familiarity with the history and tra-
ditions of our town, he would have given to the work a
uniformity of style and continuity of narrative which is
very desirable. But no one answering this description
appeared to be available, and as assurances of a willing-
ness to write upon special topics were given by several of
our citizens, who seemed to be well adapted to such special
work, the plan was decided upon which has its fulfilment
in the following pages of " Historical" matter. The work
of these authors has been without compensation other than

Preface. vii

the pleasure and satisfaction gained from the study of the
past, and at much cheerful and voluntary sacrifice of
time and strength. Many of the illustrations have been
procured through the enthusiasm of some of our local
amateur photographers.

The work has grown far beyond any original expecta-
tion of its magnitude, and, as it is, much has of necessity
been omitted which it might be profitable and interesting
to preserve ; the patience of the town has been taxed
through many years of anxious waiting ; but it is hoped
that the perusal of these pages, with their narratives of
past accomplishments, may inspire a patriotic pride among
our citizens to maintain an honorable place in the world's
history for the Town of Hingham.

TABLE OF CONTENTS.

Volume I. — Part I.

The Geology of Hingham . . . Thomas T. Bouve

Mineralogy " '•

Notes on Animal Life .... " "

The Botany of Hingham ... "

Trees and Shrubs of Hingham . Edward T. Bouve,

Ancient Landmarks " "

Early Settlers John D. Long .

Military History Walter L. Bouve

Page

1

75

79

87

139

157

201

209

ILLUSTKATIONS,

Volume L — Part 1.

Page

Portrait of Thomas T. Bouve 24

Union Street Dike 34

Beach Street Dike 35

From a drawing by Edward T. Bouve.

Double Dike, Eocky Neck 49

From a drawing by Edward T. Bouve.

Pot Holes, Cohasset 54

Pot Holes, Cohasset 56

Kames near Great Hill 60

Bowlder, Cobb's Bank 67

From a drawing by Edward T. Bouve.

Bowlder, Derby Street 68

From a photograph by George E. Siders.

Main Street, Hingham 140

From a photograph by Francis H. Lincoln.

Old Elm, East Street 150

From a photograph by Franx'is A. Osborn.

Old Elm, Prospect Street 156

From a photograph by Francis A. Osborn.

TiTTLiNG Rock 164

Engraved by Wallace Corthell from a photograph by George E. Siders.

Pond Rock, Scituate Pond 169

Engraved by Wallace Corthell from a photograph by George E. Siders.
Home op General Lincoln 180

Main Street, South Hingham 184

From a photograph by Henry F. Guild.
Thaxter House 188

From a photograph by William Hudson.
Corner of Main and Leavitt Streets 190

From a photograph by Francis A. Osborn.

xii Illustrations.

Page

Glad Tidings Rock o ... . 195

Engraved by Wallace Corthell from a photograph by George E. Siders.

Spbague's Bridge, Union Street 196

From a photograph by Henry F. Guild.

Portrait of Joseph Blake 256

Portrait of General Lincoln 304

General Lincoln's Monument 306

Portrait of Governor Andrew 342

Statue of Governor Andrew 368

From a photograph by Henry F. Guild.

Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument 371

From a photograph by Francis H. Lincoln.

MAPS TO ILLUSTRATE GEOLOGY.

General Map of Hingham 4

District between Crow Point and Huit's Cove .... 30

District between Lincoln Street and Beal's Cove . . 42

EocKY Neck on Weir River 46

Hingham Village and West Hingham 52

HISTORY OF HINGHAM

THE GEOLOGY OF HINGHAM.

BY THOMAS T. BOUVE.

INTRODUCTION.

BoUxNDARY Lines.

The boundary-line of Hingham, commencing on the water-
front at Cohasset, near the head of Nantasket Beach, runs west
through an elongated inlet of the sea or bay which lies east of
the lower waters of Weir River, and from thence follows along
this river, and subsequently skirts the coast at the base of the
hills known as Planters' and World's End, in a northwesterly
direction until it passes the latter, when it turns westerly and
crosses outside the harbor of the town and the shores north to
the mouth of Weymouth Back River. From there this river
forms the boundary between the town and a part of Weymouth
to the head of navigation, about three and a half miles. The other
boundary-lines are artificial, dividing the town on the west from
a part of Weymouth not separated by the river, on the south and
southeast from Rockland and Norwell, and on the east from Cohas-
set. The boundary-line of the harbor leaves exterior to it Bunkin
Island, which belongs to Hull, and that of the southern boundary
crosses Accord Fond, the beautiful sheet of water from which
Hingham draws its abundant supply.

The shore-line of the water-front of the town, as distinct from
that of the boundary, is much more extensive, following as it does
the numerous indentures of the coast, and embracing the circum-
ference of the islands. Notice should be taken of the distinction
between the boundary and shore lines, as they comprise the limits
between which the marine forms of life appear that may be here-
after mentioned.

Tlie coast bordering upon the Weir River and Bay is of varied
and picturesque character, with its alternating rocky projections
and swampy plains. The shore-line, too, from Crow Point west

VOL. I. — 1

2 History of Hingham,

to tlie mouth of Weymouth River presents much diversity, and at
Huit's Cove, where the rocky clift's are covered with forest growth,
the scenery becomes again quite interesting, and continues so upon
the river front to the head of navigation.

The Harbor,

The harbor of Hingham, properly so called, is embraced within
an extension of land on the east side which rises into hills of con-
siderable magnitude, the outermost of which is World's End, and
an opposite shore of less extent, which presents itself partly as a
sandy and stony beach, but having towards its extremity some
rocky prominences, finally terminating at an elevation of land
which received at an early period the name of Crow Point, prob-
ably from the great number of crows that congregated there. In
the harbor, which is from three fourths of a mile to a mile in
width and about one mile and a half in depth, are three beautiful
islands, bearing the names respectively of Ragged, Sarah's, and
Langlee's ; of which the first named is particularly picturesque,
from the rugged outline of its coast and the dark savins upon its
crags. They are all of moderate elevation, and shrubs of low
growth cover their undulating surfaces. Only one deciduous tree
is seen, and that a Linden of considerable size, upon the one known
as Langlee's.^ Besides these three islands, there is yet another near
the shore of the town, and which from its diminutive size received
the name of Button Island. The harbor itself is a charming one
when the tide is in, and by no means lacks beauty when this has
ebbed. True, the lovely sheet of water has disappeared from view,
but the exposed flats are covered everywhere with the dense sea-
grass that rests recumbent on their surfaces, and there is seen
meandering through its sombre green a silvery channel pleasing
to the eye, and which is of sufficient width and depth to admit the
steamers and other vessels that approach the town. Other large
islands lie off the coast of Hingham, but the town line separates
them from its possessions. Particular attention is called to those
of the harbor and to the contour of the coast, in order to the
better understanding of the geological phenomena to be hereafter
presented.

Area.

The area of Hingham, as given in the Town Report for 1885,
p. 76, is 12,973 acres.

The greatest length of the town is that shown by a line from
World's End to the southwesterly point at Rockland. This is over
eight miles.

1 Since the above was written yonng trees set out upon the two islands, Sarah's
and Langlee's, by the present proprietor, are becoming conspicuous, and promise to add
much to the beauty of their surfaces and of the harbor generally by their growth.

The Geology of Hingham. 3

The greatest width across the town, direct east and west, is from
where Scituate touches the boundary to Weymouth. This is five
miles. Across the northern part of the town, at the point of its
junction with Hull and Cohasset, west to Weymouth River, the
width is a little over four and a third miles. Between these two
measurements it narrows on an east and west line to about three
and a third miles.

TOPOGKAPHY.

The topography of Hingham is of such marked character as to
make it of exceeding interest to those who are at all acquainted
with surface geology. The writer therefore hopes to be able to
impart such knowledge of this in later pages devoted to the phe-
nomena of glacial action as will add much to the pleasure of
townsmen and strangers alike in travelling over its territory.

The most noticeable features arise from the great number of
the beautiful hills belonging to a class called by Irish geologists,
Drumlins, signifying long, rounded hills, and by our own country-
man, Prof. Charles H. Hitchcock, Lenticular Hills, from their
lens-like form. They are distinguished by their oval and sym-
metrical outlines, by their composition, and by the direction of
their longest axes, which in this region is approximately north-
west and southeast. They arc products of the ice period, in the
treatment of which a full account of them will be given. Otis
Hill, Turkey Hill, Prospect Hill, Baker's Hill, Squirrel Hill, Great
Hill, Planters' Hill, the Hills of World's End, the Hills of Crow
Point and neighborhood, and many others of lesser magnitude,
are of this character. Of much less prominence, but of not less
interest to students of surface geology, are the Kames, so called,
consisting of ridges, hills, and hillocks, which occur over a large
portion of territory in the western part of the town. These, like
the Lenticular Hills, owe their origin to glacial action.

In a very general way it may be said that the settlements of the
town rest upon four surfaces of different elevations, namely : one
along the harbor and spreading west towards Fort Hill and Wey-
mouth River ; Lower Plain, so called, which rises from the first-
mentioned, half a mile or more inland ; Glad Tidings Plain, a
slightly higher level which succeeds the last, three or four miles
inland, and which is separated from it by a depression of the land ;
and finally. Liberty Plain, the highest of all, reaching to the
southern boundary.

This statement, however, though true of the several settlements
of the town, affords but a very inadequate idea of the diversified
character of the whole territory, for even the lowest region has
several of the high hills mentioned rising from it, and bordering
the second is Turkey Hill, having an altitude of 181 feet, which is
onlv inferior to the highest of all in town.

4 History of Hingham.

One of the most prominent of the elevations of the lowest plateau
is Otis Hill, which rises quite near the harbor on its Avestern side.
The views from this are very fine, and should be seen by all who
keenly enjoy an extended prospect. It is said that Daniel Webster
ascended the hill whenever opportunity presented itself, feeling
amply repaid for the necessary exertion in reaching its summit.
On the east, beyond Nantasket Beach and the rocky shore of Co-
liasset, the open sea spreads itself to the vision until lost in the
distant horizon ; north, the coast of the opposite side of Massa-
chusetts Bay may be traced until it, too, fades from sight towards
Cape Ann ; and northwest, the domes and spires of the great city,
with the expanse of water gemmed with islands and dotted over
with vessels gliding among them, afford an enchanting scene.
The height of Otis Hill is about 129 feet. The still higher ele-
vation of the second plateau, Turkey Hill, before mentioned^
affords yet grander views. No one who has not been here can
appreciate the transcendent beauty of such as may be enjoyed
from its summit, in looking towards the west and northwest just
as the sun is sinking beneath the horizon, especially when hover-
ing clouds are lit up by its rays and the intervening water is tinted
by their reflections.

The highest elevation of all is that of Prospect Hill, and it is
worthy the name. This is in the south part of the town, and has
a height of 218t-4>y feet. Measurements of other hills give the fol-

_ a 10 o

lowmg results : —

Baker's, 141 feet; Squirrel, 133 feet; Great Hill, 120 feet;
Planter's, 118 feet; Old Colony, 70 feet; Liberty Pole, 107 feet;
the highest of the World's End hills, 92, the lowest, 66 ; Crow
Point Hill, 81 ; Pleasant, near Crow Point, 93 ; Bradley's, 87 ;
Tucker's, between Crow Point and Pleasant, 65.

Much of the remaining territory presents itself in rounded hil-
locks of various elevations, and in the west part of the town these
prevail over a great area. Unfortunately they have to a great
extent been denuded of trees. Barren wastes are found, unsightly
to the eye where beauty might abound, and where profit might be
realized if the surface could be devoted to forest culture. Nothing
could be done that would be more advantageous to this almost
destitute portion of the town than to cover it with the white pine,
as there can be no doubt but that it would be a wise investment
of money to do this if proper precautions were taken to protect
the growth from destruction by fires.

Independently of the interesting features of the landscape men-
tioned, there is such variety of surface over the town as to make
all parts attractive.

In some portions are miles of rich and rocky woodlands, in
other portions swamps impenetrable from forest growth. In
places, high cliffs of rock rise from above the general level ; in
others, green meadows of peaceful beauty stretch far before the

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4 History of Hingham.

One of the most prominent of the elevations of the lowest plateau
is Otis Hill, which rises quite near the harbor on its western side.
The views from this are very fine, and should be seen by all who
keenly enjoy an extended prospect. It is said that Daniel Webster
ascended the hill whenever opportunity presented itself, feeling
amply repaid for the necessary exertion in reaching its summit.
On the east, beyond Nantasket Beach and the rocky shore of Co-
hasset, the open sea spreads itself to the vision until lost in the
distant horizon ; north, the coast of the opposite side of Massa-
chusetts Bay may be traced until it, too, fades from sight towards
Cape Ann ; and northwest, the domes and spires of the great city,
with the expanse of water gemmed with islands and dotted over
with vessels gliding among them, afford an enchanting scene.
The height of Otis Hill is about 129 feet. The still higher ele-
vation of the second plateau, Turkey Hill, before mentioned^
affords yet grander views. No one who has not been here can
appreciate the transcendent beauty of such as may be enjoyed
from its summit, in looking towards the west and northwest just
as the sun is sinking beneath the horizon, especially when hover-
ing clouds are lit up by its rays and the intervening water is tinted
by their reflections.

The highest elevation of all is that of Prospect Hill, and it is
worthy the name. This is in the south part of the town, and has
a height of 218j*q feet. Measurements of other hills give the fol-
lowing results : —

Baker's, 141 feet ; Squirrel, 133 feet ; Great Hill, 120 feet ;
Planter's, 118 feet ; Old Colony, 70 feet ; Liberty Pole, 107 feet ;
the highest of the World's End hills, 92, the lowest, QQ ; Crow
Point Hill, 81 ; Pleasant, near Crow Point, 93 ; Bradley's, 87 ;
Tucker's, between Crow Point and Pleasant, 65.

Much of the remaining territory presents itself in rounded hil-
locks of various elevations, and in the west part of the town these
prevail over a great area. Unfortunately they have to a great
extent been denuded of trees. Barren wastes are found, unsightly
to the eye where beauty might abound, and where profit might be
realized if the surface could be devoted to forest culture. Nothing
could be done that would be more advantageous to this almost
destitute portion of the town than to cover it w^ith the white pine,
as there can be no doubt but that it would be a wise investment
of money to do this if proper precautions were taken to protect
the growth from destruction by fires.

Independently of the interesting features of the landscape men-
tioned, there is such variety of surface over the town as to make
all parts attractive.

In some portions are miles of rich and rocky woodlands, in
other portions swamps impenetrable from forest growth. In
places, high cliffs of rock rise from above the general level ; in
others, green meadows of peaceful beauty stretch far before the

^

The Geology of Hingham. 5

vision. Here may be seen from some elevation tree-clad hills and
dales ; there, water checkered with islands, and the ocean itself
receding in the far distance from sight. Here one may wander
along a rock-bound coast, with objects of interest everywhere in
view; or he may seek and find, in deep dark woods, sequestered
glens as far remote seemingly from all human surroundings and
associations as would be to him the recesses in the distant moun-
tains. Few towns, indeed, can present more diversified features.

Swamps.

There are numerous swamps in the town, some of which are
quite extensive, as Bare Swamp, which extends over a considera-
ble tract of country, from the neighborhood of the West End depot
to French Street, near Weymouth ; Hemlock Swamp, which lies
between Hobart and High streets ; and several others southwest
of these.

ElVERS.

Excepting Weymouth Back River, which borders a part of the
town on the west, and Weir River, there are none worthy the
name. Many streams contribute to the latter, the most important
of which has its origin in Accord Pond. Others of its tributaries
flow from the swamps of the town, which, as before stated, are
numerous, especially in its western portions.

Ponds.

Of the ponds of the town delineated on the map, Cushing's,
Trip-Hummer, Fulling-Mill, and Thomas', are all artificial. The
only natural one of any considerable area, of which any portion is
within the borders of Hingham, is Accord Pond. This seems sin-
gular, considering the many natural fine sheets of water which are
found in the surrounding territory. What Nature has, however,
denied, has been in part provided through the enterprise of the
inhabitants, who for manufacturing purposes have dammed the
streams, spread their waters over surfaces bounded by hills, and
thus greatly enhanced the beauty of the scenery in many locali-
ties, Cushing's Pond resulted from the damming of one of the
tributary streams of Weir River, known as Plymouth River ; Trip-
hammer Pond, from the damming of another tributary known as
Beechwood, or Mill River ; Thomas' Pond from the damming of
the main stream ; and Fulling-Mill Pond from a small stream,
sometimes called Cold Spring.

PRELIMINARY REMARKS ON GENERAL GEOLO€^Y.

Any account of the Geology of Hingham would iiecessarilf-kis
but of little service to the unscieiitiiic reader, unless pi'eceded
by some remarks upon the several rock formations of the earth
and the periods of tlieir deposition. The advance of knowledge
respecting these has been so rapid that the very terms but re-
cently used to designate their relative age are not only obsolete to
a considerable degree, but often misleading. For instance, it is
not long since the word " primitive " conveyed to all students the
idea that the rocks so designated, the granites, were the earliest
formed of all the earth's strata ; but now it is a well-recognized
fact that these have been produced in nearly all periods of geo-
logic time. All ideas based upon views taught in the books of
a past generation respecting Primitive, Transition, and Secondary
rocks should be dismissed from thought as being now but of
little or no significance.

In order that the mind may be receptive of the grand ideas
which a knowledge of geological phenomena cannot fail to im-
part, it is necessary first of all to disabuse it of the narrow con-
ceptions of creation which have too long prevailed among men.
It must recognize the sublime truth that the great Power whicli
permeates and controls all matter has been for inconceivable ages
evolving from the chaos of things the innumerable worlds that
compose the universe ; and in fine must look upon the earth we
inhabit, with all its multitude of living and ever-changing forms,
as the result of the constant and never-ceasing action of creative
energy for not only thousands, but for very many millions of
years.

The calculations relative to the age of the earth have been,
based upon several grounds, — one astronomical, by estimates of
the time which would be required to reduce the sun from the dimen-
sions embraced within the orbit of the earth to its present size.
This Professor Newcomb makes 18,000,000 years. Add to this
the time whicli he concludes might have passed before the tem-
perature of the globe itself would have been reduced so as to
allow of the existence of water upon it, 3,845,000 years, and the
time estimated by him for the development of the several forma-
tions composing the earth's strata, which he embraces within

The Geology of Hingham. 7

a period of 10,000,000 years, and we have a total of 31,845,000
years since the globe was separated from the sun in a gaseous
condition, and of but 13,845,000 years since the first incrusta-
tion of its surface.

Another method of determining the age has been to base esti-
mates upon the internal heat of the globe and the rate of cooling.
Sir William Thomson thus concluded that about 80,000,000
years must have elapsed for the globe to cool to its present con-
dition, dating from the first incrustation upon its surface.

Another method has been to base calculations upon the geo-
logical changes that have been going on during comparatively
recent times, by which sedimentary deposits have been formed
at a known rate of thickness within certain periods. Dr. Croll
estimates in this way that not less than 60,000,000 years must
have elapsed, and probably much more since sedimentation began.
Another investigator. Dr. Haughton, on the same basis extends
the time to more than 200,000,000 years.

It is unnecessary to add more on this point. It is sufficient to
state that no man capable of forming a judgment, and who has
duly investigated the question, has been able to come to any other
conclusion than that our good mother the earth has been revolv-
ing in her orbit, since incrustation and the commencement of
sedimentation, for millions of years, and whether these be num-
bered by tens or hundreds can be but of little moment, when the
least mentioned is more than long enough to appall the mind in
its contemplation.

It is however desirable, in view of a better understanding of
what may follow relative to different periods in the earth's history,
to give a table showing the estimated duration of each, assuming
the whole length of time since incrustation to be 80,000,000
years, as calculated by Sir William Thomson. Of course, if it
should be assumed that the whole period since incrustation was
more or less than 80,000,000 years, the time estimated for each
period would be proportionately lengthened or shortened. The
time ratios of the several periods have been determined by Pro-
fessor Dana from the relative thickness of the rocky sediments,
and of the probable time required for their deposit, and though
estimates thus based must necessarily be imperfect, yet by them
we can approximate somewhat nearer to the truth than in any
other way. The presentation will be useful in impressing on the
mind of the reader the remote antiquity of the rocks of Hingham ;
for if, as generally claimed, the greater portion of them had their
origin in Archgean Time, basing their age on Sir William's esti-
mate of the age of the world, Ihey must have been formed more
than 30,000,000 years ago. The table is abbreviated from one
presented in the very valuable work of Alexander Winchell,
LL. D., Professor of Geology and Palseontology in the University
of Michigan, called " World Life, or Comparative Geology."

History of Hingham.
Estimated Length of Geological Periods.

Formations.

Rock Measure.

Feet.

Percentage.

Thomson's Basis.
Tears.

PYROLITHIC TIME ....

123,200

27.77

22,216,000

ARCHiEAN TIME.

Azoic Age .

61,600

13.88

11,104,000

Eozoic Age.

Laurentian Period .....

41,200

9.26

7,408,000

Huronian Period

20,400

4,62

3,696,000

PALiEOZOIC TIME.

Silurian Age.

Primordial Period

16,400

3.70

2,960,000

Canadian Period .....

45,400

10.23

8,184,000

Trenton Period

14,700

3.32

2,656,000

Niagara Period

7,100

1.60

1,280,000

Salina Period

2,050

.46

368,000

Lower Helderberg Period . .

7,500

1.69

1,352.000

Devonian Age.

Oriskany Period

720

.17

136,000

Corniferous Period ....

2,800

.63

504,000

Hamilton Period .....

6,000

1.35

1,080,000

Cliemung Period

4,900

1.11

888,000

Catskill Period ......

7,544

1 70

1,360,000

Carboniferous Age.

Lower Carboniferous Period .

7,560

1.70

1,360,000

Ul)per Carboniferous Period .

14,570

3.28

2,624,000

MESOZOIC TIME.

Triassic Period

31,540

7.11

5,688,000

Jurassic Period

8,200

1.85

1,480,000

Cretaceous Period

5,620

1.'26

1,008,000

CtEnozoic time.

Tertiary Age

11,735

2.65

2,120,000

Post Tertiary Age.

Glacial Period

1,956

.44

352,000

Post Glacial Period ....

978

.22

176,000

Total Crust

443,673

100.00

80,000,000

It is proper to state here that investigations within a few years
past by Dr. G. Frederick Wright, the author of the " Ice Age in
North America," Warren Upham, and other geologists who have
made special study of .the phenomena of the Glacial Period, have
satisfactorily determined that all that has happened on the surface
since that period may not have required more than from ten to
fifteen thousand years. When the above table was prepared, much
less was known of glacial action than now.

The Geology of Hingham. 9

A second table is presented, giving a list of the formations ;
the forms of life that appeared in the several periods ; and some
general remarks upon the land surfaces, the climatic conditions,
and the mountain elevations. Periods not recognized in the first
table are presented in this.

PYROLITHIC
TIME.

ARCHAEAN
TIME.

Azoic Age.

Eozoic Age.
Laurentian

Period.

Huronian

Period.

PALEOZOIC
TIME.

Silurian Age.

' Primordial

Period.

CO i

o

a

Canadian
Period.

Trenton
Period.

Note. From lack of definite
knowledge of the particular pe-
riods in which insect forms first
appeared, mention of them is only
made after the close of remarks
upon other life in the several
periods of each Age.

Indications of Marine
Plants and of Protozoa,
the lowest of the forms
of animal life.

Age of Invertebrates.

Marine only :

Plants, sea-weeds. Ani-
mals, all invertebrates,
Protozoa, Had lata, Mol-
lusca, and Articulata.
Trilobites in immense
numbers and of many
species are found. The
largest of these became
extinct before the close
of this period. Crinoids -
and Sponges appear.

Marine only :

Plants all sea-weeds.
Animals, invertebrates.
Among Cephalopods Or-
thoceras first appear.

Marine almost entirely.
Some late discoveries of
land plants have been
made in Ohio and Ken-
tucky. Animals all in-
vertebrates.

Physical condition making life im-
possible.

The continent in the Eozoic Age
was limited to a region mostly
within limits of British North
America, but embracing, outside,
the Adirondack region of N. Y.,
a region in Mich, south of Lake
Superior, a long belt, including
the Highlands of N. Y., and the
Blue Ridge of Penu, and Va.,
also areas along the Atlantic
Coast in Nova Scotia, Newfound-
land, and Eastern Mass.

A long but narrow ridge existed
along the line where afterwards
were raised the Rocky Mountains.
Four-fifths at least of the present
surface of the continent were
under water.

A mild climate certainly prevailed
in the Arctic regions during
these periods, as proved by the
forms of life found in high north-
ern latitudes.

The Appalachian region, embrac-
ing that of the Green Mountains,
was one of shallow waters, whilst
areas of the rocks of Archa;an
Time formed islands and reefs.
A barrier was thus partially
formed, which led the interior
continental sea to be compara-
tively quiet, where flourished
crinoids, mollusks, and corals,
the detritus of which made up
the growing limestone. This
period of physical quiet, Dana
remarks, was probably as long
continued as " all the time that
has since elapsed," a remark cal-
culated to impress the mind very
forcibly of its duration.

10

History of Hingham.

{ Niagara Period

Salina Period.

Lower Helder-
berg Period.

Oriskany
{ Period.

Devonian Age.

Corniferous
Period.

Marine only :

Plants, .sea-weeds.
Animals, invertebrates.
No evidence yet of fishes
or of fresh-water life.

Almost destitute of fossils.

Fossils of the same generic
character generally as
in preceding periods, the
species distinct.

Trilobites common, but
with them a new Crus-
tacean appears for the
first time, the Eiiri/p-
terus rem /pes, a foot or
more in length.

Plants generally marine.
One species of Lijcopo-
dium (ground pine) has,
however, been found .

No fishes yet noticed in
American beds of this
period, but in Europe
their remains are met
with in the Ludlow
rocks, which are equiv-
alent to the Lower Hel-
derberg and Oriskany of
America, and are the
first vertebrates yet dis-
covered in formations
earlier than the De-

Of the Class Arachnida:
articulated animals having
the body generally divided
in two parts, as Scorpions,
Spiders, Ticks, etc., — the
first represented in the
earth's formations were
found in the Upper Silurian.
Three species, all Scorpions.
Of the true Insects, one
specimen has been found in
the Upper Silurian, l)ut the
character of this has not
been clearly made out. It
belongs to one of the orders
of the Hexapoda.

Age of Fishes.

Marine Plants include a

new form, the Spiropky-

ton Cauda galli.

The Niagara Period was one of
subsidence of the land over ex-
tensive regions.

The rocks of the Salina Period
yield salt from brines contained
in them. The subsidence men-
tioned as occurring during the
NiagaraPeriod continued through,
this.

The extinction of species during
the progress of the Silurian Age
was great. Dana says, " There is
no evidence that a species existed
in the later half of the Upper
Silurian that was alive in the
later half of the Lower Silurian."

The greater part of the continent
yet remained under water at the
close of the Silurian Age.

There is no evidence that the cli-
mate, even in high latitudes, had
become otherwise than warm and
temperate as in the Lower Si-
lurian Periods.

During the Corniferous Period, a,
large part of the continent was
covered with shallow seas, in

The Geology of Hingham.

11

Hamilton Period.

Chemung Period.

Catskill Period.

Land Plants :

Lycopods, Ferns, and

Conifers.
Corals in great numbers,

Echinoderms, Trilo-

bites.
Fishes, first appearance

of in American rocks:

Sharks, Ganoids, Placo-

dernis ; but no osseous

species.

Land Plants : Lycopods,
Perns, Equiseta ; but as
yet no Mosses.

The Vertebrates are rep-
resented only by Fishes.

Goniatites, a group of Ce-
phalopods first appear.

Land Plants of like gen-
era as in the preceding
period.

Trilobites, so abundant in
former periods, have be-
come rare.

Remains of life rare. The
plants are similar to
those of the Chemung
Period.

The change in life during
the Devonian Age was
marked by the introduc-
tion of many new forms
and the extinction of
many old ones, as in pre-
vious ages.

Articulates of the Myrio-
poda, a class allied to In-
sects, worm-like but having
many segments and nu-
merous feet, first appear in
the Devonian Age.

True Insects, of the class
Hexapoda, appear in several
species.

which corals of great variety
flourished.
The climate was warm, and proba-
bly so over the Arctic regions.

In the Hamilton Period, extensive
forests of Lycopods, some similar
to modern spruces and pines and
others widely different from any
known family, undoubtedly ex-
isted, as shown by the Lepido-
dendra and Sigillaria found in
the strata.

At the close of the Devonian Age
the area of the continent had
much increased, and embraced a
large part of East Canada and
New England, but the greater
part of North America yet re-
mained beneath the waters.
Neither the Rocky Mountains
nor the Appalachians yet existed.
The Green Mountains were low
hills compared with their present
height.

Great disturbance seems to have
followed the close of the age over
the eastern part of the continen-
tal area leading to elevation of a
great portion of Maine, etc.

The occurrence of Devonian species
in the Arctics shows, as Dana
remarks, that there was but little
diversity of climate between the
regions now called Temperate
and Arctic Zones.

12

History of Hingham.

Formations.

General Remarfes.

Carboniferous
Age.
Sub-Carbonifer-
ous Period.

Carboniferous
Period.

Permian Period.

Sea-weeds similar to those

of the Devonian.
Land Plants :

Lycopods, Ferns, Coni-
fers and Calamites.
The animal life was abun-
dant, as shown by the
profusion of the remains
of Criuoids.
Of Kadiates : Polyp

Corals.
Of Brachiopods : Spi-

rifer Productus.
Of Cephalopods : Go-

niatites. Nautilus.
Of Articulates : Trilo-
bites, Orthoceratites,
Scorpions, etc.
Of Fishes : as in De-
vonian Age.
Of Amphibians : Foot-
prints.

Immense development of
the coal-forming plants,
the Tree-ferns, the Ly-
copods, Sigillarids, the
Equiseta, Conifers, and
Cycads. The latter first
appeared in this period.

No Angiosperms, no
Palms, no Mosses yet
discovered.

Plants similar to those of
the Coal Period.

Of animal life, Goniatites,
which first appeared in
the Hamilton Period,
and Trilobites, which
appeared in the Primor-
dial Period, both had
become extinct.

Several genera of the Mol-
lusca, as Productus,
Orthis,and Murchisonia,
are not found later than
this period.

As might have been ex-
pected from the immense
development of vegetable
life under tropical tempera-
ture, the remains of great
numbers of insects are f ouud
in the deposits of the Car-
boniferous Age, during
which they first appeared.
Species of the extinct Order
Palreodictyoptera are espe-
cially abundant, embracing

During the Sub-Carboniferous Pe-
riod a great mediterranean sea, as
previously, covered a large area
of the interior of the continent,
and the temperature being fa-
vorable, there was a great devel-
opment of crinoids, corals, and
the many forms of life now found
in the strata.

Forests and marsh areas were ex-
tensive. The period was one of
subsidence. The condition of the
Arctic regions was yet undoubt-
edly similar to the more southern
portions of the continent, the air
being warm and moist.

This Period, differing from that of
the Sub-Carboniferous, was one
of extensive emergence instead
of subsidence.

As yet the Alleghanies did not ex-
ist, but over their area were great
marshes, where flourished the
coal-making plants of the period.

The beds of the Permian are
marine.

Palasozoic Time has now come to
an end. Great disturbances fol-
lowed, leading to the elevation
of the Alleghany Mountains and

The Geology of Hingham.

13

MESOZOIC TIME.

Reptilian Age.
Triassic Period.

Jurassic Period.

Cretaceous Period.

ancient types of cockroach-
es, walking-sticks, May-flies,
etc.

Other extinct Orders are
also represented.

Plants :

Cycads and new forms

of Ferns, Equiseta,

Conifers.
No species yet met with

of Grass or Moss.
No Palms.

No Angiosperms, the
class which includes all
our New-England plants
having a bark, excepting
Conifers, as maples, wil-
lows, birches, oaks, etc.
Animals :

Vertebrates in great
numbers and of great
size. Fishes, Reptiles,
perhaps Birds.
First appearance of

Mammals.

Plants :

Similar to those of the
Triassic Period.
Animals :
Gigantic Reptiles, among

them flying lizards.
JIarsupial mammals.
First appearance of os-
seous fishes.
Birds.

Plants :

First appearance of the

Angiosperms.
Of the Angiosperms,

oaks, beeches, poplars,

willows, hickories, and

others existed.
First appearance _ of

Palms.
Animals :

Reptiles were very nu-
merous and of great size,
one genus of which,
Mosasaurus, had species
varying from forty-five
to eighty feet in length,
and having been snake-
like in form, may well
be termed, as by Dana,
sea-serpents of the era.

In the deposits of the Pe-
riods of the Reptilian Age,
first appear insects of the

to great changes along the coast
of New England, in New Bruns-
wick, Nova Scotia, and generally
over all the surface east of the
Mississippi.

The forests of this period differed
much from those of the Carbon-
iferous in having neither Sigil-
larids nor Lepidodendrids. Tree-
ferns, Conifers, and Cycads were
the prevailing forms.

There were great disturbances of
the surface during the Triassic
Period, as shown by the vast
ridges of trap rocks which were
forced up through the, strata in
a molten condition, and now form
some of the prominent elevations
of the eastern part of the conti-
nent, as Mounts Tom and Holy-
oke of Mass., the high hills near
New Haven, Conn., the Palisades
of the Hudson, etc.

The Jurassic Beds of Europe em-
brace those of three epochs, —
the Liassic, Oolitic, and Weilden.

The first of these have yielded
some of the best preserved and
finest fossils that are to be found
in our collections.

Cretaceous rocks are common over
a considerable portion of Europe,
in the southeastern and southern
parts of the United States, and
in the Rocky Mountains. The
well-known chalk composes great
beds in England, and is found in
France and other parts of Europe.

Great changes of level seem to have
taken place towards the close of
this period, leading to increased
height of the land in the northern
regions, causing much change in

14

History of Hingham.

Formations.

Life

General Remarks.

Orders Ortlioptera, Neurop-

the climates and a general de-

tera, Heraiptera, Hymeuop-

struction of the life then existing

tera, Coleoptera, Diptera,

upon or near the surface in both

and Lepidoptera.

hemispheres.

CiENOZOIC

TIME.

Tertiary Age.

Laramie Pe-

Plants:

Estuary deposits in Mississippi, in

riod (or Lig-

U'he deposits of this pe-

the region of the Upper Missouri,

niticP.).

riod yield great uum-

in the Eocky Mountain region.

Note. — This period

ijers of the leaves of

and at Brandon, Vt.

is included by some

Angiosperms, — species

Called the Lignitic Period because

geologists in the Cre-
taceous of Mesozoic

of oak, poplar, maple.

of the prevalence of Lignitic beds

lime.

hickory, fig, magnolia,
and others ; also of Con-
ifers and palms. Kuts
of some species are
common.

in the deposits.

Animals :

Great disturbance of the surface in

Freshwater shells and

North America at the close of

some marine species.

this period, that led to the eleva-

No mammals. Fishes

tion of mountains in California,

and Reptiles have been

which, increased undoubtedly by

found in the Laramie

subsequent movements, are now

beds.

4,000 feet high.

Alabama Period

Plants :

^same as Eocene).

Trees mostly of the
same genera as those of
the present period.
The infusorial deposits
near I^ichmond, Va ,
yield a large number of
species of Diatoms.

Animals :

The remains, vertebra,
and teeth, in great num-
bers, of a large animal
allied to a whale, called
the Zeuglodou Cetoides,
are found in the de-
posits of this period in
the States of Georgia,
South Carolina, Mis-
sissippi, and j\labama.
The animal was at least
seventy feet in length.

In beds of this period in the
west are found remains
of species similar to
those of the present, as
the rhinoceros, Mexican
wild boar, horse, mon-
key, and others, among

them the earliest of the

Further disturbances at the close

squirrels. Of the liirds.

of this period, raising the bor-

one species from the

ders of the Gulf of Mexico, and

Eocene of New Mexico

probably elevating above the pre-

was larger than the

vious height the Rocky Mountain

ostrich.

region.

The Geology of Hingham.

15

Life.

Yorktown Period
(Miocene.)

Sumter Period.
(Pliocene.)

Quaternary Age.
Glacial Period.

Champlain Period.

Animals :

Whales, dolphins, seals,
walruses, bones of ta-
pir-like animals, and of
new species of horses
and of hogs, rhinoce-
roses of several genera,
wolves, lions, beavers,
etc.

Animals :

Of Birds : eagles, cranes,
and cormorants.

Of Mammals • elephants,
camels, rhinoceroses,
deer, tigers, horses,
and the Jirst of the
mastodons found in
American deposits.

All the Orders of Insects
the remains of which are
found in the Mesozoic de-
posits are also represented
in the Ccenozoic. Great
numbers of species have
been preserved to us in
amber, a fossil gum of the
Tertiary Age.

Entire destruction of life
over the glaciated North
which extended in the
eastern part of the
United States as far
south as Pennsylvania.

Animal life : read under
next period.

The animal life of the two
earlier periods of the
Quaternary Age was of
remarkable character,
especially as shown by
the remains of the Mam-
mals found both in
Europe and America.
These show that the
species were of enor-
mous size compared with

G«neral Remarks.

During this period, and culminating
at its close, there is evidence of
great disturbances over a large
portion of the continent. By
great volcanic action, extensive
regions of the Pacific slope were
overflowed by igneous rocks to
the depth of thousands of feet,
and the Rocky Mountains raised
to their present elevation. Their
uprise during the Tertiary Age,
according to Dana, could not
have been less than 11,000 feet.
The height at which the deposits
of the Miocene Period are found
on the southeast and southern
coast, being several hundred feet,
shows the extent of the move-
ments.

The phosphatic beds of South Caro-
lina are of this period.

A period generally regarded as one
of extreme cold, but there is rea-
son to think the degree of this
has been exaggerated. Ice cov-
ered Eastern North America to
the height of from 2,000 to 6,000
feet.

The period of the passing away of
the ice, and of great floods ; a
period, too, of considerable de-
pression of the surface and of
extensive alluvial deposits.

16

History of Hingham.

Formations.

Recent Period.

those of more ancient
or of more recent times.
In North America,
roaming over the sur-
face, were elephants,
mastodons, liorses mucli
larger than the present,
bison, tapirs, beavers of
huge size, lions, bears,
and others. In South
America, massive sloth
forms, as the megatheri-
um, mylodon, and mega-
lonyx, were numerous,
as were many species of
other geuera. In Eng-
land and other countries
of Europe, bears, lions,
hyenas, rhinoceroses,
hippopotamuses, deer,
were common.
Man undoubtedly existed
in this period, and proba-
bly in the early portion,
as his remains and tlie
implements of his hands
have been found with
the bones of the Cham-
plain animals, as tlie
mastodon and reindeer
There is evidence of
man having appeared at
a still earlier period, —
possibly in tlie Tertiary
Age.

The animals of the Cham-
plain Period largely
passed away in the early
part of this, destroyed
undoubtedly by the
colder temperature, and
species of less size took
the places of the huge
forms that preceded
them. Althougli man,
as previously stated,
was in existence, it was
not until the modern
era of this period that
he attained the domin-
ion over all other races
since possessed by him.

General Remarks.

The deposits of this period are
alluvial beds along rivers, drift-
sands, deposits of rivers in the
ocean, or from the washing and
wearing away of the shores,
coral-reef formations, shell lime-
stone growth in the ocean or
inland waters, bog-iron ore in
marshes, stalactitic and stalag-
mitic formation in caves, deposits
from springs, lavas from volcanic
action, etc.

There was an elevation of the land
in the high latitudes in the early
portion of this period, which re-
stored its height to about the de-
pression of the Champlain. Tlie
temperature of the North, par-
ticularly over Asia and Europe,
became again extremely cold.

The terraces so common around
lakes and along river-courses in
parts of New England owe their
origin to the rise of laud after
the Champlain Period, and the
action of waters.

The Geology of Hlngham.

17

EXPLAJTATION OF NaMES OF FORMATIONS, ETC., MENTIONED IN THE TaBLES ABOVE.

Pyrolitkic. From the Greek, fire-stone.

Archcean. Ancient ; the beginning.

Azoic. "Without life.

Eozoic. Dawn of life.

Palceozoic. Ancient life.

Mesozoic. Middle life.

CcETiozoic. Recent life.

Primordial. First in order.

Silurian. Geographical, first applied to

rocks of Siluria.
Devonian. Geographical, first applied to

rocks of Devonshire.
Carboniferous. Having the great coal

fields.
Cretaceous. Latin, for chalky.
Triassic. Named from a series of three

kinds of rocks.

Jurassic. Geographical, from rocks of
Mt. Jura.

Permian. Geographical, from rocks of
Permia, an ancient kingdom of Russia.

Tertiary. Adopted from old classifica-
tion, when the terms Primary, Second-
ary, and Tertiary embraced all the rock
formations.

Corniferous. From Latin cornu, horn, and
fero, I bear, the rocks bearing seams of
hornstone.

Quaternary. From Latin quatuor, four,
applied to strata following Tertiary
(third).

Salina. From its salt-bearing brines ;
salina, in Latin, being a place where
salt is made.

Other names geographical of known localities will not need explanation.

Pyrolithic Time. — As the name denotes, the Pyrolithic for-
mations were igneous only, for the condition of the molten, but
gradually cooling globe admitted of none other. The immense
period required for any approach to stability of the surface must
have witnessed constant changes upon it, and over and over again
must the earlier incrusted portions have been broken up and re-
melted as they became from time to time, through the shrinking
consequent upon refrigeration, submerged in the incandescent
sea. At length when consolidation of the surface had increased,
rocky masses undoubtedly appeared above the general level, but
these were necessarily of a different character from any now
known. They were the truly primitive rocks, and it is very
doubtful if any trace of them can be found on the earth.

Arch^an Time. — Previous to the formation of the rocks of
Archaean Time, the cooling of the globe had proceeded to a de-
gree allowing the existence of water in the atmosphere and its
deposit upon the surface. Of its earlier rocks we can know as
little as of those of Pyrolithic Time, for all now recognized appear
to be the result of the wearing down of pre-existing formations,
the deposit of their debris in the form of sands and clay as sedi-
ments in water, and the subsequent crystallization of much of the
material into gneisses, mica slates, etc. Other rocks of the time
are conglomerates, sandstones, and clay slates.

There is evidence that both vegetable and animal life existed
in this early time, but only in its lowest forms.

Paleozoic Time ; Silurian AcxE ; Primordial Period. — The
rocks of this period were formed from the wearing away of those
of Archgean Time, and the reconstruction of the material into new
strata. Great interest is felt in these because, so far as clearly
shown, they contain impressions of tlie remains of the first organ-

VOL. I. — 2

18 History of Hingham.

ized forms of life that have left impressions, the characters of
which can be deciphered. All that can be known of the early
species, therefore, vegetable or animal, must apparently be learned
from what has been, or may yet be discovered in them. The
estimated duration of this period, taking Thomson's basis as
shown, by the table, is nearly 3,000,000 years. The forms of life
preserved by the strata are all of course marine, and consist
largely of impressions of Trilobites, — animals that lived in the
shallow waters of the coasts, upon the muddy and sandy surfaces
below, and finally became entombed in their substance. There
were many species of these animals in these and later formations,
but they all became extinct before the close of the Carboniferous
Period. The fortunate discovery by Prof. Wm. B. Rogers of the
remains of some of these in the slate rocks of Braintree, furnished
proof that a part at least of the slate of the Boston Basin belongs
to the Primordial Period.

We will now pass over the immense time in the history of the
earth, numbering many millions of years, during which other rocks
of the Silurian and of the Devonian Ages were deposited beneath
the sea to the enormous thickness of one hundred thousand feet,
all abounding in forms of life, as scarcely more than a mention
can be made of any period that has not left mementos of its pas-
sage over or about this particular territory.

Carboniferous Age. — Of the Carboniferous Age, it may be said
that notwithstanding the contrary views hitherto held by geologists,
it is yet by no means settled that the Conglomerates and Associated
rocks of Hingham are not formations of this age rather than of
the Primordial Period of the Silurian Age. However this may
be, it is certain that a considerable portion of the rock formations
near and south of Hingham, bordering Rhode Island and extend-
ing into that State, is made up of the deposits of the Carboniferous
Age, embracing not only Conglomerates of like character as those
of the Boston Basin, but also large beds of Anthracite with the
accompanying shales and fossil plants, demonstrating them to be
contemporaneous with those of the great coal-fields of Pennsyl-
vania and other regions of the continent. This fact suggests,
what it is well to bear in mind, that the temperature of the region
we inhaliit, as well as that of the whole North, was then very
much warmer than in succeeding ages, sufficiently so to allow
the growth of tropical plants of which coal itself is a product, not
only in the Alleghany and the western coal regions, but in those
of Massachusetts, of Cape Breton, and of the Arctic Circle. It js
certainly a striking fact that upon the surface of this town,
where in after ages rested for thousands of years ice of great
thickness, flourished tree-ferns, and other plants of forms now
found only in the torrid zone ; but there can be no question
that this was the case. The rock formations of the Carbon-
iferous Age measure in thickness about 22,000 feet, and the esti-
mated time for their deposit on Thomson's basis is about 4,000,000

The Geology of Hingham. 19

years. It was not until after the close of this age that the
Alleghany Mountains were elevated, bearing up with them the
Carboniferous matter which now makes up the great body of the
coal found in their strata.

To the Carboniferous Age succeeded the Triassic, Jurassic, and
the Cretaceous Periods of Mesozoic Time, and the several periods
of the Tertiary Age in Caenozoic Time. It was during the Creta-
ceous Period of the former, and the periods of the latter that
deposits were made along the eastern and southern shores of
North America, forming strata which by subsequent elevation
now compose a considerable part of the middle coast States, and
nearly the whole of those that border the Gulf of Mexico, and
it was, too, during these periods that a large portion of the strata
now composing the Rocky Mountains were formed beneath the
waters. These mountains did not attain to their present elevation
until near the latter part of the Tertiary Age. The Reptilian and
Tertiary Ages passed without leaving any traces now recognizable
on the territory of Hingham.

We have now reached a period which has received the name of
Glacial, and which calls for particular notice, because nowhere
perhaps can results of the extraordinary phenomena attending it
be more readily seen than in Hingham. The extent of the change
made upon the whole surface of the land north of Pennsylvania
can never be fully realized, and it was probably as great over this
town as over a like area anywhere. What were the distinguish-
ing characteristics of this period ? We have seen that in a pre-
ceding age, when the coal of the great coal-fields of the continent
was laid down, the climate everywhere north was tropical. We
now find it to have changed to one of great cold, and that this
continued, if we may rely on the estimate made by Thomson,
more than 350,000 years. Life became extinct under its influ-
ence, and over nearly the whole land north of Pennsylvania there
came to be a covering of ice several thousand feet in thickness,
which, governed by the same influences that affect the great
bodies of ice in glacial regions at the present time, moved steadily
and majestically towards the south, throwing off icebergs where
it reached the sea, as is the case with the glaciers of Greenland
now, and gradually melting and thinning out as it approached
warmer latitudes on the land surface.

Through the investigations of the Rev. G. Frederick Wright,
Mr. Warren Upham, and others, we now have certain knowledge
of a great part of the boundary line of the glacial sheet over the
land, from as far west as Illinois to the Atlantic, this being well-
marked by the morainic deposits of the ddbris brought from
northern regions in and upon the ice, and deposited at its margin.
Want of space will not permit the writer to dwell upon these, but
the reader is assured that their character cannot be mistaken.
The terminal moraine has a very irregular course east from Illi-
nois, passing through the States of Indiana, Ohio, a part of Ken-

20 History of Hingham.

tucky, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey, reaching the ocean at Perth
Amboy, where it is lost to sight. It is not difficult, however, to
trace the Ihnit of the ice sheet east from the land. The evidence
by morainic deposits shows its front at one period to have been
over Long Island, Martha's Vineyard, and Nantucket, from which
it unquestionably extended far out over the ocean in a northeast
direction, the shallowness of the waters at the Great Fishing
Banks being due to the immense deposits from the glacier.

What brought about the great change that converted a large
area of the earth from one teeming with life to one where the
silence of death reigned supreme, we may never certainly know.
If not due entirely to the elevation of the land in the northern
regions of the earth, which occurred in the later Tertiary Age,
there can be no doubt but that this was a potent factor, for the
Glacial Period was one of high latitude elevation ; nor can we
fully account for the great subsequent reconversion of the same
area, or much of it, to become again the abode of life after long
ages of desolation. It is only with the results of the action of the
ice upon the surface of the land that we have now to concern our-
selves, and it is absolutely necessary to understand these in order
to have the slightest appreciation of observed phenomena in Hing-
ham as well as elsewhere over the North, consequent upon the
great ice movement during the long period of its domination.
One certainly was the bearing forward of a great part of all the
loose material beneath its mass formed by the disintegration of
the rocks, and redistributing it on the line of its advance south.
Hence, a considerable portion of the rocky masses, bowlders, and
pebbles, as well as of the gravelly and sandy material in which
they are imbedded, now forming the surface upon the hills and
fields of New England, have been borne from the North ; and
whenever such bowlders and pebbles are of marked character,
they can generally be traced to the locality of their formation.
A good instance of this is seen in the bowlders and pebbles of
porphyritic iron ore, found everywhere between Cumberland Hill,
R. I., and the shores of Rliode Island, south, all on the line of
the ice movement, — the masses, as might be expected, being
generally of smaller and smaller size as the distance increases
from their source, where a great bed of this peculiar ore exists
in situ. The quantity of earth-substance moved forward over
the surface must have been enormous, as is shown by the fact
that many of the hills of the glaciated territory are composed en-
tirely of it, and in the southeast of this State, over a large area,
the rocky strata are buried beneath a covering of it to the depth
of three hundred feet. Another result of the movement was the
wearing down, the planing, so to speak, of the rocky surfaces ex-
posed to the great friction of the detrital material carried forward
under the mass of the superincumbent ice. Whenever bowlders
such as are seen everywhere in our New England soil, or
even large pebbles, were torn off from the places of their origin,

The Geology of Hingham. 21

and became imbedded in the substance of the glacier below, they
must necessarily have exerted an immense gouging force as they
were borne on ; and consequently we see everywhere upon the
Tock-surfaces of New England deep traces of their passage, always
showing the direction of the great glacial movement. These
generally are found to be not far from south, 40° east, in this
region. Many thousands of years have elapsed since these were
traced, but still they are distinctly visible.

The Glacial Period of intense cold, of the wearing away by the
ice of the rocks over which it passed, of the excavation of valleys
by its action, at length came to an end, and was followed by the
Champlain Period. This period was of marked contrast with the
preceding. It was one of great depression of the whole surface
of the North in both hemispheres, and this was probably the cause,
partly at least, of the great increase in the temperature which led
to the melting away of the ice sheet that had for an immense
period covered the earth. Land tliat now stands at considerable
height was below the level of the sea, as shown by forms of
marine life found at various elevations in northern New England,
where it is evident they lived and died when submerged in the
waters. Contrary to views that have been hitherto presented,
"this depression did not affect the surface to any considerable
degree south of Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont. The
occurrence of shells and other marine remains in elevated posi-
tions above the sea, often cited as proofs of depression, at Point
Shirley near Boston, and at Sancati Head, Nantucket, has been
satisfactorily demonstrated to have been the result of the scoop-
ing up from the bottom of the adjacent waters by the ice-sheet
the material forming the Till Hills, in which such remains have
been found. In these hills the shells do not occur, as in Maine
and elsewhere north, in beds, showing the places they occupied in
life, but scattered indiscriminately throughout the mass of ma-
terial, and generally in a fragmentary condition.

The degree of subsidence north, as shown by the heights at
which remains of marine life have been found, increased with the
latitude. On the coast of Maine the highest stated is 217 feet
above the sea ; at Lake Champlain near 400 feet ; on the St.
Lawrence near Montreal, 500 feet ; about the Bay of Fundy, near
400 feet : on the Labrador coast, from 400 to 500 feet ; and at
places in the Arctic regions, 1,000 feet. These figures are taken
from Dana.

As the glacier melted, great floods poured over and from it,
■and the stones, sand, and gravel in it were distributed over the
land. It was a period of deposition of earthy matter from the ice,
and of subsequent redistribution of portions of it by the waters.
'The direct deposits as now found are not stratified, or but very
partially so, and are known as diluvium, while those which fol-
lowed, the result of the action of the waters in redistributing the
-material, are known as alluvium. It was in this period that

22 History of Hingham.

were formed the terraces so common along the borders of some
of the river valleys of New England, and of the kames, so-called,
of which notice will be presented hereafter.

Following the passing away of the ice-sheet came another great
change over the area which it had so long occupied. The sun's
rays again rested upon and warmed the surface of the land, ren-
dering it a fit abode for the manifold forms of vegetables and
animals that appeared upon its remodelled hills and plains. The
green herb and the fruit-bearing tree sprang up, and adorned the
landscape with beauty. Rivers again teemed with life, birds and
insects hovered in the air, and beasts small and large trod the
earth ; while among these last walked with majestic mien Mariy
the crowning glory of all created forms.

The remains of life of this period, and even of the Glacial pre-
ceding it, demonstrate the existence of a great number of species
of enormous size, such as were not found in either earlier or later
eras. Of course, while the ice covered the surface but few forms
could maintain life within its area, but it was otherwise south of
its margin, and when it had passed away huge monsters roamed
over the surface, spreading from more southern regions far to-
wards the Arctic Circle in both hemispheres. In Europe, elephants
of great size, gigantic deer, tigers surpassing the Bengal of the
present day, horses and oxen proportionally large, and many
other beasts occupied the land in vast numbers ; while in America
there were elephants, mastodons, horses, beavers, and sloths,
including the megatherium, the niylodon, and megalonyx, — all of
colossal dimensions compared with the animals of like character
now living. But of far greater importance than all else, Man as
stated, undoubtedly appeared. With feeble frame he came among
races of gigantic stature and strength ; but he came to wield do-
minion over them, and to subdue and conquer by other power
than that hitherto possessed on earth. It is not known precisely
when Man first appeared, but the evidence is strong that it was
in a pre-glacial period, as implements undoubtedly of human con-
struction have been found in transported material from deposits
of an anterior date.

Again, a great change in the surface level of the North, and
increased cold followed in Europe by a second glacial era, which
by its sudden advance carried death to many of the animals that
had found a home far north in the warmer Champlain Period.
This is shown by the carcasses of elephants, and the perfect
preservation of their flesh in Arctic ice. The change must have
been not only sudden, but the cold extremely severe to account
for these encased remains, and for other phenomena, such as the
extension of the range of the reindeer and other Northern species
to southern France where their bones have been found abund-
antly. This, and the advance of ice again over parts of northern
Europe gave the name of Reindeer, or Second Glacial Epoch to the
early part of the Recent Period. There is no conclusive evidence

The Geology of Hingham. 23

of a second advance of the glacier on the American continent,
though there is abundant proof of great refrigeration in tempera-
ture, wliich was probably the principal cause of the extinction of
most of the large animals, the elephants, mastodons, horses, and
otiier species before mentioned, that roamed over the northern
plains.

The modern era of the period, that of the reign of Man, shows
that the same causes that have produced changes of level of the
surface and of temperature are yet active. There is evidence of
the gradual subsidence of Greenland, and tliat it has been sinking
slowly for centuries, and that a like change has been going on
along a great part of the eastern coast of the United States. On
the other hand it is shown that in other regions there has been a
gradual elevation. The formation of rocks still goes on as in
former times ; the ocean depths receive as in past periods the
remains of siliceous and calcareous shells from the multitudinous
forms that live in its waters ; the coral animals yet build up their
reefs to become part of the strata of the dry land of the future ;
volcanic action continues as of old to add to the surface its lavas,
and vegetable life as in earlier ages of the earth's history, by ac-
cumulation of peat and other plant structure, contributes some-
thing towards future formations.

Having thus by a rather elaborate preliminary essay presented
what the writer has deemed essential to an understanding of the
Geology of Hingham, by those who have not made the earth's
history a study, he proceeds to remark upon the phenomena
observable within the town limits, referring to what is exterior
only as far as may be necessary for a clearer idea of the subject.

24 History of Hingham.

GEOLOGY OF HINGHAM.

The geology of Hingham, particularly that of the northern part
of the town, though interesting, is of too abstruse a character to
be even partially understood except by those who have made the
rock-formations of the vicinity of Boston a study ; and its elucida-
tion will require on the part of the writer much reference to what
is exterior to the limits of the town. That of the greater portion
of its territory inland is moi'e simple, exhibiting Granite as the
prevailing rock, but having some areas of Diorite, and occasion-
ally dikes of Diabase, which cut through the others, and appear
at the surface as black or dark-green rocks traceable often for
considerable distances, having a width sometimes of but few
inches, but frequently of several feet. Petrosilex is also found
associated with the granite, but in very limited exposures.

GRANITE.

This has been mentioned as the prevailing rock of a large por-
tion of the town. It seems necessary to fust define what is meant
by the name before referring to its particular exposures on the
surface and its variation in character. Until quite recently geolo-
gists called all such rocks as were composed of quartz, feldspar,
and mica, granite ; using the term " syenite " to distinguish those
which had hornblende in the place of mica. When all four min-
erals were found together, the rock was called hornblendic granite.
The advance of the science of lithology has led to more strict defi-
nition. Now the use of the name " syenite " is restricted to rocks
composed of orthoclase (one of the group of feldspars), or ortho-
clase and hornblende, or orthoclase and mica ; while the essential
constituents of granite, as now defined, are quartz and orthoclase.
If to these mica is added it is called micaceous granite, and if
hornblende, hornblendic granite. Hence the rock of Hingham,
as well as of Quincy, is granite, and not syenite, as it is often
designated.

Over the whole of South Hingham and the greater part of
Hingham Centre, wherever there are exposures of rock above
the surface it is granite, excepting only the material of the dikes
which are frequently found within it, and which will be hereafter

<zP

u^'^d^/d^

The Geology of Hingham. 25

mentioned. Granite too underlies the whole of the areas named
now covered over by the clays, the sands, and the gravels of the
glacial period. It also extends north to the shore on Weir River,
and to the coast line of the harbor on the eastern shore, where it
is found bordering the channel from near the steamboat landing
to Martin's Well, and showing itself prominent upon the adjacent
uplands. It appears also within the harbor upon the small island
known as Button Island. The rock varies in different localities,
being sometimes found composed entirely of quartz and ortho-
clase,but sometimes with mica added, making it a true micaceous
granite. The color varies generally with that of the orthoclase,
which is often of a reddish hue. Quartz veins are not infrequent
in it, but these rarely furnish crystals ; some, however, of fine
amethystine tint were obtained a few years since from the rock
of Old Colony Hill.

The granite of Hingham is generally too much fissured to afford
good blocks for building, though there are locations where, if
better situated for cheap transportation of material, stone might
be quarried to advantage. Near Long Bridge Lane a quarry was
opened and worked for several years by Mr. Israel Whitcomb,
and much excellent stone was obtained and made use of for local
requirements.

There are many places where fine red granite is found, but the
color is not often persistent over any considerable area, and the
stone is not sufficiently free from cracks to admit of good blocks
being procured, though possibly these might disappear to some
extent at a small distance from the surface.

The exposures of granite are very numerous. A few that differ
from the rest in general character are here mentioned : —

In Lasell Street, reddish with epidote.

In Central Street, red and flesh-colored from the tint of the orthoclase.

In Union Street, with flesh-colored orthoclase.

In Thayer Street, red, nearly binary.

In French Street, flesh-colored, with mica and hornblende.

In Whiting Street, very fine structure, light-colored and micaceous,

with very numerous joints.
In Summer Street, red, mostly binary.
In Emerald Street, red, mostly binary.
In Beechwood Street, decomposing.
In Thaxter Street, finely porphyritic with red orthoclase crystals.

Specimens of these may be found in the collection of the
Public Library.

DIORITE.

Diorite, as mentioned, is found within the region generally
occupied by the granite rocks, but it nevertheless may be noticed
that in Hingham it is not found far from the sedimentary forma-

26 History of Hingham.

tions, no exposure of it having been observed in all the region
south of Hingham Centre. This rock contains necessarily but
one constituent, a triclinic feldspar, usually oligoclase, but it has
generally associated with it hornblende. Sometimes mica is also
found in it and not infrequently particles of quartz.

In Hingham, when composed of feldspar and hornblende in
nearly equal proportions and when the grains of each are clearly
perceptible, it appears not unlike granite, but having no quartz as
a general constituent it may be readily distinguished. In limited
areas it is found almost entirely of feldspar, when it presents
itself simply as an impure white rock, its character being conse-
quently more obscure.

One of the best exposures on a highway of the town of typical
diorite occurs in Summer Street, on the right side going south
from the railroad crossing, and within 100 feet of Kilby Street,
It juts into the road from the adjoining field, and presents itself
with a smooth, rounded face about twelve feet across, on which the
two minerals, feldspar and hornblende, are well defined and plainly
visible. Two other exposures may be seen between the one men-
tioned and Kilby Street, and in the field back from the road are
several ridges of it.

Another interesting exposure of diorite on a highway is to be
found on the surface at the top of Fort Hill, just front of the
cemetery. Here it is cut through by numerous narrow veins of
a whitish granite, which by distortion and separation of parts
afford an interesting study for the observer. The rock of this
locality should not be disturbed, as there is no other known
instance in town where granite can be seen so clearly to have
been intruded in veins into the diorite. The exposure here, too^
is interesting from the glacial striae which may be plainly seen
upon' its surface.

Diorite occurs abundantly on East, Kilby, Weir, and Hull
streets.

Going northeast from Horticultural Hall on East Street, some
rocky elevations appear on the left side of the road which are
known as Andrew Heights. The rocks of the slope facing the
street are diorite, with the exception of an intervening portion
of granite. This last rock also appears on the land opposite the
diorite back from the road. Beyond the heights mentioned, all,
or nearly all, the rocks of the street and of land contiguous are
diorite until Kilby Street is passed.

Intermediate between Andrew Heights and Kilby Street, by a
reduction of the level of the road over an elevation, and the neces-
sary excavation of rock, there is left exposed on the left side a
cliff of considerable interest. The main body is a dark diorite,
but there may be seen by close examination a distorted dike of
felsite eight or ten inches in width, and a mass of diabase trap^
both of which have been intruded into it. The trap contains an

The Geology of Hingham. 27

unusual quantity of sulphide of iron in crystals, as may be seen
in specimens from this locality deposited in the general collection
of the Public Library.

The diorite of the area of this rock under consideration does
not follow on East Street beyond Kilby, as its trend which is
northeast and southwest, leads to its development along the latter
street which has the same direction, and where it is found show-
ing itself on the road and adjoining lands at various points for
more than half a mile. At the junction of Bast and Kilby streets
it follows the curve from the former to the latter directly in the
roadway. Passing northeast on Kilby, it may be observed in lim-
ited exposures on the left of the road until the crossing of the rail-
road is reached, where there is a lateral extension of it 300 feet
west on the line of the rails, and 150 feet east. About 500 feet
from the crossing it again appears on the left side of the street,
followed at a short distance by granite. On the right side of the
road at 940 feet from the railroad may be seen a rock exposure
presenting a face towards the street of about thirty feet, the first
portion of which for twenty feet is diorite, the rest being granite.
Proceeding 420 feet more along the road there will be seen ledges
on the left side back from the street which extend for a further
distance of about 270 feet. These are all diorite. After passing
these 130 feet, there may be observed on the right of the road, and
just beyond the fence which borders it, a face of rock about twenty
feet in width, the first portion of which, about one third, is granite,
and the rest diorite. The two rocks are separated by a diagonal
line having a declination of 45° N. E., thus showing the latter rock
as resting somewhat upon the former. Just beyond this exposure
granite follows for a distance of about 70 feet. There are no fur-
ther exposures of diorite on the road towards Rockland Street, the
few outcrops of rock observed there being all granite.

Another area of diorite exists near the eastern border of the
town towards Cohasset, showing itself extensively on Weir, East,
Side Hill, and Hull streets.

On Weir Street going from East Street, there is scarcely any
other rock observable for at least one third of a mile. Beyond
this, it alternates more or less with granite for about one eighth
of a mile, when it gives place entirely to the latter. On the east
side of the street, 2,310 feet from East Street, there is an exposure
of rock presenting a face to the carriage-way, showing a singular
mixture of both diorite and granite.

This will be again and more particularly referred to in remarks
to follow upon " mixed rocks," — a name given by Professor Crosby
in treating of a like association observed by him at Marblehead
and Salem.

As a general fact, it may be stated here that the diorite of Weir
Street is not so clearly typical as that of East and Kilby streets
before described. A preponderance of the feldspar and partial
decomposition, gives it in some cases a dirty white exterior.

28 History of Hingham.

On East Street, passing from Side Hill Street towards Cohasset,
may be found in the fields adjoining tlie right side of the road
and back from it many extensive ridges of rock. Short of 200
feet a small exposure of granite occurs just within the fence-wall,
and a little further on, say twenty or thirty feet, is one of diorite.
Back of these about sixty feet is another of diorite. Following the
road 310 feet from these, rock appears in patches over the sur-
face for eighty feet, extending some distance back from the fence,
which is likewise diorite. Passing beyond these exposures 140
feet, fields of rocks are reached occupying a great part of the sur-
face for at least 700 feet. Some of them are diorite, some granite,
while others among them, presenting surfaces of both diorite and
granite, are apparently of the singular combination mentioned as
mixed rocks. It would, however, be necessary to blast them in
order to verify this.

On the left side of the road there are but few exposures, and
these are of the same general character as those mentioned.

On Side Hill Street, and in fields adjoining, diorite appears
abundantly. At a distance of 310 feet from East Street, a small
exposure may be found on the right side of the roadway, and fifty
feet beyond this another just within the border fence. Proceeding
300 feet further there is within view on the fields at the right many
ridges and smaller rock masses extending over an area of two or
three acres, all or nearly all of Avhich are of the same rock. On
the left of the road, 620 feet from East Street, a long ledge of rocks
skirts the carriage-way, which extends 280 feet. For the first few
feet it is diorite, the rest of it is granite. Granite is also the pre-
vailing rock on the high ground of the adjoining field.

When entering Hull Street from East Street, diorite appears on
the right side, close to the junction of the two streets, both on the
border of the roadway, and within the enclosure of the adjoining
estate. Proceeding on Hull across the railroad, a high cliff of
rock is seen back from the street; 200 feet or more in length, which
exhibits upon some portions surfaces of diorite, upon others granite,
— showing it to be probably of the mixed character mentioned in
previous cases and to be described hereafter. This is succeeded
by granite, and there is no more exposure of diorite on or near the
street until about 2,060 feet from the railroad, where a ridge of it
appears on the field at the left, not far from 200 feet from the
fence ; and 300 feet farther some may be seen on both sides of the
road. The rock exposures beyond these are all granite, until after
passing Canterbury Street between three and four hundred feet,
when there may be seen ridges on the fields skirting the left side
of the road and extending for a quarter of a mile or more, which
are likewise of the mixed" diorite and granite. The rocks of the
last 300 to 400 feet of the street within the town limits are all
granite.

All the exposures of diorite within the territory of the town that
may be observed in passing along the streets and lanes have been

The Geology of Hingham. 29

mentioned, except a limited one on Central Street, between four
and five hundred feet from Elm Street, in a field adjoining the
west side of the road, and two others of small area on a field at
the corner of Central and Elm streets. Away from usual travel
between Fort Hill Street and Weymouth River the rock appears
in numerous exposures. Reference to the map will give their
location.

MIXED ROCKS.

The rocks so-called by Professor Crosby, though simply com-
posed of a mixture of the two kinds already described, are of such
peculiar combination as to seem worthy of notice under a separate
heading. There is no appearance among them, as far as observed,
of anything like a dike of either penetrating the other. There is
found simply a mixture of masses of every size and shape, each
single mass being clearly distinctive as granite or diorite, the ele-
ments of one in no case coalescing generally with the other. The
locations of these rocks have been mentioned in the remarks upon
the diorite.

There seems no way of accounting for such mixture except by
supposing that at the time of their eruption the rocks existed sep-
arately beneath the surface in two contiguous zones, both being in
a plastic condition, and that when forced to the surface they were
made to intermix so as to present themselves as now found.

PETROSILEX.

The rocks of Hingham hitherto known as porphyry, compact
feldspar, and felsite, the writer classes under the name of petrosi-
lex, as with but one or two exceptions to be mentioned, all belong
to that division of such rocks as contain over 63 or 64 per cent of
silica, and which Phillips and others have designated as petrosilex,
retaining the name felsite for those of a more basic character, and
having a plagioclase feldspar instead of orthoclase as a constituent.

The name " porphyry " is no longer in use as a substantive by
geologists. It was applied by the ancients to rocks generally ho-
mogeneous, but which contained crystals, commonly feldspar ; and
this use continued to modern times. As, however, the rocks so-
called differed widely in composition, and it became necessary in
the progress of science to define their character more particularly,
the name became obsolete. The word " porphyritic," however,,
remains in common use as an adjective expressing the texture of
rocks of a homogeneous base, having crystals disseminated through-
out their mass. Thus petrosilex with enclosed crystals is called
porphyritic petrosilex, and diabase, the rock of trap dikes with
enclosed crystals, is called porphyritic diabase or porphyritic trap.

The writer, in communications to the Boston Society of Natural

30 History of Hingham.

History and otherwise, has expressed the opinion that much of
the petrosilex of the Boston Basin, and particularly the red rock
of Hinghain, was derived from conglomerate. This view is not
held by others, whose opinions are entitled to respect ; but this has
not shaken confidence in his own. There is petrosilex, however,
in Hingham of quite a different character, but which he claims
has another origin. Mention of that will follow some further
remarks upon the red variety.

Prof. Edward Hitchcock, in his great report upon the " Geology
of Massachusetts," mentions under the head of Porphyry the red
rock now under consideration, as occurring in Hingham in ridges
a little north of the village. Undoubtedly this accurate observer
found such ridges, though but one small exposure can now be
found above the surface. This is near the junction of Crow-Point
Lane and Downer Avenue. Masses of this beautiful rock may be
seen in the stone walls of Lincoln Street near Thaxter, and sug-
gest to the mind that in widening this street for the greater con-
venience of travel the ridges noticed were destroyed.

The rock is called above beautiful. Professor Crosby speaks of
it as the most beautiful of any in Massachusetts, and it undoubt-
edly is so. The color is a bright red, with interspersed spots of
lighter or darker hue. The variation was caused apparently in
some cases from the enclosure of pebbles, which, with the general
mass, became more or less fluent. The pebbly structure can be
better seen on weathered surfaces than on those caused by recent
fracture.

The other variety of petrosilex referred to above, differs essen-
tially from the red, being of different color, rather more glassy in
lustre, entirely homogeneous, and presenting no appearance indi-
cating enclosed pebbles. Of the origin of this variety there can
be no question. It has the chemical constitution of granite, oc-
curs associated with it, and is undoubtedly the same with granite,
excepting that its mineral constituents are not crystallized, the
rock being too rapidly cooled to admit of crystallization. This
variety is always in Hingham associated with the granite. It may
be found with the granite that forms the cliffs of Peck's Pasture,
bordering the Home Meadows, and also on Lincoln Street, in the
rear of the first house next north of the Unitarian Church which
faces Fountain Square. Specimens from these and other localities
are in the collection of the Public Library, where may also be seen
those of the red variety.

PORPHYRITE.

The name Porphyrite has been given to basic rocks differing
but little in composition from Diorite and Diabase. Like them
they are composed of a triclinic feldspar with hornblende or
augite, but they are not, like them, crystalline granular. They

30 History of Hingham.

History and otherwise, has expressed the opinion that much of
the petrosilex of the Boston Basin, and particularly the red rock
of Hingham, was derived from conglomerate. This view is not
held by others, whose opinions are entitled to respect ; but this has
not shaiven confidence in his own. There is petrosilex, however,
in Hingham of quite a different character, but which he claims
has another origin. Mention of that will follow some further
remarks upon the red variety.

Prof. Edward Hitchcock, in his great report upon the " Geology
of Massachusetts," mentions under the head of Porphyry the red
rock now under consideration, as occurring in Hingham in ridges
a little north of the village. Undoubtedly this accurate observer
found such ridges, though but one small exposure can now be
found above the surface. This is near the junction of Crow-Point
Lane and Downer Avenue. Masses of this beautiful rock may be
seen in the stone walls of Lincoln Street near Thaxter, and sug-
gest to the mind that in widening this street for the greater con-
venience of travel the ridges noticed were destroyed.

The rock is called above beautiful. Professor Crosby speaks of
it as the most beautiful of any in Massachusetts, and it undoubt-
edly is so. The color is a bright red, with interspersed spots of
lighter or darker hue. The variation was caused apparently in
some cases from the enclosure of pebbles, which, with the general
mass, became more or less fluent. The pebbly structure can be
better seen on weathered surfaces than on those caused by recent
fracture.

The other variety of petrosilex referred to above, differs essen-
tially from the red, being of different color, rather more glassy in
lustre, entirely homogeneous, and presenting no appearance indi-
cating enclosed pebbles. Of the origin of this variety there can
be no question. It has the chemical constitution of granite, oc-
curs associated with it, and is undoubtedly the same with granite,
excepting that its mineral constituents are not crystallized, the
rock being too rapidly cooled to admit of crystallization. This
variety is always in Hingham associated with the granite. It may
be found with the granite that forms the cliffs of Peck's Pasture,
bordering the Home Meadows, and also on Lincoln Street, in the
i-ear of the first house next north of the Unitarian Church which
faces Fountain Square. Specimens from these and other localities
are in the collection of the Public Library, where may also be seen
those of the red variety.

PORPHYRITE.

The name Porphyrite has been given to basic rocks differing
but little in composition from Diorite and Diabase. Like them
they are composed of a triclinic feldspar with hornblende or
augite, but they are not, like them, crystalline granular. They

The Geology of Hinghamo 31

contain from 56 to 58 per cent of silica. Rocks of this character,
of various shades of color, are found at Nantasket, but only one
exposure has been noticed in Hingham. This is on the shore of
the marsh land that borders Weir River, quite near Rocky Neck.
At this place it is of a dark-brown color, similar to that of the
brown sandstone commonly used in structures of Boston and
New York. It is a heavy, tough rock, and undoubtedly owes its
origin to volcanic action, being, like melaphyr, an ancient lava.

^ DIABASE.

Diabase, like Diorite, is composed partly of a triclinic Feldspar,
generally Labradorite, but differs from it otherwise in having
Augite associated with it instead of Hornblende. Not unfre-
quently Mica is found in its composition, and often Pyrite, though
these are not essential ingredients. This rock is generally known
as Trap, and the dikes which it forms in all parts of the town are
called Trap Dikes. The rock as exposed at the surface exhibits
more or less the results of decomposition, becoming of a dull
green color, from the change of the Augite to Viridite. It has a
much higher specific gravity than granite, and is exceedingly
tough. The bluish, close-grained masses often found in the soil
and called Blue Rocks are of this kind.

Diabase forms dikes alike in the granitic rocks of the town,
and in those of the Slates and Conglomerates to be hereafter
mentioned.

DIKES.

Having now noticed all the rocks of the Crystalline series found
in Hingham, — Granite, Diorite, Petrosilex, and Diabase,- — and
as each of them is found in dikes within the Boston Basin, two of
them at least in Hingham, it seems fitting to present here some
special remarks upon the form of structure known under that
name, and to give an account of localities where they may be
observed.

Dikes are igneous, unstratified rocks, which occupy fissures in
the formations, and which have been forced up from beneath the
surface of the earth in a liquid or semi-liquid state, into the
superincumbent rocks.

This molten material undoubtedly at first spread itself, as does
the modern lava of volcanoes, over considerable areas after reach-
ing the surface. As seen in Hingham, the rock of the dikes is
usually found only within the walls of the fissure that gave it pas-
sage, the decomposition and washing away of the hundreds of feet
of solid matter that once formed the surface having generally left
for our view only what is now seen within narrow limits. Often,
in forcing a passage through the invaded rock, masses of the latter

32 History of Hingham.

were torn off and enclosed in the molten matter, and it is not
therefore uncommon to find in Hingham instances of the enclos-
ure of granite within the darker trap rock of the dike.

The name Trap has been generally used to designate the dark-
green or black rock forming dikes ; but as it is now recognized
that different rocks of like appearance constitute the invading ma-
terial, it is necessary to be more definite in scientific description.
The dikes of Hingham as far as examined, with two or three ex-
ceptions only, are all of Diabase.

In narrow dikes the rock has a homogeneous structure, as the
sudden cooling prevented a crystallization of its mineral constitu-
ents, but in those of any considerable width where the material
cooled more slowly, it is often porphyritic towards the central
portion, crystals especially of feldspar being disseminated. Upon
the invaded rock the action caused by the introduction of the
molten matter is generally more or less perceptible by a change
in its structure near the junction of the two rocks, and frequently
by the production of minerals along their margins. In Hing-
ham, Epidote is not uncommonly found as the result of this action.
Mention will now be made of some of the dikes which have come
under the observation of the writer.

Meeting- House Hill, Main Street, South Hingham. — There
is a dike in the granite of this elevation but a few steps north
from the church which may be seen on the surface of the rock
and traced sixty to seventy feet to the margin of the carriage
road. It is from five to six feet in width, and runs in a northwest
and southeast direction. Generations of men have come to the
temple here to worship, wholly unconscious that their footsteps
were over a record of events that took place millions of years
before man breathed the breath of life.

Leavitt Street and Jones Street. — Between these two roads
on land of Mr. James Jones is a rocky hillock of granite about
equidistant from both, in which may be found three trap dikes
not far apart, one of which has the considerable width of ten
feet. To readily find these, proceed from the bridge that crosses
Weir River 700 feet in a southeasterly direction on Leavitt
Street, which will bring one to Mr. Alanson Crosby's house on
the left side. By passing to the rear of the house about 300
feet from the road, the rocks will be reached with their en-
closed dikes. The most northerly of the three is about two and
a half feet in width, the second, eighteen feet from the first,
is ten feet wide and exposed for a distance of seventy-five feet.
These two show well on the face of the granite cliff which en-
closes them. The third, forty feet from the last-mentioned, is
from three to four feet wide. This will not be readily perceived
without close examination, as it is only on a comparatively level
spot and obscured somewhat by surface soil. The direction ,of
these dikes is east and west. Two hundred and fifty feet, more or

The Geology of Hingham. 33

less, east of these dike exposures occur considerable bodies of trap,
but the connection with them is not perceptible.

On Leavitt Street, about a mile and a half from Leavitt's Bridge
going east, and less than a quarter of a mile before reaching the
town line, a trap dike crosses the road diagonally. It appears
first on the right side for a few feet, and the exposure on the left
is seventy-five feet from where the first is lost to view. In neither
place does it show above the surface more than a few feet, nor can
it be traced beyond the two exposures. Its width is about six feet,
and it is porphyritic. Its direction is east and west.

Lasell Street. — Considerable elevations of granite skirt Lasell
Street on the left side, some of which approach and border the high-
way. After passing Free Street 740 feet, one of these is reached,
which presents a bold front, having a very interesting dike of about
six feet in width. Lichens obscure this somewhat, on the face of
the rock as seen from the street, and one needs to climb to the
upper surface to study it to advantage. Here it is found extending
itself a considerable distance east, showing, away from its margins,
a porphyritic character, the crystals of feldspar being quite distinct.
Fifty feet south of this is another dike, parallel with the first, but
having a width of only thirty-two inches. This does not exhibit
crystals of feldspar so perceptibly, its cooling having been too
rapid for their favorable development. This dike cannot be seen
from the street, as the front face of the rock has retreated from
its border. The two dikes have both an east and west direction
by compass, as have nearly all that are found in the granite not
approximate to the rocks of tlie sedimentary series.

Long Bridge Lane. — At the granite quarry of Mr. Israel
Whitcomb, about a quarter of a mile from Union Street, may be
seen two dikes east and west by compass, one about a foot wide,
the other twenty-two inches. They are not far from thirty feet
apart.

Friend Street. — On the right-hand side of this street, pro-
ceeding from Main, and not far from the latter, may be seen two
dikes cutting through the granite of the roadway, both having a
general direction of east and west, and both of which may be
traced for considerable distances. The first is found 830 feet
from Main Street, and varies from four to six feet in width. This
may be observed in the adjoining field, 80 to 100 feet east from
the road, and has been traced west across meadow land in differ-
ent ledges, nearly 1,000 feet. The second one is about forty feet
beyond the first-mentioned, and has a width of about two feet. It
appears on both sides of the carriage way in the bordering ledge
through which the street was cut, but is not so readily seen on the
left as on the right without close observation. This has been
traced 120 feet or more.

Union Street. — There is a dike on this street, 360 feet from
Lasell Street going east, which may be seen in a ridge of granite

VOL. I. — 3

34 History of Hingham.

which extends along the left side of the road for a distance of
about 120 feet. It varies in width from fifteen inches to nearly
two feet, and is much distorted. The general direction is, how-
ever, east and west. It may be traced nearly the whole length of
the ridge.

About 2,000 feet beyond this, going from Lasell Street, another
dike occurs which crosses the street diagonally. It may be seen
on both sides of the roadway in the granite, and may be traced
into the adjoining field on the left seventy-five feet or more from
the fence. Its width is about three and a half feet ; its direction
east and west. See Figure No. 1. The crosses (x x) represent
exposures of the granite.

XX

XXX 45ft.fromdiAe

I.

I

KMxi

6 ft befiveen
2of/. befween

■xxx

XXX

STREET

Dike about 3/i ft. wide.
Traceable about /OO feet.

Figure No. 1.

Old Colony Hill. — Proceeding from the harbor on Summer
Street towards and up the slope of Old Colony Hill, there may be
seen on the right side just above the surface a small exposure of
trap, being part of a dike which passing east is lost to sight by
the covering earth, but which again appears just in front of Mr.
Bouve's stone wall, near the corner of Rockland Street. Here it
presents a flat face upon which may be observed numerous glacial
strise. The distance on the street is about 250 feet. From here
the dike is lost to view for 130 feet, but may be found in an east-
southeast direction upon the adjoining field, where it continues
above ground 85 feet. It then again sinks below the surface, but
reappears 190 feet further on in the same direction, and there
shows an exposure of about 160 feet before finally disappearing.
The whole length as thus presented is 815 feet. The width of
the trap as it appears above the soil varies from five to twelve
feet.

Hull Street. — Two trap dikes, one three feet wide, the other
over four feet, were observed on this street. Their direction was
found to be east and west, but irregular.

The Geology of Hingham.

35

Weie River. — In the granite rocks of the east side of Weir
River, north of Rockland Street, may be seen several dikes. One
may be found a few hundred feet below the Riverside House, ex-
tending from the river bank in an east-southeast direction, having
a width of six feet. There are two others not far distant having
the same general direction, each about two feet wide. Still
another was noticed of less width than either mentioned, having
pieces of granite, through which it had cut, enclosed.

Beach near Summer Street. — On the beach east of Hersey's
wharf, near the steamboat lajiding and about ninety yards from it,
may be seen a trap dike running east and west, having a width of
nine feet. This dike has veins of epidote.

About twenty-eight yards beyond this there is another east and
west dike of the same character, which is somewhat irregular and
intermixed with granite, but showing, where distinct, a width of
two feet.

Fifty yards farther a dike is reached which crosses the beach
in the granite, and which is particularly interesting, because it
shows within its body a continuous mass of granite which was
torn from the walls of that rock and enclosed in the igneous ma-
terial, when this was irrupted from beneath in a molten condi-
tion. See Figure No= 2.

Figure No. 2.

One hundred and twenty-five feet farther east a small cove,
called Mansfield's Cove, is reached, where may be seen just at its

36 History of Hingham.

entrance a dike six feet in width, of porpbyritic texture and par-
tially decomposed, its direction being, like the others, east and
west.

The cove is about ninety feet deep, and is bordered on its south-
erly side by granite, having here and there more or less mixture
of trap. Some Melaphyr is also seen in juxtaposition with the
granite, and this rock also appears on the adjoining land near,
but to a limited extent.

Martin's Lane. — On the right of Martin's Lane and just
beyond its termination, a dike may be observed within granite
walls, having an east and west direction and traceable 100 feet.
Its width is about six feet.

JOINTS.

Joint structure properly finds place here, as all the rocks of the
town exhibit it, and none more than the granites.

Probably there can be found no reader of these pages resident
in Hingham who has not observed lines of fracture both in the
granitic and the sedimentary rocks of the town, as his eyes have
rested upon its numerous ledges. To explain these it will be well
to give some account of different kinds of joints that occur in
rocks, as they vary in character, have an entirely different origin,
and give rise to varied structure.-

The first to occupy attention, then, are such as arise from the
contraction by cooling, as in the case of igneous rocks, or by desic-
cation, as in the case of sedimentary strata. This contraction
results in cracks never parallel or intersecting, and are generally
short and not continuous. In some igneous rocks the contraction
tends to the formation of polygonal columns, which the joints then
surround and embrace. The best exemplification of this structure
is seen in the Basalt of the Giants' Causeway in Ireland, where
this structure presents the whole rock mass in beautiful prismatic
columns, each column separated into blocks having concave and
convex surfaces. They vary in dimension and are somewhat
irregular, but have been regarded by some as resulting from im-
perfect crystallization. There is, however, nothing of crystalliza-
tion in their formation, this being without doubt entirely due to
contractive action. Professor Crosby has mentioned a case where
the columnar structure was observed by him in the felsite of
Needham, but no instances of the kind have been noticed in the
rocks of Hingham.

The joints next to be mentioned are such as have now re-
ceived the name of Joints of Expansion. Almost all rocky
masses have, in addition to those of other character, joints, or
seams as they are often called, that are approximately horizontal,
or nearly parallel with the surface of the ground. They may be
observed in any quarry. They divide the rock into layers, and

The Geology of Hingham. 37

thus enable the workmen to get out blocks much more easily than
would be otherwise possible. The origin of this kind of jointing,
as first suggested by Professor Shaler, is now generally admitted
by geologists to be due to the effect of the sun's rays upon the
surface, leading to a permeation of more or less heat to a con-
siderable depth, with consequent expansion, and finally to a sepa-
ration of the rock into layers.

The last kind of joints to which attention is called, and the
origin of which has been by far the most difficult to explain, are
those which are most readily observed upon all the exposed rocks
of this town. They may be seen in parallel lines upon their sur-
faces, sometimes extending for considerable distances, and often
intersected by other lines which are also parallel with each other.
These joints are approximately vertical and vaiy much in direc-
tion, which, in view of their probable origin, is an important
matter of consideration.

Examination of the direction in many localities shows as
follows : —

North and south.

North by west and south by east

North-northwest and south-southeast.

Northwest and southeast.

North-northeast and south-southwest.

Northeast and southwest.

East and west.

East-northeast and west-southwest.

East-southeast and west-northwest.

Others are found varying in direction from all these, but they
are not so noticeable.

One of the best localities to observe this joint structure on an
extensive scale, although not in this town, will be mentioned here,
because it is within a short distance from its boundary and easily
observed. It is on Beach Street in Cohasset, very near Sandy
Cove, where a large area of rock surface extends from the road-
side west on an upward slope, covering a space of several hundred
feet. The joints on this surface are particularly well-defined.

The parallel lines under consideration may be observed on
almost every exposure of rock, sometimes several feet apart but
in other cases only a few inches. At one granite locality on
Whiting Street they occur so near each other in some instances
as to enable one to pry off pieces not over half an inch thick,
specimens of which may be seen in the collection of the Public
Library, made to illustrate the geology of the town.

It has always been a source of great astonishment alike to
students and casual observers, to find that in the severance of the
conglomerate rocks the parts are often found divided as smoothly
as if a knife had cut them asunder, and that the very pebbles
contained in it are divided with the rest of the mass, instead of

38 History of H'mgham.

being left intact upon one of the sides of the joint, as would have
been judged likely, whatever the force that rent the rock apart.

When two series of the joints under consideration are observa-
ble upon any rock surface, those of one series running in a cer-
tain direction will be found often to be intersected by those of the
other, the result being to separate the rock more or less vertically
in rectangular or rhomboidal divisions, and when, as is often the
case in slates, there are also joints of expansion, cleavage planes,
or planes of stratification, which are more or less transverse to tlic
two mentioned, the rock will break into rectangular or rhomboidal
blocks.

Such may' be obtained at Huit's Cove or more readily at Slate
Island just outside the town limits. Fine specimens may be seen
in the town collection of rocks from the former locality.

It remains now to state the probable origin of the vertical in-
tersecting joints. Much study has been given to the subject by
several geologists. To Professor W. 0. Crosby is certainly due
the credit of suggesting and ably advocating a theory that seems
to the writer after much consideration, conclusive. The theory
is that earthquake action caused the phenomena. Space will not
here allow further remarlcs, but tlie reader who wishes to learn
more of it, is referred to the Proceedings of the Boston Society of
Natural History, vols. xxii. and xxiii.

THE BOSTON BASIN.

The border line of the granitic and dioritic rocks of the town,
whether near or far from the coast and however irregular its
course, may be regarded approximately as part of the border of a
great area which is known by geologists as the Boston Basin, and
which embraces a portion of the towns of Cohasset, Hull, Hing-
ham, Weymouth, Quincy, Milton, Hyde Park, Needham, Newton,
Brookline, Somerville, Cambridge, Watertown, Maiden, Medford,
Everett, and the city of Boston, with its harbor east to the outer
islands, and possibly a considerable distance beyond, the diameter
east-west being not far from twenty-five miles, and having a nortl>
south diameter averaging about twelve miles.

It is absolutely necessary to know much of the history of the
formations of the Boston Basin in order to appreciate what may
be said of that portion embraced within the limits of Hingham.
There has been much discussion carried on over a long period
respecting the age and the sequence of its formations. Recent
investigations in all parts of it by Professor Crosby have thrown
much light upon the subject, changing materially his own views
and those of others, who have been informed of his important
observations.

One result of his work lias been to establish the fact, that in-
stead of there being but one formation of slate, as advocated by
himself, there is shown clearly to be two, as claimed by other ob-

The Geology of Hingham. 39

servers ; and another is to demonstrate that instead of the sedi-
mentary rocks of the basin being of one period, the Primordial,
a large portion of them are the deposits of a later age.

Before going further the reader should recognize that in a very-
early period, probably in Archaean Time, there came to exist over
the area of what is now known as the Boston Basin, a great de-
pression of the whole surface, probably largely due to subterra-
nean igneous action, aided perhaps by long continued erosion by
the sea. The certainty that in subsequent ages, through perhaps
millions of years, the whole area became as it were a great crater,
with violent volcanic action at many periods and in many parts
of it, during which vast flows of lava were poured into it, form-
ing a considerable portion of its rocks, makes it probable that
subterranean action was the chief cause.

Appreciating highly the value of the recent investigations of
Professor Crosby referred to above, and agreeing with him gen-
erally in his conclusions, the writer believes that he can do no'
better than to follow him in presenting a summary of the prin-
cipal events in the history of the formations within the basin
before giving a detailed statement of the sedimentary and asso-
ciated rocks of Hingham.

The formation recognized as the oldest in the basin is that of
the primordial slates and accompanying Quartzite, known to be
of primordial age by the discovery in the slates of Trilobites of
that age. These slates occur at Braintree, where only such fos-
sils have been found, at Weymouth near by, and in numerous
places in the northern portion of the basin. As stated by Pro-
fessor Crosby, they probably underlie a large part of the basin
covered by the rocks of a later age.

Subsequent to the deposition of the primordial strata a period
of violent volcanic action followed, during which were torn asun-
der the slates and the quartzite, and vast floods of basic lava, now
known as Diorite, were poured in among them and over their
surfaces. Following this, there appears to have come a long
period of repose and erosion, which was terminated by another
of prolonged violent igneous action, bringing to the surface and
spreading over it the acid lavas which formed the granite and
the petrosilex. As the diorite is found intrusive in the primor-
dial strata, and the granite and petrosilex are alike intrusive
in the diorite and the primordial strata, it is clear that the latter
are the oldest of these, and that the granite and petrosilex are
the most recent. If the granites and allied rocks of eastern
Massachusetts are, as has been taught by Dr. T. Sterry Hunt
and other geologists, Archasan, it may possibly be that these un-
derlying the primordial and subjected to intense igneous action,
became locally fluent, and thus were injected into and over the
superincumbent strata. While, therefore, all thus injected and
reformed above the primordial may be regarded as more recent,
it mav not be true of those outside the basin. There is much,

40 History of Hingham.

however, that can be said in favor of the view that all the gran-
ites and other rocks of the region, hitherto considered Archaean,
are more recent than the Primordial, including even those of the
well-known Quincy Hills. Indeed, the evidence that this is the
case is well-nigh conclusive. Certainly there can be no question
but that considerable areas of the granite were fluent and erup-
tive after the primordial slates were formed. A very valuable
and instructive article was published in the Proceedings of the
Boston Society of Natural History in 1881, by Professor M. E,
Wads worth, on the relation of the Quincy granite to the primor-
dial argillite of Braintree, in which he demonstrated that in dif-
ferent localities the granite was eruptive through the slates, as
shown by the close welding of both rocks, and by the effect of
the contact in altering the character of both near the line of
junction.

After the events narrated, the area of the basin became one of
slow subsidence that must have continued through a vast period
of time, as during its ages the great body of the rocks that form
the conglomerate series was formed, — the conglomerates and sand-
stones near the margins of the coasts, and the slates, the material
of which was deposited by the rivers, in the deeper portions. As
subsidence continued, the sea encroached more and more upon its
shores, the margins of the land became more remote, and the
great body of the slate was gradually laid down in the deep
waters to a thickness of more than a thousand feet.

Before proceeding further in the history of the basin, the writer
will express views long held by him relative to the origin of the
pebbles that made up the great body of the conglomerate in-
cluding the sandstone, which is only rock of the same character
formed of finer material, and of the slates.

Of the conglomerate it may be said tliat the formation of this
rock wherever found has generally been regarded as mainly due
to the action of water, and its existence in the Boston Basin has
been ascribed to the force of the waves beating for countless gen-
erations against, and making an inroad upon, the coast, resulting
in tlie wearing down of the rocks, and the formation by attrition
of the bowlders and pebbles which subsequently were cemented
into compact strata. This view the writer does not concur in, as
he judges it impossible that in any number of ages the action of
the waves alone on the area of the basin could have led to the
production of such a body of bowlders and pebbles as make up
the conglomerate. He believes there was a far more potent cause
for their origin silently at work moulding them into form long
anterior to their submergence in the surging waters. This cause
is to be found in the highly corrosive character of the atmosphere
in the early ages of the earth's history, by which the hills, origi-
nally of course but rock elevations, became under its action rap-
idly disintegrated. Such elevations of early periods in southern
regions yet exist as monuments of this corrosive action, for the

The Geology of Hingham. 41

decayed material remains upon them, showing, though but par-
tially, the extent of the corrosion, much of the substance having
been washed off the surface by the denuding action of rains.

There is certainly no reason to suppose the general condition
of the surface of the land prior to the glacial period was different
over the area of the early formations of New England from what
prevailed over formations of a like age south of glacial action.

We may therefore picture to ourselves, with good reason, the
country everywhere in the neighborhood of Boston covered with
hills of considerable altitude, composed of the decayed material
of the rocky formations, and having disseminated through it
bowlders and pebbles of every size, that had not yet yielded to
the decomposing influence. It is well known that corrosive
action tends to produce such forms, though of course it is not
questioned but that subsequent action of water and attrition had
much influence in working a large portion of the pebbles found
in the conglomerate into the shapes which they now present.

The subsidence of the area of the basin after the primordial
period mentioned, extending the water surface to the base of hills
filled with the material for the conglomerate, the igneous action
that followed and was active at times during the formation of
that rock, causing more or less of oscillation and change of level
to the surface, and the subsequent action of the waves upon the
■cliffs and beaches of coast margin, together, will amply account
for the production of the conglomerate, but it will be recognized
that the main factor in such view is to be found in the disintegra-
tion of the rocky hills long before the action of other forces.

The presentation now made of the origin of the conglomerate
of the Boston Basin is greatly strengthened by the fact lately
•called to the notice of the writer by Professor Crosby, — that no
pebbles of the basic rock diorite are found in the conglomerate
with those of the acidic rocks. All will agree in the statement
that pebbles of the granite, the quartzite, and the petrosilex
rocks of the northern border of the basin, have contributed
largely to make up the conglomerate ; but what became of those
of the diorite, a rock quite as abundant in the ancient hills as
any of them ? Its absence can only be accounted for by the
view that it could not like the others withstand the corrosive
action, as did partially the others, and therefore not even pebbles
were left to help form the newer rock. Respecting the slates,
their origin is clear. Simultaneously with the depression of the
area of the basin below the sea level, there would commence a
deposit of the finer sediment brought down by the rivers. This
may well be thought to have been copious considering the char-
acter of the country passed through, everywhere composed of
the decayed remains of the earlier rocks. Indeed it cannot be
doubted that the streams would be turbid with argillaceous mat-
ter, and, as well known, this would be immediately precipitated
upon coming in contact with salt water. Thus the material for

42 History of Hingham.

the slates of the basin must have steadily accumulated through,
long ages.

The origin of another abundant rock of the basin, associated
with the conglomerate, the melaphyr, long continued to be a ques-
tion of much discussion, but there is now no doubt concerning it.
During all the immense time that subsidence continued, and
while sedimentary strata were gradually accumulating, the area
of the basin remained a great centre of igneous action, and vol-
canoes here and there within it belched forth from time to time
floods of lava which spread itself over the surface. Professor
Crosby has made out in the Nantasket region several flows of it,
each of which alternates with deposits of conglomerate and sand-
stone. In such cases the outpouring was probably beneath the-
surface of the water, where the deposits followed each period
of activity. In Hingham the melaphyr is found in very great
bodies not separated by deposits of the sedimentary rocks.

One more great event in the history of the basin is yet to be-
mentioned. Long after the volcanic action that had produced the
basic lava, melaphyr, had ceased, and after all the sediments were
deposited that produced the rocks known to us as the conglomer-
ates, the sandstones, and the slates, a great disturbance occurred
over the whole area of the basin and of the crystalline rocks,
surrounding it, caused by another manifestation of igneous en-
ergy, which changed the whole character of the surface. With-
in the basin, apparently from immense pressure exerted in north
and south directions, the rocky strata were forced up in folds or
in broken ridges. Through crystalline rocks and sedimentary
strata alike, subterranean action brought to the surface, and
probably poured over it, vast quantities of lava of highly basic
properties, different from those of the previous eruptions, now
known to lithologists as Diabase, an account of which has been
given. The great erosion of after ages is undoubtedly the rea-
son why the rock Diabase is not found spread over the surface,,
as well as within the walls of dikes.

At length the disturbing action ceased, and the earth, which
had been shaken from its foundations to its surface, and rent
asunder in a thousand localities, once more became quiescent.
The effect upon the area of the basin was great, for where the
waters had for an immense period spread themselves over the
surface, and under which conglomerates and slates had been laid
down, dry land appeared.

How strange to reflect that in these three words is embraced
a fact without which all the stupendous events that have been
mentioned, occurring over millions of years, would have re-
mained entirely unknown to mortal man ; for with the waters
covering the basin, where could a trace of its long history have
been found ?

The rocks of the Boston Basin as they present themselves in
Hingham will now be noticed. Unfortunately the non-occurrence

42 History of Hingham.

the slates of the basin must have steadily accumulated through,
long ages.

The origin of another abundant rock of the basin, associated
with the conglomerate, the melaphyr, long continued to be a ques-
tion of much discussion, but there is now no doubt concerning it.
During all the immense time that subsidence continued, and
while sedimentary strata were gradually accumulating, the area
of the basin remained a great centre of igneous action, and vol-
canoes here and there within it belched forth from time to time
floods of lava which spread itself over the surface. Professor
Crosby has made out in the Nantasket region several flows of it,
each of which alternates with deposits of conglomerate and sand-
stone. In such cases the outpouring was probably beneath the
surface of the water, where the deposits followed each period
of activity. In Hingham the melaphyr is found in very great
bodies not separated by deposits of the sedimentary rocks.

One more great event in the history of the basin is yet to be
mentioned. Long after the volcanic action that had produced the
basic lava, melaphyr, had ceased, and after all the sediments were
deposited that produced the rocks known to us as the conglomer-
ates, the sandstones, and the slates, a great disturbance occurred
over the whole area of the basin and of the crystalline rocks,
surrounding it, caused by another manifestation of igneous en-
ergy, which changed the whole character of the surface. With-
in the basin, apparently from immense pressure exerted in north
and south directions, the rocky strata were forced up in folds or
in broken ridges. Through crystalline rocks and sedimentary
strata alike, subterranean action brought to the surface, and
probably poured over it, vast quantities of lava of highly basic
properties, different from those of the previous eruptions, now
known to lithologists as Diabase, an account of which has been
given. The great erosion of after ages is undoubtedly the rea-
son why the rock Diabase is not found spread over the surface,,
as well as within the walls of dikes.

At length the disturbing action ceased, and the earth, which
had been shaken from its foundations to its surface, and rent
asunder in a thousand localities, once more became quiescent.
The effect upon the area of the basin was great, for where the
waters had for an immense period spread themselves over the
surface, and under which conglomerates and slates had been laid
down, dry land appeared.

How strange to reflect that in these three words is embraced
a fact without which all the stupendous events that have been
mentioned, occurring over millions of years, would have re-
mained entirely unknown to mortal man ; for with the waters
covering the basin, where could a trace of its long history have
been found ?

The rocks of the Boston Basin as they present themselves in
Hingham will now be noticed. Unfortunately the non-occurrence

y

The Geology of Hingham. 43

of fossils in any of them makes it impossible to determine defi-
nitely their age. The fact of slates within half a dozen miles of
the town containing trilobites, thus showing them to be primor-
dial, has led reasonably to the view that a part at least of those
in Hingham might be found to be also primordial. The super-
position of the strata, however, and their inclination, as far as
these can be studied at their exposures, militate against this
view. Nevertheless, considering how much is hidden from obser-
vation where the great body of slate lies, towards Weymouth
River, and the disturbances to which the formations have been
subjected, it is by no means to be regarded as settled that slate
of primordial age does not exist in Hingham as in other parts
of the basin. It cannot, however, be shown that any is found
resting beneath the rocks of the Conglomerate Series. That
which occurs alternating with the conglomerate must be regarded
as of the same age as the conglomerate itself. The great body
of slate referred to above, towards Weymouth River, seems by
its dip, as far as this has been determined, to be superior to the
strata of the conglomerate series, and therefore a later rock.

This slate, on the maps is designated separately from that of
the conglomerate series, as belonging to the Slate Series.

The Conglomerate Series comprises Conglomerates, Sandstones,
Slates, and Melaphyr, which have together a thickness of nearly
one thousand feet. The great disturbances alluded to, by which
all these rocks were rent asunder by faults, and forced into ap-
proximately vertical positions, will be more clearly apparent by
a glance at the maps than by hours of reading.

THE CONGLOMERATE SERIES.

Conglomerate is formed of pebbles or angular fragments and
gravel derived from pre-existing formations, these being cemented
together into a compact rock. Sometimes the enclosed masses
are of considerable dimensions, being several feet in diameter.
When the enclosed stones are pebbles, that is, are rounded, the
rock is called Pudding-Stone ; when they are angular it is called
Breccia. The pebbles or fragments vary much in character, —
those of Petrosilex, Quartzite, Granite, and other rocks being often
found in close juxtaposition. Such is the case with the conglom-
erate of Hingham, as may be seen at almost any exposure. When
the rock is found made up exclusively of fine material, small
gravel, and sand, it becomes a sandstone, and as such occurs in
Hingham alternating with the coarser portions.

Conglomerate is the predominant rock over considerable areas
of the town. It presents itself prominently in the harbor, com-
posing the strata of the islands known as Sarah's, Langlee's, and
Ragged, and its walls face the water along the coast front of
Melville Gardens. It crops out upon the surface in great abun-

44 History of Hingham.

dance over the hilly region between South and Ehn streets, appear-
ing near the former in cliffs of considerable altitude, and it forms,
with the amygdaloidal melaphyr, a part of the shore rocks of
Rocky Neck that border Weir River, east of Planter's Hill. It
also occurs abundantly about and over the high lands contiguous
to Huit's Cove.

Away from the coast and the islands in the harbor the most
imposing exhibition of this rock may be found in a narrow, pri-
vate road that runs from Real Street towards Weymouth River,
some distance north of the Hockley Lane. Soon after entering
this road it turns towards the north, winding about the base of
some exposures of the conglomerate which lie between it and
Real Street. Following the passage through low ground and
through forest growth for the distance of about a quarter of a
mile, there suddenly appear high cliffs of the rock partially ob-
scured by trees, rising to the height of forty to fifty feet, and pre-
senting the appearance of having been torn asunder by some
convulsion of nature, large masses being found in the foreground.
The rocks extend along the road and near it six to seven hundred
feet. The exposure here is well worth visiting.

The conglomerate rocks of Hingham were originally deposited
upon the more ancient rocks, perhaps much farther inland than
is now apparent, and were worn away by the erosion of the sur-
face in after ages. At some localities, however, a partial coating
of the conglomerate may be seen upon the granite, occupying
depressions in it, showing where it once rested probably in con-
siderable beds.

CLAY SLATE, OR ARGILLITE, OF THE CONGLOM-
ERATE SERIES.

The slate of the conglomerate series in Hingham occurs, as
may be seen by the maps, quite abundantly in the northern parts
of the town, alternating with the conglomerate. The color of
these slates varies considerably, a portion being of the ordinary
bluish shade, while other portions are red or reddish. Both
these colors are found quite near each other in the same exposure,
as in Hersey Street on the left side going from, and not far from,
South Street,

The slate of the slate series will be mentioned after notice of
melaphyr, which is included in the conglomerate series.

MELAPHYR.

The name Amygdaloid commonly applied to this rock was given
because of the frequent occurrence in it of cavities filled with other
minerals than those constituting its mass, which are often approxi-

The Geology of Hingham. 45

mately almond-shape in their outline. These cavities, how-
ever, may be entirely wanting, when of course the name amyg-
daloid loses its significance. Moreover, rocks of a different
composition have sometimes the same amygdaloidal structure.
The name now applied to the rock by geologists is Melaphyr,
and nowhere does it present itself in its typical and varied char-
acteristics more advantageously for observation and study than in
Hingham. The composition is the same as that of Basalt, which
has as its essential elements, augite, magnetite, and titaniferous
iron, but often containing a triclinic feldspar and other minerals, —
the only difference being apparently the result of a change of
some of the constituents by decomposition. Here it is found
beautifully amygdaloidal over extensive areas, the amygdules
being filled with minerals of several species which are sometimes
arranged in concentric bands, the most common being epidote,
quartz, chlorite, and calcite. At one locality, on land bordering
Huit's Cove, there is an exposure of melaphyr, forming an escarp-
ment on the slope of a hill, which is quite dark in color and in
portions free from amygdules, and where these occur they are of
calcite. This is found in the immediate neighborhood of other
melaphyr, full of amygdules containing the various minerals men-
tioned as common in the rock.

The best exposures for the study of melaphyr may be found at
the northeast part of the town along the shore of Rocky Neck,
on the northeasterly slope of Squirrel Hill, Lincoln Street, and at
Huit's Cove. At all these places the amygdaloidal rock is abun-
dant, and specimens of much beauty can be easily obtained. In
the amygdaloidal melaphyrs of Rocky Neck fine red jasper and
yellowish white epidote occur, both in nodules and in veins.

CLAY SLATE OF THE SLATE SERIES.

This slate, which forms a great body resting with apparent con-
formity over the rocks of the conglomerate series, has a thick-
ness of over one thousand feet, and undoubtedly is spread, as indi-
cated on the maps, over a great area of the town toward Weymouth
River. Its exposures are, however, not numerous, as the drift of
the glacial period covers it from observation. It shows itself on
the border of Weymouth River at Real's Cove, and also at Huit's
Cove. At the south side of the latter it forms a point of land
which extends into the water. Here it is well-jointed, and the
lines of stratification are distinctly perceptible. The dip is west-
erly, and the inclination about 60°. On the north shore of the
cove it appears associated with conglomerate and melaphyr, and
portions of it show clearly lines of cleavage which are not often
manifest at the exposures of slate in Hingham.

In a region where the rock formations have experienced great
disturbance, as in Hingham, the dip of the strata varies very

46 History of Hingham.

much at the several localities. In attempting to obtain this, it
may be well to admonish the reader, if not a geologist, that in the
case of slates and some other rocks, the true lines of deposition
by no means correspond with the lines of cleavage. It is owing
to the planes of the latter that the rock is serviceable for the
uses to which it is put in the arts, as a roofing material, and
for other purposes. This kind of cleavage is called Slat"X
Cleavage, and it is unquestionably due to great lateral pressure
of the material of which slates are composed, after its deposition.
The fact of such pressure being exerted upon the strata beneath
the surface is well-known, and experiments by Sedgwick, Tyndall,
and Daubree, upon clay and other substances, demonstrated that
the effect of pressure was to produce lamination.

The writer has thought it well, before closing his remarks upon
the rock exposures of the town, to suggest two excursions that
may be made to advantage by students interested in them. One
■of these is through the northern portion of Hersey Street, from
South Street to Elm Street. The rocks mentioned rest immedi-
ately on or quite near the margin of the road, and may be seen
without going any distance from it in the adjoining fields. Since
the examination has been made there has been some change on
the east side of the street by the erection of a building, and the
covering over of a portion of the rocks near; but thus far none
that will lessen interest in inspecting those yet undisturbed. The
other excursion suggested is that of a visit to Rocky Neck and a
walk along its shores, as promising more pleasure and instruction
than can be found in any other locality.

Hersey Street.

This street, in its northern part, affords a good opportunity to
observe a succession of the sedimentary rocks of Hingham with
the intrusive trap which is found with them. In ascending the
rising ground from South Street, there occurs, on the right side,
about 240 feet from the commencement of the road and back from
it, an exposure of Conglomerate. It shows itself quite near the
house of Mr. Allen A. Lincoln. Its face is parallel with the side
of the house and at right angles with the road. On the next
estate, 60 feet beyond, there is rock exposure near and facing the
street, the first part of which is composed of trap and constitutes
a dike six or more feet in width. This is succeeded by conglom-
■ erate, with which it makes a close junction. This conglomerate
extends about 15 feet and is followed by a reddish slate extend-
ing 20 feet, in the centre of which is a second trap dike. Suc-
ceeding the slate is more conglomerate, whicli shows itself 50
feet or more. There is no further exposure on the right side of
"the road for 1090 feet, and then it is found that the limit of the

The Geology of Hingham. 47

sedimentary rocks has been passed, as granite now appears. This
extends 30 feet and is followed by an exposure of trap. Beyond
this trap, which here crosses the street, the rocks are all granite.

On the left side of the street, ascending the hill from South
Street and about 310 feet from it, there is an exposure of rocks
which present themselves in the following order : conglomerate
nine feet, slate six feet, sandstone twenty feet, slate again twelve
feet, this last being succeeded by a dike of trap about nine feet in
width. Beyond this trap there is no exposure for about 60 feet,
at which distance another ledge appears, the first part of which
shows blue and red slate six feet, the rest of it being conglom-
erate, which extends 36 feet. Another space, of 72 feet, without
rock follows the conglomerate, when this rock reappears in
another ledge, — composing the first part of it for six feet, the
rest of it, 45 feet, being blue and red slate. Still another space
of about 80 feet occurs without rock, when sandstone appears
along the road for the very considerable distance of 110 feet.
Trap, partially covered with soil, succeeds the sandstone for about
40 feet, then conglomerate with an exposure of six feet. Beyond
this conglomerate, which is the last seen on the road of the sedi-
mentary strata, no other rocks appear on the left side of it for 650
feet. Then appears a considerable elevation of trap rock, which
extends along the street about 30 feet and back upon the adjoin-
ing fields towards Elm Street. As stated above, when mention-
ing the portion of this dike exposed on the right side of the road,
there are no other rocks beyond it excepting granite.

Rocky Neck.

East of Planter's Hill, and partially separated from it by a
depression of the surface, is an elevation of land forming a prom-
ontory, which is bordered by Weir River on its north and east-
erly shores. The rocks here, finely exposed as they are along the
water's edge, and exhibiting well their relation to each other,
afford one of the localities the best worth visiting of any within
the town. The map of course shows the development over and
beneath the surface of the land as made known by the rock expos-
ures ; but a statement of what may be readily observed in a walk
along the margin of the water will perhaps help visitors to
understand what they pass, and thus make such a trip the more
interesting.

At low water on the river front of the meadow that lies south
of Rocky Neck, may be seen close to the water's edge a small
ridge of rocks which the student should especially notice, as they
are composed of the basic rock Porphyrite, and no other exposure
of this rock is known in Hingham. Following the shore north of
the porphyrite and just where the land rises from low and marshy
ground, the first rocks which appear above the surface and rest-

48 History of Hingham.

ing somewhat back from the beach are conglomerates. Proceed-
ing further a short distance, two dikes of diabase jut upon the
beach, and not far inland may be seen to have cut through con-
glomerate, the line of junction on a facing of one of them towards
the water being distinctly perceptible The first of the dikes is
about 450 feet from the porphyrite on the line of the beach, and
the second about 40 feet further. The former of these will be
more particularly mentioned before the close of these remarks
upon Rocky Neck. Beyond the dikes, extending over the beach
and along the shore for 350 feet or more, is a confused mixture of
melaphyr with other rocks, petrosilex, porphyrite, granite, quartz-
ite, etc. In portions the melaphyr forms with them a conglom-
erate of which it is by far the larger part. Other portions can
hardly be designated as conglomerate, being apparently the result
of the intrusion of the melaphyr in a molten state among pebbles
and masses unconsolidated, and absorbing them in its substance,
each being now found surrounded entirely by the melaphyr.

It is in this portion of the rock of the shore that there is found
much good red jasper, affording cabinet specimens of some beauty.
The formation of this was clearly due to the chemical action
arising from the union of the molten melaphyr with the material
invaded. There are some veins of quartz found in the rock and
others of an impure, buff-colored epidote.

Following this mixed melaphyr and conglomerate and less than
100 feet from it, is a very typical conglomerate containing peb-
bles of granite, quartzite, and petrosilex. This extends about 90
feet. The jointing in this may be noticed as north and south.

About 80 feet from the conglomerate, melaphyr appears and
extends for the considerable distance of about 500 feet. In it
may be seen veins of quartz and also of the yellowish, opaque
epidote mentioned above as occurring in the mixed melaphyr
and conglomerate, but in far greater abundance. This melaphyr
at its termination abuts directly against conglomerate, the line
of demarcation being distinct and nearly vertical, though in places
this does not clearly appear. There is undoubtedly a fault here.
The conglomerate from the junction of the two rocks extends
along the coast line about 240 feet. In this conglomerate is an
east and west dike four to five feet wide. Melaphyr follows for
some 50 feet or more, of a character similar to that before de-
scribed as mixed with other material.

A bay in the land here occurs, and crossing it westerly on the
beach at low tide the visitor finds cliffs of melaphyr which form a
jutting point into the water. Crossing this a second bay is
reached at a distance of about 1 00 feet. Here the rock displays
the characteristic nodules that lead to its designation as amyg-
daloid. Indeed a large portion of the melaphyr of Eocky Neck is
finely amygdaloidal, and affords good specimens of this variety of
the rock. On the beach here there is a protruding flat surface
of rock, a yard or so in diameter, on which may be seen glacial

The Geology of Hingham.

49

striae, though probably exposed there to the elements for centu-
ries. These lines are northwest and southeast, and south 30°
east. Other lines on a neighboring rock are northwest by west
and southeast by east. On the westerly side of the bay granite
appears in a high cliff towards and extending into the water.

By ascending this cliff, passing over it to its western declivity
and descending to the narrow beach at its base, which should be
done at low tide, a dike exposure may be seen of much interest.
It is what is called a double dike, the molten material having
made its way to the surface within two contiguous joints in the
granite. The larger portion has a width of about eight feet, the

Figure No. 3.

smaller one about one foot, and they are separated by about one foot
of the invaded rock. See Figure No. 3. This double dike slopes
to the south from the vertical at an angle of 45°. This is the
extreme western end, on Rocky Neck, of the dike first mentioned
as appearing on the eastern shore. It does not present there

VOL. 1. — 4

50 History of Hingham,

or generally over the surface of the neck its double character he-
cause obscured by the soil. Across the water of the river, on
Nantasket where it reappears, it shows itself double.

THE GLACIAL PERIOD.

A pretty full notice of the great glacier that rested over the
North, and the phenomena attendant upon its advance and
final melting away, has been given in the preliminary remarks.
We have now only to treat particularly of the traces left upon
the surface of the town by its passage. Those who have atten-
tively read what has been expressed will understand that the
decomposed material of early rock formations making up the
soil of the territory of Hingham prior to the advent of the ice
was largely borne away by its movement, the solid rock founda-
tions being laid bare, whilst a large part of that which now forms
the hills and covers the valleys was brought forward by the on-
ward progress of the glacier from more northern localities. The
whole of the earth thus disturbed and redistributed is known as
Drift. Much of it was materially changed in the transportation.
That directly beneath the glacier, and subjected to its enormous
pressure and to great friction upon the rock surfaces below, was
reduced to fragments, and even to the finest particles. The masses
of rock, too, which were borne on beneath the glacier, that escaped
destruction, were mostly smoothed, and often striated, like the
rocky strata over which they passed. The part of the drift thus
subjected to the crushing and grinding action of the glacier is
known as Till. The definition of this term " Till," as given by
James Geikie, the author of the exceedingly valuable work,
" The Great Ice Period," is " a firm, tough, unstratified stony
clay, with no very large bowlders, and having stones of a peculiar
shape." The stones referred to are such as are oblong without
being symmetrical in outline, and which exhibit striae most often
in the direction of the longest axis. Till constitutes the lowest
member of the drift deposits. It is the " 7noraine profonde,'"' or
" ground moraine " of foreign geologists, the " bowlder clay " of
most writers, the " hard pan " of our townsmen. It owes its
compact and tough character undoubtedly to the immense pres-
sure of the ice.

A considerable portion of the drift which was borne in the body
of the glacial sheet itself, and thus escaped its grinding action,
upon the final- melting of the ice was spread loosely over the
whole surface to a varying depth of from one to ten feet, and in
some places to a much greater thickness. It is generally com-
posed of gravel and sand with enclosed pebbles, and often contains
an abundance of bowlders of large dimensions. Like the till, this
upper drift is unstratified ; but neither the bowlders nor pebbles
in it are striated, as is the case with part of those of the former.

The Geology of Hingham. 51

This is often called the Upper Till. It rests upon the general
surface of New England, overlying the true till where the latter
exists. It is easily distinguished from it by its somewhat dif-
ferent composition, containing comparatively but little clay, and
being much less compact, from not having been subjected to such
great pressure. Its color, too, is generally yellowish, arising from
the oxidation of the iron contained in it.

There is yet a third glacial deposit to be mentioned ; it is known
as Modified Drift. This undoubtedly owed its origin generally to
the action of rivers, which upon the melting of the ice-sheet swept
over it and conveyed the rock masses, gravel, and sand, with which
it was laden, to many localities where they are now found.

Having thus given an account of the origin of the drift deposits
and their dissemination over the surface of the land, it remains
for us to present the views of those who have made a special study
of glacial phenomena respecting the peculiar hills that prevail in
many sections over which the ice-sheet rested, and which form a
predominant feature in the topography of the town ; and also
of the less elevated summits and ridges known by geologists as
Kames, which likewise present themselves prominently over a large
part of its territory. The first of these, the peculiar hills referred
to, are what have been called by the Irish geologists " Drumlins,"
a name of Irish derivation, signifying a long, rounded hill, — and
by Professor Charles H. Hitchcock they have been called " Lenticu-
lar Hills," from their lenslike form. We will first dwell upon
these hills, upon the grooving and striation of the rocks over which
the glacier advanced, and upon what are known as " pot-holes,"
as phenomena of the period under consideration ; postponing re-
marks upon the later drift deposits and much other matter con-
nected with the passing away of the ice, which will be presented
when treating of the Champlain Period.

DRUMLINS, OR LENTICULAR HILLS.

These remarkable elevations are found in many towns of east-
ern Massachusetts, but nowhere are seen to form more interesting
features of the landscape than in Hingham. Baker's Hill, Otis
Hill, Prospect Hill, Great Hill, Turkey Hill, and Pleasant Hill at
Crow Point are all elevations of this character. They are com-
posed, wherever found, mainly of the lowest member of the drift,
the till, or bowlder clay, having generally but a thin deposit on
their surface of the gravel and bowlders of the upper drift. They
vary much in size, sometimes presenting themselves as mere hil-
locks, but often found half a mile or more in length, and not
infrequently over a mile. In form they are generally oval, more
or less elongated, having symmetrical, rounded summits, with gen-
tle slopes in the direction of their longest axes and much steeper
ones laterally. In height they sometimes exceed two hundred

52 History of Hingham.

feet. These hills rest on rock surfaces which have been subjected
to glacial action and show striation.

Now when the fact is taken into consideration that all such
hills are only to be found in countries which have been covered
with the ice-sheet, that their longitudinal axes always coincide^
or very nearly coincide, with the direction of the strise upon the
rocks of the regions where they occur, and that they are com-
posed almost entirely of till, no one can reasonably doubt that
thev were originally formed under and by the action of the ice-
sheet itself. How the till could be raised into such hills has been
a subject of much question, but there is now a general acquies
cence in the view that they had their origin in the gradual and
long-continued accumulation of the clay and its accompanying
pebbles in certain places favorable for the aggregation of the ma-
terial, in the same manner that sand-banks are formed in rivers.

GROOVINGS AND STRIATION OF THE ROCKS.

The rock exposures in different parts of the town show clearly
the wearing away of the material, causing extensive grooves upon
their surfaces, and often fine striae, which mark unmistakably the
course of the glacier over them. The granite, while it exhibits
the smooth, rounded outlines and the deep groovings on a grand
scale, seldom shows the finer and more delicate markings as seen
upon the slate and diabase. Among the localities where the striae
mav be clearly discerned are the following : —

Fort Hill. — The diorite on the side of the street next the
cemetery very generally exhibits strise. An examination of these
shows their direction to be as follows, — compass measurement
(which measurement will be given in all cases) : —

East of south 10°
East of south 1 2°
East of south 15^

Lasell Street. — On the left side of this street, going south,
about 1000 feet from Free street, and extending from the carriage-
way to the fence, is the flat surface of a dike of diabase, up'on
which are very numerous stri^. Several of these examined were
found to run east of south 10°.

Beal's Cove, Weymouth Back River. — There is here a consid-
erable exposure of slate, through which is a large dike of diabase.
On both rocks striae are abundant. Examination showed them to
vary in direction as follows : —

East of south 10°, "i

East of south 15°, Von slate.

East of south 20°, )

East of south 25°, on dike rock.

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52 History of Hingham,

feet. These hills rest on rock surfaces which have been subjected
to glacial action and show striation.

Now when the fact is taken into consideration that all such
hills are only to be found in countries which have been covered
with the ice-sheet, that their longitudinal axes always coincide^
or very nearly coincide, with the direction of the striee upon the
rocks of the regions where they occur, and that they are com-
posed almost entirely of till, no one can reasonably doubt that
they were originally formed under and by the action of the ice-
sheet itself. How the till could be raised into such hills has been
a subject of much question, but there is now a general acquies
cence in the view that they had their origin in the gradual and
long-continued accumulation of the clay aud its accompanying
pebbles in certain places favorable for the aggregation of the ma-
terial, in the same manner that sand-banks are formed in rivers.

GROOVINGS AND STRIATION OF THE ROCKS.

The rock exposures in different parts of the town show clearly
the wearing away of the material, causing extensive grooves upon
their surfaces, and often fine striae, which mark unmistakably the
course of the glacier over them. The granite, while it exhibits
the smooth, rounded outlines and the deep groovings on a grand
scale, seldom shows the finer and more delicate markings as seen
upon the slate and diabase. Among the localities where the strise
may be clearly discerned are the following : —

Fort Hill. — The diorite on the side of the street next the
cemetery very generally exhibits striee. An examination of these
shows their direction to be as follows, — compass measurement
(which measurement will be given in all cases) : —

East of south 10°
East of south 12°
East of south 15°

Lasell Street. — On the left side of this street, going south,
about 1000 feet from Free street, and extending from the carriaire-
way to the fence, is the flat surface of a dike of diabase, upon
which are very numerous strige. Several of these examined were
found to run east of south 10°.

Beal's Cove, Weymouth Back River. — There is here a consid-
erable exposure of slate, through which is a large dike of diabase.
On both rocks striae are abundant. Examination showed them to
vary in direction as follows : —

East of south 10°, "i

East of south 15°, von slate.

East of south 20°, )

East of south 25°, on dike rock.

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The Geology of Hingham. 63

Rocky Neck. — On a beach of the northern shore, upon diabase,
are glacial strige showing a direction southeast, and also east of
south 30°.

Union Street. — On the left side of Union street, 1670 feet
from Lasell, and just beyond Long Bridge Lane, is a granite ledge
upon which are numerous strias.

Summer and Rockland streets. — Just at the corner of these
streets, by the roadside, is an exposure of diabase trap, before men-
tioned when treating of dikes, upon which are strise which show
variation in direction as follows : — '

East of south 10°
East of south 12°
East of south 15°

Weir Street. — On the right side of the roadway of this street,
a short distance from the railroad-crossing, is an exposure of dio-
rite showing striae running —

East of south 5°
East of south 10°

INDIAN POT-HOLES, OR GIANTS' KETTLES OF
FOREIGN WRITERS.

It is well known that wherever there exist waterfalls of any mag-
nitude, pot-holes, so-called, are often found beneath the rushing
waters, formed by the friction of stones which have been lodged
in the hollows of the rock surface over which the torrent pours,
and which, having a somewhat circular motion imparted to them,
gradually wear away the rock, with the result of producing these
singular objects.

It is not surprising that when these have been found, as has often
heen the case, where there was nothing to indicate there had ever
been a river or running stream, they should have excited alike the
wonder and interest of both scientific and unscientific beholders.

It should be borne in mind that the knowledge of a great conti-
nental ice-sheet resting over our whole northern region is but a re-
cent acquisition, and that phenomena having their origin under such
a condition of things- could not possibly be understood previously
by the most learned of observers.

The ideas of the unlearned respecting such pot-holes are often
ludicrous. With our own people they have been regarded as the
work of the Indians, and where found have been called Indian Pot-
Holes, from the thought that they had been wrought for and used
as cooking vessels. Abroad they have been called Giants' Kettles,
undoubtedly from the belief that they were made by giants for
their culinary use.

The study of glacial phenomena within a few years has thrown
I flood of light upon much that was before obscure, and we now

54

History of Hingham.

can well understand how pot-holes may have been formed in lo-
calities remote from any water-courses of the present period by
rushing torrents through crevasses in the great ice-sheet.

The pot-holes to be mentioned, though not found within the limits
of Hingham, are too near its borders, and too iuteresting as phe-
nomena of the glacial period, not to be noticed here. They are
to be found in Little Harbor, Cohasset, on Cooper's Island, so-
called, which however is not an island in the sense of being a body
of land surrounded witli water, but from its being a somewhat
elevated land surrounded partly by water and partly by low, marshy
ground. There is a border of rocky cliffs on the northern portion
of the east coast of this island which end at a beach that separates
them from other cliffs farther south ; and it is near the termi-
nation of those first-mentioned and quite close to the beach that
the pot-holes are found. Just before this termination there is a
partial separation of the rocky mass by an opening on the water
side, which, however, rapidly narrows inland but a few feet from
the water. It is on the northern side of this opening, that is, on
the rock that slopes towards the south, and very near the water
at low tide, that two of the holes, or what remains of them, may be
readily seen when the tide is out.

Of the lowest of these, and the best preserved of them, and which
is designated as No. 1 in Figure No. 4, there yet remains a pot-
hole in the rock which will
hold water to the depth of 1
foot 9 inches, having a well-
defined rim just at tlie sur-
face of the water. The di-
ameter of it at rim is 25 J
inches ; below the rim 30
inches. Above this rim the
whole southern side of what
once formed a portion of the
pot-hole is gone ; but on the
northern side there remains,
as a concavity in the rock,
what formed a part of it,
having well-worn marks up-
on the surface; and these
are plainly discernible for a
height of four feet. From
the rock sloping away rapid-
ly above, it is very probable
that even these traces, whcli
prove a depth of six feet, do
not give the whole of that of
the original vessel when it
was intact. Exterior to this pot-hole the tide sinks below the
level of its bottom, but at high tide all is covered.

Figure No. 4.

The Geology of Hingham. 55

The second pot-hole has its bottom three feet above that of the
lowest one, and a perpendicular line from the centre of each shows
the two to be three feet apart. The wall dividing them must have
become, while yet action w^ent on within them, very thin, and prob-
ably one broke into the other before it ceased altogether. The
whole southern side of this second hole, whicli is marked No. 2 in
Figure No. 4, is gone, and water can now stand in its bottom to
the depth of only about two inches.

The concavity above this, which formed tlie northern portion of
the hole, exhibiting as it does a well-worn surface of three feet in
width, shows that it must have been as large as or larger than the
first. This concavity can be discerned to the height of five feet,
where further traces are lost ; but, as is the case with No. 1, the
whole depth of the pot-hole may have been much greater than
what is indicated. Tlie slope of what remains of the walls of
these holes shows that the flow of water over the rock surfaces
was from the northwest. That of No. 2 approximates to 30° from
that direction towards the southeast.

Of No. 3, so designated in Figure No. 4, there is but little to be
said except that it is small and shallow. It is 4 feet 9 inches
above No. 2 in a northwest direction, and there may be traced
from it westerly a narrow water channel about six feet in length.

The fourth of the pot-holes to be mentioned is or was the
largest of all, and hence has been called by the people near by
the " Well." It is designated as No. 4 in Figure No. 5. Passino-
over the rocky elevation in a northerly direction, it may be found
about a hundred feet distant from the others, in front of a cliff
which faces an opening in the rocks more immediately near the
water. This pot-hole, unlike those previously mentioned, is not
found on a sloping portion of rock, but is on a fiat surface directly
at the base of the cliff. Horizontally, the form of it is oval, and
its largest diameter, which is northeast and southwest in direc-
tion, is four feet, the narrowest two feet ten inches. The depth
at which water is now retained is about a foot.

Tlie cliff rises nine feet high from the margin of the "Well "
and ten feet from its bottom. The " Well " itself was probably as
deep at least as ten feet, the curvature and wearing of the rock of
the cliff above the present hole clearly showing this.

The rocky ridge in which all these pot-holes or kettles are found,
has a height of from 20 to 25 feet, and is of granite. Besides
the pot-holes of which an account has been given, there are other
depressions showing distinctly a commencement of action towards
their formation. Two of such may be found 20 feet in a north-
erly direction from those numbered 1, 2, and 3; that is, between
these and the one called the " Well," No. 4. One is shallow,
appearing like the bowl of a spoon, about a foot across, show-
ing, extending from it, a water-worn channel sloping easterly to
the edge of the rock surface, about ten feet ; and on a lower sur-
face of the same rock, another and larger depression just where

56

History of Hingham.

water from the first might descend. Moreover, a large portion of
the rock surface shows not only glaciation but continued water
action.

Figure No. 5.

It is very certain that no river has ever existed in the region of
the pot-holes at Cohasset to account for their existence. We are
forced, therefore, to ascribe their origin to the flowing of water
from the great continental glacier.

Considering the shallowness of the portions of the pot-holes de-
scribed on Cooper's Island remaining for our observation, and the
probability that they have been visited by generations of people,
both of the Indian and the white man, it is not surprising that no-
thing is left of their contents in or about them. There is, however,
one rounded stone in the possession of Mr. Charles S. Bates, the
owner of the estate on which the pot-holes are found, which tra-
dition states to have been taken from the deepest one mentioned.
It is elliptical, nearly spherical, in form, — its longest diameter
being about four and a half inches, its shortest four inches. Trans-
versely, it is quite circular. It is of granite, not unlike that of the
surrounding country. There is no reason to question the truth of
the tradition.

To account for the phenomena presented by the pot-holes de-
scribed, it is necessary to recognize that when the great glacier

The Geology of Hinghmn. 57

lay over the land, many hundreds of feet in depth, during the
summer, particularly towards the close of the period, rivers flowed
over its surface, as they now do over the glaciers of the Alps.
As there, crevasses were formed in the ice, into which the water
poured and worked passages to the bottom of the great sheet, dis-
charging itself in torrents, often conveying stones and other mo-
raine matter to the rock surfaces below. Such passages in modern
glaciers become somewhat circular in form and are hence called
wells. They are also called moulins, the latter name from the
noise made by the rushing waters in the ice, being not unlike
that of a mill. The water, and the material conveyed by it through
such wells of the great glacier of our continent, must have smoothed
and worn rapidly away the rock surface on which they impinged,
often causing, by the same kind of action as is witnessed under
falls of water in some of our rivers, holes in the rocks like those
now under consideration. Of course the action of the water and
material conveyed by it would be immensely more rapid in form-
ing such holes, falling, as they undoubtedly did, from a great
height, and striking upon the rocks below with intense force.
This would lead to the abrasion of the rock, by any rotating
stones lodged in the hollows, so much more powerful than any
action we know under falling waters of the present day as to
render estimation of the result incalculable.

It is doubtful, however, to the mind of the writer, if circum-
stances often favored the formation of pot-holes directly beneath
such a fall and where its full force would be felt. He is impressed
with the view that if this were the case they would not be found
having the form they horizontally present.

It has, indeed, been thought strange that, as the ice moved con-
tinuously on, the holes were not found generally elongated in the
direction of the movement of the glacier rather than circular.
Such thought, however, is only consistent with the presumption
that the holes were made just where the water first fell upon
the rock surface below. Far more reasonable is it to suppose that
the holes were formed somewhat distant from this place, where
the masses of rocks borne by the waters found a lodging in some
depression, and there by rotation worked out the pot-holes. The ice
might move on and the waters descend through the mouiin far from
where they first fell, yet continue their flow in the same direction
as at first, and go on with the work of rotating the contents of the
hole through a whole season. In such case there could be, of course,
no reason to expect elongation.

The fact that pot-holes have been found in near proximity,
and in such positions relative to each other as to show them to
be apparently the result of independent falls of water, leads to a
consideration of what has been noticed in the Alps. Observation
upon the glaciers there shows that as a crevasse is carried for-
ward by the general movement of the ice from where it received
the flow of waters in the summer, and winter cuts off the supply,

58 History of Hingham,

it closes, leaving only upon the surface of the glacier a mark show-
ing where it had once been. Subsequently, a new one is formed
just where in relation to the land at the margin of the glacier,
the former one existed ; and the waters of the succeeding sum-
mer again descend upon the rock surface near where they before
fell, but not often, probably, in exactly the same place ; and thus
other pot-holes are formed contiguous to those of a preceding sea-
son, and yet far enough distant to make it evident that they were
not produced by the same flow of water.

Respecting the formation of the crevasses in about the same
places on the ice-sheet, there can be no question but that this is
due to the irregularities of the subglacial surface ; and as high
ridges transverse to the direction of the glacial flow must favor
their formation, it is no wonder that pot-holes are often found in
the slopes of such ridges and at their bases, as in the case of those
described at Cohasset.

Though lenticular Ijills, striae upon the rocks, and pot-holes
have been described as phenomena of the Glacial Period, it may
be well to add that both pot-holes and strige upon rocks may in
some instances have been formed in the Champlain Period, now
to be presented.

CHAMPLAIN PERIOD.

The early part of the Champlain Period was characterized by the
final melting away of the glacier. The phenomena attendant up-
on the great and long continued flooding over the ice-sheet and
over the surface of the land were of marked character. Un-
doubtedly, there is to be ascribed to it the formation of the ridges
and hillocks called Kames, and the singular hollows in the lands,
contiguous to these, known as " kettle-holes." Of these some ac-
count will now be given.

KAMES.

There are found extensively over New England as well as in
other regions where the great ice-sheet covered the surface, ridges
of a peculiar character, which ordinarily run in a direction some-
what approximate to that of the principal striae on tlie rock sur-
faces northwest and southeast. That is to say, the general direc-
tion is this, but the variations are common, and often so like those
of a stream of water in its course as to have suggested that the
many rivers pouring over the glacial sheet during the prolonged
period of its subsidence, cutting into its surface and receiving
from it a large portion of its burden of rocky, gravelly, and sandy
material, somehow led to the formation of these singular eleva-
tions which have long excited the interest of beholders. The
view is a reasonable one, and if sucli was the origin of the kames
referred to, their general direction and sinuous course is readily

The Geology of Hingham. 59

accounted for, as currents of water on the melting glacier would
ordinarily run towards the retreating ice front.

From quite a full account of the Karnes of New England by the
Eev. G. F. Wright, published in the " Proceedings of the Boston
Society of Natural History," Vol. XXII., Part 2, there are several
mentioned which had been traced over one hundred miles. These
ridges vary in height from a few feet to nearly or quite one hun-
dred, often having very steep slopes and narrow summits. They
are composed generally of stones, gravel, and sand.

It is necessary, before proceeding further, to mention that the
term " kames" is not now so restrictively used, to signify merely the
long ridges of glacial material referred to above, but is made to
include the numerous hills and hillocks of the same character,
which are found often associated with the I'idges, especially
towards the termination of the ice-sheet, and, like them, deposited
by the melting ice during its retreat from the surface. The ma-
terial is the same and its origin the same, the only difference
consisting in the method of its deposition.

There are frequently found among the kame hills and hillocks,
and often along the sides of the ridges, deep depressions of the
surface, sometimes many acres in extent, which are known as
" kettle-holes " and of which an account will be given further
on.

Few, if any, of the towns of the State can show more interesting
mementos of the great ice period than Hingham. What with the
grand lenticular hills ; the kame ridges and kame hills ; the gla-
ciated and striated rocks ; the large bowlders dropped from the
ice and scattered here and there over the surface ; the deep
kettle-holes where masses of the ice rested, — one could scarcely
ask for more.

Besides all this, however, the Indian pot-holes of which a
description has been given may be seen by taking a short ride
to the town of Cohasset, once a part of Hingham.

KAME RIDGES OF HINGHAM.

One of the most interesting of the kame ridges of the tov/n is to
be found on the northern and northeastern borders of Accord
Pond. Where the small structures of the Hingham Water Com-
pany stand, at the margin of the pond near Whiting Street, the
ridge, which was approximately continuous, is no longer so, and
here are presented to view two transverse sections separated from
each other for a distance of 350 feet. The direction of the kame
at this place was about south-southeast, as shown by a line between
the two exposed faces. Following this southern portion, it is
found to skirt the pond in a somewhat irregular course, varying
from east to southeast, and ends just before reaching Hingham
Street in Rockland. The northerly part of the kame, commencing

60 History of Hingham.

from where it has been dug away at the line of boundary of the
land of the water company, follows a somewhat serpentine course,
first along the margin of the pond, southeast, and then in a north-
erly direction towards Whiting Street. After crossing this street
it continues in a northerly direction about 150 feet, then changing
and running westerly about 320 feet, where it terminates. The
whole length of the ridge is somewhat over five eighths of a mile.
It is well worth visiting, being a good example of a typical kame
ridge, and though generally wooded, is sufficiently open at the sum-
mit to allow of free passage to pedestrians.

Kames op Gushing Street. — Proceeding from Whiting Street
north, through Gushing Street, the range called Breakneck Hills
is at first seen at a considerable distance on the left, but these
elevations gradually approach the road, and at about half a mile
from Whiting Street terminate quite near to it. No sooner are
these passed than there looms up on the right side of the way,
in rear of a farmhouse and adjoining fields, a high and very re-
markable ridge, which is well worth ascending, not only to study
its construction, but because it affords quite an extensive view
from its summit of the Breakneck (kame) Hills and other objects.
The height of this ridge is about 80 feet, its length about 1200 feet,
and the slope from the top, especially on the west side, very steep.

A short distance north from the farmhouse mentioned, a great
kame ridge crosses the street, the transverse sections exposed by
digging the roadway through, rising high on each side. These
show the base of the ridge to be about 200 feet. Its greatest
heiglit is about 100 feet. The length is greater than that of any
other in Hingham, being about a mile. Its general course is east-
southeast and north-northwest, but it is now so closely wooded as
to make particular examination difficult. Its southerly termina-
tion is quite near Gardner Street.

Proceeding but a short distance further north on Gushing Street,
another ridge is found to cross the road, but at a different angle
from tlie first, its course being approximately northwest and south-
east. It consequently intersects the other at a point distant five
to six hundred feet from the road, and there has its termination.
In the angle between the two is a deep kettle-hole depression.
This ridge extends northwest from the road between eleven and
twelve hundred feet.

Gushing Street passes through another kame deposit, but this is
rather a hillock than a ridge, as it extends but a short distance
from the road on either side.

The Kames near Great Hill. — In passing through New Bridge
Street towards Hobart, looking to the right may be seen, on land of
Mr. F. W. Brewer, two high parallel ridges near the road, of about
equal altitude, and which coalesce with each other about 900 feet
from the street, by one of them — the most northerly — abruptly
dividing, one branch crossing to the other ridge, the first con-
tinuing beyond about 350 feet. The northerly kame crosses the

The Geology of Hingham. 61

street, and its extreme length is 1825 feet. The height of these
ridges is from 30 to 50 feet, with quite narrow summits, and hav-
ing very sloping sides. Their composition is small stones, most-
ly shingle, gravel, and sand. As seen from Great Hill, they are
striking objects to the view. A view of these is given, which also
shows in the distance, at the left, one of the beautifully rounded
summits of a drumlin, that of Baker's Hill.

A peculiarity of these kames is the fact that their direction is
from west to east, thus being nearly at right angles to all others
which have been referred to. This direction would be entirely
inconsistent with the view that the great ice front of the glacier
continued to present itself, as at an earlier period, along an un-
broken line from west to east, for if so, the rivers caused by the
melting glacier would have continued to flow south or nearly so.
Mr. Upham, ni endeavoring to account for deflection in tlie direc-
tion of some of the lenticular hills described by him, makes re-
marks which are quite applicable to the changed direction of the
kames under notice. In writing upon the retreat of the ice-sheet
in southeastern Massachusetts, he states : —

" The warmth of the ocean, however, had begun to melt away the ice-
fields which encroached upon its depths, more rapidly than they were
driven back upon the land, or in the shallow sounds south of New Eng-
land. At their further departure it seems probable that this cause
produced within the Gulf of Maine a great bay in the terminal front of
the ice-sheet, so that it entirely melted away east of Massachusetts, while
it remained in great depth upon all the territory except its southeast por-
tion. The effect of this unequal rate of retreat would be to leave the ice
upon our coast unsupported at the east side, and to cause its motion conse-
quently to be deflected towards the vacant area."

This view being taken as a correct one, it will be at once recog-
nized that the direction of the ice movement itself would be also
approximately that of the rivers that poured over it, and conse-
quently of the kames formed by the debris washed into the river-
beds from the glacier.

There is not wanting other evidence than that here suggested
to sustain the view that in eastern Massachusetts the onward
movement of the ice changed towards the close of the Glacial
Period from the normal southeast direction to one more east, as
a second series of striae are found on some of our rock exposures
attesting this.

Another remarkable system of kame ridges exists at the north-
west extremity of Hingham, extending more than 3000 feet along
the west side of Stoddard's Neck, and across Beal Street near the
bridge over Weymouth Back River, from thence southward to a
little indentation just north of Beal's Cove. These ridges run in a
general north and south direction, although winding and branch-
ing considerably south of Beal Street. On Stoddard's Neck the
heavily wooded ridge varies from 50 to 75 feet in height ; on the
west side above it is quite abrupt. South of Beal Street the steep

62 History of Hingham.

ridges are about 50 feet high. There is another low ridge on the
east side of Stoddard's Neck, and on the south side of Beal Street
are several small ridges and kame hills, besides the high serpen-
tine kames.

A kanie ridge of considerable length borders the western shore
of Fulling-Mill Pond, and another skirts its southern shore. The
first-named extended several years ago to the street line, but has
been dug away 50 or 60 feet. The direction of this kame is gen-
erally north and south, varying in some portions toward the east
and west of nortli, and its length is nearly 2000 feet. Its width
at base is some 150 feet, and its highest elevation about 50 feet.
Somewhat less than 1500 feet south from its northerly termination
another ridge runs west at a right angle from this one, for a dis-
tance of 750 feet, having an elevation of 25 feet, in places, and a
basal width of 150 feet.

Beyond these ridges, to the southward, are numerous kame hills,
so covered by forest growth as to obscure observation. Still fur-
ther away, especially east and southeast, are hills of this charac-
ter, of considerable elevation.

THE KAME HILLS AND HILLOCKS OF HINGHAM.

The range called Breakneck Hills, which crosses Whiting Street
some distance north of Gushing, and extends southwest half a
mile or more, is a great kame deposit, the material of it not differ-
ing from that of the kame ridges. The width of the range varies
somewhat, but averages perhaps 1000 feet. The average height is
about 50 feet. A very considerable depression of the surface ex-
ists along the north side of the range, followed by other approx-
imately parallel elevations, with depressions alternating for a
considerable distance, of the same general character but less
prominent.

The long range of hills lying nearly parallel with, and north of
the Old Colony Railroad, between North and East Weymouth,
though outside the limits of Hingham, may well be mentioned
here, as these hills can hardly fail to attract the attention of trav-
ellers by the railroad, as they pass within full sight of them. These
are kame elevations, and owe their origin to the great continental
glacier. The general direction of this range is west-northwest
and east-southeast.

The separate kame hills and hillocks cover a very considerable
portion of the surface, especially in the southern and western sec-
tions of the town, where they present conspicuous features in the
landscape. This is the case on the territory bordering French
Street, from Hobart to High, and on High Street west. Here may
be seen an area almost entirely covered with hills and hillocks,
having many kettle-hole depressions among tliem. The same
may be said of much of the territory bordering Main Street, from
Gushing Street to Prospect Street, and some distance beyond. The

The Geology of Hingham. 63

road indeed runs through and over hillocks of kame material until
reaching Prospect Street, where the surface becomes more level, and
»so continues until near Whiting Street.

Tlie kame elevations of Hingham are by no means limited to the
ridges and the rounded hills that cover so large a portion of its sur-
face. They indeed present themselves sometimes in extensive de-
posits that can hardly be included under the head of either. One
such is of so marked a character, and has such remarkable propor-
tions, as may make particular mention of it desirable. This is to
be found southwest from Great Hill, bordering the south side of
Hobart Street, along which it extends irregularly. It may proper-
ly be designated as table land, being of a height varying from 30
to 50 feet, and having at top a flat surface. It measures in length
•east and west about half a mile, and has a width of from 500 to
lOuO feet. Its sides are very steep, and are thickly covered with
trees. At the south side of it is a large kettle-hole, which is par-
tially embraced in the kame limits by an extension of an arm from
the main body. As a sketch of the kame, however rough, will give
a better idea of its singular contour than any description, one is
presented on the map of the town.

The country about this interesting kame is well worth the ob-
servation of those who would know of glacial phenomena in Hing-
ham. North is Great Hill, one of the large drumlins, or lenticular
hills, and south of it to High Street, and indeed far beyond, the
country is covered with kame ridges and hillocks of irregular size
and shape.

The effect upon the surface of the town by the distribution of
kame material was much greater than that caused simply by its
deposit in hills, ridges, and other elevations, for it is likely that all
these contain scarcely one half the whole quantity resting over its
area. Temporary lakes formed by barriers of ice and other mat-
ter, together with the flow of the waters, undoubtedly led to such
spread of the gravel and sand as to result in the formation of
the extensive plains that form at different levels so large a por-
tion of the territory. This was not all, for great bodies of it were
deposited in such depressions of the general surface as to choke up
the water-courses. There is no doubt in the mind of the writer
that our principal stream, that of Weir River, pursued its way in
pre-glacial times through a very different channel from that it now
follows, and instead of turning east of north as it does at Hing-
ham Centre just before reaching Leavitt Street, and finally enter-
ing the sea between World's End and Hull, it discharged itself
directly into Hingham Harbor, which then was open to the spread
of its waters but a few hundred feet from where the river takes an
eastward course as mentioned.

It is due to Prof. W. 0. Crosby to state that he suggested the
probability of this to the writer, and that subsequent examination
"by both revealed to us that an extensive kame deposit here had
caused the river, which had flowed for some distance directly
north, to make the detour mentioned.

64 History of Hingham.

KETTLE-HOLES.

Intimately connected with the kames are depressions in the
surface, sometimes of considerable depth, which have received
this name. Their origin, formerly a puzzle to students of glacial
phenomena is no longer so, as nature has been detected in the
very act of their formation. From observations of Dr. G. F.
Wright upon the glaciers of Alaska, he found that when a con-
siderable surface of a melting ice-sheet had been covered over to
any depth with earth material, rocks, pebbles, and sand, the ice
thus prevented from melting beneath remained intact, whilst all
more exposed over the field sunk away and finally disappeared.
The result of this would be to leave a great mass, sometimes of
large area, to settle as the glacier retreated from it, with enormous
weight upon the subsoil below. Here it would remain until melt-
ed, and it might require the heat of many summers to effect its
entire dissolution, protected as it would be from the sun's rays
by its earthy covering. As, however, the melting progressed, this
covering matter would necessarily slide down around its margin,
producing ridges and hillocks of material the forms of which
would be more or less modified by the running water from the
ice as it dissolved away. With the accumulated quantity of mat-
ter thus deposited, the resting-place of the ice mass w^ould be
much below the surrounding surface. After knowing the results
of Dr. Wright's investigations, it may be confidently stated that
there can be no longer any reasonable doubt concerning the origin
of these depressions.

THE PASSING AWAY OF THE ICE-SHEET.

Some suggestions respecting the kame ridges, the kame liills,
and the kettle-holes may well be presented in remarks upon the
passing away of the great ice-sheet that had for ages covered the
land. The reality of the ice spread over the whole North, where
previously for millions of years a tropical climate had prevailed ;
its increase until it hid from the sun's rays the summits of all
but the highest mountain-peaks ; its onward grand movement so
fruitful of great results, bearing as it did upon and within it the
material of the present hills and valleys ; and its final melting
away, leaving an entirely remodelled surface, — are no longer
questions for discussion. Let us therefore contemplate what the
condition of the glacier was, particularly when passing away, first
briefly referring to what was probable at an earlier date.

The question sometimes presents itself to mind why, with the
onward movement of the ice for many thousands of years, was not
all the loose material of the previously decayed rocks borne to its
termination long before the change that led to its passing away,
thus preventing its spreading over the land in its retreat such
immense quantities of material now forming the surface in this

The Geology of Hingham. 65

region, and constituting the innumerable kame hills and hillocks
that diversify the landscape.

In considering this question, it should be borne in mind that
with the gradual increase of the ice in an epoch of intense cold,
there could probably have been but little flooding of the elevated
regions, and consequently less disturbance of the loose material
than in a later age. Consideration of this may result in the view
that the glacier during the greater part of its existence had less
to do with the transportation of the kame material than when
passing away, aided as it then was by the torrents of water that
flowed over its surface and swept the hills of all movable matter,
as they emerged from the melting ice. The writer is strongly in-
clined to this view, as it will satisfactorily account for the immense
quantity of stones, gravel, and sand borne upon and deposited by
the glacier when it finally disappeared from the surface.

Now let us picture to ourselves if we can the probable state of
things over and about this town when the ice-sheet had become
reduced from possibly thousands of feet in thickness to a few
hundred, bearing upon it great quantities of transported material,
and having floods of water pouring over it and in its channels such
as the world could never before have witnessed. Let us recog-
nize, too, that its water-courses were being gorged with stones,
gravel, and sand, and that vast collections of these were protecting
great areas of the ice from the sun's rays, often causing the chan-
nels of water to deviate from their normal course in seeking new
channels. Let us note, too, that the great body of the ice itself
had by lessened continuity ceased its onward movement, and we
shall find reasons for all we see and wonder at in the marvellous
diversity of the present surface over large portions of this territory.
Where great areas of the glacier by the protecting debris were kept
intact for a long period when that about them had melted away,
there would be found ' about each such area, as before stated in
treating of the formation of kettle-holes, hills and hillocks formed
by the falling of the gravel and sand from its summit, more or
less modified by the melting ice ; and when all the ice had melted
there would remain a deep depression such as we now know as
kettle-holes. Where channels existed of any length, and these
became filled with the sand and gravel, there would be formed
ridges ; and when large areas of the ice first melted away, the
material flooded into these areas would form hills and ranges
of hills such as we now find occupying a considerable portion of
our territory.

It will be readily recognized that, though the course of the chan-
nels of the surface and in the glacier was generally the same as
that of the movement of the ice-sheet itself, and consequently
the ridges formed would be now found having a like direction, yet
when, by the clogging of the channel's unequal melting, the water
was forced to deviate, the ridges formed would present themselves
varying much from the normal direction, as they now do in regions

6Q History of Hingham.

approximating to the termination of the great ice-sheet. Some
of our ridges, notably those of Great Hill, have an east-west
direction, such as it is supposed the glacier itself had near its
closing period over eastern Massachusetts ; but others or portions
of others vary so as to be found running in every direction.

BOWLDERS.

Bowlders are found scattered over all parts of the North within
the region occupied by the ice, having been borne by it from more
northern positions than those they now occupy. With a knowl-
edge of the direction of the movement of the glacier, they can
often be traced to the locality whence they came.

A marked instance, often cited by geologists, and previously
mentioned in the preliminary remarks upon the glacial period, is
that of bowlders found south of Providence, of a character readily
recognized, being those of a porphyritic iron ore from a well-
known bed at Cumberland, R. I. They exist in the soil or upon
the surface for a distance of thirty-five miles or more in the direc-
tion mentioned, but are never found in any other. So of all
bowlders found. If of distinctive character, they are often recog-
nized as belonging to rock formations north, sometimes more
than a hundred miles distant.

They vary much in size, from cobble-stones to masses of enor-
mous magnitude, such as it is hard to realize have been trans-
ported great distances. There are none in Hingham equal in
dimensions to those found elsewhere. One of the largest ob-
served by the writer is in woods bordering Rockland Street, but
a few feet from the road upon the right side going east, not far
fi-om the foot of Old Colony Hill. It is of granite and measures
nineteen feet in length, sixteen in width, and seventeen in height
= 5,168 cubic feet. The weight of tliis must be over 430 tons.
Some large masses have become detached from the main body
and these are included in the estimate of size and weight. Large
as this bowlder is, it is small compared with one in the town of
Madison, N. H., which measures 75 X 40 X 30 feet = 90,000
cubic feet, and which consequently weighs over 7,500 tons.

Great numbers of bowlders are found together in certain locali-
ties of this town, the most notable of Avhich is that of the south-
western slope of Prospect Hill, where they cover a large portion,
of the surface.

On the northeast slope of Otis Hill are a few bowlders which
call for particular notice from the fact that they are of granite
and that no rock of this kind occurs north of the hill less than
fifteen miles distant. The ice therefore must have transported
them at least as far as that and possibly very much farther.

There is a bowlder now to be seen in what was once an exten-
sive kame hill known as Cobb's Bank, which is fast disappearing
by being dug away. The bowlder projects from the face of the cliff

The Geology of Hingham.

67

and shows the more from its color contrasting strongly with that
of the surrounding material. It is of deep-red granite. Its front
face measures about eight feet across horizontally, is six feet high,
and the upper surface from the front to the cliff which holds it is
six feet. It probably does not extend much farther back into the
gravel, as this slopes from the rear to the front so as to give it
support without such extension. As bowlders of this size are
very rarely found in kame deposits, it has much interested geolo-
gists. See Figure No. 6.

Figure No. 6.

One of the most interesting bowlders to visit in this neighbor-
hood, though just beyond the town limits, may well be mentioned
here. It is to be found on the left side of Derby Street, a short
distance from the line that divides South Weymouth from Hing-
ham. It is upon a high rock declivity where it was deposited by
the ice many thousands of years ago, and where it will remain as

68

History of Hingham.

many thousands more in all probability, unless vandal hands of
man shall disturb its long repose. See Figure No. 7.

^kii£i£-&Lu^tii

Figure No. 7.

At Huit's Cove, on land formerly belonging to General Benja-
min Lincoln, is a large bowlder of conglomerate, somewhat rec-
tangular in form, which is about fifteen feet long, eight feet wide,
and ten feet high. A measurement around its sides and ends,
gave a circumference of about 48 feet.

RECENT PERIOD.

Little can be said of the immediate effect of the great change
that ushered in the earlier era of this period, a change arising, so
far as can be now known, by the re-elevation of the land from the
Arctic Circle south to about the latitude of Northern Massachu-
setts. This rise of the land has been before mentioned, and fig-
ures showing the degree of elevation at various points have been
given. Tlie magnitude of this was such as to have produced un-
doubtedly a much colder climate over the country even far south
of New England, and to this was probably due the destruction of
the huge animals that had for ages roamed over the Continent
from its most southern limits to the Arctic region.

In Europe two eras of this period have been recognized, — the
first characterized by a second advance of the Glacial sheet.

The Geology of Hingham. 69

which led many Arctic species of animals to extend themselves
south to the Mediterranean, among them the reindeer, and this
era has hence been called the Reindeer Era, while the latter part
of the period has been called the Modern Era.

As there has been no evidence produced showing; a second ad-
vance of the Glacier in America such distinction docs not apply
here. We will embrace therefore what is further to be said under
the headina; of the Modern Era.

MODERN ERA.

Before limiting remarks to what appertains alone to the terri-
tory of Hingham, it may be well to express a few words here upon
changes of the era that have occurred in other regions, and which
are of general interest.

Among such changes may be instanced those that have taken
place by elevation and depression of the earth's surface. It has
been demonstrated by investigations made for the government of
Sweden that the coasts of that country and of Finland have been
slowly rising for the past one or two centuries. On the other
hand, as is well known, a slow subsidence h.as been going on in
Greenland during the past four centuries, for hundreds of miles
along the coast, where in places the buildings of the early inhabi-
tants have been found submerged.

The Geologist of New Jersey, Mr. G. H. Cook, became satisfied
from his investigations that a slow depression of the surface along
the coasts of that State, and also along the coasts of Long Island
and Martha's Vineyard, had been in progress since the occupation
of the country by the white man.

An immense subsidence has been taking place over a large area
of the Pacific Ocean which has carried beneath the waves hun-
dreds of islands to the depth of thousands of feet. These in-
stances are only given as indications of changes that are occurring
extensively over perhaps a large portion of the globe.

The extinction of species of life has been going on during this
era as in earlier periods, accelerated undoubtedly by the agency
of man. The cases of tlie Dodo and of the Solitaire in the islands
of the Indian Ocean, of the Dinornis of New Zealand, of the
-^pyornis of Madagascar, and of the Great Auk of the North Sea,
and of the coasts of Labrador, Maine, and Massachusetts, may be
cited among birds.

A noted instance of destruction tending fast to extinction is
that of the noble animal of the western wilds, the Bison. At the
time of the settlement of the country by the white man, immense
herds roamed over territory extending from Mexico far north into
British America, and from the Rocky Mountains east to the At-
lantic, nearly or quite all of which have been annihilated, not so
much by the reasonable requirements of civilization as by the

70 History of Hingham.

brutality of such as find sport in wanton slaughter of their unre-
sisting victims, that they may boast of the numbers slain by their
skill and prowess.

Of vegetable species, some of the noblest are doomed to destruc-
tion through the cupidity and recklessness of man. Of the early
extinction of that giant of the California forests, the Sequoia, or
Redwood, Dr. Asa Gray expressed himself as certain.

We will now dwell upon the phenomena of the Modern Era of
the Recent Period as presented in Hingham. At its advent vegeta-
ble and animal life had spread over the surface, and the land was
again undoubtedly clothed with -verdure. In the low and swampy
grounds peat-producing plants had extended themselves, while
upon all the higher elevations shrubs and trees had sprung up
and covered the earth with dense forests, under the shadow of
which the gentle deer and other herbivorous species found suste-
nance and safe retreats, and where, too, carnivorous beasts, the
bear, the wolf, and others sought their prey.

Notwithstanding the fact stated that since the re-elevation of
the land that ushered in the Recent Period, it has remained very
nearly stationary, yet there is much to show cliange, — mostly,
however, caused by irruption of the sea and consequent destruction
of barriers that protected the land from the waters. Within the
memory of the writer a considerable body of peaty matter, sev-
eral feet in thickness, rested upon the land below high-water
mark in Huit's Cove, which of course was formed there when its
whole area was an inland swamp.

Many Hingham people will remember the peat swamp cut
through between Weir River V' illagc and Hull Street when Rock-
land Street was laid out and made, and particularly the huge
trunks of trees that were found in the peat, some of which may
yet be seen along the margin of the road. This whole territory
had long been inundated with salt water at high tide, but it needs
no argument to show that this could not have been so when the
locality was congenial for the growth and development of the
plants that formed the peat and the trees that flourished there.

It would be interesting to fix the time when man first appeared
in this locality, but this can never be known. It may be sur-
mised, however, that it was not long after the commencement of
the Modern Era, as he certainly existed upon the continent, and
primitive man naturally made his home on the borders of rivers
and about the inlets of the ocean, because of the nutriment easily
obtained from the waters for his subsistence.

The most that can be learned concerning the earliest inhabi-
tants of the territory of Hingham, must be from the relics found
in their graves, and from the tools and implements they used,
found scattered in the soil, or in shell heaps about their habi-
tations. So far as these have been examined there is no evidence
of the existence of any race preceding the one found here when
the white man first appeared.

The Geology of Hingham.. 71

Some account of investigations made to learn more than was
known of the Indians of Hingham, and some mention of chance
discoveries yielding information concerning the animals that were
contemporary witli them, will now be given.

REMAINS OF AN EARLY PERIOD FOUND IN
HINGHAM.

In a shell heap on World's End there were found several years
since by Professor Spencer F. Baird, Dr. Thomas M. Brewer, Mr.
Francis W. Brewer, and others, bones of the

Goose Fish, — Lophius piscntorius, Linn.,
Cod-, — Gadus callarius, Linn.,

with many of unknown lishes.
Birds belonging to several species, large and small, but not recogniz-
able.
Deer, — Cariacus vii-ginianus (Bodd), Gray-
Foxes, — V'iilpes vulgaris, pennsylvanicus (Bodd), Coues.
Otter, — Littra canadensis, Turton.
Red Squiri'el, teeth of, — Sci?irus hudsonius, Pallas.
Beaver, teeth of, — Castor Jiber, camidensis (Linn.). Allen.

Besides the bones, there were several pieces of pottery orna-
mented by dots and lines.

One deer bone was finely pointed apparently for use as an awl.
The most of these relics were found on beds of charcoal.

As the Indian went no farther for food than he could help, it
may reasonably be inferred that the animals whose bones are men-
tioned were found in the immediate neighborhood.

In 1868 Professor Spencer F. Baird, Professor Jeffries Wyman,
Mr. Fearing Burr, Dr. Thomas M. Brewer, and others, including
the writer, joined in a party for the purpose of exploration at a
known burial-place of the aborigines on the slope of Atlantic
Hill near Nantasket Beach. The hill had been much dug away
for roadways, and bones had been frequently found there with
other relics, such as broken pottery, axes, chisels, etc.

From what had been obtained by previous parties, and from
what little was procured by the persons above-mentioned, it was
manifest that the burials were comparatively recent. The best
evidence that the locality was used as a place of sepulture since
the advent of the white man, was the fact that among undoubted
specimens of aboriginal art were quite as undoubted specimens of
the skill of the European, notably in fragments of brass imple-
ments such as kettles or pans. Wishing if possible to examine a
burial-field where evidence of greater antiquity would be conclu-
sive, the party proceeded to the slo]je of a declivity, facing south
towards Weir River Bay, where numerous circular depressions on

72 History of Hingham.

the surface indicated the ancient graves of the Indian. The
writer will confess to a feeling somewhat repulsive as we com-
menced digging open the resting-places of the dead and exposing
their remains to the rude gaze of the alien race that had sup-
planted them in the land they loved. This feeling did not how-
ever last long, after finding that there were but few human remains
to be disturbed ; for nearly all tliat had composed their corporeal
forms in life, the flesh, the sinews, and the bones, had alike been,
for a long period perhaps, resolved into their original elements,
leaving but few traces behind. There was not found in the first
grave opened a single relic of humanity. Much more care was
taken in opening the second, the earth being very thinly scraped
away as excavation was made downwards, every ounce being
closely examined.

In this one, strange to say, a part of the occiput of a skull was
soon disinterred, which, however, was t )0 far gone for preserva-
tion, and some inches below, teeth of the body that had been
placed here ; but not another bone or part of a bone of the whole
skeleton. All had disappeared. The burial posture of the dead
had been a sitting one, as shown by the fact that at a proper dis-
tance from the surface there was found a collection of shells, all
of whicli had been undoubtedly placed about the person in the
posture stated.

The investigators had indeed come upon the resting-place, with-
out doubt, of such as had lived and died before, and perhaps long
before, the foot of tlie white man impressed itself upon the soil.

In swampy land Ijrought under cultivation by Mr. John R. Brewer
on the margin of Weir River a pair of deer's antlers and several
rib bones were dug up. The corrugation on the antlers and the
basal ring is perfect; the antlers measure in circumference 2|
inches, and though the tips and prongs are broken off, their
length on the outside curve is 11 inches.

At another locality on Mr. Brewer's land not far from the foot
of Martin's Lane, there was dug from low meadow-land, formerly
a swamp, a pair of antlers attached to a part of the skull.

A pine cone and several stone implements were found in the
same ground not far distant.

The writer has thought it well to state what little he has con-
cerning the North American Indian in Hingham, confining himself
simply to tlie fact of his existence upon these shores in the modern
era, at a somewhat remote period before the occupancy of the
white man, and incidentally mentioning some of the implements
used by him in obtaining sustenance, as well as some of the ani-
mals that were contemporary with him. What else relates to him,
his life in war and in peace, what his association with our fathers,
and through what causes he disappeared from the land, — all this
belongs to the historian of human events, and it is hoped that he
will be able to glean from records of the past much that yet re-
mains unknown.

The Geology of H'mgham. 73

Let us emphasize to our minds some of the changes in the
past that we may the more readily appreciate their surprising
chai-acter.

Those who have folloM^ed the writer in his attempt to portray
past events in the history of this locality have been led to contem-
plate it, at first, only as an undistinguished part of a molten globe
wheeling with immense velocity through space about its parent
sun, and gradually through countless ages cooling and tending to-
wards consolidation.

A second view, millions of years Later, though immensely remote
in the past from our own period, presents a very different scene.
The earth has become incrusted and the land and the waters di-
vided ; the atmosphere is hot and murky by exhalations from the
surface ; and corrosive rains descend upon the primeval rocks, dis-
integrating their substance and washing it into the waters, where
it is forming the first sedimentary strata of the ])lanet.

There is no life discernible, for conditions favorable to life do
not exist on the gradually developing world.

The third striking view in the order of events 'long after pre-
sents the dry land of our territory limited to the area where now
are found the granitic rocks, and this land borders waters of an
extensive basin, in which is being slowly deposited the sediment
of rivers, and upon this sediment, which is of clayey matter may be
seen moving forms of life ; for the Period is the Primordial, and
trilobites abound in great numbers along the coast margin in its
shallow waters.

The next view is yet more striking ; for the whole surface of the
land bordering the basins along the coast of the territory now of
Hingham and Nantasket is disturbed by violent igneous action, and
volcanoes in active operation are pouring from their craters vast
floods of lava over large areas of the surface.

Many, very many millions of years more elapse before another
glimpse is vouchsafed of this locality. Its characteristics are not
distinctly seen, but by a clear view of the landscape of the neigh-
borhood and over a vast portion of the land, we recognize that
they could not differ from those of the other regions. It is in the
great Carboniferous Period, and tropical heat prevails even to the
Arctic. The air is heavy with carbon, and gigantic trees and
other plants, of a character now known only in the Torrid Zone,
grow profusely over the surface.

The next view presented is the marvellous one that has been
dwelt upon, that of ice covering not only this territory but extend-
ing from the Arctic Circle, far south and east, into the waters of the
Atlantic, there dropping off icebergs as is now the case from the
margins of the great ice-sheet of Greenland.

We take another and a last retrospective view of the locality
destined to be our abode. It is in the early part of the present
era. Vearetable and animal life have again spread over the ter-
ritory. The Indian roams in the forests hunting deer and other

74 History of Hingham.

animals, and he fishes from his bark canoe in the same waters
where are now found the boat and the rod of the white man.

A panorama truly of wonderful scenes, such as well may stagger
belief in minds not accustomed to geological research, but which
in the main can be as satisfactorily demonstrated as any events in
human progress.

If such contemplations incline us to dwell upon the insignifi-
cance of Man, we have only to turn our thoughts to his great
achievements to be astonished by their grandeur. Compared with
the universe of matter, he is indeed, physically, but as a grain
of sand, or a mote in the sunbeam, to a revolving world ; but as
an intellectual and conscious being, he is more than all the mate-
rial universe, in the great creation of God. Atom as he is on
the earth he inhabits, time and space alike yield to him secrets
unrevealed, so far as known, to other created intelligence.

He turns over the strata of the earth as leaves of a book ;
reads the record of thousands and millions of years, and the his-
tory of the world he stands on is known to him. He directs his
thoughts to the distant spheres in the infinitude of space, he weighs
them as in a balance, he measures them, and their weight and size
are alike revealed to him. He even asks of them their composi-
tion, and lo ! they answer in letters of light on an instrument of
his handiwork. He studies their motions and the velocities of
their movements, and predicts with unerring certainty where in
the canopy of the heavens they will be found long after his own
mortal being shall have crumbled to dust. Well may he exclaim :
" Thou hast indeed made man but little lower than the angels.
Feeble and weak though he be, yet as the creature of Thy hand,
endowed with power to comprehend something of Thy works, by
no means to be despised."

MINERALOGY.

BY THOMAS T. BOUVE.

In view of erroneous ideas prevalent in the minds of many, a
few remarks of a general character concerning minerals may not
be out of place.

It should be understood that mineral bodies are not limited to
those of a stony nature, but that they embrace everything of an
inorganic character that is found within or at the surface of the
earth. This definition therefore includes not only all Rocks,
Pebbles, Sands, and Clays, but even Water, and the Gases that
form the atmosphere. Temperature alone determines the condi-
tion of inorganic bodies so far as relates to their being Solid, Liq-
uid, or Gaseous ; and at a low degree Ice is as much a rock as is
Granite or any other solid earthy material. Raise the tempera-
ture enough and all matter becomes Liquid or Gaseous. No one
but admits Quicksilver to be a metal because at the ordinary
temperature of the atmosphere it remains a fluid.

Not an uncommon thing is it to meet persons who think that
stones grow like organized beings ; and often this view is supposed
by them to be fully demonstrated by the statement that after plow-
ing a field and picking out, as they believe, about all the stones
in the soil, they find quite as many as they first did when again
plowing the same field a few years later. It is difficult sometimes
to convince such persons that they are wrong. Of course there is
no such thing as inward development of a stone, as is the case
with organic life, and there is no possibility of a pebble or other
rock mass in the soil adding one atom to its substance. There is
often enlargement, where a rock is forming by accretion, as when
hot waters containing carbonate of lime deposit it on that already
formed, or when mountain rivulets that have taken up iron from
decomposing rocks in their course, deposit this from time to time
as a bog ore in marshy grounds. So in caverns, waters saturated
with carbonate of lime dripping into them from above, form
stalactites and stalagmites, slowly constructing the beautiful
columns that are seen in the Mammoth, the Luray, and many other
caves of our country.

76 History of Hingham.

In all these cases it may in a sense be called growth, but there
is no relation between it and the growth of animals and plants.
It is increase by additions to the surface.

Thus far mineral bodies have been mentioned. The rocks of the
earth are generally composed of aggregations of minerals, as
Granite, of Quartz, Orthoclase, and Mica ; and Diorite, of Oligoclase
and Hornblende.

Let us now consider briefly what a mineral species is.

A mineral is a homogeneous, inorganic substance, either simple
in containing but one element, as Sulpliur, Carbon, Gold, Iron,
Copper, Quicksilver, and the other native metals, or a compound
of elements which have been united by laws as immutable as those
that govern the motions of the planets, or any others that act in
the universe. To recognize this clearly is to awaken an interest
in inorganic matter that tends to enlarge one's conceptions of the
whole material world. The writer will refer to one or two mineral
bodies as illustrations of the law of combinations.

Quartz is a compound of two elements, Silicon and Oxygen,
iniited in the proportion of three atoms of Oxygen to one of Sili-
con, and these proportions never vary. The resultant substance,
Quartz, or pure Silica, can and does unite as an acid with very
many bases, which in relation to it act as alkalies, forming the
greater portion of all known minerals ; and these unions are
always governed by the law of definite proportions.

Take Carbon. This appears as a native mineral in the Dia-
mond ; but it appears also combined with Oxygen, forming Car-
bonic Acid, in the proportion of one atom of Carbon to two of
Oxygen. This Carbonic Acid, in its turn, unites with a large
number of basic substances, forming carbonates of Iron, Copper,
and very many others, always in definite proportions. Nothing
more can be said here of the chemical unions by which minerals
are produced ; but something must be added relative to the law
of crystallization, by which particles of the mineral as formed are
drawn together, and led to arrange themselves in crystals such
as we see in nature. No one can behold these beautiful objects
without admiration, and this is greatly increased in those who
know something of the forces whicli lead to their development.
Crystals of the mineral species have been rightly characterized
as the flowers of the inorganic world. To have some idea of their
formation, let the reader's mind consider the phenomena attend-
ing the cooling of a hot saturated solution of any salt. As the
water loses its heat, the particles of salt, in forming, will at once
by attraction be drawn together, and the molecules will arrange
themselves by the law of crystallization in well-defined forms, —
if common salt, in cubes ; if alum, in octahedrons. If the water
contains several salts, one will be found generally to have a ten-
dency to crystallize before the others, and may be thus formed
about any substance placed in the solution ; and subsequently crys-

Mineralogy. 77

tals of the others will form upon the first and adhere to it, and
these in turn will have others added to them.

Let us now consider what has been going on in nature. Fis-
sures have been formed, by earthquake action or otherwise, extend-
ing upwards through the rocky strata ; and the hot waters of
thermal springs, holding in solution mineral elements dissolved
from the rocks in deep recesses of the earth, have risen upwards,
and losing more or less of their heat as they passed through the
colder rocks towards the surface, have deposited minerals upon
the walls, one species often succeeding anothei". Thus were de-
posited the magnificent crystallizations of Quartz, Fluor Spar,
Galena, Carbonate of Lime, and other species from Cumberland and
Derbyshire in Great Britain, specimens of which may be seen in
the Hingham Public Library.

Minerals are not only found to have been produced in liquid
solutions containing their elements, but they are also produced
whenever a molten condition of matter allows of the free move-
ment of its particles ; consequently the elements of an igneous
rock, as they cool in coming to the surface, will tend to aggre-
gate themselves according to their chemical affinities, and to
arrange themselves in crystals ; but the cooling being generally too
rapid for this, we have, as in granite, only an aggregation of im-
perfect crystals.

With these very general remarks upon minerals, intended only
as a very partial presentation of the matter, the writer will call
attention to the few that are found in Hingham. The larger
portion of these have been already mentioned in the Geology
of the town as constituents of the rocks, namely. Quartz, Mica,
Hornblende, Augite, Orthoclase, and Oligoclase.

Quartz may be otherwise referred to than as a component part
of a rock, as it appears forming veins in every part of the town ;
and in cavities of these veins have been found some beautiful but
small crystals of Amethyst, which is a variety of Quartz.

Jasper, another variety of the same mineral species, is found
at Rocky Neck, as stated in the Geology of that locality.

Other minerals, not of the Quartz family, are —

Pyrite (Sulphide of L'on), which often appears in small cubic
crystals in the Trap rocks.

Chalcopyrite (Sulphide of Copper), which has been found dis-
seminated in a vein of Quartz.

Molybdenite (Sulphide of Molybdenum), observed in small scales
in granite blasted from a ledge on the line of the Nantasket Rail-
road, near Weir River.

Epidote, often found at and near the junction of Trap with
Granite, sometimes exhibiting slight crystallization. It also
occurs, of an impure character, in veins at Rocky Neck.

Calcite (Carbonate of Lime), found in digging a ditch on the
line of and near Burton's Lane, where some rock was blasted

78 History of Hingham.

below the surface having veins of Calcite. Specimens may be
seen in the Geological Collection of the Public Library. One of
them is a good example of vein structure. The rock is a decom-
posed Diabase. Calcite is also found as pebbles in the Conglom-
erate rock of Huit's Cove.

Limonite (Bog Iron Ore), which has been dug up in consider-
able masses from the low land of Mr. Francis W. Brewer, near
Great Hill. Specimens of this may be seen in the collection of
the Public Library.

It may be confidently stated that there are no indications of
mineral deposits in any part of the town that would justify
exploration.

NOTES ON ANIMAL LIFE.

BY THOMAS T. BOUVE.

There was in the minds of many people o'f the town a desire
that not only its geology and botany should be presented in the
proposed history, but that an account of its animal life should be
given. The full accomplishment of such an undertaking would
have required the labor of a large corps of naturalists many years,
and the expense would have been enormous. To do this was
therefore impracticable.

Inasmuch, however, as considerable changes have been going on
in the fauna of the territory within the present century, and more
may be expected in the future, the writer, to meet the probable
wishes of the living as well as those of future generations who
may seek to know what forms of life have been and passed away,
has thought it desirable to mention a few that were contemporary
with the inhabitants of the town in a past period and are not now
to be found, or which were common and are now seldom seen.
The rare visits of some species never resident here will also be
alluded to.

So far as relates to marine life a few general remarks may not
be superfluous before referring to any species that live or have
lived in the waters of the harbor.

The encircling arm of Hull as it stretches itself far out in the
ocean from the main land, shelters the harbor of the town from
the heavy seas that often prevail outside that barrier, and thus
exerts a considerable influence upon its fauna and flora, inasmuch
as many forms of life, both animal and vegetable, which naturally
exist in the sands and upon the exposed rocks of the open sea,
find no home in the more placid waters within. While this influ-
ence is generally of a character to lessen the number of species
of invertebrate animals and of marine plants found on the shores
of the town, it may also be said that some few are protected that
would perish if exposed to the full action of the storms that strike
the outer coast. The results are that very few of the moUusks
which strew the beach at Nantasket after a storm have ever been
found within the limits of the harbor of Hingham. On the other

80 History of Hingham.

hand, without the sheltering protection of the headlands of the
harbor on the east, the common clam, which has been of inesti-
mable value alike to savage and civilized man, would have been
comparatively unknown. This and other species of the lower
forms of life will be more particularly referred to after mention-
ing some of the higher that are or have been known in the
harbor.

Animals living in the water will first be mentioned.

MAMMALS.

Perhaps it may surprise many who read these pages to learn
that among the visitors to the harbor which have within quite
recent periods entered it, may be included at least three species
of the highly organized type of the mammalia, and particularly
to be informed that one of these was of that family now so rarely
seen west of Cape Cod, the Whale. Yet not many years since,
within the memory of the living, one of these huge monsters of
the deep, after amusing himself for a day or two just outside the
boundaiy limits of the town, and around Bunkin Island, actually
proceeded to enter and to pursue his way up the circuitous chan-
nel. No soonel" was this observed than a body of hardy citizens,
duly prepared for encounter and inspired by a love of adventure,
possibly by a desire for spoil, boldly but cautiously, as may well
be surmised, ventured to go down the channel and approach him.
Appreciating intuitively, no doubt, if he did not fully understand,
the maxim of Shakspeare " that the better part of valor is dis-
cretion," the whale quietly turned and went to sea.

Another species of the mammalia and one quite common in
Massachusetts Bay, the Porpoise, used formerly to frequently
enter the harbor and sport in its waters. The effect of steam
navigation has led to such visitations becoming rare. The writer
has seen from the Hingham steamboat, some fifty years since, on
the passage to Boston, a great number of these animals crossing
and recrossing before the bows of the vessel, apparently in sport,
and this pastime was continued for a considerable time.

The third and last of the three marine mammals referred to as
entering our harbor is the Seal, an animal of such highly sensitive
organism and superior intelligence as to call for particular notice,
especially as many reside with us during all but the severe winter
months. They are observed with great interest by the thousands
of passengers who pass in the steamers through the islands of the
town, resting upon the rocky shores in full confidence that they
will not be harmed. When unmolested they will repose them-
selves not far distant from man, and will not move except upon
his quite near approach.

Taken in captivity they become, like a dog, quite attached to
those about them, and will not willingly be parted from them.

Notes on Animal Life. 81

Kept as pets for a time, individuals have become so fond of per-
sons about them as to manifest great uneasiness upon being re-
stored to their native element, and have been known to work
themselves over a considerable surface of land in order to re-
join their captors. A vessel on which was a captured young seal
has been known to be followed a great distance by the frantic
mother, suffering from the loss of her offspring. Surely, animals
with affection and sensibility quite equalling man's, and having
the great intelligence which they are known to possess, merit
and should receive all the protection which has been accorded
to those of their number who have trusted themselves to the
hospitality of the neighborhood.

FISHES.

The (ishes of Massachusetts Bay have been admirably described
and beautifully illustrated by Dr. D. Humphreys Storer in his " His-
tory of the Fishes of Massachusetts." It is reasonable to suppose
that individuals of very many of the species sometimes enter the
harbor. Indeed one of the citizens, Mr. Charles B. Barnes, who
has fished in its waters as much perhaps as any one living, and
the accuracy of whose observations can be relied upon, has recog-
nized a very large number of fish that have been caught by him
and others within the limits of Hingham through the descriptions
■given in that work.

A few words concerning the Smelt, that the future inhabitants
of the town may know how greatly their predecessors were blessed
by the abundance of this delicious fisli. The number caught by
hook and line in the harbor is very large, supplying the tables of
most of the inhabitants in the fall months, and furnishing great
quantities for the Boston market. During the right season numer-
ous boats are always to be seen with parties engaged in fishing,
while on the wharf margins, rows of men and boys may be ob-
served intent upon drawing in the coveted prey. No idea can be
given of the number taken during a season.

MOLLUSKS.

The Mollusks of the harbor are few in species, but fortunately
for the town, the most highly prized member of them all, the
Common Clam {M//a arenaria, L.), is exceedingly abundant. There
can be no doubt, judging by the clam-shell heaps near the shores,
that this species contributed largely towards the sustenance of the
Indian when he alone occupied the territory ; and if in the present
period it is not so absolutely necessary to sustain the life of the
white man, it yet affords a luxurious repast for his table, and fur-
nishes the material for hundreds of clam-bakes for the summer
parties that daily visit the watering places. The number taken along

VOL. I. 6

82 History of Hincjham.

the beaches of our coast, including those of the islands, is enor-
mous, and has been estimated at upward of a thousand bushels
during a season.

The Razor Fish is mentioned because of its great rarity and the
likelihood of its not being much longer found within the harbor.
A fine specimen discovered near the shore was recently presented
to the writer by Mr. F. W. Brewer.

One other species will be mentioned because formerly found
along the shores, although now no longer so, having become ex-
tinct within the territory of the town. This is the Scallop Shell
{Pecten concentricus, Say.). The fact of the shells of this species
being objects of beauty has undoubtedly led to the animals being
taken wherever found by the clam-diggers, and as they have an-
nually turned over almost every foot of the muddy coast, the ex-
termination of the scallop shell has followed.

CRUSTACEA.

The Crustacea of the harbor until within a few years included
the Lobster, but it is now doubtful if any are to be found within
its limits. The Common Crab, the Fiddler Crab, the Hermit
Crab, and the species known to all visitors to the shores as the
Horse Shoe are not uncommon. That most valuable bait for
smelt and other fish, the Shrimp, is found in the shallow pools.

To the above brief notes upon some of the forms of life observed
in the waters of the town a few will now be given upon species
found upon the land.

MAMMALS.

By the bones found in the peat-bogs of the town we know that
the Deer was an inhabitant in an early period. How late he
remained such is unknown. As where these animals exist Wolves
always hover about, it is fair to presume that they also found here
an abode. It is certain that Beaver were once numerous along
the streams, and there is no reason to doubt that the Bear like-
wise found a congenial home in the territory. These have prob-
ably passed away never to return. There are, however, some
wild species of the mammalia, that were common in more re-
cent years, and which after apparently becoming extinct have
reappeared, sometimes in considerable numbers. Such has been
the case with the Raccoon. This animal, commonly called the
Coon, has at times suddenly manifested its presence in locali-
ties of the town by depredations where it had not been known for
many years.

In 1882 Mr. Jacob Corthell, on Leavitt Street, lost many chick-
ens undoubtedly by this animal, as about the same time four

Notes on Animal Life. 83

young coons were treed by his dog, and the parent subsequently
shot. Two of the young were kept a year after.

Mr, Cliarles B. Barnes, to whom the writer is indebted for much
information concerning wild animals of the land as well as of
fishes, says that when young he trapped a coon in the woods
between Old Colony Hill and Weir River, and shot the mate in a
high tree near.

In the winter of 1885-86 coons appeared in considerable num-
bers, and many were killed, especially in Hingham Centre. One
was trapped near the house of the writer in the following spring.

Mr. Israel Whitcomb, who is a good observer, and much inter-
ested in the animal life of the town, states that raccoons are
by no means so rare in the woods between Hingham Centre and
Cohasset as generally supposed. He has known more than twenty
to be killed in a single season.

Foxes were quite numerous half a century ago. Large parties
of hunters with dogs were accustomed once or twice a year to
scour the woods in the lower part of the town and drive them
toward and beyond Planters' Hill across the bar that connects
World's End with it, when, escape being cut off, they were readily
killed.

Mr. Francis W. Brewer informs the writer that in the spring
of 1882 a fox had a hole in a meadow near his father's house, in
wliich were its young.

There are yet undoubtedly many foxes living in the woods of
the eastern and southern sections of the town.

The Mink, a pest of the poultry-yard, is unfortunately quite com-
mon, and often manifests its destructive propensities to the great
annoyance of and considerable cost to the farmer. In the summer
of 1882 five hens were killed in one night in a hen-house on Mr.
John R. Brewer's estate, Martin's Lane, by minks, one of which
was trapped the following night, and another shot a few days
afterwards.

Mr. Israel Whitcomb, of Union Street, also lost during a night
of the last season a considerable number of chickens by a visita.-
tion of tliis animal.

The Weasel is another blood-thirsty visitor of the poultry-yard,
but is comparatively much more rare than the Mink.

The Otter, now extinct in the town, has not been so more than
half a century. Mr. Charles B. Barnes remembers one that years ago
frequented the swamp, not far from his home on Summer Street
during a season, and he has known of others being seen in
Hingham.

84 History of Hingham.

The Musk-Rat is yet common in the town, and is found along
slow-running streams. Many are yearly trapped in the vicinity of
Weir River.

Rabbits are yet frequently met with in the wooded parts of the
town, but are less numerous than formerly.

Of the squirrel tribe the little striped one known as the Chip-
munk, and the Red Squirrel are very common, the former
sometimes being so numerous as to become troublesome. One
season, when exceedingly abundant on the farm of the writer,
they acquired the habit of burrowing holes in ripe fruit such as
melons and pears, to obtain the seeds.

The Red Squirrel is often quite mischievous. Mr. F. W. Brewer
mentions that one caused constant vexation during a whole sea-
son to a large Newfoundland dog, by descending from trees at
every favorable opportunity, and stealing his food. Like the gray
squirrel, the red will sometimes rob birds' nests of the eggs and
the young.

The Gray Squirrel is often seen in the autumn months grace-
fully floating, as it were, from tree to tree as he passes through
the forest.

The little Flying Squirrel probably yet exists in Hingham,
though none have been reported as seen for several years.

BIRDS.

Of birds nothing will be said respecting those that are well
known, and usually during a part of the year find a home in the
town. Upon some species formerly abundant and now but occa-
sionally seen, and upon the visitation of others rarely found in
the region, a few remarks may be interesting.

It is but a few years since there existed in the woods of the
low, swampy ground between Old Colony Hill and Weir River an
extensive heronry. When first known to the writer the nests of
the birds might be seen upon almost every tall tree, high in the
air over acres of ground. The species was the Night Heron.

When the forest was cut through that Rockland Street might
be laid out, the colony that had perhaps existed there for hun-
dreds of years was disturbed, but not broken up. Attachment to
the locality, notwithstanding its exposure to increasing annoyance
from gunners and others, kept the birds there for years after, but
they finally departed in a body and were seen no more. There
are undoubtedly some inhabiting the town, as they are heard
uttering the peculiar sound that has led to the common name
given them of Qua-birds, when flying at the approach of night
towards the shores to obtain their accustomed food.

Of several species of birds now becoming more and more rare,
Mr. P. W. Brewer has expressed much in a communication to the

Notes on Animal Life. SB

writer which is of interest. He states that the Great Blue Heron
used formerly to visit tlie fiats of the harbor, but that he has not
seen one for several years, and that the Green Heron, which was
often observed there, now appears but seldom. He further stated
that this last mentioned bird used to nest in Jacob Loud's woods,
and that in 1883 a nest was found back of Mr. Keeshan's house
near the foot of Pear-tree hill.

After a violent and long-continued northeast storm in the spring
of 1872 a considerable number of Little Auks were driven upon
the coast by the severity of the gale. All of them seemed ex-
hausted, and they could easily be knocked down with a stick.

Mr. W. S. Brewer saw them singly and in small flocks of five
or six. Several were picked up at different localities dead or in a
■dying condition. The same gentleman saw two at the edge of the
water on Nantasket Beach in 1886, and procured one of them.
Thus it appears that this interesting bird may be expected to
appear at times on our shores after severe gales from the ocean.

The Wild Pigeon, formerly a visitor in large flocks, is now sel-
dom seen. A pair came into the hen-yard on Mr. J. R. Brewer's
farm about four years ago, and not far from that time a small
number were seen upon a tree on Summer Street.

The Carolina Pigeon, or Turtle-Dove, is rarely met with in
Massachusetts, but it has been seen in Hingham at least twice
within two or three years, once by Mr. Israel Whitcomb in the
southern part of the town, and once by Mr. W. S. Brewer, near
Martin's Lane.

As in the case of the Turtle-Dove, the Lidigo Bird, though ex-
ceedingly rare, has been seen within a year or two both by Mr.
Israel Whitcomb in the southern part of the town, and bj Mr.
W. S. Brewer at Martin's Well.

The last bird to be noticed is the Scarlet Tanager. Though
rarely seen, this very beautiful species unquestionably nests and
breeds every year in Hingham. Choosing generally its abode in
some deep forest away from the habitations of man, it is but
seldom exposed to observation, as its shyness makes it cautious
when visitors approach its precincts. There is exception to this
when the young first leave the nest. The male then seems to
lose all fear for himself in his solicitude to protect and to supply
food for the young, which he does with the utmost assiduity. On
this point the writer will quote some remarks from Nuttall, the
celebrated ornithologist : ■ —

" So attached to his new interesting brood is the Scarlet Tana-
ger that he has been known at all hazards to follow for half a

86 History of Hingham.

mile one of his young, submitting to feed it attentively through
the bars of a cage, and with a devotion which despair could not
damp, roost by it in the branches of the same tree with its prison.
So strong, indeed, is this innate and heroic feeling that life itself
is less cherished than the desire of aiding and supporting his
endearing progeny."

As most of our birds are known to suffer intensely in being
deprived of their young, it would seem that the recital of such a
case as that given should lead to a feeling of more interest than
is always manifested in protecting our native species from cruel
molestation.

It is pleasant to add that in the instance mentioned, of the
young Tanager followed and tended by the courageous parent, the
heart of the person having it in charge was so moved by the ex-
hibition of parental devotion, that the cage was opened after four
days, and the young set free. Happily reunited, parent and off-
spring flew into the deep woods.

The Tanager in some rare instances has been known to build
its nest near the residence of man, wlien this has stood near the
border of a forest.

The body of the male is scarlet-red, and the wings and tail are
black in the pairing season. In the autumn he becomes, like the
female and young, of a dull green color.

The Tanager is but for a short time a resident in the North,
arriving about the middle of May, and leaving for his tropical
home very early in August.

THE BOTANY OF HINGHAM.

BY THOMAS T. BOUVE.

PRELIMINARY REMARKS.

In presenting to the public an account of the plants of Hing-
ham, the writer desires to express his great indebtedness to sev-
eral persons, without whose aid the work of collecting specimens
and identifying them could not have been accomplished in the
short time allowed for its completion. Especially would he state
that without the active co-operation of his esteemed friend Mr.
Charles J. Sprague, many plants of our flora would undoubtedly
have remained unknown, and certainly no attempt would have been
made to include the Grasses or the Carices in the list of species.
He gratefully acknowledges his indebtedness to the Misses Ellen
and Isabel Lincoln, by whose zeal and intelligent assistance a
considerable number of the plants enumerated were discovered
within the town limits, and to Mr. Fearing Burr, Mr. I. Wilbur
Lincoln, and Mr. Henry C. Gushing also for valuable aid.

It is to be regretted that the botanists of Hingham whose inves-
tigations preceded those of the writer, Mr, James S. Lewis, Mr.
Fearing Burr, and others, did not prepare and preserve herbaria
for their own study, and for the service of those who should follow
them. The Rev. John Lewis Russell was the only one who
appears to have preserved the plants he obtained ; but he made
such disposal of his collections, to different parties in distant
places, as to make it practically impossible to examine more than
a very few of the specimens found by him in Hingham.

The list of plants as presented includes but very few that have
not been collected by the writer, or by those referred to who have
aided him. Those that have not come under his own eye and
study have been admitted on the high authority of the Rev. Mr.
Russell and Mr. Fearing Burr, Plants found in the immediate
neighboring towns, even but a few feet from the boundary line,
but not within it, have been rigorously excluded.

Some reasons why many plants occurring in not far distant
localities find no home in Hingham, may be of interest to the
reader. Its climatic conditions, compared with those of other
towns, particularly those of the North Shore, will account for this
in a great degree. Cape Ann has the influence of the cold ocean
currents between the Gulf Stream and the land. Hingham, being

88 History of Hingham.

situated south of a shallow land-locked bay, loses this influence
and has that of the prevalent summer southwest winds which
come from the Gulf Stream. Although possessing a considerable
'sea margin on the north, it has no sand beaches, and therefore
several of the peculiar plants of the ocean beaches do not occur
upon its shores. These are stonv, or have marsh grasses growing
to the water's edge. Its ponds, excepting Accord Pond upon which
it only partially borders, are all artificial, formed by damming its
streams, and are lined with trees and thickets extending to the
water, leaving no sandy margins like those of the Plymouth and
Weymouth ponds, whicli afford a home for numerous plants not
to be found in Hingham. A large proportion of the town's area
has been cultivated for centuries and there remain few localities
which have been undisturbed by the hands of man.

It may be asked how thoroughly the task of presenting a
full account of the flowering plants of the town has been ac-
complished, and it will gratify all interested in the subject to
be assured that, though it cannot be asserted that every spe-
cies growing within our borders is included in the list given,
yet it may fairly be stated that the omissions can be but few.
It embraces not only the trees, the shrubs, and the flowering
herbs, including the Grasses and Carices, but also the Equi-
setacese (Horsetail Family), the Filices (Ferns), and the Ly-
copodiacea3 (Club-moss Family). The Lichens, the Fungi, and
other Cryptogamous forms have been necessarily omitted, as they
could not have been presented without additional years of inves-
tigation by specialists.

In regions where glacial action has not led to a general mixing
of the earth derived from various geological formations, and where
that from the decayed rocks has been but little disturbed, it is
always interesting to note the influence of the several soils upon
the growth of species. This is so marked as to enable the
student often to recognize the character of tlie geological forma-
tions beneath the surface by the prevalence of certain trees. This
of course is not the case in Hingham, yet there is much in the
varying character of locations within its limits to influence
greatly the kind of species which will find in them liealthy devel-
opment. Some are found only in salt marshes, others only in
fresh-water swamps and meadows : some only in dry, sandy, or
gravelly localities, others only in rich soils. A large majority
open their petals only in sunny exposures, whereas many expand
their beauties only under the shade of trees or of sheltering rocks.
That nature thus varies her gifts of beauty adds much to the
charm of botanical research in Hingham, diversified as its sur-
face is with hills and dales, with marshes and swamps, with ex-
tensive woods and rocky elevations ; for who can wander over its
high lands and its low lands, along its water-courses, and into the
romantic recesses of its forest glens, without being impressed by,
and gladdened with, the beauty spread before him everywhere ?

The Botany of Hingham. 89

There are some species that, without any apparent reason, are
limited to certain localities, rarely being found elsewhere, not-
withstanding circumstances seem equally favorable for their devel-
opment. As among these are several of exceeding beauty and
their extermination in the town would certainly be a calamity,
the writer cannot forbear calling attention to the fact that some
are fast disappearing, and will soon be no longer found in the
town unless care is taken for their preservation. One of these
is that rare plant, bearing one of the most lovely of flowers,
the Fringed Gentian. Unlike the common Blue Gentian, this
delicate species is propagated only by seeds. What, then, must
be the result of a general plucking of the flowers when they
are in bloom, leaving none to mature ? Only extermination. And
such plucking has been often done, and bouquets exhibited contain-
ing scores of these flowers, when far better taste would have been
shown had but few been placed together instead of a multitude.
Animals are not alone in danger of extermination by thoughtless-
ness. The tendency to take plants from their natural habitats
and transplant them into gardens where circumstances have been
less favorable for their existence, has undoubtedly led to the entire
destruction of several species of perennials from our flora. One
of these, the Aselepias tuberosa, has doubtless met such fate. This
plant, one of the most beautiful of all the perennials that adorned
the woods, and always rare, there is reason to believe is now ex-
tinct except in cultivation, as no specimen has been discovered for
several years, after diligent search. It is however given in the
list of species, as it certainly grew in at least two localities, and
may possibly yet exist. Furthermore there is one plant still
living which was transplanted more than twenty years ago from
the woods of South Hingham to the grounds now of Mr. Henry C.
Gushing, where it yet may be seen yearly displaying a rich pro-
fusion of its most charming orange- flowers.

There are several other plants that are found in but one or two
localities, which it is hoped may be allowed to remain members
of the flora. One of these is the Samhucus racemosa, L., the Red-
Berried Elder. Another exceedingly rare plant with us is the
Hibiscus Moscheutos, L. (Swamp Rose Mallow.) This is a tall
perennial, with quite large, showy, rose-colored flowers, the corolla
being five inches in diameter. It is found near the salt water, and
but a single plant is known in Hingham.

Yet another species may be mentioned as observed in only one
locality. This is the Lythrum Salicaria, L. The beautiful purple
flowers of this may be seen upon a clump of the plants just at the
edge of the water of Weir River, a short distance below the bridge
on Leavitt Street.

It is not only for the preservation of the exceedingly rare plants
•of the town that the writer would plead. Quite as earnestly
"would he urge that the transcendent beauty which is often pre-
sented along the sides of our roads, especially of those bordered

90 History of Hingham,

by forest-growth, may be allowed to display itself and gladden
the eyes and heart of the wayfarer. Yearly many of these roads
are adorned with flowers of varied hue, charming to every be-
holder. In the spring the modest Violet, the delicate Anemone,
and the showy Buttercup open their petals to the sight. As the
summer " sun shoots full perfection through the swelling year,"
the Wild Rose, the Eglantine (Sweet brier), the Common Elder,
and many other species display their loveliness and exhale their
fragrance. Then follows autumn, and everywhere there start up
to beautify our highways the many Asters and Golden-rods, and
it is just when these expand in gorgeous loveliness, outrivalling all
that man can produce by the most consummate art, that the de-
stroyer comes and sweeps them away in a day. The writer cannot
too strongly express his regret at the custom of mowing down
every plant that shows a flower through miles of highway, where
this is by no means necessary.

A gentleman of much culture and taste, who had but recently
visited and travelled extensively over England, remarked in con-
versation : " I pined when abroad for the sight of wild flowers along
the roads. The bordering grass-plots smoothly shorn to the
hedge-rows became monotonous. I longed for the picturesque
objects that everywhere attract attention here and which serve
so much to interest the mind." The year before this was said,
the writer had passed through the Third Division wood-road,
where was displayed along its borders a profusion of fall flowers,
making the view at many points simply exquisite. Delighted
with the prospect of presenting to his friend a scene so in contrast
with those mentioned, he was taken through the same road that
had been spangled with beauty the previous season, with the hope
that there might be a like display, but it was too late. The scythe
had done its vandal work, and scarcely a flower was left to meet
his eye. There is no desire to criticise in these remarks the work
necessarily done for the convenience of wayfarers, wliethcr on
foot or in vehicles, but only to urge that what no person of taste
would wish to have destroyed may be allowed to live. In the
case referred to it is doubtful if ten persons could be found in the
town who really would regard the devastation an improvement.
Man should not ruthlessly destroy what has been given for his
pleasure and refinement.

In the following list of plants native to or occurring in Hing-
ham, the names have been given in accordance with the recent
edition of Gray*s Manual, 1890. There have been numerous
changes since the previous edition of 1848, and the student will
therefore find this harmony with the last edition of great service
to him in the identification of species.

The names of the introduced species are printed in italics, that
they may be thus readily distinguished from those indigenous tO'
the town.

PH^NOGAMOUS OR FLOWERING PLANTS.

POLYPETALOUS EXOGENS.

1. RANUNCULACE^. (CROWFOOT FAMILY.)

The Ranunculacese are mostly natives of cool regions, few
being found within the tropics, and these generally in elevated
situations.

The leaves are much divided, hence the popular name of crow-
foot applied to some of the species. Flowers both regular and
irregular, — some exhibiting remarkable forms, as those of the
wild Columbine.

Our flora is greatly enriched by plants of this family, and the
fields and groves owe much of their beauty to them. Among
those most common are the Buttercups, spangling the grass with
their golden petals ; the Marsh Marigold of the swamps and wet
meadows ; the Clematis, or Virgin's Bower, gracefully climbing
over bushes in shady thickets, displaying in profusion its beau-
tiful cymes of flowers ; the Wood Anemone, with its delicate
white petals, often tinged with purple ; and the showy wild
Columbine, delighting by its varied hues the visitor to its rocky
recesses.

The Peony, so commonly cultivated in the gardens, belongs
to this family.

Most of the species contain a very acrid juice, rendering them
highly injurious as food, in a fresh state. Fortunately, heat and
dryness deprive the plants of their poisonous character ; otherwise
the cattle would suffer from its effects in partaking of hay from
the pastures. Cooked or dried the species of this town are harm-
less. There are genera, however, having exceedingly poisonous
properties, — such as the Helleborus, the Aconitum, and the Del-
phinium. As species of these are common in gardens under
the names Monkshood, Wolfsbane, Larkspur, and Hellebore, care
should be taken that children do not carry the flowers in their
mouths.

Clematis, L.

Virginiana, L. Virgin's Bower.
Anemone, Toum.

cylindrica, Gray. Long-fruited Anemone.

Virginiana, Lo Virginian Anemone.

nemorosa, L. Wind-flower. Wood Anemone.

92 History of Hingham.

Hepatica, Dill.

triloba, Chaix. Round-lobed Hepatica.

Anemonella, Spach.

ihalictroides, Spach. Rue Auemone.

Thalictrum, Tourn.

dioicum, L. Early Meadow-rue.

purpurascens, L. Purplish JMeadow-rue.

polygamum, MuhL Tall Meadow-rue.
Eanunculus, Tourn.

aquatilis, L. var. trichophyllus, Gray. White Water-crowfoot

Cymbalaria, Pursh. Seaside Crowfoot.

abortivu.<, L. Small-flowered Crowfoot.

abortivus, L. var. micranthus, Gray.

sceleratus, L. Cursed Crowfoot.

Pennsylvanicus, L. f. Bristling Crowfoot.

fascicularis, Muhl. Early Crowfoot.

repens, L. Creeping Crowfoot.

bulbosus, L. Bulbous Buttercup.

acris, L. Tall Buttercup.

Ficaria, L.
Caltha, L.

palustris, L. Marsh Marigold.
Coptis, Salisb.

trifolia, Salisb. Goldthread.
Aquilegia, Tourn.

Canadensis, L. Columbine.
Actaea, L.

alba, Bigel. White Baneberry.

2. BERBERIDACEiE. (BARBERRY FAMILY.)

The only plant of this order found within the borders of Hing-
ham is the well known beautiful shrub, the Barberry, introduced
from Europe. The stamens of the flowers are peculiarly sensi
tive, springing back against the pistil on being lightly touched.
The fruit is extensively used as a preserve, and boiled with sugar
produces an excellent jelly.

Berberis, L.

vulgaris, L. Barberry,

3. NYMPHS ACBiE. (WaTER-LILY FaMILY.)

An aquatic order, one species of which is the beautiful and
sweet-scented Water-lily of our ponds.

Brasenia, Schreb.

peltata, Pursh. Water-shield.
Nymphsea, Tourn.

odorata. Ait. Water-lily.
Nuphar, Smith.

advena, Ait. f. Yellow Water-lilv.

The Botany of H'mgham. 93

4. SARRACENIACEiE. (PiTCHER-PLANT FAMILY.)

The only Hingham species is the Side-saddle Flower. The
leaves are singularly formed in a swollen tube and are generally
more or less filled with water, containing drowned insects.

Sarracenia, Tourn.

purpurea, L. Pitcher-plant.

5. PAPAVERACEiB. (PoPPY FAMILY.)

Three species only are found in this town, and but one of these
is indigenous, — the beautiful Blood-root, so called from the color
of its juice. This, if taken into the stomach, acts as an emetic
and a purgative. The juice of some of the species has highly
narcotic properties, — that of the Papaver somniferum, dried in.
the sun, forming the Opium of commerce.

Argemone, L.

Mexicana, L. Prickly Poppy. Waste places. Rare.
Chelidonium, L.

majus, L. Celandine.
Sanguinaria, Dill.

Canadensis, L. Blood-root.

6. FUMARIACEiE. (FUMITORY FAMILY.)

An order containing many beautiful plants which have a
watery juice. The flowers are irregular. But two species are
found in Hingham.

Corydalis, Vent.

glauca, Pursh. Pale Corydalis.
Fumaria, Tourn.

officinalis^ L. Fumitory.

7. CRUCIFERiE. (MuSTARD FAMILY.)

An exceedingly useful family to man, furnishing many of the
vegetables which he uses for food or as condiments, such as
Turnips, Cabbages, Radishes, Cauliflowers, Cress, and Mustard.
They all contain nitrogen, hence their highly nutritious qualities.
Many of them have also an essential oil containing sulphur.
Though acrid and pungent to the taste, none of them are poi-
sonous. Plants of this family are easily recognized by their
having four petals, which are regular and placed opposite to each
other in pairs, forming a cross. This has given them the name^
of Cruciferse.

Nasturtium, R. Br.

officinale, R. Br. Water-cress,
palustre, D C. Marsh-cress.
Armoracia, Fries, Horse-radish.

Cardamine, Tourn.

hirsuta, L. Bitter Cress,
hirsuta, var. sylvatica, Gray.

'94 History of Hingham.

Arabis, L.

Canadensis, L. Sickle-pod.

Barbarea, R. Br.

vulgaris, R. Br. Winter Cress.

Sisymbrium, Tourn.

officinale, Scop. Hedge Mustard.
Brassica, Tourn.

nigra, Koch. Black Mustard.

campestris, L. Rutabaga.
€apsella, Medic.

Bursa-pastoris, Mcsnch. Shepherd's Purse.
Thlaspi, Tourn.

arvense, L. Field Penny Cress. Rare.
Lepidium, Tourn.

Virginicum, L. Peppergrass.

ruderale, L. '

campestre, L. Field Pepper Grass. Rare.
Cakile, Tourn.

Americana, Nutt. Sea-Rocket.
Kaphanus, Tourn.

Raphanistrum., L. Wild Radish.

8. ciSTACEiE. (Rock-Rose Family.)

Low, shrubby plants with regular flowers, possessed of no
marked properties.

Helianthemum, Tourn.

Canadense, Mx. Rock -rose. Frost Weed.
Lechea, Kalm.

major, L. Pin Weed.

thymifolia, Mx.

minor, L.

minor, L., var. maritima, Gray in herb.

tenuifolia, Mx.

9. VIOLACE^. (YlOLET FAMILY.)

A family well known by the profusion of flowers of several
species found everywhere within the town. Only one genus is
represented in Hingham, — the Viola. All its species here are
stemless, with a single exception. The Pansy and the great
Purple Violet of the gardens belong to this order. The roots
generally possess an acrid, sometimes an emetic property, which
has led to their use in medicine.

Viola, Tourn.

lanceolata, L. Lance-leaved Violet.

primulaefolia, L. Primrose-leaved Violet.

blauda, Willd. Sweet White Violet.

palmata, L. Common Blue Violet.

palmata, L., var. cucullata, Gray. Rolled le;ifed Violet.

sugittata, Ait. Arrow-leaved Violet.

The Botany of Hingham. 95

pedata, L. Bird-foot Violet.

canina, L., var. Mulileubergii, Gray. Dog Violet.

10. CARYOPHYLLACE.a3. (PiNK FAMILY.)

Herbs with entire, opposite leaves, except that the upper ones
are sometimes alternate, and with regular, symmetrical flowers.
The stems are usually swollen at the joints. They are all harm-
less in their properties.

Dianthus, L.

Arineria, L. Deptford Pink.

deltoides, L. Maiden Pink.
Saponaria, L.

officinalis, L. Soapwort.

Vaccaria, L.
Silene, L

cuciibalus, Wibel. Bladder Campion.

Armeria, L. Sweet- William Catch-fly.
, antirrhiaa, L. Sleepy Catch-fly.

noctijiora, L. Night-flowering Catch-fly.
Lychnis, Tourn.

vespertina. Sibth. Rare.

Githago, Lam. Corn Cockle. Rare.
Arenaria, L.

serpyllifolia, L. Thyme-leaved Sandwort.

lateriflora, L.
Stellaria, L.

media. Smith. Chickweed.

loiisifolia, Muhl. Long-leaved Chickweed.

uliginosa, Murr. Swamp Chickweed.

graminea, L.
Cerastium, L.

vuhjatum, L. Mouse-ear Chickweed.

arvense, L.
Sagina, L.

procumbens, L. Pearlwort.
Buda, Adans.

rubra, Dumort. Sandwort.

marina, Dumort. Sea-shore Sandwort.
Spergula, L.

arvensis, L. Corn Spurrey.
Gypsophila, L.

muralis, L.

11 PORTULACACEiE. (PURSLANE FAMILY.)

Succulent low herbs with regular but unsymmetrical flowers.
The Claytonia, justly called the Spring Beauty, belongs to this
family. The common Purslane is our only species, and this
springs up abundantly in cultivated and waste grounds. It does
not appear to be generally known as a very palatable food. Cooked

96 History of Hingham.

as " greens," and properly served, it vies with the best in furnish-
ing an attractive dish. The plants shonld not be too old. None
of the species are harmful. The beautiful Portulaca of the gar-
dens is of this Family.

Portulaca, Toum.

oleracea, L. Common Purslane.

12. HYPERiCACE-as. (^St. John's-Wort Family.)

The plants of this family are all herbs in Hingham, though
found as shrubs and even trees in other regions. They have
opposite, dotted leaves, and an astringent, resinous juice, which in
some species is very acrid, as in the H. perforatum. This is some-
times used as a gargle, and internally in dysenteric cases.

Hypericum, Tourn.

ellipticum, Hook.

perforatum, L. St. John's-wort.

maculatum, Walt.

mutilum, L.

Canadense, L.

nudicaule, Walt.
Elodes, Adans.

campanulata, Pursh. Marsh St. John's-wort.

13. MALVACEiE. (MaLLOWS FaMILY.)

The plants of this family native within the town arc all
herbs. Elsewhere they are found as shrubs, and sometimes as
trees. They form a very natural order. The species all have
regular flowers and alternate leaves, and all abound in a muci-
laginous substance, which is found in great quantity, particularly
in the roots of many. This is much used in medicine as an
emollient.

None of the plants have deleterious properties. The young
foliage of some has been used to boil as a vegetable.

Cultivated species of several of the genera are seen in gar-
dens ; as the Althea and Hollyhock.

Malva, L.

sylvestris, L.

rotimdifolia, L. Mallow.
Abutilon, Tourn.

Avicennce, Gcertn. Velvet Leaf. Rare.
Hibiscus, L.

Moscheutos, L. Swamp Rose-Mallow. Very rare.

14. TiLiACEiE. (Linden Family.)

Trees and shrubs, mostly natives of tropical regions. Like
the Malvaceae, they all possess mucilaginous properties of whole-
some character.

The Botany of Hingham. . 97

The Tilia Americana, the well-known Linden or Bass-wood,
is native of the town, being generally found near the shore. The
species of this family commonly set out as an ornamental tree,
is the European Linden.

The inner bark of the trees of this family is very fibrous and
strong. The jute of commerce is the product of one species.

Tilia, Tourn.

Americaaa, L. Linden. Basswood.

15. LINAGES. (Flax Family.)

An order of mostly herbaceous plants with regular and sym-
metrical flowers. The genus Linum, the only one represented
in Hingham, has a bark of exceedingly tenacious fibre, from one
species of which is formed the Linen Thread and Cloth in common
use. The same plant also furnishes seeds which yield the well-
known Linseed Oil, Linseed Cake, etc. The seeds are used ex-
tensively in medicine, possessing as they do abundant mucilage,
which is extracted by boiling water, producing thus Flax-seed
tea. There are several other uses which the products of the
plants serve, and it may perhaps be said that no one, not fur-
nishing food, is more servicealDle to man. There is but one
species of the genus indigenous in our limits, the L. Virginianum.
The other is the Common Flax, found sometimes springing up in
fields from scattered seeds. Some species are mildly cathartic.

Linum, Tourn.

Virginianum, L. Wild Flax.
usitatissimum, L. Flax. Not common.

16. GERANIACEiE. (GERANIUM FAMILY.)

Chiefly herbs, with perfect but not always symmetrical flowers.
The beauty of our gardens is largely due to plants of this family ;
especially to the species of Pelargonium introduced from the
Cape of Good Hope, where they are native, and to hybrid
varieties.

The plants generally have an astringent property, and many
have a disagreeable odor. The Herb Robert, not uncommon with
us, affords a marked instance of this. There are, however,
species which give out an aromatic and agreeable fragrance.

Some plants of the order have edible tubers, and others have
leaves which are used as food, being pleasantly acid.

The G. maculatum, common in every part of the town, has
very astringent roots. An infusion of them is used as a gargle.

Geranium, Tourn.

maculatum, L. Wild Geranium.
Carolinianum, L. Carolina Geranium.
Robertianum, L. Herb Robert.

VOL. I. — 7

98 History of Hingham.

Impatiens, L.

fulva, Nutt. Touch-me-not.

Oxalis, L.

corniculata, L., var. stricta, Sav. Wood- Sorrel.

17. iLiciNEiE. (Holly Family.)

Trees and shrubs. Interesting to us as containing the Holly,
the Nemopanthes, and the several species of Ilex, all contrib-
utors to the beauty of the forests and swamps. It is one
of the species of Ilex which displays, late in the autumn and
early winter a profusion of bright red berries, that never fail
to attract the attention and admiration of beholders.

There is an astringent property in the bark and leaves of the
Holly, and of other species of Ilex. The berries are purgative,
and used medicinally.

Ilex, L.

opaca, Ait. Holly,
verticillata, Gray. Black Alder,
laivigata, Gray. Smooth Alder. Rare.
glabra, Gray. Inkberry. Not common.

Nemopanthes, Raf.

fascicularis, Raf. Mountain Holly. Rare.

18. CELASTRACE^. (StAFF-TREE FaMILY.)

Shrubs, rarely trees. One species only known to our flora, —
the Celastrus scandens, or Waxwork.

The fruit of this, with its orange and scarlet hues, is very
attractive in autumn, as displayed among the foliage of the
shrubs or trees upon which it climbs.

The plants of this family have generally acrid and bitter prop-
erties, sometimes emetic.

Celastrus, L.

scandens, L. Waxwork.

19. RHAMNACE.a3. (BUCKTHORN FAMILY.)

Shrubs and small trees, represented in Hingham by the Rham-
nus catharticus, the Buckthorn, and by the Ceanothus Ameri-
canus, New-Jersey Tea.

The berries and bark of the Buckthorn are cathartic, and have
been used in medicine. The leaves of the Ceanothus Americanus
were much used during the American Revolution, by infusion, as
a tea ; hence the common name.

Rhamnus, Tourn.

cathartica, L. Buckthorn. Not common.
Ceanothus, L.

Americanus, L. New-Jersey Tea.

The Botany of Hingham. 99

20. viTACE^. (Vine Family.)

Climbing shrubs, represented in Hingham by two genera, —
Vitis, the Grape, and Ampelopsis, the Virginia Creeper or Wood-
bine. The estimable products of the vine are well known ; and,
alas ! the effects of misuse of them too much so. The beauty of
the Ampelopsis, as it climbs upon trees within its reach, espe-
cially when its deeply tinted leaves in autumn contrast with the
dark-green foliage of the Savin, affords a great charm to every
observant eye.

Vitis, Tourn.

Labrusca, L. Fox Grape.

aestivalis, Mx. Summer Grape.
Ampelopsis, Mx.

q>iinquefolia, Mx. Virginia Creeper. Woodbine.

21. SAPINDACE^. (MaPLE FaMILY.)

Trees, shrubs, and herbs. This order enriches our flora with
the Sugar Maple and the Red Maple. Among those introduced
for ornamental purposes are the Horse Chestnut, several species
of the Buckeye, and the Negundo or Ash-leaved Maple.

Narcotic and poisonous properties are found in some of the
plants of the order ; yet bread is made from the seeds of one
species. Tbe nuts of the common Horse Chestnut contain a
large proportion of starch, which renders them a very valuable
food for cattle, swine, sheep, and horses. They are thus used
extensively abroad, while here they are allowed to rot upon the
ground. This is a matter worthy the consideration of those who
have these trees upon their premises.

It is stated that the fruit and leaves of the Buckeye of Ohio,
the ^sculus glabra, are quite poisonous. As this tree is found
in cultivation with us, care should be taken not to confound the
fruit with that of the common Horse Chestnut.

The bark of several species is bitter and astringent, sometimes
used for tanning and dyeing, and also in medicine, as a substi-
tute for Peruvian bark.

Acer, Tourn.

saccharinura, Wang. Sugar Maple,
rubrum, L. Red Maple.

22. ANACARDIACEiE. (SUMACH FAMILY.)

Trees or shrubs, with alternate leaves and inconspicuous
flowers, having a resinous juice, which is acrid and sometimes
poisonous. Some bear wholesome fruits; others furnish valuable
varnishes. We have in Hingham but one genus, — the Rhus.

100 History of Hingham.

This includes the species best known to us as poisonous. One
of them, Rhus venenata, or Poison Sumach, often called the
Poison Dogwood, is found in nearly all our swamps. It is poi-
sonous alike to the touch and taste, and at times imparts its
noxious qualities to the atmosphere about it so as to cause per-
sons inhaling it to be seriously affected. Common as this small
tree is in Hingham, but few recognize it readily, and as it
is particularly beautiful when colored by the tints of autumn, it is
often collected, much to the suffering of those who handle it. It
differs from the Rhus typhina and the Rhus glabra in having no
serratures on the leaflets.

Another species of the same genus common with us is the
Rhus toxicodendron, known generally as the Poison Ivy. This
is also a very pernicious plant to handle, though upon many per-
sons it seems to have no effect. Undoubtedly both the species
are more dangerous at times than at others, and something prob-
ably depends on the condition of the individual. This is cer-
tainly true, aud it should be a strong incentive for precaution
that when a person has once been poisoned, the system is ever
after more susceptible to the noxious influence than before.

Rhus, L.

typhina, L. Stag-horn Sumach,
glabra, L. Smooth Sumach,
copallina, L. Dwarf Sumach,
venenata, D C. Poison Dogwood.
Toxicodendron, L. Poison Ivy.

23. POLYGALACE^. (MILKWORT FAMILY.)

Herbaceous plants, one genus of which only occurs in Hing-
ham, — the Polygala. The name " milkwort " was given from
the supposed influence of the plants in increasing the secretion
of milk in the animal system. The roots of several species are
used medicinally, and those of one, the P. Senega, are found very
serviceable in many affections. These are known to us as the
Senega root or Snake root.

Polygala, Tourn.
sanguiiiea, L.
cruciata, L.
verticillata, L.

verticillata, var. ambigua. Nutt.
polygama, Walt.

24. LEGUMINOS,ffi. (PULSE FAMILY.)

A very large family, six or seven thousand species being
known. It embraces trees, shrubs, and herbs. The most of the
plants have papilionaceous flowers, so called from their fancied re-
semblance to butterflies. All the native species found in Hing-

The Botany of Hingham. 101

ham have such flowers, except those of the genus Cassia. The
fruit is always a legume or true pod ; but it varies, — being sim-
ple, as in the Pea, or lobed, as in Desmodium. Within our bor-
ders this great family is represented only by herbs, except in one
introduced species, which has become naturalized, — the Robinia
Fseudacacia, common Locust-tree.

Other trees and shrubs of the family occur that have been set
out for ornamental purposes, as the Gleditchia or Three-thorned
Acacia, the Red-bud or Judas-tree, the Laburnum, Wistaria, etc.

The Leguminos^ stand high among the families of the vege-
table kingdom in their usefulness to man, furnishing as they do
much of the food used by him and his domestic animals, many
of the resins, and a large portion of the dyes used in the arts.
Among food products are Peas, Beans, and Clover ; among medi-
cines, Liquorice, Senna, Balsams, and Gums ; among those used
in the arts. Gums Senegal, Tragacanth, and Arabic ; Indigo,
Brazil-wood, Logwood, and Red Sandal-wood. But few of the
plants have injurious properties. The indigo of our households
is very poisonous. This is mentioned because of the danger of
its being handled by children.

The leaves of our Cassia Marilandica can be used as a substi-
tute for senna, having similar properties.

Lupinus, Tourn.

perennis, L. Lupine.
Crotalaria, L.

sagittalis, L. Rattle-box, Not common.
Trifolium, Tourn.

arvense, L. Rabbit-foot Clover.

pratetise, L. Red Clover.

hyhridum^ L. Dutch Clover.

repens, L. White Clover.

agrarium^ L. Yellow Clover.

procumhens, L. Low Hop Clover.
Melilotus, Tourn.

offLcinalis, Willd. Yellow Melilot.

alba, Lam. White Melilot.
Medicago, Tourn.

sativa, L.

lupulina, L. Black Medick.
Robinia, L,

pseudacacia, L. Locust.
Tephrosia, Pers.

Virginiana, Pers. Goat's Rue.
Desmodium, Desv.

nudiflorum, D C.

acuminatum, D C.

Canadense, D C.

Marilandicum. Boott.

rigidum, DC.

102 History of Hingham.

lespedeza, Mx.

procumbens, Mx.

reticulata, Pers. Bush Clover.

Stuvei, Nutt., var. intermedia, Watson.

polystachya, Mx.

capitata, Mx.
Vicia, Tourn,

sativa, L. Vetch.

tetrasjyerma, Loisel.

hirsuta, Koch.

Cracca, L.
Lathyrus, Tourn.

maritimus, Big. Beach-pea.

palustris, L. Marsh-pea.
Apios, Boerh.

tuberosa, Mcench. Ground-nut.
Strophostyles, Ell.

angulosa, Ell. Kidney Bean.
Amphicarpaea, Ell,

monoica, Nutt. Hog Pea-nut.
Baptisia, Vent.

tinctoria, R. Br. Wild Indigo.
Cassia, Tourn.

Marilandica, L. Wild Senna.

Chamascrista, L. Partridge Pea.

nicitans, L. Wild Sensitive Plant.

25. ROSACEA. (Rose Family.)

This family, comprising trees, shrubs, and herbs, is an exceed-
ingly valuable one to man, supplying him as it does with deli-
cious fruits, and with flowers that delight his eye with their
beauty and enchant him with their fragrance. Who can think
of the Rose, of the Meadow Sweet, and of the many other shrubs
and herbs that open their petals and exhale their fragrance to the
surrounding air ; of the gorgeous blossoming of the Apple and
the Pear, the Cherry and the Plum, or of the fruits of these
which follow, in due season, without having his heart warmed
with gratitude towards the great Giver of all good ? These all
belong to this family, as do most of the berries we use for food,,
as the Strawberry, the Blackberry, and the Raspberry.

But few plants of the order have injurious properties, though
some, as the Almond and the Peach, contain Prussic Acid, which
is a deadly poison. It is found mostly in the seeds, but not to.
an injurious degree, as partaken of by us.

Prunus, Tourn.

maritima, Wang. Beach Plum.
Pennsylvanica, L. f. Red Cherry.
Virginiana, L. Choke Cherry,
serotina, Ehrhart. Black Cherry.
spinosa, L. var. insititia, sloe. Bullace Plum.

The Botany of Hinghavn. 103

Spiraea, L.

salicifolia, L. Meadow-sweet.

tomentosa, L. Hardback.
Agrimonia, Tourn.

Eupatoria, L. Agrimony.

Geum, L.

album, Gmelin. Avens.

Potentilla, L.

Norvegica, L. Five-finger.
Canadensis, L. Low Five-finger,
argentea, L. Silvery Five-finger.
Anserina, L. Marsh Five-finger.

Fragaria, Tourn.

Virginiana, Mill. Strawberry.

vesca, L.
Rubus, Tourn.

strigosus, Mx. Raspberry.

occidentalis, L. Thimbleberry.

villosus, Ait. High Blackberry.

Canadensis, L. Low Blackberry.

hispidus, L. Swamp Blackberry.

Rosa, Tourn.

Carolina, L. Swamp Rose.

lucida, Ehrh.

rubiginosa, L. Sweet-brier.

Crataegus, L.

coccinea, L. Scarlet Thorn.

Pynis, L.

arbutifolia, L. f. Choke Berry.

aucuparia, Gcert. European Mountain Ash.
Amelanchier, Medic.

Canadensis, Torr. &, Gr. Shad-bush.

26. SAXIPRAGACEiE. (SAXIFRAGE FAMILY.)

This family is interesting to us as containing a considerable
number of our cultivated plants rather than of indigenous ones,
of which we have but few representatives. The most important
one is the Gooseberry. None of them are harmful. The Hy-
drangea, frequent in cultivation, and the Red Currant belong
here.

Ribes, L.

oxyacanthoides, L. Gooseberry.
Saxifraga, L.

Virginiensis, Mx. Early Saxifrage.
Pennsylvanica, L. Swamp Saxifrage.
Chrysosplenium, Tourn.

Americanum, Schwein. Golden Saxifrage.

104 History of Hingham.

27. CRASSULACEiE. (StONE-CROP FaMILY.)

Herbs, represented in Hingham by two genera, — Penthorum
and Sediun. The plants of the latter are very succulent. The
Houseleek, Sempervivum tectorum, well known by its thick,
fleshy leaves, belongs to this order. None of the species have
noxious qualities.

Penthorum, Gronov.

sedoides, L. Stone-crop.
Sedum, Tourn.

acre, L. Mossy Stone-crop.

Telephium, L. Live-forever.

28. DROSERACEiE. (SuNDEW FAMILY.)

Delicate, small plants occurring in boggy grounds, and gener-
ally covered with glandular hairs. One species of this family,
the Dionsea muscipula, a native of North Carolina, is the cele-
brated Venus's Flytrap, which has glands that exude a secretion
of a character to attract flies. As soon as one alights upon the
lobes of the leaf, which has projecting processes, they close upon
the unfortunate insect.

Excepting a slight bitterness, the plants of this family have
no marked qualities.

Drosera, L.

rotundifolia, L. Round-leaved Sundew,
intermedia, Hayne, var. Americana, D C.

29. HAMAMELIDEiE. (WiTCH-HaZEL FaMTLY.)

Trees and shrubs. The well-known tree, the Witch Hazel, is
common in our damp woods. It is peculiar in blossoming late
in autumn, when the wintry winds betoken early death to the
flowers, and in not maturing its fruit until the succeeding sum-
mer. The divining rods of those who seek metals or water in
the earth through their agency are formed from the small
branches of this tree ; hence the common name. The plants of
the family are harmless. An extract of one species is much used
as a medicine externally, and sometimes internally, with reputed
advantage.

Hamamelis, L.

Virginian a, L. Witch-Hazel.

30. HALORAGE.ai. (WaTER-MiLFOIL FaMILY.)

Water and swamp plants, with inconspicuous flowers, having
no noticeable properties.

Myriophyllum, Vaill.

ambiguura, Nutt. Water Milfoil,
ambiguum, Nutt., var. limosum, Torr.

The Botany of H'mgham. 105

Proserpinaca, L.

palustris, L. Mermaid-weed.

pectinacea, Lam.
Callitriche, L.

verna, L. Water Starwort.

31. MELASTOMACE-ai. (MeLASTOMA FaMILY.)

A tropical family, one genus only being found in temperate
regions, and of this genus one species is a native of Hingham.
It is strikingly beautiful, and fully worthy of the name it bears,
— the Meadow Beauty.

Rhexia, L.

Virginica, L. Meadow Beauty.

32. LYTHRACEiE. (LOOSESTRIFE FAMILY.;

This family is represented in Hingham by two genera, the
species of which are found in marshes or swamps. The plants
are all astringent.

Lythrum, L.

Hyssopifolia L. Loosestrife.

Salicaria, L. Spiked Loosestrife. Very rare.
Decodon, Gmel.

verticillatus, Ell. Swamp Loosestrife.

33. ONAGRACE-Sl. (EVENING PRIMROSE FAMILY.)

Herbs with perfect and symmetrical flowers. The most showy
plants in Hingham belonging to this family are the Primroses, and
the Willow Herb. The cultivated ornamental plants belonging
here are the Fuchsias, natives of South America and southern
North America. All are harmless.

Circaea, Tourn.

Lutetiana, L. Enchanter's Nightshade.
Epilobium, L.

angustifolium, L. Willow-herb.

lineare, Muhl. '

coloratum, Muhl.

(Enothera, L.

biennis, L. Evening Primrose.

fruticosa, L. Very rare.

pumila, L,
Ludwigia, L.

alternifolia, L. Seed-box. Not common.

palustris, Ell. Water Purslane.

34. CTJCURBITACEiE. (GoURD FAMILY.)

Succulent herbs that creep or twine by tendrils. This family,
which yields in cultivation several highly-valued vegetables, —

106 History of Hingham.

the Cucumber, Squash, Watermelon and Muskmelon, — is known
to the Hingham Hora only by two introduced weeds.

Sicyos, L.

angulatus, L. Star Cucumber.
EcMnocystis, Torr. & Gr.

lobata, Torr. & Gr. Wild Balsam-apple.

35. FICOIDEiE.

An order separated from the Caryophyllaceae. Represented
here by an insignificant weed having no important properties.

MoUugo, L.

verticillata, L. Carpet-weed.

36. UMBELLIFBR^. (PaRSLEY FaMILY.)

Herbs. Flowers, except in very rare cases and these not of
Hingham species, in umbels. The genera and the species of the
order are very numerous, and vary much in their properties.
They are generally aromatic, some being harmless, while many
are very noxious. Of the latter, the Cicuta maculata (Water
Hemlock), the Cicuta bulbifera (narrow-leaved Hemlock), the
^thusa cynapium (Fool's Parsley), and the Sium lineare (Water
Parsnip) are all deadly poisons when taken into the system.

The seeds are stated to be always harmless, and many of them
are in common use, as Anise, Carraway, Dill, and Coriander.
The roots and herbage of several yield wholesome food, as the
Carrot and Parsnip.

Hydrocotyle, Tourn.

Americana, L. Pennywort.
Sanicula, Tourn.

Marylandica, L. Sanicle.

Marylandica, var. Canadensis, Torr.
Daucus, Tourn.

Garota, L. Carrot.
Heracleum, L.

lanatum, Mx. Cow-parsnip.
Pastinaca, L.

sativa, L. Parsnip.
Angelica, L.

atropurpurea, L. Great Angelica.
Ccelopleurum, Ledeb.

Gmelini, Ledeb. Coast Angelica.
iEthusa, L.

Cynapium, L. Fool's Parsley.

Ligusticum, L.

Scoticura, L. Lovage,
Thaspium, Nutt.

aureum, Nutt. Meadow Parsnip. Rare.

The Botany of Hingham. 107

Cicuta, L.

maculata, L. Water Hemlock,
bulbifera, L. Narrow-leaved Hemlock.

Sium, Tourii.

cicutsefolium, Gmel. Water Parsnip.

Osmorrhiza, Raf.

longistylis, D C. Sweet Cicely.

37. ARALIACEiE. (GiNSENG FAMILY.)

The properties of the plants of this family are much the same
generally as in those of the Umbelliferge. Some species furnish
valuable medicines, as Ginseng, Sarsaparilla, and Spikenard. The
order is represented in Hingham by one genus only.

Aralia, Tourn.

racemosa, L. Spikenard.

hispida, Vent. Bristly Sarsaparilla. Rare.

nudicaulis, L. Wild Sarsaparilla.

trifolia, Decsne & Planch. Dwarf Ginseng.

38. CORNACE^. (DOGWOOD FAMILY.)

Trees and shrubs, very rarely herbs. There are two genera in
Hingham, — Cornus and Nyssa. Of the former a number of spe-
cies are common in all parts of the town. The bark is very
astringent and that of the C. florida is used sometimes medicinally
as a tonic. The Nyssa is represented by the tree known as Tupelo,
which in autumn adorns our forests with its bright crimson
foliage.

Cornus, Tourn.

Canadensis, L. Bunch-berry.

florida, L. Floweriog Dogwood.

circinata, L'Her. Round-leaved Dogwood.

sericea, L. Silky Dogwood.

paniculata, L'Her. Panicled Dogwood.

alternifolia, Lf. Alternate-leaved Dogwood.
Nyssa, L.

sylvatica, Marsh. Tupelo.

GAMOPETALOUS EXOGENS.

39. CAPRIFOLIACE-aS. (HONEYSUCKLE FAMILY.)

Mostly shrubs, often twining, and rarely herbs. All have oppo-
site leaves. The fine genus "Viburnum enriches our flora with
several species of great beauty. Some of the plants are used
medicinally, as emetic and cathartic properties prevail in many.
Triosteum perfoliatum, Fever-wort, has much reputation foi
effects similar to those of Ipecac.

108 . History of Hingham.

Sambucus, Tourn.

Canadensis, L. Elder.

racemosa, L. Red-berried Elder.
Viburnum, L.

acerifolium, L. Maple-leaved Arrow-wood.

deutatum, L. Toothed Arrow-wood.

cassinoides, L. Withe-rod.

Lentago, L. Sweet Arrow-wood.
Triosteum, L.

perfoliatum, L. Fever-wort.
Lonicera, L.

seinpervirens, Ait. Trumpet-Honeysuckle.
Diervilla, Tourn.

trifida, Mcench. Bush-Honeysuckle. Very rare.

40. RUBiACE^ai. (Madder Family.)

Trees, shrubs, and herbs. Represented in Hingham but by a
single shrub, the Button-bush, and by a few herbs, but among
these last is one of rare beauty, far too little appreciated, the
Mitchella repens, Partridge berry. This sweet little plant adorned
with fragrant twin flowers, bright polished evergreen leaves, and
showy scarlet berries is worthy of much more notice than is
given it.

Though our species do not furnish products of noticeable value,
the family includes plants of great importance to man. Madder,
so serviceable in the arts, is from the root of one of the species.
Others furnish some of our most-highly prized medicines, as Peru-
vian Bark, Quinine, Cinchona, Ipecacuana, etc. Coffee, the
common luxury of our tables, is the product of a tree of this
family.

Houstonia, L.

cajrulea, L. Bluets.

purpurea, L., var. longifolia, Gray.
Cephalanthus, L.

occidentalis, L. Button-bush.
Mitchella, L.

repens, L. Partridge-berry.
Galium, L.

Aparine, L. Cleavers.

circffizans, Mx. Wild Liquorice.

trifidum, L. Small Bedstraw.

asprellum, Mx. Rough Bedstraw.

triflorum, Mx. Sweet-scented Bedstraw.

41. coMPOSiTiE. (Composite Family.)

The compound flowers of early botanists. The plants of this
order are readily recognized by their flowers being grouped in

The Botany of Hlngham. 109

numbers upon a common receptacle, the enlarged head of the
flower stalk, and by the anthers of the stamens cohering in a tube.
The marginal flowers generally have strap-shaped corollas, which,
extending as rays around the receptacle, are often very showy,
while the interior ones of the disk having only tubular corollas
are comparatively insignificant. This gives the impression to
observers unfamiliar with botanical details that only a single
flower is seen where many are aggregated.

Take the Sunflower, so called, for an example ; the very name
of whicli implies it is one flower. In this case each of the yellow
rays surrounding the whole receptacle is the corolla of a single
marginal flower, those of the disk having no such rays. The
greater portion of the Compositse of our town are of this charac-
ter. The flowers of some have the corollas all strap-shaped or
ligulate, as this form is called, as may be seen in the Dandelion
and many others.

The Compositge, considering the vast number of species, do not
furnish many useful products to man, A few supply food, as the
Artichoke, Salsify, and Lettuce. The root of the Chickory is used
extensively as a substitute for coffee. From the seeds of the Sun-
flower and some others an oil is expressed which is valuable. A
bitter principle, found in several species, combined with other
properties, has led to the use of many of them medicinally, par-
ticularly Wormwood, Camomile, Arnica, Artemisia, and Elecam-
pane. Some are quite poisonous, as Arnica.

As objects of beauty many of the cultivated species of the order
surpass those of any other in the autumnal season. How greatly
should we feel the loss of the Asters, the Chrysanthemums, the
Dahlias, and the varieties of Coreopsis from our flower gardens
when nearly all their earlier companions " are faded and gone."

Vernonia, Schreb.

noveboracensis, Willd. Iron Weed. Rare.
Mikania, Willd.

scandens, L. Hernia Weed.
Eupatorium, Tourn,

purpureum, L. Trumpet Weed,

teucrifolium, Willd.

sessilifolium, L. Boneset.

perfoliatum, L. Thoroughwort.
Solidago, L.

c^esia, L. Golden Rod.

latifolia, L.

bicolor, L.

sempervirens, L.

puberula, Nutt.

odora, Ait,

speciosa, Nutt,

rugosa, Mill.

Elliottii, Terr. «fe Gr.

110 History of Hingham.

neglecta, Torr. «fe Gr.

neglecta, Torr. & Gr., var. linoides, Gray.

juncea, Ait.

serotina, Ait.

serotina, var. gigantea, Gray.

Canadensis, L.

nemoralis, Ait.

lanceolata, L.

tenuifolia, Pursh.

Sericocarpus, Nees.

solidagiueus, Nees. White- topped Aster,
conyzoides, Nees.

Aster, L.

corymbosus, Ait.

macrophyllus, L.

Novfe-Anglioe, L.

patens, Ait.

undulatus, L.

cordifolius, L.

l^vis, L.

ericoides, L.

multiflorus, Ait.

dumosus, L.

vimineus, Lam.

diffusus, Ait.

paniculatus, Lam.

salicifolius, Ait.

Novi-Belgii, L.

Novi-Belgii, var. litoreus, Gray.

puniceus, L.

umbellatus, Mill.

linariifolius, L.

acuminatus, Mx.

subulatus, Mx.
Erigeron, L.

bellidifolius, Muhl. Robin's Plantain.

Philadelphicus, L. Fleabane.

annuus, Pers.

strigosus, Muhl. Daisy Fleabane.

Canadensis, L. Horse-weed.
Pluchea, Cass.

camphorata, D C. Marsh Fleabane.
Antennaria, Ga?rt.

plantaginifolia, Hook. Plantain-leaved Everlasting.
Anaphalis, D C.

magaritacea, Benth. & Hook. Pearly Everlasting.
Gnaphalium, L.

polycephalum, Mx. Everlasting.

uliginosum, L. Cudweed.
Inula, L.

Helenium, L. Elecampane. Rare.

The Botany of Hingham. Ill

Iva, L.

frutescens, L. Marsh Elder.
Ambrosia, Tourn.

avtemisiagfolia, L. Roman Wormwood.
Xanthium, Tourn.

Canadense, Mill. var. echinatum, Gray. Cockle-bur.

Rudbeckia, L.

hirta, L. Cone-flower.
Helianthus, L.

annuits, L. Sunflower.

divaricatus, L.

strumosus, L.

decapetalus, L.

tubei'osus, L. Jerusalem Artichoke.
Coreopsis, L.

tinctoria, Nutt. Not common.
Bidens, L.

frondosa, L. Beggar-ticks.

connata, Muhl. Swamp-ticks.

cernua, L. Smaller Swamp-ticks.

chrysanthemoides, Mx. Larger Swamp-ticks.
Anthemis, L.

Cotula, D C. May-weed.

arvensis, L. Corn Chamomile. Rare.
Achillea, L.

Millefolium, L. Yarrow.

Ptarmica, L. Sneeze- wort. Rare.
Chrysanthemum, Tourn.

Leucanthemum, L. Daisy. White-weed.
Tanacetum, L.

viilgare, L. Tansy.
Artemisia, L.

vulgaris, L. Mugwort.
Senecio, Tourn.

aureus, L. Golden Rag-wort.
vulgaris, L. Groundsel.

Erechtites, Raf.

hieracifolia, Raf. Fire-weed.

Arctium, L.

Lappa, Z., var. minus, Gray. Burdock.

Cnicus, Tourn.

arvensis, Hoffm. Canada Thistle.

lanceolatus., Hoffm. Common Thistle.

pumilus, Torr. Pasture Thistle.

altissimus, Willd., var. discolor, Gray. Tall Thistle.

muticus, Pursh. Swamp Thistle.

horridulus, Pursh. Yellow Tiiistle.

Onopordon, Vaill.

Acanthium, L. Cotton Thistle.

112 History of Hingham.

Centaurea, L.

nigra, L. Knapweed.

Krigia, Schreb.

Virginica, Willd; Dwarf Dandelion.
Cichorium, Toum.

Intybus, L. Chiccory.
Leontodon, L.

autmnnalis, L. Hawkbit. Fall Dandelion.
Hieracium, Tourn.

Canadense, Mx. Canada Hawkweed.

paniculatum, L. Panicled Hawkweed.

venosum, L. Rattle-snake Hawkweed.

scabrum, Mx. Rough Hawkweed.

Prenanthes, Vaill.

altissima, L.

serpentaria, Pursh.
Taraxacum, Hall.

officinale, Weber. Dandelion.
Lactuca, Tourn.

Canadensis, L. Wild Lettuce.

integrifolia, Bigel.

leucophjea, Gray. Blue Lettuce. Rare.

Sonchus, L.

oleraceus, L. Sow-Thistle.
asper^ Vill. Spiny-leaved Thistle.

42. LOBELIACE.53. (LOBELIA FAMILY.)

Herbs with a milky juice. All the species are poisonous. One
of them, the Indian Tobacco, Lobelia infiata, a common plant of
our town, is very much so, and has been used too freely in char-
latan practice, — many deaths having resulted from such use. One
of the most beautiful and showy plants of our wet meadows is tlie
Lobelia Cardinalis, which exhibits its large and bright scarlet
flowers in the summer and early autumn.

Lobelia, L.

cardinalis, L. Cardinal-flower.
Dortmanna, L. Water Lobelia,
spicata, Lam.
inflata, L. Indian Tobacco.

43. CAMPANULACEiE. (BeLLWORT FaMILY.)

Like the Lobeliaceaj, the plants of this family are herbs with a
milky juice, but unlike them, they are harmless. Indeed, the
roots and young leaves of some of them are eaten for food.

The flowers are generally blue. They are so in our two
species.

The Botany of Hlngham. 113

Specularia, Heist.

perfoliata, A. D C. Venus's Looking-glass.
Campanula, Tourn.

rapunculoides, L. Bell-flower. Escaped from gardens.

44 ERICACEiE. (HeATH FaMILY.)

Shrubby and Herbaceous plants, — dear to us for the luxuries
furnished in our rural walks and upon our tables ; for what would
a season be to us without Huckleberries, Blueberries of many
species, and Cranberries !

As objects of beauty and fragrance, how could we spare the
Trailing Arbutus, the Cassandra, the Andromeda, the Clethra,
the Rhododendron, and the Kalmia, in our wanderings. All
these and many others of our flora make fragrant the air with
the odors they exhale, or charm the eye by their beauty.

With but few exceptions the plants of this family are entirely
innocuous.

The leaves of the Rhododendron and the Kalmia, however, con-
tain a narcotic principle which sometimes renders them poisonous.

Some of the species, as the Bearberry and the Chimaphila, are
used medicinally, — infusions of the leaves being found serviceable.

Gaylussacia, H. B, K.

frondosa, Torr. & Gr. Dangleberry.

resinosa, Torr. & Gr. Black Huckleberry.
Vaccinium, L.

Pennsylvanicum, Lam. Dwarf Blueberry.

vacillans, Solander. Low Blueberry.

corymbosum, L. Tall Blueberry.

macrocarpon, Ait. Cranberry.
Chiogenes, Sails.

serpyllifolia, Sails. Creeping Snowberry. Very Rare.
Arctostaphylos, Adan.

Uva-ursi, Spreng. Bearberry.
Epigsea, L.

repens, L. Mayflower,
Gaultheria, Kalm.

procumbens, L. Checkerberry.
Andromeda, L.

ligustrina, Muhl.
Leucothoe, Don.

racemosa, Gray.
Cassandra, Don.

calyculata, Don. Leather-leaf.
Kalmia, L.

latifolia, L. Mountain Laurel.

angustifolia, L. Sheep Laurel.

Rhododendron, L.

viscosum, Torr. Swamp Honeysuckle.
Rhodora, Don. Rhodora.

114 History of Hingham.

Clethra, Gronov.

alnifolia, L. White Alder.

Chimaphila, Pursh.

uuibellata, Nutt. Prince's Pine,
maculata, Pursh. Spotted Wintergreen.

Pyrola, Tourn.

secuuda, L. Wintergreen.

chlorautha, Swartz.

elliptica, Nutt.

rotundifolia, L.
Monotropa, L.

uniflora, L. Indian Pipe.

Hypopitys, L. Pine-sap.

45. PLUMBAGINACEiE. (LeaDWORT FaMILY.)

Seaside plants. Our species, the Sea Lavender or Marsh Rose-
mary, is very common along our shores. The root is very as-
tringent, and is much used in medicine, especially in cases of
inflammation and ulceration of the throat.

Statice, Tourn.

Limonium, L. Marsh Rosemary.

46. PRIMULACEiE. (PRIMROSE FAMILY.)

None of the plants of this family serve important useful pur-
poses, but all are harmless. The species are few in our flora, but
they differ much in appearance and habits. The Trientalis is one
of the most delicate of them and is often seen nestling in the
thickets with its companions, the Anemones, bearing its beautiful
star-shaped flowers ; while in contrast may be found in the wet
swamps and stagnant waters, the Hottonia, a coarse plant with
large inflated stems, interesting more from its peculiar character-
istics than from its beauty.

Hottonia, L.

inflata, Ell. Featherfoil.
Trientalis, L.

Americana, Pursh. Star-flower.
Lysimachia, Tourn.

quadrifolia, L. Loosestrife.

stricta, Ait.

nnmmuluria^ L. Moneywort.

Steironema, Raf.

lanceolatum, Gray.
Anagallis, Tourn.

arvensis, L. Pimpernel.
Samolus, Tourn.

Valerandi, L. var. Americanus, Gray. Brookweed.

The Botany of Hingham. 115

47. OLEACE-SL (OlIVE FaMILY.)

Trees and shrubs. Though possessing bitter and astringent
properties thej are harmless. The Olive tree is one of the best
known of the family, as its fruit and the oil it produces are eaten
throughout the civilized world. Among the cultivated plants are
the Common and Persian Lilacs, the Virginia Fringe tree, and the
Jessamine. The species native to our flora are the White, Red,
and Black Ash, The Privet is extensively naturalized in all parts
of the town.

Ligustrum, Tourn.

vitlgare, L. Privet.
Fraxinus, Tourn.

Americana, L. White Ash.

pubescens, Lam. Red Ash.

sambucifolia, Lam. Black Ash.

48. APOCYNACEiE. (DOGBANE FAMILY.)

Apocynum, Tourn.

audrossemifolium, L. Dogbane,
cannabinum, L. Indian Hemp.

49. ASCLEPIADACEiE. (MiLKWEED FAMILY.)

Herbs and shrubs ; but in Hingham, herbs only which belong
to the genus Asclepias, and all bear umbels of flowers. Like
the Apocynaceee, they have a milky juice, but the properties
of this as well as the other parts of the plants are much less
noxious. One of the most beautiful plants of New England is the
A. tubcrosa, which is exceedingly rare, if indeed it is yet to be
found wild within the town limits.

Asclepias, L.

tuberosa, L. Butterfly-weed,
incarnata, L. Swamp Milkweed.
Cornuti, Decaisne. Hedge Milkweed,
obtusifolia, Mx.

phytolaccoides, Pursh. Poke Milkweed,
quadrifolia, L. Four-leaved Milkweed,
verticillata, L. Whorled Milkweed.

50. GENTIANACEiE. (GeNTIAN FaMILY.)

Herbs. This family has furnished us with one of the most
beautiful and interesting of the plants of our flora, the Fringed
Gentian, and care should be taken to prevent its extermination,
now seriously threatened. The only way to prevent this is to
leave at least a portion of the flowers to mature and drop their
seeds, it being an annual and propagated only in this way. All

116 History of Hingham.

the plants of the family have pervading them a very bitter princi-
ple, which, affordino- a good tonic, has led to the extensive use of
several of the species medicinally.

Gentiana, Tourn.

crinita, Froel. Fringed Gentian.

Andrewsii, Griseb. Closed Gentian.
Bartonia, Muhl.

tenella, Muhl.
Menyanthes, Tourn.

trifoliata, L. Buckbean. Not common.

51. BORRAG-INACEiE. (BORAGE FAMILY.)

Mostly herbs. All our species are such, and all bristly or hairy.
They are mucilaginous and harmless.

Myosotis, Dill.

arvensis, Hoffna.

verna, Nutt.

laxa, Lehm.

palustris, With. Forget-me-not.
Symphytum, Tourn.

ojficmale, L. Comfrey. Rare.
Echium, Tourn.

vnlgare., L. Blue-weed. Rare.
Echinospermum, Lehm.

Lappida., Lehm. Stick-seed. Rare.

Lythospernum, Tourn.

arvense, L. Corn Gromwell.

52. CONVOLVULACEiE. (CONVOLVULUS FaMILY).

Mostly herbs, twining about other plants ; always so with those
of our town. Two of these of the genus Cuscuta are parasitic
upon the bark of the herbs or shrubs they climb upon. Some
species are very ornamental in cultivation, as the Morning Glory
and the Cypress vine.

The roots of the plants have generally a milky juice which is
used in medicine as a purgative. The Sweet Potato is a valuable
product of a plant of this family, native to the East Indies, but
now cultivated in all tropical and semi-tropical regions, and even
to a considerable extent within the temperate zone. It will
flourish well in Hingham and yield good-sized tubers, but they
lack the sweetness of such as come from the Carolinas.

Convolvulus, Tourn.

sepium, L. Hedge Bindweed.

arvensis, L. Smaller Bindweed.
Cuscuta, Tourn.

Gronovii, Willd. Dodder.

compacta, Juss. Rare.

The Botany of Hingham. 117

53. SOLANACEiE. (NIGHTSHADE FAMILY.)

Herbs with us ; sometimes shrubs in other regions. This fam-
ily furnishes that most vahiable tuber, the potato ; and also the
nutritious and wholesome fruit of the Tomato and Egg plant. A
narcotic alivaloid, however, pervades the species, rendering many
noxious and some violently poisonous. Even the herbage of the
potato and its raw fruit (not the tubers) contain too much of the
alkaloid to be safe for food.

Tobacco, one of the most potent of all the enemies that man
puts into his mouth, is a product of the Nicotiana Tabacum, a
native of Central America.

Our wild species are all more or less poisonous, — the Datura
tatula, or Thorn-apple, being the most so.

As might be supposed from the active narcotic character of the
plants of this family, many furnish useful medicines.

Solanum, Tourn,

Dulcamara, L. Nightshade.

nigrum, L. Black Nightshade.
Physalis, L.

Virginiana, Mill. Ground Cherry. Rare.
ITicandra, Adans.

physaloides, Gcert. Apple of Peru. Rare.
Datura, L.

Tatula, L. Purple Thorn-apple.

54. SCROPHULARIACE^. (FiGWORT FAMILY.)

Mostly herbs. A very large family of plants, inhabitants alike
of cold and warm climates, and though properly classed together
by natural affi.nities, yet exhibiting great diversity of character.
One, a native of Japan, is a tree forty feet in height, and hav-
ing a trunk two to three feet in diameter, yet bearing clusters of
blossoms similar to those of the common Foxglove. We may
contrast with this the Limosella, a plant from one to two inches
in height, which grows in the tidal mud of the shores. The
family is well represented in Hingham by the Gerardias, the
Veronicas, and other well-known genera.

The properties of the plants are not such as to inspire the lov-
ing feelings towards them that are excited by the Rosacese, the
LabiatsB, and some others, for they are acrimonious and dele-
terious. One of them, a commonly cultivated species of the
genus Digitalis, the Foxglove, is violently poisonous. This and
several others of kindred nature afford to man some compensa-
tion for their noxious qualities by furnishing medicines of great
•value. Many of the species are highly ornamental.

118 History of Hingham.

Verbascum, L.

Thapsus^ L. Mullein.
Blattaria, L. Moth Mullein.

Linaria, L.

Canadensis, Dumont. Toad-Flax.
vulgaris^ Mill. Butter-aud-Eggs.

Scrophularia, Tourn.

nodosa, L. var. Marilandica, Gray. Figwort. Rare.

Chelone, Tourn.

glabra, L. Snake-head.

Mimulus, L.

ringens, L. Monkey-flower.

Gratiola, L.

aurea, Muhl. Hedge Hyssop.

Ilysanthes, Raf.

riparia, Raf. False Pimpernel.

Veronica, L.

Anagallis, L. Water Speedwell,
scutellata, L. Marsh Speedwell,
serpyllifolia, L. Thyme-leaved Speedwell,
peregrina, L. Purslane Speedwell.
arvensis^ L. Corn Speedwell.
agrestis, L. Field Speedwell.

Gerardia, L.

pedicularia, L. Gerardia.
flava, L. Downy Gerardia.
quercifolia, Pursh. Oak-leaved Gerardia.
purpurea, L. Purple Gerardia.
maritima, Raf. Seaside Gerardia.
tenuifolia, Vahl. Slender Gerardia.

Pedicularis, Tourn.

Canadensis, L. Louse-wort.

Melampyrum, Tourn.

Americanum, Mx. Cow-wheat.

55. OROBANCHACEiE. (BrOOM-RaPE FaMILY.)

Plants without leaves ; low, fleshy, and of a reddish-brown or
yellowish-brown color. All parasites upon the roots of other
plants. There are in Hingham but two species, one of which
exists upon the roots of the Beech and is consequently found only
under the shade of this tree. The plants are astringent and
bitter.

Aphyllon, Mitch.

uniflorum, Torr. & Gr. Cancer-root.
Epiphegus, Nutt.

Virginiana, Bart. Beech-drops.

The Botany of Hlngham. 119

56. LENTIBULARIACE^. (BlaDDERWORT FaMILY.)

Aquatic herbs. Represented in Hingliam by one genus, the
Utricularia. The species are generally immersed, sometimes
deeply, and have leaves much dissected, having upon them little
bladders which being filled with air cause the plant to bear the
flowers above the water. One species, the U. gibba has been
found rooted in the marginal mud of a pond.

The plants have no noxious properties.

Utricularia, L.

inflata, Walt. Inflated Bladderwort.
vulgaris, L. Greater Bladderwort.
gibba, L. Dwarf Bladderwort.
intermedia, Hayne.

57. VERBENACEiE. (VeRVAIN FaMILY.)

Trees, shrubs, and herbs ; with us, herbs only, and confined to
two species. The plants of this family are harmless and differ
but little from those of the next in general characteristics ; but
they lack the aromatic fragrance that makes the Labiatse
attractive.

The Teak wood of India, so renowned for its durability, is the
product of a tree of this order, of large dimensions, having a
height of about one hundred feet.

Verbena, Tourn.

hastata, L. Blue Vervain,
urticeefolia, L. White Vervain.

58. LABIATiB. (MiNT FAMILY.)

A family of pleasing and useful herbs ; pleasing by the aroma
they exhale and useful in many ways to man. No species is
harmful or, as the botanist Wood states, even suspicious. To it
belong the Peppermint, Spearmint, Pennyroyal, Sage, Thyme,
Lavender, Hoarhound, Catnip, and other well-known herbs.

The foliage has small glands which secrete a volatile oil that
yields the fragrance so marked in most of the species.

Trichostema, L.

diehotomum, L. Blue Curls.
Teucrinm, Tourn.

Canadense, L. Germander.
Mentha, Tourn.

viridis, L. Spearmint.

piperita, L. Peppermint.

Canadensis, L. Wild Mint.

120 History of Hingham.

Lycopus, Tourn.

Virginicus, L. Bugle-weed.

sinuatus. Ell. Cut-leaved Bugle-weed.

Pycnanthemum, Mx.

muticum, Pars. Mountain Mint.

linifolium, Pursh. Narrow-leaved Mint.
Origanum, Tourn.

vulgare, L. Wild Marjoram. Rare.

Hedeoma, Pers.

pulegioides, Pers. Pennyroyal.
Monarda, L.

fistulosa, L. Wild Bergamot.
Nepeta, L.

Cataria^ L. Catnip.

Glechoma, Benth. Ground Ivy.
Scutellaria, L.

lateriflora, L. Scull-cap.

galericulata, L.
Brunella, Tourn.

vulgaris, L. Self-heal.
Ballota, L.

nigra, L. Black Horehound.
Leonurus, L.

Cardiaca, L. Motherwort.
Galeopsis, L. Hemp-Nettle.

Tetrahit, L.
Stachys, Tourn.

arvensis^ Z, Woundwort. Rare.
Lamium, L.

amplexicaule^ L. Dead- Nettle.

intermedium, Fr. Rare.

59. PLANTAGINACEiE. (PLANTAIN FAMILY.)

Stemless herbs without properties of any importance. The
Plantago major, one of the species, is so common about our
dwelling's as to have given rise to the saying that wherever the
white man puts his feet the Plantain is sure to spring up.

Plantago, Tourn.

major, L. Plantain.

Rugelii, Decaisne.

decipiens, Barneoud. Marsh Plantain.

lanceolata, L. Ribgrass.

Patagonica, Jacq., var. aristata, Gray. Rare.

60. ILLECEBRACEiE. (WhITLOWWORT FaMILY.)

There are but two plants in Hingham belonging to this new
order, separated from the Caryophyllaceae. Their properties are
unimportant.

The Botany of Hingham. 121

Anychia, Mx.

capillacea, Nutt. Forked Chickweed.
Scleranthus, L.

annuus, L. Knawel.

APETALOUS EXOGENS.

61. AMARANTACE-ai. (AMARANTH FAMILY.)

An order containing some shrubs, but mostly herbaceous plants,
and found to some extent in temperate regions, although princi-
pally natives of the tropics. Medicinal properties are ascribed to
some species, and one at least produces edible seeds. The Cocks-
comb, one of the Prince's Feathers, and other species, are com-
mon annuals in our gardens.

Amarantus, Tourn.

paniculatus, L. Prince's Feather, Rare,
albus, L. Amaranth,
retroflexus, L.

62. CHENOPODIACE-ai. (GOOSEFOOT FAMILY.)

A family of herbs or undershrubs, found all over the world,
but chiefly natives of northern Europe and Asia. The Beet,
Mangel-wurtzel, Spinach, and other edible plants, are of this or-
der. Some species have medicinal value, and an oil is extracted
from one. The ashes of several of them yield soda.

Chenopodium, Tourn.

alburn^ L. Pigweed.

glaucum, L. Oak-leaved Goosefoot. ^

urbicum, L.

hybridum, L. Maple-leaved Goosefoot.

capitatum, Wats. Strawberry Elite. Rare.

Atriplex, Tourn.

patulum, L. Orache.

arenarium, Nutt. Seaside Oracha.

Salicornia, Tourn.

herbacea, L. Samphire,
mucronata, Big.
ambigua, Mx.

Suaeda, Forsk.

linearis, Moq. Sea Elite.

Salsola, L.

Kali, L. Saltwort.

122 History of Hingham.

63. PHYTOLACCACE^. (POKEWEED FAMILY.)

A small family of herbs or undershrubs, chiefly natives of the
tropics. We have only one species, — the Garget or Pokeberry,

the root of which is poisonous.

Phytolacca, Tourn.

decandra, L. Poke.

64. POLYGONACE.a3. (BUCKWHEAT FAMILY.)

This order includes a few trees and shrubs, but is almost en-
tirely composed of herbaceous plants, principally natives of the
north temperate zones, but found in nearly all parts of the world.
Some species are medicinal, some furnish dyes, and to the food
supply of the earth the order contributes Buckwheat, Rhubarb
(the stalks of which are edible, the leaves containing so much
oxalic acid as to be poisonous), and the fruits of some East and
West Indian species.

Polygonum, Tourn.

07-ientale, L. Prince's Feather.

Pennsylvanicum, L.

lapathifolium, L., var. incarnatum, Watson.

Persicaria, L. Lady's Thumb.

Hydiopiper, L. Smartweed.

acre, H. B. K. Water Smartweed.

hydropiperoides, Mx. Mild Smartweed.

Muhlenbergii, Watson. Water Persicaria.

aviculare, L. Knotgrass.

erectum, L. Rare.

ramosissimum, Mx.

tenue, Mx.

arifolium, L. Halberd-leaved Tear-thumb.

sagittatum, L. Arrow-leaved Tear-thumb.

Convolvulus, L. Bindweed.

dumetorura, L., var. scandens, Gray.

cilinode, Mx.
Fagopyrum, Tourn.

esculentum, Mcench. Buckwheat. Rare.
Rumex, L.

salicifolius, Weinmann. White Dock.

crispus, L. Curled Dock.

ohtusifolixis, L. Bitter Dock.

sanguineus, L. Bloody-veined Dock. Rare.

Acetosella, L. Sorrel.

65. LAURACE^. (LaUREL FaMILY.)

A very important order of trees and shrubs, natives of Amer-
ica, Europe (one species), and Asia, but mostly tropical.

The character pervading the order is a pleasant aroma, and

The Botany of Hingham. 123

among the products are Cinnamon, Camphor, Cassia, and other
medicinal barlvs, and a number of aromatic fruits and oils. The
timber of some species is valuable.

Sassafras, Nees.

officinale, Nees.
Lindera, Thunb.

Benzoin, Blume. Spice Bush.

66. SANTALACEiE. (SaNDAL-WOOD FaMILY.)

An order of trees, shrubs, and herbs, natives of Europe, Amer-
ica, Australia, and the East Indies. The European and North
American species are herbaceous, while the trees occur in the
East Indies and South Sea Islands. The celebrated Sandal-wood
is a product of several species of this order. The family has
medicinal properties, and a tea is made from the leaves of one
species, while another (the Buffalo-tree or Oil Nut) yields an
oil. Represented in Hingham by one insignificant species.

Comandra, Nutt.

umbellata, Nutt. Toad-flax.

67. EUPHORBIACEiE. (SPUEGE FAMILY.)

A family of about 2,500 species, comprising trees, shrubs, and
herbs, natives chiefly of warm countries, especially tropical Amer-
ica. The few Northern species are herbaceous. The plants of
this order abound in an acrid juice, which, in nearly all of
them, is poisonous. Many are valuable in medicine, furnishing
Croton Oil, Castor Oil, Cascarilla Bark, etc. The fruits and
seeds of some, and the starch of others (yielding Tapioca, etc.),
are edible. The timber of some trees is valuable, — African
Teak, for example. Caoutchouc is the product of several South
American plants of this order. Some species yield various dyes
and many are cultivated for their beauty.

Euphorbia, L.

maculata, L. Spurge.

Preslii, Guss.

Gyparissias, L.
Acalypha, L.

Virginica, L. Three-seeded Mercury.

68. URTICACEiE. (NeTTLE FaMILY.)

A large and interesting order, embracing trees, shrubs, and
herbs, principally natives of the tropics, although the temperate
zones contain a considerable number.

The trees and shrubs have generally a milky juice, the herbs
a watery one. This juice in some of the sub-orders is acrid and
poisonous. The celebrated Bohon Upas, one of the deadliest

124 History of Hingham.

poisons known, is the concrete juice of one species found in the
islands of the Indian Ocean. The hairs on the leaves of the
nettles are proverbial for their stinging qualities. Notwithstand-
ing the poisonous properties of the sap of some species, the cele-
brated Cow-tree of South America supplies a milky juice which
is wholesome and valuable as food or drink. This order also
produces the Fig, Breadfruit, Mulberry, and other fruits, besides
the Hop. Hemp, and Fustic, are also products of this family,
as is Gum-lac. The famous Banyan-tree is one of the species.

Ulmus, L.

Americana, L. Elm.
Celtis, Tourn.

occidentalis, L. Hack-berry.
Urtica, Tourn.

gracilis, Ait. Nettle.

dioica, L.

urens, L.
Pilea, Lindl.

pumila, Gray. Richweed.
Boehmeria, Jacq.

cylindrica, Willd. False Nettle.
Cannabis, Tourn.

sativa, L.
Parietaria, Tourn.

Pennsylvanica, Muhl. Pellitory. Rare.

69. PLATANACEiE. (PlaNE-TEEE FaMILY.)

An order of trees and shrubs, natives of the Levant, Barbary,
and North America. The trees of this family are immense ;
specimens of our only species having been found in the West,
thirteen feet in diameter. A tree of the Oriental Plane (P. ori-
entalis) standing on the bank of the Bosphorus, is 141 feet in
circumference and believed to be 2,000 years old. The wood of
the trees of this order is used in the arts.

Platanus, L.

occidentalis, L. Button wood.

70. JUGLANDACE.ai. (WaLNUT FaMILY.)

An important family, of about thirty species, principally in-
habiting North America. It comprises trees of large size and
imposing appearance, which are very useful in the arts ; fur-
nishing valuable timber, besides affording a dye-stuff made from
the husks and roots. Sugar similar to maple sugar is obtained
from the sap, and the leaves and bark of some species are used
in medicine. The fruit of many trees of this order is highly
esteemed.

The Botany of Hingham, 125

Carya, Nutt.

alba, Nutt. Shag-bark Hickory,
tomentosa, Nutt. Mocker-nut Hickory,
porcina, Nutt. Pig-nut Hickory,
amara, Nutt. Bitter-nut Hickory.

71. MYRICACEiE. (SWEET GaLE FaMILY.)

A small family, inhabiting the temperate parts of North Amer-
ica, India, South Africa, and Europe." The fruit of the Bay berry
affords a wax sometimes used in making candles.

Myrica, L.

cerifera, L. Bayberry.
asplenifolia, Endl. Sweet Fern.

72. CUPULIFERiB. (OaK FaMILY.)

This noble order comprises the Birch, Alder, Hornbeam,
Hazel, Oak, Chestnut, and Beech. It inhabits principally the
north temperate zone ; but species are common as far south as
the mountainous districts of the tropics. It contains trees of
magnificent size and grandeur, and low shrubs.

Its importance to man, both in the arts and in medicine, and
as furnishing food, is well known.

Betula, Tourn.

lenta, L. Black Birch,
lutea, Mx. f. Yellow Birch,
populifolia, Ait. White Birch,
papyrifera. Marsh. Canoe Birch. Rare.

Alnus, Tourn.

incana, Willd. Alder.
serrulata, Willd. Smooth Alder.

Carpinus, L.

Caroliniana, Walt. Hornbeam.

Ostrya, Micheli.

Virginica, Willd. Hop Hornbeam.

Corylus, Tourn,

Americana, Walt. Hazel,
rostrata, Ait. Beaked Hazel.

ftuercus, L.

alba, L. White Oak.

bicolor, Willd. Swamp Oak.

Prinus, L. Chestnut Oak.

Muhlenbergii, Engel. Yellow Chestnut Oak.

prinoides, Willd. Chinquapin Oak,

ilicifolia, Wang, Bear Oak.

coccinea, Wang. Scarlet Oak.

tinctoria, Bartram. Black Oak.

rubra, L. Red Oak.

126 History of Hingham.

Castanea, Tourn.

sativa, Mill., var. Americana. Chestnut.

Fagus, Tourn.

ferruginea, Ait. Beech.

73. SALICACE.ai. (WiLLOW FAMILY.)

This family, comprising the Willows and Poplars, is found
almost entirely in the temperate and frigid zones. Two species
are the most northern woody plants known. The order embraces
trees and shrubs ; some trees reaching a height of eighty feet,
and certain species of the shrubs, in alpine and arctic regions,
rising scarcely more than an inch from the ground. The family
is variously useful in the arts and valuable in medicine, and
the leaves and young shoots furnish fodder for cattle in some
countries.

Salix, Touru.

alba, L., var. vitellina, Koch. White Willow.

tristis. Ait. Dwarf Gray Willow.

humilis. Marsh.

discolor, Muhl. Glaucous Willow.

sericea, Marsh. Silky Willow.

petiolaris, Smith. Petioled Willow.

rostrata, Richard. Livid Willow.

lucida, Muhl. Shining Willow.

nigra, Marsh. Black Willow.

myrtilloides, L. Myrtle Willow.
Populus, Tourn.

tremuloides, Mx. American Aspen.

grandidentata, Mx. Large-toothed Poplar.

balsamifera, L., var. candicans, Gray. Balm of Gilead.

74. CERATOPHYLLACEiB. (HORNWORT FAMILY.)

Aquatic plants growing in slow streams and ponds.

Ceratophyllum, L.

demersum, L. Hornwort.

75. CONIFERiE. (PiNE FAMILY.)

An order of evergreen trees and shrubs, common to the tem-
perate and torrid zones, but more extensive in the former regions.
The tropical species differ entirely from those existing in cold
climates. The family embraces both low shrubs and some of the
tallest trees in the world ; the gigantic Pines and Redwoods of Cali-
fornia. It is of great importance to man, furnishing timber, tur-
pentine, tar, pitch, and resin, besides certain oils. The seeds of
some species are esculent, and the order is of value in medicine.

The Botany of Hingham. 127

Chaniaecyparis, Spach.

sphteroidea, Spach. White Cedar.
Juniperus, L.

communis, L. Juniper.

Virgil) iana, L. Red Cedar.
Pinus, Tourn,

rigida, Miller. Pitch Pine.

strobus, L. White Pine.
Picea, Link.

nigra, Link. Black Spruce.
Tsuga, Carr.

Canadensis, Carr. Hemlock.

MONOCOTYLEDONOUS PLANTS: ENDOGENS.

76. ORCHIDACEiE. (OeCHIS FaMILY.)

A vast family of mostly herbaceous plants, although some in
the tropics are shrubs. Many of the orchids are epiphytes ;
plants growing on living or dead trees, but drawing sustenance
from the air. They are natives of all parts of the world, but
most numerous in the tropical forests of America, and are re-
markable for the extreme beauty and odd structure of their
flowers, as well as for the grotesque character of the stems and
roots of many species. The root tubercles of a few species fur-
nish the ingredients of a nutritious article of food. Vanilla is
a product of a climbing shrub belonging to the order. Only a
few species grow in the United States.

Corallorhiza, Haller.

multiflora, Nutt. Coral-root.
Spiranthes, Rich.

cernua, Rich. Ladies' Tresses.

gracilis, Big.
Goodyera, R. Br.

repens, R. Br. Rattlesnake Plantain.

pubescens, R. Br.
Arethusa, Gronov.

bulbosa, L.
Calopogon, R. Br.

pulchellus, R. Br.
Pogonia, Juss.

ophioglossoides, Nutt.
Habenaria, Willd.

tridentata. Hook.

blephariglottis, Torr. White Fringed Orchis.

virescens, Spreng.

lacera, R. Br. Ragged Orchis.

psycodes. Gray. Fringed Orchis.

fimbriata, R. Br. Large Fringed Orchis.
Cypripedium, L.

acaule, Ait. Ladies' slipper.

128 History of Hingham.

77. IRIDACEiE. (IrIS FaMILY.)

Herbaceous plants, with tuberous roots, natives of the Cape
of Good Hope, Central Europe, and North America. They are
celebrated more for their beauty than for use, although some
are medicinal and the root-stocks of a few are edible. Saffron
is the product of one species.

The Flower-de-Luce, Crocus, and Gladiolus are of this family.

Iris, Tourn.

versicolor, L. Blue Flag.

prismatica, Pursh. Sleuder Flag.
Sisyrinchium, L.

anceps, Cav. Blue-eyed Grass.

angustifolium, Mill.

78. AMARYLLIDACEiB. (AMARYLLIS FAMILY.)

Generally bulbous herbs, mostly tropical, furnishing our gar-
dens with some of their most splendid flowers. A few species have
poisonous properties. The celebrated Mexican drink, pulque, is
made from the Agave.

Hypoxis, L.

erecta, L. Star-grass.

79. LILIACE^ai. (LiLY FAMILY.)

A large family of principally herbaceous plants, with generally
bulbiferous roots, found mostly in the warmer portions of the
temperate zones. A few tropical species are trees or shrubs. The
order embraces many of our most beautiful wild and cultivated
plants. Some species are useful in medicine, furnishing squills,
aloes, etc. A few such as Onion, Garlic, Asparagus, are edible.
Some are used in the arts.

Smilax, Tourn.

rotundifolia, L. Greenbrier.

glauca, Walt. Rare.

herbacea, L. Carrion-flower.
Asparagus, Tourn.

officinalis, L.
Polygonatum, Tourn.

biflorum, Ell. Solomon's Seal.
Smilacina, Desf.

racemosa, Desf.

stellata, Desf.
Maianthemum, Wigg.

Canadense, Desf. Low Solomon's Seal.
Hemerocallis, L.

fulva, L. Day Lily.

The Botany of Hingham. 129

Allium, L.

vineale, L. Garlic.

Canadense, Kalm.
Muscari, Tourn.

botryoides, Mill. Grape Hyacinth. Rare.
Ornithogalum, Tourn.

umhellatum, L. Star of Bethlehem.

Lilium, L.

Philadelphicum, L. Orange Lily.
Canadense, L. Yellow Lily.

Erythronium, L.

Americanum, Ker. Dog-toothed Violet.

Oakesia, Watson.

sessilifolia, Watson. Bellwort.
Clintonia, Raf.

borealis, Raf. Rare.
Medeola, Gronov.

Virgin iana, L. Cucumber-root.

Trillium, L.

ceniuum, L. Nodding Trillium.

Veratrum, Tourn.

viride, Ait. Hellebore.

80. PONTEDERIACE-aJ. (PiCKEREL-WEED FAMILY.)

Aquatic herbs, natives of America and tropical Asia and
Africa, growing in shallow water.

Pontederia, L.

cordata, L. Pickerel-weed.

81. XYRIDACEiB. (YeLLOW-EYED GraSS FaMILY.)

Sedge-like herbs, natives of the tropics, with few species in-
digenous northward.

Xyris, Gronov.

flexuosa, Muhl. Yellow-eyed Grass.

82. JUNCACEiE. (RlTSH FAMILY.)

Grassy or Sedgy herbs, generally natives of temperate zones,
growing in dry or marshy grounds.

Luzula, D C.

campestris, D C. Wood Rush.
Juncus, Tourn.

effusus, L. Bulrush.

Balticus, Dethard, var. littoralis, Engel.

bufonius, L.

VOL. T. — 9

130 History of Hinghmn.

Gerardi, Loisel. Black Grass.

tenuis, AVilld.

Greenii, Oakes & Tuck.

pelocarpus, E. Meyer.

acumiuatus, Mx.

scirpoides, Lam.

Canadensis, J. Gay.

Canadensis var. longicaudatus, Engel.

83. TYPHACEiE. (CaT-TAIL FaMILY.)

An order of marsh herbs common to all portions of the earth.
The young shoots of some species are edible. The pollen is
inhammable, and used in fireworks. The flags, or leaves, are
made into chair-seats. One of the species is the Cat-o'-nine-tails.

Typha, Tourn.

latifolia, L. Cat-tail.
Sparganium, Toum.

simplex, Hudson. Bur-reed.

simplex, Huds., var. androcladum, Engel.

84. ARACE-ai. (Arum Family.)

A large family, principally inhabiting the tropics. They are
mostly herbaceous, though some tropical species are shrubby.
Certain plants of the order are esculent, and others medicinal.
Some species are very poisonous, if eaten.

Arisaema, Mart.

triphyllum, Torr. Indian Turnip.
Peltandra, Raf.

undulata, Raf. Arrow Arum.

Calla, L.

palustris, L. Water Arum.
Symplocarpus, Salis.

foetidus, Salis. Skunk Cabbage.

Acorus, L.

Calamus, L. Sweet Flag.

85. LEMNACEiE. (DuCK-WEED FAMILY.)

These are the simplest, and some species are the smallest, of
flowering plants. They float free on the top of the water, having
no stems.

Lemna, L.

trisulca, L. Duck-weed.

minor, L.
Spirodela, Schleid.

polyrrhiza, Schleid.

The Botany of Hingham. 131

86. ALISMACE^. (WaTER PlaNTAIN FAMILY.)

An order of marsh or water plants, chiefly natives of northern
latitudes. The root-stock of one species is esculent ; otherwise
the family is of no use to man.

Sagittaria, L.

variabilis, Englm. Arrow-head.

87. NAIADACE^. (PONDWEED FAMILY.)

Aquatic plants found in both salt and fresh waters in all
countries.

Triglochin, L.

maritima, L. Arrow-grasSo
Potamogeton, Tourn.

natans, L. Pond weed.

Pennsylvanicus, Cham.

hybridus, Mx.

pulcher, Tuck.

pauciflorus, Pursh.

pucillus, L.
Zostera, L.

marina, L. Eel-grass.
Ruppia, L.

maritima. Ditch-grass.

88. ERIOCAULE.a!. (PiPEWORT FAMILY.)

An order of plants growing in or contiguous to water, and
mostly natives of South America. But one species has been
found in Hingham. This grows on the borders of ponds, only
a few inches high ; but in deep water the stem attains a length

of several feet.

Eriocaulon, L.

septangulare, With. Pipewort.

89. CYPERACE-5I. (SeDGE FaMILY.)

An order of plants akin to the Grasses, which occur in all
zones. They are generally of low growth, although some species,
as the Bulrush and Papyrus, reach a respectable size. The
family is of little importance as compared with the Grasses,
although the Egyptian Papyrus was of great value for a num-
ber of purposes in ancient times, and the Bulrush and Cotton
Grass are now used in the arts. A few species are esculent or
medicinal.

Cyperus, Tourn.

diandrus, Terr.
Nuttallii, Torr.

132 History of Hingham.

dentatus, Torr.
esculentus, L.
strigosus, L.
filiculmis, Vahl.

Dulichium, Pers.

spathaceum, Pers.

Eleocharis, R. Br.
ovata, R. Br.
palustris, R. Br.
tenuis, Schult.
acicularis, R, Br.

Fimbristylis, Vahl.

autumnalis, Roem. & Schult.
capillaris, Gray.

Scirpus, Tourn.

subterminalis, Torr. Club-Rnsh.
pungens, Vahl.
lacustris, L.
maritimus, L.
atrovirens, Muhl.

Eriophorum, L.
cyperinum, L.

Virgiuicum, L. Cotton-grass,
polystachyon, L.

Rhynchospora, Vahl.

alba, Vahl. Beak-Rush.
glomerata, Vahl.

Carex, L.

folliculata, L.

intumescens, Rudge.

lupulina, Muhl.

lurida, Wahl.

Pseudo-Cyperus, L. var. Americana Hochst.

scabrata, Schw.

vestita, Willd.

riparia, W. Curtis.

filiformis, L. var. latifolia, Boeckl.

stricta, Lam. var. angustata, Bailey.

stricta, Lam. var. decora, Bailey.

criuita, Lam.

virescens, Muhl.

debilis, Mx. var. Rudgei, Bailey.

gracillima, Schw.

flava, L.

pallescens, L.

oonoidea, Schk.

laxiflora, Lam.

laxifiora, Lam, var. patulifolia, Carey.

laxiflora, Lam. var. striatula, Carey.

platyphylla, Carey.

The Botany of Hlngham. 133

panicea^ L.

Pennsylvanica, Lam.

varia, Muhl.

stipata, Muhl.

vulpinoidea, Mx.

rosea, Schk.

muricata, L.

Muhlenbergii, Sckh.

echinata, Murr. var. ce^jhalantha, Bailey.

echinata, Murr. var. microstachys, Boeckl.

canescens, L.

trisperma, Dewey.

broraoides, Schk.

scoparia, Schk.

silicea, Olney.

straminea, Willd. var. aperta, Boott.

straminea, Willd. var. foenea, Torr.

90. GRAMINE.53. (GraSS FaMILY.)

An order of plants growing all over the world, but most preva-
lent in the temperate zones, where they cover the ground with a
low turf. In the tropics they rise to the stature of trees, as in
the bamboos, and grow in an isolated manner, never forming a
turf. This family, of about four thousand species, is of all the
orders of plants the most useful to man. It comprehends all the
grains, the farinaceous seeds of which form a chief part of human
food, and the grasses furnish a very great proportion of the fodder
upon which cattle live. Sugar is the product of a grass. The
malt, and many spirituous liquors are made from fruit of some of
the species. Many are used in the arts and a few yield oil.

Only one species has been supposed to be poisonous, and the
best authorities consider the supposition erroneous.

Paspalum, L.

setaceum, Mx.
Panicum, L.

filiforme, L.

glabrum., Gaudin.

sanguinale, L. Crab-grass.

agrostoides, Muhl.

proliferum. Lam.

capillare, L.

virgatum, L.

latifolium, L.

clandestinum, L.

dichotoraum, L.

numerous varieties.

depauperatum, Muhl.

Orus-galli, L. Barn-yard Grass.

134 History of Hingham.

Setaria, Beauv.

glauca, Beauv. Foxtail.
viridis, Beauv. Bottle Grass.

Cenchrus, L.

tribuloides, L. Hedgehog- Grass.

Spartina, Schreb.

cynosuroides, Willd. Marsh Grass.

juncea, Willd.

stricta, Roth. var. glabra, Gray.

Zizania, Gronov.

aquatica, L. Wild Rice.

Leersia, Swartz.

oryzoides, Sw. White Grass.

Andropogon, Royen.

furcatus, Muhl. Beard Grass,
scoparius, Mx.
macrourus, Mx. Rare.

Chrysopogon, Trin.

nutans, Benth. Broom Corn.

Anthoxanthum, L.

odoratum, L. Sweet Vernal Grass.

Hierochloe, Gmel.

borealis, Roem. & Schult. Holy Grass.

Alopecurus, L.

pratensis, L. Meadow Foxtail.
geniculatus, L. Floating Foxtail.
geniculatus var. aristulatus, Mx.

Aristida, L. Poverty Grass,
dichotoma, Mx.
gracilis, Ell.
purpurascens, Poir. Rare.

Oryzopsis, Mx.

asperifolia, Mx. Mountain Rice.
Muhlenbergia, Schreb.

capillaris, Kunth. Hair Grass. Rare.

Brachyelytrum, Beauv.
aristatum, Beauv.

Phleum, L.

pratense, L. Herd's Grass.

Sporobolus, R. Br.

asper, Kunth. Rush Grass.

vaginseflorus, Vasey.

serotinus, Gray. Drop-seed Grass.

Agrostis, L.

perennans, Tuck. Thin Bent Grass.

scabra, Willd. Hair Grass.

alha, L. White Bent Grass.

alha, L., var. vulgaris, Thurh. Red Top.

The Botany of Hingham. 135

Calamagrostis, Adans.

Canadensis, Beauv. Blue Joint Grass.
Nuttalliana, Steud.

AmmopMla, Host.

arundinacea, Host. Sea Sand Reed.

Cinna, L.

arundinacea, L. Wood Reed Grass.

Deschampsia, Beauv.

flexuosa, Trin. Hair Grass.

Holcus, L.

lanatus, L. Velvet Grass.

Danthonia, D C.

spicata, Beauv. Oat Grass,
compressa, Austin.

Eragrostis, Beauv.
minor. Host.
pectinacea, Gr. var. spectabilis, Gray.

Triodia, R. Br.

purpurea, Hack. Sand Grass.

Phragmites, Trin.

communis, Trin. Reed.

Briza, L.

media, L.

Dactylis, L.

glomerata, L. Orchard Grass.

Distichlis, Raf.

maritima, Raf. Spike Grass.

Poa, L.

annua, L. Low Spear Grass.
compressa, L. Wire Grass,
serotina, Ebrhart. Fowl-meadow Grass,
pratensis, L. Kentucky Blue Grass.
trivialis, L. Rough Blue Grass.

Glyceria, R. Br.

Canadensis, Trin. Rattlesnake Grass.

obtusa, Trin.

nervata, Trin.

pallida, Trin.

fluitans, R. Br.

acutiflora, Torr.

Puccinellia, Pari.

distans, Pari. ^

maritima. Pari.

Festuca, L.

tenella, Willd. Fescue Grass.

ovina, L. Sheep's Grass.

elatior, L. var. pratensis. Gray. Tall Grass.

nutans, Willd. Nodding Grass.

136 History of Hingham,

Bromus, L.

secalinus, L. Chess.
mollis, L. Soft Chess,
ciliatus, L.
tectorum, L. Rare.

Agropyrum, Gjert.

repens, Beauv. Quitch Grass.

Elymus, L.

Virginicus, L. Lyme Grass,
striatus, Willd.

Lolium, L.

perenne^ Ray or Rye Grass.

CRYPTOGAMOUS or FLOWERLESS PLANTS.

91. EQUlSETACE-aS. (HORSETAIL FAMILY.)

A family of one genus, growing on wet or low grounds. The
fossil remains found in coal deposits, show that these plants were
once of enormous size, and formed a large part of the original plant
life of the globe ; but the few species which exist now comprise
low, simple, or in some cases branched plants, leafless, and hav-
ing jointed hollow stems. They abound in silex, and are used
somewhat in the arts.

Equisetum, L.

arvense, L. Horsetail,
sylvaticum, L.

92. FiLiCES. (Ferns.)

One of our most beautiful orders of plants which, in the early
history of the globe, formed a very considerable part of its flora.
They were of great size, and our vast coal-fields are largely com-
posed of the fossil remains of ferns. With us they are low and
slender, but in warmer regions they attain the size of small
trees.

Polypodium, L.

vulgare, L. Polypody.

Pteris, L.

aquilina, L. Brake.

Woodwardia, Smith.

Virginica, Smith. Chain Fern,
angustifolia, Smith.

Asplenium, L.

Trichomanes, L. Spleen-wort,
ebeneum, Ait.
Felix-foemina, Bernh.

The Botany of Hingham. 137

Phegopteris, Fee.

hexagonoptera, Fee. Beech Fern.

Aspidium, Sw.

Thelypteris, Swartz. Shield Fern.
Noveboracense, Swartz.
spinulosum, Swartz.
cristatum, Swartz.
marginale, Swartz.
acrostichoides, Swartz.

Cystopteris, Bernh.

fragilis, Bernh. Bladder Fern.

Onoclea, L.

seusibilis, L. Sensitive Fex-n.

Dicksonia, L'Her.

pilosiuscula, Willd.

Osmunda, L.

regalis, L. Flowering Fern.

Claytoniana, L.

cinnamomea, L. Cinnamon Fern.

93. OPHIOGLOSSACEiB. (AdDER'S-ToNGUE FaMILY.)

The plants of this order have the general characters of the
Filices, but differ in some structural peculiarities, for which they
have been placed in a separate order. The Botrichium ternatum
is a beautiful species.

Botrichium, Sw.

ternatum, Sw. Moonwort.
several varieties.

Ophioglossum, L.

vulgatum, L. Adder's Tongue.

94. LYCOPODIACEiE. (ClUB-MoSS FaMILY.)

An order of low, creeping, moss-like, evergreen plants ; but in
the early ages of the world this family contained many of gigan-
tic size. Some species are emetic, but otherwise their properties
are unimportant. The powder (spores) contained in the spore-
cases is highly inflammable and is used in the manufacture of
fireworks.

Lycopodium, L.

lucidulura, Mx. Club-moss.
' obscurum, L. Ground Pine,
clavatum, L. Club-moss,
complanatum, L. Spreading-moss.
annotinum, L.

138 History of Hingham.

95. SELAGINELLACEiE.

Low, leafy, moss-like or marsh plants, differing from the club-
mosses in having two kinds of spores.

Selaginella, Beauv.
rupesti'is, Spring.

THE TREES AND SHRUBS OF HINGHAM.

BY EDWARD T. BOUVE.

The beauty of the natural scenery of Hingham, extremely diver-
sified as it is by hill and valley, pond and stream, and by its long
and varied coast-line, is greatly enhanced by the extent and vari-
ety of its woodlands.

Standing on some of the highest hills, the picture spread out to
the view in various directions is that of a sea of verdure, stretch-
ing to the far horizon, as impenetrable to the vision as the virgin
forest that covered the land like a shadow when the pilgrims first
set foot on the darkly wooded shore of this county.

These woodlands arc rich in the number of species, and add a
corresponding variety to the landscape at all seasons. In winter
and early spring the purplish-gray masses form a picturesque
background to the snowy fields, except where these are fringed
by dark evergreens. They vary in their summer dress from the
black-green of the savins to the brilliancy of the oaks that reflect
the flashes of sunbeams from their polished foliage. In autumn
they light up the hillsides with colors of fire.

But not alone do the continuous woods interest the observer.
Individual trees remarkable for size and symmetry are not rare ;
and the wild hedge-rows along fences or old stone-walls, as well
as the clumps and thickets in the fields, are made up of shrubs
and woody plants whose very existence, conspicuous as many of
these are in their flower, fruit, or foliage, is no more recognized
than is their beauty appreciated by the great majority of people
who spend a lifetime side by side with them.

A series of rambles over the hills, through the woods, by the
meadow-bordered streams and along the seashores of Hingham,
will always well repay

"him who in the love of Nature holds
Communion with her visible forms."

The woody plants of New England embrace nearly two hundred
and fifty species. Of these, there are indigenous to Hingham
about half that number.

BERBERIDACEiE].

In all parts of the town grows that always beautiful shrub, the
Barberry (_Berberis vulgaris, L.).

140 History of Hingham.

It prefers tlie hillsides, although very fine specimens are found
in rough, swamp}^ land. Its delicate racemes of fragrant yellow
flowers in the spring-time, its rich foliage through the summer,
and brilliant clusters of scarlet fruit in autumn, make it at all
seasons one of the most ornamental wild shrubs.

TILIACEiE.

The American Linden QTilia Americana, L.) grows all along
the water line of Hingham from Weymouth River and Huit's
Cove, where there are many fine specimens, at intervals on the
shores of the inner harbor, and plentifully on the borders of the
pretty inlets and coves of Weir River Bay. Although also found
inland, it much prefers the immediate neighborhood of the sea.

ILICINEiE.

The American Holly (^Ilex opaca, Ait.) grows most plenti-
fully in the woods of the eastern part of Hingham. although it
occurs also elsewhere occasionally, notably at Turkey Hill and
near Old Colony Hill. This tree is always brilliant, its shining,
polished leaves, armed with spines, being even more noticeable in
the winter woods than they are when new and fresh in summer.
The small, white flowers are not showy, but the scarlet berries
form a striking contrast to the evergreen foliage in the winter.

The Black Alder (^Ilex verticillata, Gray). This plant grows
everywhere in Hingham, preferring low, wet lands. Its flowers,
small and white, are in crowded clusters in the axils of leaves.
The brilliant scarlet fruit is the cause of the beautiful display
which this shrub makes, all along roadsides in low grounds, and
in swamps, through the fall and early winter.

The Single-berry Black Alder {Ilex laevigata, Gray) grows
in Hingham in the deep swamps of the southern borders of the
town. It differs from the I. verticillata in having more slender
and delicate leaves, and larger, scarcer, and more orange-colored
berries. The sterile flowers are on long peduncles.

The Ink Berry (^llex glabra, Grray) is found on the high lands
of Union Street, Third Division woods, and rarely in the south-
ern woods of the town. It is one of the most elegant of shrubs :
and is from two to six feet in height, having brightly polished,
narrow, evergreen leaves, and shining, black berries. The flowers
are white, small, and inconspicuous, as in the other species of
Ilex.

Mountain Holly (^Nemopanthes fascicularis, Raf.). An ele-
gant shrub, with bluish-green leaves on purple or crimson leaf-
stalks. The flowers are white, the fruit crimson-red berries on
long red peduncles. It grows in the deeply wooded swamps of
South Hingham, and at Turkey Hill and Lasell Street woods.

The Trees and Shrubs of Sing ham. 141

CELASTRACE^.

Nature's Waxwork QCelastrus scandens, L.) is common in
many parts of the town, although it seems to prefer the approxi-
mate neighborhood of the sea. It is a pretty cHniber, deriving its
popular name from the brilliant and artificial character of its red
and yellow fruit.

RHAMNACEiE,

The Buckthorn {Rhamnus cathartica, L.) grows sparingly in
Hingham. It may be found at Turkey Hill and Third Division
woods, possibly elsewhere growing wild, besides being cultivated
somewhat for hedges.

Jersey Tea (Ceanotkus Americaniis, L.). This pretty little
shrub occurs in Lincoln Street woods, toward Huit's Cove, in the
woods southeast of Old Colony Hill, at Peck's Pasture, Stoddard's
Neck, and probably elsewhere. Tlie plant has a special interest,
from having been used as tea during the Revolutionary war.

VITACEiE.

The Wild Grape is represented in Hingham by two species,
the Common or Fox Grape ( Vitis labnisca, L.), and the more
delicate Summer Grape ( Vitis oestivalis^ Michx.) with its compact
bunches of very small berries. This is more rare than the labrusca^
occurring in the woods between Old Colony Hill and Weir River,
as well as in Third Division, Union Street, and Lasell Street
woods, and probably elsewhere in town. But the lahrusca is
found everywhere, and with its rapid growth covers the swampy
woods with a tropical luxuriance of rich foliage, while its small
and inconspicuous flowers in the spring, and dark purple or amber
clusters of fruit in autumn fill the air with delicious fragrance.

The Woodbine (Ampelopsis quinquefolia, Michx.) grows in
every part of the tow^nship. Finest among our climbing vines, in
summer covering in careless profusion of foliage the gray rock, or
hanging in delicate festoons from tall trees, its strongly individual
leaves, resembling somewhat an irregular, five-pointed star, render
it conspicuous. But in the fall, flung with Nature's inimitable
grace like a scarlet mantle around the cone of a savin, its younger
sprays fringing here and there the flame-colored masses, there
is no more striking contrast in the woodlands than its brilliancy
and the black-green of the cedar. The deep blue of its corymbed
berries adds variety to the picture.

SAPINDACEiE.

The Maple family is represented in Hingham by the Red
Maple (^Acer rubrum, L.), which grows everywhere in low and

142 History of Hingham.

swampy lands, while it also flourishes on uplands. It is a hand-
some tree, conspicuous in the tall through the bright uniform red
of its leaves.

The Sugar Maple (^Acer saecliarinum., Wang.) is also indigenous
to this region, although the fact of its being so is not generally
known. It grows, and specimens of large size are now standing,
near the Cohasset line. This species, which is cultivated every-
Avhcre in town as an ornamental tree, is always one of our most
beautiful shade-trees. Bright and healthy in foliage all through
the summer, in autumn nothing can exceed its beauty, the leaves
turning red, scarlet, and yellow, these colors often mingling in
patches with the bright green on individual leaves. The forests
in the North, when made up mainly of the Sugar Maple, exhibit a
splendor unparalleled elsewhere m the world.

ANACARDIACE^.

The plants of the Rhus family are very common all over the
township, and on one or two of the islands. The Staghorn
Sumac {Rhus typhina, L.), its leaves coarser, and like the branch-
lets and deep crimson fruit, very velvety -hairy, and the Smooth
Sumac {Mhus glabra, L.) with leaves, branches, and scarlet fruit
smooth, are found everywhere. The smaller and more delicate
Dwarf Sumac {Rhus copalUna, L.) grows east of the Old Colony
Hill and in various other localities. It is a beautiful species, by
no means so common as the preceding.

The Poison Dogwood {Rhus venenata, D C ), a delicate low
tree, is common in swamps everywhere ; and the Poison Ivy
{Rhus Toxicodendroyi, L.) grows in great profusion. No family
of woody plants presents a more showy beauty of foliage at all
seasons than this. In the gorgeous apparel of autumn, the Rhus
is particularly conspicuous, and of all the species, the most bril-
liant is the dangerous Poison Dogwood.

LEGUMINOSiB.

This order has but one representative among our woody plants ;
the Common Locust {Rohinia pseudacacia, L.). The Locust grows
on Lincoln Street, Kilby Street, at Rocky Nook, and elsewhere.
Its delicate foliage and long racemes of fragrant white flowers
would make it one of the most desirable of our ornamental trees
but for the i*avages of the worm which honeycombs its very hard
and tough wood, and often destroys its beauty at an early age.

ROSACE-ai.

This large order in its subdivisions is very fully represented in
Hingham.

The Beach Plum {Prunus maritima, Wang.) still exists on

The Trees and Shrubs of Hingham. 143

the westerly slope of Peck's Pasture, near the water, and prob-
ably grew formerly all along our beaches and shores. It may
possibly be found now in some such localities, although it has be-
come very rare. The best specimen known to have been lately
standing, was growing a few years since near the steamboat-land-
ing on Summer Street. It has unfortunately been destroyed.

The American Red Cherry {Prunus Pennsylvanica^ L.f.) grows
in nearly every part of the town. It is a low tree, distinguished
by its red bark, small, red, translucent fruit, and narrow leaves,
the two semi-blades of which double toward one another, forming
an angle with tlie midrib. The flowers of this species in favorable
locations are very large and showy, and their beauty ought to lead
to its cultivation as an ornamental tree.

Bullace Plum {Prunus spinosa, L. var. insititia). This is a
variety of the Sloe or Black Thorn, being a shrub with thorny
branches, sharply serrate, ovate-lanceolate, somewhat pubescent
leaves. It is very rare in Hingham, having been found on Weir
River Lane.

The Choke Cherry {Prunus Virginiana, L.) is also common.
It is a shrub or low tree, distinguishable from the Black Cherry by
the peculiar serratures of the leaf, which are fine, sharp, and bend
forward toward the apex. Its flowers also, are larger and more
showy, and the very astringent property of its conspicuous and
handsome fruit is familiar to every one.

The Black Cherry (^Prunus serotina, Ehrh.) is found every-
where in Hingham as a low shrub, as well as among our largest
and finest trees. It grows to an immense size, although the
wholesale destruction of our forests and individual trees has
unhappily left but very few specimens of even respectable dimen-
sions in this region.

Of the Spiraeas, the Meadow Sweet [Sijircea salicifolia, L.) and
Hardhack or Steeple Bush QSjnrcea fomentosa, L.) are beautiful
denizens of our meadows. The Meadow Sweet grows sometimes
to the height of six feet, and its fragrant white or rose-tinted
blossoms and pretty delicate foliage make it an ever welcome
midsummer and fall flower. Its cousin, the Hardhack, is one of
our most common plants in low grounds, its tapering spike, cov-
ered with rose-colored bloom, showing all along fence-rows and on
hummocks in the meadows.

Wild Red Raspberry (Eubus strigosus, Michx.). Common at
rocky roadsides and in clefts of rocks. A plant hard to distin-
guish from the Thimbleberry, except when in fruit.

Thimbleberry (^Ruhus oeeidentalis, L.). Common everywhere
in fence-rows and thickets. The fruit purplish-black, while that
of the Raspberry is red. The stems are covered with a heavier
(bluish-white) bloom than those of the Raspberry.

Common High Blackberry (Bubus villosus, Ait.). This plant
is very common, the coarse, thorny stems reaching a height of

144 History of Hingham.

eight or nine feet in favorable situations, such as damp ditclies
by roadsides. The white blossoms are very conspicuous. The
fruit is firm, close-grained, sometimes hardly edible.

Low Blackberry (^Rubus Canadensis, L.). This is a trailing,
thorny vine, growing in rough fields where the soil is sandy, and
on hillsides in all parts of the town. The fruit is juicy and
agreeable.

Running Swamp Blackberry (Rubus hispidus, L,). A delicate,
pretty species, with shining leaves, found in marshes and damp
woods. The fruit is sour, and of a red or purple color. Quite
common.

The Swamp Rose {Rosa Caroliria, L.). This is the common
wild rose of our swampy lands. It is often, in wet places, a very
tall plant, rising sometimes to the height of seven or eight feet.
The deeply pink flowers grow in corymbs, and the fruit, scarlet
and bristly, is very brilliant in the fall. The leaflets are dull
above and pale beneath.

The Dwarf Wild Rose {Rosa lucida, Ehrhart) is common, but
on higher grounds, or the border of meadows, growing usually
about two feet in height. The leaves are shining above and
sharply serrate.

The "Sweet Brier" of song and story {Rosa rubiginosa^lj).
This beautiful rose, its branches thickly set with hooked bristles
and thorns, grows all through Hingham, mostly in neglected pas-
tures or quiet woods. Its flowers, smaller and paler than those
of the Carolina, and the sweetness of its foliage, which fills the
air about it with fragrance, are its distinguishing characteristics.

The Choke Berry {Pyrus arbutifolia, L.), which grows almost
everywhere in the swamps and low lands, is a beautiful shrub.
The bright, shining, finely serrate leaves, the white and pink fra-
grant flowers, and the clusters of dark crimson fruit (tasting very
much more astringent than the Choke Cherry) mark this plant at
all seasons.

The White or Scarlet-fruited Thorn (Crataegus coccinea, L.).
This handsome shrub or small tree grows in the fields and woods
bordering Lincoln Street, especially north of Thaxter Street, at
Stoddard's Neck, at Peck's Pasture, and elsewhere. It is con-
spicuous for its bright, shining leaves, rusty-spotted from a fungus
which attacks them early in the season, its fragrant white flowers,
brilliant, scarlet, pear-sliaped fruit, a little larger than a cranberry,
and its sharp, rigid thorns.

The Shad Bush {Amelaneliier Canademsis, Torrey & Gray), in
its two varieties, the small tree and the low slirub, grows in all
our woods and along walls and fences. Its showy white, fragrant
flowers, appearing just as the leaves are starting, iu May, cover
the branches so densely as to make it appear at a distance as if
loaded with snow. A propensity of the tall variety is to grow
close to larger trees, supported by them. It rarely appears
standing alone and perfectly erect.

The Trees and Shrubs of Hingham. 145

SAXIFRAGACE-aS.

Gooseberry (^Ribes oxyacanthoides, L.). This species grows in
moist places, along fences and by walls or rocks, everywhere.

H AM AMELIDEiB .

The Witch Hazel (^Hamamelis Virginiana, L.) is with us a
shrub or low tree rarely exceeding twenty-live feet in height.
Straggling and irregular as it generally is, it is unique among our
woody plants from the fact of its blooming and ripening its fruit
at the same time. The peculiar yellow blossoms are an agreeable
surprise to the rambler in the woods in October and November,
latest reminders as they are, with asters and golden rods, of the
season of flowers.

CORNACEiE.

The Cornel family is well represented in Hingham, every spe-
cies common to New England growing freely in town, excepting,
probably, C stolon'ifera.

The Dwarf Cornel (^Cornus Canadensis, L.), a little plant
four to eight inches high, is not properly ranked among the woody
plants, but having a woody root, although neither shrub nor tree,
it is here included. It has its leaves in a whorl of four or six.
At the apex is a cluster of small, greenish flowers surrounded by
a large, four-leaved, showy, white involucre. The fruit is red.
This species grows at Third Division woods and elsewhere.

The Flowering Dogwood ( Comus florida, L.) occurs in the
woods between the Old Colony Hill, Martin's Well Lane, and Weir
River, in Third Division and Turkey Hill woods, and elsewhere.
The showy beauty of this small tree when in bloom in June is
well known to all who are familiar with woodcraft. The large
white involucre, or floral envelope, which surrounds the true flow-
ers, makes it conspicuous for a long distance. Further south,
where this species fruits more fully, its brilliant scarlet berries
have the appearance of coral beads hung from the twigs.

The Round-leaved Cornel (Comus circinata, L^Heritier), a
pretty shrub, occurs in the Martin's Well woods, and at Stoddard's
Neck, and Hockley. The leaves are large and almost round in
their general shape ; the flowers in white spreading cymes with no
involucre. The fruit is light blue.

The Silky Cornel {Comus sericea, L.), a large shrub, is found
everywhere \i\ low grounds. The silky down upon the mider side
of the leaves and young shoots, and their rusty color, as well as
the purple tint of the branches, mark it plainly. The flowers and
fruit are similar to those of the circinata.

The Red OSIER Dogwood (Comus stolonifera, Michx.) has not
been certainly identified in Hingham by the writer, although it
may yet be found within the town limits.

VOL. I. — 10

146 History of Hingham.

The Panicled Cornel ( Comus paniculata, L'Heritier) grows at
Hockley, Stoddard's Neck, and on Lincoln Street. Its leaves,
finer and darker than in any other of our species, and its more
delicate growth, plainly distinguish it. The white tlowers are
somewhat panicled, and the fruit white.

The leaves of the preceding species are all opposite. Those of
the Alternate-leaved Cornel (^Comus alterni/oUa, L. f.) are
mostly alternate, and crowded at the ends of the branches, which
are also alternate, that is, not opposite each other on the trunk or
limbs. This is a shrub or small tree, of a very elegant appearance,
growing in all parts of Hingham. The white flowers are in broad
cymes, the fruit deep blue.

The Tupelo (^JVi/ssa si/lvatiea, Marsh.) is very common. It is
in every way beautiful, its brilliant polished foliage, dark-green in
summer and of a rich red in autumn, rendering it conspicuous.
Either growing singly or in clumps, it is very noticeable, especially
after the fall of the leaves, for its peculiarity in having the numei'-
ous branches start from the main trunk or limbs at a right angle,
and tend more or less downward.

CAPRIFOLIACEiE.

The Trumpet Honeysuckle {Lonicera sempervirens, Ait.), so
much cultivated for its beauty, grows wild in the woods on the
easterly slope of Old Colony Hill, and elsewhere, although it has
probably been introduced from more southern localities.

Common Elder (^S'ambucus Canadensis, L.). This plant grows
everywhere in low grounds. Its large cymes of white fragrant
flowers are conspicuous in early summer, and later in the season
the blackish-purple fruit is no less showy in its way.

The Red-berried Elder (^Samhueus racemosa, L,), a beautiful
plant, is very rare in Hingham, The white flowers of this species
are in ]mnicles, and are replaced by bright red berries.

Sweet Viburnum {yilmrnum Lentago, L.), This plant has
been found everywhere in damp situations and swampy woodlands.
It is, like all the viburnums, a beautiful shrub, with its bright
green finely serrate leaves, fragrant white flowers, and sweet edible
fruit. A specimen growing east of Old Colony Hill has attained
a diameter of trunk of five to six in«ches.

Withe-rod ( Viburnum cassiyioides, L.). This shrub grows in
the woody swamps of the south and west parts of Hingham, par-
ticularly in Lasell and Gardner streets, and is found also more
sparingly in other localities. This species is distinguished from
the other viburnums by having entire leaves, with wavy or revolute
edges, the others all having sharply serrate leaves.

Arrow-wood (^Vihumum dentatum, L.). The Arrow-wood is
common in low grounds everywhere. Its very deeply toothed
leaves and long straight stalks distinguish it. The Indians were
said to use its twigs for arrows ; hence the name.

The Trees and Shrubs of Hmgham. 147

Maple-leaved Arrow- wood ( Viburnum acerifoUum, L.)» This
pretty little shrub is the smallest of our viburnums, although it
occasionally grows to a height of six feet and upwards. The
white blossom is very delicate. Its leaves, excepting those at the
apex of the stalks, are so like those of the red maple that close
examination is often necessary to distinguish them. The maple
leaves, however, are smooth, while these are somewhat woolly on
the under side.

All the viburnums turn in the fall to a very brilliant crimson
color,

BusH-HoNEYSUGKLE (DierviUa trifida, Moench). This low,
elegant, but rather inconspicuous shrub is very rare in Hingham,
occarring at Hop-Pole Hill, and possibly in the western part of
the town.

RUBIACEiE.

Button-Bush {CeijJialanthus occideiitalis, L.). This shrub grows
along water-courses and on the banks of ponds in all parts of the
town. Its peculiar spherical heads of white flowers, very thickly
set, render it conspicuous at time of blooming.

The little trailing Partridge Berry (Mitchella repens, L.), with
its fragrant white flowers, single or in pairs, and bright scarlet
berries and evergreen leaves, grows in the Rockland Street and
Cedar Street woods, as well as in a few other places Although
but a little vine, running upon rocks or the ground, it belongs to
the woody plants.

ERICACEiE.

Dangleberry {Craylussacia fro7idosa, T. & G.). This shrub is
not very common, although observed in several localities, notably
in the woods between Old Colony Hill and Weir River. It is
two to five feet high with us, having long, oval leaves, greenish
flowers, and dark-blue sweet berries in loose racemes.

The Huckleberry ( G-aylussacia resinosa, T, & G.) grows
everywhere, preferring rough pasture-lands and rocky hillsides.
It may be distinguished by the resinous deposit on the under sur-
face of the leaves, which is much greater in this species than in
any other ; and by its jet-black, shining fruit. Very rarely the
fruit is found white. The flower is reddish.

Dwarf Blueberry ( Vaccinium Pennsylvanicum^ Lamarck).
This pretty little blueberry grows in South Hingham, in the
woods east of Old Colony Hill, and doubtless elsewhere. It is a
very low shrub, with small, finely serrate leaves, and furnishes
the earliest blueberries found in the city markets.

Low Blueberry {Vaccinium vacz7/aw.s, Solander). This little
straggling, low bush is one of our blueberries. It may be dis-
tinguished by the color of the twigs and branches, which is green,
instead of dark, like that of the other species. It is rather com-
mon, existing at South Hingham, Weir River woods east of Old
Colony Hill, and elsewhere.

148 History of Hingham.

Common or Swamp Blueberry (^Vaccinium corymhosum, L.).
This, a high-bush whortleberry, has a number of varieties for-
merly considered as separate species. It varies greatly in our
woods and swamps, where it grows freely. Its bell-like white
blossom is, in some varieties and in certain favorable locations,
quite large, and in other cases very small. The foliage also differs,
according to locality.

Large or American Cranberry ( Vaccinium macrocarjjon, Al-
ton ) . The Cranberry grows quite commonly in our swamps and
bogs, its delicate sprays being quite easily found when loaded witli
its white flowers or crimson fruit.

Mountain Partridge Berry {Chiogeyies serpyllifolia, Salis.).
A pretty, evergreen, creeping plant, very rare, but existing ia
swamps in the extreme southerly part of the town. The bell-
shaped white flowers are like those of the checkerberry, and a
resemblance to this shrub is also found in the flavor of its white
berries.

Bearberry (Aretostaphylos uva-ursi, Sprengel). This pretty
and rare little shrub, which grows in beds in the woods, has been,
found by the writer between Old Colony Hill and Weir River, at
Martin's Lane, and at Liberty Plain. Its stem trails under the
dead leaves and leaf mould, sending up shoots some six inches,
high, clothed with bright, polished, thick evergreen leaves. The
flowers are white, at the ends of the branches. The fruit is a red
berry.

TRAihmG Arbutus, Mayflower (Upigcea repens,h.). The well-
known Mayflower grows in the woods near the Weymouth line
and in the extreme south part of the town. Efforts made ta
domesticate it nearer the seashore have been unsuccessful, as it
is a very wild plant and does not take well to cultivation.

Creeping Wintergreen, Checkerberry (G-aultheria procum-
hens^ L.). The Checkerberry is very common in our woods. Its
bright evergreen leaves, sweet white flowers, and scarlet aromatic
berries are well known to all.

Andromeda {Andromeda lir/ustrina, Muhl.). This shrub is
common everywhere in low grounds. Its very full panicles of
small, globular, white flowers in July are replaced later by cor-
responding clusters of the seed-vessels, which hang on for a year
or more. This plant can be distinguished at all seasons by its
thin outer layer of light, cinnamon-colored bark, which seems
always just ready to peel off.

Leucothoe {Leucothoe raceynosa. Gray). This beautiful shrub
IS rare in Hingham and but little known. It is found in the
woods east of Old Colony Hill, in Cushing Street, in Leavitt
Street woods, and probably grows elsewhere in the south part of
the town. It is from six to ten feet in height, has rather strag-
gling branches, and elliptical leaves, and long one-sided racemes
of white, bell-like flowers, exquisite in beauty and fragrance. This
raceme is generally branched once, and the flowers all hang

The Trees and Shrubs of Hingham. 149

'downward in a regular row. Their peculiar honey-like sweetness
is unequalled by the perfume of any other of our plants.

Leather-Leaf (^Cassandra calyeidata^Don). The Cassandra or
Leather-leaf grows in the swamps near Weir River west of Union
Street and at South Hingham. It is a bright, pretty shrub, two
to five feet high, and has racemes of white sweet flowers much
like those of the Leucothoe, but smaller. The fruit, as in many
jjlants of the Heath family, is very persistent.

Mountain Laurel {Kalmia latifolia, L.). The Mountain Laurel,
exquisite in its beauty, is found in great quantities just over the
borders of Hingham, but within the limits of the township it is
rare. It grows in one locality at least in the woods near Gardner
Street, in Gushing Street woods, and perhaps may be found
elsewhere.

Sheep Laurel {Kalmia angustifoUa, L.). This plant, the
blossom of which is not less beautiful, if less conspicuous, than
the preceding species, is common all through Hingham.

The Clammy Azalea or White Swamp Honeysuckle {Rhodo-
dendron viscosum, Torr.) grows in the wet woods of Summer
Street, Martin's Lane, Lasell Street, and Turkey Hill, and is
found also in other localities. Its pretty, white, very fragrant,
and somewhat sticky flowers appear in conspicuous clusters and
are of that trumpet-like shape common to the azalea tribe.

Rhodora {Rhododendron Rhodora^ Dow). This beautiful plant
is very rare in this region, being found only in a peaty bog at the
west end, and possibly occurring in the swamps of the south part
of Hingham. Its delicate, rose-colored blossoms, appearing very
early, are among the most exquisite of our wild flowers.

White Alder QQlethra alnifolia, L.). The Glethra inhabits all
our swampy woods, and is well known from its upright racemes
of white fragrant flowers, which are conspicuous from the latter
part of July even into October.

OLEACEiE.

Privet or Prim (^Ligustrum vidgare, L.). This shrub, much
used for hedges, grows wild at Martin's Lane, Lincoln Street
woods, Huit's Cove, Turkey Hill, and Stoddard's Neck. Its fine,
fresh-looking foliage, white flowers, and black berries are familiar
to all observers.

White Ash (Fraxinus Americana, L.). This noble tree is
common in the swampy woods, and as an ornamental tree all over
town. One of the noblest specimens in this State was standing
until 1869 in the field on the corner of Summer and East streets,
opposite the residence of the late Deacon Gorham Lincoln. This
tree was mentioned by Emerson in the " Report on the Trees and
•Shrubs of Massachusetts." It measured when he described it, in
1839, four feet two inches in diameter at four and a half feet from
the ground. A tornado, ni September, 1869, destroyed it.

150 History of Hingham.

Red Ash {Fraxinus ptibescens, Lam.). The Red Ash, more
rare than the white, is found in swamps on Rockland Street and
probably grows elsewhere in town. It may be distinguished from
the other species by its pubescence and its narrower leaves and
sharper keys or seed-vessels.

Black Ash QFraxinus samhicifolia, Lam.). This tree, rare in
Hingham, occurs in swamps in Gushing Street and south of the
Old Colony Hill. It grows very tall and slender, and the buds are
conspicuously black.

LAURACEiE.

Sassafras (^Sassafras officinale, /Nees.). The pleasant aromatic
Sassafras is very common. It is a fine tree, with peculiar leaves,
some being regularly lobed, others formed like a mitten, with a
sort of extra lobe on one side. Its green blossoms are not showy.
The leaves, bark, and especially the root, are highly spicy.

Spice-Bush (^Li^idera benzoin, Meisner). This plant grows near
water-courses and in low lands in various parts of the town. It
is a beautiful shrub, with, a handsome bark, and brilliant shining
leaves wliich exhale a pungent, spicy odor on being crushed. The
small yellow blossom is followed by the bright scarlet fruit, some-
thing like a small cranberry in shape.

URTICACEiE.

The White Elm (^Ulmus Americana, L.) is one of our noblest
trees, and grows in all kinds of soil, everywhere, but prefers
swamps. Among the finest specimens in town are the elm at
Rocky Nook, a magnificent and very symmetrical tree, the noble
Gushing elm on Main Street a few rods south of Broad Bridge,,
and the tree in fi'ont of the Gay estate at West Hingham. The
variety of growth in trees standing alone on wet meadows,
leading to their being called " wine-glass elms," is extremely
beautiful and graceful. Some of these may be seen on the river
banks at Rocky Nook.

The Nettle Tree (Celtis occidentalis, L.) grows on the turn-
pike on the westerly slope of Baker's Hill and at Stoddard's
Neck ; also near New Bridge and Gross streets. It is rare. The
\QYj singular twisted and gnarled habit of growth which some
specimens exhibit is peculiar to the species. Its flower is very
inconspicuous ; the fruit a small olive-green berry on a long
stem.

PLATANACEiE.

BuTTONWOOD or Sycamore {Platauus occidentalis, L.). This
tree grows sparingly in all parts of the town. Its ragged, flaky
bark, its large leaves, and the rigid character of its growth
strongly mark it. Some very imposing specimens of this species.

OLD ELM, EAST STKEET.

The Trees and Shrubs of Hingham. 151

stand in various localities, although the injury sustained by the
Buttonwoods some forty years ago, generally ascribed to the
severity of a winter, has caused an apparent feebleness in
these trees. For many years they bore no fruit, but of late
they have matured the carious spherical balls of seed vessels,
which, some inch and a half in diameter, hang from the twigs
on stems three to six inches long. One of the finest trees in
town stands at the junction of Main and Leavitt streets on the
Lower Plain.

JUGLANDACEiE.

The Hickories are well represented in Hingham.

The Shagbark {Carya alba^ Nutt.) is quite common, being met
with in nearly all our woods. Its ragged, shaggy bark gives the
species its name, while its rich, meaty nuts have been sought by
the schoolboy from time immemorial. The Mockernut {Carya
tomentosa, Nutt.) is a fine tree, found everywhere in the woods, as
is also the Pignut (Carya porcina, Nutt.), the outline of the husk
of the nut of which has a not inapt resemblance to a pig's head.
The BiTTERNUT ( Carya amara, Nutt.) is more rare. It grows at
Crow Point, Planter's Hill, and Union Street, possibly elsewhere.
Its yellow buds and finer foliage, as well as the thinness of the
husk of the nut, distinguish it from the other hickories.

MYRICACEiE.

Bayberry, Wax Myrtle (Myrlca cerifera, L,). This beautiful
shrub, from two to ten feet high, is very common. The delicious
aromatic odor of its crushed leaves, and in the fall the crowded
masses of round, small, waxy fruit, clinging to the twigs, are its
peculiarities.

Sweet Fern (Myrica asplenifolia, Endl.), This pretty, low
shrub is very common on dry hillsides and in oak woods. It has
long, narrow, regularly and deeply cut leaves, resembling the
fronds of a fern. These are very aromatic when crushed.

CUPULIFERiE.

The Black or Sweet Birch (Betula lenta, L.) grows in all our
Hingham woods, being rarely met with in open fields. The bark
of its twigs is very aromatic. The leaves are thin and ovate, and
sharply serrate. The bark is dark and ragged.

The Yellow Birch (Betula lutea, Michx. f.) is rare in Hingham.
It grows on the border near Cohasset and in Third Division
woods. Its leaves are hardly to be distinguished from those of
the black birch. The bark of the young shoots is slightly
aromatic. The outer bark of the trunk is greenish-yellow,
shining, and always peeling off in thin layers. The catkins, or
male blossoms of all the birches are extremely showy and grace-

152 History of Hingham.

ful, loaded as they are when ripe with golden pollen. Those of
this species are especially conspicuous.

American White Birch (^Betula populifoUa, Ait.). This, the
common White or Little Gray birch of our woods and fields, is a
slender, sometimes rather tall tree, with thin, white, peeling, outer
bark and very small branches, merely twigs in fact, covering the
tree with their growth. It generally grows in clumps, from old
roots, and the trunk is short lived for this reason ; but upon its
being cut or blown down new shoots at once succeed it. The
leaves are small, shining, and triangular.

Canoe Birch (^Befula papyrif era, Mavsh.^. This tree is rare
now, growing only along the shores of the bay near Crow Point,
at Huit's Cove, and at Broad Cove. Its leaves are thicker and
coarser than those of the other species. The outer bark peels off
in large sheets, is chalky white on the outside layel's, the inner
ones pinkish. It was used by the Indians for their canoes. This
is a large and strongly branched tree.

The Speckled Alder (^Alnus incana, Willd.) grows in clumps
along Weir River near Turkey Hill, at South Hingham, and else-
where in wet places. It is a tall shrub with speckled bark, and
serrate and deeply cut dark-green leaves.

The Common Alder {AInus serrulafa, Ait.) is present every-
where on wet lands. It is a high shrub, growing in clumps. The
leaves are shining, roundish, and finely serrate. The male flow-
ers of the Alders are graceful catkins, generally several together,
and appear very early in spring. The scales open and show at
maturity beautiful golden flowers.

American Hornbeam {Cai-pinus Caroliniana, Walt.). This
tree, the leaves of which are almost exactly like those of the pre-
ceding species, is common in town, preferring low, wet grounds.
It is found at Rocky Nook, Turkey Hill, Lasell Street, and
elsewhere.

The Hop Hornbeam {Ostrya Virginica, Willd.) grows at Old
Colony Hill, Cushing Street, Huit's Cove, and at many other
points. Its fruit resembles that of the Hop Vine. The wood is
very hard and the trunk often twisted in appearance.

Common Hazel {Cori/lus Ame^ncana, Walt.). This plant, gen-
erally growing in shrubby bunches, is found everywhere. It is
one of the first of our shrubs to blossom, putting forth its delicate
catkins in early spring, together with the very small and beauti-
ful female flowers, scattered along the twigs like scarlet stars.
Its nuts are much like those of the Filbert imported for the
market.

The Beaked Hazel {Corylus rostrata, Ait.) is occasionally met
with in Hingham, growing in Third Division woods, on Kilby
Street, and elsewhere. The leaves and manner of growth are
hardly distinguishable from those of the Common Hazel. It
derives its name from the curved beak or long point which pro-
jects from the husk which encloses the nut.

The Trees and Shrubs of Hingham. 153

The Oak tribe is very fully represented in all the woods and
fields of the township.

The White Oak (Quercus alba, L.) is a noble tree, very com-
mon, some of the finest specimens being found on the easterly
slopes of Old Colony Hill and thereabouts. Its light bark, the
bluish-green of its round-lobed leaves, and the purplish crimson
of their fall colors easily distinguish it.

The Swamp White Oak (^Quercus bicolor, Willd.), scraggy
branched, and with a deep rich green leaf with rounded lobes,
grows everywhere in swamps and low lands.

The Chestnut Oak {Quercus prinus, L.). This tree, with its
variety the Rock Chestnut Oak (a separate species with some
botanists), is very rare, growing only in Third Division woods.
It is a fine tree, although not so large or imposing in appear-
ance as others of the family. Its leaves resemble those of the
Chestnut, hence its name.

Chinquapin Oak (Quercus prinoides, Willd.). This little shrub,
the smallest of the family, rarely reaches five feet in height. It
grows on the bank at Broad Cove, and on the border of the salt
meadow on Otis Street south of Broad Cove, and is also found on
the sandy bank on the northerly border of that portion of the mill-
pond which lies east of Water Street. Its leaves are round-lobed,
very irregular, and its small acorns are beautifully striped with
black.

The Bear Oak (Quercus illicifolia, Wang.), a shrub usually
five to ten feet high, rarely becomes a small tree of fifteen feet in
height. It grows east of the Old Colony Hill, on Lasell Street, in
the woods near Weymouth, in the south part of Hingham, and
in some other localities. It has leaves with not very prominent
sharply pointed lobes terminated with bristles. The acorns are
quite small and symmeti'ical.

The Scarlet Oak (Quercus coccinea, Wang.) grows in all parts
of the town. This species probably crosses with the Black Oak,
in many cases, the typical Black Oak leaf being often found upon
the Scarlet, and that of the Scarlet (which is much more deeply
cut and more highly polished) very often appears upon Black
Oak trees. The only certain way of determining the species in
many cases is to cut into the bark. The inner bark of the Scarlet
is pinkish. That of the Black is bright orange or yellow. The
»Scarlet is not one of our largest oaics, but is an elegant tree, its
delicate, shining, sharply lobed leaves, often cut almost down to the
midrib, turning brilliant red or scarlet in autumn.

The Black or Yellow-barked Oak ( Quercus tinctoria, Bartram)
is a noble, sturdy tree, growing everywhere in Hingham. The
crevices in its bark are black, which gives it the name. The
leaves, sharp-lobed and more or less deeply cut, turn red or crim-
son m the fall.

The Red Oak (Quercus rubra, L.) is quite common with us.
Some of the noblest trees of this species growing in New England

154 History of Hingham.

stand on East Street opposite Kilby Street. They are monuments
to the owners of the estate upon which they stand, who have
shown themselves capable of appreciating the magnificence of
these superb raonarchs of the forest. It is to be devoutly hoped
that the vandalism which has destroyed so many fine trees in
Hingham may never appear near the locality where these trees
stand in their sturdy grandeur.

The Red Oak leaves are more regular and less deeply cut than
those of the Black or Scarlet. They are sharp-lobed and turn dull-
red in autumn. The acorn is very large. The inner bark is
reddish.

Chestnut QCastanea sativa, Mill. var. Americayia). This beau-
tiful tree is rare in Hingham, growing in but two or three locali-
ties, at Beechwoods and elsewhere. A noble specimen formerly
standing on Hersey Street was ruthlessly destroyed a few years
since.

American Beech QFagus ferruginea^ Ait.). This fine tree
grows in many localities in Hingham. Its light-colored bark,,
sharp-pointed, rigid leaves, dense habit of growth, and delicately
beautiful pendulous blossoms easily mark it.

SALICACEiE.

The Dwarf Gray "Willow {Salix tristis, Ait.) may be found
in Third Division woods, on the roadside. It is a small shrub,
hardly two feet in height.

The Prairie Willow {Salix humilis, Marsh.) is a shrub about
ten feet high, often much less. It grows in Hingham on Derby
Street and Gushing Street, very likely elsewhere.

Glaucous Willow {Salix discolor, Muhl.). This shrub or small
tree grows everywhere in low grounds. It is our most common
willow. Its blossoms expand from the bud in early spring, first
into what the children call " pussy willows," little gray furry
bunches ; then as the season advances, they become long, graceful
catkins, covered with fragrant fiow^ers golden with pollen. There
often are cones at the end of the twigs, composed of leaves abor-
tively developed, and crowded closely one upon another.

Silky Willow (^Salix sericea, Marsh.). This is a beautiful
shrub, growing on Lincoln Street and at many other localities.
The leaves and young branches are covered with a silky down,
which gives this species its distinctive name.

Petioled Willow (Salix petiolaris, Smith). This shrub, strongly
resembling the pi^evious species, grows on Lincoln Street, and has
been found elsewhere. It is somewhat silky, but its specific
name is derived from its long petioles, or leaf-stalks.

Livid Willow (^Salix rostrafa, Richardson). A shrub or small
tree growing on Old Colony Hill, Lincoln Street, on the bank
of the pond at West Hingham, Lasell Street, and perhaps else-
where. It has a rough, dark, thick leaf, whitish underneath.

The Trees and 8hrubs of H'mgJiam. 155

Shining Willow {Salix lucida, Muhl.). The beautiful slirub
grows on Lincoln Street and elsewhere in town. The leaf is
large, pointed, bright, and shining.

Black Willow (Salix nigra, Marsh.). This graceful tree, with
its very narrow and delicate leaves, grows on Gardner Street. It
is very rare in Hingham.

The Myrtle Willow (^Salix mi/rtiUoides, L.) grows in Hing-
ham, although very rare. It is a shrub, from one to three feet in
height.

The American Aspen (Populus tremuloides, Michx.) grows in
all the woods of Hingham. It is not a large tree. The small,
bright-green leaves, light underneath, keep up a continual tremu-
lous motion in the wind. The trunk is light-ash colored, and
smooth in young trees.

The Large Poplar (^Popidus grandidentata, Michs.) is found
in low lands in all parts of the town. Its lea.ves are deeply
toothed, and the catkins are very large and coarse.

Balm-of-Gilead (Populus balsamifera, L. var. candicans. Gray).
This tree is quite common in Hingham. Its large, very rigid and
sharp buds are covered with a sticky, highly aromatic balsam,
which has been used in medicine.

CONIFERJB.

The White Cedar {Qhamaicyparis sphceroidea, Spach.) is a
beautiful and very useful tree, growing thickly in swamps near
the Weymouth line and at South Hingham, in several localities.
It is distinguishable from the Red Cedar by the comparative
smoothness of its trunk, smaller branches, the flatness of its scaly
leaves, and the angular character of its fruit.

The Juniper (Juniperus communis, L.) is a low, spreading shrub,
growing in a dense mass, with foliage very similar to that of the
Savin. It is found at West Hingham, Huit's Cove, and sparingly
in a few other localities.

The Red Cedar or Savin (Juniperus Virginiana, L.) occurs
everywhere, by roadsides and in hilly pastures. When growing
alone, and left to itself, its perfect conical form makes it a very
beautiful tree, either in its dark-green foliage, or in the fruiting
season, having the green intermingled with heavy masses of blue,
from the great quantities of berries which it matures.

The Pitch Pine (Pinus rigida, Miller). This rather stiff and
ungraceful tree is quite common, growing at Hockley, South
Hingham, and in many other places. It is a small species here,
specimens not averaging thirty feet in height. Its leaves are in
threes.

The White Pine (Pinus strohus, L.) is very common, forming
heavy forests in localities in Hingham. It is one of our noblest
trees, — a specimen on Lasell Street, although now shattered by the
storms of perhaps hundreds of winters, showing a majesty even in

156 History of Elngham.

its decay which well befits a tree which unquestionably was ma-
ture in aboriginal days. Would that the axe had spared more
such ! The White Pine has its leaves in fives.

Tlie Black Spruce {Picea nigra, Link.) This tree grows in a
swamp east of High Street, and probably nowhere else wild in
Hingham, although cultivated here as an ornamental tree.

The Hemlock Spruce {Tsuga Canadetisis, Carri^re) grows in
the woods in nearly every part of the town. It is a large, hand-
some species, with feathery, delicate foliage, and is much culti-
vated for ornamental purposes.

LILIACEiE.

The Greenbrier, Horsebrier (^Smilax rotimdifoUa, L.). Tliis
vine is very common. There is considerable beauty to it, the
bright-green leaves always fresh and shining, and the clusters of
small greenish flowers and blue-black berries in autumn quite
interesting. The plant is however a disagreeable one to meet
with in summer rambles, the thick sharp thorns making it a
barrier almost impassable.

The Carrion Flower {Smilax lierhacea, L.). This is a hand-
some plant, and although a vine, it often stands alone in a leaning
position without support. The leaves are rounded-oblong, thinner
than those of the Greenbrier, and the fruit is a very compact
bunch of black berries. The greenish masses of flowers are
carrion-scented.

The Smilax Glauca (Walt.) strongly resembles the rotundifolia
but is much more rare, being found only lately, and in the South
Hino-ham woods.

MEASUREMENTS OF SOME NOTABLE TREES.

The Gay Elm on South Street, opposite the depot at the west end, measured
in 1859 18 feet 6 inches, surpassing in circumference of trunk all other trees
in town. Torn asunder some years since by a gale, the portion of the trunk
remaining uninjured measured in 1889 a little over 20 feet.

The beautiful Rocky Nook Elm on East Street measured in 1887 15 feet
4^ inches, with a spread of foliage of 90 feet. The Gushing Elm, corner of
Main and South streets, measured in 1889 15 feet. The Sfa'mour Elm, on
Main Street, had a girth, in 1889, of 16 feet 3 inches. The Elm on Prospect
Street, in front of Mr. Bernard Cooney's house, measured in 1889 14 feet 6
inches.

Of the noble Red Oaks on East, opposite Kilby, Street, one measured in
1887 13 feet 10 inches, and another 13 feet 9|- inches. The Buttoxwood
on the corner of Main and Leavitt streets had a girth, in 1889, of 13 feet 4|
inches, with a spread of 100 feet.

A large Savin on land of Mr. Samuel Burr, at Martin's Lane, measured in
1890 9 feet 8 inches.

The great White Pine on Lazell Street measured 14 feet in 1887.

All the above measurements of circumference of trunk were taken at 4-i feet
from the cjround.

OLD ELM, PROSPECT STKEET.

ANCIENT LANDMARKS.

BY EDWARD T. BOUVE.

In the following descriptiou of the ancient landmarks of Hingham and
Cohasset, it will be understood that the term includes both natural objects
which have been adopted as bounds from the earliest settlement of the
country, such as hills, rocks, waters, etc., and those artificial creations
which come in time to be recognized as landmarks, as roads, bridges, mill-
dams, and certain buildings.

The sources of the information from winch the facts in this chapter are
derived are largely traditional, although old deeds have furnished much
material.

It would be improper and ungracious for the writer to omit the expres-
sion of his acknowledgments to those who have aided in his researches ;
and he takes great pleasure in owning his indebtedness to that interesting
and valuable work, the '' History of Hingham," by the late Hon. Solomon
Lincoln, as well as to the "Centennial Address" and unpublished his-
torical notes of the same gentleman.

At Hingham and Cohasset, on the south shore of Massachu-
setts Bay, the most delightful month of the year is OctobeK.
The heats and drought of summer are past, the blustering rain-
storms of September have gone, leaving as their legacy a renewed
greenness and freshness to the hillsides. The forests, spreading
far and wide, glow with the exquisite brilliancy of the American
autumn, and the ocean stretches in blue length along the shores
and up into the little bays, its ripples plashing as lazily as if they
would never rise into great green waves that in December will
shatter themselves in foam and spray on the mighty ledges of
Cohasset. The very winds seem to sleep, in their hammock of
gauzy haze, that hangs, thin and graceful, over sea and shore.
Nature is taking a siesta, in restful preparation for her grim
struggle with winter's tempests, fierce and furious as they are on
this coast.

I invite you to spend a few of these bright October days in
seekino; out the ancient landmarks of this old Puritan town of

158 History of Hingham.

Hingham (including Cohasset, which until 1770 formed a part
of it) ; and to do this most thoroughly and enjoyably a tramp
will be necessary, although at times it will be agreeable to take
to the saddle ; and a boat will twice or thrice be indispensable,
especially at the outset. For we will start, if you please, at the
extreme easterly point, and take some of the ledges which lie
off shore. Many of these are nearer to Scituate Beach, but the
rest, including the most noted of all, Minot's, are opposite Cohas-
set harbor and beaches.

Minot's Ledge is the outermost of those awful rocks, upon
which many a ship has met her doom ; and unnumbered men,
ay, and women and children too, have vanished in the foam of
those breakers which lash the ledges unceasingly when the east
wind vexes the sea.

But on this hazy morning the ocean is calm enough. Only a
ground swell, smooth as glass, rolls languidly in, and we can lie
off" the grim Minot's Ledge and examine the proportions of the
great granite tower at our ease. This tower was built by the
government to take the place of the wooden lighthouse, elevated
on iron posts, that was washed away, together with its keepers, in
the terrible storm of April, 1851.

Leaving Minot's outer and inner ledges, we come to an archi-
pelago of rocks, many of which are submerged at high water.
The principal ones between Minot's and the Cohasset shore are,
the East and West Hogshead Rocks, the East and West Shag,
the Grampuses, Enos Ledge, Brush Ledge, Barrel Rock, Shep-
pard's Ledge, Gull Ledge, Sutton Rocks and Quamino Rock.

At the westerly entrance to Cohasset harbor is a high, wooded,
rocky promontory called Whitehead. During the last war with
England earthworks were erected there and garrisoned. In June,
1814, a British man-of-war came to destroy the shipping at Co-
hasset, but the commander, upon j-econnoitring these fortifica-
tions, deemed them too strong to be attacked, and withdrew.
On the west side of the harbor is Gulf Island, and south of it
Supper, or Super, Island. We leave " the Glades " (in Scituate)
on our left in entering Cohasset harbor. On the south side of
the harbor, and close on the main land, is Doane's Island, now
Government Island. Here for several years the work of cutting
and shaping the rock sections to be used in building Minot's
Lighthouse was carried on.

Larson's Beach, northeast of Doane's Island, extends to Scitu-
ate Beach. In the palmy days of the fisheries on this shore
there were several acres of flakes there, and fishing-vessels were
fitted out at this spot. Several Cohasset vessels, loaded with fish
here, were captured in the Mediterranean during the Bonapartist
wars, and many Cohasset people are to this day among those
interested in the French spoliation claims.

Let us land at the head of the harbor, and take the road, skirt-
ing the shore, Border Street. A little stream called James's

Ancient Landmarks. 159

River, which flows through the town, crossing South Main Street
not far from the depot, empties into the cove.

The Old Shipyard was on Border Street. This road passes
between the water and high elevations on the inner side, called
Deacon Kent's Rocks, from which is an extremely fine prospect.
The body of water between Doane's Island and the main land is
The Gulf or The Gulp Stream. The entrance from the har-
bor is narrow and jagged, and the rushing tide, foaming and
seething in resistless volume in its ebb and flow, is a picturesque
and beautiful sight. A bridge crosses the stream, and just below,
where there was formerly a rocky dam, stood the old Gulf Mill,
which is now a thing of the past. A new mill, however, stands
near the site of the old one.

Conohasset River, or Bound Brook (Conohasset Rivulet of
Hutchinson's History), flows into the harbor on the south side,
emptying througli the Gulf. Anciently it formed the boundary
line between Plymouth and Massachusetts Bay Colonics.

Retracing our way, we will take Elm Street (the Ship-Cove
Lane of early days), pass around the head of Cohasset Harbor,
which narrows into a pretty little landlocked bit of water at this
point, and take the road which follows the shore as nearly as
possible over the isthmus between the harbor and Little Harbor,
the narrowest portion of which is known as Great Neck. After
going a few score rods in a direction generally northeasterly, the
road turns sharply to the north. At this point, extending down
the harbor, and in fact forming its northerly shore for some dis-
tance, is Deacon Bourne's Island, now the site of a fine private
estate, the property of a distinguished actor. These " islands,"
in the nomenclature of our ancestors, were frequently pieces of
land divided from the mainland only by a narrow creek or water-
way but a foot or two in width, or even high lands in swamps or
on beaches.

Beyond the little inlet and marshes north of this island, is
Hominy Point, a beautifully wooded locality extending out along
the water. There were formerly wharves at Hominy Point. The
road strikes across through thick woods and a very picturesque
country, coming near the water again at Sandy Cove, a slight
indentation north of the promontory previously mentioned,
and finally turning west, pursues its winding way through
thickets gorgeous with the red and yellow of sumacs and the
scarlet of maples and woodbine, by rocky precipices dark with
lichens, coming upon delightful vistas of wood-bordered meadows
and lovely bits of water-views which break in here and there
unexpectedly, until it suddenly enters Cohasset village at The
Plain.

The Punch Bowl, a singular depression about one hundred feet
in diameter and twenty-five feet in depth, with apple trees now
growing in it, is on the north side of Tower's Lane, a short dis-
tance from the corner. The Devil's Armchair, composed of
slight depressions in the granite, probably of glacial origin, is a

160 History of Hingham.

few rods east of the highest point of the rocks on the south side
of this lane near the Plain.

Scattered here and there, in the thick natural shrubbery on the
water side, are the pretty, quaint cottages of those who spend
their summers by the sea. All along this shore formerly, from
Whitehead to Pleasant Beach, were Saltworks, — among them
Parson Flint's Saltworks.

Beach Street, which we have been following, is the old Tower's
Lane. We will retrace our course over it, to the private way
which leads to Cuba Dam, where now is the bridge flung across
the waterway which divides the territory over which we have
been passing from Beach Island. Here one might well linger
for hours to watch the rushing waters which foam and swirl
through this narrow, rocky inlet, which lets the sea into the
otherwise completely landlocked, most picturesque, and exquisitely
beautiful sheet of water called in early days Littel Harbour (Lit-
tle Harbor) or Old Harbour.

Whale's Valley is near Cuba Dam, in Old Harbor. A whale
is said to have once gone up the inlet into this harbor.

This inland bay, with its greatly diversified shores, " The Ridge
Road " along the precipitous bank at the west, wooded hills on
points making out into it here and there, low sandy beaches and
Beach Island dividing it from the sea ; and containing Cooper's
Island, Rice's Island^ and Little Rock within its waters, is a
fascinating locality for the admirers of fine scenery.

On Cooper's Island are The Indian Pot and The Indian Well.
The former is a curious excavation, round, smooth, and regular,
having a capacity of about a dozen pails. The Indian Well is
another excavation near the first one described. From the bot-
tom it is elliptical to the height of about four feet. The re-
mainder is semicircular, opening to the east.

These excavations are glacial pot-holes, but may have been
used by the Indians for various purposes ; and from the fact of
hatchets and other aboriginal implements having been found
in the ground near by, the early settlers supposed them to have
been the work of the Indians.

Cuba Dam derived its name from there having been a dam
built by a company of Hingham and Cohasset people about the
beginning of the century, across the inlet, to shut out the sea,
and enable them to reclaim the Little Harbor, which it w^as
thought would eventually become very profitable as hay fields.
This was all very well until the great storm of April, 1851,
which left nothing intact upon the shores which the sea could
possibly destroy, tore this dam to pieces ; and it has never, hap-
pily for the scenery, been rebuilt. In the old days vessels were
built at Little Harbor.

The bridge across the inlet at Cuba Dam leads to Beach
Island, a partly wooded eminence rising from the beach sur-
rounding it, and as romantic a spot for the fine seaside resi-
dences situated on the easterly slope as could be desired.

Ancient Landmarks. 161

Next beyond this is Sandy Beach, aptly so called, while off
shore are Black Ledge, — ominous name, — and Brush Island.
At the end of this beach arc higher lands, very rocky, and with
great ledges extending out into the sea. Here is Kimball's, a
pleasantly situated tavern, celebrated for its fish and game fare,
somewhat as Taft's upon the north shore has been, for many
years. From here extend the stony beaches, picturesquely varied
with sea-worn ledges, known collectively as Pleasant Beach,
which terminates at Walnut Angle, as the northwest corner
of the Second Division was denominated, at the east end of
Cohasset Rocks.

Now let us turn about, and taking the road by which we have
just come in reverse, return to Cohasset Harbor again. Thence
going west over the old Ship-Cove Lane (now Elm Street) we
before long reach South Main Street.

South Main Street leads southeast to the Scituate line, at
Bound Brook, which was the Conohasset Eivulet of Hutchin-
son's History. Here, over the brook, was the old dam, a wide
roadway now, whereon stood the Old Mill. About half-way
over the dam, and presumably at the middle of the stream as it
was at the time, the Patent Line was established. Bound Rock
was at this point. It is now represented by a hewn granite stone,
set up to mark the spot, by Captain Martin Lincoln, of Cohasset,
more than half a century ago.

When the Indian chiefs, Wompatuck and his brothers, gave a
deed of the territory of Hingham to the English in 1665, there
was also embraced in this instrument a tract of " threescore acres
of salt marsh " which lay on the further side of the Conohasset
Rivulet, in Scituate, in the Plymouth Colony. These lowlands
were known as The Conohasset Meidows.

The Patent Line at Bound Rock was the base line north of
which the First, Second, Third, and Second Part of the Third
Divisions were directly or remotely laid out.

It will be necessary to explain the significance of the term
" division," which often recurs in any description of the topog-
raphy of Hingham and Cohasset.

When the Rev. Peter Hobart first came with his little band of
colonists to " Bare Cove," in 1635, he found several of his friends
who had settled there as early as 1633. " Bare Cove " was as-
sessed in 1634. The " plantation " was erected in July, 1635, and
on September 2nd, following, the name of the town was changed
to Hingham by authority of the General Court. There are but
eleven towns in the State, and only one in the county of Ply-
mouth, which are older than Hingham.

On the 18th of September, 1635, Mr. Hobart and twenty-nine
others drew for houselots, and received grants of pasture and
tillage lands. This year specific grants of land were made to
upwards of fifty persons, and this method was followed for many
years ; but as the colony increased in size, and the people spread

VOL, I. — 11

162 History of Hingham.

along the shore, it was deemed advisable by the proprietors to
survey and lay out the unappropriated portions of the township,
to be divided among the settlers in proportion to the number of
acres which they had in their houselots.

This led to the establishment of numerous landmarks, many of
which are recognized up to the present time, and their names,
often very quaint, will be handed down to posterity long after
their significance is forgotten.

It may be of interest to state here that the houselots drawn
for on the 18th of September, 1635, were upon Town, now North
street. This year, also, the settlements extended to Broad Cove,
now Lincoln Street. In 1636 houselots were granted upon the
other part of Town Street, since re-named South Street, and on
the northerly part of " Bachelor's Rowe," now Main Street.

The first grants of land in Cohasset (variously called " Cono-
hasset," " Conihast," " Comessett,") were mentioned in the Hing-
ham town records in 1647. The first settlements are said to have
been at Rocky Nook and on the Jerusalem Road.

All these specific grants of land were for many years from ter-
ritory yet belonging properly to the Indians ; but on the 4th of
July, 1665, a deed of all the tract of land now comprising the
towns of Hingham and Cohasset, together with " three score
acres of salt marsh" on the Scituate side of the river, which
divides Hingham from Scituate, was obtained from the chiefs
Wompatuck, Squmuck, and Ahahden, sons of the great sachem
Chickatabut, who lived on the banks of Neponset river, and who
probably permitted the first settlers to locate at Hingham, which
was in his realm. He ruled over the principal portion of the ter-
ritory now comprised in Plymouth and Norfolk counties.

The system of surveying and allotting certain districts led to
their being designated by the general name of " divisions ; " as
" First Division," " Second Division," etc. There were six of
these divisions made. The first, second, and third were in 1670.

The First Division, entirely in Cohasset, starts at the " Patent
Line," which runs from Bound Rock, on the milldam, across
Bound Brook in a straight line southwest by west, five miles
eighty rods. The coast line of the First Division follows the
course of Bound Brook northward to the harbor, then strikes into
Meeting-House Road (now South Main Street), crosses Great
Neck, extends along this road to Deer Hill Lane opposite the
southwest side of Little Harbor, then runs along this lane south-
westerly to King Street, thence follows a line through the centre
of Scituate Pond southeasterly to the patent line.

The base line of the easterly part of the Second Division is the
northwest boundary of the First Division (Deer Hill Lane). On
the southeast, the line starts at the corner of the First Division
on Little Harbor, and follows the westerly side of the Ridge Road,
skirts Peck's Meadow on the west, returns to the Ridge Road and
runs to Walnut Angle (westerly end of Pleasant Beach) on the

Ancient Landmarks. 163

shore, which it follows to Strait's Pond, thence in a general south-
westerly direction to " Breadencheese Tree," and from there south-
easterly over Lambert's Lane and King Street to the northwest
corner of the First Division on King Street.

Supper Island and Gulf Island in the harbor, the promontory
east of Great Neck, and Beach Island, and the other so-called
" islands " and high lands along the beaches east and north of
Little Harbor, are also in this portion of the Second Division.

The westerly part of the Second Division lies on the west side
of Lambert's Lane and King Street. The easterly boundary
stretches from " Breadencheese Tree " to Scituate Pond, along
the west side of the east part of the Second Division, and of the
First on King Street. The northwesterly boundary line runs
from " Breadencheese Tree " irregularly southwest, passing around
and excluding Smith's Island to a cart path running southeast-
erly, which it follows to a point where it turns and runs easterly to
the First Division line, north of Scituate Pond.

The Second Division is entirely in Cohasset.

The Third Division is partly in Cohasset, but mostly in Hing-
ham, the northwesterly boundary starting at the northwest angle
of the Second Division and running rather irregularly southwest
till it strikes the patent line not far from Prospect Hill. The
southwesterly boundary starts at the southwest corner of the
Second Division and runs to the patent line in a direction gener-
ally parallel to the northwesterly boundary line.

The Second Part of the Third Division is partly in Hing-
ham, mostly in Cohasset, and lies south of the Third Division and
the westerly portion of the Second, between them and the patent
line, and west of the First. It includes about half of Scituate
Pond.

The Fourth Division was made of the tract lying along the
extreme southwest boundary of Hingham on the Weymouth
border.

The Fifth and Sixth Divisions were of detached portions of
lands remaining from the former divisions (excluding specific
grants). Nutty Hill was included in the Fifth, and certain of the
westerly and northerly meadow lands in both the Fifth and Sixth.

The Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth Divisions of lands were made a
few years previous to the middle of the eighteenth century.

We will return over South Main Street, passing, just before we
reach the road leading to the depot, the long old house, once
Christopher James's Tavern. A short distance further north,
on THE Plain, stands the Old Church, erected in 1747, — the
first Meeting-House having been built here in 1713,

About an eighth of a mile further on, Winter Street runs south-
west over Deer Hill. This street was the old Deer Hill Lane.
Just beyond the corner of the lane with North Main Street, there
begins, on the right, the renowned Jerusalem Road, also called

164

History of Hingham.

the Ridge Road, or The Ridges, It runs north for some dis-
tance along a high bank, or ridge, beneath which lies Little Har-
bor, on the east side. The scenery in this direction is beautiful.
The little inland bay exhibits all its variety of outline from this
point, with its picturesque rocks, wooded headlands, and islands.

In a field west of the road, and quite a distance from it, is a
huge bowlder balanced, apparently, so delicately upon a point that
it seems as if it could be easily dislodged from its position upon
a ledge where it lies. This has long been known as Tittling.
Rock.

...v.^l4

^ --^J'^^fH^S^'^^-^''^

TITTLING ROCK.

The road soon slopes downward on to a lower level and enters
woods, but still skirts Little Harbor. Winding along the edge of
a rocky descent, it crosses a salt marsh by a dike. On the left is a
jagged precipice, clothed partly with trees. This is Steep Rocks.
Around the marsh's edge and skirting the foot of the rocks is an
old road, Bow Street, which was once the principal highway, and
was used again after the great storm of April, 1851, which washed
away the dike, until this latter was rebuilt.

Ancient Landmarks. 165

Beyond the marsh the road rises rapidly, and winds along over
abrupt rocky hills, well wooded, and having line private estates
on each hand. A pretty meadow on the west side, at the foot of
a steep descent, has been known from earliest times as Peck's
Meadow ; " The Steppen Stones " used to be, in old days, the
only thoroughfare across the water here. The road still winds
on, reaching, before long, Pleasant Beach, and the east end of
CoHASSET Rocks ; and here it bends abruptly westward and rises,
turning on to the crest of the cliff above these celebrated rocks,
along which it runs for their entire length, from Pleasant Beach
to Greenhill Beach.

As wild a stretch of iron-bound shore as could be wished for
are these cliffs. Woe to the ship that, escaping the awful ledges
to the eastward, drives on here before a northeast gale. The
Jerusalem Road along their upper edge, but a few years since
was a rough, picturesque way, bordered by stunted cedars " blown
into " a peculiar shape of growth mvai/ from the storm winds, so
to speak, that prevail from the north and northeast. Within the
past twenty years wealth and fashion have taken possession of
the lands on these hills, and the elegant villas of summer resi-
dents are to be seen on every hand, while the roadway has been
smoothed and " improved," fancy fences or elaborate stone-walls
built, and the storm-shapen cedars cut down or trimmed into
artificial forms, thus in a measure destroying the picturesque
character of the surroundings.

The town of Cohasset should never have permitted the sea side
of this road to be owned by private individuals, but should have
kept it as a public ocean park, accessible to the people.

Near the point where the road takes up its course to the west,
there is, not far above the level of the breakers, and down among
the rocks, a little basin of clear, cool water which bubbles out
from the precipitous, weather-beaten ledges, known as Cold
Spring.

Following the road along, a superb view presents itself. To
the east are Minot's Light and The Ledges. Beyond them, and
losing itself at the horizon, is the broad Atlantic. Here, in front,
to the northward, is the blue expanse of Massachusetts Bay, the
north shore in the dim distance hanging upon the verge of vision
like a cloud ; to the northwest, the great stretch of sands known
as Nantasket Long Beach, Point Allerton at its extreme end, and
Boston Light beyond on the Outer Brewster.

After descending a hill we come to the Black-Rock House, on
a slight rise, close beside the sea, whose waves drench it with
spray in great gales.

The picture spread out before one along this road in wintry
storms is magnificent, presenting as it does the wild grandeur of
the conflict between the seas, driven before the gale, and the stub-
born granite lines of these mighty ledges.

Just off Greenhill Beach, which is at the end of Cohasset

166 History of Hlngham.

Rocks, lies Black Rock, a long, jagged, wave-worn mass, a few
hundred feet off shore. At the west end of this beach (a pebbly
isthmus, joining Cohasset to Greenhill in the precincts of Hull)
begins Strait's Pond, a beautiful sheet of salt water lying along
the westerly part of Jerusalem Road, and between it and the
beaches of Hull north of it. After passing through a rocky gorge
bordered by misshapen savins, we come upon a low, long, an-
cient, one-story house on the left of the road, which is one of the
oldest buildings in Cohasset. It belonged to a branch of the Lin-
coln family, and was built in 1709, having been originally con-
structed on Greenhill, in Hull, and moved across the ice of Strait's
Pond in winter. The roadway formerly lay on the south side
of it.

As the neighborhood is being rapidly overrun by fashion, which
cares nothing for old landmarks, this house will probably disap-
pear very soon, to make way for modern " improvements."

In the next hollow Rattlesnake Run, on its way from Great
Swamp, crosses under the road to empty into Strait's Pond. In
the pretty canal, flowing among trees and shrubs in the private
grounds on the south side of the road, one would fail to recognize
the old run as it was before its metamorphosis.

Beyond this point the road bends round a steep, rocky ledge on
the south side. This is Joy's Rocks, and the bend was the old
Joy's Corner, — an angle of the Second Division.

Folsom's Island (originally Jones Island) is in Strait's Pond,
near Nantasket Neck.

The Jerusalem Road continues along the border of Strait's
Pond until it ends at Hull Street, on the Hingham line.

Turning to the left, Hull Street (which here divides Hingham
from Cohasset ; the east side being Cohasset, the west Hingham)
leads in a generally southerly direction, crossing Turkey-Hill
Run at the foot of the first slight rise. Nearly half a mile fur-
ther on, after going up a hill and winding somewhat to the left,
Lambert's Lane, or Breadencheese Tree Lane, is found oppo-
site Canterbury Street, in Hingham, and leading in an easterly
direction into Cohasset woodlands. It soon crosses Turkey-Hill
Run, and at the spot where it intersects the western boundary
line of the Second Div^ision, stood, in 1670, the celebrated Bread-
encheese Tree. The surveyors, who laid out the First, Second,
and Third Divisions at that time, were evidently of a waggish
turn of mind, and chose to name certain points or angles from
which they " took their bearings " according to the composition
of the lunch which they had for the day. Thus the northeasterly
angle of the First Division they named Pie Corner.

When they arrived under a certain large tree, they sat down
and ate their bread and cheese ; and Bread-and-Cheese Tree, or
Breadencheese Tree, became a landmark from that hour on,
through these last two centuries and more.

The Maypole was a tree at an ande a short distance southwest

Ancient Landmarks. 167

of Breadencheese Tree, on the line of the Second Division.
Smith's Island was on this line further to the southwest.

A half-mile or so from Turkey-Hill Run, the lane crosses Rat-
tlesnake Run, which, starting in Purgatory Swamp, we encoun-
tered upon Jerusalem Road, where it empties into Strait's Pond.
Lambert's Lane, running through thick woods almost all the way,
passes over Breadencheese Tree Plain ; and here was Hum-
phrey's, or, as commonly called in the old days, At Humphrey's.

Lambert's Lane eventually emerges at the modern Forest Ave-
nue, and at this point there was in the early part of the century
a dairy farm belonging to General Lincoln. Nearly all of these
tillage and pasture lands of earlier times are now overgrown by
thick forest. Walnut Hill is in this vicinity. Purgatory
Swamp is northwest of Walnut Hill.

Passing south over Forest Avenue, we come soon to North
Main Street, and turning into this, we almost immediately strike
off diagonally to the right into Cedar Street, now a deserted way,
but a beautifully winding and wooded one, formerly the Old Co-
hasset Road, over which, in early times, people journeyed from
Hingham to Cohasset. It leads over hill and dale, bisects a
superb fancy farm at Turkey Meadows and passing by a quiet
little graveyard at a turn to the northward, comes out on Hull
Street.

In order to reach most expeditiously the next locality which it
is desirable to visit, it will be best to proceed through Hull Street
to East Street, Hingham, and thence through this town by the
way of the old Side-Hill road, over Turkey Hill (a most delight-
ful ride, especially at this season), through Leavitt, Spring, Pleas-
ant, and Union streets, until Bcechwood Street is reached,
which leads from Union Street to Cohasset. This street at first
winds through beautiful and wild woodlands, largely composed
of beeches, with many holly-trees here and there, their exquisite
foliage reflecting the sunbeams, and the bright scarlet berries
forming a brilliant contrast to the rigid leaves' polished green.

Here is the part of Cohasset called Beechwoods, or in old
deeds The Beeches, deriving the name from the trees which
form so large a part of the woods of this district. Stony Brook
is the name of a little stream which crosses Beechwood Street,
flowing through a pretty meadow bordered by trees and bright
with wild flowers in their season, near the village called Pratt's
Corner.

Hard by is Barn Hill, made almost an island by this Stony
Brook. The locality known as Kingo is comprised in this neigh-
borhood, taking its name from a former inhabitant who lived
near, in a stone house in the woods.

A short distance further on, Doane Street enters Beechwood
Street on the north side. Doane Street is a continuation in Co-
hasset of Leavitt Street in Hingham, Avhich leads through Third
Division woods.

168 History of Hingham.

On the north side of Beechwood Street, and about a third of a
mile east of Doane Street, is Rattlesnake Rock, or Rattlesnake
Den, formerly a haunt of these reptiles, although they are un-
doubtedly extinct there now.

Souther's Hill is a short distance east of Doane Street, and
Joy's Hill, or Captain Pratt's Hill, is on the south side of
Beechwood Street. There is a fine view from this hill. About
a mile east of Doane Street, on the north side of Beechwood
Street is a great ledge, having a large bowlder on it, which
is called Mount Pisgah. Turtle Island is near Beechwood
Street where it crosses a branch of Bound Brook. The old Iron
Works stood here.

Pratt's Rocks form a ledge near the road, nearly two miles
from Doane Street. On the south side of Beechwood Street,
near King Street, is Widow's Rock, which is shaped like a hay-
stack. The property about this rock was once sold for exactly
one thousand dollars. When the deed came to be passed, and
payment made, the buyer offered the seller a one-thousand-dollar
bill, which was contemptuously refused. " What," cried the
seller, " I sell my land for one little bit of paper like that ! No
sir ! I will have a good pile of bills for it." And the buyer had
to give him a sufficient quantity of small bills to the amount of
$1000 to make the transaction look " big " to him. A short dis-
tance east of Widow's Rock is Governor's Hill. The name has
no special significance in this connection, however.

We will turn northwest into King Street, and proceed along
this ancient road, the original boundary of the First and Third
Divisions, and the dividing line which separates the Second into
two parts. It is a hilly and pleasantly wooded road in places,
and borders Scituate Pond, also called 'Kiah Tower's Pond, of
late years sometimes Lily Pond. It was named Scituate Pond
by the first settlers because it was on the road to Scituate; and
'Kiah Tower's Pond afterwards because land about it was owned
by a Mr. Hezekiah Tower. This land, or a portion of it is still
held by his descendants. By the latter name the pond is known
in the country adjacent. It is a very beautiful sheet of water, its
banks being composed of both high and low lands, and heavy
woods, always such an indispensable adjunct of fine scenery,
covering a large proportion of its shores.

How exquisite it is now, in the quiet afternoon sunlight, its
unruffled waters reflecting a white feathery cloud lazily drifting
across the deep blue sky, and the scarlet and yellow forests
about it contrasting so brilliantly with those rich, deep-green,
pine woodlands !

That great rounded gray ledge rising out of its bosom, Pond
Rock, has looked the same to every race of men which has dwelt
about these shores or fished in their waters, since the melting
away of the great glacier first let in upon it, as it is now,
the light of day. It echoed the war-whoop of the red man

Ancient Landmarks. 169

when he first shrieked it in the forests of the hills around, and
gave back its latest faint reverberation when it despairingly-
died away for the last time on the western wind. Its lichen-
clad granite slopes flung back a quick response to the sharp
crack of the pale-faced pioneer's firelock, when it imperiously
announced to those solitudes that the reign of the wolf and
the Algonquin must give place to that of the Anglo-Saxon.
The dawn will touch the old rock with its earliest rosy beam,
and the last ray of sunset linger upon it in yellow light, when
that Anglo-Saxon, with his mighty works, shall have vanished for-
ever, and the history of his existence remain only as a myth.

POND ROCK, SCITUATE POND.

King Street runs along the eastern slope of Scituate Hill,
which lies east of Turkey Hill. The name was applied to it by
the early settlers because it was on the way to Scituate.

After crossing the railroad, King Street ends at North Main
Street. This road winds pleasantly through the beautiful Co-
HASSET Woods and crosses the northern portion of Great Swamp,
which extends far to the southward, covering a large tract of
country. North Main Street enters Hingham as East Street, at
the Homesteads.

Now turning about, we will ride eastwards again, and strike
into King Street. Upon reaching Winter Street, we will turn
off to the east over this road, which is the old Deer Hill Lane.
It crosses Deer Hill, a smooth, rather high hill, and comes out
on North Main Street, nearly opposite the cemetery.

Southeast of Deer Hill, is Bare Hill (Bear Hill), now called
Joiner's Hill, where the water reservoir is.

A huge and steep ledge lying opposite the westerly end of
Summer Street is known as Sunset Rock.

170 History of Hingham.

But the fair October sunset itself has faded into twilight, leav-
ing a beautiful afterglow that promises another fine day for to-
morrow. If the promise is fulfilled, we will start in the early
morning to visit the Hingham landmarks.

A morning like that of yesterday, " so cool, so calm, so bright,"'
ushers in a second perfect autumn day, of all times in the year
the finest for rambles in the saddle. Let us take up our subject
this morning at the point where three townships meet.

The Jerusalem Road ends at the Hingham line, where the
towns of Cohasset, Hingham, and Hull form a junction. To the
right, northerly, lies Nantasket Beach, about half a mile distant.
A few rods to the north, the road to the beach crosses the old
Mill Lane Beidge, which separates Strait's Pond from the little
estuary called Lyford's Liking, or Weir River. This, however,
is not the" river itself, but merely an extension of the bay into
which Weir river empties. The origin of this quaint name,
LyforcTs Liking, is buried in obscurity. In 1642, however, in
Suffolk Deeds, Vol. I., the names of Ruth Leyford, John Leyford
her father, and Mordecay Leyford her brother, appear ; and in
1649 an old deed speaks of " foure Acres meadow, more or less,.
at LaiforcVs Likeing.''^

The road coming from the south, on the left hand, Hull Street,
divides Hingham from Cohasset, and winds through the rocky
village known as Tugmanug, an old Indian name of the locality.
Until within thirty-odd years, this was the only road from Hing-
ham to Nantasket Beach.

Rockland Street runs west along the marshes for nearly a mile,,
skirting a range of higher and rocky table land lying to the
south, which is known as Canterbury. It was probably included
in a grant to Cornelius Canterbury, who settled in Hingham be-
fore 1649.

In the ditch by the side of this street, where it runs through
the salt marsh, are the stumps of gigantic trees, which were dug
out of the roadway here when the street was made, about the
year 1855. These trees were unquestionably members of a forest
which lived and flourished here untold ages ago. The lands
where it existed were probably low, and near the then coast
line ; and through some gradual subsidence of the land, or sud-
den convulsion of nature, there was a breaking in of the sea, with
consequent destruction of the forest. All tli rough the period of
submergence of this locality these stumps were preserved, being
under salt water, and now, perhaps a thousand years after the
catastrophe that ended their lives, the relics of the trunks of these
old trees are mouldering to decay in the rays of the same sun-
shine that caused their buds to break into leafy beauty in the last
springtime of their existence.

Ancient Landmarks. 171

North of Rockland Street, just before it reaches the rising-
ground, and perhaps a quarter of a mile or so out over the
marshes, upon Lyford's Liking, is Barnes's Island, formerly
Sprague's Island. From the road it has the appearance of a
slight rise, well wooded.

A short distance further west the road crosses Weir River,
here a pretty stream about to empty into Weir River Bay, a
quarter of a mile northward. Tide water comes up beyond the
bridge at this point, to the falls at the dam a few score rods
south, where Thomas's Pond is, and where Thomas's Foundry
stood until within a few years.

Along the river bank on the east side, for some distance, is a
range of high rocky cliffs, beautifully wooded, and very pictur-
esque. Down from this savin-clothed height comes the little
Woodcock's Run, or Lyford's Liking Run, a small brook hardly
distinguishable in the dry months.

There was in early times across Weir River, not far from the
bridge now spanning it at Rockland street, a log, upon which
people could cross the stream, and also a landing where timber
and firewood were loaded upon vessels bound for Boston and
elsewhere. This place was called The Log, or At the Log.
Log Lane led to this spot, from Weir River Lane.

Down the river about a quarter of a mile, and at the point
where it broadens into a wide estuary, there was, nearly a cen-
tury since, a woollen mill, owned by and carried on in the interest
of General Benjamin Lincoln, who seems to have been interested
in many enterprises. There was afterwards a flour mill here, and
the place was subsequently occupied by the small-pox hospital.
The Lime Kiln was near by, and the neck of land opposite,
situated between the river and the cove which makes up on the
west side of this neck, is terminated by Bass Point.

Crossing Weir River by the Rockland Street bridge, we are
upon higher ground, included in Plain Neck, which comprehends
all the country south and west of this bridge (as well as north-
ward as far as Cushing's Neck), which can be comprised in the
territory bordered on the east and south by Weir River, and upon
the west by the harbor, and probably extending as far as Cham-
berlain's Run. The limits are indefinite, but old deeds show
that they are about as described.

A short distance west of the river Rockland Street passes
through a thickly wooded swamp, which was for many years,
until 1855, The Heronry. Here were the homes of the night
herons, their nests being visible in the woods on every side.
They were driven away when the road was laid out through
their haunts.

Neck Gate Hill, now Old Colony Hjll, at the junction of
Rockland Street, Summer Street, and Martin's Lane, is a pleas-
antly located hill, having fine woodlands and beautiful country
about it. The view from the summit in every direction is charm-

172 History of Hingham.

ing. For many years the Old Colony House, a favorite summer
resort, stood here. It was built in 1832, and burned in 1872.

But now before going on to Hingham harbor, let us turn down
Martin's Lane, to the right, and northward. This is a narrow
road, formerly having the Neck Gate across it, at the hill. It
slopes gradually downward, and is bordered by trees, with masses
of tangled woodlands u}3on the right, now exquisite in the glory
of autumn. Wild hidden ravines, picturesque rocky precipices,
clothed with vines, ferns, and savins, are upon the east side. The
trouble jof searching them out will be well repaid in learning
what scenery generally thought peculiar to mountain districts
is here under our very eyes, but almost unknown.

On the west, the land lies in beautifully rolling fields, dotted
here and there with fine trees, down to the water. The road
finally winds over a slight rise, between shrubby woods and
through a noble private estate till it reaches, nearly a mile from
Neck Gate Hill, Martin's Well, formerly Abraham's Well, the
remains of which are still visible in the field to the right, near
by where the lane ends. There is a pretty cove, or indentation,
at this point.

Abraham Martin was one of the early settlers who came with
Rev. Peter Hobart in 1635. He owned land in this locality and
built this well.

This land is embraced in the strip between the harbor and
Weir River to the eastward, called Cushing's Neck, — large tracts
having been owned here early by a branch of that family, which
has furnished, in peace and war, so many celebrated Americans.
Hingham was the home of the family in America. Lands at Cush-
ing's Neck are still in possession of one of the descendants.

The road which crosses the head of this cove goes over the
heavy stone dam (Martin's Well Dam) which shuts out the sea
from the fertile meadows lying east of it. These formed one of
the Damde Meddowes, so often referred to in old deeds. The
east end of these meadows is also dammed at Weir River Bay.

Passing through a gate, we come to Pine Hill, a little emi-
nence overlooking the harbor, now a smooth, rounded hill, with
a few trees upon its summit. North of this is the fine Planter's
Hill, also smooth and oval in outline, like all the Hingham hills.
There is a noble view from its top, extending all around the hori-
zon, — • of the Blue Hills of Milton, in the far distance, the town
lying close by, Third Division woods southward, the harbor to the
west, and broad ocean to the north and east beyond Nantasket
Beach.

At the foot of the northerly slope of Planter's Hill is a short,
low isthmus, a few rods in length, and very narrow at high tide,
— World's End Bar. A generation ago the fox hunters used
to beat the country at South Hingham and drive the game north-
ward through the woods and fields of the township till it arrived
at the peninsula bounded by Weir River and the harbor. After

Ancient Landmarks. 173

reaching that point, there was no escape for the unhappy foxes,
whose flight led them inevitably to World's End Bar, upon which,
or on the next hill, they atoned with their lives for " crimes done
in the flesh."

There is a curiously stunted elm-tree growing on the very top
of Planter's Hill. It is evidently dwarfed by having grown up
wedged among large rocks. It is of great age, early records re-
ferring to it soon after the settlement of the country, and appar-
ently has not increased in size during the two past centuries. It
is, indeed, an " ancient landmark."

The doubly rounded eminence north of this bar is World's
End, a peninsula surrounded by water on all sides excepting
where this bar connects it with Planter's Hill. The harbor is on
the west, Weir River Bay upon the east side.

Following the shore of Weir River Bay, we come to a little
cove upon the east side of Planter's Hill, and then an extremely
picturesque locality, having high rocks and precipices along its
water front, and great ledges cropping out all over it. This is
known as Rocky Neck.

Up the little bay, to the eastward, lies Nantasket Beach, and
nortli of it, the point of land stretching out into the harbor, is
White Head. These localities are in Hull.

The rough and broken easterly shore line of Rocky Neck finally
crosses a little meadow and beach, and beyond these is a narrow
passage between great masses of craggy rocks, which are called
Lincoln's Rocks. Through this passage comes the current of
Weir River. Close here, too, is the great rock in the water which
has been known from early times as The Ringbolt Rock,
from the huge iron ring let into its surface for the accommo-
dation of vessels hauling up the river. At " The Limekiln," in
the upper part of Weir River Bay, there were, in old times,
vessels built. The last one was the ship "Solferino," of about 800
tons, launched in the year 1859, the largest vessel ever built in
Hingham.

The water here is the westerly portion of the inlet which ex-
tends easterly to the dam at Strait's Pond, and which we met
with there under the ancient name of Lyford's Liking.

Let us go down the river again to Rocky Neck and cross Old
Planter's Fields, lying on the southeasterly slopes of Planter's
and Pine hills, and on over the " Damde Meddowes " to Martin's
Lane, which we will cross at the cove, and proceed along the
shore skirting the beautiful tract of country between Martin's
Lane and the harbor, called, anciently, Mansfield's, to Mans-
field's Cove, a slight indentation at the head of the harbor,
bounded on the west by a ledge making out into the water, called
Barnes's Rocks, upon and over which the old steamboat pier and
hanging wire bridge used to be. This ledge extends out under
the channel, interfering with navigation at low water. The
United States government has expended considerable sums of

174 History of Hingham.

money in not entirely successful attempts to remove it by sub-
marine blasting.

There were formerly Salt Works east of Mansfield's Cove.

A few rods farther on is Hersey's Wharf, at the present time
as stanch a structure as it was when it was constructed. Upon
this wharf, and on the beach west of it, were built several fine
ships, besides numerous barks, brigs, and schooners ; for this
was Hall's Shipyard. West of this wharf is the steamboat pier.
Upon Summer Street, on the hill just above Hersey's wharf, is a
large white house at the south side of the road, now the mansion
of a private estate. This was, in former times, one of the old
inns, and was known as the Wompatuck House.

After crossing another stone wharf, now disused, we find this
beach extending along toward a line of wharves at The Cove at
the head of the harbor. The earliest settlers at the harbor called
the place Bare Cove, from the fact that the receding tide leaves
the flats bare ; and by this name the settlement was designated
and assessed, until later it received the name of Hingham.

Previous to the building of Summer Street, the only highway
leading from the cove to the village lying between the disused
wharf above referred to and Neck Gate Hill, was along the upper
edge of this beach ; people and teams going down into the dock
below the mill-dam at the Cove, at low tide, crossing the mill
stream and passing along the beach on their way east. Summer
Street here was constructed from material taken from Ward's
Hill, a high knoll of sand and gravel rising south from the beach,
now known as Cobb's Bank, which in early times extended sev-
eral hundred feet to the eastward. It is fast disappearing under
the demand for sand and gravel for filling purposes.

Along the water side north of Ward's Hill there were also ves-
sels built.

The low land lying between Summer Street and the railroad
track, and east of Ward's Hill, was formerly Wakely's Meadow,
or Brigadier's Meadow. Within a very few years this meadow
was salt, and the owner, wishing to reclaim it, caused it to be
drained into the harbor, the pipes passing under Summer Street.
In digging beneath this street at the old sea-level, the contractor
unearthed old piles and the stone retaining walls of wharves, thus
proving the early existence of landing places for vessels far within
the limits where it is now possible for them to come.

The meadow belonged early to Thomas Wakely. It afterwards
was the property of Brigadier-General Theophilus Cushing, and
received its later name in this connection. Thomas Wakely was
an early settler with Rev. Mr. Hobart, in 1635.

The high land south of Wakely's Meadow, beyond the railroad
track, is Peck's Pasture. Robert and Joseph Peck came to this
country in 1638.

Following the ancient water line from the harbor up througii
the mill-dam, we reach The Mill-Pond. Here stood the Corn

Ancient Landmarks. 175

Mill, and also the Saw Mill, erected, probably, in 1643 or 1644.
The present grist mill stands upon or near the same spot.

The body of water connected with the mill-pond through the
water-way which exists under the junction of the railroad with
Water Street, affords, east of this street when the full tide is in,
some of the finest scenery about Hingham, taken in connection
with the beautifully wooded uplands on the marshes, called An-
drews or Sassafras Island, and the high rocks and precipices jut-
ting out from thick oak woods along the eastern bank. The
brilliant colors of the foliage contrasting with the gray of the
rocks, the blue of the water, and bright green of the meadows go
to make up a picture worthy tlie brush of an artist.

These salt marshes, extending south to Pear Tree Hill, are
known as the Home Meadows.

But to return to the mill-pond. This body of water lies be-
tween North and Water Streets and the maple-bordered and beau-
tiful shades of the cemetery lying to the south. The railroad
skirts its southern bank. The mill-pond was anciently a little
cove, and the Rev. Peter Hobart, with his band of settlers, landed
near the head of this cove where now is the foot of Ship Street.
Here the first religious services were held, near a magnificent
«lm, which, standing in all its majesty up to a dozen or so years
ago, an ornament to the street and town, was barbarously cut
down by the authorities on the wretched pretext that it was in
the way of pedestrians on the sidewalk. At the time of its
destruction two cannon balls were found imbedded among its
roots, which were undoubtedly left there by the early settlers.
These are now in the possession of a zealous antiquarian and local
historian.

The Town Brook empties into the western extremity of the
mill-pond.

With the idea of following the harbor line from the mill-pond
north, we will avail ourselves of the ancient private way which
runs along by the heads of the old wharves, some of which are
yet used for the reception from a few coasters of such lumber and
<3oal as are required for use in the town ; some have fallen into
decay, and with the old rotting warehouses upon the landward
side of this little way, are sad reminders of the maritime glories
of this once active locality. For Hingham formerly sent a large
and well-appointed fishing fleet to sea. Along her shores we have
visited some, and shall come across more of the shipyards where
numerous ships and smaller craft were built and launched, and
the sea captains, sons of her stanch old families, sailed to all
quarters of the world.

At the end of this old private way, and where it connects with
Otis Street, was formerly Souther's, earlier Barker's, Shipyard.
Here, where now are pretty seaside villas, the keel of many a fine
vessel was laid, and the plunge of these into their destined ele-
ment was made in a direction toward Goose Point, a small, low,

176 History of Hingham.

marshy promontory, forming the northerly arm of the little cove
here. On the west side of this cove was Keen's Shipyard.

Following along Otis Street over a salt meadow, we come to a
few summer residences scattered along by the bay, some being
near the former edge of the sand cliff which was cut away when
this road was laid out. Here were, a generation ago, extensive
Salt Works, having their windmills upon the beach ; for, in ear-
lier days large quantities of salt were required in packing mackerel
taken by the fishing fleet, and much of it was of home production.
A few score rods further to the north, and we are at Broad Cove,
an estuary extending in westward as far as Lincoln Street, and
then northward as much farther. As our plan is to follow the
shore, we will proceed along the southerly bank of this cove.
The first locality of interest is at the south side of the entrance
from the harbor. Here stood Major's Wharf and the warehouse
adjoining it on the edge of the sand cliff. The writer remembers
the old well which was at the foot of the cliff near or under where
the building stood. At this wharf were rigged the vessels which
were built at the head of Broad Cove at Lincoln Street. The
wharf and property in the vicinity belonged, in the latter part of
the last century, to Major Thaxter, of the old Provincial army.
This gentleman was an officer in the regiment raised in this
vicinity which formed part of the garrison at Fort William Henry^
which surrendered to Montcalm and his French and Indian forces
after a protracted siege in the old French war. He came very
near being one of the victims of the subsequent massacre, being
taken prisoner and tied to a tree by the Indians, who lighted a
fire around him, A French officer rescued him, and he subse-
quently escaped or was exchanged.

The land lying south of this cove adjoining (and perhaps in-
cluding) the present camp-grounds belonging to the First Corps
of Cadets of the Massachusetts Volunteer Militia, was formerly
known as John's Neck.

LTpon the south bank of the cove were, in early days Salt
Works.

At the Lincoln Street end of Broad Cove was a Shipyard,
where numerous vessels were built. An old lady in conversation
with the writer a few years since, spoke of having seen four
vessels at a time upon the stocks there in the early part of this
century.

Broad Cove divides into two creeks which extend northward
and westward for about a quarter of a mile. Over these creeks,
from Lincoln Street to Crow Point, ran Crow Point Lane, cross-
ing the creeks by bridges. These were landmarks a century ago,
the territory hereabouts being known as " At Y^ Bridges."

Planter's Fields Lane led from Crow Point Lane to Planter's
Fields.

From " Y Bridges " northwestward toward Weymouth River for
a considerable distance lay the Ship Lots.

Ancient Landmarks. 177

Returning by the northerly shore of Broad Cove to the harbor
again, we skirt the foot of Otis Hill, very steep upon its western
slope, and from this cause known to the early settlers, in their
quaintly expressive nomenclature, as Weary- all Hill. The
southeastern extremity of this hill, stretching out into low land
at the north side of the entrance to Broad Cove, is Paul's Point.

The hill takes its name from John Otis, an early settler with
Rev. Peter Hobart, in 1635, and who received a grant of land
here. He was the ancestor of the celebrated Otis family in
America.

The view from Otis Hill, like that from all the high hills of
Hingham and Cohasset, is exquisite. The waters of the bay, and
of Hingham harbor, with its picturesque islands, lie at one's feet.
To the northeast and east, is the deep blue expanse of ocean, be-
yond the long, narrow neck of Nantasket Beach, which connects
the peninsular town of Hull with the mainland. Beyond Wind-
mill Point, Hull, the granite bastions of Fort Warren reflect the
light in the afternoon sun. Ships and steamers on their course
lend life to the ocean view. The north shore melts to haze in the
distance. Islands dot the waters of Boston Bay, the white towers
of lighthouses surmounting some of them. To the northwest
looms the city, crowned with its golden dome. The Blue Hills
of Milton, the Mas-sa-chu-setts,

" rock-ribbed and ancient as the sun,"

rise against the western horizon. Fields and heavy woodlands lie
from the southwest to the southeast, interspersed with towns and
villages scattered here and there.

Daniel Webster greatly admired Otis Hill with its view, and
often visited it on his way to Marshfield. It is said that he had a
great desire to buy it and make his home there, but feared that as
it was so near the city he could not hope for the seclusion which
a more distant spot would afford.

At the north end of Otis Hill is Walton's Cove, or Wampum
Cove, a slight indentation westward from the harbor, with very
pretty scenery about it, having a high rocky shore on one side
and fine trees all about it. An early settler of 1635, William
Walton, owned land here, hence its name.

Beyond Walton's Cove is Crow Point, a rounded hill extending
like a cape into the harbor. It was the first ancient landmark
sighted by the early explorers who sailed into Hingham Harbor,
and probably the first spot landed upon.

Before leaving this neighborhood, it will be well to take a look
at the islands. The tide is high, and a row about the bay will be
a fine thing this bright fall afternoon.

Taking a boat, then, at Crow Point, we will pull over first to
Ragged Island, the westernmost of the group lying next the
shore. This island, well-named, is a very picturesque mass of

VOL. I. — 12

178 History of Hingham.

rock, and the scarlet and yellow of the sumacs, and other wild
shrubs, form a fiery contrast to the deep olive green of the savins
here and there among the ledges. At half-tide, the rusty under-
water coloring of the rocks of these islands, supplemented by the
dark, yellowish-russet tints of the rockweed, which only grows
submerged on the ledges, is very interesting in an artistic point
of view.

East of this lies Sarah's (Sailor's, or Sayles's) Island. This
is also the summit of a great rocky ledge rising up from the
water, and clothed with sumacs and other shrubs.

Towards the head of the harbor, hardly a mile south, lies
Button Island. This little heap of rock and gravel, bearing no
trees nor shrubs and but little grass, is not worth visiting. But
one other remains to be noticed, Langlee's Island (in early days
Ibrook's), which is a beautiful spot. Steep ledges surround it,
except for small intervals, where there are gravelly beaches, upon
one of which stands a fine linden. Shrubs abound upon the
uplands. It will be, in a few years, yet more beautiful than
now, thanks to the enlightened taste of the gentleman who owns
it. He has planted many small trees, which will eventually cover
it with forest growth, as was originally the case when the country
was settled, and restore it to the condition in which all the islands
of Boston harbor should be. Had they been kept so for the past
two centuries, the forces of erosion would not have succeeded in
practically sweeping some of them from the face of the earth, and
destroying the contour of all. Richard Ibrook, who probably
owned this island very early, came in 1635.

As we row ashore again, those few light clouds in the west are
taking upon themselves from the declining sunbeams colors yet
more gorgeous than those of the fall foliage, and we have a fine
opportunity of admiring one of those superb sunsets for which
Hingham harbor is justly celebrated. Glowing, as it does, over
the waters of the bay and across the western liills, it presents a
splendor which no locality in the world can surpass.

Although twilight is short at this season, there is yet time for
a ride around the shore before the gloaming is upon us ; and
as we left our horses here, let us mount at once and follow the
road around the north side of Crow Point, and then the beach
along the foot of the fine hill next west of it, the bank of which
is bordered by a heavy growth of Lindens, Canoe Birches (very
rare hereabouts), and other trees. This is Pleasant Hill. Be-
yond it are Planter's Fields, or Planils, and another of those
Damde Meddowes which our ancestors rescued from the inroads
of the sea wherever they could do so to advantage. Between the
southerly slopes of Crow Point and Pleasant Hill, and Walton's
Cove on the south, is a slight eminence called Tucker's or Tuck-
er's Hill. John Tucker was an early settler, coming in 1635.

The beach west of Pleasant Hill is Gardner's or Garnett's
(Garner's) Beach.

Ancient Landmarks. 179

Beyond Pleasant Hill is the mouth of Weymouth Back I^iver,
here an arm of the sea. At this point is Huet's (Hewitt's)
Cove, which with the land in its vicinity, including the localities
formerly known as The Wigwam and The Captain's Tent, is a
beautiful and romantic spot. The cove itself is an indentation
formed by a low rocky point making out to the westward, the
opposite shore being a steep ledge or precipice, the upper part
covered with canoe birches, oaks, and other forest trees in pro-
fusion. The rolling contour of the country here, embracing
pretty open fields, alternating with savin and linden thickets
•extending to the verge of the beaches, gives a charming va-
riety to the landscape, while the water view is all that could be
desired.

During the siege of Boston by Washington, tlie English found
themselves in sore straits for forage. Learning of some barns
well filled with hay upon Grape Island, which lies off Huet's
Cove, the British commander ordered a foraging party to pro-
■ceed in boats to the island and secure the supplies. The expe-
dition, however, was discovered, and the militia of Hingham and
vicinity were soon on the march down Lincoln Street to Huet's
Cove, it being feared that the enemy intended landing there.
Finding, however, that their objective point was Grape Island,
a detachment was sent off which set the barns on fire before
the English could land. Being disappointed in their object, the
enemy returned to Boston without attempting a landing.

Among the fields at Huet's Cove is a small tract formerly known
as Patience's Garden. Patience Pometick, the last Indian squaw
living in Hingham, used to gather roots and herbs here, and sell
them to the townspeople. In later days, and early in this cen-
tury, an eccentric colored woman called " Black Patty " used to
visit Patience's Garden, and haunt the territory adjoining Huet's
Cove. Upon one occasion Patty was collecting herbs there, when,
happening to glance seaward, attracted by a peculiar and unac-
customed sound, the poor wretch's blood was frozen by what she
saw. A dark, uncouth looking monster was rapidly approaching
over the water, snorting black smoke with a spiteful sound, the
waves of the bay foaming behind it, and sparks of fire mingling
with the smoke which it belched forth. Patty waited to see no
more, but rushed over the fields and into the first house that she

■ could reach, screaming that the Fiend himself was close behind
her. The monster which poor Patty had taken for the Enemy

■ of Souls was the first Hingham steamboat coming into the harbor !

Farther up Weymouth River, and just before reaching the
bridge over which the Hingham and Quincy turnpike ran, there
is a high, partly wooded promontory, which until within a year
or two belonged to the town, and is known as Stoddard's (Stod-
dar's) Neck.

The old building nearest the bridge, on the north side of the
.road was, in the days of the turnpike, the Toll House. From

180 History of Hingham.

here a sharp ride over Lincoln Street will take us into the village
about dusk. Until within twenty years this street only extended
west a short distance beyond Crow-Point Lane, and the first set-
tlers who laid it out called it Broad-Cove Street. It runs along
the northerly base of Squirrel Hill, near its junction with Crow-
Point Lane. The view from this hill almost equals that from
Otis Hill. At the foot of Squirrel Hill were formerly Clay Pits,
where there were brick kilns.

The name of Broad-Cove Street was changed to Lincoln Street
in honor of Major-General Benjamin Lincoln, of the army of the
Revolution. The General Lincoln Mansion, on the corner of
this and North Streets, is still occupied by his descendants. A
portion of it is upwards of two hundred and twenty years old.

About a dozen years since it became necessary to construct a
sewer on Main Street, to relieve the part of the road south of the
Old Meeting-House of surplus surface water. The line of this
sewer was laid out so as to run along in front of the hill upon
which stands the Derby Academy ; a part of which hill, as else-
where stated, was cut down, and the roadway lowered to the
present level. The rising ground thus removed was originally
part of the burial-hill, and Main Street here passes over where
the edge of the slope originally was.

Upon digging to build this sewer several skeletons were un-
earthed, which were identified as those of the Acadian prisoners
who died in Hingham ; for a number of those unhappy exiles were
sent here after their expatriation. Some of them lived for a time
in a small one-story house which stood on Broad-Cove Street, on
land which is now the southeast corner of Lincoln Street and
Burditt Avenue. In this house also were quartered, early in the
Revolutionary War, Lieutenant Haswell and his young daughter,
who was afterwards the celebrated Mrs. Rowson. Mr. Haswell
was a British officer, and collector of the customs at Hull, for
the King. He was for some time a prisoner-of-war in Hingham
and elsewhere.

On Lincoln Street, at the easterly side of the road, and at the
summit of the hill north of Fountain Square, stands a large, old-
fashioned house which was, sixty years since, Wilder's Tavern,
and yet earlier. The Andrews Tavern. There used to be a post
in front of the porch, on which was a large golden ball.

Another crisp, bright October morning, —

" when the quiet light
Succeeds the keen and frosty night; "

and what could be finer than this for further explorations among
the landmarks ? Let us start, therefore, in the direction of the
West End. The house next west of the General Lincoln man-
sion was in old times Seth Cushing's Inn. Going up North

HOME OF GEN. BENJAMIN LINCOLN.

Ancient Landmarks. 181

Street, we are all the time moving parallel with the Town Brook,
which rises in Bare Swamp and flows down, crossing South Street
at the West Hingham depot, thence easterly through the centre
of The Swamp, — a fresh meadow bounded by North, West, and
South Streets, and probably extending originally to the cove
which is now the mill pond, — to its outlet in the last-named local-
ity. The bridge across the brook, connecting North and South
Streets at the point near the Methodist church, is known as
Goold's Bridge. That one where these two streets approach
each other at the east end of The Swamp, is Marsh's Bridge.
A short distance further west an old way called Burton's Lane
runs north from North Street toward Squirrel Hill.

At the last bend of North Street is a small hill, a spur of
Baker's Hill, known as Mars Hill. One of the oldest houses
in Hingham stands upon it.

After turning into Beal Street, Baker's Hill rises on the
right hand. It is one of the largest and highest hills in town,
and there is a superb view from the top. It derived its name
from the residence, at its foot, of Nicholas Baker, who with his
brother Nathaniel came with Rev. Peter Hobart in 1635.

Beal Street, formerly The Turnpike between Hingham and
Quincy, and the direct road to Boston until Lincoln Street was
cut through, was in early times Goold's (Gold's) Lane, and ran
north until it reached the first hill. Then it divided into three
blind lanes. One led westward to Great Lots ; one northwest-
ward to the same locality ; and one was Squirrel-Hill Lane,
which runs from Beal Street, north of Baker's Hill, to Squirrel
Hill. Edward Gold, from whom this lane took its name, was an
early settler. He was known as " the pailmaker."

A few rods from the junction of Beal with North Street, Hook-
ley Lane runs west from Beal Street to Hockley. Where this
lane begins is Hockley Corner (another Hockley Corner is on
Fort-Hill Street). Hockley is an extensive district, consisting
of hundreds of acres of rolling country, embracing fine meadows,
woodlands, and a beautiful water front on Weymouth Back River.
It is one of the most attractive localities in Hingham. Tucker's
Swamp is situated north of Hockley Lane. In former days the
cutting and drying of peat for fuel was quite an industry at this
place. There were about twenty-fiA'e buildings then standing in
the vicinity, used for the storage of dried peat.

Near the foot of the lane is Hockley Run, which empties into
the river at Real's Cove, a pretty indentation here. Two other
small runs flow into the river near by. The old crossing known
in early days as London Bridge was not far distant.

The territory north, about Lincoln and Beal streets, including
the Almshouse and Town Farm, was formerly denominated
Great Lots, Stowell's Hill is on Weymouth River, near the
Alms House.

Returning to Beal Street, and crossing the head of the Swamp,

182 History of Hingham.

over West Street, we turn to the right into Fort-Hill Street, which
passes over Fort Hill, about a quarter of a mile farther south-
west. The old name was Nichols's Hill, until, in the time of
King Philip's War, a fort was built upon it for protection against
Indian attacks, and the name was changed to Fort Hill. When
the top of the hill was cut off, the lines of the old fort were oblit-
erated. Near the end of this street, and close to the Weymouth
line, is Fresh River, a little stream rising in Bare Swamp and
emptying into Weymouth Back River. A small branch of this,
flows from the neighborhood of Nutty Hill across Hobart
Street. The bridge across Fresh River at Fort-Hill Street is
West Bridge. The one over it on French Street is French's
Bridge. At the corner of Fort Hill and French streets is a
small sheet of water through which this little stream flows, called
RouND Pond.

New Bridge Street, which runs in a southerly direction from
Fort-Hill Street, crosses Fresh River, passes through Bare.
Swamp, and skirts the easterly side of Great Hill, which lies-
between it and Hobart Street, Bare Swamp was, like all mead-
ows found already cleared of forest by the early settlers, very
valuable to them, for the reason that such lands afforded for-
age for their cattle. In their system of valuation meadow
property was rated highest, corn lands next, and woodlands
least. How the present estimate would reverse this if a portion
of the magnificent primeval forest which they found were yet
standing ! Bare Swamp, when they came, was found to have
been cleared by the beavers, and received its name from its being
bare of trees. Those animals, evidently plenty up to that time,
had by their dams across the watercourses, overflowed the vicin-
ity. This had, perhaps, been the case for centuries, at least for
so long a period that the trees had died out and fallen, and
meadow land was the natural consequence.

Great Hill is rather a barren height, as are most of the small
eminences about it ; but interspersed among these are various
little green and fertile meadows. Some of them are under culti-
vation, others growing up to woods, which it is to be hoped will
advance up the slopes of the hills, thus increasing their value
and enhancing their beauty. The neighborhood is of great in-
terest to the geologist, exhibiting as it does, remarkable traces
of the occupancy of this region by the great glacier. Pigeon
Plain is a sandy tract of land between the Great Hill district
and High Street. It was in early days a haunt of the wild
pigeons.

South of Hobart Street, and between it and High Street, lies
Hemlock Swamp. At the corner of French and High streets is
Nutty (or Nutter's) Hill, so called because the early settlers
found walnuts there in great abundance.

Beyond High Street is Ward Street. The portion of this road,
Old Ward Street, which used to be a highway running nearly

Ancient Landmarks. 183

due south to Queen Ann's Turnpike, is discontinued, although
even now it is a delightful bridle path through the thick woods.
Where it crosses a small branch of Plymouth River is a pecu-
liarly shaped field always known as Ox-Bow Meadow. The
present part of Ward Street between its junction with Old Ward
Street and Gushing Street, used to be called Fox Lane. Root's
Bridge and Root's Hill are near the junction referred to.

Riding through the pleasant old deserted Ward Street, we reach
Whiting Street, formerly Queen Ann's Turnpike (or " Quean "
Ann's Turnpike). This name, sad to say, was not bestowed in
honor of good Queen Anne, but Was derived from the sobriquet
of a far less reputable individual, who kept a tavern of unsavory
reputation upon it in former days.

This street enters Hingham from Weymouth, and makes its
exit at Queen Ann's Corner, just east of Accord Pond, at the
point where it meets Main Street. On Whiting Street, near the
Weymouth line, is a rocky ridge across the street, called The
Devil's Back. It is said that whatever may be done in the
way of covering this ridge, or lowering it by blasting, it always
in time reappeai's. Whether the inhabitants of an earlier gene-
ration considered this peculiarity as evincing undue activity on
the part of Satan in making travel in that vicinity more labori-
ous, or whether they surmised that the " Ward Witches " had a
hand in the mischief, instigated thereto by the Evil One, they
bestowed upon the ridge this unsanctified name. The territory
certainly must have been within the jurisdiction of these " Ward
Witches," who were lady members of a family which formerly
dwelt in a part of the town not very far away, and who were
popularly believed to practise the Black Art.

Passing southeast over this old turnpike we come to a deep
ravine through which flows, in a northerly direction, an active
little stream called Plymouth River. Further on, a branch of
the same crosses the road. This " river," now but a brook in
size, received its name from the fact of its being on the way to
Plymouth, as it crossed the Old Indian Path which was in this
vicinity, and which was the only road which the early settlers
had between Boston and Plymouth.

It must be noted that the little streams called " rivers " in
Hingham, were doubtless in aboriginal days much wider and
deeper than now. The denudation of the country by the extir-
pation of the heavy forests, with the consequent desiccation of
lands which then held in their sponge-like soils, mulched by thou-
sands of generations of fallen leaves, volumes of water vastly in
excess of what falls upon or remains in them now, has resulted
in the dwarfing of the once good-sized streams, and the diminu-
tion of the annual rainfall ; and the dry and starveling wood-
lands (as compared with the primeval forest), cannot retain the
moisture necessary to the formation of rivers of any size.

A short distance southeast of the easterly branch of Plymouth

184 History of Hingliam.

River, on Whiting Street, we come upon Gushing Street, crossing
the old turnpike. We will turn to the right and proceed a few
rods until we strike Derby Street, which leads from the intersec-
tion of Gardner with Whiting Street, westward into Weymouth,
This country is all in the old Fourth Division. Ancient land-
marks are plentiful in this corner of Hingham, although many
of them can with difficulty be distinguished, owing to the country
being now extensively covered with woods where formerly were
farms. Consequently, in most cases their location merely can be
pointed out.

South of Derby, and immediately west of Gardner Street, lies
Huckleberry Plain, famous for the abundance of the fruit from
which it derives its name. West of this, and south of Derby
Street are the Farm Hills. Between Derby and Abington Street
and Rockland, is Mast Swamp, where formerly grew very large
pines, suitable for masts of vessels. North of Derby Street, and
between it and Whiting Street, are the Smooth Hills. To the
south again are the Three Hundred Acres, a tract once be-
longing to Madam Derby. Derby Street was named in honor
of this lady. Just before this street enters Weymouth, it passes
through MusQUiTO Plain, so called from the supposed super-
abundance of these insects.

Retracing our course over Derby Street, we will turn into
Gushing Street and proceed almost due north. Between this
street, Whiting Street, and Plymouth River, is Breakneck Hill,
now not a specially perilous descent where it invades the high-
way, however steep it may formerly have been. East of Gushing
Street, at this point, is Hoop-Pole Hill, where great quantities
of trees were cut in the days when the mackerel fishery was in
its prime, to furnish hoops for the barrels made at the harbor for
packing the fish. Woods now cover nearly all the hills in this
romantic and almost deserted portion of the town. A branch of
Plymouth River crosses and recrosses the road along the base of
these hills six times. The next point of interest is Mullein
Hill, a sharp ridge lying on the east side of the road. The
extensive growth of mullein in this locality in past days gave
this hill its name. The somewhat abrupt ranges next crossed,
and extending west of the road, are those of the High Hills.

The country all about here has a peculiarly broken surface,
and the woods covering it are principally oak.

White-Oak Neck lies between Plymouth River, just before it
enters Gushing's Pond, and Eel River, a little stream which
flows north, crossing Gushing Street, and also emptying into this
pond. The road turns abruptly to the eastward here, and crosses
the southerly extremity of Gushing's Pond, a pretty sheet of
water lying among wooded hills, upon the banks of which have
been carried on some of the most noted industries of the town.
Here is the Bucket Factory, where for generations were made
the celebrated " Hino;ham buckets" which were sold, far and

Ancient Landmarks. 185

wide, all over the country. It is proper to state, however, that
it was the manufacture of buckets by hand, at little shops else-
where in town, earlier than the establishment of this factory,
that had procured for Hinoiiam the sobriquet of " Bucket Town."
Here also were made the " Jacobs Hatchets " esteemed for their
excellence and exported all over the world in days gone by.
Alas, alas ! how the mercantile, manufacturing, and maritime en-
terprises of Hingham have faded away, never to reappear. The
Thomas Iron Foundry at Thomas's Pond on Weir River, the
Eagle Foundry at the harbor, the Bucket Factory and Hatchet
Works at Cushing's Pond, the Cordage Factory, the Iron Works
and Factory at Trip-Hammer Pond, — the productions of all these
various industries were justly appreciated both in this country
and abroad, and none more so than those of the Stephenson Scale
Works. The shipyards of Hingham — Hall's, Souther's, and
■others — launched as noble vessels as sailed under the flag. The
fishing interests of the town employed a large fleet of fine schoon-
•ers, well commanded and manned by hundreds of her stalwart
young men. These interests built up more than one fortune,
large for those days.

The house near Main Street was one of the old inns of earlier
days. It was known as Brigadier Cushing's Tavern. Reaching
Main Street, we will turn to the right. The first hill on the road,
going south, was in early days called Mayse's or May's, now
Liberty Pole Hill. The country south of this locality, to the
town line, is called Liberty Plain.

At the foot of the southerly slope of this hill, a blind lane
leads west through the woods, towards Eel River. This is Eel-
River Lane. The gradual rise on Main Street from this point,
south, is called Dig- away Hill (in some old papers Didgeway).
Further on, to the west of the road, at Gardner Street, is White-
Oak Plain. Half-way between Gardner Street and the town
line, at Gardner's Bridge, Main Street crosses Beechwoods
River, sometimes called Mill River, the little stream flowing
northeast from Accord Pond, which unites with others near the
centre of the township to form Weir River.

On the town line where Main Street meets " Queen Ann's Turn-
pike," now Whiting Street, is Queen Ann's Corner, and a few
rods to the west is Accord Pond, from which Hingham draws its
water supply. It is a beautiful sheet of water, of about tliree-
iourths of a mile in length, lying within the limits of three
towns, — Hingham, Rockland, and Norwell (formerly South Scitu-
ate). The easterly shore is bordered by open country, the west
side generally heavily wooded. The forest in this vicinity is
largely composed of the Scarlet Oak, and at this season is in a
blaze of brilliant coloring.

It is a singular fact that of all the ponds of any considerable
size in Hingham, but one is a natural pond. All the rest, —
Cushing's, Fulling-Mill, Trip-Hammer, Thomas's, and the Mill-

186 History of Hingham.

pond, are artificial. According to one tradition Accord Pond
received its name from the following circumstances.

A treaty with the Indians was about to be concluded by the
inhabitants of the adjacent country, and it was decided to as-
semble for the purpose at the point where the three towns of
Abington, Scituate, and Hingham at that time met, somewhere
near the middle of the pond which lay within the limits of these
three townships. The conference was held in winter, on the ice,
and was entirely successful, the questions at issue being settled
amicably. On account of the happy accord which manifested
itself between the contracting parties, the sheet of water received
from that time the name of Accord Pond.

There are other traditions of similar import, but this one
seems the most interesting.

One other large natural pond was within the original limits of
Hingham, — Scituate Pond ; but it lies in Cohasset, which town,
as previously stated, was set off from Hingham in 1770.

A small stream called Slough River flows from the Farm
Hills across Gardner Street, and empties into the northern ex-
tremity of Accord Pond.

On Main Street, a long house, almost the last building in Hing-
ham before reaching the town line, was in the early part of the
century Sivret's Tavern. The old country taverns in those days
were vastly more numerous than they are now, when the railroads
covering the country have rendered them superfluous.

And now that bright yellow sunset over there, beyond the Blue
Hills, indicates a fine day for to-morrow.

This bright morning follows appropriately in the wake of the
past few perfect days ; and now let us start for a stroll at the old
cove itself. From the Mill bridge, passing west through North
Street (the old Town Street of the early settlers) we come within
a few rods to where the road bends slightly to the right. Here,
where the millpond contracts to lialf its previous width, there
was in the early days of the town, a second mill, and mill-dam
across to the cemetery hill. A short distance farther west is
Ship Street on the right, in old times Fish Street. At this
spot the early settlers with Rev. Peter Hobart landed from
their boats.

The old houses on either corner of Ship and North Streets were
formerly the Waters Taverns. An old house next to the one of
these two on the westerly corner, was tlie Nye Tavern. Here i&
where certain British officers, quartered in town as prisoners of
war during the Revolution, were brought for their meals. The
old house next west of the Nye Tavern, standing on rising ground,
with many trees about it, the Gay Mansion, was the home of the

Ancient Landmarks. 18T

Rev. Dr. Gay, long the celebrated pastor of the First Parish.
Immediately west of this stands a building which, now enlarged
and rebuilt, was in its original condition the home of the Rev.
John Norton, the second pastor of the First Parish.

Opposite this spot, South Street enters North Street diagonally.
This road also was termed Town Street when laid out by the
first settlers. At its very beginning it crosses the Town Brook
by Magoon's Bridge.

Passing on a few rods more, we come to Main Street, which
runs south from the railroad depot. On the easterly corner of
Cottage Street, which enters North Street opposite Main, stands
the Gushing House, formerly the Union Hotel, and earlier yet.
Little & Morey's Tavern. This was a noted old inn in its day.
Next east of it is a very old house, which was one of the " Gar-
rison-houses " of the time of King Philip's War.

Main Street crosses the Town Brook by Broad Bridge. The
old bridge, notwithstanding its name, was formerly hardly wide
enough for two teams to pass abreast, and a watering place for
horses and cattle existed by the roadside where it crossed the
brook. It is related that a worthy citizen, hurrying in a violent
thunder storm to fetch the doctor, was obliged to wait for a flash
of lightning to show him the bridge, which in the darkness was
quite invisible. There is no locality in Hingham of which the
name has a more familiar sound than that of the " Broad Bridge."
Very near it, on both sides of the road, stood many of the shops
where the town wits and celebrities used in the old times to
gather in the winter evenings to talk over news and politics,,
crack jokes, and tell stories, some of which have come down to
posterity with all tlieir pristine savor. Pertinent to this subject
may be a little circumstance which took place at a fine colonial
mansion hard by, where dwelt in former days a gentleman of the
old Hingham school. Squire Blank. Some French officers who
had served with General Lincoln under Washington, were travel-
ling in this country, and came to Hingham to pay their respects
to the old general. Squire Blank gave a soiree in tlieir honor,
and considered himself in courtesy bound to converse in French
instead of the vernacular. Consequently, after welcoming his
foreign guests, he launched into a general conversation with the
most prominent Frenchman, who stood gracefully bowing and
smiling, and using the most agonized endeavors to comprehend
the Squire's French. At last, in despair of coming at his enter-
tainer's meaning, he broke out deprecatingly but vigorously, and
in the Squire's mother tongue, "For Heaven's sake, Mr. Blank,
speak English if you can ! "

On North Street, facing Broad Bridge, where the Catholic
Church now is, there stood until recently a fine old colonial
mansion, having tapestried halls, and with some of the door-
panels decorated by sketches painted by the celebrated Madam

188

History of Hingham.

THE THAXTER HOUSE,
Which stood on North Street opposite Broad Bridge.

Derby, — the old Thaxter House. At the time of the Revolu-
tion it was owned and occupied by a Mr. Elisha Leavitt, who was
a bitter Tory. It was thought by the patriots that he suggested to
the British commander, during the siege of Boston, the sending of
the expedition to Grape Island for the purpose of securing for-
age. To punish him for this, a mob assembled and started for his
house, with the idea, perhaps, of destroying the mansion, or pos-
sibly, even, of offering him personal violence. He got wind of
their coming, however, and had a barrel of rum rolled out of his
cellar in front of the house, with other refreshments, such as
crackers and cheese, for the rank and file of the mob, while cake
and wine were provided in the house for the gentlemen leading
the populace. Upon the arrival of the crowd, they were invited
to help themselves to the refreshments, while the gentlemen
aforesaid w^ere received by Mrs. Leavitt in elegant dress, and
urged to walk in and partake of the wine. This unexpected and
politic courtesy disarmed the fury of the Whigs, and the threat-
ened violence was drowned in good cheer.

Just beyond South Street the road formerly divided. The prin-
cipal roadway came over the low hill upon which the Derby
.Academy stands, the westerly portion of which has since been
cut down. The other road ran along the foot of this hill. Be-
tween the two roads on the high land stood the post-office, and
one or two other buildings. Several old gravestones also were

Ancient Landmarks. 189

there, as the slope had been in the early days a part of the burial
ground, and the First Meeting-House of the early settlers with
Rev. Peter Hobart stood in front of the present site of the Derby
Academy. It was probably a log house, and there was a belfry
upon it, containing a bell. It was fortified by palisades.

When the street was lowered to the present level by cutting-
down the hill and removing the buildings upon it, many graves
were found in and about the roadway, containing the bones of
some of the first settlers. These were reverently gathered to-
gether and reinterred within the breastworks of the Old Fort,
which is a circular earthwork on the summit of the burial hill,
back of the Academy. This fort was built to command the ap-
proach by water, either of Indians in their canoes during King
Philip's War, or in anticipation of a possible attack at the time of
the troubles with the Dutch at New York. It is kept in a fine
state of preservation, and a plain granite shaft in the centre was
erected by the town to the memory of the first settlers. Around
its outer slope are set many very quaint and ancient gravestones,
unearthed here and there in the process of repairs or improve-
ment of this beautiful cemetery In the arrangement and adorn-
ment of this resting-place of the dead, the taste displayed and the
great work done by Dr. R. T. P Fiske and Mr. John Todd, the
gentlemen who have had it in charge during the past fifty years,
have been in the highest degree creditable and honorable to them.

In this cemetery are interred some of the most distinguished of
Americans, as well as those men who came from over the sea to
make Hingham their home. Here sleep the long line of eminent
pastors of the First Parish, who preached in the Old Meeting-
house yonder, — Hobart, Gay, Norton, Ware, Richardson, Lincoln.
Many families whose members have attained to high position in
the political, military, professional, or business circles of the re-
public bring their dead here to the home of their ancestors, to
slumber in the beautifully wooded hills or valleys of this lovely
spot.

Many a soldier, from the general commanding an army to the
riflemen who stood shoulder to shoulder in the line of battle, awaits
the last reveille here. Many a sailor, who fought under " Old
Glory " behind the cannon on the high seas, is ready to start up
from this ground when " All hands on deck ! " is piped for the last
time. The tomb of Major-General Benjamin Lincoln, of the Rev-
olutionary Army, is here. John Albion Andrew, the " great war
governor" of Massachusetts during the Rebellion, rests here by
his monument. The shaft to those who died by land or sea in the
war for the Union crowns one of these beautiful heights.

On Main Street, in front of the entrance to the cemetery and on
a height above the road, the handsome retaining wall of which is
draped with ampelopsis, now beautiful in autumn coloring, is The
Old Meeting-House of the First Parish, now in the two hundred
and eighth year of its existence. Standing far apart from and

190 History of Hingham.

above all other buildings, and embowered in fine trees, it is too
well known to need description here. In simple, homely grand-
eur it towers there, a century older than the republic itself. If it
could speak so as to be heard by mortal ears, what might it not
reveal of the dead and of the living, of the story of the past ! But
to those who love Hingham and her history, it has a thousand
tongues which are never silent.

Main Street, as far as Pear-Tree Hill, which is the steep
bluff at the beginning of the Lower Plain, was, in the earliest
times, known as Bachelor's Rowe, or Bachelor Street.

The salt marshes east of the road, below Pear-Tree Hill, are the
Home Meadows.

Having surmounted Pear-Tree Hill, we are upon the Lower
Plain, which is a tract of mainly level country extending south as
far as Tower's Bridge, on Main Street. But we will leave this
street and take Leavitt Street eastward. A large, low building
on the corner, under a noble buttonwood-tree, was, in former days,
Lewis's Inn. The large, old-fashioned building east of it was
once the old Almshouse.

Leaving the Agricultural Hall upon the left, we soon come to
Weir River, here crossed by Leavitt's Bridge. A short distance
further on, a way is reached winding off to the right and south,
which is Pope's Lane, or Pope's Hole. At the first turn on this
lane are the Clump Bars, known also to the boys of past genera-
tions as Plumb Bars. This is evidently a corruption, as they de-
rived the name from being, in former times, near a clump of trees
w^hen there were but few trees in the vicinity. The country there-
abouts had not then grown up to woodlands, but was devoted to
tillage or pasturage. Between this lane and Weir River lies
Rocky Meadow. Turning to the eastward, the way leads into
thick woods, in a rocky, rolling country, and among these, on the
right side of the lane, is the wild and romantic ledge known as
Indian Rock.

Nearly opposite this rock is Chubbuck's Well, and the cellar
of Chubbuck's House, which house itself was demolished in 1759.
This old well, now filled to the brim with leaves and dt^bris, yet
shows the carefully built wall, as good now as when constructed
by Thomas Chubbuck, who was an early settler in 1634.

Further down the lane there is a rocky place in the woods
called The Hogpen.

The lane, turning westward, crosses Trip-Hammer Pond by a
causeway. This pond is formed by Weir River, which flows
through it. There were formerly iron works here, with a trip-
hammer, and also a shingle factory.

Returning to Leavitt Street (the part of which leading into
Third Division Woods was the old Third Division Lane) we
will stop to look into James Lane, now so overgrown with woods
that it cannot be distinguished, except by its location, from other
cartways into the forest. It leads to James Hill, in Cohasset.

Ancient Landmarks. 191

Near its junction with Leavitt Street is Pine-Log Hill. The
Ieon Mine (so called) is here at the corner of the lane, although
indistinguishable in the undergrowth. It is hard to say now
what gave this name to the locality. Near it is Black Snake
Hill. Dismal Swamp is northeast of the Iron Mine, and ex-
tends into Cohasset. Close by is, or rather was, the famous
Forest Sanctuary. This was an open grove of noble pines, the
growth of centuries, — the ground beneath them being carpeted
with a thick layer of fragrant pine needles, with gray and mossy
rocks here and there. The name was a fitting one, and well ex-
pressed the quiet grandeur of the natural beauty of this remote
spot. But it was deemed desirable to sweep away these superb
trees in order to

" coin their blood for drachmas,"

and Forest Sanctuary has accordingly long been a thing of the
past.

We are now in the Third Division Woods, which extend far
and wide, over hill, dale, and swamp, and form probably the near-
est approach to the primeval wilderness which can be found
within fifteen miles of Boston. They spread over into Cohasset,
and far southward. The deciduous part of these woodlands is
largely composed of various species of the oak family ; the ever-
green portion principally of the white pine, although many other
species of both classes of trees abound. At the side of the old
Third Division Road, on the line between Hingham and Cohasset,
is a mark which was called the Stone Bounds. When the select-
men of the two towns " make their rounds," they are popularly
and mysteriously supposed to reach this mark at high noon, and
according to the ancient custom " crack a bottle " against it.
Other landmarks in Third Division Woods are Josh Leavitt's
Bars, on the right side of the way near the road to Beechwoods.
Near by is Thorph. Burr's Hill, so called from a Mr. Burr, who
owned land at its foot. Glass Rock was on the line of the Third
Division, far south.

Now let us return again to Leavitt Street, and, retracing our
former course, turn to the eastward into Turkey Hill Lane,
which leads up over three quite elevated eminences, until we reach
the principal height of Turkey Hill. It is nearly a mile to this
summit. At the first bend, to the right of the lane, are the re-
mains of what was once a ledge, or enormous bowlder, about
twelve feet high, with a rounded top sloping off smoothly to the
south. This was Great Rock. Upon this smooth surface an
eccentric individual had chiselled in large letters this odd inscrip-
tion : —

"When wild in woods the naked savage ran,
Lazell, Low, Loring, Lane, Lewis, Lincoln,
Hersey, Leavitt, Jacobs, King, Jones and Sprague,
Stemmed the wild torrent of a barbarous age,
And were the first invaders of this country
From the Island of Great Britain, in 1635."

192 History of Hingham.

A few feet away from the above, was also cut the following : —
" This Inscription

WAS WROUGHT BY HOSEA SpRAGUE,

A NATIVE OF HiNGHAM,

WHO WAS A TRAVELLER HERE

July 4th, 1828."

It was regarded as a great curiosity, and would have been more
and more interesting as time passed on. But, unhappily, in the
year 1833 certain persons considered that the only value in the
great rock was the handful of dollars which it would bring for
building purposes, and it was blown to pieces and sold for a
pittance.

As one mounts higher and higher upon this hill, or rather upon
this series of heights, the view in all directions grows more and
more beautiful, until, when the top of Turkey Hill is reached, it
may be called sublime.

Look at it now in this red October sunset ! To the east on the
horizon lies the deep blue line of the broad Atlantic, which sweeps
round toward the north. North and northwest are the headlands
and islands of the bay. In the extreme distance in this last di-
rection the sun's rays flame upon the roofs and towers of the city.
In the nearer space they are reflected in golden light from the
placid waters of the harbor. Weir River shines between the
green meadows, almost at our feet, like a silver thread. The Blue
Hills are misty in the far west. Villages and houses speck the
landscape here and there. That great hill to the southeast is
SciTUATE Hill.

Now turn southwards. There are brilliant woodlands in the
other directions, but what a glory of scarlet, yellow, and green
from the painted forests that stretch away to the southern hori-
zon's edge here ! This surpasses any other Hingham view.

In the War of 1812 people came to this hill on a sorrowful June
day to see a famous naval duel. The British frigate " Shannon "
had been cruising off Boston harbor, and the captain sent a chal-
lenge in to Captain Lawrence, who commanded the frigate " Chesa-
peake," then lying at the navy yard, her crew having been paid off.
The American officer gathered as good a crew as could be ob-
tained from the sailors in port, and hurriedly set sail to meet the
enemy. The encounter was off Scituate, and was very sanguin-
ary. In the midst of it the brave Lawrence fell, mortally
wounded. As they carried him below he cried, " Don't give up
the ship ! " But with his fall, the Americans lost heart, and
after a hopeless struggle they were forced to surrender. A sad
and wretched pageant for the spectators on Turkey Hill and along*
the shore !

Turkey Hill lies mostly in Hingham, but a part is in Cohasset.
Its name was bestowed on account of the early abundance of wild
turkeys there.

Ancient Landmarks. 193

In descending the hill at the easterly end, we leave the old way
and pass over a private road, which has been laid out through the
dark pine woods, winding beautifully down the slope till it reaches
Side-Hill Road, following which, northward, we come out of
these charming woods upon East Street, which we will turn into
and proceed toward Cohasset. The Batteey Pasture, or The
Battery, was near Side-Hill road. The origin of the name is
obscure. There is a very singular tongue of Hingham territory
which extends over half a mile into Cohasset, and is known as
The Homesteads. It is only a few rods in w^idth, and tapers off
to nothing at the railroad crossing at its east end. " The Home-
steads " were the home lands of certain of the inhabitants, who,
soon after Cohasset was laid off from Hingham, petitioned to be
allowed to have their lands here re-annexed to Hingham. On
the north side of East Street are the Turkey Meadows, and the
little stream which crosses the road from the south and eventu-
ally flows under Lambert's Lane, emptying finally into Lyford's
Liking River, is Turkey-Hill Run.

Retracing our course, we come back to where Side-Hill Road
ends on East Street. Near this junction once stood the Black-
Horse Tavern, a famous resort for gunners and persons on their
way to or from Hull. Ebenezer Beal was the old-time host of this
inn.

Hull Street leads north from this point to Nantasket Beach.
From the extreme northwesterly part of "The Homesteads" it
forms the boundary line between Hingham and Cohasset. About
half a mile from the railroad crossing, Canterbury Street leads
away on the left, through the district called Canterbury.

The village on Hull Street, extending from Canterbury Street
to Jerusalem road, is known by the singular name of Tugmanug,
and it used to be one of the most quaint and interesting localities
along the shore. Its odd little houses, many of them having the
front door painted in most gorgeous hues, the rough and rocky
road, the queer little nooks and corners here and there, and the
salty savor which pervaded the whole place, and the inhabitants,
whose characteristics were in some respects peculiar to a village
on the New England coast where wrecks were not uncommon,
lent a picturesque glamour to the hamlet and its people. Alas !
all this is gone now, and the charm which once hung over this
mysterious locality is fled forever. All is now " spick and span,"
tidy and humdrum.

This day, which will be the last of our wanderings among the
ancient landmarks, is far colder than the lovely Indian-summer
days which have been granted us until this morning, and sharp
riding will be necessary in order to keep comfortably warm.

We will turn back again to East Street and make our way west-
ward. That little road, crossing the railroad track and windins:

194 History of Hingham.

through a rocky, slirubby country and over high lands toward
Rockland Street, is Weir Street, once the old Weir-River Lane.
It affords one of the beautiful and sequestered rides for which
Hingham and Cohasset are famed. The tract of high land lying
east of it, now largely overgrown by woods, used to be Great
Pasture,

A little further on, around a bend in the road, we come to
Cushing's Bridge, across Weir River. Many fine " wine-glass
elms " are scattered here and there in the meadow by the river's
banks, and by the roadside, across the stream, is the magnificent
Old Elm, which was transplanted to this spot in 1729, three
years before the birth of Washington. It is justly celebrated for
its size and symmetry. All the territory in this vicinity, from
Hull Street to Summer Street, has always been known as Rocky
Nook.

The road, after passing a row of sturdy red oaks on the left,
which must have been old trees when the Pilgrims landed, reaches
a descent cut through a rough ledge and known as Rocky Hill.
Just beyond the high lands to the right is Chamberlin's Swamp,
and the little stream running through the meadow, parallel with
the road and crossing it at last, to empty into Weir River at the
foot of the Agricultural Society's grounds, is Chamberlin's Run.
It is nearly dry in summer. The large white house between it
and the Agricultural Hall, now a private residence, was, in the old
days, a tavern.

East Street ends at Leavitt Street, passing over which west
to Main Street, we find ourselves in the middle of the village of
" Hingham Centre," upon Lower Plain, which extends from
Pear-Tree Hill to Tower's Bridge, as generally understood, al-
though the town book giving the " names of streets, lanes, plains,
and bridges, as established by the town May 7, 1827, and since,"
gives the boundaries of Lower Plain, " Pleasant Street to Pear-
Tree Hill."

Main Street runs through the village, passing The Common,
lying east of the public library, and on the west side of the road
at this point a fine old-fashioned residence, which was in earlier
days a tavern. A short distance beyond, opposite the Grand
Army Hall, is a deep depression on the north side of the road,
containing a small sheet of water, now hardly more than a
puddle, which was often referred to in old deeds as Bull's
Pond. An Almshouse formerly stood on the site of the Grand
Army Hall.

After a turn to the westward, about a quarter of a mile further
on, the street turns abruptly south at Cold Corner, and a few
rods beyond is entered by Hobart Street, near the corner of
which was the old Town Pound, where stray cattle were im-
pounded. Half a mile or so beyond, the road crosses a little
stream by Tower's Bridge. From this bridge to the south line
of the town, the country bears the general title of Great Plain,

Ancient Landmarks.

195

GLAD-TIDINGS ROCK.

although particular portions are more specially designated. The
road winds up a slight rise from Tower's Bridge, and High Street,
a few rods beyond, runs west to Weymouth. Just off this street
is White-Horse Pond. Free Street is opposite to High, on
Main Street, and runs east to Lasell Street. Just north of Free
Street is a small conical height called Crow Hill, formerly a
famous resort for the birds of that feather. Near by is Crow-
Hill Swamp.

A short distance further south Main Street crosses the stream
coming from Cushing's Pond by Wilder's Bridge. From this
bridge to Mayse's (Liberty Pole) Hill, is Glad-Tidings Plain.
After surmounting another rise in the road, we find on the west
side the church of the Second Parish.

This village is South Hingham, and the street is very wide
and straight for a long distance, running between extensive
bordering lawns and fine rows of trees. Back of the houses
on the east side is a high granite ledge, known as Glad-
Tidings Rock.

In King Philip's War, a famous hunter, John Jacob by name,
went out to shoot deer near where the church now stands. He is
said to have frequently declared that he never would allow him-
self to be taken alive by the Indians if he encountered them.
They ambushed and shot him dead near this rock, and one tra-
dition says that his friends, overjoyed to find that he had been
killed outright and not captured to be tortured to death by the
savages, called it Glad-Tidings Rock. Another tradition re-
counts that a woman, lost by her friends, was discovered by them
from the top of the rock, and that from this circumstance the
ledji-e received its name.

196 History of Hingham.

We will turn eastward into South Pleasant Street, on the cor-
ner of which is a notable mansion, the home of the celebrated
R,ev. Daniel Shute, D. D., the first pastor of the Second Parish.
The house is inhabited at the present day by one of his lineal
descendants.

South Pleasant Street is shaded by noble elms, set out by
a former member of tlie old Gushing family ; whose lands,
for generations, have extended far and wide in this section,
and do still, for hereabouts the population is largely composed
of Cushings.

ruLLiNG-MiLL Pond is on the right of the road, and at its out-
let, which is a little stream called Fulling-Mill Brook, once
stood the Fulling Mill. The bridge across this brook is Page's
Bridge. Between Page's Bridge and Lasell Street, on the south
side of the road, is Little Pond. This is a sluice-way of clear
water which never freezes, and is on a piece of land of about
three acres in extent, which was leased by the town to the Rev.
Dr. Shute for nine hundred and ninety-nine years ! The hill be-
yond Page's Bridge is rightly named Stony Hill.

Now we will strike off into Lasell Street, a wild and pretty
road, winding mostly through woods and between shrubby way-
sides.

On the easterly side of this street, about one eighth of a mile
from Free Street, and just north of a rocky rise, there is in a
thickly overgrown and woody field, the Old Lasell Pine.

It seems probable that this ancient giant may be one of the few
mighty trees yet remaining of the primeval forest. The shat-
tered branches, rent by the storms of ages, would themselves
form large trees, and the vast trunk, standing grimly amid its
own ruins, presents but a picturesque suggestion of the old pine's
earlier majesty.

Rocky Run is a little stream flowing under the street.

Entering Union Street, we find that Feaeing's Bridge crosses
Weir River a short distance further northward, where it flows
among willows. Now, turning about, we will keep to the south-
ward over this street. At the first bend to the east, on rising
ground, there is a gateway, through which a cart road leads to
Trip-Hammer Pond. A short distance beyond this gateway Long-
Bridge Lane runs eastward from Union Street, winding through
woods to granite quarries, and then crosses Beechwoods River.
Near the entrance to this lane is Coal-Pit Hill. A few rods
further south the road crosses Beechwoods River at Sprague's
Bridge, and then passing the place where South Pleasant Street
enters it, rises on to high land, and over what is called The
Mountain, or Mount Blue Road, Mount Blue being in Norwell
across the line.

The view west and south from this vicinity is very fine, and
the drive over this road, thence over Beechwood Street into
Cohasset, is a most delightful one.

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Ancient Landmarks. 197

Beechwoods is a very sparsely settled district, mostly heavily
wooded with beech and oak, and with much of the beautiful
holly growing at intervals. That rare and delicate shrub, the
ink-berry, is not uncommon on the open roadsides of Union
Street.

Retracing our way, and taking South Pleasant Street, we will
turn south into Charles Street by Stony Hill. Here is Mast-
Bridge Plain, where formerly fine masts were cut from the for-
est to equip the vessels building at the harbor. Mast-Bridge
Meadows lie along Beechwoods River. This little stream is
crossed by Hersey's Bridge. The noble height to the east is
Prospect Hill, the highest in Hingham. The view from the
summit is very extensive.

After crossing Hersey's Bridge the road turns southward. To
the westward is The Wigwam, a most interesting locality. Here
dwelt the Indians in considerable numbers, and tbe stone fire-
places of their wigwams were standing within the remembrance
of persons now living. Many of their implements of domestic
use and of the chase have been found here.

There remains but one part of Hingham which has not been
explored for the landmarks. To cover that, we will start at Cold
•Corner and take Central Street, a road laid out within a few
years, which near the Rope walks runs over a marsh which was
once known as Christmas Pond. No trace now remains, however,
which would indicate that a pond had ever existed here. Turning
west into Elm Street, we soon pass over rising ground, the portion
of which on the right, between Elm and Hersey streets, was called
Powder-House Hill. A red Powder House formerly stood
upon it, in which was stored a supply of gunpowder. It was
moved here from the hill just north of the New North Church,
on Lincoln Street.

Near the corner of Elm and Hersey streets, there stood until
within a few years a beautiful wood, known as Tranquillity
Grove. It was long made use of for picnics and various other
sorts of gatherings, social, political, and religious. The early
abolitionists used it for some of their stirring meetings.

The lower part of Hersey Street, from Elm to South streets
was in early times Austin's Lane, taking its name from Jonas
Austin, one of the first settlers in 1636, who had his homestead
granted on Town Street (now South) at the north end of this
lane.

South Street, which was, like North Street, first called Town
Street, begins at North Street opposite the old Gay mansion, im-
mediately crosses Magoon's Bridge, and runs west. After cross-
ing Main Street, and just before Lafayette Avenue is reached, it
until within three years passed by a homely old provincial build-
ing, which was in the last century the Anchor Tavern. General
Lafayette once lodged in it when he had occasion to pass the
night in Hingham, during the Revolutionary War. It was the

198 History of Hingham.

country home of John A. Andrew, the war governor of Massa-
chusetts, for one summer during the great rebellion. The short
street which connects South with North Street, immediately west
of the railroad depot, crosses the town brook, and is known as
Thaxter's Bridge. In the old days the Whipping Post was
located here. About a quarter of a mile further on, and a few
rods east of Austin's Lane (now Hersey 'Street), formerly stood
the old Pine-Tree Tavern. On the site of it there now stands
a large white house which was built by General Lincoln for his
son-in-law and private secretary, Mr. Abner Lincoln. The road
runs west and enters Fort-Hill Street after crossing the Town
Brook at Derby's Bridge. On the south side of the street at
this point formerly stood the mansion of Madam Derby, who
applied the property left for the purpose by her first husband.
Dr. Ezekiel Hersey, to founding Derby Academy. Many stories
are told of this able but eccentric woman. Among others is this
one, applicable to her home.

She had a rustic seat arranged among the branches of one of
the trees near her house, from which she could observe her la-
borers in the fields. She was upon one occasion sitting there
decidedly in dishabille, when she saw a carriage some distance
off, containing visitors whom she had expected to arrive later
in the day, but with whom she was not well acquainted. She
jumped down from her perch, ran round to the back of the house,,
caught a brace of chickens on the way, twisted their necks and
flung them to the cook with orders to broil them for dinner at
once, ran through the house, and (her house servants not being
at home) received the guests, who did not know her in her r81e
of servant, showed them to their rooms, and hastening to her
own, dressed and descended to the parlor to welcome them as.
Madam Derby ; and they did not recognize the servant who had
ushered them to their apartments in the lady of the mansion
who received them in state.

When the money for the endowment of Derby Academy was
brought from Salem to Hingham by Nathan Lincoln and his wife
(he was a nephew of Dr. Ezekiel Hersey), it was concealed in
a bucket which stood on the floor of a chaise, between Mr.
and Mrs. Lincoln. Madam Derby caused stones in the cellar
wall of her house to be removed, and the money, enclosed
in woollen bags, was built into the wall, for concealment and
safety.

When this old mansion was burned, in the early part of this
century, there had been living in it people whose habits of life
were far from being such as invited the approval of the neighbors.
And certain old Avomen who were gathered together watching its
destruction, averred that they saw fiends and witches ascending
in the smoke and dancing in the flames.

The nineteenth century would appear to be a little subsequent
to the era of unseemly performances on the part of individuals

Ancient Landmarks. 199

of that ilk ; but the old ladies who witnessed their antics at the
fire aforementioned were wives of respectable citizens of the
West End, and their statements are not to be lightly called in
question by the incredulous.

You have now been with me among the landmarks of these
old towns, from the grim ledges off the eastern shore, where the
surf beats itself incessantly to foam and spray on Cohasset rocks,
to the singular rolling gravel mounds at the west end of Hing-
ham, where the glacier of the last ice-period has left such in-
disputable proofs of its former presence, — from the pretty
landlocked harbor at the north, the ancient " Bare Cove," to the
secluded woodlands which cover the greater part of the southern
portion of these townships ; and where the ponds, those scarcely
ruffled sheets of blue water, lie among green meadows and for-
ests like sapphires among emeralds, — through old streets and
lanes full of points of interest to the antiquarian, and over beau-
tiful hills, whose graceful contour forms the background of every
landscape.

We maritime New Englanders breathe a double inspiration
from our surroundings, for, dwelling by the ocean, upon which
our people have proved themselves worthy descendants of the
Northmen, we are at the same time practically mountaineers.
Our rocky hills are the foot-hills of the mountain ranges a few
miles west and north of us, which on the coast of Maine actually
invade the realm of the sea. Even upon Boston Bay, look at
those Blue Hills of Milton, whose tops are sometimes above the
clouds. A short distance inland, and Wachusett and Monadnock
show their heads, while Mount Washington itself is visible from
the sea-coast.

In the atmosphere of such surroundings, what wonder is it
that upon rolls containing the Hingham and Cohasset names of
Lincoln, Cushing, Hobart, Tower, Gay, Thaxter, Shute, Sprague,
Pratt, Hersey, Stoddard, Fearing, and others, should be found
many which have adorned the professions of the ministry, law,
and medicine ; which have become eminent as those of poets,
literati, artists ; of men who have achieved the fortune and prac-
tised the liberality of merchant princes ; who in the battle line
by land and sea have, from sailors at their guns and soldiers in
the ranks to great generals, shed lustre upon the Colony and the
Republic ; who have, as deputies, or congressmen, or governors,
or ambassadors, reaped honorable laurels in this and in foreign
lands ; or lastly, in the presidential chair itself, won a simple,
homely, but illustrious fame which will through all our future
history go hand in hand with that of Washington !

Even as the Ancient Landmarks of Hingham and Cohasset
tell a story of the existence and physical progress of the race
and community of which those families were the type, so have

200 History of Hingham.

the lives and deeds of the leading spirits of those families served
as landmarks in the annals of the Great Republic ; which is
herself the brightest landmark in the present, as we devoutly
hope she will be for the ages of the future, in the history of
mankind.

EARLY SETTLERS.

BY JOHN D. LONG.

HiNGHAM is one of the oldest towns in Massachusetts. There
were settlers here as early as 1633. Its first name was Bearcove
or Barecove, more likely the latter, in view of the exposure of al-
most its entire harbor at low tide, and as appears also in the
spelling of the name in the order of the General Court referred to
below. So far as it had any legislative incorporation, it was in-
corporated, and this has been the usual statement of writers, Sept.
2, 1635, only eleven towns having in that respect an earlier date.
Perhaps, however, the term incorporation is not appropriate in
this connection, the brief order which the General Court, consist-
ing of the Governor, assistants, and deputies, adopted and entered
on that day being as follows, — a form used before, and a,fterwards,
in the case of several other towns: — "The name of Barecove is
changed and hereafter to be called Hingham."

Who was the first settler, or at what exact date he came, it is
impossible to say. Mr. Solomon Lincoln, the historian of the town
in 1827, gives the following interesting facts : —

" The exact date at which any individual came here to reside cannot
be ascertained. Among the papers of Mr. Gushing, there is a ' list of the
names of such persons as came out of the town of Hingham, and towns ad-
jacent, in the County of Norfolk, in the Kingdom of England, into New
England, and settled in Hingham.' From this list we are led to believe
there were inhabitants here as early as 1633, and among them Ralph
Smith, Nicholas Jacob with his family, Thomas Lincoln, weaver, Edmund
Hobart and his wife, from Hingham, and Thomas Hobart with his family,
from Windham, in Norfolk, England. During the same year Theophilus
Gushing, Edmund Hobart, senior, Joshua Hobart, and Henry Gibbs, all of
Hingham, England, came to this country. Gushing lived some years at
Mr. Haines's farm, and subsequently removed to Hingham. The others
settled at Gharlestown, and in 1635 removed to this place. In 1634 there
were other settlers here, and among them Thomas Chubbuck ; Bare Gove
was assessed in that year. Tq 1635, at the May court, Joseph Andrews

202 History of Hingham.

was sworn as constable of the place. There was a considerable increase of
the number of settlers, and in that year grants of land were made to up-
wards of fifty individuals, of which a record is preserved. It was in June
of that year that Rev. Peter Hobart arrived at Charlestown, and soon after
settled in this place.

" I here subjoin the names of those who settled or received grants of
land here, in the respective years mentioned. Possibly there may be some
names omitted, which have escaped my observation, and those of others in-
serted to whom lands were granted, but who never settled here. The list
is as perfect, however, as long, careful, and patient examination of public
and private records can make it.

"In 1635, in addition to those before-mentioned (namely: Joseph An-
drews, Thomas Chubbuck, Henry Gibbs, Edmund Hobart, Sen., Edmund
Hobart, Jr., Joshua Hobart, Rev. Peter Hobart, Thomas Hobart, Nicholas
Jacob, Thomas Lincoln, weaver, Ralph Smith), were Jonas Austin, Nicholas
Baker, Clement Bates, Richard Betscome, Benjamin Bozworth, William
Buckland, James Cade, Anthony Cooper, John Cutler, John Farrow, Daniel
Fop, Jarvice Gould, Wm. Hersey, Nicholas Hodsdin, Thos. Johnson, An-
drew Lane, Wm. Large, Thomas Loring, George Ludkin, Jeremy Morse,
William Nolton, John Otis, David Phippeny, John Palmer, John Porter,
Henry Rust, John Smart, Francis Smith (or Smyth), John Strong, Henry
Tuttil, William Walton, Thomas Andrews, William Arnall, George Bacon,
Nathaniel Baker, Thomas Collier, George Lane, George Marsh, Abraham
Martin, Nathaniel Peck, Richard Osborn, Thomas Wakely, Thomas Gill,
Richard Ibrook, William Cockerum, William Cockerill, John Fearing,
John Tucker.

"In 1636, John Beal, senior, Anthony Eames, Thomas Hammond,
Joseph Hull, Richard Jones, Nicholas Lobdin, Richard Langer, John
Leavitt, Thomas Lincoln, Jr., miller, Thomas Lincoln, cooper, Adam Mott,
Thomas Minard, John Parker, George Russell, William Sprague, George
Strange, Thomas Underwood, Samuel Ward, Ralph Woodward, John
Winchester, William Walker.

"In 1637, Thomas Barnes, Josiah Cobbit, Thomas Chaffe, Thomas
Clapp, William Carlslye (or Carsly), Thomas Dimock, Vinton Dreuce,.
Thomas Hett, Thomas Joshlin, Aaron Ludkin, John Morrick, Thomas
Nichols, Thomas Paynter, Edmund Pitts, Joseph Phippeny, Thomas Shave,
Ralph Smith, Thomas Turner, John Tower, Joseph Underwood, Williami
Ludkin, Jonathan Bozworth.

" In 1638 there was a considerable increase of the number of settlers.
Among them were, Mr. Robert Peck, Joseph Peck, Edward Gilman, John
Foulsham, Henry Chamberlain, Stephen Gates, George Knights, Thomas
Cooper, Matthew Cushing, .John Beal, Jr., Francis James, Philip James,,
James Buck, Stephen Payne, William Pitts, Edward Michell, John Sutton,
Stephen Lincoln, Samuel Parker, Thomas Lincoln, Jeremiah Moore, Mr.
Henry Smith, Bozoan Allen, Matthew Hawke, William Ripley.

"All of those preceding, who came to this country in 1638, took
passage in the ship ' Diligent,' of Ipswich, John Martin, master. In ad-
dition to these, the following named persons received grants of land in
the year 1638, viz. : John Buck, John Benson, Thomas Jones, Thomas
Lawrence, John Stephens, John Stodder, Widow Martha Wilder, Thomas
Thaxter.

"In 1639 Anthony Hilliard and John Prince received grants of land.
The name of Hewett (Huet) and Liford, are mentioned in Hobart's Diary,,

Early Settlers. 20S

in that year, and in the Diary the following names are first found
in the respective years mentioned; in 164G, Burr, in 1647, James
Whiton ; in 1649, John Lazell, Samuel Stowell ; in 1653, Garnett and
Canterbury.

" The number of persons who came over in the ship ' Diligent,' of Ips-
wich, in the year 1638, and settled in Hingham, was one hundred and thirty-
three. All that came before were forty-two, making in all one hundred
and seventy-five. The whole number that came out of Norfolk (chiefly
from Hingham, and its vicinity) from 1633 to 1639, and settled in this
Hingham, was two hundred and six. This statement, on the authority of
the third town clerk of Hingham, must be reconciled with the fact that
there was a much larger number of settlers herein 1639 than would appear
from his estimate. They undoubtedly came in from other places, and I am
inclined to believe that there may be some omissions in Mr. Cushing's list.
It may be remarked here, that many of the names mentioned in the previous
pages are now scattered in various parts of the country. Many of the first
settlers removed to other places during the militia difficulties which occurred
within a few years after the settlement of the town ; and a considerable
number had previously obtained lands at Rehoboth.

" The earliest record to be found of the proceedings of the town in rela-
tion to the disposition of the lands is in 1635. In June of that year grants
were made to a considerable number of individuals, and on the 18th of
September, as has been before stated, thirty of the inhabitants drew for
house-lots, and received grants of other lands for the purposes of pasture,
tillage, etc.

"It was in July, 1635, that a plantation was erected here; and on the
2d of September following that, the town was incorporated by the name of
Hingham, from which it appears that there are but eleven towns in this
State, and but one in the county of Plymouth, older than Hingham. I can-
not ascertain satisfactorily when the first meeting for civil purposes was
held. It is stated by Mr. Flint in his century discourses, to have been on
the 18th of September, 1635. There is as much evidence in our town re-
cords, and in those of Cushing's MSS. which I have examined, that the first
town-meeting was held in June of that year, as in September. The state-
ments in the same discourses, that the inhabitants of Hingham arrived in
1635, and that they obtained deeds of land from the natives to form the
town previously to holding the first town-meeting, are unquestionably erro-
neous, being at variance with our town records, Cushing's MSS., and the
Indian deed itself.

" The house-lots drawn on the 18th of September, 1635, were situated
on the ' Town street,' the same which is now called North Street. During
that year the settlement was extended to ' Broad Cove Street,' recently
named Lincoln Street. In the year following, house-lots were granted in
the street now called South Street, and in the northerly part of ' Bachelor
Street,' now Main Street.

"Some idea of the relative wealth of several towns in 1635 may be
estimated from the following apportionment of the public rate for that
year. Newton and Dorchester were assessed each £26 5 ; Boston, £25 10 ;
Salem, £16 ; Hingham, £6; "Weymouth, £4, etc. In 1637 the number
of men furnished by this town to make up the number of one hundred and
sixty to prosecute tbe war against the Pequods, were six ; Boston furnished
twenty-six ; Salem, eighteen ; Weymouth, five ; Medford, three ; Marble-
head, three. The assessment upon this town at the General Court in Au-

^04 History of Hingham.

gust following, was £8 10 ; the least, except that of Weymouth, which was
£6 16. Property and population appear to have been unequally distributed
and often fluctuating. In 1637 we find the first record of the choice of a
town clerk. Joseph Andrews was chosen, and in 1638 the first record of
the choice of assessors."

The following is a literal copy of the deed of the township of
Hingham, given by the Indians in 1665 : —

"Whereas divers Englishmen did formerly come (into the Massachusets
now called by the Englishmen New England) to inhabit in the dayes of
Chickatabut our father who was the Cheife Sachem of the sayd Massachusets
on the Southward side of Charles River, and by the free Consent of our
sayd father did set downe upon his land and in the yeare of our Lord God
one thousand six hundred thirty and four divers Englishmen did set downe
and inhabit upon part of the land that was formerly our sayd fathers land,
which land the Englishmen call by the name of Hingham, which sayd Eng-
lishmen they and their heires and assosiats have ever since had quiet and
peaceable possession of their Towneshippe of Hingham by our likeing and
•Consent which we desire they may still quietly possess and injoy and be-
cause ther have not yet bin any legall conveyance in writing passed from
us to them conserning their land which may in future time occasion differ-
ence between them and us all which to prevent — Know all men by these
presents that weWompatuck called by the English Josiah uowChiefe Sachem
of the Massachusets aforesayd and sonue and heire to the aforesayd Chick-
atabut ; and Squmuck all called by the English Daniel sonne of the afore-
sayd Chickatabut and Ahahden — Indians : for a valueable consideration
to us in hand payd by Captaine Joshua Hubberd and Ensigne John Thax-
ter, of Hingham aforesayd wherewith wee doe acknowledge our selves fully
satisfyed contented and payd and thereof and of every part and percell
thereof doe exonerate acquitt and discharge the sayd Joshua Hubberd and
John Thaxter their heires executors and Administrators and every of them
forever by these presents • have given granted bargained sold enfeoffed and
confirmed and by these presents doe give grant bargaine sell Enfeoffe and
confirme unto the sayd Joshua Hubberd and John Thaxter on the behalfe
and to the use of the inhabitants of the Towne of Hingham aforesayd that
IS to say all such as are the present owners and proprietors of the present
house lotts as they have bin from time to time granted and layd out by the
Towne ; All That Tract of land which is the Towneshippe of Hingham
aforesayd as it is now bounded with the sea northward and with the River
called by the Englishmen weymoth River westward which River flow from
the sea ; and the line that devide betwene the sayd Hingham and Wey-
moth as it is now layd out and marked until it come to the line that devide
betwene the colony of the Massachusetts and the colony of New Plimoth
and from thence to the midle of accord pond and from the midle of accord
pond to bound Brooke to the flowing of the salt water and so along by the
same River that devide betwene Scittiate and the said Hingham untill it
come to the sea northward ; And also threescore acres of salt marsh on the
other side of the River that is to say on Scittiate side according as it was
agreed upon by the commissioners of the Massachusets colony and the com-
missioners of Plimoth colony Together with all the Harbours Rivers
Creekes Coves Islands fresh water Brookes and ponds and all marshes unto

Early Settlers. 205

the sayd Towneshippe of Hingham belonging or any wayes app'taineing-
with all and singular thapp'tenences unto the p'misses or any part of them
belonging or any wayes app'taineing ; And all our right title and interest
of and into the sayd p'misses with their app'tenences and every part and
p'cell thereof to have and to hold All the aforesayd Tract of land which is
the Towneshippe of Hingham aforesayd and is bounded as aforesayd with
all the Harbours Rivers Creekes Coves Islands fresh water brookes and
ponds and all marshes ther unto belonging with the threescore acres of salt
marsh on the other side of the River (viz.) on Scittiate side with all and sin-
gular thapp'tenences to the sayd p'misses or any of them belonging unto
the sayd Joshua Hubberd and John Thaxter on the behalfe and to the use
of the sayd inhabitants who are the present owners and proprietors of the
present house lotts in hingham their heires and assignes from the before-
named time in the yeare of our Lord God one thousand six hundred thirty
and four for ever And unto the only proper use and behoofe of the (the)
sayd Joshua hubberd and John Thaxter and the inhabitants of the Towne
of hingham who are the present owners and proprietors of the present house
lotts in the Towne of Hiogham their heires and assignes for ever. And the
said Wompatuck Squmuck and Ahahdeu doe hereby covenant promise and
grant to and with the ^ayd Joshua hubberd and John Thaxter on the behalfe
of the inhabitants of hingham as aforesayd that they the sayd Wompatuck
Squmuck and Ahahdun — are the true and proper owners of the sayd bar-
gained p'misses with their app'tenances at the time of the bargaine and sale
thereof and that the said bargained p'misses are free and cleare and freely
and clearely exonerated acquitted and discharged of and from all and all
maner of former bargaines sales guifts grants titles mortgages suits attach-
ments actions Judgements extents executions dowers title of dowers and all
other incumberances whatsoever from the begining of the world untill the
time of the bargaine and sale thereof and that the sayd Joshua hubberd and
John Thaxter with the rest of the sayd inhabitants who are the present
owners and proprietors of the present house lotts in hingham they their
heires and Assignes the p'misses and every part and parcell thereof shall
quietly have hold use occupy possese and injoy without the let suit trouble
deniall or molestation of them the sayd Wompatuck : Squmuck and Ahad-
dun their heires and assignes : and Lastly the sayd Wompatuck : Squmuck
and Ahadun for themselves their heires executors administrators and as-
signes doe hereby covenant promise and grant the p'misses above demised
with all the libertys previledges and app'tenences thereto or in any wise be-
longing or appertaineing unto the sayd Joshua Hubberd John Thaxter
and the rest of the sayd inhabitants of Hingham who are the present own-
ers and proprietors of the present house lotts their heires and assignes to
warrant acquitt and defend forever against all and all maner of right title
and Interrest claime or demand of all and every person or persons whatso-
ever. And that it shall and may be lawfuU to and for the sayd Joshua
Hubberd and John Thaxter their heires and assignes to record and enroll
or cause to be I'ecorded and enrolled the title and tenour of these p'sents
according to the usuall order and maner of recording and enrolling deeds
and evedences in such case made and p'vided in witnes whereof we the
aforesayd Wompatuck called by the English Josiah sachem ; and Squmuck
called by the English Daniell and Ahahdun Indians : have heere unto set
our hands and scales the fourth day of July in the yeare of our Lord God
one thousand six hundred sixty and five and in the seaventeenth yeare of
the raigne of our soveraigne Lord Charles the second by the grace of God

206 History of Hingham.

■of Great Brittanie France and Ireland King defender of the faith &c.

1665.

Signed sealled and delivered
In the presence of us :

Job Noeshteans Indian ^ the marke XQ of (l. s.) Wompa-

the marke of W william Man- ^^ck called by the English Josiah

ANANiANUT Indian ^j^gj^ sachem

the marke of 8 Robert Mamun- ^j^g ^^^^^ ^ '^f Squmuck (i.. s.)

TAHGiN Indian \ ^^Hg^ ^y the English Daniell

John Hues g^^^^g ^f Chickatabut.

Mattias Q Briggs the marke Jm of Ahahden (l. s.)

the marke of p Job Judkins J — ^ ^ ^

Josiah Wompatuck Squmuck Ahahden Indians apeared p'sonally the
19th of may 1668 and acknowledged this instrum't of writing to be theyr
act and deed freely and voluntary without compulsion, acknowledged
before

Jno. Leverett, Ast.

It needs but a glance at the names of the early settlers of Hing-
ham, as given above by Mr. Lincoln, to recognize the founders of
some of the most respectable and influential families of Massa-
chusetts. Few names are more distinguished in the annals of the
Commonwealth or nation than that of Gushing. There is reason
to believe that Abraham Lincoln was one of the many descendants
from Hingham stock who have made it illustrious in American
history. Nearly all of the names in the foregoing lists are still
familiar in this generation. These first settlers were men of
character and force, of good English blood, whose enterprise and
vigor were evident in the very spirit of adventure and push which
prompted their outset from the fatherland and their settlement in
the new country. They were of the Puritan order which followed
Winthrop rather than of the Pilgrim element that settled at Ply-
mouth a few years earlier. The distinction between the two is now
well understood. The Pilgrims were Brownists or Separatists,
later called Independents, opposed to the national church, insist-
ing on separation from it, and reducing the religious system to
the simplest form of independent church societies.

Indeed it was natural that the spirit that led to reform and
greater simplicity in church methods and organization, which was
the aim of the Puritans, should go still further and demand entire
separation and independence, which was Separatism, and of which
the most illustrious type is found in the Pilgrims who sailed in
the " Mayflower," and settled in Plymouth in 1620. It is to be
noticed that those who thus went to the extreme of ecclesiastical
independence were consistent in granting the same liberty to others
which they claimed for themselves ; and it is true that the Pil-
grims were more tolerant than the Puritans. Lying on the
border-line between the jurisdictions of Plymouth and the Massa-
chusetts Bay, the first settlers of Hingham are not to be too closely
identified with either. They were within the outer limits of the

Early Settlers. 207

Puritan colony, but from an early day they manifested a good deal
of independence of the Boston magnates ; and Peter Hobart's de-
fiant attitude towards Governor Winthrop is one of the picturesque
features of that early time. There is sometimes, undoubtedly, an
inclination to exaggerate the religious element in the early settle-
ments of New England. It was a mixed purpose that animated
our forefathers. There was in them the genius of adventure and
enterprise which in later days has peopled our own West with
their descendants ; there was the search for fortune in new coun-
tries over the sea ; there was the spirit of trade and mercantile in-
vestment ; there was the hope of new homes, and the ardor of new
scenes, all clustering around what was unquestionably the central
impulse to find a larger religious freedom than the restrictions,
legal or traditional, of the old country afforded. This is evident
from the fact that while the population of Massachusetts grew
rapidly by accessions from England till the execution of Charles
the First, yet, as soon as that event happened, the republic of
Cromwell and the supremacy of Puritanism during his Protec-
torate were accompanied by a practical suspension of immigration
to New England. For the next two hundred years it had little
other growth than that which sprung from its own loins.

In these first settlements the ministers were the leaders. Their
influence was supreme. They gave tone to the time, and color to
history ; and the communities which they largely moulded seem,
as we look back upon them, to be toned by the ecclesiastical atmos-
phere which the clergy gave to them. But with all this there was
still all the time an immense deal of human nature. The picture
of the early time, if it could be reproduced, would present a body of
men and women engaged in the ordinary activities of life, culti-
vating the farms, ploughing the seas, trading with foreign lands
and among themselves, engaged in near and remote fisheries,
maintaining the school, the train-band, and the church, holding
their town-meetings, — a people not without humor, not altogether
innocent of a modicum of quarrel and greed and heart-burning, yet
warm with the kind and neighborly spirit of a common and inter-
dependent fellowship. The Massachusetts settlers indulged in no
mere dream of founding a Utopia or a Saints' Rest. They were
neither visionary philosophers nor religious fanatics. Their early
records deal with every-day details of farm and lot, of domestic
affairs, of straying cattle and swine, of runaway apprentices and
scolding wives, of barter with the Indians, of whippings and stocks
and fines for all sorts of naughtinesses, of boundaries and suits, of
debt and legal process and probate, of elections and petty offices
civil and military, and now and then the alarum of war • and the
inevitable assessment of taxes. They smack very much more of
the concerns, and the common concerns, of this world than of
concern for the next. They are the memoranda of a hard, prac-
tical life ; and if the name of Hingham now and then appears in
4;hem during the first half-dozen years of its existence, it is in

208 History of Hingham.

connection with a fine for bad roads, or leave to make hay in
Conihasset meadows, or permission to use its meeting-house for a
watch-house, or the appointment of a committee to settle its
difficulties with Nantasket, or something of equally homely import.
There is in these records no cant nor sniffling, none of that pre-
tentious sanctimoniousness which is so flippantly charged upon
the Puritans. There is less reference to theology than to ways
and means ; and the practical question, for instance, of restraining
the liquor-traffic and evil, seems to have taxed the ingenuity and
attention of their law-makers and magistrates very much as it
does in the case of their descendants. There is no waste of words
in the grim sentences, but a plain, wholesome dealing with the
material needs of the colony. One cannot read them and not feel
the sense of justice and righteousness that inspired the leaders of
the settlement, and that sought, rigorously indeed but honestly,
to institute and maintain a commonwealth which should be ani-
mated by virtue, thrift, education, the sanctity and sweetness of
home, fear of God, and fair dealing among men. They were de-
veloping that sturdy, educating, self-reliant New England town
life which till forty or fifty years ago was so unique, but which
since then has gradually been disintegrated and changed by the
tremendous influence of the transportations of the railroad, the
wide scattering of the New England seed, the influx of foreign
elements, the rapid growth of large cities, the drain on rural
sources, and the general change from diffusion to consolidation,
and from the simplest and most meagre to the most profuse and
complex material resources.

MILITAEY HISTORY.

BY WALTER L. BOUVE.

The story of the settlement of Hingham and of the struggles,
employments, and daily life of her first inhabitants, is one differ-
ing but little from that of many other of the older sea-coast towns
of New England. Alike in their origin, their religion, and their
opinions, similar in their pursuits and experiences, menaced by a
common danger, and, with the exception of the Plymouth Colony
communities, influenced by the same hopes and purposes and
governed by the same laws, it was natural that in their growth
and development the little hamlets forming a frequently broken
thread from the Merrimac to Buzzard's Bay, should, for a con-
• siderable period, bear a strong resemblance to one another. Yet
each, from the first, possessed those peculiar characteristics which
differences of wealth, the impress of particular families, and the
influence of vigorous leaders inevitably create. This individualism
was enhanced by the effects of time, of situation, and of interest,
and in each grew up the legends, traditions, and local history
peculiar to itself.

If those of our own town are devoid of the dramatic and tragic
incidents which light up the chronicles of Salem, of Deerfield, of
Hadley, and of Merry Mount ; if no Myles Standish with his mar-
tial figure, no Eliot with the gentle saintly spirit, and no Endicott
with fiery speech and commanding will, grace our story, aijd if no
battle-banner like that of a Lexington, a Concord, or a Bunker
Hill, wreathes about us the halo of a patriotic struggle, there is
nevertheless within the pages of our modest records not a little to
awaken the absorbing interest which the tales of the grandfather
always bear to those of the younger generations. And the local
colorings, if not of unusual brilliancy, still glow for us with all the
warmth of the home-hearth, and to the quaint pictures of the
olden time the mellowing of change and of years only adds a
hallowing light. The chapters, of which this is one, treating of
the forefathers and their descendants, from the religious, indus-
trial, social, educational, and public relations in which we find
them, are mainly for ourselves and our children, for our and
their use and pleasure, prepared with little ambition other than to
preserve and transmit a fairly accurate account of the birth and
growth of our native town, — one which even to this day'is typical

VOL. I. — 14

210 History of Hingham.

of those modern democracies which form the distinguishing char-
acteristic of New England. We cannot however isolate ours from
the other settlements which already, two hundred and fifty years
ago, formed, like it, parts of a complete commonwealth, with
established customs, diverse interests, and self-reliant spirit.

It is interesting to observe these sturdy and half independent
plantations, bound together as they were by the common laws and
necessities, re-enacting, each within its own limits, much of the
complex life of the province at large. They were truly miniature
commonwealths, and the claims of the State and the claims of the
Church recei\^ed as well the consideration of the people of the
village as of the deputies at the capital ; and the various commer-
cial, religious, and social interests made themselves felt alike in
the town meetings and in the legislative and council chambers.

In each town, too, was the military organization and establish-
ment, demanding and receiving from nearly every citizen active
participation in its exacting and stern requirements. Like the
civil authority it was, it is true, regulated and controlled largely
by the central government, but it nevertheless possessed, from
very necessity, much local independence.

To the story of its part in the life of Hingham this article is
devoted. And here it may not be inopportune to consider briefly
a phase in the history and policy of the colony, and indeed of the
other colonies as well, which has perhaps not at all times been
accorded its full value, and which is well illustrated in the record
and experience of our own town. From their situation and sur-
roundings the North American colonies were necessarih^ little
less than military provinces, whose armed forces were their own
citizens. Of them Massachusetts was the most prominent, and
her usual condition was that of an armed peace, with many of
the incidents of martial law, not infrequently broken by open hos-
tilities with her Indian and French neighbors. For more than
one hundred years succeeding the organization of the government,
a large portion of the legislative enactments pertained to the arm-
ing and disciplining of the inhabitants, to the erection of forts,
the purchase of military stores, and to other measures of defence
and offence ; and no inconsiderable part of her expenditure was
for the raising and equipping of troops, and for expeditions against
the Indians and against Canada. The laws on these subjects were
frequent, minute in their details, and often severe in their require-
ments ; and they affected not only the individual citizen, but
reached the towns in their corporate capacity and prescribed their
duties as well.

These enactments, with frequent experience in actual service,
produced not only a hardy, disciplined, trained citizen soldiery
ready for the emergency of the hour, but, continued as they were
through the legislation of a century, they created the military tra-
dition, knowledge, and discipline which were of such inestimable

Military History. 211

Talue in the opening days of the Revolution ; and into that
struggle sprang, not alone the embattled farmer, but with a value
far greater to the cause, the alert minute-man who had been at the
taking of Louisburg, the trained-band men who, like their able
officers, had threaded the forests around Fort William Henry and
Frontenac, and the sturdy regiments whose leaders had climbed
the heights of Quebec with Wolfe, and seen the fall of Montcalm.
It is well for us not to forget that the troops of Great Britain
were met in 1776, not by undisciplined levies, but by an Ameri-
•can army, whose great commander was a soldier of many years'
invaluable experience in that best of military schools, service in
the field ; that the hard lessons learned by the young colonel
■of twenty-one at Fort Necessity and Braddock's defeat made
ipossible the general of Yalley Forge, Trenton, and Yorktown ;
that Putnam, with his English commission, attacking the Span-
iards in 1762 was preparing for the sturdy old Continental com-
mander of 1776 ; that Stark, the intrepid leader at Bennington,
was but the Stark of 1756, grown a little older and more experi-
•€nced ; or that old Seth Pomeroy, fighting in the ranks, and old
Richard Gridley, pushing on with his artillerj^ at Bunker Hill, had
•both heard the roar of French guns in the campaigns which made
them veterans. These, with scores and hundreds of others, both
officers and privates, now enlisted in the ranks of liberty, gave to
a large force the true character and discipline of an army.

One of the earlier of the settlements, situated upon the very
border of the Colony and adjoining the frontier of that of Ply-
mouth, Hingham was peculiarly liable to suffer from the differ-
•ences which might at any time arise between the governments of
either province and their Indian neighbors. A realization of this
danger, and consequent thorough preparation, probably accounts
for the remarkable immunity from attack and depredation which
was so long the good fortune of the town, notwithstanding the
fact that the Indian trail to Plymouth led directly through its
southern part along the shores of Accord Pond.

The Indians of Hingham formed a part of that great division
among the red men known as the Algonquins. This mighty race
comprised many powerful tribes, and occupied nearly the whole
territory of the northeastern United States. The strength of
the New England, and especially the Massachusetts nations had
been greatly reduced by a great pestilence shortly before the set-
tlement of Plymouth. For this the good King James was duly
thankful, and he gratefully says in his charter —

" that he had been given certainly to knowe that within these late years
there bath by God's visitation reigned a wonderful plague together with
many horrible slaughters and murthers committed amongst the savages and
brutish people there heretofore inhabiting in a manner to the utter de-
struction devastation and depopulation of that whole territorye so that
there is not left for many leagues together in a manner any that doe
claim or challenge any kind of interests therein."

212 History of Hingham.

These disasters were probably in 1617 or thereabouts. Only a
little earlier, in 1614, Smith says : " The sea-coast as you pass
shows you all along large corn-fields and great troupes of well
proportioned people." Others computed the number of warriors
at from eight thousand to twenty -five thousand. They were
divided into a number of nations, and these again into tribes. Of
the former, some of the principal were the Wampanoags, ruled over
by Massasoit, a life-long friend of the English, and whose domin-
ion lay between Cape Cod and Narragansett Bay ; the Narragan-
setts, who lived in Rhode Island upon the western coast of the bay
of that name, and whose chiefs were Canonicus and Miantonomo ;
the Pequods, under Sassacus, whose territory lay between the Mys-
tic and the Thames, then the Pequod River, in Connecticut ; and
the Massachusetts, under Chickatabut, who occupied the territory
to the south of Boston and extending as far as Duxbury. In 1633
Chickatabut was succeeded by Josiah Wompatuck. In addition to
the above there were the Pawtuckets north of the Charles River,
and the Chur-Churs and Tarantines in Maine. All played a part
more or less important in the history of the New England settle-
ments. Hingham, it will have been noted, lay within the land
ruled, until just about the time the first settlements were made
here, by Chickatabut ; and it was his son and successor, Wompa-
tuck, together with Squmuck and Ahahden, who joined in 1668
in conveying to the English the territory now comprised in the
towns of Hingham and Cohasset. For many years the intercourse
between our forefathers and their red neighbors seems to have
been peaceable and agreeable.

The earliest known settlement of Hingham was made sometime
in the year 1633, and the first houses were probably located upon
what is now North Street, and near the bay which the erection of
tide gates has converted into the Mill Pond. This little arm of
the sea although fordable at low tide was still of sufficient depth to
float craft of a size considered respectable in those days ; and many
a fishing smack has ridden out in safety the gales of Avinter
under the lee of the protecting hills which surrounded it, and
upon whose sunny southern slopes were perhaps the first cleared
lands in the town.

Up it, too, sailed one day in the summer or early autumn of
1635, the Rev. Peter Hobart and his company ; they landed, as
we are told, on the northerly shore about opposite to where Ship
and North streets intersect, and here in the open air, the first
public religious services were held. Not far from this spot, and
but a few rods in front of where Derby Academy now stands, and
upon a part of the hill long since removed, was erected the first
meeting-house. This was a plain square building, low and small
as compared with modern churches, but constructed of hewn logs
and undoubtedly very substantial. It was surmounted by a
belfry containing a bell, and around w^as a palisade for defence
against the Indians.

Military History. 213

Here then our Military History commences, and the church
erected for the worship of Ahuighty God was in truth a fortress
of the Lord against tlie heathen enemies of the body, as well as
against the beguilers of the soul. Nor was the worthy pastor
apparently less fitted to command in a temporal than to lead in
a spiritual capacity. Of its actual use as a defensive post we have
no lack of evidence. In June, 1639, according to the " Records
of the Governor and Company of Massachusetts Bay in New Eng-
land " (from which the authority for much here given is derived),
" Hingham had liberty to use their meeting house for a watch
house ; " and again, December 1640, " Hingham Meeting house for
the present is allowed for their watch house." Already, in 1636,
the delegates in General Court had ordered " that the military
men in Hingham [with other towns] be formed into a regiment
of which John Winthrop, Sen. Esq., be Colonel, and Thomas
Dudley, Lieut.-Colonel." This indicates the existence here at a
very early period of at least a part of a company, and our ances-
tors certainly had eminent commanders in two such remarkable
men as Governor Winthrop and Governor Dudley. Among the
interesting orders from the central authority about this time was
one providing that captains be maintained from the treasury, and
not from their companies ; it was evidently passed for the purpose
of giving greater independence to the officers, and was manifestly
in the interest of the strict discipline towards which all legislation
constantly tended. It was also enacted that musket-balls of full
bore should pass current for a farthing apiece ; which, although
pertaining to the finances and currency rather than to the mili-
tary, is a fact of sufficient interest to justify its mention in this
connection. In 1635 it was ordered that no dwelling-house be
built above half a mile from the meeting-house, and in this order
Hingham had the honor of being specially included by name ; in-
dicating perhaps that she had already shown a tendency to exceed
that limit and to stretch herself out along the main street, towards
the neighboring colony with which her people had later so much
in common.

Acts passed in 1634, 1635, and 1636 required towns to provide
at their own charge a place in which to keep such powder and
ammunition as the military authorities should order them to take
from Boston, and fixed a penalty for neglect ; commanded all
persons to go armed with muskets, powder, and ball, to all public
assemblies, and forbade any one going unarmed at any time above
a mile from his dwelling-house ; and specifically directed " that
the military officers in every town shall provide that the watches
be duly kept in places most fit for common safety, and also a
ward on the Lord's day, the same to begin before the end of the
first month and to be continued until the end of September, and
that every person above the age of eighteen years (except magis-
trates and elders of the churches) shall be compellable to this

214 History of Hingham.

service either in person or by some substitute to be allowed by
him that hath the charge of the watch or warde for that time, with
punishment for disobedience." The settlement of 1633, then
called Bare Cove, was in July, 1635, erected into a plantation,
which carried the right of sending deputies to the General Court ;
and in September of the latter year the name was changed to
Hingham.

House lots were granted to some fifty individuals in June and
September, and other lands for the purposes of pasturage and
tillage. The former were situated mainly upon Town, now North
Street, but during the year the settlement was extended to Broad
Cove Lane, now Lincoln Street, and in 1636 the grants were upon
what is now South Street and upon Batchelor's Row, now the
northerly part of Main street. And these early beginnings of our
modern streets comprised the whole of the little town, with its two
hundred odd inhabitants, when in 1637 it first became a duty to
furnish a quota of her sons for the public defence.

It was the second year of the Pequod War, and Massachusetts —
which had already been acting with Connecticut — was to raise
an additional force of one hundred and twenty men, to be placed
under the command of Capt. Israel Stoughton ; this number was
subsequently increased to one hundred and seventy. Of these,
six were men from our town. We unfortunately know the names
of none of them, but we can follow in imagination the toilsome
march of the little army of which our forefatliers formed a small
part, as it slowly and painfully made its way through the virgin
thickets, almost impenetrable with the stiff, unbending, knarled
scrub oak, the matted masses of luxuriant-growing and lacerating -
horse-brier, beautiful in its polished green, and the almost tropi-
cally developed poison-sumac, seductive in its graceful form and
rich coloring ; through the great forests, dark with the uncut
forms of the towering pines ; and through the swamps of the coun-
try around Narragansett Bay, with the rich, black soil of the bot-
toms, and the majestic white cedars rising, like great sentries of
the red man, far into the air ; and thence up towards the Mystic,,
spreading widely over the country between. We need not re-
hearse the details too minutely here; we know the story, — the
Indians defeated, their tribe destroyed, and a day of thanksgiving
appointed ; this time October 12, when it was also ordered that
the various towns should " feast " their soldiers, — an injunction
doubtless faithfully obeyed, here at least.

From the time of the Pequod War, apprehensions of renewed
trouble with the natives, and the necessary precautions against it,
continually grew throughout the colony. Among the enactments
was one passed March 13, 1638, directing " that Hingham have a
barrel of powder, to be paid for by the town," and from 1640 to
1644 frequent orders regulated the time for training the train-
bands, and prescribed punishments for neglect. In the former of

Military History. 215

these years, an interesting town record informs us that the follow-
ing vote was passed, " That from the date hereof thenceforth there
shall be no tree or trees cut or felled upon the highway upon the
pain of twenty shillings to be levied for the use of the town
because all good trees are to be preserved for the shading of
cattle in the summer time and for the exercising of the military."
The desirability of preserving the trees " for the exercising of the
military " arose from the benefit to be derived from training the
latter in the practical methods of Indian warfare, wherein every
savage placed the protecting trunk of a tree between himself and
the enemy ; a situation giving him a distinct advantage over
troops in regular order. It was ignorance or neglect of this fact
that led to the destruction of the brave Capt. Pierce of Scituate
and his company in 1676 and to the defeat of Braddock nearly
eighty years later. " Garrison houses," so-called, which for the
most part were probably private dwellings of unusual size and
adaptability for defence, were constructed, and stringent laws
passed for the enforcement of military discipline. The location
and appearance of such of the former as were then or after-
wards erected in Hingham, it is not possible to fully determine.
Among them, however, was what is now known as the Perez
Lincoln house standing on North, and a little east from Cot-
tage Street. It was erected by Joseph Andrews, probably in
1640. He was the first constable and first town clerk of Hing-
ham. From him it passed for a nominal consideration, in 1665,
to his son Capt. Thomas Andrews, and was then known as the
Andrews house. It is the best authenticated "■ garrison house "
that we have. Doubtless during many an alarm its massive tim-
bers and thick log walls gave a sense of security to the settlers
who, with their wives and children, had gathered within. A pecu-
liarity of this building, now perhaps the oldest in town, is that,
excepting its first transfer, it has never been conveyed by deed,
but has continuously passed by will or simple inheritance for some
two hundred and twenty-five years from one owner to another.
Although now clapboarded and plastered, it is still one of the
most interesting of the old landmarks, and its sound old ribs
as seen within seem capable of defying the inroads of another
century. Another of these primitive defences stood near what is
now the easterly corner of Hersey and South streets, and on the
site of the Cazneau house, — formerly belonging to Matthew
Lincoln. Another was the house of Capt. John Smith, on the
Lower Plain, about where the store of Mr. Fearing Burr now
is. John Tower's house near Tower's Bridge was also a garri-
son house ; and yet another, at South Hingham, was Capt. John
Jacob's house, situated in the pass between Massachusetts and
Plymouth. There were doubtless others, of which the record is
lost.

In 1642 military officers were empowered to punish neglect

216 History of Ringham.

and insubordination by fine, imprisonment, corporal punishment,
the stocks, etc., and every town was obliged to provide a place for
retreat for their wives and children, and in which to store ammu-
nition. The meeting-house answered for this double purpose in
Hingham, although the military stores were often distributed
among the commissioned officers of the town, thus securing greater
safety and availability in case of surprise. Every smith was
directed to lay aside all other work, and " with all speed attend
the repairing of the ammunition of the several towns, fitting them
for any sudden occasion, and shall receive country pay for it." In
every town there was a council of war, consisting doubtless of the
military officers, the selectmen, — generally including in their
number these same officers, — and perhaps other prominent citi-
zens. This council seems to have had certain advisory powers,
and perhaps even of direction in emergencies, but in the event of
its failure to act, the commander of the company was specially
authorized to use his own discretion both for defence and offence.
The General Court directed, too, the manner in which alarms
might be given in case of danger. Any inhabitant was empowered
to distinctly discharge three muskets, to continually beat the
drum in the night, or to fire the beacon, or to discharge a piece
of ordnance, or to send messengers to adjoining towns ; and every
soldier was to respond at once, under a penalty of five pounds. The
captains of the three towns nearest that in which the enemy should
be discovered were to proceed thither with their companies. The
watches throughout the country were posted at sunset at the beat
of the drum, and discharged at sunrise drumbeat. From this
arose the custom of payments which we find made to many indi-
viduals through a long series of years for " maintaining the drum."
Thus among the " disbursements paid out of the Towne rate for
the Towne's use " in 1662, are the following : —

" To Joshua Beals for maintenance of ye drum, £01 00 00.

"To Steven Lincoln for maintenance of ye drum, £00 10 00."

And again, — besides many other similar disbursements, —
" John Lincoln to be paid ten shillings a year for drumming, he to
buy his own drum ; " this in 1690.

Increasing rumors of Indian conspiracies induced greater vigi-
lance and more careful preparation from year to year. In 1643
the military officers were placed in charge of the arms brought to
public meetings, and the care of ammunition in the farmhouses
was given to them ; and in 1644 all inhabitants were compelled to
keep arms ready for service in their houses. At a town meeting,
June 24, 1645, it was voted to erect a palisade around the
meeting-house " to prevent any danger that may come into this
town by any assault of the Indians." Previous to 1645 Hingham
appears to have had no captain, and it is probable that for pur-
poses of military organization and discipline the soldiers of Hull
and Weymouth were joined with our own in forming a company,

Military History. 217

and that they were commanded by a captain residing in the latter
place. Winthrop says that in 1645 Hingham chose Lieutenant
Eames, who had been the chief commander for the previous seven
or eight years, to be captain, and presented him to the council for
confirmation. For some reason not now known, the town be-
came offended with Eames before his new commission could be
issued, and a new election was held, or attempted to be held, at
which Bozoan Allen was chosen captain ; whom, however, the
council refused to confirm. A bitter controversy lasting several
years ensued. The town became divided into partisans of the
two officers, and the quarrel occupied much of the time of
the deputies and magistrates until 1648. In it the Rev. Peter
Hobart, together with many leading citizens, became deeply in-
volved, and the issues soon came to relate to civil and reli-
gious, rather than to military interests. The details of this
most unfortunate affair, which cost the town many of its
best families and much of its prosperity, would seem to be-
long more properly to the chapter on ecclesiastical history, and
there they may be found at length.

Lieut. Anthony Eames, the first local commander of the town,
was one of the first settlers, coming here in 1636, in which year
a house lot was granted him on the lower plain. He seems to
have been an able officer and a leading and trusted citizen, being
a deputy in 1637, 1638, and 1643, and frequently holding positions
of responsibility and honor in the town. Together with Allen,
Joshua Hobart, and others, he was chosen to represent the town's
interests in Nantasket lands, and in 1643 he with Allen and
Samuel Ward had leave from the town to set up a corn mill
near the cove. From Lieutenant Eames, through his three
daughters, — Milicent who married William Sprague, Elizabeth
who married Edward Wilder, and Marjory who married Capt.
John Jacobs, — many of the people of Hingham are descended.
Pending the settlement of the trouble in the company, the
General Court ordered, August 12, 1645, that " Lieutenant
Tory shall be chief military officer in Hingham, and act accord-
ing as other military officers till the court shall take further
orders." Lieutenant Tory was from Weymouth, and was un-
doubtedly appointed as a disinterested party to the controversy.
He was succeeded in the care of the company in May, 1646, by
Maj. Edward Gibbons. The same day that Lieutenant Tory was
assigned to the charge of the company an important order was
passed by the General Court to the effect that the commander of
every company should select thirty men out of every hundred in
their command who should be ready for service at half an hour's
notice ; and further provided for the thorough arming and equip-
ping of every man, with penalties for neglect. Provision was also
made at the May session of the General Court for the training of
youth between the ages of ten and sixteen years of age, by experi-

218 History of Hingham.

enced officers, in the use of arms " as small guns, pikes, bows and
arrows " but excepting such as parents forbade. This order was
renewed in nearly the same form in 1647. Another order pro-
vided that any man not having arms might be excused from the
usual penalty by bringing to the company clerk corn to one-fifth
greater value than the cost of the articles in which he was defi-
cient. " But if any person shall not be able to provide himself
arms and ammunition tlirough mere poverty, if he be single and
under thirty years of age, he shall be put to service by some ; if
he be married or above thirty the constable shall provide him
arms, and shall appoint him with whom to earn it out." How
indicative are all these orders, both of the constant dangers which
necessitated them, and of the efficient and untiring provisions
against surprise and ruin. The distaste for temporary officers
from other towns, and the danger from farther delay apparently
led the people to seek a settlement of the military trouble, and
we find in the State archives the following petition : —

The Humble Petition of the Soldiers of Hingham to the Honorable
Court now sitting in Boston, Sheweth That we acknowledge ourselves
thankful to you for many favors ; especially considering how little we have
deserved them, either from the Lord or you his instruments. Yet your
bounty does encourage us and our own necessities forces us to crave help
from you that so we may be provided for the defense of ourselves, wives,
children, and liberties, against all oppressors. Therefore we crave this
liberty, as the rest of our neighbors have which we take to be our due, to
choose our own officers, which if granted it will be a great refreshment.
But if we be not worthy of such a favor for present as your allowance
herein, then that you would be pleased to set us in a way that we may be
able to do you servis and provide for our own safety and not be in such
an uncomfortable and unsafe condition as we do. So praying for the
presence of our Lord witli you, we are yours as he enables us and you
command us.

In answer to this it was ordered that Bozoan Allen be lieutenant,
and Joshua Hobart, ensign. Three years later at the request of
the town both these officers were promoted, and Allen obtained at
last the rank for which he had vainly striven six years before.
He was a man of much force and considerable pugnacity. On at
least one, and probably two occasions he was compelled to humbly
beg pardon for disrespectful words spoken of Governor Dudley,
and in 1647 he was dismissed from the General Court for the
session. He held, however, many positions of honor in Hingham,
being repeatedly elected a deputy, serving often with his friend
Joshua Hobart. He came to Hingham in 1638, and as already
mentioned was, with Lieutenant Eamcs, one of the owners of the
mill. He removed to Boston hi 1652 and died the same year.
Joshua Hobart, a brother of the Rev. Peter Hobart, succeeded to
the command of the company in 1653. He was a man of great

Military History. 219

strength of character and one of the most distinguished citizens
the town has had. In 1641 he was a member of the Ancient and
Honorable Artillery company, — then a military organization, —
was a deputy more than twenty-five times, serving with Allen,
Lieutenant Houchin of Boston, — who, according to the custom of
the time, on several occasions served on behalf of Hingham, — and
with other prominent citizens. In 1670 he was on a committee
to revise the laws, and in 1673 was chosen to audit the accounts
of the treasurer of the colony. In 1672 Captain Hobart and Lieu-
tenant Fisher presented their report upon the boundary line
between the colonies of Massachusetts Bay and Plymouth which
they had been appointed commissioners to determine. In 1674
he was speaker of the House of Deputies. He was frequently a
selectman and held other town offices. Besides holding the posi-
tion of commander of the military of Hingham during many years
when unwearied vigilance, strict discipline, and constant prepara-
tion were of the first importance to the welfare and preservation
of the town, — for it must be remembered that suspicion, fear,
and at times open war succeeded the defeat of the Pequods, and
that at no time was the danger of destruction absent from the
minds of the colonists, — Captain Hobart is said to have com-
manded a company in active service in Philip's War. His house
lot was on Main Street and included the spot upon which stands the
Old Meeting-house, and here, in 1682, after having been Hingham's
chief officer for nearly thirty years, he died full of honors, at the
age of sixty-seven years. Notwithstanding the uneasiness suc-
ceeding the Pequod "War, peace generally prevailed between the
colonists and the Indians for a quarter of a century thereafter ;
settlements multiplied and the older towns not only grew in num-
bers, but began to prosper with the development of agriculture,
the pursuits of the fisheries, the birth of manufactures, the trade
in lumber, and the commerce which was already springing up
with the West India islands. In the general prosperity Hingham
shared, although her growth was not rapid, and, as has been said,
the military and ecclesiastical dissensions at one time led to a
serious loss in population, and consequent injury to the material
advance.

The soil was however fair and in many places rich, and its suc-
cessful cultivation led to the rapid increase m the number and
area of the " planting fields " which were granted from time to
time. Our almost circular harbor surrounded and protected on
all sides by hills clothed with a noble growth of oak, pine, and
cedar, and guarded at its entrance by the three beautiful islands
which like faithful sentinels stood as bulwarks against the storms
of the open ocean, early turned attention to Hingham as an
advantageous point for the construction of craft of various de-
scription and size, and the development of a prosperous foreign
trade.

220 History of Hingham.

Shipyards and wharves soon dotted the shore and multiplied
with astonishing rapidity ; and many a stately vessel received her
baptism and commenced her perilous life in the little bay which
washes our coast. The commerce which subsequently was one
of the chief sources of local wealth began, too, almost with the
birth of the town, and in 1679 we read of the loss at sea of a
vessel in which Joshua Hobart, oiTe of Hingham's stalwart mari-
ners, was a part owner. Before this Winthrop mentions the over-
turning off Paddock's Island of a small shallop of ten tons, in
which was John Palmer, whose house lot was on Broad Cove, and
two others. This was in 1639, and the shallop was perhaps one
of the lishing smacks forming the advance guard of the fleet which
lined our wharves and enriched many of our citizens, and which
only finally disappeared within a very few years past. But while
this town and her sisters grew and prospered and pursued their
peaceful vocations, the shadow of a coming struggle lengthened,
and the inevitable contest between the white race and the red race
neared yearly and daily its culmination. In 1665 the town " Lyd
out for powder, bullets, and match, £11," — a very considerable
sum for the time, and indeed a very large proportion of the total
expenditures for the year. The following quaint order passed July
20, 1668, is interesting because of the glimpse it affords of the
customs and vigilance of the period : —

It is ordered by the Selectmen of the town that all such p's's as are
app' & warned to watch on the constables watch shall from time to time
appear at the meeting house half an hour after sunset to receive their
charge ; and the constable is hereby ordered to meet them there at the said
time or soon after to give them their charge according to law ; and we do
also order that after the new watch is come about as far as the meeting
house that then the 2 constables shall take their watches to give the watch
in charge, that is, one constable 1 watch & the other another & so by
turns till the time is expired which the law sets for the keeping up the sd
watch.

A generation had reached manhood since the extermination of
the Pequods ; the town and the colony alike had attained to strength
and confidence born of prosperity, and a feeling of security re-
sulting from unceasing vigilance and preparation pervaded the
settlements. Nevertheless fear of the French, jealousy of the
Dutch, and suspicion of the Indian kept the weapons of prepa-
ration bright. A rumor now and again of some forest outrage, an
actual barbarity, and possibly a self-consciousness of not being
without wrong on their own part, kept the colonists alert and
active. The military enactments of the General Court grew more
specific, more frequent, and more stern ; the co-operation of the
towns and their own watchfulness became more marked. A
successful expedition against the French on the Penobscot in
1653, and another to Niantick to suppress a Narragansett conspir-

Military History. 221

acy in 1654, afforded valuable experience, although accompanied
by little or no bloodshed. Suddenly the long anticipated conflict
opened. An Indian was found drowned in Assawanset Pond near
Middleborough. He was a friend of the whites ; three Wam-
panoags were arrested, tried, and executed for the murder. On
the 20tli day of June, 1675, several houses were burned at
Swansea, and the greatest of New England's native warriors
opened the first of the two campaigns which only ended with the
death of Philip at Mt. Hope August 12, 1676, sealing on that day
the fate of a mighty race, and after the most extreme suffering
and cruelty on both sides.

Thirteen towns had been wholly destroyed, and many more
sustained severe loss, while six hundred of the colonists lay dead
upon the battle-field. On the other hand, the power of the red
man was at an end in New England. Their wigwams had been
burned, their wives and children sold into slavery, their warriors
slain, and the tribes almost swept out of existence. The history
is not a pleasant nor a wholly creditable one ; its detailed rela-
tion fortunately belongs elsewhere. Into the struggle, however,
the men of Hingham entered bravely, and within her borders at
least one incident in the great tragedy was enacted. Before tell-
ing the story of her contributions in men and money, the honor-
able part she took, and the loss she sustained, let us make a
sketch of the old town as it appeared in the summer of 1675,
relocate and repeople at least some of the houses, remap the old
roads, glance at the occupations and characteristics and^ appear-
ance of the inhabitants, and catch as we may in the gloaming
some tracery of the homes and the lives of our forefathers.

Away back in 1645 a dam had narrowed the entrance to the
inner bay, then a beautiful sheet of water, undivided by the
street connecting Main Street and the harbor. Tide-gates had
finally closed the passage, and the friends Eames and Allen had
set in motion the busy wheels which now for two hundred and
fifty odd years, in the self-same spot, have sung their music in
the starry midnight and the merry sunlight alike, grinding tlie
corn and the grain of the settlers and their descendants for eight
generations. Here, then, in this opening year of King Philip's war
the little mill stood as now, not far from the public landing-place
at the Cove. Built of stout logs and hewn planks, with jolly
John Langlee, the miller, in the doorway, the rush of a foaming
stream beneath, a gleam of blue waters to the north, and in
front the dancing ripples of the glassy pond reflecting in the
morning light the giants of the forest which clothed the sur-
rounding hills and crept down to the very water's edge, it was
indeed a pleasant place ; and here the farmer with the heavy ox-
cart or pack-laden horse, the sailor back from some West Indian
port, the bright-eyed school-boy, the idler from the town, the
squire, the captain, and now and again even Parson Hobart him-

222 History of Hingham.

self, might have been seen watching the hot meal as it poured
from the stones, Avhile hearing and telling what each might of
news and rumor and gossip. Here the forebodings of the forest,
the startling stories of Indian devastation and cruelty, the tales
from over seas, the crop prospects, and the latest talk of the vil-
lage whiled away many an idle hour, and doubtless, too, lost little
in their later relation by the home firesides. To the eastward
and westward of the mill stream, and sloping towards each other
until meeting beneath its bubbling waters, rose two noble hills,
their tops crowned with the oak and the pine, and their ocean-
ward sides scantily protected by wind-twisted and stunted cedars.
In Cobb's Bank, earlier known as Ward's Hill, we have, bare
and unsightly, the little that remains of the first of these,
which then, rounded and green, stretched away for several hun-
dred feet along the harbor, and gradually descending, finally dis-
appeared in Wakeley's meadows. Through these last coursed a
tiny run, which emptied into the sea by the " landing-place " of a
subsequent period, — now a grass-covered wharf, long since disused
for commercial purposes. An easy ford at the town dock ena-
bled those having occasion, to reach the beaches along the base
of the eminence, and thence, after crossing the run, to ascend
the hill near the steamboat landing, and through the fields and
woods reach Neck Gate Hill, Martin's Lane, and the planting lots
beyond. The hill west of the stream also skirted the harbor for
some distance, and then, drifting inland, continued far towards
the western extremity of the town ; it remains materially unal-
tered to this day. Old Town Street, with its name changed to
North, follows now as in the early days its graceful, curving
course along the base of the hill at whose foot it lies. Here
and there its lines have been moved a trifle, this way or that,
but from the harbor to West Street it is the same old road, border-
ing the pond, the brook, and the swamp, as in the days when the
Lincolns, the Andrews, and the Hobarts built their one-storied,
thatched huts along its grassy ruts.

From the Cove, where the mill, the town dock, and the ford
crowd in neighborly friendship together, to the further extremity
of the " Swamp," this, the first of Hingham's highways, has few
spots uncelebrated in her history. Yet almost the whole interest
is confined to the northern or upper side ; for not only was its
other boundary fixed so as to border upon the brook, but in fact
the land on that side of the travelled way was generally too
swampy to admit of its use for dwellings. Consequently we find
that scarcely a building stood upon the southerly side of the
street, and probably the only exception was the house of Samuel
Lincoln and his son, occupying a site nearly opposite the pres-
ent location of the New North Church. A very few years later,
however, in 1683 or thereabouts, another mill was built upon
the water side, and almost exactly where is now the little red

Military History. 223

blacksmith-shop ; parts of the dam may still be seen projecting-
from either shore of the pond. Starting at the Cove and going
westward, we should have seen at this early period the charred
remains of the houses of John Otis and Thomas Loring. But lit-
tle was left, however ; for the fire that destroyed them was an
old story many years back, and now had become little more than
a tradition. Nevertheless, from a spot nearly opposite the smithy,
their owners had looked out many a bright morning on the pretty
scene before them. A few steps further, and near the corner of
Ship Street, — or Fish Street, as formerly known, and which per-
haps was a lane at even this early time, — was the home of Peter
Barnes, the ancestor of the present family of that name ; and
close by, for a neighbor, lived John Langlee, the miller, who was
also a shipwright, and later an innkeeper on the same spot.
Now, however, he must go a-soldiering, and a-soldiering he went,
and not over willingly, we may presume ; for not only do we
know that he left a wife and one or two babies to fare as the
fates should will, but we learn that he was impressed into the
service. However, he shared with many a fellow-townsman in
the glory of the brave and unfortunate Captain Johnson and his
company, and was one of the two men from Hingham who
were wounded in the great battle. He was the owner of the
island originally granted to Richard Ibrook, now known as
Langley's Island, and from him descended Madam Derby. The
house of Charles A. Lane stands on the spot where lived Joseph
Church, brother of the famous Capt. Benjamin Church, the final
conqueror of Philip ; and just beyond was the garrison house of
Capt. Thomas Andrews, now occupied by the Misses Lincoln.
With Captain Andrews lived his father, Joseph, the first town
clerk, at this time one of the old men of the settlement. A
hundred feet or so to the south, bubbling and rippling as it
danced along, flowed the cool waters of the town brook, crossed
a trifle higher up by a bridge, and broadened at that point into a
drinking-pond for cattle and horses. Lincoln Building covers
the spot from which the little pond long since disappeared.
Captain Andrews' next neighbor to the westward was Capt. John
Thaxter, who had served with distinction against the Dutch, and
who was at this eventful period a selectman and one of the fore-
most citizens. His family was a large one, and a son — later
known as Capt. Thomas Thaxter — served at Martha's Vineyard
under Captain Church. The old Thaxter house was known
twenty-five years since, and for many years before, as the Leavitt
house. The fine old mansion has given place to St. Paul's Ro-
man Catholic Church. In the rear, "Ensign Thaxter's Hill"
formed the northerly boundary of a wide training-field, which lay
between it and the houses on the street. Next beyond, and just
at the bend of the road, was the home of old Edmond Pitts, —
Goodman Pitts, as he was called, — a weaver, sexton of the

224 History of Hingham,

church, and a man of no little consequence. The house in its
modernized form still remains, and is the first one west of St.
Paul's Church. Directly in its front is Thaxter's Bridge, span-
ning the brook, and diagonally across the street, as already men-
tioned, was the abode of Samuel Lincoln, weaver and mariner,
and of his son Samuel, who served in the war as a cornet of
cavalry. Opposite the General Lincoln place, Broad Cove Lane,
now Lincoln Street, branched off, passed a low, marshy thicket,
which, cleared and filled, has become Fountain Square, climbed
the gentle slope beyond, and then descended again until it reached
the broad, and then deep arm of the sea from which the lane
was named. Beyond this point it continued for perhaps half a
mile, and terminated in pastures and planting fields beyond.
From it another lane running nearly at right angles led, as
does the wide avenue which has succeeded, to the deep water
at Crow Point and to Weary-all-Hill, since called Otis Hill,
where, through other lanes and by deep ruts and numerous bars
the rich lands granted as planting lots were reached. Upon Lin-
coln Street were located the homes of the Chubbucks, of John
Tucker, and perhaps a few others ; and on the corner, and front-
ing on Town Street, we should have found Benjamin Lincoln,
great-grandfather of General Lincoln. He was a farmer, with a
young family, and on his lot stood the malt-house given him by
his father, Thomas Lincoln, the cooper ; here was carried on one
of the primitive breweries of our ancestors, and here doubtless
was enjoyed many a glass of flip. Mr. Lincoln's next neighbors
to the westward were his brothers-in-law John and Israel Fearing,
who occupied the family homestead nearly opposite to the site of
the Universalist Church ; while just beyond, and extending for
a long distance up towards the West End, were the domains of
the Hobarts, a very prominent family at the time. Here was
Edmund the younger, but now a venerable man of seventy-two
years, a weaver by trade, prominent in town affairs, and a twin
brother of the minister. His house was near Hobart's Bridge,
where with him lived his son Daniel, who followed his father's
occupation and succeeded to his influence. John and Samuel,
elder sons, and both just married, had their homes with or near
their father, while just beyond, and opposite Goold's Bridge,
the Rev. Peter Hobart occupied the parsonage, which for forty
years had been the centre of social and intellectual life in the
town. It may be well to mention here that the brook, which in
general occupies nearly its original bed for the greater part of its
length, has had its course materially altered in recent years
between the site of John and Israel Fearing's house and Hobart's
Bridge. It formerly flowed quite up to, and in places even into
the present location of North Street between these points ; and
the line of the sweep of the marsh and old Town Street is clearly
indicated by the segment of a circle upon whiclj the houses from

Military History, 225

Mr. David Cushing's to the Andrews' are now built. Rev, Peter
Hobart's neighbors to the westward were Thomas Gill and his
sons, Lieut. Thomas, and Samuel, and his son-in-law, Josiah
Lane ; and beyond them were Thomas and Ephraim Marsh, one
or both of whom lived in the paternal homestead which came
from George Marsh, their grandfather, and which bounded west-
erly on Burton's Lane. On the further side of this passage-way
the brothers Ephraim Lane, who served in Captain Johnson's
company, and John Lane, the carpenter, occupied their father's
place, while near them was George Lane, an uncle. On Mars
Hill, Thomas Lincoln, the cooper, one of the old men of the vil-
lage, and ancestor of the Benjamin Lincoln family, occupied the
spot which has been the home of his descendants to the present
time. Jacob Beale lived near by, but the exact spot is not easily
located. Apparently Thomas Hobart was the sole inhabitant of
West Street at this period, although Caleb Lincoln's house was on
the corner, but probably facing Fort Hill Street. The latter's twin
brother Joshua, and their father, Thomas Lincoln, the husband-
man, were close by, as were Sergeant Daniel Lincoln and his son
Daniel, Thomas and Ephraim Nicolls, Moses Collier, and Thomas
Lincoln, the carpenter, Henry Ward, Robert Waterman, Samuel
Stowell and his sons John and David, Joshua Beale, who main-
tained the drum, and his brother Caleb, at this time a con-
stable ; all were located on Fort Hill Street. Here also, and
probably on tlie crown of the hill, and within a very few feet of
the street to which it gave its name, was erected at this time one
of the three forts which formed a part of the defences against
the Indians. The location was admirable, the eminence over-
looking and commanding the fertile fields on its several sides, as
well as the village clustered around its base, while the road to
Weymouth, much of the water supply, and a wide range of
country were within the protecting fire of its guns ; while signals
by day or a beacon light at night would carry an alarm to distant
points. Leaving this locality and proceeding along what is now
South Street, we should have found on the Gay estate of a later
day William Hersey, and near him John and James and William
Hersey the younger, and Widow Hewitt and her brother-in-law,
Timothy Hewitt. On the westerly corner of Austin's Lane, now
Hersey Street, were John Beale, and John his son, while on the
easterly corner another garrison house formed the connecting
defence between the fort at West Hingham and Captain An-
drews' garrison house at Broad Bridge. The house belonged to
Steven Lincoln, and the Cazneau cottage stands nearly upon its
site. In the immediate vicinity were Simon Gross, Joshua Lin-
coln, Richard Wood, and Samuel Bate, who had a daughter
born April 12, 1676, " in the garrison," — not improbably the
garrison house of Steven Lincoln, which was undoubtedly already
occupied as a place of refuge in consequence of the alarm pre-

VOL. I. — 15

226 History of Hingham.

ceding the attack of a few days after in the south part of the
town. Other neighbors were 'Dr. Cutler, known as " the Dutch-
man," and Arthur Caine; while Joseph Bate's house stood
where Mr. William 0. Lincoln, who is of the eighth generation
occupying the same spot, now resides, — Clement Bate, the
father of Joseph, being the first. Next east lived Nathaniel
Beal, Senior, cordwainer and constable, and who had formerly
been chosen by the selectmen to keep an ordinary to sell sack and
strong waters, and who may still have been engaged in the same
pursuits. His ordinary and home was about opposite Thaxter's
bridge. Across the travelled way, and on the lot occupied by
the building in which the District Court holds its sessions, were
the stocks, — conveniently near the place where the strong
waters, Avhich perhaps frequently led to their occupancy, were
dispensed. The street now so beautiful in all its long course
from Broad Bridge to Queen Anne's Corner, is the street of the
old days "which we are picturing, and has undergone little change
of location. Its northerly part was known however at that time
as Bachelor's Row. We must recollect, however, that the hill
upon which Derby Academy stands then extended over the pres-
ent Main Street, sloping down nearly to the houses on the west,
and that going south it fell away to about the present level of
the street in front of Loring Hall, when the ascent again com-
menced, terminating in quite a little eminence opposite the Bas-
sett house, but which has largely disappeared through the cutting
off of the crown and the filling of the swampy tract beyond,-— a
process which, repeated a short distance south, in the vicinity of
Water Street, has also modified the appearance of Main Street
quite materially at that point. The old road was in fact a suc-
cession of ascents and descents almost continuously, until after
reaching the level above Pear-tree Hill. The first meeting-house
stood upon the part of the hill near Broad Bridge, which has
been removed, and probably not far from, and a few rods in front
of, the site of Derby Academy. It has already been described.
Over the hill, and probably to the eastward of the Meeting-house
ran a road, and around the base was another, doubtless more easy
to travel. These two commencing at the same point near the
bridge, soon united into one again at or near where Loring Hall
stands. On the slopes of the hill and around the meeting-house
our fathers were buried, and there they doubtless thought to
sleep undisturbed forever. Their remains now rest in the old
fort in the cemetery, of which in life they were the garrison, — a
most fitting sepulchre for the sturdy old soldiers. This fort, still
in an admirable state of preservation, was probably erected in
1675 or early in 1676, and was the main defence of the inhabi-
tants. It overlooked and commanded most of the village and
the main approaches thereto, and in connection with the palisaded
Meeting-house and the garrison house across the brook, provided

Military History. 227

ample protection to the settlement. The two latter completely
covered the stream for a long distance, making it impossible for
the Indians to deprive the townspeople of its sweet waters.
Nearly every house on the lower part of Main Street was within
range, and under the protection of the guns of the fort, which
also commanded an unobstructed view of the whole territory
between Captain Andrews' and the harbor, whose blue waters,
framed in their bright setting of green, then as now made a
beautiful and peaceful picture, as seen from its ramparts. The
present appearance of the fort is outwardly that of a circular,
sodded embankment, two or three feet in height, upon which are
planted several of the oldest of the gravestones; but from
within, the earth walls appear to be considerably higher, and the
excavation is rectangular, with sides about forty feet in length.
In the centre, from the summit of a mound, there rises a plain
granite shaft, inscribed upon the southwesterly and northeasterly
sides respectively as follows : —

To The

Erectei

First Settlers

BY THE

OF

Town,

H INGHAM,

1839.

The late Hon. Solomon Lincoln, in his " History of Hingham,'*
mentions in a foot-note a tradition related to him as coming from
Dr. Gay, to the effect that " this fort was built from the fear of
invasion by the sea, by the Dutch, etc." There can be no doubt
that the tradition referred to another fortification, also in the
cemetery, probably built for defence against the Dutch or the
Spanish, the remains of which were discovered a few years since
while constructing a road in that part of the burying-ground
towards Water Street, by Mr. Todd, the superintendent. The
location, as described by him, was on the northerly side of the
hill formerly owned by Isaac Hinckley, whose family lot is upon
its crown, the situation entirely commanding the harbor and its
approaches, and affording a magnificent view, and a valuable out-
look for military purposes. The defence was probably in the
nature of a stone battery, upon which it was intended to mount
a gun or guns, and the remains consisted of several tiers of large
stones, placed regularly together and backed by earth. Unfortu-
nately they have been removed.

On Bachelor's Row, and near where Elm Street now intersects the
main highway, Daniel and Samuel Stodder, brothers, and each with
a numerous family, occupied neighboring houses. Daniel attained
a greater age than has any other person in Hingham, finally dying
at one hundred and four years. A few rods south. Ensign Joseph
Joy, by occupation a carpenter, bore them company ; and on the
opposite side of the street, and not far from where the Old Meet-
ing-house now is, was the home of blacksmith and lieutenant
Jeremiah Beale, with his family of seven children. Close by, for

228 History of Hingham.

a neighbor, was the famous Captain of the Trainband, Joshua
Hobart, the most prominent of the townspeople, excepting his
brother, the minister. As ah'eady said, his lot included the land
upon which the meeting-house of 1681 stands.

Here too, then, or a little later, we should have found probably
the only gathering-place outside the Meeting-house, for the ma-
trons of these early times in our history ; for here Dame Ellen, the
worthy wife of the Captain, kept a little shop, in which were sold
the gloves and ribbons, the laces and pins and needles and thread,
and possibly even, now and then a piece of dress goods of foreign
make, and all the little knick-knacks as dear and as necessary to
our great-great-grandmothers as to the wives and sisters of the
present day. Upon the homestead of his father on the easterly
side of the street, lived Samuel Thaxter, a cordwainer, and
ancestor of Joseph B. Thaxter, who occupies the same spot ;
while a little south, and about opposite the head of Water Street,
Andrew Lane, a wheelwright, settled upon a lot of some four
acres, with John Mayo near by. A little beyond, and very near
to where Winter Street intersects Main, John Prince, a soldier of
the war, made his home. At this point also we should have seen
the tannery of the Cushings, stretching for a considerable distance
along the street, as tanneries almost always do, with the sides of
leather drying in the sun, the bits scattered here and there, the
piles of red bark, and the inevitable tan entrance and driveway ; all
making the air redolent with an odor by no means disagreeable.

Upon the lot now occupied by Dr. Robbins at the foot of Pear-tree
Hill, a few rods north of his residence, Matthew Cushing, who died
in 1660 at seventy-one years of age, the progenitor, probably, of
all the families of that name in the United States, had established
the home which remained uninterruptedly in the family until 1887 ;
and here still lived his wife, who died subsequently to the war, aged
ninety-six, his son Daniel, then and until his death town clerk, and
one of the wealthy men of the period, and Matthew a grandson,
afterwards lieutenant and captain. Not far away Matthew Cushing
senior's daughter Deborah lived with her husband, Matthias Briggs,
while on the opposite side of the street, at what is now the Keeshan
place, Daniel the younger, a weaver by trade, established a home
and reared a numerous family. The Cushings were shopkeepers
in addition to their other occupations, and probably the little end
shop built onto the dwelling on either side of the street contained
articles of sale and barter, — produce and pelts and West India
goods and ammunition. We may suppose that these small centres
of trade, together with the tannery in the immediate vicinity, gave
quite a little air of business to the neighborhood, — forming
indeed the primitive exchange of the period.

Not far from where Mr. Fearing Burr's store now is, Lieut. John
Smith, Captain Hobart's able second in rank, had a home and a
fort combined, being one of the " garrison houses " whose wise

Military History. 229

location probably saved the town from a general attack. Lieu-
tenant Smith is stated to have been in active service during the
war, and to have commanded a fort. He was a man of marked
ability, holding many positions of public trust, representing the
town in the General Court and succeeding to the command of the
foot company in 1683, after the death of Captain Hobart. He was
also one of the wealthiest of Hingham's inhabitants, leaving prop-
erty valued at upwards of £1100, a considerable sum for -the
time. Commencing at his house and thence extending south to
the present location of Pleasant Street and east to that of Spring
Street and bounded north by Leavitt, and west by Main Street,
was a large common or training-field in which, probably not far
from where is now the Public Library, was Hingham's third fort,
doubtless under the immediate charge of Lieutenant Smith ; and
which in connection with his garrison house, provided a fair
means of defence to most of the houses on the plain. Around
this field were the lots of many of the first settlers, and the homes
of their descendants formed at this time quite a village. Among
them on Main Street was that of Mattliew Hawke, afterwards
the third town clerk. From him is descended Col. Hawkes Fear-
ing, whose house is upon the same spot. Matthew, one of the first
settlers, was by occupation a schoolmaster. His granddaughter
married John Fearing, Colonel Fearing's paternal ancestor.
James Hawke, son of Matthew, also resided at Hingham centre
and probably with his father, — he too becoming town clerk in
1700, succeeding Daniel Gushing ; and was himself succeeded in
the same office by his son James, also a resident of this part of
the town, and with whom the name ceased. He left two daughters,
one becoming the mother of John Hancock. Next them was Fran-
cis James, and but a short distance further south, about where Mr.
David Hersey's house now is, was the homestead of the Ripleys,
and on or near it were located John Ripley and John junior and
his brother Joshua. Their nearest neighbor, John Bull, " Goodman
Bull," was the progenitor of many of the present inhabitants of the
town. Bull's Pond, a small bit of water opposite Grand Army
Hall, takes its name from the old settler, and marks the location of
his property. On Leavitt Street Deacon John Leavitt, tailor, and
the father of thirteen children, had the grant of a house lot. He
appears, however, to have made his home as far from the centre as
he well could, as his residence was in that part of the town known
as " over the Delaware." He was not only one of the deacons of
the church, but a trusted and leading citizen and officer, represent-
ing the town for many years in the General Court. His two sons,
Josiali the cooper and farmer, and Israel the husbandman, lived
on the same street. Nathaniel Baker, a farmer, large landowner,
and a selectman in 1676, and a soldier in the war, was conven-
iently located at the junction of Leavitt and East streets. Never-
theless we find under date of Dec. 18, 1676 the following : —

230 History of Hingham.

To the Constable of Hingham. You are hereby required in his ma-
jestys name forthwith at the sight hereof to destraine upon the goods or
- chattels of Nathaniell Baker of this Town to the value of twenty shillings
for his entertaining a Indian or Indians contrary to a Town order which
fine is to be delivered to the selectmen for the use of the Town. Hereof
you are not to fail. Benjamin Bate in the name of & by the order of
the rest of the Selectmen of Hingham.

This is a true copy of the warrant as attest Moses Collier Constable of
Hingham.

The fine imposed upon Mr. Baker was in consequence of liis
disobedience of an order passed by the town forbidding tlie em-
ployment or entertainment of an Indian by any person. It was
almost immediately followed by petitions from Baker, John Jacobs,
and others to the General Court asking that they be permitted to
retain their Indian servants, and it appears from the State Ar-
chives that the following similar request had already been granted.
It is of added interest for its illustration of the conduct of the
war and the standard of the times.

John Thaxter petitions the Hon. Gov. and Council now sitting in
Boston &c. that his son Thomas Thaxter was in service under the com-
mand of Capt. Benj" Church at Martha's Vineyard and Islands adjoining
where they made many captives and brought them to Plymouth; and
Captain Church gave ye petitioner's son an Indian boy of abt nine years
old and the selectmen having made an order that no Inhabitant shall keej^
any Indians in his family, «fec. — hence the petition — Granted Jan. 11,
1676.

From the residence of Nathaniel Baker, going east, there were
few, if any, houses until reaching the vicinity of Weir river on
East Street, then a little travelled lane. Here, however, we should
have come upon the farm of John Farrow with whom lived his
sons John and Nathan, while beyond and near if not upon the
very spot where the Misses Beale now live, was the last residence
of Sergeant Jeremiah Beale ; and near him his friend and neigh-
bor Purthee McFarlin, the Scotchman, found himself blessed with
nine bonny lassies and three sturdy laddies. Beyond, in what is
now Cohasset, then known as the Second Precinct, there were a
few settlements whose story seems properly to belong to that of
our sister town. On the farther side of the common before referred
to, Simon Burr the farmer, and his son Simon, a cooper, located on
a lane which has since become School Street ; and not far off,
Cornelius Cantleberry, John Mansfield, and his son John, and
perhaps a few others made homes for themselves. On the corner
of Union Street Captain Fames had lived, and it was in that part
of the town known then as now as " over the river," and where
Israel Whitcomb grows his beautiful asters in such profusion, that
Millicent Fames, daughter of Capt. Anthony, went to live with her
husband William Sprague, the first of a long line of descendants

Military History. 231

many of whom have become celebrated ; and here in this exciting
period was a little settlement almost by itself, of which Antony
and William Sprague, the younger, Robert Jones, then quite an
old man, his son Joseph with his family, and the Lazells, John
and his sons Joshua and Stephen, formed the greater part. From
the Lazells the street bearing their name was called, and probably
their homes were upon it. Leaving the common with its fort in
easy reach of all the surrounding houses, and following the general
direction of Main street as it now lies, we should have come at
Cold Corner to the lot allotted John Tower. Upon it he built his
house, which was admirably located for defence from Indian
attack, and commanded not only a considerable portion of the
highway, but also a long line of the river and no inconsiderable
part of the country in its vicinity. Tower was a resolute man,
who determined to take advantage of his position and defend his
home untrammelled by the behests of the town authorities. To
this end he petitioned as follows : —

To the Honored Gov. & Council convened in Boston, March 10, 1675,
John Tower Senior of Hiugham is bold to inform your Honors that he
hath at his own proper charge fortified his house & to begg your ffavor
that his four sonns & one or two persons more that he may hire at his
own cost may be allowed to him for garrisoning his house ; and may not
be called off by the Comittee of the Town for to come into any other
garrison, my sonns having deserted their own dwellings and brought their
goods into my fortification. I shall thankfully acknowledge your Honors
ffavor herein & be thereby further obliged to pray for a blessing on your
Counsels. Your humble Servant

J. Tower, Senior.

Ibrook Tower, one of his sons, probably lived near his father,
and together with John Jr., Jeremiah, and Benjamin, constituted
the "four sonns" of which his garrison was to mainly consist.
John Tower was not only a brave man, but a diplomatic one also,
and is said to have possessed no little influence with the red men.
There is a tradition that even during the war, and while lurking
in the vicinity, the Indians permitted him to get water from the
river without molestation.

Edward Wilder, Jr., ancestor of all the Hingham Wilders and
husband of Elizabeth Eames, owned at one time all the land
between Tower's and Wilder's bridges and resided between High
and Friend streets, on Main. He was a soldier in the war against
Philip. With him lived his son Jabez and in the immediate
vicinity several more of his children, including Ephraim and John.
The region about the meeting-house at South Hingham was occu-
pied largely at this time by the Jacobs, a wealthy and influential
family. Foremost among them was Capt. John Jacob, a member
of the Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company, probably one
of its officers and perhaps at one time its commander, and an able

232 History of Hingham.

and trusted officer in the war against Philip. Captain Jacob
succeeded to the command of Captain Johnson's company after
that officer's death, and directed the defences at Medfield when
that town was attacked and partially destroyed Feb. 21, 1676.
On this occasion there were with him Lieutenant Oakes and twenty
troopers, besides his own foot company of about eighty men. The
only Hingham name upon the roll at this time of which there is
reasonable certainty, besides his own, is that of Nathaniel Beal.
With Captain Wadsworth, Captain Jacob was engaged during the
winter in guarding the frontiers from Milton to the Plymouth
colony bounds, — Weymouth, Hingham, and Hull, being specially
assigned to the latter. The service was an important and arduous
one, and these towns were fortunate in having so able an officer
assigned to their protection ; it may well be that to this is to be
ascribed the small loss sustained from attack by any of them
during the two eventful years. He was among the moneyed men
of the town, his estate being appraised at X1298. He owned a saw-
mill and a fulling mill, besides much land and considerable per-
sonal property. He too was a son-in-law of Captain Eames, having
married his daughter Marjery. Their son John, a young man of
twenty-two years and who had served in the war, was perhaps the
only inhabitant of Hingham ever killed in the course of military
hostilities upon her own soil. Preceding the descent upon the
southern part of the town, to be hereafter spoken of, he was slain
near his father's house April 19, 1676. Joseph, a brother of
Captain Jacob, was also a resident of this part of the town, and
Samuel Bacon, who married Mary Jacob, and Peter Bacon were
near neighbors. At Liberty Plain, Humphrey Johnson, who had
been turned out of Scituate, set up the house which he removed
from that town, but only on condition that he should remove it
out of Hingham on short warning, as he was a troublesome man.
Later he was admonished to accept a fence line quietly. He,
however, in part atoned for his short-comings by serving his
country in the conflict then going on. His son Benjamin, a black-
smith and afterwards proprietor of Pine Tree Tavern, doubtless
resided with his father at this time. Other residents of Liberty
Plain were James Whiton, whose house was burned by the Indians,
and his son James who lived near by, and William Hiliard. On
Scotland Street a Scotchman, Robert Dunbar by name, made his
home, and from him have descended the Dunbars of the present
time. Nathaniel Chubbuck, also one of those whose houses
were destroyed on the 20th of April, lived not far away, and
probably near or upon Accord Pond.

On the 25th of February, 1675, it was ordered, on request of
Capt. John Jacob, " that his house standing in the pass between
this colony and Plymouth be forthwith garrisoned, and such as
are his nearest neighbors are to joyne therein." This was the
last of the defences of the town of which we have any knowledge,

Militanj History. 233

although it is more than probable that there were other garrison
houses in the small hamlets, like that " over the idver " or the
one in the vicinity of Weir River. The " pass " where Captain
Jacob's gari'ison house was situated is somewhat uncertain. It
may have meant simply the street leading toward Plymouth
Colony, or possibly the Indian trail near Accord Pond was so
denominated.

This, then, was the Hingham of 1675, and these, with perhaps a
few more whose names the kindly and gentle hand of time has
shadowed into the great oblivion, were the heads of families in this
olden time, — a little town consisting of perhaps one hundred and
twenty homes, divided among several small villages and a few nearly
isolated settlements ; a half-dozen or so streets, of which Town, or
North, Fort Hill Street, South, Bachelor's Row, a part of Lea\itt,
what is now School, and the part of Main from Bachelor's Row
proper to the extreme southern boundary, were the principal.
These streets, however, were mere grassy lanes, almost unimproved,
whose deep-cut ruts were strangers to any other vehicles than the
heavy, lumbering teams which served as farm wagons two centuries
ago. Here and there it is probable that necessity or the public
spirit of an individual, or perhaps the combination of several, had
resulted in trifling attempts at road making, and in some of the
swampy sections bits of corduroy were constructed. One such, at
least, was upon the low approaches to the brook at Broad Bridge,
and some of its remains were found several years since, and even
yet lie in the bottom of its bed. Road surveyors and superintend-
ents and working out of taxes, and even taxes themselves, were for
the most part blessings of a later period. There were no sidewalks
either, and along the little side paths leading from house to house
and farm to farm, the blue violet blossomed in the early days of
May as now, and the white violet scented the air with its delicate
fragrance, while the wild rose and the golden rod in their season
made the ways bright with their beauty. The chipmunk, his
cheeks filled with the yellow Indian maize stolen from the adjoin-
ing field, sat saucily upon the fresh-cut stump and chipped at the
passer, while the golden-winged woodpecker tapped for insects in
the tree overhead, the kingfisher flashed his steel-blue breast across
the waters of the bay and uttered his shrill cry, and the robin
and the cat-bird danced along with their familiar friendliness be-
fore the settlers' feet. On either hand, and nestling near together
for mutual protection, were the low log or hewn-board thatch-
roofed homes of the people, in most of which glazed windows
were unknown, the light entering through oiled-paper panes and
the opened door. Heavy board shutters added something to the
warmth and much to the safety of the interior after dark. The
rooms were few in number, unplastered and not always sheathed
inside, while a single chimney, with a great open fireplace and a
crane, served as oven and furnace alike. Here and there, how-

234 History of Hingham.

ever, more pretentious, and in one or two cases perhaps, even
stately edifices had been erected. Some of these had a second
story, overhanging slightly the first, and this added greatly to the
power of resisting an attack. A few had glass windows, and here
and there a little shop protruded from one end. Besides these
the three forts, the garrison houses, and the meeting-house gave
a certain divei'sity and rough picturesqueness to the landscape.
Fine tracts of wood covered a large part of the territory, but nu-
merous planting fields had been granted from time to time, and
the axe of the settler during forty years had made no inconsider-
able mark, and the clearings had been industriously cultivated
from Otis, or Weary-all-Hill, to World's End. The soil was new
and fairly good, and prosperity had lightened the lot of not a few,
so that while certainly far from rich as wealth is measured in
these days, the appraisal of some estates indicates the accumula-
tion of the means of considerable comfort and influence. The
people were for the most part sturdy, industrious, English farmers
with a fair proportion of carpenters, blacksmiths, and coopers,
more, probably, than the necessary number of inn-keepers with
their free sale of strong-water and malt, a few mariners, several
mill owners and millers, two or three brewers, not a larger number
of shop-keepers, a tailor, a tanner perhaps, one or two " gentle-
men," a schoolmaster, and last, and on many accounts most im-
portant of all, the parson. As already said, the inhabitants were
for the most part English, but a large proportion of the younger
generation was native born, and there was also a small sprinkling
of Scotch. In addition there remained a few Indians, whose wig-
wams were pitched outside the settlement, besides a small number
employed as servants in the houses of several of the whites ; and
in the same capacity a negro might here and there have been
found. From a people mainly composed at first of the British
middle-class, impelled to emigrate and settle rather from an am-
bition to improve their worldly lot than from any deep-seated dis-
satisfaction, either with the government or institutions of home,
or even from especially intense religious aspirations, there had
developed a sober, industrious, earnest, self-sustaining community,
whose energy was already laying the foundations for the com-
merce with the West Indies which afterwards became extensive,
and for the varied manufactures wliich for so many years gave
employment to our people. A few small shallops too were
owned here, and some of the inhabitants. had an interest in one or
two vessels of larger size ; but fishing, which subsequently became
a great industry, had scarcely begun at this period. The real
business of the settlement as yet was farming. The families of
the day were not small, and year by year added to their propor-
tions ; Rev. Peter Hobart himself was father to no less than
eighteen children while others were hardly less numerous. Men
and women alike were commonly dressed in homespun, and un-

Military History. 235

doubtedly the style of their garments was that so often seen in the
pictures of the period. Can we not, for the moment, people our
streets with them once more ? — the men in their tall-crowned,
broad-brimmed hats, the short coat close-belted, with broad buckle
in front, the knee breeches, long stockings and buckled shoes
varied by the better protection of long boots worn by others,
especially in winter, and in this latter season the long cape
hanging gracefully from the shoulders ; the women in their be-
coming hoods, faced it may be with fur, the straight, rather short
skirts, and the long enveloping cloaks, with gloves or mittens in
cold weather.

The costumes were picturesque if the materials were not of
the finest, but we have no reason to suppose an utter absence of
more elegant fabrics when occasion demanded, and not a few are
the traditions of silks which would stand alone, carefully treas-
ured as their chief pride by our great-great-grandmothers, while
doubtless velvet coats and knee-breeches, with famous paste or
silver buckles, and perhaps even a bit of gold lace, about this
time forbidden by the General Court to all but certain excepted
classes, found proud and dignified wearers on days of importance
among the town fathers and military commanders. We read,
too, of the bequest of swords in some of the wills of the period,
and it is not unlikely that they were at least occasionally worn
by the grandees of the town, as well as by the trainband officers,
on ceremonious occasions. Nor must it be forgotten that from
necessity, as well as by mandate of law, the musket had become
so constant a companion that, though strictly not an article of
dress, it may at least be considered as a part of the costume of the
men ; it was upon their shoulders in the street, it rested against
the nearest tree when the farmer toiled, it went with him to
meeting on the Sabbath, and leaned, ready loaded, in the corner
at the house when he was at home.

The heavy cloud which had so long threatened Plymouth, and
which finally burst upon Swansea in June, was extending over
Massachusetts also. The border towns were immediately upon
the defensive. Hingham, with her boundary upon that of the
Plymouth Colony, and peculiarly bound to it by neighborhood,
by frequent marriages between her families and those of the
Pilgrim settlements, and by the removal of some of their people
to live among hers, may well have benefited by the kindly influ-
ences of the sister colony, and imbibed a liberalism and imagi-
nation not common among the Puritans. At all events, no
persecution for conscience' sake mars the records of the old town,
which a little later loyally followed for more than half a century
the teachings of Dr. Gay, with his broad and embracing Chris-
tianity, Now, with sympathy for her friends and apprehension
for herself, the town quietly, soberly, grimly prepared for the
contest, and awaited the call for duty.

236 History of Hingham.

Under Captain Hobart's direction the three forts were erected,
the garrison houses provisioned, and the careful watch and strict
discipline maintained. The summer slipped away, the people
pursuing their usual vocations. The drum-beat at sunrise
relieved the weary sentinel, called to life the sleeping town, and
put in motion the industries of the field, the shop, and the home.
And while the men labored at their various vocations, the women
were equally industrious ; for not only were the children and the
homes and the dairies to be cared for, but the very clothes must
be woven and made in the kitchen of every house. Probably the
mill, the inns, and the malt-houses were favorite places of
gathering for the men during their leisure moments, while Mrs.
Hobart's shop formed the ladies' exchange of the period, and
many a confidence and bit of gossip were here whispered, only
to reach the goodman's ears a few hours later.

On the Sabbath-day all attended meeting, and after the ser-
vices— -probably several hours long — lingered around the porch
to exchange greetings and make inquiries about friends and
relations too scattered to visit during the week.

An occasional sail whitened the placid bosom of the little cir-
cular harbor, whose outlet was nearly hidden by the three islands
with their dark cedar foliage. Grand old trees here mirrored
themselves, and again in the waters of the inner bay and the
beautiful pond, which belonged to Plymouth and Massachusetts
alike, while fields of maize ripened and yellowed on the hillsides.

The sharp stroke of the axe, the occasional report of a musket,
the voice of the plowman talking to his cattle, the grinding of
the mill wheels, the music of the anvil, the merry splash of the
bounding stream, the whir of the partridge, the not distant howl
of the wolf, the stamp of the startled deer, the crackling of dry
boughs beneath the foot of an Indian, whose swarthy form flitted
silently and ominously along the trail to the sister colony, —
these were the every-day sights and sounds of the summer
of 1675.

The weeks following the attack on Swansea had seen the up-
rising of tribe after tribe, allies of Philip, the destruction of town
after town in various parts of the colony, and the ambuscade and
defeat of various bodies of troops under brave and able officers.
United action on the part of Plymouth, Massachusetts, and Con-
necticut became necessary. Governor Winslow was appointed
commander-in-chief, and additional companies were raised by the
three colonies. Among these was one commanded by Captain
Johnson, of Roxbury, already a distinguished officer, who had
led a company of Praying Indians in the. earlier days of the con-
flict. He was known as the brave Captain Johnson, and in his
command it was the good fortune of a part of the men from
our town to serve. The following quaint report marks Hing-
ham's entry into the struggle, and indicates also the names of
those who served her in the field : —

Military History. 22>1

To THE HON°^° COUNSELL NoW SITTING IN BoSTON :

In persuance of an order from the Hon. Major Thomas Clarke bearing
date of the 29 of y'' 9 m 1675, we have accordingly by the constables
given notice to our souldiers impressed for the countrys service to appear
as expressed in the sayd order and find those that appear completely fur-
nished for the service. Others we are informed [are] to be at Boston
making provision for the sayd service. So as we [be able] they will be
completely furnished according to sayd order.

The names of these souldiers are as follows, Benj° Bates, John Jacob,
John Langlee, Edward Wilder, Thomas Thaxter, Ebenezer Lane, Sam-
merwell Lincoln Jun'', Ephraim Lane, John Lazell, John Bull, William
AVoodcock, William Hersey JunS Francis Gardner, Nathaniel Beal Jun%
Nathaniel Nicols, Humphrey Johnson.

Joshua Hobart, Captain.

John Smith, Sergt.
HiNGHAM, Dec. 1, 1675.

Upon inquiry 4 of the above souldiers are found to want coats which
we hope will be taken at Boston to supply. J. H.

William Woodcock was missing when the time came to march,
but he subsequently appeared and served.

In addition to the above, the New England Historical and
Genealogical Register gives the names of the following as in
service from Hingham : Henry Chamberlin, William Chamberlin^
Joseph Benson, Christ. Wheaton, Isaac Prince, Isaac Cole, Sam-
uel Nicholson, John Dunbarr, Paul Gilford, Richard Francis, John
Chamberlin, and Dr. John Cutler. Dr. Cutler, known as " the
Dutchman," was one of the surgeons attached to the Massachu-
setts regiment under Major Appleton at the great battle with the
Narragansetts. In his professional capacity, the care of John
Langlee and John Faxton, wounded fellow-townsmen, fell doubt-
less to him. A note also says that Josiah the Sagamore went to
fight against the Mohawks. A report of Capt. John Holbrooke,,
of Weymouth, shows that he had upon his rolls six men and four
horses, and two men from Hingham, but that among the " de-
fects " were Jno. Feres and Arthur Sherman from our town.
From the town records we get the names of many individuals
paid for arms and coats lost in the war. Among them are Samuel
Stodder, a sergeant, James Whiton, Andrew Lane, Ephraim Wil-
der, and Simon Brown. By the same authority we learn that
Nathaniel Baker helped fill the town's quota. The following
petition from the State archives adds two soldiers to our list : —

To the much hon^ Governeur and the rest of y^ Hon''' Magestrates now
sitting in Councill, the petition of James Bate of Hingham, Humbly
sheweth, that whereas your petitioner having now for the space of more
than two months had two sons prest into the service against the Indians
whereby many inconveniencyes and great Damages have been sustained
By us for want of rpy Eldest Son who hath house and land and cattle of
his own adjoining to mine being a mile from the Town and therefore
nobody to look after them in his absence, and whereas there are many in

238 History of Hingham. '

our Town that have many sons that were never yet in this Service who
have also declared their willingness to take their Turns and seing God
hath been pleased hitherto to spare their Lives, If he should now take
them away before I doe again see them (upon several considerations) I
know not how I should beare it. My humble request therefore to your
Honours is that you would be pleased to consider our Condition and
grant them a Release from their Long service. So shall you as he is in
duty bound for your Honours prosperity pray and remain yours to serve
in what he is able.

James Bate.

These sons Avere probably Joseph and Benjamin. Besides
these, Gushing tells us in his diary that on October 28, 1675, his
son Theophilus was pressed for a soldier, and marched to Men-
don, and that on December 11 he returned home.

In 1725 seven townships were granted to the officers and soldiers
living, and the heirs of those deceased, wdio were in the war of
1675 ; one of these townships was Bedford, and among the grantees
were a number from Hingham. Besides including part of the
names already given as in the service during this eventful period,
we find those of Joseph Thorn and Samuel Gill, then still living.
Cornelius Cantlebury's heirs, John Arnold's heirs, and Israel
Vickery for his father. In this connection it may be interesting
to add that on June 6, 1733, a meeting of the proprietors of
Bedford was held on Boston Common, and that Col. Samuel
Thaxter presided, and that subsequently he, with others, was
appointed on a committee to lay out the toAvn. Including Capt.
John Jacob, we are thus enabled to furnish the names of some
forty-five men who served from Hingham in the war against the
great Indian warrior. Besides these there were the six or eight
in Captain Holbrooke's company, and doubtless A^ery many others
whose names the imperfect lists have failed to preserve to us.
Indeed, if the tradition that Captain Hobart commanded a
company in active service is well founded, the probability is
very strong that it Avas largely, if not entirely, composed of
Hingham men.

The day after the draft for Captain Johnson's company was
observed as a " solemn day of prayer and humiliation, to suppli-
cate the Lord's pardoning mercy and compassion towards his
poor people, and for success in the endeavors for repelling the
rage of the enemy."

On the 20th of December, after a night spent in the open air
without covering, and a toilsome march through deep snow,
the combined troops of Massachusetts, Plymouth, and Connecti-
cut arrived before the great fort of the Narragansetts, near Po-
casset, in Rhode Island. At about one o'clock the little army
moved to the attack, the advance led by Captain Johnson, who
was killed at the first fire, as was Captain Davenport, who fol-
lowed him. Before gaining the final victory, six captains were

Military History. 239

lost, and over one hundred and ninety of the English were killed
or wounded, of whom over one hundred belonged to Massachu-
setts, out of a total of about five hundred and forty.

In the " great Narragansett fight " the men of Hingham, under
their unfortunate captain, led the way. We must regret having
but little record of their individual experiences. We know, how-
ever, that the retreat from the Narragansett country was one
series of hardship and suffering, and that besides the death of
many of the wounded on the way, that the unharmed nearly per-
ished from exposure and hunger ; so that when General Winslow
reached his headquarters four hundred of his little army, besides
the wounded, were unfit for duty. On the 24th of February,
Weymouth was attacked and seven houses destroyed, and by
March the Indians had become so aggressive that Massachusetts
ordered garrisons to be established in each town, and a select
number of minute-meii were to spread the alarm upon the first
approach of the savages.

That the three forts, and perhaps all of the garrison houses
were occupied permanently at this time there can be little doubt.
Lieutenant Smith, as has been said, is known to have commanded
a fort, — more than probably that near his residence upon the
Lower Plain ; while Captain Hobart, though exercising general
supervision of all the defences, took immediate personal charge
of the one in the cemetery, directing, we may presume, the gar-
rison of the fortification at Fort Hill to obey the orders of Ensign
John Thaxter, then the third officer of the company.

The Town Records have the following : —

" At a meeting of the freemen of Hingham on the 18th day of October,
1675, on complaint made against Joseph the Indian and his family, who
were in the town contrary to the views of most of the inhabitants, and on
susjDicion that he will run away to the enemy to our prejudice, therefore
the freemen at the said Town meeting passed a clear vote that the con-
stable forthwith seize the said Indian and his family, and carry them up
to Boston to be disposed of by the Governor and Council as they shall
see cause."

October 13, 1675, Hingham was ordered to pay £30 toward
carrying on the war. Besides this tax, the selectmen's records
show many allowances for arms lost, for money allowed the
soldiers, and sums voted for transporting them to Boston, and
various other military purposes, including an allowance for " lick-
ars " for the committee having some duty connected with the war.

In February, 1676, the selectmen forbade, under a penalty of
twenty shillings for each offence, any person from harboring or
entertaining any Indian within the limits of the town.

Early in February the little army of Massachusetts returned to
Boston, and the men were dismissed to their homes. But the
vigorous prosecution of the campaign by Philip in the very first

240 History of Hingham.

days of spring, his successful attack on one place after another,
together with the destruction of Captain Pierce, of Scituate, and
nearly all his command, while in pursuit of a body of Indians
near Seekonk, the burning of Marlborough, and the murders at
Long Meadow, all on March 26th, imperatively called for the
speedy reassemblage of the troops, and for vigorous measures by
the three colonies. It would not be easy to overestimate the
anxiety and alarm at this time. Various plans were proposed,
and among them was that of building a continuous stockade from
Charles River to the Merrimac. This was only negatived because
of its magnitude. In the various towns the forts and garrison
houses were constantly occupied, and the utmost precaution taken
against surprise. May we venture, for the sake of the better
understanding of the time, to attempt one more sketch, outlined
by the recorded facts and the bits of tradition, but shaded and
filled in rather by the assistance of our general knowledge of the
people, the times, and the situation, than by any particulars of
the especial day ?

It is the 16th of April, and the Sabbath-day ; a bright, crisp
morning, but the sun is already softening the surface of the quiet
pools thinly skimmed, perhaps for the last time in the earlier
hours ; the frost coming out of the ground makes moist the
paths ; the brook at the foot of the meeting-house hill is dancing
with its swollen flood and sparkling in the sunlight, while over
and along it the pussy-willows are already nodding, and the red
maple's blossoms go sailing and tossing in the pools and eddies.
A little further up the stream the ever-graceful elms are begin-
ning to look fresh and feathery in their swelling and opening
buds, while on the slopes rising up from the valley the blossoms
of the wild cherry and the dogwood gleam white among the dark
trunks and branches of the oaks and the sombre shadows of the
evergreens. In the warm nooks the blue, and in the swampier
meadow the white violet breathes out the same faint sweetness
which in the same spots, two hundred years later, will delight the
school-children of another age, while above them the red berries
of the alder and the seed-vessels of last year's wild roses give
brightness and color to the shrubbery not yet awakened to its
new life ; the bluebird, the song sparrow, and the robin twitter
in the branches, while a great black crow lazily flaps his way
across to the horizon ; possibly here and there, in some shaded
and protected places, the melting remnants of a late snow linger
yet, but in the clearings elsewhere the young grass has already
veiled the earth in fresh green. The furrows of the planting
fields show that the farmer has already commenced his prepara-
tion for the spring sowing, but some of the more distant lots tell
of the universal apprehension, for last autumn's stubble in them
still stands unmolested. The quiet of the Puritan Sabbath has
no fears for his highness the barnyard cock, whose clarion and

Military History. 241

cheery notes are heard far and near, while faint columns and
blue wreaths of smoke rising here and there each mark the home
of a settler. Hours since, with the rising sun, Steven Lincoln
has beaten the drum, and the tired and half-frozen sentry has
been relieved and replaced by the " warde for the Lord's day ; "
the quaint, palisaded log building, with its belfry, which had
served so long as a house of worship, of a meeting place for pub-
lic conference, of refuge in alarm, of storage for ammunition, of
defence from danger, and which is getting old and must soon be
deserted, still stands overlooking the village, its doors wide open
for the nine o'clock service, and the clanging of its little bell
bidding the living to " remember the Sabbath day to keep it
holy," while to them under the little green mounds on the slope
between the two roads it tolls a requiem. Goodman Pitts, the
venerable sexton, still restrains with his watchful eye the small
boy and awes him into a temporary quiet, while the people move
decorously into their allotted places, the men and the women
each into their own parts of the house. See them as they come
picking out the best and dryest places between the deep ruts and
along the paths, now two or three abreast, and now in single
file, stretching along the ways leading to the meeting-house.
How sturdy the men look, with their belted coats and broad-
brimmed hats, and the inevitable musket, which each places
against the building or some neighboring tree before entering !
How cheery the goodwives seem, even in the midst of the gen-
eral anxiety, as they greet each other and pause for a word of
inquiry about the children — by no means few in number — who
are trailing along after ; and how sweet the Puritan maidens seem
to us as they glance shyly at the great rough lads, whom danger
and responsibility have so quickly transformed into manly young
soldiers. Here from the Plain comes John Bull, and his young
wife, Goodman Pitts's daughter, bringing perhaps a message
and report to Captain Hobart from Lieutenant Smith, whose
watchful care for the fort keeps him away to-day. Indeed, many
a one is forced by the threatening peril to an unusual absence,
and the attendance will be strangely small. Still, most of the
people from the lower part of the town are on their way, though
with anxious hearts, and many a thought will wander from the
long sermon of the day to the little home, and every sound from
without will strain again the already weary ears. There, crossing
the bridge by the corduroy road, is John Langlee, leading his little
daughter Sarah, and talking by the way to young Peter Barnes ;
while close behind come Sergeant Thomas Andrews, with his wife
and six children ; and a few rods further back we see Mr. Samuel
Lincoln and Mrs. Lincoln, with their straight young son Samuel,
whose title of cornet is well deserved, and who is not only the
pride of his parents, but one of the heroes of the town for his
gallant part in the great Narragansett fight ; there, too, are his

VOL. I. — 16

242 History of Hingham.

brothers, and two or three of his little sisters, following as sol-
emnly as youth and a bright day will permit. Just stepping out
of his door is Benjamin Lincoln, whose wife, Sarah, with her
little son John and six-years-old Margaret, are stopping to greet
their uncles, John and Israel Fearing, who live next door.
Rounding the corner of Bachelor's Row, with a brisk stride and
erect carriage, we see Ensign John Thaxter, who has come down
from the fort on Fort Hill, where all seems tranquil, leaving Ser-
geant Daniel Lincoln in charge while he attends meeting and
holds a council of war with Captain Hobart. On liis way we
presume he stopped at the garrison house at Austin's Lane to
speak a word of warning and make a kindly inquiry for Mrs.
Bate and the four-days-old girl ; and only a moment ago we saw
a sterner look as he sharply inquired of the luckless inmate of
the stocks what folly had made him a victim on this Sabbath
morning. Near a large tree upon the hill, and against whose
broad trunk rest half a dozen muskets, quietly awaiting Ensign
Thaxter, stands one of Hingham's two foremost citizens, the late
speaker of the House of Deputies and captain of the town forces.
Captain Hobart is sixty-two years of age, and among the darker
locks the gray hairs are thickly scattered, yet in his well-knit
figure there is little sign of age ; a strong, able, brave, wise man,
loaded with all the honors in the gift of his townsmen, faithful
for many years in their service, he is crowning his work by a care
and watchfulness which will save those whose confidence is so
well reposed in him from the horrors which have devastated so
many sister communities. Even now he might have been seen
coming along the path among the trees that runs between the
meeting-house and the central fort, the garrison of which latter
he has in part relieved for the services of the day.

As the soldier in long boots, short-belted coat and sword, with
his alert military air waits, we note the similarity and yet the,
dissimilarity between him and the slightly bent and older figure
which in long cloak and buckled shoes is rather slowly mounting
the hill, though declining the proffered arm of Ensign Thaxter.
It is Parson Hobart himself, ten years the senior of his distin-
guished brother, and in disposition scarcely less a soldier. His
long ministry is drawing near its close, but there is little diminu-
tion in the sparkle of his eye or the vigor of his manner. We
can almost see the grave salute with which the Captain greets
the Elder, and the equal gravity with which it is returned ; we
seem to hear the brief inquiry and reply, after which the one
passes into the presence of his assembling congregation, while
the other remains for a short interview with his subordinate.

Within the house are the Hobarts, brothers and nephews of
the old parson, the Beals, Dr. Cutler, Joseph Church, Daniel and
Samuel Stodder, with numerous members of their large families,
Joseph Joy, Samuel Thaxter, and many others. Even now we

Military History. 243

€an almost feel the uneasy restlessness which pervades the wor-
shippers. Many of the friends, usually so regular in their attend-
ance, are away in the forts and garrison houses, and all through
the sermon, probably several hours long, the thoughts of the
listeners wander, and the strained ears catch with apprehension
every unusual noise from without. We imagine, too, that when
at last Captain Hobart and Ensign Thaxter enter to join in the
service, neither will take their accustomed seats, but more likely
will remain near the door, and where perhaps the keen eye of
the commander can keep within view the muskets without, and oc-
casionally catch a glimpse of the " warde," moving from one point
of vantage to another. Meanwhile the latter, not perhaps sorry
to be in the open air this April morning, keeps eye and ear alert
for sign or sound of the wily foe. From the summit almost the
•whole of the lower village can be seen. Across the glassy waters
of the inner bay, which, stretching away from his very feet, are
broken into several shady coves and dotted with islands, he is
following with ill-pleased attention a canoe paddled by an Indian,
who a moment later may be seen climbing the cliffs on the eastern
.shore and losing himself in the forest paths which lead toward
Neck Gate Hill, from behind which a faint blue smoke rises and
fades slowly away. There on the southeastern slope, and nearly
at the foot of the hill, are the wigwams of the little-trusted
countrymen of Philip who yet remain in the vicinity. This spot,
by tradition said to have been the last camping-place of the
Indian in Hingham, is comprehended in the property now owned
by Mr. T. T. Bouve, and called, from the fact and the configura-
tion of the land, " Indian Hollow." The smooth lawn of the
present day shows no sign, but the plow would reveal a long and
broad line of disintegrating clam-shells, doubtless a shell-heap
of the former inhabitants, and several implements have been
picked up in the immediate vicinity which were formerly in
use by them. However, beyond a mental growl of dissatisfac-
tion at what he termed the folly of allowing the encampment
to remain, our sentry of 1676 could do nothing ; so, turning
towards the blue waters of the harbor, his eye falls upon the
ship-yard of William Pitts, the first one established in Hingham.
He watches, too, for a few moments the white sails of a West
Indiaman as she passes between Nantasket and George's Island
.and thence towards Boston. Then he walks slowly over to the
new fort, and carefully scans the country in every direction as
far as the eye can reach and the forests permit. And so the
long hours pass away until the close of the service brings the
uneasy officers out of the meeting, first of all for a conference
with the watch, who, however, has little to report. And now
the worshippers are wending their way homeward, singly and in
groups, some discussing the weather, and others, it is probable,
commenting, like their descendants of later generations, upon

244 History of Hingham.

the sermon which they have just heard, while we may be sure all
are thankful to return once more to undespoiled homes. Others^
who come from a great distance, meet together and eat the frugal
luncheon between the morning and afternoon service, while a
few, husband and wife, mount pillion fashion the horses which
have been awaiting the close of the services under the trees, and
ride to their homes.

As the rich glow of the setting sun crimsons the glassy harbor
and turns to gold the fleecy clouds of April, while the shadows
creep up from the valleys, the tap-tap and rattle and roll of
Steven Lincoln's drum sings the vespers of the Puritans, and
the Sabbath is over. Then comes the new watch, who being
properly instructed and posted begins his hours of vigil. The
garrisons are carefully looked to ; the orders for the night issued.
The poor victim of the stocks, if not before released, is now given
liberty. The restraints upon the children are relaxed, and during
the brief period of twilight secular pursuits are resumed ; the
cattle are seen to, the wood brought in, and the wide old-fashioned
fireplaces blaze and crackle with the long sticks, while above the
kettle hisses and sings and its cover rises and falls and rattles.
Here and there the tallow dip assists in its poor faint way " the
busy housewife ply her evening care," and then an hour later, the
low thatched-roof cottages are wrapped in darkness, and the stars
shine out upon the town at rest. Only the half-chilled, weary
soldier on guard watches for the beacon, or listens for the signal
guns which shall call the men of Hingham to the aid of Nan-
tasket or Scituate or Weymouth, or awaken them to the defence
of their own wives and children and homes.

What a dreary duty it is, too, this waiting and fearing for the
dreaded warwhoop of the Indian in the still and lonesome hours
of the night. How the eye grows strained peering into the dark-
ness and the ear weary listening, and with what a nervous start
each new sound, each before unnoticed shadow is noted by the
young sentry moving among the aisles of the great trees on the
height overlooking the village ! What a relief, though all too
brief, is the visit of Captain Hobart, whose vigilance causes many
a restless and wakeful hour in these trying days ; and how doubly
appalling seems the solitude as the sound of the Captain's re-
treating steps die away in the distance, leaving the long hours until
dawn to be counted away alone, before whose coming the sentry's
breath shall more than once stop, while he hears the beating of
his own heart, at the imagined creeping form of an Indian.

The defences of Hingham and the preparation for the protection
of her inhabitants have already been described. Even in the
absence of other evidence, the comparative immunity of the settle-
ment from serious loss and the total failure on the part of the
Indians, almost constantly lurking in the vicinity, to effect any-
thing like a general surprise, would in themselves be strong

Military History. 245

indications of the ability and watchfulness of those responsible
for the safety of the town. The incidents attending the several
attempts upon it, and the intelligent location of the forts and
garrison houses, with their garrisons at this time made permanent,
the mutual support which they afforded each other, and the fact
that scarcely a house from Fort Hill to Broad Bridge, and thence
to South Hingham, was beyond the range of fire of one or more of
them, added to the vigilance which anticipated and forestalled
panic when the hour of peril and trial at last came, furnish indu-
bitable proof of the military instinct, knowledge, foresight, and
faithfulness of Joshua Hobart, John Smith, and John Thaxter.
Beyond question it is to this due that the two known attempts
against the town met with comparative failure ; of others, con-
templated but abandoned, owing to the thorough dispositions for
meeting them, we of course know little.

In this connection we recall the old tradition that Philip himself
was at one time concealed within our borders and awaiting per-
haps a favorable opportunity to make a descent. As the story
runs, he lay somewhere in the region known as the swamp, which
in those days extended with scarcely a break from Broad Bridge
to near the Weymouth line, and included the location of Round
Pond and the district known as Bear Swamp. The sagacious
chief probably concluded that the chance of success was too small
and the risk of severe loss too great to justify a movement against
the lower part of the town, and therefore prudently withdrew.
No amount of caution, however, could insure individual life or the
safety of isolated farms against the silence and celerity of the
Indian war parties. One of these, having perhaps eluded Captain
Jacob, whose small force could hardly hope to cover the long
frontier assigned to its care, was moderately successful at South
Hingham in bringing the terror and horrors of the war home to
our own firesides.

On Wednesday, the 19th of April, young John Jacob, who, as it
will be recalled, had served against Philip the previous autumn,
and had seen his brave captain fall before the fort of the Narra-
gansetts, took his gun and went out to shoot the deer that had
been trespassing upon a field of buckwheat near his father's house
and not far from the site of the present Great Plain Meeting-house.
He was a famous hunter and of a fighting stock, and he had been
heard to declare that he would never be taken alive by the Indians.
Little did he dream that spring morning that his would be the
only blood ever shed by a public enemy upon the soil of his native
town.

The simple and brief accounts, with a little assistance perhaps
of the imagination, bring like a living panorama before us the
events, the homes, and the actors of that and the following day
in the far away time when our prosaic town was making a part of
the history which has become one of the romantic chapters of New

246 History of Hingham.

England's story. On this 19th of April, then, of the year 1676, and
shortly after the disappearance of Jacob, the sound of a musket
breaking the stillness and echoing against the great solitary rock
that stands like a mighty monument in the field not far from the
travelled way, momentarily attracts the attention of the neighbors
whose habits of industry have overcome the general prudence, and
who had been enticed to a little early planting on the home lot.
Beyond the fleeting thouglit of their friend's success in his efforts
to chastise the mischievous destroyers of the winter wheat, the
incident attracts no attention, and soon passes from the minds of
the workers. With the lapse of considerable time, however, and
the continued absence of the hunter, there arises a feeling of
strained uneasiness ; finally a search is made, and there beside his
gun, which has been battered to pieces, the young soldier lies
dead. The terrifying truth flashes across the searchers as they
tenderly and hastily bear their neighbor to his father's home.
The Indians are in Hingham and have been lying concealed during
the night near the wheat-field, and almost close to the homes of
the settlers ! And now in an instant and from every side, out of
the calm and quiet of the village street there starts the life, the
uncontrolled excitement, the panic and terror of the community,,
above and about whom the threatening horror of the tomahawk
and scalping-knife already seems to gleam, and before whose
fevered imagination come all too readily pictures of cruelty and
torture. The blanched faces of men and women alike, the cling-
ing fear of the children, the hurrying to the nearest garrison
houses of those not already therein, the exaggerated stories and
rumors, the cry " The Indians ! the Indians ! " rising above all other
sounds, repeated again and again, carrying consternation from
the Great Plain to the harbor, and falling upon the startled ear of
the farmer in the field and the wife in the kitchen, — how the
sights and the sounds of that day thrill us through these passed
centuries !

And soon we hear the sharp clanging of the little bell on the
meeting-house, the beat and roll and rattle of the drum, the sharp
reports of the three alarm muskets, and into the forts, the pali-
saded church, and the garrison houses come the streaming, hurry-
ing throng. We fancy we can see brave Joshua Hobart making,
calmly and sternly, his dispositions for defence, and even person-
ally visiting and instructing each sentry and urging to unceasing
vigilance ; or brilliant John Thaxter ably seconding his chief, and
inspiring with confidence the garrisons at Austin's Lane and Fort
Hill ; or John Smith cheering the people as they flock into the
protecting works on the common field. And there come be-
fore us, too, sturdy John Tower and his sons and " one or two
more persons," as his petition reads, holding his little fort and
covering a long section of the river and the homes of his neigh-
bors with his muskets, while he checks the panic with his plain,

Military History. 247

strong words. Nor is it possible to overlook the figure in the
long cloak, moving more slowly, it is true, than when speaking his
mind to the magistrates, but still with considerable vigor and the
natural grace of a man of superior mind and strong will ; every-
one recognizes immediately the venerable minister, and many a
word of hope and many an admonition to duty he speaks as he
passes among his people exerting his quieting influence upon them.
With our knowledge of his younger days, we cannot help thinking
that he had moments of impatience in the reflection that his age
and calling prevented a more active participation in the move-
ments against the enemy ; nor would it surprise us to learn that
Parson Hobart more than once thought, and even said, that if he
were Captain Hobart the military operations would be conducted
with more reference to an offensive policy. Be that as it may,
the latter's dispositions saved the town and the lives of those
whose safety was committed to his care.

Succeeding the first alarm there followed many weary hours
of anxiety and waiting. The day, with its exciting rumors and
exaggerated stories, wore away, and a night of watchfulness,
with a terror hanging over the people huddled together in their
strange quarters difficult to picture, seemed interminable. Nor
was the dawn much more reassuring, for soon the smoke from the
burning homes of Joseph Jones and Anthony Sprague " over the
river," and of Israel Hobart, Nathaniel Chubbuck, and James
Whiton rose into view from widely separated points on the south-
ern horizon, and added fresh consternation to the anxious
watchers. These fires, however, were the last acts of the Indians,
who abandoned the attack. The second visit was just one month
later, being the 20th of May. It was even more fruitless, and the
savages soon passed into Scituate, which they largely destroyed.

Oct. 12, 1676, the General Court ordered " That Hingham be
allowed and abated out of their last tax rates towards their losses
by the enemy the sum of ten pounds."

The soldiers from Hingham appear to have been engaged in
some of the most arduous service of the war, for besides leading
the van in the great Narragansett fight, as already stated, we find
them serving under the immediate command of their old towns-
man, the brave Captain Church, on Martha's Vineyard and the
adjacent islands ; and it need not be said that service under that
officer was of the most active kind.

August the 12th Philip was killed at Mt. Hope and the war
closed, but the military preparations of the colony rather in-
creased than otherwise, and the towns as a necessary conse-
quence participated in the general activity. In 1679 a petition
for leave to form a small troop of horse in Hingham, Weymouth,
and Hull, signed by Captain Hobart and others, was granted, and
in June of the following year Ensign John Thaxter, whom «v^e
have already seen as one of Captain Hobart's company officers,

248 History of Hingham.

and who earlier, in 1664, had served with such distinction in the
expedition against the Dutch in New York as to be " preferred
for," as the phrase runs, under orders of Cromwell, was commis-
sioned to its command, with Samuel White, probably of Wey-
mouth, as lieutenant, and Matthew Gushing as cornet," so as the
said Matthew Gushing take the oath of freedom," which he
appears to have done. The same year Jacob Nash was appointed
quartermaster, and the new troop together with the rest of the
military in the town was attached to a new regiment under
Maj. Wm. Stoughton.

Sergt. Jeremiah Beale was appointed ensign of the foot com-
pany May 11, 1681, which remained under command of Gaptain
Hobart until his death in 1682, when the periodical trouble which
this company seems to have given the government whenever new
officers were to be chosen again called forth a sharp reproof, with
a reminder that an acknowledgment of error was expected. This
time the difficulty was over the desire of a part of the command
that Thomas Andrews be commissioned ensign instead of James
Hawke. The magistrates, however, disapproved of both, and
appointed Lieutenant Smith to be captain. Ensign Beale as
lieutenant, and Thomas Lincoln to be ensign.

A reminder of " The late Indian Warr," as the old State
paper terms it, is found in a grant dated June 4, 1685, as a re-
ward for services, to " Samuel Lyncolne and three more of Hing-
ham, and others of other towns, of land in the Nipmuck country."

Among the many interesting entries in Daniel Gushing's diary,
from which not a little of the town's history has become known,
is this : " 1688, Nov. 5th, soldiers pressed 11 to go against the
Indians." These men were perhaps a part of Sir Edmund Andros's
small army of eight hundred with which he marched to the
Penobscot, an expedition in which, it will be remembered, little
was accomplished of value.

April 18, 1689, Gov. Edmund Andros was arrested by the peo-
ple of Boston, who had risen against the tyranny and corruption
of his government. The next day the conduct of public affairs
was assumed by the Gouncil of Safety, of which Bradstreet was
chosen president. On May 8th, acting doubtless under the orders
of this extraordinary body, the train band went to Boston where
on the ninth were gathered the representatives of forty-three
towns. Gushing's diary tells us that a town meeting was held
on the 17th to choose a member of the Gouncil. The choice fell
upon Gapt. Thomas Andrews, already distinguislied in town
affairs, and who had been a representative in 1678. It was a
distinction wisely bestowed, and doubtless while performing the
delicate duties of his new office in a critical period, attention was
called to that ability which soon after gave him the distinguished
honor of being selected as one of the twenty-one captains ap-
pointed for duty with Sir Wm. Phips in his attempt at the reduc-

Military History. 249

tioii of Canada. This ofificer, recently appointed high-sheriff of
New England, sailed from Boston early in the spring of 1690 for
Port Royal. The fort surrendered with but little resistance, and
three weeks later Sir William returned to Boston to prepare for
the more ambitious attempt upon Quebec. August 9th, he sailed
with upwards of thirty vessels and two thousand Massachusetts
men, among whom were Captain Andrews, Lieutenant Chubbuck,
and other Hingham men ; how many we do not know.

October 5 the fleet dropped anchor beneath the castle which
was commanded by Frontenac, an old and distinguished French
officer. The attack commenced on the 8th, and was continued
during the two following days, when the colonial troops retreated
after suffering great loss. Sir William returned to Boston with
the remnant of his army and fleet, arriving there November 19.
At least one of our townsmen was killed in the attack upon
Quebec, while another, Isaac Lasell, died a few days after, proba-
bly of wounds, while Paul Gilford, Samuel Judkins, Jonathan
Burr, Daniel Tower, and Jonathan May, and " two more of the
town " were carried off by the small pox, which broke out in the
fleet and added its misfortunes to the disasters of the expedition.

On the 25th of the month Captain Andrews succumbed to the
dreaded disease : a stone m the old Granary burying-ground
marks his last resting-place. The succeeding day Lieutenant
Chubbuck died also. This ill-fated attempt was followed by the
long struggle between France in the New World and New England
and the colonies south and west, which only terminated a few years
preceding the American Revolution. The history of the period is
that of exasperating and wasteful incapacity, oftentimes on the
part of British commanders in this country, of disastrous defeats, of
glorious victories, of cruelties on both sides which we would gladly
forget, of bravery, persistence, and enterprise by Massachusetts
men of which we may well be proud, and of final triumph, due in
very large measure to the arms of New England and the training
of a soldiery under the laws of our own and the neighboring
colonies which only made success possible. It is the history of
Louisburg, of Fort Necessity and its gallant young commander,
of Crown Point, Fort William Henry, Acadia and its piteous story,
Shirley and Winslow, Wolfe and Montcalm, and the Heights of
Abraham. During its telling we learn of Braddock's defeat, of
Ticonderoga, of Fort Frontenac ; we become acquainted with the
Howes, with Gage, Eraser, and a score of other English officers
who afterwards played a part in the contest with the mother
country. We first meet Washington and soon come to know why
none other could have been the future American commander ; we
see Gates and Putnam and Stark in their earlier days, while
Franklin and Otis already are shaping the legislation and destiny
of their respective States. Durmg all this period, in all the wars,
and in nearly every battle fought in the North we shall find, on

250 History of Ilingham.

sea and on land, the sons of Hingham creditably participating.
They are in the contest as soldiers, as officers, as councillors and
advisers, and in numbers which seem at times almost incredible
considering the probable population of the town. It is interest-
ing too, to note the individual names of those concerned in the
later French wars, and afterwards to observe the use to which so
many put the invaluable experience and knowledge then gained,
in the subsequent service of the Revolution.

The extremely small scale, as compared with modern days,
upon which financial matters were carried on by the town in
connection with its military interests, will doubtless have been
observed. An interesting illustration is afforded by an entry in
the Selectmen's Records of 1691, as follows : — /

The first day of July, 1691, then received by the Selectmen of Hing-
ham tenn pounds in silver money of Mr. Daniell Gushing, Sen., of Hing-
ham, which hee, the said Daniell Gushing, lend to the Country for the
carying one the present expedition against the Gommon enemys of the
Gountry and is to have it payd to him, his heirs, exexutors, administrators,
or asigns, in silver money on or befor the last day of September next
insuing the dat hearof.

Cushing's diary, under date of July 14, 1694, says that
" Edward Gilman was pressed to be a soldier to go out against
the French army," and under date of October 29 of the same year
we are informed " that Edward Gilman came home out of the
country's service." This small draft from Hingham, if indeed it
was all, was probably her proportion of the force raised to meet
the harassing and incessant incursions of the Indians, incited by
the French, which for the ten closing years of the century left
no peace to the colony, and which had for its principal episode
in that year the attack on Groton, July 27th. Captain John
Smith, who died in 1695, was probably succeeded in the command
of the company by Thomas Lincoln, who had long served as an
officer, having been an ensign as early as 1681. At all events we
find in the town records of 1697-98, the following : —

The town stock of ammunition is in the hands of the 3 commanders of
Divs. viz., Capt. Thomas Lincoln 1 bbl. of powder and 198 weight of
bullets and 260 flints : to Lieut. David Hobart, 1 bbl. of powder and 200
and a half of bullets, gross weight, & 260 flints ; to Ensign James
Hawks 1 bbl. powder & 190 weight of bullets, net, and 260 flints.

In 1702 a second company was formed in that part of Hingham
which is now Cohasset, and which became what was formerly
known as the Second Precinct.

In 1722 the colony declared war, owing to exasperating Indian
depredations upon Ipswich and other places, and among the
names of men serving under Captain Ward, of Scarboro', are

Military History. 251

those of John Murphy, a corporal, and Edmund Moorey, or
Mooney, both of Hingham.

Murphy was again found serving against the French on behalf
of Hingham in 1725, — this time upon a small vessel of which
Lieut. Allason Brown was commander.

Among the many conferences held with the Indians of Maine
in the endeavor to secure the safety of the settlements, was one
by Governor Belcher, at Falmouth, in Casco Bay, in 1732, at
which he was accompanied, as would appear from an account
found in the Thaxter papers, by Col. Samuel Thaxter, Rev.
Nathaniel Eells, and Ebenezer Gay. Colonel Thaxter Avas a
very prominent and trusted citizen, was colonel of the regiment
in which Hingham's companies were included, and held many
important offices. Among these was that of one of his Majesty's
Council, in which capacity probably he acted as adviser to the
Governor. On one occasion, while moderator of a meeting,

he was grossly insulted by Cain, who dared him to fight.

Colonel Thaxter quietly ordered the constable to remove Cain.
The meeting being concluded, however, Cain obtained all the
fight he wished, for Colonel Thaxter found him, and administered
a severe thrashing. It is probably safe to assume that, although
frequently moderator of the town meetings, Colonel Thaxter was
never subsequently troubled by personal challenges. This inci-
dent recalls to mind the fact, that with the occupation of the
new meeting-house of 1681, there followed the uses to which the
earlier building had been applied, and that not only were the town
meetings held in the same place as the religious services, but
that the military character of the old belonged, at least to a
degree, to the new building also. We should find in searching
the yellow and stained records of the selectmen for the year 1736,
an account of an inquiry made by those officials into the amount
and places of deposit of the town's ammunition, and the discovery
that in Colonel Thaxter's hands was a barrel of powder weighing
two hundred pounds, two hundred and sixty-three pounds of
bullets, and a thousand flints, besides a large amount held by
Capt. Thomas Loring, and considerable by Mr. Jacob Cushing,
all of which, together with other purchased by the town, " we
removed into the ammunition house made in the meeting-house
of the first parish in Hingham." In the absence of other infor-
mation, this record may justify the inference that Captain Loring
then commanded one of the Hingham companies. Of this, how-
ever, there is no certainty. Captain Loring represented the town
at one time in the General Court, and from his son Benjamin are
descended some of the present Hingham Lorings.

During the colonial period there were two. expeditions, at least,
by Great Britain against the Spanish possessions in the West
Indies in which New England actively participated, and in which,
almost as a matter of course, men from Hingham served. The

252 History of Hingham.

first of these was in 1740, when Governor Belcher received orders
to enlist a force to be sent to Cuba to the relief of Admiral Ver-
non, who was in need of reinforcements. Among the five hundred
soldiers recruited in Massachusetts, there is much reason to
believe that quite a number were recruited in Hingham. The
rolls are, however, not only very imperfect in other respects, but
they fail entirely to name the towns from which men served.
We know, however, that among the officers was Lieut. Joshua
Barker, who had declined a captaincy, and who now went as
second in the company commanded by Captain Winslow. Lieu-
tenant Barker was one of the very few survivors of this ill-fated
expedition, in which, it will be recollected, was Lawrence Wash-
ington and a Virginia contingent. The forces of Massachusetts
and Virginia together stormed the castle of Carthagena, the prin-
cipal town of the Spanish Main in New Granada. The place was
not taken, however, and the expedition was a dismal failure. It
is said that only fifty of the men from Massachusetts returned.
Lieutenant Barker afterwards, as Captain Barker, served in all
the wars of his country from this time until 1762, when he was
again engaged in the second and more successful attack upon
the Spanish West Indies. He held a commission in the British
service, and was a kind and able man. He resided upon the
spot where now stands the Hingham Bank.

There was also a Nathaniel Chubbuck in this service, who may
have been a townsman.

On the night of September 30, 1741, a number of the Spanish
prisoners escaped from Boston with a large sail-boat. As they
were armed, great fear was felt for the safety of the New Eng-
land coasting vessels, and Capt- Adam Gushing, formerly one of
Hingham's selectmen, and now an able officer, was ordered in
pursuit, with special instructions to search the creeks of Hing-
ham and Weymouth. There remains no account of his succes-s
or otherwise.

In 1740, a division of the town into the wards whose limits
remain unchanged to this day took place, and it is interesting to
note that this division was solely for military purposes, and that
the ward boundaries were merely those of the several companies,
which the town thereafter maintained. At this time Cohasset,
which had been made the second precinct in 1702, continued to
be so designated, while the third comprised what is now known
as the middle ward, embracing that part of the town south of the
town brook, as far as Cold Corner, the remainder lying in the
former fourth, now the south ward. The first, or north ward,
then as now, embraced the country north of the brook. The first
powder-house in Hingham was built by the town in 1755. It
stood a little north and nearly on the site of the New North Meet-
ing-house. Afterwards it was removed to Powder-house Hill, near
where Mr. Arthur Hersey's house now is, off Hersey street.

Military History. 253

Frequently in the archives of the State and of the various
towns there are references to the " Old French War," to the " Ex-
pedition to the Eastward," to the " Expedition to Cape Breton,"
and to the " Capture of Louisburg." The expressions are all
rather misleading, because they were, and unfortunately still
occasionally are, indiscriminately used in referring to each of the
Several attempts made at different times upon the French pos-
sessions in the northeast provinces, or to either of the several
wars between France and England in America subsequent to
1700. The mischief of the expressions becomes the greater
when leading, as it sometimes does, to historical errors. Indeed,
it is to this cause that the accurate placing of a number of our
own citizens, as to the time and place of service, becomes impos-
sible. The expression " Old French War " — and indeed the
others mentioned also — more generally and more properly relate
to the events in North America between the years 1744 and 1748,
during which occurred that wonderful New England military
expedition and crusade which resulted in the capture by some
four thousand men, assisted by the English fleet, of the strongest
fortified city in the New World, and which was considered capable
of resisting an army of thirty thousand. In the limits of a local
history it is impossible to give even the outlines of this romance
of New England's arms. We can only tell the very little of
which we have any record concerning our own townsmen's con-
nection with the Ijrave Sir William Pepperell, and Commodore
Warren, and the officers and men who sailed from Boston in
March, 1745, and entered as victors the " Dunkirk of America "
on the 17th of June following. It is most unfortunate that the
rolls of these troops are lost from the State archives, and that
such as exist in the possession of the Massachusetts Historical
Society are not only very imperfect, but are comparatively value-
less, from the fact that the places from which the men enlisted
are not given. It is probably owing to this that we are enabled
to give the names of only a few as serving from Hingham. These
are Thomas Lewis, Ralph Smith, and Edward Ward.

Among a number who signed a voluntary agreement to engage
in a hazardous attempt to storm the Island battery in the harbor
of Louisburg, we find the name of Ebenezer Beal, presumably a
Hingham man. Israel Gilbert, who died later in the service, is
said to have been a soldier in the " Old French War."

Samuel Lincoln and John Stephenson were also at Louisburg
in some capacity, and received pay for assisting in " wooding the
garrison." The following were also soldiers at Louisburg, and
there can be little doubt were Hingham men • John Lewis,
Joshua Lasell, Thomas Jones, Samuel Gilbert, and John Wilder.

By the terms of the peace of Aix-la-Chapelle, concluded in
1748, Louisburg was suiTendered to the French, and the work of
taking it had subsequently to be done again.

254 History of Hingham.

The peace was, at least in America, more nominal than real,
and the usual encroachments of each party upon the claimed
possessions of the other, with all the attendant barbarities of
border war, recommenced almost with the signing of the treaty.
Nevertheless, the fifty years' conflict between the civilization and
aims of the Saxon and the civilization and aims of the Latin
was drawing to its close, and the year 1754 saw the beginning of
the end. In the South its first notes were heard in the conflict
between the Virginians under Washington and the French on the
Ohio ; in the North the real signal was the marcli of an army of
eight hundred Massachusetts men, under Gen. John Winslow, to
secure by forts the passes from Quebec to New England, although
negotiations were carried on between France and England even
months later for an amicable settlement of all disputes between
them. General Winslow fortified several places on or near the
Kennebec. In his regiment, in Capt. John Lane's company, were
Sergeant Elijah Gushing, Ephraim Hall, and Isaac Larrabee, of
Hingham.

Engaged in this same expedition probably, was the sloop
" Mermaid," of eighty-five tons, of which Samuel Lincoln was
master, Samuel Johnson mate, and Charles Clapp and James
White were sailors. Clapp's residence is unknown. The others,
as well as the sloop, undoubtedly belonged in Hingham. Samuel
Lincoln was styled Captain in later life.

In the spring of the following year, negotiations having been
broken off in December, troops and transports began to arrive
from England, and in April Shirley and the other colonial gov-
ernors met Braddock in consultation. The events which fol-
lowed can be scarcely more than named. Parkman, in his
" Montcalm and Wolfe," has related them with a charm and
grace which give to the hard facts of history the enchantment
of romance.

Yet with many, perhaps nearly all, of the occurrences in
the North and East, Hingham was so closely and intimately
connected, through the very large number of her sons who
participated in them, that some brief explanations, expanding
occasionally into narrative of what has elsewhere been better
told, may be allowable here. If the rolls of participants in the
first taking of Louisburg were incomplete, and the numbers
serving from this town were apparently meagre, the fulness of
the former and the length of names making up the latter, which
are to be found in the Commonwealth's papers, at once sur-
prise and gratify, although the task of eliminating repetitions
in the different returns, and crediting the men properly to the
places to which they belonged, is extremely difficult. After the
death of General Braddock, Governor Shirley, of Massachusetts,
became for the time the commander of the British forces in
America, and among the several expeditions planned by him was

Military History. 255

one having in view the capture of Crown Point on Lake Cham-
plain. To this end a large number of men were recruited in New
England, New York, and New Jersey, the burden, as usual, fall-
ing principally upon Massachusetts, which voted both troops and
money with a liberal hand. To William Johnson, afterwards
knighted for his services, was given the command. On Sep-
tember 8, Baron Dieskau, with a force of French and Indians,
attacked Johnson near the head of Lake George, but was
defeated. The attempt upon Crown Point was however aban-
doned for the time, and the troops went into winter quarters at
Fort William Henry. For this expedition there was enlisted in
Hingham a company commanded by Capt. Samuel Thaxter, and
attached to Col. Richard Gridley's regiment. A note in Hon.
Solomon Lincoln's private copy of the " History of Hingham "
says that this company marched September 23, 1755, with fifty-
five men, and that they were at Fort Edward. Besides the
Hingham men there were undoubtedly many from Weymouth
and other towns in the neighborhood.
Those from Hingham were —

Samuel Thaxter, captain, Joseph Jones, private,

Thomas Gill, Jr., sergeant, Joseph Lyon, "

Samuel Joy, clerk, Silas Lovell, "

Thomas Hollis, corporal, Geo. McLaughlin, "

Lot Lincoln, corporal, William Magnor, "

Hosea Dunbar, corporal, Richard Newcomb, "

Nehemiah Blancher, private, John Sprague, "

Thomas Chubbuck, " Stephen Saulsbury, "

Joseph Carrel, " Benjamin Tirrell, "

Joseph Dunbar, " Abel Wilder, "

Seth French, " Jonathan Whitton, "

Thomas Hearsey, " Samuel Trask, "

Mathias Hartman, "

In the mean time the expedition which finally resulted in the
Acadian tragedy had been planned by Gov. Shirley, and sailed
from Boston May 22, 1755. It consisted, in the main, of some
two thousand men, under the immediate command of its lieu-
tenant-colonel, John Winslow, Shirley himself being its nominal
colonel. On the 1st of June the fleet and transports anchored
off Beausejour, the French fort at the small isthmus connecting
Nova Scotia with the main land, and on the 16th the fort and
garrison surrendered to the English. Within a few days after, all
of Acadia fell into British hands. Then followed the removal of
the unhappy people of this province from their homes, and their
dispersion among the English colonies from Massachusetts to
Georgia. The sad story has been the subject of poetry and
romance ; the best and most just account is to be found in Park-
man's pages, but there are local associations with the events
whose relation properly belongs here. One of the most inter-

256 History of Hingham.

esting of these is that Joseph Blake, whose father had been a
resident of Hingham, was, although but sixteen years of age, an
officer under Colonel Winslow, and was sent with a detachment
of the French Neutrals, as the Acadians were called, to this
town.

Lieutenant Blake, who afterwards came to live here, went to
Crown Point the next year as an officer in Major Thaxter's com-
pany. Little is known concerning the Acadians who came here ;
even their names are for the most part unrecorded and forgotten.
They were, however, generally very poor, and worked at almost
any employment obtainable. Some of them were for a time
lodged in the old Hersey house on Summer Street, now the prop-
erty of A. H. Hersey and Mrs. Andrew, where within a few
years a window was preserved upon whose small panes some of
the exiles had scratched their names or initials with the stone
in a ring belonging to one of them. In the field near this old
house, so tradition says, these poor unfortunates were in the
habit of meeting, to hold, in quiet and peace, religious services
in the faith of their youth and their homes.

Another family occupied a part of the old Cushing house at the
foot of the Academy Hill ; and still another what is generally
called the Welcome Lincoln residence at West Hingham. The few
names that remain to us of these people are as follows : Joseph
and Alexander Brow, Charles, Peter, and John Trawhaw, and
Anthony Ferry. Beyond the inhumanity of their expatriation,
the treatment of the Acadians by the people of New England was
often kind, and even sympathetic. Without a country, separated
from the neighbors and friends with whom they had spent all their
happy days, in some cases members even of their own families
lost to their knowledge, their sunny homes destroyed, their lands
forfeited to the stranger, deprived of the ministrations of their
religion, hearing always a foreign tongue, seeing always un-
familiar faces, watched, suspected, trammelled, poor, their condi-
tion, let us be thankful, was at least not aggravated by extreme
bodily suffering, or by the coldness, neglect, and indifference of
their conquerors. Indeed, many of those who reached Canada
looked back with longing eyes towards the land of the Puritans,
where a kinder welcome and more generous charity softened their
hard lot than that given by their compatriots.

The town records of Hingham contain many entries showing
liberal disbursements for the benefit of such of these people as
were in want ; and in the volumes devoted to the French Neutrals
in the State archives, are several accounts allowed by the Province
of Massachusetts Bay to the town for money expended in their
behalf. Among these is the following in relation to a family
which came here Nov. 29, 1755 ; —

JOSEPH BLAKE.

Military History. 257

Province of Massachusetts Bay.
Suffolk ss.

To the Hon''''' Josiah Willurd Esq. Secretary

In pursuance of an act of the Great and Gen' Court of the Province
afor'^'^, the following is the account of the Selectmen of the town of Hing-
haui in the County afor^** of their expense in the support of the French
called Neutrals late Inhabitants of Nova Scotia sent to said town by oi'der
of the Committee appointed to dispose of the same, the family sent to
sd town were Anthony Ferry & wife & five small children and one single
woman in all Eight, this accompt is from the First day of June 1756 to
the tenth day of Nov'' 1756 for tools & provisions &e is twelve pounds
fourteen Stirling and four pence
£12: 14: 4

Daniel Beal ^ Selectmen
Enoch Lincoln V of The Town
Joseph Thaxtek ) of Hingham.

This family was subsequently increased by the arrival of an
aged mother and by the birth of another child. The Ferrys were
removed to Boston in 1760 by order of the committee. Some of*
the old diaries contain references to the employment, from time
to time, of one or another of the Acadians, about the farm-work
then in hand. Here are a few extracts : —

1760 Aprd 18 Two French boys for husking corn

May 23 Employed the Frenchmen. Charge them with 38 lbs. Salt

Beef Joseph Brow, Alexander Brow, Charles Trawhaw, Peter Trawhaw,

John Trawhaw.

Oct 28 Employ"^ the old Frenchman Alexander Brow and Peter

Trawhaw also the other Brows and Trawhaws at Husking for several days

The fate of these families is lost in the obscurity of history.
It is probable that they entirely died off or removed from Hing-
ham, for no descendants of any of them are known to exist.

Among the men impressed and enlisted by Colonel Lincoln out
of his regiment for service in Canada in 1759, were, besides
Lieutenant Blake, Capt. Jotham Gay and Gideon Hayward, of all
of whom he speaks as having been in the Nova Scotia expedition
of 1755. Whether there were others or not is not known, as the
rolls of Winslow's troops are not to be found.

After a year of open hostility, England on the 18th of May, and
France on the 9th of June, 1756, at last declared war. The
capture of Crown Point was by no means abandoned, but the
French during the interval had constructed a powerful defence at
Ticonderoga, and this too was included in the objects of a new
expedition planned by Shirley, who chose John Winslow for its
leader. Before the campaign commenced Shirley was removed and
the command was first given to General Abercromby, who arrived
in June, and then to the Earl of Loudon, who came in July.

VOL. I. — 17

258 History of Hingham.

In the mean time the raising of the new army went on. The
method was to call for volunteers, but if the requisite number did
not appear a draft was made, by the colonels of the militia regi-
ments, of enough men to supply the deficiency. This will explain
some facts to be hereafter related. A bounty of six dollars was
offered to stimulate enlistments, and the pay of private soldiers
was one pound and six shillings a month. If a man brought a
gun his bounty was increased two dollars. If not, one was sup-
plied, for which he was to account, as well as for powder-horn,
knapsack, canteen, blanket, etc. Subsequently a coat of blue
cloth, a soldier's hat, and breeches of red or blue were supplied.
Probably this was the first American force of any considerable
size wearing a uniform, although some regiments had done so
previously ; it will be noted that the color was the same which
has since become enshrined in the affections of the armies of the
republic who have succeeded these troops. The regiments gen-
erally were composed of ten companies of fifty men each. Besides
their rations each man was promised and insisted upon having, a
gill of rum daily. The troops mustered at Albany, and soon
encamped a short distance up the Hudson.

One of the regiments was commanded by Richard Gridley,
afterwards conspicuous for his services at Bunker Hill ; its major
was Samuel Thaxter, who, in accordance with the custom of the
time, was also captain of a company. This latter was from Hmg-
ham. There are several rolls in existence at different periods of
its service. The first bears date of May 4, 1756, and contains the
following names of men from this town : —

Samuel Thaxter, major and captain, Robert Tower, ^

Joseph Blake, lieutenant, Wm. Hodge,

Jeremiah Lincoln, ensign, James Fearing,

Jonathan Smith, Knight Sprague, Jr.,

Caleb Leavitt. Daniel Stoddard,

George McLaughlin, Abel Wilder,

Elijah White, Joseph Loring,

Joshua Dunbar, George Law,

Israel Gilbert, Joshua French.
Thomas Slander,

A roll of about the same time added the names of
Thomas Gushing, Zebulon Stodder,

Another roll, bearing date Oct. 11, 1756, gives the following
names of Hingham men, in addition to those previously mentioned :

Noah Beals, George Lane,

Isaac Gross, John Lincoln.

We also learn from it that Ensign Lincoln was killed or taken ;
an account of his capture and escape is given later ; that John

Military History. 259

Canterbury, Joshua Dunbar, Israel Gilbert, Wm. Holbrook, George
Randallwining, Thomas Slander, Josiah Tourill, Robert Tower,
and Elijah White were already dead in the service, while Jona-
than Smith, James Fearing, Wm. Hodge, and Wm. Jones were
sick at Albany or elsewhere.

The men might well be sick, if the accounts of regular British
officers of the camps of the New England troops are not exagger-
ated. Lieut.-Colonel Burton describes them as dirty beyond de-
scription, especially that at Fort William Henry ; he speaks more
favorably of the camp at Fort Edward, but says that, generally
speaking, there were almost no sanitary arrangements, that
kitchens, graves, and places for slaughtering cattle were all
mixed, that the cannon and stores were in great confusion, the
advance guard was small, and little care taken to provide against
surprise. The several chaplains in the camp present a similar
moral picture of the army. Meanwhile, on the 14th of August,
Oswego surrendered to the French, and all thoughts of the
capture of Ticonderoga or Crown Point were, for the time,
abandoned. Of the miserable jealousies of the colonies, the dis-
graceful failures of a campaign conducted by twelve hundred
thousand people against eighty thousand, and the lessons it teaches
of the superiority in military matters of an army over a mob, of
the trained soldier over the political civilian, only the briefest
mention can be made. The summer and autumn of 1756 fur-
nishes a striking illustration, and perhaps an unusually pointed
one ; for here were men, many of them, used to discipline, and
experienced in more than one war, sacrificed to the lack of
methods, discipline, and leadership, indispensable in the success-
ful conduct of war. The opposite of all this was true in the
French camps, and the results were equally different.

Loudon had ten thousand men posted from Albany to Lake
George. Of these about three thousand provincials w^ere at the-
lake under Winslow, with whom was Gridley and his regiment.
Montcalm was at Ticonderoga with an army of about five thou-
sand regulars and Canadians.

On the 19th September, Captain Hodges, of Gridley's command,
and fifty men were ambushed a few miles from Fort William
Henry by Canadians and Indians, and only six escaped.

Bougainville, aide-de-camp to Montcalm, who was with the
expedition says that out of fifty-three English, all but one were
taken or killed ; he adds that a mere recital of the cruelties com-
mitted on the battle-field by the Indians made him shudder.
Among the dead was Captain Hodges, and undoubtedly also Israel
Gilbert, Thomas Slander, EHjah White, and Robert Tower;
Ensign Jeremiah Lincoln, then apparently a lieutenant, was, with
others, captured. These men all belonged to Major Thaxter's
company.

Mr. Lincoln, in the history of the town, says that a man named
Lathrop, who also belonged here, was killed at the same time.

260 History of Hingham.

Lieutenant Lincoln was tal^en to Quebec, where, after spending the
winter, he made his escape in the night with three others. TwO'
of these became so exhausted that they went to surrender to the
French at Crown Point, while Lincoln and his companion finally
reached Fort Edward after great suffering, during which they
were obliged to subsist upon the bark of trees.

In November the army dispersed, leaving a sma,ll garrison at
Lake George. The provincials returned to their homes, while the
English regulars were billeted in different parts of the country ;
those at Boston being sent to Castle William.

To the lists already given as serving in the Crown Point army,
there should be added the following taken from a note in Mr.
Lincoln's private copy of his history : —

Ralph Hassell, John Blancher,

James Hay ward, Jonathan Taunt,

Seth Stowers, Jedediah I^sewcomb.
Elijah Lewis,

Engaged also in this service was the Hingham sloop " Sea.
Flower," commanded by John Cushing, a brother-in-law of Gen-
eral Lincoln. Here is a copy of a paper at the State House : —

A Portledge Bill of sloop Sea Flower, Jno Cushing master and sailors
in His Majesty's Service in the Crown Point Expedition

1756
Jno Cushing master Sept 30

Jn° Burr mate
Seth Davis pilot
Samuel Tower sailor
Timothy Covell "
Isaiah Tower "
Joseph Blake "
To hire of Sloop Sea Flower 74 tons at "/g, per ton a month from Sept
30 1756 to Dec 15

On the back of this is an acknowledgment by Benjamin Lincoln
for Capt. John Cushing of the receipt of 27 % £.

Captain Cushing married Olive, daughter of Colonel Lincoln,
and resided at South Hingham. John Burr, liis mate, at this time
lived on Leavitt street. Samuel and Isaiah Tower were brothers.
Besides all these, Isaac Joy served in Colonel Gridley's own com-
pany, and Robert Townsend, Jr., in Captain Read's company, in
Colonel Clapp's regiment. Mr. George Lincoln says that Nehemiah
Joy was also in the service at Lake George.

The next year Loudon with the best of the army sailed from
New York for Halifax, leaving Lake George comparatively un-
guarded, with the hope of taking Louisburg, — an expedition, by
the way, that proved a total failure. Meanwhile Montcalm gath-
ered an army at Ticonderoga, and by the end of July he had

Military History. 261

isight thousand French, Canadians, and savages encamped there.
Parkman gives a wonderful picture of this army and its march
towards Fort William Henry. On the third of August it appeared
before the fort, which was commanded by Lieut.-Colonel Monro, a
Scotch veteran. With him were twenty-two hundred men in-
cluding eight hundred from Massachusetts, under Colonel Frye,
who arrived on the first of the month. The siege began on the
fourth, while General Webb at Fort Edward did nothing but send
to the colonies for militia which could by no possibility arrive in
time. They however made the attempt, even as far as from east-
ern Massachusetts. After a brave defence the garrison surren-
dered, and the next day, the tenth, occurred the frightful
massacre of the ])risoners, which has cast the only serious stain
upon the character of Montcalm.

In the intrenched camp wliere they had passed the night,
and as they were about to march under escort for Fort Ed-
ward, the English army with many women and children were
startled by the warwhoop of the Indians. Immediately the hor-
rible butchery commenced. Probably towards a hundred were
slain, and some two hundred carried into captivity. Among the
latter was Zebulon Stodder, whom Colonel Lincoln writes of
under date of July 25, 1758, as being heard from in Canada.
Knight Sprague escaped after being partially stripped. In an
account afterwards he said that fifteen out of fifty of the company
to which he belonged were killed that day. His captain was
stripped naked, as were many soldiers and women he passed in
his flight towards Fort Edward. Sprague's captain was probably
still Major Thaxter, although we have no roll of the company at
this time. Major Thaxter was stripped of his clothing, bound to
a tree, and about to be roasted alive, when he was saved by a
French officer. Seth Stowers, who subsequently became a captain
in the Revolutionary service, at the commencement of the attack
upon the prisoners stuffed his coat with articles of clothing taken
from the military stores, and darted into the woods. He was
immediately pursued by a number of the Indians. As the fore-
most got dangerously near, he would throw some of his burden as
far as possible to one side. The greed of his pursuers for plun-
der was so great, that they would stop to recover the abandoned
garment, thus enabling him to gain slightly upon them. Re-
peating the ruse as long as the articles held out finally gave him
sufficient advantage to elude pursuit. Other Hingham men who
escaped death were Thomas Gill, Thomas Burr, and Elijah Lewis ;
there were probably many more. Thomas Burr became a lieuten-
ant in the company commanded by Capt. Peter Gushing in the
Revolution, and Elijah Lewis was also a soldier in that war, as
were Lot Lincoln and Thomas Hersey, both previously named as
on Captain Thaxter's rolls, Hersey becoming a captain in the
service of the patriot army.

A list of the Hingham men not included in the surrender, be-

262 History of Hingham.

longing to Major Thaxter's company, is as follows ; the men
were probably on some detail away from the fort : —

Johnson Anderson, Benjamin Joy,

James Cannidy, Stephen Randall,

Josejjh Dwelly, Freeman Smith,

James Hay ward, Joshua Bates.

Another account gives the name of Townsend Smith.

To these lists there should be added a list of invalids, whom
Lieutenant Blake reported as belonging to Hingham and able to
march, and who were probably members of Thaxter's company.
The date is June, 1757, and it is not unlikely that these men were
at Fort William Henry and included in the surrender. It would
appear from Knight Sprague's account that a large proportion of
the company were murdered, and this may explain the fact that
little more appears to be known concerning them. They were
as follows : —

George Phillips, Benjamin Sampson,

Moses Bradbury, Reuben Donnells,

James Bunker, Dennis Morrison,

James Bray man, Samuel Winchester.

Major Samuel Thaxter, scarcely less famous than his able
grandfather Col. Samuel Thaxter, was a brave soldier as well as
a prominent and trusted citizen in civil affairs. He was reported
in Hingham as having lost his life in the massacre which followed
the surrender, and a funeral sermon was preached by Dr. Gay.
After the sermon Mr. Caleb Bates was engaged in driving his
cows at Hockley, when whom should he meet but the Major him-
self coming home on horseback. Throwing up both hands in
astonishment, Mr. Bates exclaimed, " Good God, Major, is that
you ? Why, we have just buried you I "

Major Thaxter was a quick-tempered and kind-hearted man.
On one occasion he got into considerable trouble by killing some
of his neighbors' dogs, who were worrying deer driven into the
town by a severe storm. He had a number of children, among
them Dr. Gridley Thaxter, doubtless named after his old colonel,
who served with credit in the Revolutionary army. The Thaxter
home was on North Street ; and not far from him, after the war,
came to live his old commander. Gen. John Winslow, and his lieu-
tenant, Joseph Blake. General Winslow resided until his death
on Main Street, where is now the house of Mr. John Siders. The
church-bells tolled when his body was removed to Marshfield. Lieu-
tenant Blake lived where the Bassett house is, opposite the Old
Meeting-house on Main Street ; his son Joshua was a lieutenant
in the United States navy. We can imagine that these three old
veterans spent many an hour together in the after years, recalling
the stirring events of the last French and Indian war.

Military History.

263

To General Webb's request for militia to march to the relief of
Fort William, there was immediate response from the colonies,
and Massachusetts especially wasted no time in getting a large
number of men into the field. We already know the uselessness
of the effort ; indeed, Monro had already capitulated several days
before the troops from eastern New England started ; although
this was of course not known until later. Upon receipt of the
necessary orders, Col. Benjamin Lincoln commanding the third
Suffolk regiment, at once detached from his command the com-
pany in Hingham commanded by Ebenezer Beal, and started it
on the march the 15th of August. The roll of Hingham men in
the company was as follows : —

Ebenezer Beal, Capt., #

Daniel Lincoln, Lieut.,
Benjamin Gushing, Ensign,

Joseph Stowers, Sergt,
John Fearing, "
John Blancher, "
Obadiah Lincoln, ^
David Farrow, Gorp.,
John Keen, "

Elisha Tower, Jr., "
Abijah Whiten, Drum.,
Peter Lincoln, Private,
Obadiah Stowell, "
Joshua Remington,
Matthew Lincoln,
Ezra French,
Philip Nye,
David Waterman,
Bphraim Marsh,
William Murch,
Isaac Gross,
Consider Jones,
Jotham Loring,
Isaac Burr,
Ignatius Orcutt,
Nath" Lincoln,
Isaac Lincoln, Jun.,

Nath'i Stodder,
Daniel Tower,
Solo: Dunbar,
Sam' Dunbar,
David Wilder,
Zach Loring,
Sam' Gill, Jun.,
Joseph Sprague,
Asa Burr,
John Wilent,
John Wheelwright,
John Pratt,
Calvin Gushing,
Price Pritchart,
Jacob Beal,
Frederick Bate,
Job Tower,
Simeon Bate,
Hosea Orcutt,
Benjamin Beal,
Japhet Hobart,
Elisha Lincoln.
Micah Nichols,
Nehemiah Joy,

There was also a company containing a number of Hingham
men, under the command of ' Capt. Ebenezer Thayer of Braintree,
in Colonel Lincoln's regiment, which marched at the same time.
Their names were : —

Stephen Gushing, Lieut.,

David Gushing, Cornet,
Noah Nichols, Corporal, Joseph Cushino-, Private,

Benjamin Thaxter, '* Thomas Barker, "

264 History of Hingham.

David Lincoln, Private, Lot Lincoln, Private,

Thomas Lotlirop, " Joseph Loring, "

John Burr, " Caleb Joy, "

Uriah Oakes, " Obadiah Beal, "

Benjamin Garnet, "

It will be recalled that soon after the termination of the war
with Philip, permission was granted to Capt. Joshua Hobart,
and others, to form a small troop of horse in Hingham, Wey-
mouth, and Hull, and that John Thaxter became its first com-
mander. With the foot companies of Hingham and other towns
in the vicinity, this troop was attached in 1680 to a new regiment
under Major Wm. Stoughton. It would seem that subsequently
the troop came to be composed almost entirely of men belonging
to Hingham and Braintree, and that was still the fact when,
August 12th, 1757, it marched to the relief of the fort, wdiich
had already surrendered. By the above roll it will be seen that
a majority of its officers were from the former place. Its service
ended the 23d of the same month.

In July, 1757, Pitt, who shortly before had been dismissed from
office, became the controlling force in foreign affairs and in the
department of war. With him there came a new light to Eng-
land and the colonies ; the tide of defeat and disaster was checked,
hope was reawakened, and a vigor and wisdom instilled into the
conduct of public affairs, which eventually led to the triumph of
the British arms and the conquest of Canada.

Early in June, 1758, Admiral Boscawen and General Amherst,
with eighteen frigates and fire-ships, twenty -three ships of the
line and a fleet of transports, on board of which were eleven
thousand six hundred soldiers, all regulars except five hundred
provincial rangers, appeared before Louisbourg. Amherst's briga-
diers were Whitmore, Lawrence, and Wolfe. July 27th the fort
surrendered after a determined resistance, and over five thousand
men became prisoners in the hands of the English. In the siege
Jotham Gay, who commanded a company from Hingham shortly
after and perhaps at this time also, is said to have participated.

Among the Massachusetts regiments raised for the prosecution
of the war was one commanded by Col. Joseph Williams. It was
recruited early in 1758, and contained a company of Hingham
men, commanded by Capt. Edward Ward, who had already served
at the capture of Louisbourg in 1745. The roll of this com-
pany was as follows : —

Edward Ward, Captain,
Isaac Smith, Sergt., Nath" Bates, Private,

Lott Lincoln, Corp., Joseph Beal, "

James Howard, " Mordica Bates, "

James Lincoln, " Joseph Battles, Jr.. "

Military History.

265

Joseph Carrell, Private,
Primus Cobb, negro, "
Robert Dunbar, "

Seth Dunbar, "

Solomon Dunbar, Jr., "
Jonathan Farrow, "
Ezra French, "

Nath^i Garnet, Jr., "
Norman Garnett, "
Isaac Gross, "

Ezra Garnett, "

Noah Humphrey, "
Japhet Hobbart "

Peter Jacob, Jr., "
Nath' Joy, "

Elisha Keen, "

Elijah Lewis, "

Thomas Lothrop, Private,

John Neal, "

Flanders, negro, "

Micali Nichols, "

Joshua Remington, "

Obadiah Stowell, "

Naty Stoddard, "

Oliver Southward, "

Jerome Stevenson, "

Solon Stevenson, "

Daniel Tower, Jr., "

Joseph Tower, Jr., "

Shadrich Towe/, "

David Waterman, "

Solomon Wliiton, "

Jonathan Whiton, "

Jonathan Ward, "

Another roll of this company, probably one of a few months
earlier, contains these names, not included above : • —

Thomas Colsen,
David Bate,
Abner Bate,
Beza Gushing,

Calvin Gushing,
Thomas Colson,
James Lincoln.

Thomas Burr also served in this regiment, but in Captain
Parker's company, — probably with other Hingham men whose
names are not preserved. A journal kept by him gives some par-
ticulars of the experience of the command ; and from this and a
return of Colonel Lincoln, in 1759, showing former service of cer-
tain enlisted men from his regiment, we learn something of the
part which Hingham had in the conquest of Canada.

The fifth of July, 1758, Abercromby, with over six thousand
regulars and nine thousand provincials, left his camp on the scene
of Dieskau's defeat and Montcalm's victory, and embarked upon
Lake George. The army was in nine hundred bateaux, a hun-
dred and thirty-five whaleboats, and a number of flatboats carry-
ing the artillery. The day was bright, and amid the romantic
scenery the line, six miles in length, with gorgeous uniforms and
waving banners, presented a superb spectacle. The life of the
army, and its real commander, was Lord Howe, a brother of the
brave general who led the English at Bunker Hill. In the even-
ing, lying by the side of John Stark, then an ofificer of Rogers'
rangers, he inquired about the situation and best manner of at-
tacking Ticonderoga ; and tlie next day while at the head of the
column with Major Israel Putnam and two hundred rangers, he
fell dead under the fire of a small body of French commanded by
Langy. The loss of Howe was the ruin of the army, and Aber-
cromby preserved neither order nor discipline ; indeed, he was upon

266 History of Hingham.

the point of abandoning the expedition. Colonel Bradstreet, how-
ever, opened the way for the army and it reluctantly followed his
lead. In the mean time Montcalm, on the seventh, threw up a
wonderfully strong defence, and here with thirty-six hundred men
he awaited the English. At one o'clock on the eighth the attack
commenced. At half-past seven the French general had won his
great victory, and the British army, after losing two thousand men,
was in full retreat, covered by the provincials. In this disastrous
attempt Captain Ward's company probably participated, as Colonel
Lincoln mentions a number of men as engaged at Lake George
whose names occur on the above roll. He speaks also of William
Russ as a soldier of his regiment on the same service.

After the defeat Abercromby reoccupied and refortified the
camp which he had left but a few days previously. Colonel Brad-
street obtained, after much persuasion, three thousand men, mostly
provincials, and with these and a small number of Oneidas he
embarked, August the twenty-second, in his fleet of whaleboats
and pushed out onto Lake Ontario. His destination was Fort
Frontenac, and as Thomas Burr, who was in this expedition, says
in his diary, the troops came in sight of the French works on the
twenty-fifth, and landed about dusk, and to quote the diary,
" pitched against the fort " on the twenty-sixth. The next day
the garrison surrendered, together with nine armed vessels and a
large amount of stores and ammunition.

Forming a part of Colonel Bradstreet's command, and partici-
pating in his triumph was Captain Ward's company of Hingham
men, — if indeed, the whole of Colonel Williams' regiment was not
in the expedition. Subsequently many of them were at the Great
Carrying Place. This latter was the name of a post upon the
Mohawk, then being fortified by General Stanwix, with whom
Bradstreet left a thousand men on his return from his victory.
Among them were Eeza Gushing, Noah Humphrey, John Neal,
Isaac Gross, Isaac Smith, James Hayward, David Tower, Jona-
than Farrow, Townsend Smith, Joseph Carrel, Robert Dunbar,
Solo. Whiten, William Garnett, and Thomas Lothrop. Not pre-
viously named, but at Frontenac, in addition to others, were Ralph
Hassell, and Jolm Sprague ; they would seem to have enlisted in
other companies in Colonel Williams' regiment.

May 4, 1759, Gov. Thomas Pownall sailed from Boston with
a regiment commanded by himself, and constructed a fort
upon the Penobscot. Among Colonel Pownall's captains was
Jotham Gay, with a company from Hingham. Captain Gay's
company seems however to have been sent to Halifax somewhat
earlier, and a return sworn to by him indicates that it formed
part of the garrison of that post from March until November of
that year. Capt. Jotham Gay was born in Hingham, April 11,
1733, and as already seen, was in the king's service from 1755
until near the close of the last French war. Subsequently he was
a colonel in the Continental army, and a representative from

Military History. 267

Hingham in 1799 and 1800. His brother Calvin died at Quebec
in 1765. They were sons of the Rev. Ebenezer Gay, who was
minister of the Old Church in Hingham for sixty-nine years.
Rev. John Brown, of that part of Hingham which is now Cohasset,
was a chaplain in the army in 1759, and was stationed at Halifax.
He was a friend of Dr. Gay, who corresponded with him, and in
a characteristic letter, dated June 25, 1759, he writes to Mr.
Brown, " 1 wish you may visit Jotham (captain) and minister
good instruction to him and company, and furnish him with suit-
able sermons in print, or in your own very legible, if not very in-
telligible manuscripts, to read to his men, who are without a
preacher ; in the room of one, constitute Jotham curate." Colonel
Gay died October 16, 1802. The following is the list of the
Hingham men in the company commanded by him in 1759 : — ■

Jotham Gay, Capt.,

George Lane, Lieut.,

Thomas Lothrop, ''

Isaac Smith, Sergt., Caleb Leavitt, Private.

Nathaniel Bangs, " Levi Lewis, "

Samuel Joy, Corp., Elijah Lewis, "

Joseph Blake, Private, Url3ane Lewis, "

Benjamin Beal, •' Israel Lincoln, "

Issachar Bate, " John Lasell, "

Isaac Burr, " Joseph Lovis, "

Beza Gushing, " Ephraim Marsh, "

Calvin Gushing, " Micah Nichols, "

Jacob Dunbar, " Jolni Neal, "

Jonathan Farrow, " Charles Ripley, "

Isaac Groce, " William Rust, "

Noah Humphrey, " Luther Stephenson, "

John Hobart, " Jusitanus Stephenson,"

Gedion Howard, " Jerome Stephenson, •'

Micah Humphrey, " John Sprague, "

Ralph Haswell, " Knight Sprague, "

James Ha ward, " Daniel Stoddard, "

Joseph Jones, " Daniel Tower, "

John Lincoln, " Seth Wilder, "

There is also a roll in the State archives giving the names of
the following, and headed "A return of men Enlisted for his
Majesty's Service for the Total Reduction of Canada, 1760 : " —

John Stowel, John Nash,

Naty Joy, Job Mansfield,

Japhet Hobard, Levi Lincoln,

Enoch Stoddard, Abijah Hersey,

Joseph Sprague, Daniel Lincoln,

Samuel Burr, Joseph Beal,

Asa Burr, Joshua Remington.

268 History of Hingham.

Zacheus Barber, John Garnet,

William Lincoln, Stephen Frances,

Richard Stodard, Seth Dunbar.
Benj'' Stowel,

Of the particular service of these men there appears to be no
record. The following from the papers belonging to the Com-
monwealth indicates, however, that a number of them were with
the army in New York : —

" Money owed John Faye, for money paid by him to invalids
returning from Albany, &c., <fec., 1760 :

Benj. Stowell, Hingham, in Col. Thomas' regt., Capt. Bradford ;

Richard Stoddard, " " " " " " " "

There is a curious and interesting record in Vol. 98, page 361,
of the rolls at the State House in connection with the invalids at
Albany, which seems to have escaped notice elsewhere. It is an
account of a payment " to Col. Ranslow for his Battalion of
Negroes to carry Small Pox people to Albany."

Wolfe had climbed the Heights of Abraham, gained the crown
of unperishing fame, and laid down his life in the moment of
victory, while Montcalm, his dying thoughts for Canada, slept the
soldier's last sleep in the Convent of the Ursulines. September
the 18th Quebec surrendered. The following spring L^vis made
a bold attempt to recapture it, but abandoned the attempt upon
the arrival of an English fleet. On the fifteenth of July, 1760,
Murray, with twenty-four hundred and fifty men, left Quebec and
marched toward Montreal ; he was subsequently reinforced by
seventeen hundred more under Lord Rollo.

1\\ the mean time General Haviland left Crown Point with an
army of thirty-four hundred regulars, provincials, and Indians,
while Amherst with ten thousand men embarked from Oswego on
the tenth of August, followed by seven hundred Indians under Sir
William Johnson. On the sixth of September the three armies
encamped before Montreal. With Amherst and Haviland doubt-
less would have been found Hingham's recruits enlisted " for the
total reduction of Canada." September the eighth the remnants
of the French army, consisting of about twenty-four hundred men,
surrendered to General Amherst, who was about to open fire upon
Montreal, besieged as it was by his force of seventeen thousand.

If with the death of Montcalm and the surrender of Quebec,
France in the New World died, so at Montreal was buried all hope
of her resurrection, unless, indeed, through the medium of diplo-
macy when peace should at last be declared. Even that hope was
destined never to be realized, for with the signing of the articles
at Paris in 1763 French dominion in North America became only
a matter of history. However, during the many months and
even years that intervened, the sea coasts had to be guarded,
and the various military posts garrisoned. Probably engaged in

Military History. 269

this or similar service, we find Hingham men serving as
follows : —

Under Capt. Samuel Bent, from June to December, 1761 : —

Ralph Hassell, John Neal,

Elijah Lewis, David Stoddard.

Levi Lewis,
Under Capt. Ephraim Holmes, March to November, 1762 : —

Jeremiah Chubbuck.
Under Capt. William Barrows, November, 1762, to July, 1763 : —

Nathan Lewis, Arthur Cain.

Under Capt. Johnson Moulton, 1762 and 1763 : —

Jeremiah Chubbuck, Lieut., Levi Lewis,

Elijah Lewis, Sergt., John Neal.

Impossible as it is to give an absolutely correct list of our
townsmen who " went out against the French " during these long
years of warfare, there are nevertheless preserved and here placed
on the rolls of tlie brave, the names of some two hundred and
twenty-four different individuals who fought under the king's
colors and shared in the glory of the final triumpli.

Moreover, at least fifty of these re-enlisted, fifteen served three
times, four four times, and one man seems to have been a recruit
on five different occasions, so that there must be credited as serv-
ing in Hingham's quota, during some part of the period, about
three hundred and twenty soldiers. Among these were more than
a dozen officers, of whom the most celebrated was Major Thaxter.

Li glancing at these old company rolls we notice the frequent
recurrence of certain family names having a large representa-
tion among the present inhabitants, while others, then borne by a
considerable number of persons, have entirely disappeared from the
town. Of the former, the Lincolns, with seventeen names on the
lists, easily lead, while the Cushings and Dunbars each furnish
nine, the Burrs six, the Beals the same number, the Stoddai'ds
five, and the Towers four. On the other hand the Garnets, of
whom five enlisted, have ceased to exist by that name, although
under the not very different form of Gardner, there are still rep-
resentatives here, while the Gays, Joys, Gilberts, Gills, and others,
including the once numerous Stephensons, have few or none to
preserve their names and families.

From the close of the French wars to the opening of the Revo-
lution, we know little about the local military. Colonel Lincoln
continued to command the regiment down to about the close of
the war, but under date of January 21, 1762, a list of the com-
missioned officers names Josiali Quincy as colonel, John Thaxter
of Hingham as lieut.-colonel and captain of the first Hingham
company, and Theophilus Gushing, also of this town, as major and
captain of the second Hingham company. The other officers be-
longing here were Joseph Thaxter, — ■ afterwards captain, — and
Caleb Bates, lieutenants, in Lieut. -Colonel Thaxter's company, and

270 History of Hingham.

Samuel Hobart his ensign ; Capt. Pyam Gushing, who succeeded
Major Gushing in the command of the company, and his lieuten-
ant, Robert Garnet, and ensign John Jacob ; Daniel Lincoln,
captain of the third company, with Isaac Lincoln, lieutenant, and
David Tower, Jr., ensign. The fourth Hingham company was
commanded by Thomas Jones, and his lieutenant was Benjamin
Thaxter, with Ebenezer Beale, Jr., for his ensign. The troop of
horse which still existed was officered by David Gushing, captain,
Benjamin Hayden, lieutenant, Jonathan Bass, cornet, and Joseph
Gushing, quartermaster. Soon after, James Humphrey became
first major, and Benjamin Lincoln, Jr., second major of the
regiment.

In 1771 this old command, formed in the early days of the
colony, and so long known as the Third Suffolk, had become the
second regiment, with John Thaxter, colonel, and Benjamin Lin-
coln, lieutenant-colonel. The companies from Hingham were
ofhcered as follows : 1st company, James Lincoln, captain ; Elijah
Lincoln, lieutenant; 2d company, Enoch Whiton, Jr., captain;
Theophilus Wilder, Jr., lieutenant ; 3d company, Isaiah Gushing,
captain ; Peter Gushing, lieutenant ; John Burr, ensign.

There was also a train of artillery attached to this regiment,
which evidently belonged here, as all its officers were from Hing-
ham. They were as follows : Francis Barker, Jr., captain ; Sam-
uel Thaxter, 1st lieutenant ; Jotham Loring, 2d lieutenant ; and
Levi Lincoln, lieutenant-fireworker.

Lieut.-Golonel Lincoln was in command of the regiment at the
opening of the Revolution, and the muster rolls of the day style
it " Gol. Lincoln's," although there is some uncertainty about his
being so commissioned.

In the stirring and exciting events preceding and leading up to
the war between the colonies and Great Britain, Hingham was an
active participant. With that of so many other towns, her history
contributes to the familiar narrative of the great part taken by
Massachusetts in the resistance to tyrannical and oppressive
acts of parliament and king. The names of Hancock, Otis, and
Lincoln have for her more even than the interest elsewhere
surrounding them, for to the families bearing them she feels the
affection and pride belonging to the children of the household.
John Hancock, Major-General, President of Gongress, and Gover-
nor of Massachusetts, was the son of Mary Hawke of Hingham,
who first married Samuel Thaxter, Jr., and then John Hancock, of
Braintree ; while John Otis, the ancestor of the patriot, was one
of the earliest settlers of the town and the possessor of large tracts
of land here, and his descendants resided in Hingham for genera-
tions. Mary Otis, daughter of James the patriot, married the
son of General Lincoln, while other members of the family were
connected by marriage with the Thaxters, Gays, Lincolns, and
Herseys. The Lincolns fill the pages of local and common-

Military History. 271

wealth history with the story of their services in the field, the
town, the halls of legislation, and the council chamber, from
the earliest days to the present time. During the French war
we have seen Benjamin Lincoln, as colonel of his regiment, the
historical Third Suffolk, to which the companies in Hingham had
almost from the settlement of the town been attached, taking an'
active part. He was also for seventeen years a member of his
Majesty's Council, but resigned in 1770, at the time when it was
fast becoming impossible for patriotic Americans to hold longer the
king's commissions. Colonel Lincoln died March 1, 1771, leaving,
among others, the son Benjamin who so worthily filled the place
he long occupied in public estimation and usefulness. The affec-
tion which is felt for the great President Abraham Lincoln, also
a descendant of a Hingham family, has given a national fame to
the name in later years.

As early as September 21, 1768, the town, in response to a cir-
cular from Boston, " chose Joshua Hearsey a committee to join
the committees from the several towns within the province to
assemble at Boston on the 22d of September, current, then and
there to consult such measures as shall be necessary for the pres-
ervation of good order and regularity in the province at this criti-
cal conjuncture of affairs." His instructions were as follows:
" We advise and direct you that you use your endeavors to pre-
serve peace and good order in the province and loyalty to the king ;
that you take every legal and constitutional method for the pres-
ervation of our rights and liberties, and for having redressed these
grievances we so generally complain of and so sensibly feel ; that
all possible care be taken that the troops that should arrive have
provision made for them, so that they be not billeted in private
families, and at so convenient a distance as not to interrupt the
people ; that you encourage the inhabitants to keep up military
duty, whereby they may be in a capacity to defend themselves
against foreign enemies ; and in case you are exposed to any
charges in prosecuting any of the foregoing preparations, we will
repay it, and as these instructions are for your private use, im-
prove them for that purpose and for no other whatever." The
instructions were drawn up by Ezekiel Hearsey, Benjamin Lin-
coln, Jr., and Capt. Daniel Lincoln.

In response to the circular, delegates from sixty-six towns, the
number of whom afterwards increased to ninety-eight, met on tlie
day appointed, and continued in session from day to day until
the 29th, during which they adopted a letter to be transmitted to
the agent of the province in London, and also voted to publish a
result of their conference, in which, while declaring their alle-
giance to the king, they also declared their rights under the char-
ter. March 5, 1770, occurred the event known in American
history as the " Boston Massacre." Without discussing the
events which led up to the riot and bloodshed in King Street on

272 History of Hingham.

that memorable occasion, the fact of Hingham's sympathy with
the people as against the soldiers is perfectly evident from resolu-
tions passed at the annual meeting of that year. They are not to
be found in the town records, but are contained in the following
letter from General Lincoln, then town clerk, to the committee of
merchants : —

Hingham, March 24th, 1770.
To the Geyitlemen the Committee of Merchants in Boston :

Gentlemen, — At the annual meeting of the town of Hingham, on the
19th day of March, a.d. 1770 : Upon a motion being made and seconded
(though omitted in the warrant), the inhabitants, taking into consideration
the distressed circumstances of the people in this and the neighboring
Provinces, occasioned by the late parliamentary acts for raising a revenue
in North America, the manner of collecting the same, and the measures
gone into to enforce obedience to them, and judging that every society and
every individual person are loudly called to exert the utmost of their
ability in a constitutional way to procure a redress of those grievances,
and to secure the privileges by charter conveyed to them, and that free-
dom which they have a right to as men and English subjects, came to the
following votes : —

Voted, That we highly approve of the patriotic resolutions of the mer-
chants of this province not to import goods from Great Britain till the re-
peal of the aforesaid acts ; and viewing it as having a tendency to retrieve
ns from those burdens so much complained of, and so sensibly felt by us,
we will do all in our power in a legal way to support them in carrying
into execution so worthy an undertaking.

Voted, That those few who have imported goods contrary to general
agreement, and counteracted the prudent and laudable efforts of the mer-
chants and traders aforesaid, have thereby forfeited the confidence of their
brethren ; and therefore, we declare that we will not directly or indirectly
have any commerce or dealings with them.

Voted, That we will discourage the use of foreign superfluities among
us, and encourage our own manufactures.

Voted, That we heartily sympathize with our brethren of the town of
Boston, in the late unhappy destruction of so many of their inhabitants,
and we rejoice with them that there yet remains the free exercise of the
civil authority.

Voted, That the town clerk be ordered to transmit a copy hereof to the
committee of merchants in Boston. i

I cheerfully comply with the above order and herewith send you a copy
of the Votes. I am, gentlemen, with great esteem, your most obedient
and most humble servant,

Benjamin Lincoln, Jun'r.

At a meeting held January 11, 1773, a committee consisting of
Bela Lincoln, Benjamin Lincoln, Joseph Thaxter, Jacob Gushing,
and Joshua Hearsey, was appointed to draft instructions to John
Thaxter, the town's representative. This was done on the 13th in
a communication urging him to use his best endeavors for the re-
dress of the grievances under which the province was suffering.

Military History. 273

At tliree o'clock in the afternoon of December 16, 1773,
young Josiah Quincy finished his great speech to the people in
the Old South Meeting-house, and the people reaffirmed the vote
of November 29, that the tea in the ships in Boston harbor
should not be landed. Towards twilight, Mr. Roch, the owner of
one of the vessels, returned from an interview with the Governor,
who was at Milton, with a refusal to permit the ship to leave the
harbor. A warwhoop rang from the gallery of the Old South ;
it was taken up from the outside. The meeting adjourned in
great confusion and the populace flocked toward Griffin's wharf,
near the present Liverpool wharf. Here were moored the " Dart-
mouth," Captain Hall ; the " Eleanor," Captain Bruce ; and the
" Beaver," Captain Coffin. Led by some twenty persons dis-
guised as Mohawk Indians, a party numbering some hundred and
forty boarded the vessels, and in two hours three hundred and forty-
two chests of tea were emptied into the harbor. Among the bold
actors of that night were Amos Lincoln, then twenty years of age,
afterwards a captain in the Revolutionary Army, and a brother
of Lieut.-Gov. Levi Lincoln ; Jared Joy, twenty-four years old,
also a Revolutionary soldier later ; Abraham Tower, just twenty,
subsequently a soldier in Capt. Job Cushing's company ; and
Samuel Sprague of the same age, afterwards the father of Charles
Sprague the poet.

These young men all belonged in Hingham, and their partici-
pation was quite likely the result of an agreement among them
to be in Boston until the question of the landing of the tea should
be settled. It is significant that at least three of them should
have become soldiers in the war for independence which so soon
followed.

The action of this 16th of December was followed by more
papers and letters from the Boston Committee of Correspond-
ence. To these the town responded at the annual meeting by
resolutions declaring, —

" First, That the disposal of their property is the inherent right of
freemen, that there is no property in that which another can of right take
from us without our consent ; that the claim of Parliament to tax America
is, in other words, a claim of right to lay contributions on us at pleasure.

" Secondly, That the duty imposed by Parliament upon tea landed in
America is a tax on the Americans or levying contributions on them
without their consent.

" Thirdly, That the express purpose for which the tax is levied on the
Americans, namely, for the support of government and administration of
justice, and the defence of his Majesty's dominions in America, has a
direct tendency to render assemblies useless, and to introduce arbitrary
government and slavery.

" Fourthly, That a virtuous and steady opposition to the ministerial
plan of governing America is necessary, to preserve even a shadow of
liberty ; and it is a duty which every freeman in America owes to his
country, to himself, and to his posterity,

VOL. I. — 18

274 History of Hingham.

" Fifthly, That the resolution lately come into by the East India Com-
pany, to send out their teas to America subject to the payment of duties
on its being landed here, is an open attempt to enforce the ministerial
plan, and a violent attack on the liberties of America.

"Sixthly, That it is the duty of every American to oppose this
attempt.

" Seventhly, That it affords the greatest satisfaction to the inhabitants
of this town to find that his Majesty's subjects in the American colonies,
and of this province in particular, are so thoroughly awakened to a sense
of their danger, arising from encroachments made on their constitu-
tional rights and liberties, and that so firm a union is established among
them ; and that they will ever be ready to join their fellow subjects
in all laudable measures for the redress of the many grievances we
labor under."

August 17, 1774, the town adopted the following agreement
as reported by a committee : —

" We the subscribers, taking into our serious consideration the present
distressed state of America, and in particular of this devoted province,
occasioned by several late unconstitutional acts of the British Parliament
for taxing Americans without their consent — blocking up the port of
Boston — vacating our charter, that solemn compact between the king
and the people, respecting certain laws of this province, heretofore enacted
by our general court and confirmed by his majesty and his j^redecessors,
we feel ourselves bound, as we regard our inestimable constitution, and
the duty we owe to succeeding generations, to exert ourselves in this
peaceable way, to recover our lost and preserve our remaining privileges,
yet not without grief for the distresses that may hereby be brought upon
our brethren in Great Britain. We solemnly covenant and engage to and
with each other, viz. : 1st, That we will not import, purchase, or consume,
nor suffer any person or persons to, by, for or under us to import, pur-
chase, or consume in any manner whatever, any goods, wares, or mer-
chandise which shall arrive in America, from Great Britain, from and
after the first day of October, one thousand seven hundred and seventy-
four, until our charter and constitutional rights shall be restored ; or until
it shall be determined by the major part of our brethren in this and the
neighboring colonies, that a new importation, or a new consumption
agreement will not effect the desired end ; or until it shall be apparent
that a new importation or new consumption agreement will not be entered
into by this and the neighboring colonies, except drugs and medicines and
such articles, and such only, as will be absolutely necessary in carrying on
our own manufactures.

" 2dly, That in order to prevent, as far as in us lies, any inconveniences
that may arise from the disuse of foreign commodities, we agree that we
will take the most prudent care for the raising and preserving sheep, flax,
&c., for the manufacturing all such woollen and linen cloths as shall be
most useful and necessary ; and that we will give all possible support and
encouragement to the manufactures of America in general."

In September Colonel Lincoln was chosen to attend a Provin-
cial Congress at Concord, and in October the town " recommended

Military History. 275

to the militia ofRcers to assemble their men once in a week and
instruct them in the art of war, &c." In November the collectors
of taxes were directed to pay all moneys collected to Henry
Gardner, Esq., of Stow, appointed treasurer by the Provincial
Congress.

December 26 Colonel Lincoln was again sent to the Provin-
cial Congress to be held in Cambridge. January, 1775, the town
chose a committee to take into consideration the state of the
militia. The members of this committee were Colonel Lincoln,
Enoch Lincoln, Jotham Lincoln, Samuel Norton, Jacob Leavitt,
Samuel Thaxter, and Seth Stowers ; almost every one of whom
served in the army subsequently.

May 24, 1775, Colonel Lincoln was chosen to represent the
town in the Provincial Congress then sitting at Watertown ; and
at the same meeting Benjamin Lincoln, Benjamin Cushing, and
David Cushing were chosen a committee to correspond with other
towns in the province.

July 10 Colonel Lincoln was chosen to represent the town in
the General Court to be held at Watertown on the 19th agreeably
to a resolve of the Continental Congress.

The following are some of the expenditures of the town in this
year 1775 ordered to be paid by Thomas Loring, Treasurer : —

To Jacob Leavitt for making carriage for cannon, timber, &c. 9-0-2
To Capt. Isaiah Cushing Company for exercising as per the

Clerk's Eole made up 4-16-4
To Jacob Leavitt for shop candles, &c., for company 1-1-7
To John Fearing for timber for the cannon 0-9-0
To Capt. Jonses Company for Exercising as pr Roll 2-8-4
To Capt. James Lincolns Company for Exercising and Allow-
ance for house Liquor, Candles 7-6-4
To Capt. Jotham Loring for his Company Exercising Evenings

and the allowance for house candles, &c. 8-0-11 1^

To Adam Stowell for 4 lb. Ball Led 47 18 ll)s Cannon shot® 20 0-4-7
To Joshua Leavitt for 38 lb. Cannon Ball @ 2 6-4

To Jer'' Lincoln for part Capt. Jonses Company Exercising house

room candles, &c. 2-0-4
To Enoch Whiton for part his Company Exercising house room

Candles, &c. 4-11-0
To Theop. Wilder for part of Capt. Whiton Company Exercising

house room Candles, &c. 2-9-8

Adjoining the office of the Secretary of the Commonwealth, in
the old part of the State House in Boston, itself the depository of
some revered historical relics, is a long rather low alcoved room
with several large tables, a case or two of drawers, and many
shelves. A number of persons may always be found here : clerks,
whose duty and pleasure it is to assist the numerous visitors,
students, and writers of history ; men and women curious to see
the old documents ; descendants of revolutionary and provincial

276 History of Hingham.

sires desirous of finding some record of their ancestors, or seek-
ing for a glimpse or perhaps a tracing of an autograph of family
or national celebrity. Well may this quiet apartment be the
mecca for hundreds and thousands of those to whom the story of
their country's settlement and early days comes like a fresh
breeze of earnestness and purpose, of faith and devotion and
bravery. Here such come from the East and the far West alike,
and feel as one must, whether at Lexington or Bunker Hill or
Plymouth, as though on sacred ground. For here the whole
atmosphere seems to breathe of the past ; the Archives of the'
Colony, the Province, and the Commonwealth ; quaint and loved
names of the Puritans and the Pilgrims, and quainter records of
their doings and trials and expeditions ; votes of the deputies,
orders of the magistrates, proclamations of the Royal Governors,
queer old yellow and stained papers written in characters so pecu-
liar as to require a special knowledge to decipher them ; copies or
originals of the famous Hutchinson papers ; correspondence with
the French authorities in Canada or the Pilgrim governor in
Plymouth ; a treaty with some famous Indian sachem ; an account
of a pirate ship, or an order for the hanging of its lawless chief ;
a report of Captain Church, or a rumor of Myles Standish ; laws
for the regulation of religion, the promotion of education, the
encouragement of commerce ; letters of Winthrop, of Dudley, of
Harry Vane ; appointments to the command and grants of men
and money for the attempts against Nova Scotia and Louisburg
and Canada ; victories and feastings and fastings ; the story of
Acadia and the wanderers, crudely and disjointedly told in various
papers ; more letters and signatures, but now of Washington
and Franklin, of Knox and Hancock and Adams and Lincoln and
Warren ; committees of safety and their doings ; conflicts with Brit-
ish sailors and officials and soldiers ; preparations for the Revolu-
tion and commissions for its officers, — all these and many more are
to be found here, with papers whose contents are hardly yet known,
and affording doubtless rich stores of original research and infor-
mation for the historian. Here too are great, unwieldy volumes
filled with the muster rolls of the officers and men who served
their king against the French in the North, the Spaniard in the
Main, the Indian in the forest ; who fought too, when the time
came, the king and his redcoats from Boston to Yorktown, and
his Hessian allies at Stillwater and Trenton and Pi-inceton. We
may read — sometimes in a hand, and oftentimes in a spelling,
that almost silences criticism — the signatures of our grandfathers
or great-grandfathers to receipts of money or supplies ; and we may
proudly follow the record of their devoted services through year
after year of warfare and privation in their struggle for freedom
and nationality. Among the bound papers we should find a sur-
prising number, filling indeed three large books, numbered 11, 12,
13, known as the " Lexington Alarm Rolls." These contain

Military History. 277

not alone the names of the brave men of Lexington and Concord
and Acton and the other towns whose sons were actually engaged
and some of whom laid down their lives in the first battle of
the Revolution, but also those of the equally brave from remoter
places who hastened toward the field of conflict at the first note
of alarm, and who rightly share in the honor and glory of the vic-
tory of that 19th of April and the service that immediately fol-
lowed. The rolls of these companies are very numerous, there
being in fact several hundred of them, of which four tell the story
of what Hingham did in the dawning of the eight years' conflict.
'Of these troops, there appear to have been three foot-companies,
or what would now be termed infantry, and one — that com-
manded by Captain Loring — artillery, then termed the "Train."
Probably all were attached to Colonel Lincoln's command.

Omitting the details of expense, pay, and some other items of
little or no interest, an exact copy of the rolls of these companies
is here given : —

A true return of the travel and time of Service of the men under
my Command in Col. Benj. Lincoln's Regiment Assembled the
19th April, 1775 : —

Isaiah Cushing, Capt. Joshua Loring,

Jacob Leavitt, Lieut. Othniel Stodder,

Charles Cushing, Lieut. David Wilder,

Jacob Cushing, Jr., Serj., Caleb Brimhall,

Isaac Sprague, Jr., " Thomas Burr,

Shubael Fearing, " Sam Burr,

Thos. Jones, Jr., " Benj. Sprague, Jr.,

Amos Sprague, Corp., Sam Lazell,
David Burr, " Fearing,

John Blossom, " Thomas King,

John Burr, Jr., " Jos. Leavitt,

Levi Burr, Drum, Benj. Barnes, Jr.,

Peter Hersey, " " Benj. Cushing, Jr.

John Lincoln, Jared Lane,

Seth Briggs, Jacob Thaxter,

Sam Leavitt, Abner Lorina:.

David Sprague,
On the back is the followina; :

Isaiah Cushing.

Suffolk ss.

Decern. 11, 1775. Then Capt. Isaiah Cushing Subscriber to
this Roll personally made oath to the truth of it.

Col. Benj. Lincoln, Jus. peace.

Examined and compared with the original.

Edw** Rawson ] -^
Jonas Dix ( ^°^-

278

History of Hingham.

In Council, Apr 16th, 1776, read & allow'd & ordered that
a warrant be drawn on the Treasury for 11. 2. 8. in full of this
roll. John Lowell Dpy Sec'^ S. T.

The other rolls have similar indorsements.

It appears also from details not here given in full, that this
company was in service three days at this time, and travelled
thirty-six miles.

A, true return of the travel and time of Service of those men
under my command in Col. Benj. Lincoln's Regiment assembled
the 19th of April, a. d. 1775. James Lincoln.

James Lincoln, Capt".
Isaac Lincoln, 1st Lieut.,
Nath Lincoln, 2d "
Joseph Beal, Sergt.,
Knight Sprague, "
Heman Lincoln, "
Noah Hersey, "

Elijah Beal, Corp.

Tho. Marsh, Jr., ''
Isaiah Lincoln, "
Bradford Hersey, "
Zadock Hersey, Drum,
Reub Hersey, Fife,
Jas Lincoln, Jr., "
Tho. Waterman, Jr.,
Tho. Marsh,
Jacob Beal,
Zerub Hersey,
Abijah Hersey,
Tho' Stoddard,
Jacob Stoddard,
Barn^ Lincoln,
Josh Stowell,

Jere Hersey, Jr.
Gilb Hersey,
Step Lincoln,
Bela Stowell,
David Beal, Jr.,
Jesse Dunbar,
Jona

Benj Beal,
Jon^ Lincoln,
Roy all Lincoln,
Jesset Bates,
Joseph Blake,
John Hobart,
Isaiah Hersey,
Nathan Stodder,
Japhet Hobart,
John Souther,
John Beal,
Levi Lincoln,
Jere Lincoln,
Sam Todd,
Nat Fearino-.

Hingham, Dec. 5, 1775. Then Capt. James Lincoln made oath
to the foregoing list.

Before me Benj. Cushing, Js. peace.

This company was in service thirteen days and travelled thirty-
six miles " from and to home."

A true return of the travel and time of Service of the men
under my Command in Col° Benj'' Lincoln s Regt Assembled 19
April, 1775 : —

Enoch Whiton, Capt.,
Theop. Wilder, Lieut.

Josiah Lane, 2 Lieut.,
Elias Whiton, Serg.,

Military History.

279

Sam Gardner, Serg.,
Jacob Sprague, Corp.,
Ezra Garnett, fif,
Reuben Sprague, drum,
Jon* Whiton,
Jacob Dunbar,
Josh Garnett,
Theo Gushing,
Amasa Whiton,
SoP Whiton,
Tho' Gushing,
Garnett 3d,

Abijah Whiton,
Benj Whiton, Jr.,
Zenas Wilder,
Jere Gardner,
Heze Ripley,
Abel Whiton,
Ezek Whiton,
Nat Damon,
Melzer Dunbar,
Daniel Wilder,
Math Tower,
David Loring.

Enoch Whiton, Capt.

Suffolk, Dec. 11, 1775. Then Gapt. Enoch Whiton
Subscriber to this roll personally made oath to the truth of it.

Gol. Benj. Lincoln, Jus. peace.

This company was in service three days, and travelled forty-two
miles.

A List of the Gompany of Train belonging to Hingham under
the command of Gapt. Jotham Loring, April 19, 1775 : —

Jotham Loring, Capt.
Seth Stowers, Lieut.

Tho^ Fearing, 2d "
Isaac Gushing, 3d "
David Gushing, 4 "
Hawkes Hobart, Sergt.,
Daniel Gushing, "
EdW^ Wilder, "

Elijah Whitton, "
Isaac Hearsey, Corp.,
Joseph Wilder, "
Moses Sprague, "
Edmund Hobart, "
Josh* Tower, Private,
Tho' Gushing, "
Laban Tower, "

Moses Whitton, "
Abijah Lewis, "

Jonath" Hearsey, "
Joseph Tower, "
Abijah Lewis, Jr., "
Seth Sprague, "

Joseph "

Zechariah Whitton, "

Signed

Sam' Gill, Private,

Israel Hearsey,
Bela Tower,
Theodore French,
Jonathan French,
Stephen Stoddard,
Jesse Sprague,
Nathan Gilbert,
Nehem; Ripley,
Stephen Tower,
Elijah Lane,
Jesse Gardner,
John Jones,
Nath^ Sprague,
Allen Lapham,
Benj" Joy,
John Sprague,
James Tower,
Job Curtis,
Abraham Whitton,
Isaak Stoddard,
Benj" Ward,
Joseph Sprague,
Bela Gushing. •'

Jotham Loeing.

280 History of Hingham.

This was endorsed : Capt. Jotham Lorings Billeting Roll

at Hiuo-ham in 1775.
£18. 10. 8

These men also were in service thirteen days.

1
I

Four companies, numbering in all one hundred and fifty-four
men, marched from the old town on that bright April morning
when the grass was already long enough to be waving in the soft
spring breeze and the cherries were white in the glory of their
blossoms. The occasion and the scene were never to be pre-
cisely re-enacted. On the night of the 18th Revere and Dawes
had left Boston, and commenced their famous ride, alarming the
inhabitants to the north of that town. Messengers were sent to
the surrounding country, and the response was so prompt that in
the records of the killed and wounded on the 19th, names appear
of persons from no less than twenty-three places.

We seem to hear again the rush and clatter of the hurrying
horseman through Weymouth and into our own streets, and the
startling cry " To arms ! " " To arms ! " We seem to see our
forefathers as they gather on the company training-fields at
South Hingham, the Lower Plain, and Broad Bridge, while Levi
Burr, Peter Hearsey, Reuben Sprague,and Zadoc Hersey wake the
sleepers with the continual roll of their drums, and the cheerful
notes of the fifes in the hands of Ezra Garnett and Reuben Her-
sey sound the reveille of the period. But this is no holiday
parade these men are engaged in, and there is little of the pageantry
of war in the gathering of these earnest, sober country farmers
and mechanics and sailors. The call has not been entirely unex-
pected, however, and the companies move out for their long march
with full ranks, their bright silk colors gleaming red in the sun-
light, and the veterans of the Canada campaigns at their head.
We do not forget, as we watch them leading their men, — Captain
Loring with his artillery lumbering along the uneven roads, or
Captain Lincoln with his large company of down-town foot, — that
their names became familiar long ago on the rolls of those who,
under Samuel Thaxter or Edward Ward or Ebenezer Beal or
Joseph Blake, bravely fought in his Majesty's service ; and the
sight of Seth Stowers recalls the sad scenes around Fort William
Henry on the bloody morning of the terrible August day in 1757.
When these men, and many another now again in the ranks,
marched out of Hingham ten years earlier, the commander of the
regiment to which they belonged was Benjamin Lincoln ; now
too, their colonel's name is Benjamin Lincoln ; he is the son of
their old commander, and is destined to become for all time
Hingham's most famous citizen.

Too remote from the field of battle to have made active par-
ticipation in the conflict possible to her organized military.

Military History. 281

Hingham still has, by a fortunate circumstance, the proud dis-
tinction of being among the towns represented on that memorable
day. Joseph Thaxter, a great-grandson of Col. Samuel Thaxter,
and a graduate of Harvard College, was preaching as a candidate
for the ministry at Westford, when he heard of the approach of
the British troops towards Lexington. Hastening to Concord on
horseback, armed with a brace of pistols, he was among those who
received the enemy's fire at Concord Bridge. He was subsequently
appointed a chaplain in the army, and was attached to Colonel
Prescott's regiment at the time of the battle at Breed's Hill,
which is known in history as the battle of Bunker Hill, and in
which he is said to have participated. Latei- he was chosen
as a representative in the General Court from Hingham, but
resigned for active service in the army, where we shall here-
after meet him. Mr. Thaxter participated in the ceremonies
of the 17th of June, 1825, at the laying of the corner-stone of
the Bunker-Hill monument, being at that time the only surviv-
ing chaplain of the Revolutionary army. He died at Edgartown
in 1827.

Although but a short time in the field, the value of the ser-
vice rendered by these and other companies which responded
to the Lexington alarm, can scarcely be over-estimated. Com-
paratively few were able to reach the battle-ground and partici-
pate in the glory and renown of the victory, but its fruits were
yet to be secured, and to the men who marched on that memor-
able morning and then remained patiently on duty until an army
could be raised and posted, is due much of the credit for the ulti-
mate success. In the mean time the British were to be watched,
and any aggressive movement on their part to be met and frus-
trated. These companies were encamped near and about Boston,
virtually commencing even then its siege, and effectually guard-
ing the military stores in the towns near by. Within a very few
days after the battle of Lexington, the Provincial Congress of
Massachusetts met at Watertown, and took measures to raise a
large permanent army composed of twenty-eight regiments num-
bering between thirteen and fourteen thousand men. To each
soldier, as a bounty, there was promised a coat upon his enlist-
ment, and the towns were ordered to furnish thirteen thousand
coats. In vols. 56 and 57 at the State House, and known as the
" Coat Rolls," are to be found the names of the officers and men
composing this force, which was enlisted for eight months, and
served from early in May to January of the following year ; the
enlistment of some of the companies is said to have dated from
the 19th of April. These with a few regiments from Connecti-
cut, Rhode Island, and New Hampshire, composed the greater
part of the army which maintained the siege of Boston. It was
stationed at Dorchester, Roxbury, Cambridge, Watertown, and
other places near the base of operations. General Ward was in

282

History of Hingham.

command until the appointment of Washington. Among the
regiments was the 25th, commanded by Gen. Wm. Heath, one of
whose companies was from Hingham. The roll of this command,
however, speaks of it as being " in ye 36th Regt. of Foot in ye
Continental Army, Encamp'd in Fort No. 2."
It is as follows : —

Charles Cushing, Capt.,

Elias Whiton, Lieut.,

Zadoc Hearsey,

Private,

Benjamin Beal, Ensign,

David Hearsey,

u

Sam' Gill, Sergeant,

James Hayward,

Jr., "

John Lincoln, "

Japheth Hobart,

u

Isaiah Hersey, "

Daniel Hearsey,

a

Moses Sprague, "

Benj" Joy,

a

Abijah Whiton, "

Elisha Lane,

u

John Burr, Corporal,

Urban Lewis,

a

John Blossom, "

Abisha Lewis,

u

Chris'^ Kilby,

David Loring,

a

Tho^ Marsh, "

Josh" Loring,

a

Nath' Dill, Fife,

Lot Marsh,

a

Jon" Hearsey, Drum,

Hez'' Ripley,

u

Abel Barns, Private,

John Ripley,

" Scituate,

James Bates, "

John Roberts,

" Boston,

Tho' Bangs, "

Jacob Stodder,

a

Seth Brigs, "

Othniel Stodder,

u

Caleb Brimhall, "

Stephen Stodder,

a

Job Curtis, "

Josh'' Stowel,

a

Tho^ Chubbuck, "

David Sprague,

a

James Cooke, "

Israel Stowel,

a

Jesse Dunbar, "

Joseph Sprague,

a

Melzar Dunbar, "

Reuben Stodder,

a

Jacob Dunbar, "

Hozea Stodder,

a

John Dill, "

Allin Simmonds,

ii

Josh^ Dunbar, "

Seth Wilder,

a

Jon" French, "

David Wilder,

a

Jacob Gardner, "

Abel Whiton,

a

Ezra Gardner, "

Hozea Whiton,

u

James Hayward, "

David Gardner

a

The roll of another company also belonging to this command is
here given, although its members for the most part came from
that section of the old town which, formerly composing the
Second Precinct, had within a few years been set off as the town
of Cohasset. Its captain subsequently commanded a Hingham
company, and so large a proportion of the men composing it
afterwards served either upon Hingham's rolls or in connection
with her recruits, that it seems desirable to incorporate their
names in this place : —

Military History.

283

Job Gushing, Capt.,
Nath" Nichols, 1st Lieut,
Josiah Parker, 2d "

Eleazer James, Sergeant,

Gideon Howard, "

Isaac Burr, "

Peter Nichols, "

Abraham Tower, Corporal

Adna Bates, "

James Bates, "

Bela Nichols, "

Levi Tower, Drum,

William Stodder, Fife,

Elisha Bates, Private,

Jonathan Bates, "

Josiah Bates, "

Zealous Bates, "

Ephraim Battles, "

Jared Battles, "

Joshua Beal, "

Saml Beal, "

Amos Brown, "

Calvin Cushing, "

Obed Dunbar, "

George Humphrey "

Benja Jacob, "

Jared Joy,
Melzer Joy,
John Kilby,
Richard Kilby,
John Kilby, Jr.,

Galen Lincoln, private,

Joram Lincoln, "

Charle Luneand, "

Joseph Neal, "

Caleb Nichols, «

Daniel Nichols, "

Eben^ Orcutt, «

Ephr'" Orcutt, "

Luke Orcutt, "

Hough Orcutt, «

Joshua Oakes, "

Saml Oakes, «

Caleb Pratt, "

Oliver Prichard, "

Richard Prichard, "

Elisha Stephenson, "

Luke Stephenson, "

John Sutton, "

Joseph Souther, "

James Stodder, "

Benj. Stutson, "

Reuben Thorn, "

Jesse Tower, "

Isaac Tower, "

Jesse Warrick, "

John Whitcomb, "
Gersham Wheelwright, "

Benja Woodward. "

Mr. Lincoln, in his " Centennial Address," says that Capt. Jo-
tham Loring and company served in Colonel Greaton's regiment
at Roxbury, until June 22, when Lieut. Charles Cushing was ap-
pointed captain, and that the company served until the close of
the year. It is certain that both this and Captain Job Cushing's
company were in General Heath's regiment as before stated, but
it is also probable that Colonel Greaton was an earlier commander.
Most of the company re-enlisted for a year's service from Jan-
uary 1, 1776, and after the evacuation of Boston, it marched to
New York, where it embarked for Albany, arriving there April
25. May 21 it reached Montreal. General Montgomery had
already been killed in the unsuccessful attack on Quebec, and
soon after the American army was driven out of Canada. Mr.
Lincoln's list of the men engaged in this unfortunate expedition
is as follows : —

284 History of Hingham.

Charles Gushing, Capt.,

Benjamin Beal, Lieut.,

John Lincohi, Ensign,

Moses Sprague, Thomas Marsh,

Abijah Whiton, Joseph Sprague,

Christopher Kiiby, Israel Stowell,

Jonathan Hearsey, Luke Hunt,

Jacob Gardner, ^ Daniel Sprague,

Hosea Stodder, Joseph Whiton,

Joshua Ripley, Abel Whiton,

Luther Gardner, Thomas Bangs,

Elijah Gardner, Thomas Chubbuck, Jr.,

Noah Hobart, Othniel Stodder,

Jesse Dunbar, Joshua Stowell,

Lot Marsh, . Peter Whiton,

Joshua Dunbar, Joseph Lincoln,

Reuben Stodder, Jr., Nathaniel Stodder,

David Hersey, Joseph Hill,

Israel Whiton, James Hayward, Jr.,

William Spooner, Daniel Cain,

Levi Gardner, Seth Stowell,

Obadiah Stowell, Issachar Stowell,

and five others who received a bounty from the town, but whose
names have not been ascertained. Mr. George Lincoln says that
Samuel Whiten was in the Canada expedition in Capt. Charles
Cushing's company, and it is probable that his is one of the
missing names. Another may have been Hosea Whiton, who is
known to have died in the attempt on Canada. After the re-
treat of the army from Canada, Captain Cushing's company was
probably stationed for a time at Ticonderoga, and here on the 1st
of August Joseph Whiton, one of his privates, died.

Capt. Charles Gushing was a descendant of one of the first
settlers of Hingham. Besides efficient military service in the
Revolution, he held many civil offices, and represented the town
in both the House and the Senate. He was known later in life
as Colonel Gushing. His home was at Hingham Centre.

Capt. Job Gushing was a distant connection of Captain Charles,
and commanded a company largely recruited in the second pre-
cinct, now Cohasset, where he resided.

Mr. George Lincoln is authority for the statement that Perez
Gardner was with Arnold in the march through the forests of
Maine in 1775, which had its termination in the disastrous
attack and defeat of the American forces at Quebec on the 31st of
December.

During the siege of Boston both Hingham and Hull were gar-
risoned posts of the American army. The troops at the former
place during at least a portion of the time, consisted of Capt.

Military History. 285

James Lincoln's company, which was, it is said, posted at Crow
Point for some eight months on its first enlistment. It was
probably enlisted under the Coat resolves of the Provincial Con-
gress, and served from about May, 1775, until 1776. The posi-
tion was a commanding one and well suited to protect the town
from any small force which the enemy might send either to de-
stroy it, or to forage for hay or provisions. It should be stated,
however, in this connection, that while tradition has located this
command at Crow Point, a situation so advantageous in a military
view as almost to carry conviction of its correctness, there is
nearly indisputable evidence that for a time at least, the exact
post was nearer the town, upon Broad Cove, and probably upon
the soutli side where is now the Cadet Camp ground. The com-
pany was subsequently posted at the Cove.

In the Commonwealth's archives are the following papers : —

To the Hon^^ Council S^ House of Representatives of the State of Mas-
sachusetts Bay assembled at Watertown :

Your petitioners humbly show that whereas Requisition was made of
the selectmen of Hingham to provide Barracks sufficient for the Recep-
tion of a Company of Soldiers eiiiployed for the Defence of this our State,
commanded part of the time by Capt. James Lincoln & part of the time
by Capt. Seth Stowers, your petitioners having complyed with the afors'^
Requisition and engaged Barracks for said company the cost of which we
have here annexed together with the cost of Building a Guardhouse, pray
your Honors to consider of the matter and order that we may have the
money for which we stand engaged.

From your ever Dutiful petitioners,

Ti ^ ) Selectmen

Benj. Cushing ( ^j?

) Hingham.

Hingham, 27th August, 1776.

The State of the Massachusetts Bay to the town of Hingham Dr.
To Barracks for Capt Lincoln Company at Broad Cove 8^

months " 7_13_4

To Do for said Company at the town Cove six months 8-0-0

To 138 feet timber 350 feet Board i in Board & i in Shingle nails ? i ■. i ■,

114 in shingles carting the same 3^ miles for a guard house j
To 300 feet Board & 300 Board nails for making Cobbins in

the Barracks 0-17-9

Benj. Cushing [_
Joseph Andrews

£18 3 0
) Selectmen
of

) Hingham.

This account was examined, allowed, and paid, and was re-
ceived by Enoch Lincoln on an order from the town.
The roll of this company is as follows : —

286

History of Hingham.

A Muster Roll of the Independent Company Stationed at
Hingham Commanded by James Lincoln to the 1 January 1776 :

James Lincoln, Capt.,
Seth Stowers, Lieut.,

Knight Sprage, 2d "
Elijah Lewis, Sergeant,

Noah Hearsey, "

Elijah Beal, Jun., "

Jonathan Lincoln, Jun. "
Caleb Leavitt, Corporal,
John Souther, "

Joseph Wilder, "

Thomas Stodder, '•
Stephen Stowel, Jr., Drum,
James Lincoln, Jr., Fifer,
Barnabas Lincoln, Private,
David Beal, Jun., "

Samuel Godfrey, "

John Marsh, Jun., "

Nath" Stodder, Jun., "
Jotham Lincoln, "

Jonathan Cain, "

Joseph Andrews, Jun., "
Royal Lincoln, "

Athanasius Lewis, "

Noah Hobart, "

Stephen Lincoln, Jun., "
John Hobart, Jun., "
Peter Hearsey, "

Bela Stowel, "

Jesse Humphrey, "

Timothy "

Daniel Hobart, "

Joseph Basset, "

Samuel Lincoln, Jr., Private,

Laban Thaxter, "

Joseph Blake, Jr., "

Jeremiah Hearsey, Jr., "

Laban Stodder, "

Joseph Jones, "

Heman Lincoln, "

Daniel Cain, "

John Hearsey, "

William Lewis, "

Nath" Tower, "

Isaac Gardner, "

Obediah Stowel, "

Lab Hunt, "

Ephraim Marsh, "

Luke Bates, Kohasset, "
Josiah Godfrey, Abbing-

town, "

James Hobart, "

Peter Whiting, "

Levi Burr, "

Joshua Leavitt, "

Levi Gardner, "

Stephen Whiting, "

Israel Whiting, "

James Tower, "

William Spooner, ''

Thomas Wilder, "

John Sprage, "

Stephen Tower, "
Samuel Stodder, Scituate,"

Robert Gardner. "

Captain Lincoln's company, with additions and changes in its
memioership, also served, perhaps on a new enlistment, from
January 1, 1776, to probably some part of July and very possibly
for a much longer period. The rolls give only partial information.
The Journal of the House of Representatives speaks of it as one of
four independent companies in the service. Caleb Leavitt be-
came 2d lieutenant in January, and was promoted to be 1st lieu-
tenant during the month, when Noah Hearsey became 2d lieuten-
ant ; at the same time Thomas Stodder, Ephraim Marsh, John
Sprague, and Japheth Hobart were made sergeants, and Nathaniel
Tower, Abner Bates of Weymouth, and Jeremiah Hearsey, cor-
porals. The following names are those of men who served under
the later enlistment, together with many of the earlier members :

Military History.

287

Japheth Hobart, Sergeant,
Abner Bates, Corporal,

Jeremiah Hearsey, "
Thomas Marsh, Private,

Joshua Beal, "

Ezekiel Lincoln, "

Samuel Lazel, "

Isaiah Lincoln, "

Samuel Todd, "

James Beal, "

John Stodder, "

Benjamin Barns, "

Daniel Barker, "

Stephen Mansfield, "

Samuel Leavitt, "

Moses Whiting, "

Elijah Whiting, "

Jacob Whiting, "

Jonathan Thaxter, "

John Marsh, Jun., "

Thomas Gill, "

Frederick Lincoln, "

Athanasius Lewis, "

EKsha Bates, "

Peter Wilder, "

Joshua Gardner, "

Elijah Stowers, "

Isaac Gross, Private,

John Hearsey, Jr., "

Nehemiah Sprague, "

Elisha Lane, "

Jeremiah Hearsey, "

Rufus Tower, "

Welcome Lincoln, "

John Hunt, "

John Barnes, "

Samuel Low, "

Joseph Hobart, "

Samuel Loring, "

Caleb Leavitt, Jr., "

Edmund Hobart, "
Benjamin Stowel, Jr., "

David Loring, "

David Gardner, "

James Haward, "

Ezra Gardner, "

Jonathan Froraks, "

James Chubbuck, "

Laban Tower, "

James Bates, "

Timothy Shave, "

Peter Hobart, "
Zerubbable Hearsey, "

also Elijah Levit and Jesse Humphrey " fifteen days after going
to Roxbury," where they probably served in some other command.

Capt. James Lincoln, it may be remembered, was not only a
soldier in the last war with France, but was one of the captains
who marched at the first call to arms at the Lexington alarm.
He resided on South Street. Lieut. Seth Stowers, who succeeded
to the charge of this company and commanded the post at Hing-
ham for a while, was also a veteran, and narrowly escaped the
massacre at Fort William Henry. Later in the Revolution Cap-
tain Stowers was stationed with his company for many months at
Hull, and also commanded it in one of the Rhode Island expe-
ditions. Lieut. Knight Sprague was likewise one of the Fort
William Henry soldiers.

Among the few royalists or tories living in Hingham at the
opening of the Revolution, were Capt. Joshua Barker, then an
elderly and respected citizen who had held a commission in the
king's army, and served many years in the wars of his sovereign,
and who could hardly have been expected to abandon the colors
to which the allegiance of the best part of his life had been de-
voted, and Elisha Leavitt who occupied the stately old-fashioned
mansion which, one of the then attractions of the town, with its

288 History of Hingham.

tapestries and grand tiled fireplaces, stood some twenty years
since upon the present site of the Catholic Church.

In this house there was a blind passage to which a secret door
gave entrance, and here it was that Nathaniel Ray Thomas and
other tories from Marshfield were concealed during a search made
for them by the Committee of Safety, and from which they were
subsequently successfully smuggled, by water, to Boston. It is
said that a mob gathered about Leavitt's house at one time for the
purpose of doing violence to his person, and that he diverted them
by rolling out a barrel of rum and dispensing its contents liber-
ally. Be this as it may, there seems to be no doubt that Leavitt
was more than passively opposed to the cause of his countrymen,
and that he supplied the English with hay and vegetables, and
probably cattle. He owned or controlled Grape Island lying a
little north of the town, about opposite to Huit's Cove and the
point upon which Bradley's phosphate works now stand at the
mouth of Weymouth Back River. Upon the island was a large
quantity of hay and a number of cattle belonging undoubtedly to
Leavitt ; and here on the morning of Sunday, May 21, 1775, came a
body of troops from Boston, accompanied and conveyed by two
sloops and an armed schooner. The expedition had for its object
the hay and other supplies stored there ; but its approach created
considerable alarm in the towns in the neighborhood, where the
fear of a descent caused the hasty loading upon wagons and carts
of the furniture and household effects of numbers of the inhabi-
tants preparatory to removal to places of safety. In the mean
time the bells rang and guns were fired and a general alarm
given. The militia rapidly gathered, and General Thomas, who
commanded at Roxbury, ordered three companies of the troops in
his division to the assistance of the inhabitants. The old people
of fifty years ago, used to tell of the march of the military down
Broad Cove Lane, now Lincoln Street, on the way to oppose the
British landing, then momentarily expected. The troops thus
referred to were undoubtedly militia from this and adjoining
towns. It is probable, however, that Capt. James Lincoln's com-
pany which was enlisted as early as tlie fifth of the month and
whose camp was at or near Crow Point, was the principal organ-
ized force on the spot. Companies immediately marched, however,
from Weymouth, Abington, and Scituate, in addition to those from
Hingham. From the diary of Paul Litchfield, of Scituate, we get
the following : " May 21. Just before meeting began in morning,
hearing the King's troops were landing near Hingham the people
in general dispersed, so no meeting. About 100 Regulars landed
at Grape Isl to get hay." From the point nearest the island a
fire, which was returned from the schooner, was directed against
the English. The distance however was too great for small arms
to be effective, and it was not until the flood tide had covered the
flats that the Americans were enabled to float a lighter and a
sloop and drive off the enemy. Having done this, they landed on

Military History. 289

the island, burned the barn and about eighty tons of hay, and
brought off the cattle. Mrs. John Adams, writing to her husband,
then in the Continental Congress, of the affair says : " You in-
quire of me who were at the engagement at Grape Island. I may
say with truth, all of Weymouth, Braintree, Hingham, who were
able to bear arms, and hundreds from other towns within twenty,
thirty, forty miles of Weymouth." She adds high praise of sev-
eral of her husband's family who were participants. This skir-
mish may perhaps fairly give to Hingham the coveted distinction
of being one of the battle-grounds of the Revolution ; for although
the island itself lies within the jurisdiction of Weymouth, a part
of the shores opposite, from which much of the firing undoubt-
edly came, are in Hingham. There can be no difficulty in recog-
nizing the beautiful point at Huit's Cove just at the mouth of
Weymouth Back River, as the place of assembly and seat of oper-
ations for our forefathers on that Sabbath morning in the spring
of 1775, almost exactly a month after the fight at Lexington,
toward which the same company under the same commander had
so promptly marched. It is more than likely that the main
attack upon the English was by Hingham and Weymouth com-
panies operating in Hingham. It is said that the Weymouth and
Abington companies compelled Leavitt to provide entertainment
for them during the day ; had his connection with the enemy been
fully known at the time, it is quite certain that he would have
fared far worse.

If our small bit of the war was insignificant compared to the
greater events, it still furnished one of the incidents of no little
importance at the time in the valuable experience of meeting the
enemy and of gaining a victory, the size of which was not suffered
to diminish in the current reports ; and it is of value to us now
for its service in bringing our town and our people into closer
touch with their fellow-citizens of the Revolution. There were,
however, comparatively few of the striking events of the Revolu-
tion, without participants from Hingham.

It has already been said that when Colonel Prescott and his
brave men beat back, until their powder was gone, the red ranks
on Bunker Hill that memorable 17th of June, the chaplain of his
regiment was our fighting parson of the engagement at Concord
Bridge, Joseph Thaxter. But he was not the town's sole repre-
sentative at the battle, for Jairus Lincoln and Joseph Bates also
bore a part and shared in the glory of the day, the latter laying
down his life upon the field, in the honored company of General
Warren and many another hero of the great fight.

Besides the names of men already given as serving in 1775,
there are the following : William Owens, — a member of Capt.
Freedom Chamberlin's Pembroke company in Gen. John Thomas's
regiment, and who was transferred to Capt. Ezra Badlam's com-
pany in Col. Richard Gridley's regiment of "Train," June 11, —
Benjamin Lincoln, also of Captain Chamberlin's company, and

VOL. I. 19

290 History of Hingham.

Nahum Davis, of Capt. Jonathan Bardwell's company in Col.
David Brewer's regiment. Davis also entered the artillery in June.

Marsh Lewis's name appears on the rolls of both Capt. Daniel
Lothrop's company and Capt. Eleazar Hamlin's company in
Thomas's regiment. Josiah Oakes appears as a lieutenant in
Capt. Job Cushing's company of Heath's regiment ; he must have
held his commission a short time only.

On the 15th of June, 1775, the Continental Congress voted to
adopt, under the name of the Continental Army, the troops of the
several provinces then constituting the provincial army operating
about Boston ; and on the 16th Washington was chosen its com-
mander-in-chief. This organization, to which reinforcements and
new regiments were added from time to time, was quite different
in its constitution from the force raised under a resolve of Sep-
tember 16, 1776, known as the Continental Line. This latter
body constituted during the remainder of the struggle the main
reliance and hope of the Americans ; it was indeed the backbone
of the army, and corresponded to the regulars of subsequent times.

Under the resolve, eighty-eight battalions were to be raised for
service during the war ; of this number Massachusetts furnished
and placed in the field no less than sixteen of infantry and one of
artillery, — exceeding her quota, which required but fifteen. We
shall hereafter see many Hingham names on the rolls of these
never-to-be-forgotten regiments.

The summer of 1775 and the succeeding winter wore away and
still the siege of the New England town went on. The expira-
tion of short enlistments, and the habit which seems to have pre-
vailed among the militia belonging to at least certain of the
provinces, of leaving the camp for home almost at will, caused
sudden depletions in the American ranks, which were both alarm-
ing and exasperating to Washington and to the authorities gener-
ally. The Provincial Congress of Massachusetts during its win-
ter session reorganized the militia of the province. Tliree major-
generals were appointed, and thirteen regiments formed, of which
ten arrived in camp early in February ; besides these there were
several thousand minute men held in reserve and ready to march
when called upon. By an order in council passed in February,
the companies in Weymouth, Hingham, Cohasset, and Hull were
organized as the Second Suffolk regiment ; thus the old regi-
ment dating from the days of Winthrop and Dudley and which
had been commanded by them, by Col. Wm. Stoughton, by Josiah
Quincy, by our own John Thaxter, and both Benjamin Lincoln
and Benjamin Lincoln, Jr., ceased to exist. The new command
was, however, practically the same as the old, whose designation,
it may be recalled, had already been changed from the Third
Suffolk to the Second Suffolk, although Braintree, so long united
with us, no longer composed a part of the regiment. Solomon
Lovell was the new colonel, and Benjamin Lincoln, who had re-
cently commanded the regiment, and who had been untiring in his

Military History.

291

services to the country from the commencement of the war, was
chosen brigadier-general on February 8, and major-general just
one month later. The other regimental officers were David
Gushing, lieut.-colonel ; Thomas Lothrop, 1st major ; Isaiah Gush-
ing, 2d major.

March 4th General Thomas with two thousand men took pos-
session of Dorchester Heights, and immediately constructed strong
works as laid out by Golonel Gridley. At this time the army was
reinforced by a portion of the militia. From Hingham there
marched three companies ; they were all from Golonel Lovell's
command, and were placed in the works at Dorchester. The
rolls are as follows : —

Tho' Hearsey,
Levi Lincoln,

, Gapt.,
1st Lieut.,

Joseph Beal,
Seth Lincoln, Sergt.,

2 "
Galeb Hobart,

Jesse Bates, "

Daniel Hobart,

Joshua Lincoln, "

Nath' Stodder,

Ezra French,

Benj. Ward,

Sam' Norton, Clerk,

Tho' Waterman, jun.,

Tho' Marsh, Jr., Gorp.,

Elisha Remington, jun.,

John Gill,

Nath' Lincoln,

Jacob Beal, "
Stephen Stodder, "

Bradford Hearsey,
Nath^ Gill,

Isaac Sprague, Drum,

James Leavitt,

David Andrews, Filer,

John Beal, jun..

Joseph Hammond,

Gilbert Hearsey,

Elijah Waters, jun.,
Mitch el Lincoln,

Joseph Stockbridge,
Sam^ Hobart,

Ezra Lincoln,

Barnabas Lincoln,

Isaac Gardner,

Welcome Lincoln,

Nath* Fearing,

Theodore French,

John Hobart, Jun.,

Jon* French, Jun.,

James Hobart,

Joseph Blake.

Hawkes Fearing, Glerk,
Samuel Gill, Jr., Sergt.,
Elijah Whiton, Jr., "
Thomas Jones, Jr., "
Amos Sprague, Corp.,
David Burr, "

John Burr, Jun., "
John Blossom, "
Zadoc Hearsey, Drummer,
SoF Gushing, Filer,

Peter Gushing, Gapt.,
Thomas Burr, Lieut.,
Thomas Fearing,

Shubael Fearing, Private,
John Jones, "

Abel Fearing, "

Benjamin Sprague, Jun.,"
Jacob Gushing, Jun., "
Allen Simmons, "

Thomas King, "

Nehemiah Ripley, "

Isaac Sprague, Jun., "
David Sprague, "

292

History of Hingham.

David Sprague, Private,

Moses Whiton, "

Jerom Riplev, "

Seth Briggs; "

Benj. Joy, "

Israel Hearsey, "

Reuben Hearsey, "

Samuel Leavitt, "
Joshua Leavitt, Jun., "

Joshua Loring, "

Ebed Gushing, "

Gushing Burr, "

Nath : Gilbert, "
Gornelius Barns, Jun., "

Ensign Barns, "

William Gushing, Private,
Benjamin Gushing; Jun.,"

Jared Lane, "

David Lane, "

Rufus Lane, "

Martin Tower, «

Daniel Souther, "

Jacob Thaxter, "

Jacob Thaxter, "

Matthew Gushing, "

Silas Joy, Jun., "

Enoch Stodder, "

Isaach Gushing, "

Jonathan Loring. "

David Gushing, Sergeant,
Samuel Gardner, "

Zac^ Whiton,
Edward Wilder,
Tho' Gushing, Corporal,

Abraham Whiton, "
Abisha Lewis, Drummer,
Bela Tower, Fifer,
Job Loring, Private,

Ebenezer Gushing, "

Samuel Whiton, Jun., "
Zenas Wilder, "

Robert Gardner, "

Ezekiel Gushing, "

Thomas Wilder, "

Daniel Wilder, "

Joshua Hearsey, "

Isaiah Tower, "

Jonathan Whiten, "

James Tower, "

Samuel Wilder, Jun., "
Stephen Gardner, 3, "

Pyam Gushing, Gapt.,
Elias Whiton, Lieut.,
Joshua Tower, "
Theophilus Gushing, Glerk,

Jacob Sprague, Jun., Private,

Daniel Whiton, "

Hawkes Hobart, "

David Gardner, Jun,, "

Seth Sprague, "

Zenas Whiton, "

Stephen Tower, "

Benjamin Whiten, "

Isaiah Stodder, "

Amasa Whiton. "

Benjamin Ward, "

Edward Bailey, «

Jeremiah Gardner, "

Jacob Dunbar, "

Laban Stodder, "

David Farrow, Jun., "

Solomon Whiton, "

Benjamin Dunbar, "

Elijah Whiton, «

Peter Hobert, «

Josiah Lane, "

Elisha Whiton. «

The first of these companies, that commanded by Gapt. Thomas
Hearsey, came from the vicinity of Broad Bridge, and was what
would now be called, if still existing, the " down town " company.

The company commanded by Capt. Peter Gushing, and known
as the " Third Foot Gompany " was made up principally of men
from the Lower Plain, now commonly known as Gentre Hingham.

Military History. 293

while Capt. Pyam Gushing and his men came from Glad Tidings
Plain and vicinity, comprising the region known as South Hing-
ham. Capt. Pyam Gushing who was a brother-in-law of General
Lincoln, died during the ensuing summer.

During the early days of the Revolution, it will be remembered,
there was great difficulty in obtaining a sufficient supply of pow-
der for the army, and its manufacture was stimulated and en-
courged in every possible way. Hingham performed her part in
this as in other things, and a certificate of the purity of the salt-
petre produced is here given : —

These may certify that the salt petre now presented for sale by Mr.
Joseph Beal (about 80 or 90 weight) was manufactured at Hingham by
David & Israel Beal, Israel Lincoln, Jacob Beal, and Heman Lincoln.

Benj. Gushing \ Selectmen
Joseph Andrews \ of Hingham.
Hingham, March 11, 1776.

March 15, 1776, Capt. Peter Gushing's company was on duty at
Hingham for sea-coast defence ; it was engaged four days at this
time. With the exception of John Jones, David Sprague, Benj.
Joy, Ebed Gushing, Cornelius Barns, Ensign Barns, and David
Lane wdio did not serve on this occasion, the roll contains the
same names as did that of the company when in the defences at
Dorchester, as well as the following in addition : —

Jacob Leavitt, Abner Loring,

Thomas Loring, 3d, Isaiah Wilder,

Joseph Mansfield, Jesse Sprague,

Noah Stodder, Robert Goold,

John Beal, Stephen Gushing,

Joseph Leavitt, John Burr,

Jonathan Smith, Noah Humphrey,

Samuel Burr, Jacob Loring,

John Fearing, Joseph Levis,

David Lincoln, Moses Bass,

Thomas Burr, Jr., Benj. Binney,

Isaac Hearsey, Benj. Jones,

Thomas Berry, Jonathan Burr,

Joseph Loring, James Fearing,

Thomas Gushing, Samuel Loring,

Silas Joy, Thomas Jones,

Caleb Beal, Jeremiah Sprague,

Loring Bailey, Caleb Goold,

Mark Clark, Joseph Dorson,

Gridley Thaxter, Isaac Beal, Jr.,

Solomon Blake, Eben Lincoln, Jr.,

Thomas Leach, Thomas Lincoln.
Daniel Souther,

294 History of Hingham.

It was a large company, and more than ninety men performed
duty on this occasion.

Not only was Hingham a military post during the siege of Bos-
ton with a regular garrison at Broad Cove, but it was also one of
the sea-coast towns called upon, as in the instance just noted, for
her own defence, and very frequently too for assistance in pro-
tecting her neighbors from threatened British descents. This
service became so onerous that the Council appointed General
Lincoln its agent to appeal to Washington for relief on behalf of
a number of the towns, as appears by the following from Revolu-
tionary Council Papers, vol. i. : —

" In Council, March 20tli, 1776.

"On motion ordered, That Benj. Lincoln Esq"' wait on his Ex^ Gen.
Washington to request of him that as the militia of the several towns of
Hingham, Weymouth, Braintree, have for a number of days past been
stationed on the sea coast of those towns in order to watch the motions of
the fleet & army now in the harbor of Boston and to prevent their rava-
ging and plundering the country, he would send a sufficient detachment
from the army under his command to their relief."

The General seems to have had better use for his troops, how-
ever, both then and later ; and as we shall see, until nearly the
close of the war, Hingham continued to defend the sea-coast with
large numbers of her men, and especially by manning the impor-
tant works at Hull.

Sunday, March 17th, General Howe evacuated Boston, and Gen-
eral Putnam and General Ward entered the town. The next day
General Heath with five regiments was ordered to New York,
and with them went our townsmen under the two Captain Cush-
ings. General Washington entered Boston at the head of the
army on the 20th, and on April 4th, he left Cambridge for New
York, General Ward with five regiments remaining for the pro-
tection of Boston.

But although the British army had departed, the sea-coast
towns continued under the menace of the fleet commanded by
Commodore Banks which lingered in the harbor, and which was
reinforced by seven transports loaded with Highlanders. The
people feared the return of Howe, and fortifications w^ere thrown
up at East Boston, Point Allerton, and elsewhere. Finally a plan
proposed by General Lincoln, to drive the enemy from the harbor,
received the sanction of the Council of Massachusetts, and on
June 13th and 14th it was put in execution. General Ward sent
a part of the Continental troops under his command to assist the
militia who were ordered out for the attempt. To the old Com-
monwealth belongs the sole credit for the success of the last act
in the military operations around Boston.

Like a brilliant panoramic view the scene passes again before
our eyes, and the sound of martial music and the thunder of artil-
lery comes once more to our ears. It is almost a year to a day

Military History. 295

since through the streets of the queer little New England capital,
with its stately mansions, its gable-roofed shops, and crooked,
sidewalkless, cobble-paved streets, marched out the bright red col-
umns which under Howe and Clinton and Pigot moved up the
sides of Bunker Hill, on whose green slopes the serried ranks
melted away before the blaze of Prescott's muskets, and whose
soil drank up with eager thirst the flowing life-blood of Warren
and Pitcairn, and many another brave and gallant hero — Pro-
vincial and British alike. And now in these same streets the drum
is again calling men to arms, and along Cornhill, — now Washing-
ton Street, — -by the Old South, so lately a riding school for Eng-
lish troopers, roll the guns of Craft's artillery. Here too come
detachments from Colonel Marshall's and Colonel Whitney's regi-
ments and the Continentals whom General Ward has detailed,
— undoubtedly with a thrill of satisfaction as he recalls the anx-
ious June day when he commanded at Cambridge a twelvemonth
since. By the bookstore of Daniel Henchman where General
Knox had been an apprentice, the troops turn into King Street
and passing the Town House march over the spot where Captain
Preston and the men of the 29th regiment shot down the people
on the night of March 5, 1770, and thence to Long Wharf where
they are to embark.

What a flood of memories the place awakens ! It was here
that Governor Shirley, returning in 1745 from the reduction of
Louisburg, landed amid the acclamations of the people and the
salutes of the shipping, and was received by the Cadets under
Colonel Pollard, the Troops of Horse, the Chelsea company, and
Colonel Wendell's regiment ; here too in May, 1774, the Cadets re-
ceived General Gage, then Governor of the Province, and here on
the 17th of June of the following year General Gage embarked
the regiments which at Charlestown lost for England an empire,
and in America wrote in blood one of the earliest and most mem-
orable pages in the history of a new nation. And now like a beau-
tiful picture, on this calm summer morning lie the blue waters of
Boston harbor and of our own, both dotted with islands fresh in
the bright green of early summer, and both reflecting the white
sails which hang like the snowy wings of great gulls over them.
Beneath some of these frown the guns, and over them floats the
cross of St. George, while in the distance a pine tree on a white
ground marks the anchorage of a Yankee cruiser. Meanwhile
too, from all the towns and villages around, comes the same tap-
tap of the drum and the cheery note of the fife, and down to the
water side march the militia, — the militia which the frequent
alarms of the past year, the occasional skirmish with the enemy, the
work in the trenches at Dorchester, and the manning of the lines
at Roxbury, have made into veteran soldiers. Now they respond
with unusual alacrity. The hilltops are covered with eager and
anxious spectators for miles around. With them we watch the
embarkation, and then the long hours of the bright summer day

296 History of Hingham.

pass wearily ; the garrison flag at the Castle and the ensign on
Commodore Banks' ship hang alike lifeless in the all-pervading
calm ; the transports drift rather than sail towards their destina-
tions. The sun sets for the last time upon the British fleet in
Boston harbor. By the morning of the 14th all is in readiness.
Capt. Peter Cushing with his Hingham men are in the works atj
Hull, while with them are other companies from the sea-coast, and
a part of the militia from Boston ; the whole forming a consider-
able force, including a portion of Colonel Craft's famous train of
artillery, — another detachment of which, with some militia, has
been posted at Pettick's Island, adjoining. There are about six
hundred men at each place. About the same number of militia'
from the towns near, together with a detachment of artillery, are
distributed at Moon Island, Hof's Neck, and Point Allerton, while
Colonel Whitcomb, with the regulars and two eighteen-pounders,
has taken post at Long Island. The various companies from the
vicinity are at their posts. Suddenly there is a flash followed by
a puff of smoke, and a few seconds later, a bang from one of Col-
onel Whitcomb's guns at Long Island ; the engagement has com-
menced. And now the flashes and puffs and bangs come from all
around, and the great guns of his Majesty's ships make a spirited
reply. There goes a shot from Hull ; we may be sure that was
from Hingham's cannon, which, as we shall see a little later, the
selectmen paid Hawkes Fearing for carrying over to the neighbor-
ing town. The smoke drifts lazily away, and at times almost ob-
scures the vision. It is a grand and exciting scene that is being
enacted. The Continentals, the Minute-men, the English, — these
are the performers in the closing act of the siege of Boston. A
shot from the Americans pierces the upper works of the Commo-
dore's ship ; the contest is over. A signal, and up go the sails, out
by Nantasket into the open sea pass the enemy's squadron, while
with a great explosion and a dull roar the lighthouse sinks be-
neath the waves. As the evening sun neared the horizon and
lighted the fleecy clouds, turning them into great masses of crim-
son and gold, and the unruffled waters became magnificent in their
pink and gilded glow, the land breeze blew out no enemy's colors,
and upon the harbor rested only the peaceful Yankee merchant-
man, or the American cruiser, over which idly floate'd the pine-tree
ensign, while a feeling of quiet and thanksgiving settled over a
freed Commonwealth.

In the useful, honorable, and distinguished life of Benjamin Lin-
coln, there may have been greater triumphs than that w^hich the
successful achievement of this June day brought, but for us there
is a homelike and personal character about the event that endears
it especially ; and it would be difficult not to believe that the
sturdy heai't of our Hingham general beat the quicker and with a
warmer glow as he watched the enemy's topmasts sink beneath
the distant horizon, and felt that the freeing of the capital and of
the homes of his neighbors and of his own home from the fear and

Military History.

297

menace of the preceding months was the attainment, at least in
part, of the men of his own town, and the companies of his own
regiment.

Among the companies in service on this day was that of Capt.
Peter Gushing of Hingham. The roll differs somewhat from that
already given and is as follows : —

Peter Gushing, Gapt.,
Thomas Burr, Lieut.
Thomas Fearing, "

Sen

Corp.

Daniel Gushing, Jr.,
Thomas Jones, "
Elijah Whiton,
Amos Sprague,
David Burr, "

John Burr, Jr., "
Zadock Hearsey, Drum,
Solomon Gushing, Fife,
William Gushing, Private,
Joshua Loring, "

Thomas Gushing, "

Reuben Hearsey, "

Benj. Gushing, Jr., "

Ebed Gushing, "

Moses Whiton, "

Nehemiah Ripley "

Isaac Sprague, Jr., "
Benj. Barns, "

John Hunt, "

Martin Tower,
Isaac Hearsey,
Joseph Mansfield,
Daniel Souther,
Jonathan Smith,
Jesse Sprague,
Samuel Lazell,
Isaiah Hearsey, Jr.,
David Lane,
Rufus Lane,
Abel Fearing,
Levi Burr,
Matthew Gushing,
Isaiah Wilder,
Laban Hunt,
Thomas Loring, Jr.,
Joshua Leavitt,
Squire (a negro).

Private,

The same company was again called into the service on June
:23d, and responded with the additional names of —

Abner Loring,
Jacob Thaxter,
Elisha Gushing, Jr.
Thomas King,
John Barns, Jr.,
Thomas Berry,
Benj. Joy,
David Sprague,
Benj. Gushing, Jr.,

Nathaniel Gilbert,
Welcome Beal,
Enoch Stodder,
Reuben Simmons,
Isaac Gushing,
Silas Joy, Jr.,
Noah Stodder,
Israel Stodder,
Shubael Fearing

On the same date, and also at Hull, we find another Hing-
ham company in the service. Although there appears to be
no record of the occasion, the alarm must have been pressing
to require the presence of such a number of men. The roll is
iere ariven : —

298

History of Hingham.

Heman Lincoln, 1st Lieut.
Joseph Beal, 2 "

Saml Norton, Clerk,
Ezra French, Sergt.,
Seth Lincoln,
Jesse Waters,
Joshua Lincoln,
Nath' Stoddard,
Japeth Hobart,
Gersham Lincoln,
James Hobart,
Nath^ Lincoln, Jr.,
Gilbert Hearsey,
Isaiah Lincoln,
Tho^ Stoddard,

Abijah Stoddard,
James Leavitt,
William Tidmarsh,
Caleb Hobart,
Barnibas Lincoln,
David Beal, Jr.,
John Hobart,
Caleb Marsh,
David Andrews,
Joseph Stockbridge,
John Hobart, Jr.,
Daniel Hobart,
Thomas Marsh, Jr.,
Jacob Beal,
Jacob Whiton.

Captain Gushing was again at Hull for a number of days in the
following December, but the roll of the 14th of that month is
quite different from those preceding it, and is here given : —

Peter Gushing, Capt.,
Levi Bates, Lieut.,
Jerom Stephenson, Lieut.

Isaac Gushing, Sergt.,

Elisha Stephenson, "

Isaiah Hearsey, Jr., "

John Burbanks, "

Timothy Gushing, Corp.,

Jesse Sprague, "

David Burr,

Nath Bates,

Levi Tower, Drum"",

Matthew Cushing,

Daniel Souther,

Isaiah Wilder,

Abel Fearing,

Benj : Sprague, Jr.,

David Burr,

David Lane,

Silas Joy, Jr.,

Shubael Fearing,

Matthew Hunt,

Samuel Burr,

Tho^ Berry,

Samuel Thaxter,

Benj. Joy,

Ebed Cushing,

Joshua Loring,

Noah Stodder,
Tho' Cushing,
Nehemiah Ripley,
Thomas King,
Cushing Burr,
Abel Beal,
Lusanus Stephenson,
Abner Bates,
John Wilant, Jr.,
Daniel Nichols, Jr.,
Gershom Wheelwright,
Ambross Bates,
Zenas Lincoln,
Jonathan Cushing, Jr.,
Tho^ Pratt,
Eli Lane,
Zebulon Wilcut,

Ur Lincoln,

Lazarus Lincoln,
Job Wilcut,
Ephraim Lincoln,
Samuel Bates, Jr.,
Jonathan Bates,
John Pritchet,
\bner Bates.

Military History.

299

Capt. Peter Gushing resided on East Street ; he was a brother of
Capt. Stephen Gushing, also a soldier of the Revolution. Enoch
Dunbar was in the Canada expedition in Captain Stephens' com-
pany of artillery. Capt. Seth Stowers commanded a company in
Col. Josiah Whitney's regiment, and was on duty at Hull in Octo-
ber, 1776. His roll was as follows : —

Seth Stowers,

Capt.,

Peter Nichols

, 1st Lieut.,

Elijah Beals,

2 "

Elijah Lewis,

Sergt.,

Edmund Hobart,

Joseph Wilder,

(I

Ezekiel Hersey,

John Gill,

a

Elisha House,

Benjamin Jacobs

Joseph Hudson,

David Lincoln,

Corp.,

Gideon Howard,

Stephen Stodder,

Li.

Abner Joy,

Joshua Beal,

L(.

Jedediah Joy,

Abisha Lewis, D:

rum,

Lot Lincoln, Jr.,

Nath'l Dills, Fife

1',

Caleb Leavitt,

Gershom Beals,

Ephraim Lincoln,

Isaac Beals,

Joseph Marble,

John Bray,

Thos Marble,

Elisha Bates,

James Marble,

Gushing Burr,

Jonathan Allen,

Joshua Beals, Jr.

'5

James Tower,

Elisha Beals,

Elisha Merritt,

Benj. Barnes,

Bela Tower,

Elisha Bates, Jr..

Stephen Mansfield,

Joseph Beals,

Jesse Tower,

Welcome Beals,

Enoch Stoddar,

Jaraus Beals,

Noah Stoddar,

Timothy Clark,

Daniel Stoddar,

Sherediah Corthell,

Joseph Souther,

Jas Gushing,

Timothy Thayer,

Rob't Gardner,

Isaac Whitten,

Joshua Gardner,

Stephen Whitten,

John Hearsey,

Joseph Wilcutt,

Jesse Humphreys,

Thos. Wilcutt.

This company was on duty eight months at Nantasket. Cap-
tain Penniman, of Braintree, commanded a company in Colonel
Francis' regiment. It was composed of men drafted*^ from Hing-
ham, Dorchester, Braintree, Stoughtenham, and Milton.

The following are the names of Hinsham men who served with it :

Theophilus Wilder, 1st Lieut.,
John Blowson, Sergt.,
Daniel Wilder, Corp.,
Bela Tower, Fifer,
W°^ Gardenner, Private,

Laban Tower, Private,

Jonathan Gardener, "
David Prouty, "

Jonathan Farer, "

Ezekiel Cushina:. "

300 History of Hingham.

" A Pay Roll of Cap* Joseph Trufant's Company Raised for the
Defense of ye Sea Coast within State of ye Massachusetts from the
first of December down too the first of January, 1777," contains
the following names of Hingham men : —

Thos Bicknell, Sergt,,
Thos Gill, Private,
Sam^ Lazell.

In still another company we find Hingham men serving in the
year 1776 ; Capt. Abisha Brown, of Concord, commanded a com-
pany in Col. Josiah Whitney's regiment, which served at Hull ;
and from a roll of the men in camp there in November we get the
following names : —

Nehemiah Sprague, Japeth Hobart,

Samuel Lazell, Jacob Whiton,

Thomas Wilder, James Bates.

September 12, a resolve passed the General Court which pro-
vided for reinforcing the army at New York, by sending a part of
the militia ; and on the 14th the House of Representatives by a
resolve concurred in by the Council on the 16tli, chose General
Lincoln to command the men raised for the purpose.

The town had already sent Lieut. John Burr with fifteen men to
Ticonderoga, where they joined a company commanded by Cap-
tain Endicott, and now more were to be raised under the resolve
of the legislature. During the month, September, Capt. Peter
Cushing obtained twenty-three, who were sent to New York, and
in December Capt. Job Cushing marched for the same state
with thirty-seven men credited to Hingham. It has not been
possible to obtain the names of all of the above, but the roll of
Capt. Job Cushing's company, augmented to over fifty, is here
given. Considerable information about its service is obtainable
from a diary kept by Thomas Burr, a lieutenant in the company,
who had already served not only in the army of the Revolution,
but still earlier in the last French war, in which he had also kept
a journal, and recorded many incidents of the service of a Hing-
ham company. The roll, which included some Cohasset names,

was:

Job Cushing, Capt.,

Tho' Burr, 1 Lieut.,

Joseph Beal, 2 "

Isaac Sprague, Sergt., Nathan Gilbert, Corp.,

Jabes Wilder, " Zadock Hersey, Drum.,

Thomas Marsh, " Levi Teakes, Fifer,

Jerom Lincoln, " Jairus Beal, Private,

Caleb Pratt, Corp., Gershom Beal, "

Caleb Joy, " James Bates, "

David Beal, " Lazarus A. Beal, "

Military History.

301

Adna Bates,

Private,

Jared Lane,

Privi

Daniel Gushing,

u

Henry Lambert,

u

James Chubbuck,

il,

Micah Nichols,

a

Theodore French,

((

Ambrose Nichols,

a

Thomas Gill,

u

Luke Orcutt,

u

Samuel Gill,

a

Ephraim Orcutt,

li

John Gill,

11

Hezekiah Ripley,

li

Gideon Howard,

u

James Stodder,

a

William Hob art.

u

Daniel Stodder,

a

Caleb Hobart,

a

Jacob Stodder,

((

Jeremiah Hersey,

u

Isaiah Stodder,

a

Hawkes Hobart,

a

Benj. Stetson,

u

Edmund Hobart,

a

Stephen Tower,

u

Japheth Hobart,

a

Peter Tower,

a

John Hunt,

a

Timothy Thayer,

a

Benj. Joy,

a

Benjamin Ward,

a

Israel Lincoln,

u

Benjamin White,

a

Beza Lincoln,

u

Levi Tower.

a

These men were in the army at this time from about December
19, 1776, to April 2, 1777, and perhaps longer. Captain Gush-
ing, like Lieutenant Burr, was an experienced officer ; his com-
pany marched from Hingham on the former of the above dates,
through Abington, and afterwards by way of Pawtucket and Provi-
dence, through Rhode Island and Connecticut, their long journey
leading them to Hartford and Waterbury among other places.
Finally they entered New York, arriving at Westchester Jan-
uary 7th. Brief as are the records in Lieutenant Burr's diary,
they interest us not a little, for the personal glimpses which are
afforded by them of the marches and skirmishes and experiences
of our own townsmen.

Thus he says under date of Jan. 19 : " One of our men killed
by a cannon ball from the enemy." On the 21st, " Alarmed by
the Hessians — they driven back." 23d, "Skirmish — one Lt.
and 4 men killed." 27th, "Lay in ambush — our cannon played
on Fort Independence." He tells of marches to Tarrytown, where
Andre was subsequently captured, and other places in the vicinity ;
and at last, in February, of the entry into Morristown in New Jer-
sey. Here were the headquarters of Washington during the win-
ter succeeding his brilliant achievements at Trenton and Prince-
ton. Here too our old fighting chaplain appears again, and
Lieutenant Burr says, under date of February 12 : " Sunday Mr.
Thaxter preached from Psalms 118-18 & 19 v." March 2d, he held
forth to his friends and fellow soldiers from home. March 9th,
the diary tells us that there was a " Skirmish between 2000 of the
enemy & 1000 of our men — our men beat them back ; " and so
on. In July Colonel Marshall's and Colonel Whitney's regiments
were ordered to Canada. In both there were Hingham men, al-

302 History of Hingham.

though there is such confusion in the rolls as to make it practi-
cally impossible to give names and time of service.

The town continued as earnest at home in the support of the
patriot cause as it was active in the field. March 18, 1776,
Theophilus Gushing, John Fearing, Thomas Loring, Israel Beal,
and Peter Hobart were chosen a Committee of Correspondence,
Inspection and Safety ; aud May 23d, Benjamin Lincoln, Hezekiah
Gushing, and Dea, Joshua Hersey were appointed a committee
to prepare instructions for the representatives, Enoch Lincoln,
Theophilus Gushing, and John Fearing, just chosen. This they
did in the following terms : —

To Enoch Lincoln, Theojjhilus dishing, and John Fearing :

Gentlemen, — You are delegated to represent the Town of Hingham
in the next General Court to be held in this colony ; and although we
entertain the highest sense of your integrity, patriotism, and ability, of
which we have given full evidence in appointing you to this weighty trust,
yet as matters of the greatest importance relative to the freedom and
happiness not only of this but of all of the United Colonies, on which you
may wish to have the advice of your constituents, will come before you
for your determination — you are instructed and directed at all times to
give your vote and interest in support of the present struggle with Great
Britain. We ask nothing of her but " Peace, Liberty, and Safety." You
will never recede from that claim ; and agreeably to a resolve of the late
House of Rej^resentatives, in case the honourable Continental Congress
declare themselves independent of the Kingdom of Great Britain, solemnly
y to engage in behalf of your constituents, that they will with their lives
L-and fortunes support them in the measure. You will also, as soon as may
be, endeavor to jjrocure a more equal representation of this colony in
General Assembly ; and that it be by fewer members than at present the
several towns have a right to return ; and when this is affected you will
give your vote for calling a new house.

Benjamin Lincoln, Town Clerk.

It is impossible not to notice the signature, or to avoid giving a
thought to the man who wrote the words, " Benjamin Lincoln,
Town Clerk," at the foot of this document. "Within a period of a
little more than a year he had as colonel of his regiment been
hurrying his men to Lexington and to the investiture of Boston ;
been chosen by the Council the first of the Committee, upon which
were also Major Fuller, of Newton, Mr. Singleton, Mr. Durfee, and
Mr. Dexter, to consider the very important matter of providing
each of the soldiers composing the army then rapidly gathering
around Boston with the coats which had been promised as a
bounty to each man upon enlistment, — from which comes the
term " Coat Rolls," as applied to the lists of the Massachusetts
troops raised to besiege Lord Howe ; been sent to Washington by
the Council upon the matter of sea-coast defence ; been promoted
to be brigadier-general in the colonial establishment ; in May,
1775, served as a member of the Provincial Congress, of which

Military History. 303

body he was also secretary, and in July represented the town in
the General Court at Watertown, besides being a member of the
Committee of Correspondence, — one of the most active patriots
of the day, yet finding time to attend faithfully to the humble
duties of clerk of his native town. Hingham has ample justifica-
tion for her pride in Major-General Benjamin Lincoln, of the
Army of the Revolution. Only the briefest sketch of his life can
be here given. Born in Hingham, Jan. 24, 1733, he was the son
of Colonel Benjamin Lincoln, commander of the third Suffolk
regiment and a member of his Majesty's council. At twenty-one
years of age young Benjamin was one of the six constables of the
town, which office he held two years. In 1755 he became adju-
tant of his father's regiment, and in 1757 was chosen town clerk,
succeeding his father in that office, who in his turn had, in 1727,
succeeded his father, also Benjamin Lincoln. In 1763 Mr. Lincoln
became second major of the regiment. In 1766 he was elected
one of the selectmen, and held this office during the next five
years. He became Lieut.-Colonel in 1772, and was in command
of the regiment at the opening of the Revolution. In 1772 he
represented the town in the General Court, and was re-elected
in 1773 and 1774. As already seen. General Lincoln was one of
the earliest and most prominent in opposing the encroachments
of the Crown upon the liberties of the people, serving upon tbe
town's Committees of Correspondence, Safety, and Militia. His
services in the Provincial Congress and his activity and useful-
ness in the opening months of the Revolution have been referred
to previously. February 8, 1776, he was commissioned brigadier-
general by Massachusetts, and in the May following major-general.
During the first year of the war General Lincoln rendered most
valuable service to the army as a member of the committee on
supplies ; and the miscellaneous papers at the State House afford
many instances of most important orders signed by him in that
capacity. He planned and commanded the successfully executed
movements which finally drove the enemy from Boston harbor
in 1776. During the same year he commanded the reinforce-
ments of militia sent by the province to Washington. So urgent
were the requests of the latter for assistance that every fifth man
was ordered to respond, the sea-coast towns being exempted at
this time. While in New York, General Lincoln commanded one
of the four divisions of the army. Toward the close of the year
he was appointed to the command of the militia raised in Massa-
chusetts and Connecticut for the defence of Rhode Island. On
the 19th February, 1777, Stirling, St. Clair, Lincoln, Mifflin, and
Stephen were commissioned major-generals in the Continental
service. In the following July General Lincoln was selected by
Washington to command the New England militia raised to aid
the Northern army operating against Burgoyne. Gaining the rear
of the British, Lincoln despatched Colonel Brown to attempt the
recapture of Ticonderoga and the posts in the vicinity. The

304 History of Hingham.

expedition accomplished important results. On the 29th September
General Lincoln with two thousand men joined the main army
under Gates, and October 8 he was severely wounded in the leg
during a skirmish. Before returning to Hingham, it became
necessary to remove a considerable portion of the main bone, and
under the painful operation it is said that he exhibited most un-
common patience and fortitude. It was years before recovery
from the wound was complete, and it occasioned lameness during
the remainder of his life. General Lincoln reported for duty at
the headquarters of the army in the following August, to the great
gratification of Washington. At the request of the delegates
from South Carolina and Georgia he was designated by Congress
to take command of the southern department. He arrived in
Charleston in December, 1778, and was compelled to form an
army and raise supplies. In this he showed unconquerable energy
and perseverance. For nearly a year he kept the English under
Prevost below the Savannah, and being joined by D'Estaing with
the French fleet, he invested Savannah on September 23, 1779.
October 9th, the combined forces in three columns and led by
D'Estaing and Lincoln in person, made an assault on the enemy's
works.. The allies were defeated with great loss; it was here
that Count Pulaski was killed, with many other gallant officers.
The siege was immediately raised and the French sailed away,
leaving Lincoln to contend alone against the victorious army. A
more unfortunate ending to what promised to be a brilliant cam-
paign can hardly be conceived. The fault lay with the impatience
of the French commander, at the necessarily deliberate approaches
which the siege required, and his determination to abandon the
attempt unless an immediate assault was undertaken. After the
disastrous failure to capture the place. General Lincoln retreated
to Charleston, where he passed the winter in vain endeavors to
hold an army together and inspire the population with the spirit
of patriotism and resistance. By March he had only fourteen
hundred men left, while the town and the surrounding country
were full of Loyalists. In April Sir Henry Clinton invested
Charleston with five thousand men, and on May 11th after a re-
sistance of forty days, General Lincoln surrendered with his whole
army. His conduct of the campaign has received severe criti-
cism ; but whatever its merits or demerits, he lost the confidence
of neither the army nor the country, and when in the following
spring he again reported for duty, it was to receive from Washing-
ton an important command. In July he threatened New York,
but finding it impracticable to attack the English there, withdrew
under Washington's orders, and with his division marched across
New Jersey and into Virginia, where he took part in the siege of
Yorktown. On the 6th of October the first parallel was com-
menced by troops commanded by General Lincoln, and on the
19th the garrison surrendered, — Cornwallis' sword being received
by Lincoln, who as a special honor from Washington was in charge

Military History. 305

of the ceremonies. A few days after Congress appointed General
Lincoln Secretary of War, allowing, him to retain his rank in the
army. This office he resigned two years later and retired to his
home at Hingham, receiving most complimentary resolutions from
Congress. In 1784 he was chosen one of the commissioners to
malie a treaty with the Penobscot Indians. He commanded the
militia raised to suppress Shays' rebellion in 1786-1787, and by
the exercise of great energy and tact restored order in a very short
thne. In 1787 he was elected Lieut.-Governor of Massachusetts,
was commander of the Ancient and Honorable Artillery Com-
pany in 1788, and was a member of the convention which ratified
the Constitution of the United States. In 1789 Washington ap-
pointed him the first collector of the port of Boston, which office
he held nearly twenty years. He was also a commissioner to treat
with the Creek Indians in 1789, and to effect a treaty of peace with
the Western Indians in 1793. General Lincoln was one of the
first members of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and
a member of the Massachusetts Historical Society, contributing
papers to each. He was also President of the Society of the Cin-
cinnati from its organization until his decease. He received the
degree of Master of Arts from Harvard University, in 1780.

This is the outline of a life which for honorable, untiring useful-
ness has few equals. We long to fill in the details ; to picture
the young general of forty-three in command of one of Wash-
ington's divisions, — the great commander himself but a little
older ; to tell of his sending the blankets from his own home to
cover his suffering men in the field ; to recall the spirit and fire
with which he inspired the militia, and led it to the victory at
Saratoga ; to follow him while he toils in the swamps of the Caro-
linas with his handful of men ; and finally, to witness his triumph
at Yorktown. We would like, too, to see this pure, brave man in
the quiet and sweetness of his home-life, among the friends with
whom he had served in the field, and among whom he loved to
mingle in the happy peace that followed. For the details of all
this and much more, there is not room. General Lincoln was of
middle height, erect, broad-chested, and muscular, with the air of
a soldier. He was conspicuous for his frankness, integrity, pru-
dence, infl,exibility, and strong common-sense. He was cool in
deliberation, and prompt in execution. His private life was with-
out a stain, and no profane word passed his lips. He was one of
the organizers of the Third Congregational (Unitarian) Society,
and until his death among its most active members. There was
no room in General Lincoln's character for that smallness of
mind which sneers at religious belief in others, or boasts its ab-
sence in one's self. In this as in all else he was as sincere as
modest. Never cowardly in disavowal of the great faith he had,
and unwilling to permit his convictions to appear in doubt, he was
also considerate and liberal regarding the opinions and beliefs of
others. Benjamin Lincoln died May 9, 1810, and he lacked

VOL. I.— 20

306

History of Hingham.

GENERAL LINCOLN'S MONUMENT.

neither honor nor love in his own town and among his own neigh-
bors. Not far from the first settlers' monument in the old fort, in
the quiet part of the cemeteiy overlooking the town, where great
pines sing a lullaby, and where all around are the bones and the
tombs of those he knew and loved, lie the mortal remains of this
soldier of the Revolution. A stone, plain and massive, of white
marble, and worthy of the man, marks the spot. On one side are
the words :

BENJAMIN LINCOLN

MAJOR-GENERAL IN THE ARMY OF THE REVOLUTION

BORN JANUARY 24, 1733

DIED MAY 9, 1810

And on the other :

ERECTED BY HIS DESCENDANTS

1852

Here on each Memorial Day the beautiful colors of the nation
which he did so much to found, blend with the sweet flowers
strewn in honor and memory by the brave men of a later time ;
and they who bring the laurel and the myrtle for the young lives
given to their country in 1861 do not forget nor pass by the hero
who made possible the later sacrifice.

With the war the town's expenditures increased at a rate that
must have seemed appalling to the conservative citizens, habitu-

Military History. 307

ally economical, and critical of every outlay ; yet they were
bravely met, and generous sums were voted for the care of the
soldiers' families, in addition to the other large amounts required.
Here are some of the items for this year : —

At the several meetings (of the town) in July Sept. Nov"' & Dec'
£1776] the Town Voted to Raise £615 14s 8c? for the Soldiers who were
employed in the Continental Service & raised by the Town of Hingham.

To Hawks Fearing Transporting Cannon to Hull 0-8-

To D°- for Transporting Baggage for Capt. Peter Cushings ) o_2_

Capt Pyam Cushings & Capt. Tho^ Hearseys Company f

To 15 Soldiers that were hired to go with Lieut. John Burr to

Ticouderoga 1-9-5

To 23 men that were hir'd to go to New York in Sept. Last

with Capt. Peter Cushing 98-2-8

To 37 men that were hir'd to go to York in Dec. Last with

Capt. Job Cushing 316-1-4

By order of the selectmen Caleb Loring furnished supplies to
a company or companies from Scituate and Pembroke while at
Hingham, and his bill, accompanied by a certificate from Benja-
min Cushing and Joseph Andrews, we find to have been allowed
by the State.

The Committee of Correspondence, Inspection, and Safety,
chosen in March, 1777, were Israel Beal, Samuel Norton, John
Fearing, Peter Cushing, Thomas Loring, Peter Hobart, and The-
ophilus Cushing. In June Israel Beal was appointed " to pro-
cure evidence against such persons as are suspected of being
inimical to this and the United States of America, in this town."

Among the large number of vessels of all sizes and descriptions
in the naval service during tlie Revolution, was the brig " Haz-
ard," built by John Peck, of Boston, and carrying sixteen guns.
She made three successful cruises, the first from October, 1777, to
May, 1778, under command of Capt. Simeon Sampson ; the sec-
ond in 1778-1779, and the third in 1779, in both of which she was
commanded by Capt. John Foster Williams. During this period
— from 1777 to 1779 — she made many prizes, among them the
British brig " Active," eighteen guns, after an engagement of
thirty -five minutes. She belonged to the Commonwealth of Massa-
chusetts, and was engaged in the unfortunate Penobscot expedi-
tion in 1779, and in August of that year was burned by her crew
to save her from falling into the hands of the enemy. Her offi-
cers and crew were transferred to the " Protector," a fine vessel
Among the crew of the " Hazard," were a number of Hingham
men. Those known are as follows : —

Walter Hatch, 2d Lieut., Joseph Lincoln, Corporal of

Stephen Lincoln, Armorer, Marines,

Samuel Lincoln, Jairus Lincoln,

308 History of Hingham.

Royal Lincoln, Zenas Whiten,

Ezekiel Lincoln, Peter Wilder,

Jonathan Gushing, Abel Barnes,

Laban Thaxter, Elias Beal.

There is some authority for the statement that the " Hazard '^
was in commission in 1776, and that most, if not all, of the above
were in service with her in that year. Mr. Lincoln, in the " History
of Hingham," speaks of the four cruises of the " Hazard."

These men also were undoubtedly on board, in 1778. In ad-
dition, William Tidraarsh was captain's clerk in this latter year.

Joseph Lincoln and Jonathan Gushing were captured on board
a prize of the " Hazard's " and carried prisoners to Halifax, in
1778 ; in 1780 Gushing was a prisoner on the Jersey prison-ship.
In 1779 Asabel Stodder was in service on the " Hazard."

Gapt. Thomas Melville commanded a company in Gol. Graft's
battalion in 1776 and upon his rolls was borne the name of
William Lewis.

August, 1777, Isaac Wilder, then only 17 years of age, died in
captivity at Halifax.

Hingham had a further part in the naval service of the Revolu-
tion ; for under date of December 16, 1776, a charter of the
schooner " Edward," of about 70 tons, was made by Galeb Loring
to the Board of War, and a little later, on the 8th of January,
1777, he executed a like paper for the schooner " Hazard," of 60
tons. He also owned the armed brig " Rising States," which was
captured by a British frigate.

The charters of these vessels were very elastic in their provi-
sions, and no limitations were really placed upon the uses to
which they were to be put.

It is extremely difficult to give anything approaching a complete
history of the militia organizations belonging in Hingham from the
close of 1776. It is probable that the large number of men in the
regular service and the frequent drafts for particular expeditions
and exigencies may have so far depleted the companies belonging
distinctly to the town as to at last result in their complete disorgani-
zation, or at least to work such a suspension of their activity as
make them no longer the subject of particular mention. The last
record of this kind that has come to notice is the following : —

Hingham, June lOtli, 1777.
These may Certify that a legall meeting of the Training band and
alarm list of the first Company in said Town Benjamin Lapham was
Chosen Capt of Said Company.

Isaiah Gushing, Maj.

In Council, August 7, 1777, Read and Ordered that Said Officer be
Commissioned agreeable to his Rank.

Jas. Avert, Dy. Secy.

Military History. 309

Indeed it may be added that much hereafter given must of neces-
sity be fragmentary and disconnected, and will rather serve as
hints of the part the town continued to take in the battle for free-
dom than a full history of events. It is not possible to fix the
time or places of service of a large proportion of the men who
enlisted for Hingham, nor to always state accurately their com-
panies, regiments, or date of entering the army.

Among the unwise plans put into execution about this time, and
which was particularly annoying to Washington and discouraging
to the men in the regular service, was the enlistment of a force to
serve in the New England States only. The following is interest-
ing in this connection : —

To the Honrable Bord of War :

Gentlemen, — This may certify that I have Inlisted ten men into the
"Servis of the four New England States, that have past muster that Can-
not furnish themselves with arms and acuterments. Gentlemen, pleas to
furnish Lt. Calvin Curtis with arms and acuterments, Sufficient for the
above Number of men, and you will oblige yours to Serve. In a Regiment
where of John Roberson, Esq., is Col.

Seth Stowers, Capt.
Hingham, July y= 22^ 1777.

There were several expeditions against the enemy in Rhode
Island planned and attempted in the year 1777, none of which
were successful, but in all of which Hingham appears to have
been represented. The first was in February, and a town record
of a meeting in May is as follows : —

" At the annual meeting in May, the Town voted to raise £ 1172 for pro-
curing the men for the Continental Army & paying the men that were
employed in the Rhode Island Expedition for the said town."

The next attempt was in September. Three thousand men
were raised from Plymouth, Bristol, and Barnstable Counties,
and the southern parts of Suffolk, Middlesex, and Worcester.
These, with Colonel Craft's regiment of State artillery and the
militia under General Hancock, were placed under command of
General Spencer of the Continental Army. Among these troops
was the regiment commanded by Colonel Robinson, one of whose
companies was that of which Seth Stowers was captain and which
included the following from this town : —

Seth Stowers, Capt., Isaiah Stodder,

Joseph Wilder, Elisha Dunbar,

Hosea Dunbar, Jonathan Gardner

David Lincoln, Caleb Leavitt,

and perhaps others.

A company in the same expedition, commanded by Capt. Moses
French, of Weymouth, and in Col. Jonathan Titcomb's regiment

310

History of Hingham.

of militia, on duty from May 15 to July 15, bore the following
Hiugham men upon its rolls : —

Joshua Tower, Lieut.,
Jonathan Hearsey, Sergt.,
David Hearsey, Drummer,
Jonathan Lewis, Private,
David Loring, "

Thomas Wilder, "

Peleg Whiton, "

Daniel Dunbar, "

Enoch Dunbar, "

In the early part of this year there was a company in ser-
vice commanded by Captain Penniman, of Braintree. The only
Hingham name then on the roll appears to have been that of
Theophilus Wilder, who was 1st Lieut.

There is another roll, however, of a company serving under com-
mand of Capt. Theophilus Wilder, and composed of men from
Hingham, Stoughton, and Braintree. The names from Hingham
were : —

Israel Lincoln,

Privi

Seth Stoel,

David Cain,

Melzar Dunbar,

Amos Dunbar,

Ezekiel Lincoln,

Caleb Levet,

Nathaniel Bates,

Theophilus Wilder, Capt.,
Elisha Lewis, Sergt.,
Laban Tower, Corp.,
Bela Tower, Fifer,
Ezekiel Cushing, Private,
Jona. Gardner, "

Sam'l Low, "

David Prouty, "

Fazzen, "

Joshua Hobartt, "

Thomas Howard,

Humphreys

Thomas Howard,

Whiston,

Enoch Dunbar,
Laban Hunt,

Whiton,

Elijah Gardner,
Thos. Colbart,
Rufus Tower.

Private,

Jr.

This company, like Captain Penniman's, was undoubtedly in
Colonel Dike's militia regiment, and probably was in the service
in the early part of 1777.

Mr. Lincoln states in his history that there were thirty-three
men with Capt. Job Cushing, in New York, in 1777, but he gives
no information as to the time of year or location of their service.
It is much to be regretted that the numbers and names of our
fellow townsmen who served in the great Northern Campaign of
this eventful year, cannot be fully given. We know, however,
that when General Lincoln received his wound at Stillwater, on the
morning of October 8, he had with him his friends and neighbors
who had marched at his call, as they had so many times before, both
for his father and himself. It was at the taking of Burgoyne, too,
that Joshua Ripley, of Colonel Wigglesworth's regiment, of the
Contineutal Line, and Nehemiah Ripley, of Capt. Theophilus Wil-
der's company, of Col. Gill's regiment, were killed. Capt. Wilder
had twenty-eight Hingham men with him at first, and the company

Military History.

311

was afterwards increased to fifty-two. Tlie following names
appear upon a roll in August, together with many others not from
this town : —

Theophilus Wilder, Capt.,
Abijah Whitton, Sergt.,
Nehemiah Ripley, Corp.,
Thaddeus Bates, "
David Harsay, "

Peter Harsay, Drum-Major,
Benjamin Barns, Private,
Canterbury Barns, "
Ambross Bates, "

Thomas Chubbuck, "
Sherebiah Corthwill, "
Stephen Gardner, "

Jeremiah Gardner, Private,

Nehemiah Hubburt, "

Benjamin Joy, "

Able Lincoln, "

Israel Lincoln, "

Seth Stowell, «

Stephen Stowell, "

Joshua Stowell, "

Israel Stowell, "

Seth Wilder, "

Peter Whitton, "

Abel Whitton, "

Two items of money voted by the town in 1778, for expenses
incurred in the previous year, are certainly suggestive, although
there is no further evidence of the presence of Hingham men at
General Stark's victory on August 16th.

They are an allowance of .£133 to Captain Wilder for travelling
fees for one hundred and ninety miles to Bennington, and £ 7-4-6
paid " to Tho^ Chubbuck for so much due for Transporting the
Soldiers Baggage to Bennington."

While the town was earnestly performing its allotted part
towards the general conduct of the war, it was not unmindful of
its own defence, as we see by the following requisition : —

Hingham, August 1st, 1777.
Sir. — Please to deliver to Mr. Israel Beal, the bearer hereof, 250 weight
of powder, 50 weight Musquet Ball, and 500 flints for the use of the Town
of Hingham, & you '11 oblige yours,

To the Commissary General -, ' -r ' ( Selectmen of

TIT 2. i_ JOSHUA IjEAVITT, /- j-T". 7

at VVatertown. t a I rimqham.

Joseph Andrews, ) ^

There is great difficulty in determining with certainty the
names of men who enlisted into the Continental regular service
during particular years ; the very multiplicity of rolls and lists
with differing headings adds to the confusion. When, as is fre-
quently the case, town and private records are really or seemingly
at variance with these, entire accuracy becomes out of the ques-
tion. From these and other causes it may happen that names
deserving of honorable mention are omitted entirely, and that
others get misplaced. The following appear to have served in
Hingham's quota for three years, enlisting in 1777. Non-residents
are indicated, when it is known, by the name of the town to which
they belonged immediately following their own names ; the cap-
tains and colonels under whom these soldiers served are also
indicated.

312

History of Hingham.

Nathaniel Coit Allen,
Elisha Bate,
James Cook,
John Davis,

George Douty, Falmouth,
William EUery, Boston,
Robert Ford, "

Joseph Falmouth, Falmouth,
Adam Fernando, Boston,
Elisha Gardner,
Castle Gardner,
Jacob Gardner,
Thomas Gosling, Boston,
Samuel Green, "

Jacob Gurney, "

Daniel Golden (also called

Gould), Falmouth.
John Gray, Jr., Boston,
John Griggs, "

Charles Hardman, "
Adam Henry, "

Joseph Hobart,
Thomas Hassell,
Daniel Hearsey,
Jesse Humphrey,
James Hisket, Boston,
Peter Huson, "
Thomas Kilby, "
Bela Leavitt,
Caleb Lincoln,
Urbane Lewis,
Marsh Lewis,
Lot Lincoln, Jr.,
Daniel Low,
James Love, Boston,
John Lewis, "

Emmanuel Lorel, "
Isaac Lane, Buxton
William Murphy, Boston,
Ichabod Meakum, "
Plato McLean, "

Wm. McCandy, Falmouth,
Plato McLellan

(a negro), "

Joseph McConner, "
Clem Pennel, "

William Palding, Hingham or

Boston,

Captain

Marshall,

Colonel

Marshall.

Alden,

Pilsbury,

Langdon,

Bay ley.

Wigglesworth.

Jackson.

Blaisdell,

Wigglesworth.

Langdon,

Jackson.

Lunt,

" (deserted),
Alden.

Langdon,

Jackson.

Briant,

Crane.

Light Horse.

Williams,

Greaton.

Allen,

Alden.

Ellis,

Bigelow.

Langdon,

Jackson.

Ellis,

Bigelow.

Langdon,

44

Jackson.

44

Allen,

Alden.

Langdon,

Jackson.

Pilsbury,
Tuckerman,

Wigglesworth.
Patterson.

Light Horse.

Williams,

Greaton.

Langdon,

Jackson.

it,

Briant,

Crane.

Allen,

Bayley.

Pilsbury,
Marshall,

Wigglesworth.
Marshall.

Langdon,

(I

Jackson.

Allen,

Alden.

Langdon,

Jackson.

Ellis

Bigelow.

Lunt,

Alden.

EUis,

Bigelow.

Ellis,

Bigelow.

Langdon,

Jackson.

Military History.

313

Nathan Patridge, Falmouth,

Smith,

Patterson.

Thomas Rmnrill, Boston,

Joshua Ripley,

Wiggles worth

Hezekiah Ripley,

Alden,

Bay ley.

Nathaniel Stodder,

Briant,

Crane.

William Spooner, '

a

a

Abel Sprague,

Seward,

a

Hosea Stoddar,

Williams,

Greaton.

Joseph Stockbridge,

Alden,

Bayley.

Jonathan Sayer, Boston,

Allen,

Alden.

John Scott, "

Langdon,

Jackson.

John Simmonds, "

"

((

Henry Thomson,

Briant,

Crane.

Henry Tibbits, Boston,

Allen,

Alden.

Israel Whiton,

Brown,

Jackson.

John Woodman, Paxton (said

also to be Hingham),

Lane,

Alden,

Thomas Wilton, Boston,

Allen,

Alden,

Mark Wilson, Falmouth,

Blasdel,

Patterson .

Among the most faithful soldiers of the Revolution was Daniel
Hearsey, We found him first in Capt. Charles Cushing's com-
pany besieging Boston ; afterwards he enlisted in the Continental
service in Knox's Artificers, and subsequently his name appears
upon the rolls of Col. William Washington's celebrated regiment
of Light Horse, where he was a trooper for three years, having
for a comrade his townsman Castle Gardner. Finally, he closes
his military career as a member of " His Excellency Gen'l Wash-
ington's Guards, commanded by Henry Collfax," according to
the State House records. Colonel Collfax's name was, however,
William, not Henry as stated.

Joseph Cook also served in the Second Regiment, Colonel
Greaton, and the Sixteenth, Col, Henry Jackson ; Marsh Lewis
was subsequently in the regiment of invalids, commanded by Col-
onel McFarland. Mark Wilson served at one time in Captain
Smart's company of Wigglesworth's regiment. Perez Gardner,
according to Mr. Lincoln, not only served in Colonel Vose's regi-
ment, but was also in Captain Flint's company of Colonel John-
son's militia regiment at the taking of Burgoyne ; was six months
on guard in Captain Foster's company at Cambridge, took part
in the Rhode Island campaign under the same officer, and in
Mcintosh's regiment in 1778, and subsequently in the campaign
in that State in 1780, under Captain Wilder of Gill's regiment ;
was eighteen or twenty months in Captain Warner's company in
Colonel Craft's Artillery. He was three years in the Continental
service in Captain Hitchcock's and Captain Mills's companies.
Though not given in the above list, Mr. Lincoln says that serving
with Mr. Gardner in the Continental service were Joshua Tower,

314 History of Hingham.

killed at Morrisania; Jack , a negro, killed also in New

York ; James Bates, and James Hayward, who both died at West
Point ; Solomon Loring ; and John Daniels.

During this year (1777) the disastrous battle at the Brandywine
was fought. It was the 11th September, a hot, windy day, the
air filled with dust to which clouds of smoke were soon added,
when the American Army under Washington made its stand
against Howe, with the hope of a victory which might save the
capital. The mistakes of General Sullivan, the losses of Wayne,
the skill of Green in checking the enemy, the heavy losses of the
patriots and the final retreat to Germantown, are matters of his-
tory. Among the troops engaged in this unfortunate affair was
Colonel Crane's famous regiment of artillery from Massachu-
setts, one of whose companies was commanded by David Briant, a
brave officer, who received a mortal wound and died the next day.
Upon the fall of Captain Briant the command devolved upon
Lieut. Joseph Andrews, of Hingham, who, although wounded,
continued to serve his guns with great courage for an hour longer,
when he, too, was mortally wounded by a cannon-ball, and died on
November 22d following, after great suffering, aged twenty years.
More than forty years afterwards Lafayette, who was himself
wounded at the same time, spoke of Lieutenant Andrews's per-
sistent bravery. Besides Lieutenant Andrews there were from
Hingham in this company, Caleb Bates, a sergeant, also killed in
the battle ; Levi Bicknell, wounded ; Nathaniel Stoddard, Samuel
Bicknell, Elijah Gardner, Thomas Gushing, and William Sprague,
who were in the engagement, and Bela Leavitt, Luther Lincoln,
and Caleb Lincoln, then with the Northern Army.

Following Brandywine and the later repulse at Germantown
came the terrible winter at Valley Forge, with its sufferings and
privations. In the bitter experiences of that encampment many
of the Continental soldiers from Hingham participated. The his-
tory of the Massachusetts regiments is their history, and wher-
ever the names of the Jacksons, Greaton, Wigglesworth, Rufus
Putnam, Crane, Alden, Bayley, Marshall, Bigelow, and Patterson
appear leading their commands in victory, caring for them in
privation, cheering them in defeat, there will be found filling
their ranks, carrying out their orders, and standing with them in
the heat of battle, the sturdy citizens of Hingham who enlisted
" for the war." A number of the Continental soldiers in the lists
given were subsequently promoted and held commissions in the
service ; their names and rank will appear hereafter.

In 1778 the Committee of Safety were Thomas Burr, Jacob
Leavitt, Abel Hersey, Enoch Whiton, and Peter Hobart.

The constant fear of a return of the English to Boston, and the
necessity of providing against pillaging and foraging incursions
into the country along the coast, required the exercise of unceas-
ing vigilance on the part of the State and local authorities. How

Military History.

315

cheerfully and faithfully Massachusetts performed her duty in
this as in her every relation to the Revolutionary struggle is
known to all familiar with American history, yet it may not be
amiss to recall that when Congress voted to raise eighty-eight
regiments, of which this State's quota was fifteen, sixteen were
enlisted besides Crane's fine regiment of artillery, — a number
soon after augmented by two additional regiments and Ar-
mand's artillery legion, Congress having determined to raise six-
teen additional battalions, — and that one half the whole burden
of the war, as measured by the numbers of men furnished the
Continental ranks, was borne by her. Based upon annual terms
of service, Massachusetts had 67,907 men in the army, besides
many thousands in her own pay for New England and purely
local defence. Her militia was frequently in active service, and
she was obliged to maintain constantly a force sufficient to garri-
son the posts within her territory. Among these, as previously
remarked, were the defences at Nantasket, and upon Hingham
a large part of this duty devolved throughout the war. Major
Thomas Lothrop was in command in 1778, and under date of
February 27 we have a roll of Capt. Peter Cushing's Company
then on duty there. It is as follows : —

Peter Cushing, Capt.
Noah Hearsey, Sergt.
Thomas Jones, "
Samuel Hobart, "
Daniel Cushing, "
Daniel Hobart, Corp.
David Burr, "
David Beal, Jun "
Zadock Hearsey Drum,
David Andrews, Private,
Lot Lincoln, "

Enoch Stodder, "

Tho^ Waterman, "

Benj'^ Stowel, "

Bradford Hearsey, "
Wellcom Lincoln, "
Jesse Bate, "

Job Lincoln, "

Natf^ Gill, "

Jacob Beal, "

Jon* Lincoln, "

Seth Lincoln, "

Joseph Hamen, "

Nath" Fearing, Private,

Joshua Lincoln, "

John Gill, "

Will'" Hobart, "

Abel Fearing, "

Caleb Hobart, «

John Jones, "

Isaac Gardner, "

Isaiah Hearsey, "

Abijah Hearsey, "

Jeremiah Hearsey, "

Shubael Fearing, "

Benj. Jacob, "

Jeremiah Sprague, "

Benj° Joy, "

Joseph Mansfield, "

Laban Hunt, "

Noah Stodder, "

Beuben Stephenson, "

Peter Loring, "

Tho^ Cushing, "

Hawkes Fearing, "

Early in this year also we find Lieut, Jabez Wilder with a num-
ber of men forming a part of the garrison. The date is the same

316

History of Hingham.

as the last, February 27, and the roll terms the command a " half
company." The names given are —

Lt. Jabez Wilder,
Edward Wilder,
Thomas Gushing,
David Gardner,
Zenas Wilder,
John Hearsey,
Seth Stowars,

Theoph. Wilder,
Theoph. Gushing,
Abel Whiton,
Labin Tower,
Robert Gardnier,
Zach. Whiton,
Bela Tower,

James Tower,
Solomon Whiton,
Benj. Ward,
David Ghubbuck,
Jonathan Farron,
Benj. Whiton,

Jabez Wilder, who was a brother of Capt. Theophilus Wilder,
subsequently held the rank of captain, being commander of the
third company of the Second Suffolk Regiment. He resided on
Free Street, near Main, and after the war moved to Ghesterfield.

Gaptain Wilder's company was ordered to Hull soon after, and
his roll in April contains the following names : —

Theophilus Wilder, Gapt.
Theophilus Gushing, Sergt.
Thomas Jones, "

Elisha Marsh, "

Bela Tower, Fifer,
Thos. Gushing, Corp,
Joseph Beal, "
David Lincoln, Private,
Martin Tower,
Enoch Stoddar, "
Shubael Fearing, "
Abel Fearing, "
John Jones, "

Elijah Lewis, "
Solomon Whiton, "

Benj. Whiton, Private,
Jona. Loring,
Joseph Mansfield,
Benj. Joy,
Jona. Loring, Jr.
Benj. Gushing,
Joseph Souther,
John Wilcutt,
Mordecai Lincoln,
John Hunt,
Zachariah Hunt,
Ephraim Burrell,
Eben'r Joy,
Laban Gushing,
John Wild.

Although a Hingham company, a few of the above may have
been residents of Weymouth or Cohasset.

The following return of the selectmen tells the story of the
manner in which quotas were sometimes filled in those days, as
well as a good many years later.

" A return of the men procured by the town of Hingham to
make up their quota of the seventh part of the male inhabitants
of said town : —

John Murphy, May, 1778, Greaton's Reg*,
Patrick Dunn, June, 1778, Col. Crane's,
Lieney Gesbuct, " " " "

Israel Beal ^

Theo^ Gushing > Selectmen of Hingham.

Cha^ Gushing )

David Gushing, Colo."

Military History. 317

The same officers make another return, showing that Nathan
Thisining enlisted in Col. Henley's regiment in May, while in
June,

Jaspar Mason, Esriglolm Millery,

Christian Rouschorn, Jonas Foughel,

Conrad Workman, Peter Dushen,

Frederick Gateman, Amada Bourdon,

John Dager, Frederick Bower,

Joseph Teot or Scot, John Rodsfell,

John Wielele, Christopher Creigor,

as Hingham men swore to uphold the Republic in Col. Crane's
Artillery. It is difficult to avoid a slight suspicion that these
men may have been a part of the deserting Hessians from Bur-
goyne's army, whose enlistment by Massachusetts called forth
vigorous remonstrance from Washington, and soon ceased. The
town fathers appear to have been at least not deficient in shrewd-
ness, however, for these recruits were engaged for three years
and credited to Hingham for the long term although the period
required under the call of Congress at that time was only nine
months. Let us hope that these swiftly made citizens and eager
patriots upheld the honor of the town while serving under their
new colors.

In July of this year, the French fleet under D'Estaing appeared
off Newport, and the Admiral and Gen, Sullivan, who commanded
in Rhode Island, prepared to drive the enemy from the State.
Two Continental brigades from the main army was sent under
Lafayette, and the Massachusetts militia marched under John
Hancock as Major-General, at the same time. The whole force
numbered ten thousand men, and great hopes were entertained of
its success. They were doomed to be disappointed, however, and
after nearly a month of fruitless delays, the Americans evacuated
the island after having fought one unsatisfactory battle. The
following Hingham men took part in the attempt : —

Benj. Jacob, Thos. Joy,

Elijah Lewis, Japath Hobart,

Benj. Joy, Moses Whiton,

Kent Simmonds, Jonathan Gardner.

They were probably members of a company of which John
Lincoln was a lieutenant, and were paid by the town £ 122.

Hon. Solomon Lincoln says there were nineteen other Hingham
men engaged six weeks in Rhode Island, and also twenty-two in
a Capt. Baxter's company for the same length of time. The
names of the latter are here given : —

Zachariah Whiton, 2 Lieut., Able Whiton,

Robert Gardner, Serg't, Jonathan Farrar,

Ambross Bates, " Levit Lane,

Jacob Joy, Thomas Willder,

318 History of Hingham.

Robart Willder, Stephen Stodder,

Isaiah Hearsey, Isaac (?) Whiton,

Cashing Burr, Elishe Whiton,

Ruben Hearsey, James Stodder,

Charls Burr, Cornelus Bates,

Canterbury Barns, Zebulon Willcutt,

Daniel Wilder, Jacob Lincorn,
Thomas Stodder,

Captain Baxter was from Braintree, from which town also came
a large part of his company. Lieut. Whiton subsequently appears
to have become a captain, and is spoken of with distinction in
Thacher's " Military Journal." Colonel Mcintosh commanded
the regiment.

The Dorchester Heights works were also garrisoned by a com-
pany consisting of thirty -four men, under Capt. Elias Whiton for
three months. Captain Whiton, who early in the war had also served
as lieutenant in Capt. Pyam Cushing's company when stationed at
Dorchester, was taken with the small-pox and died in the service,
aged thirty-five years. Almost at the same time Captain Whiton's
elder brother, Capt. Enoch Whiton, who also had commanded
a company in the Revolution died, aged forty-five years. A third
brother, Elijah, was a soldier in the same war. They were all
residents of South Hingham, near Liberty Plain. The town re-
cords show that the thirty-four men were paid out of the town trea-
sury X402-2 for their services. The company belonged to Colonel
Lyman's regiment of Guards ; its roll was —

Elias Whiton, Capt. Jon^ Hobart,

Zachariah Whiton, Lieut., Joshua Beals,

Samuel Hobart, " WilF Hobart,

John Gushing, Thomas Sprague,

Thomas King, Samuel Leavitt,

James Tower, Thomas Joy,

Joshua Stowel, Abel Whiton,

David Gardner, Jacob Dunbar,

Ezekiel Hearsey, Peter Tower,

John Hearsey, Jonathan Farrow,

Thomas Chubbuck, Jeremiah Gardner,

Jonathan Gardner, David Chubbuck,

Caleb Leavitt, David Loring,

David Lamman, Laban Tower,

John Hobart, Seth Wilder,

Benj'' Stowel, Esquir Hook.
Nehemiah Hobart,

After the surrender of Burgoyne at Saratoga, Oct. 17, 1777,
his army was conducted to Boston, and quartered at Cambridge,
where it remained until November, 1779. During the intervening
period the duty of furnishing guards devolved largely upon the
militia of Massachusetts, and of this, Hingham had a full share.

Military History. 319

It is not possible to give accurate lists of the men engaged in this
and the similar service of caring for and protecting the Continen-
tal stores at Boston and Watertown, so imperfect are the rolls.
The town records contain items of payments to men recruited for
these purposes. One, in 1778, would seem to indicate that there
were seven of our townsmen with Capt. Benjamin Beal, but " a
pay abstract of Capt. Benj. Beal company of militia and Col. Jacob
Garish (regt) Drafted in July 1778, to Guard the Troops of Con-
vention and the Stores In and About Boston " contains the
following names of undoubted citizens. The regiment was Colonel
Gerrish's.

Benj. Beal, Capt., Moses Gardner,

Peter Dunbar, Lieut., Joshua Stowell,

Joshua Beal, Sergt., Jedediah Joy,

Caleb Marsh, Corp., Seth Wilder,

David Hearsey, Drum, Daniel Dunbar,

Joseph Hobbard, Hosea Dunbar,

Stephen Mansfield, Melzer Dunbar.

Also " Capt Benj. Lapham Compy in Col. John Reeds Regt.,
in service of the United States, at Cambridge, taken from 2 April,
1778, to July 3, 1778," has upon its roll : —

Jos. Tower, Sergt. James Lewes,

Daniel Stodard, Corp., Rich* Tower.

The town disbursements for the year contain items for the pay-
ment of three men employed in guarding Continental stores, nearly
three months, twenty men " for guarding Gen^ Burgoynes army,
at Cambridge, 4 months & 26 days," " to 11 men for Guarding
the Continental Stores in Boston 2 months 11 days."

At the town meeting held in February, there was a tax laid of
X2370 of which X495-7-2 was for the procuring of Continental
soldiers, for three years ; X 1274-12-10 for paying the men em-
ployed in the expedition against General Burgoyne ; X300 for
guarding General Burgoyne's army at Cambridge, and £300 for
defraying the usual expenses of the town. Subsequently we find
Joshua Leavitt paid for a gun lent the town, and Jacob Leavitt for
painting the carriage and wheels of the cannon ; also David Beal for
assisting in transporting powder from Watertown to Hingham.
There are, besides these, payments to Capts. Benj. Lapham, Elias
Whiton, and Peter Gushing, for serving as committees to hire
soldiers.

There is a roll of Captain Stowers' company showing service from
August to November of this year; the location of its employment
is not indicated, but its roll contains, in addition to the names
given as members of the same command, in August, 1776, the
following : —

Sam'l Stodder, Daniel Beal,

Reuben Stodder, Thos. Lincoln,

320

History of Hingham.

Job Mansfield,
Stephen Wliiton,
Benj. Barnes, Jr.,
Luke Orcutt,

Jacob Whiton,
Caleb Leavitt,
Enoch Leavitt.

October 1, 1778, General Lafayette was in Hingham and lodged,
with his servant, at the Anchor Tavern, then standing upon the
present location of Mr. William 0. Lincoln's house, on South Street,
and a favorite resort of the French officers at Nantasket. It was a
famous hostelry in its day, and was occupied as a private dwelling by
Governor Andrew in the early part of the Civil War. Lafayette
was on his way to Hull, where he was going to inspect the fortifi-
cations at that place. He was dressed in a blue coat with buff
trimmings, the regular uniform of an American officer, and at-
tracted much attention. Upon the news of his death many years
after, all the bells in town were rung.

Among other curious documents in the State House are certain
inventories showing the amouijt of clothing received from the
several towns for the public service. One, dated Dec. 17th, 1778,
shows that Hingham furnished 128 shirts, 69 pairs of shoes, and
102 pairs of stockings ; being much more than by any other town
in the county with the exception of Boston.

The great difficulty of ascertaining precisely the date of en-
listment of many of those who entered the Continental service
has been intimated. In addition to the names previously given,
the following would seem to have entered the army in 1778 : —

Alexander Atkins, Boston,

Gershom Beal,

Csesar Blake,

Maxitinde Basasobel, Boston,

Thomas Burke,

Caleb Bates (killed),

Simeon Butler,

Wm. Booding,

Ezekiel Bragdon, Braxton,

Abel Gushing,

Isaac Crosby, Waltham,

John Carter, Boston,

Ronald Cameron, "

Wm. Clarke, Pownalboro,

John Clark,

James Dishet,

Perez Gardner,

Isaac Gardner,

Jesse Humphrey,

Joseph Hobart,

Daniel Hearsey,

Peter Husen, Boston,

Captain

Colonel

Langdon,

Jackson,

Winship,

Alden,

Allen,

Putnam,

Bayley,

Alden,

Langdon,

Jackson,

Burbeck,

Crane's Artil

Langdon,

Jackson,

Lane,

Nixon,

Lane,

Shepard,
Alden,

Langdon,

Jackson,

Bayley,

11

Vose,

Williams, Greaton,

Pilsbury, Wigglesworth,

Light Horse,
Langdon, Jackson,

Military History. 321

Captain

Colonel

Luther Lincoln,

B riant,

Crane,

John Mansfield (dead),

Bayley,

Ebenezer Ripley,

Cc-esar Scott,

Alden,,

Moses Stoddar,

Joseph Wilcott.

Burbeck,

Crane.

In September of 1778 General Lincoln was placed in command
of the department of the South. A brief account has already been
given of his persistent efforts to raise an army, and of the long-
struggle for supremacy which finally terminated at Charleston,
in May, 1780, by the surrender of the town, with the garrison, to
Sir Henry Clinton.

The Committee of Safety in 1779 were Samuel Norton, Dr.
Thomas Thaxter, Capt. Theophilus Wilder, Capt. Charles Cushing,
and Joseph Thaxter.

The military service performed by Hingham men during this
year was very considerable, besides that rendered by the soldiers of
the Continental regiments with Washington and elsewhere, but the
records are so incomplete that but little detail can be given. The
English evacuated Rhode Island in the autumn of 1779, but they
had no intention of permanently abandoning the State, and the
fear of their return necessitated the employment of a considerable
American force for its defence until the close of the war.

A pay roll for December, 1779, of Capt. Luke Howell's company
in Col. Nathan Tyler's regiment, on duty in Rhode Island, contains
the names of the following Hingham men : — -

John Lincoln, Lieut., . Jonathan Farrow, Jr., Private,

Ezekiel Hersey, Drum, Jacob Wbitton, "

Elijah Lewis, Private, William Gardner, "

Elisha Beals, " Nathaniel Bates, "
Jonathan Farrow, "

In the same State there were six men in Capt. Job Cushing's
command, and seven men for five months in the company in which
Jacobs was a lieutenant.

There were also four men engaged upon guard duty at Boston,
who were probably Robert Gardner, Jonathan Gardner, Elijah
Whiton, Jr., and James Hayward. They certainly received pay
from the town for service in Boston this year.

Lieut. Elijah Beal, who resided at West Hingham and who at
the time was about twenty-nine years of age, was stationed at
Claverack, New York, with fifteen of his townsmen. Efforts to
ascertain their names have not met with success.

This year, too, saw Capt. Theophilus Wilder adding active
military duty to the service he was giving his country in the
support of the war as a civilian, and again we find him with

VOL. I. 21

322 History of Hingham.

his company, this time containing- eighteen Hingham patriots, in
the fort at Hull. This roll, like several others of 1779, has not
been found. Hon. Solomon Lincoln states that Lieut. John Lin-
coln commanded a company at Rhode Island in Webb's regiment
from Sept. 1, 1779, to Jan. 1, 1780, in which were several soldiers
from Hingham.

The records preserve the names of only the following as enlist-
ing in the Continental service during 1779 ; they appear to be
re-enlistments : —

James Cook, Capt. Bradford, Col. Bayley,

Joseph Stockbridge, " "

Jacob Gardner, Col. Greaton.

The town appropriation* for war purposes had by this time be-
come very large, although it must not be forgotten that they were
in a very much depreciated currency.

In October it was voted to- " raise X6000 for the purpose of
paying the soldiers that went to do duty in the State of New
York." The following indicate services not otherwise recorded :

To Zach'' Whitou for his service to Rhode Island in 1778 £41-17

To Jotham Loring for his service in Canada omitted £18.

There were also payments for large amounts of beef and salt
purchased for the soldiers, and as in every other year of the war,
generous sums were voted for soldiers' families. We have these
records also : —

To Jon? Hearsey towards his service at Rhode Island £22- 0-0

To David Hearsey for D° 39- 2-G

To Elisha Beal for D° 35-17-0

To Ezek' Hearsey for D° ■ 44-18-8.

The names of four more of Hingham's soldiers are thus indi-
cated, although no light is thrown on the particular expedition in
which they served.

Perhaps no better examples can be selected to illustrate the ex-
traordinary depreciation of the paper currency than the following:

To Capt. Seth Stowers for 7 Bush' Corn for the Soldiers who

went to Rhode Island £63-0-0

To Bradford Hearsey for a pf shoes to Hosea Stodder £4-4-9.

In July an expedition against the British post at Penobscot was
fitted out by Massachusetts. Colonel Lovell, who sometime before
had become a brigadier-general in the militia, was one of the com-
manders, and, as already said, the brig " Hazard " which took part
in the expedition, had a number of Hingham men in her crew.
Upon the promotion of Colonel Lovell, which took place in 1777.
David Gushing of Hingham became colonel ; Thomas Lothrop of

Military History. 323

Oohasset, lieutenant-colonel ; Isaiah Gushing of , major ;

Samuel Ward of Hingham, second major ; and the members and
officers of the Hingham companies were : 2d, Benjamin Lapham,
Capt., Herman Lincoln, 1st Lieut., Joseph Beal, 2d Lieut. ;
3d, Jabez Wilder, Capt., Zach. Whiting, 1st Lieut., Robt. Gardner,
Jr., 2d Lieut. ; 6th, Peter Gushing, Gapt., Thos. Burr, 1st Lieut.,
Thos. Fearing, 2d Lieut.

The following served seven months in Gazee's Rhode Island
company of artillery ; the year is not certainly known, but it is
probable that at least a portion of this time was included in the
year 1779 : Enoch Dunbar, Amos Dunbar, Daniel Dunbar, Melzar
Dunbar, Luther Gardner, and Peleg Whiton.

In 1780 the Gommittee of Correspondence, Inspection, and
Safety consisted of Israel Beal, Gapt. Charles Gushing, Ebenezer
Gushing, Joshua Leavitt, and Isaac Wilder, Jr.

In July of this year General Heath asked for reinforcements
for his army in Rhode Island, an attack on Newport being threat-
ened by Sir Henry Clinton. Under this call Capt. Theophilus
Wilder marched with his company, belonging to Ebenezer Thayer's
regiment, and served three months. The roll of Hingham men
is given below : —

Theophilus Wilder, Capt., Jerem'' Gardner,

Thomas Venson, Lieut., Perez Gardner,

Walter Hatch, 2d Lieut. , Elisha Whitten,

Peter Wilder, Sergt.-Major, Con' Barns,

Elijah Lewis, Sergt., Isra Whitten,

Isaiah Hearsey, " Amos Dunbar,

Uriah Beals, " Sher Gorthwell,

Ezra Gardner, Corp., Abel Gushing,

Israel Stowell, " Gushen Burr,

Peter Hearsey, Drum, John Gushing,

Bela Tower, Fife, Mola^ Tower,

Jacob Canterbury, Laban Gushing,

Be Gushing, Jerem'' Hersey,

Eliph. Ripley, Ezekel Harsey,

Stephen Stowell, Israel Hearsey,

John Hearsey, John Dill,

Zedeok Harsey, Nathaniel Dill,

Dan' Harsey, Joseph Jones,

Jon Gardner, Caleb Gushen.
Stephen Gardner,

The urgent need of soldiers frequently induced the States to
authorize enlistments for short terms, much against the judgment
of Washington, and greatly to the injury of the service and the
country. The town of Hingham supplied few men by authority of
these acts, and, as already stated, under a nine months call, in one

324 History of Hingham.

instance at least, enlisted her quota for three years. Indeed, most
of the men joining the Continental service and credited to Hing-
ham were for the long term, and many have against their names
the large letters " D. W.," which mean " During the War." The
following, however, joined the army for six months, "agreeable
to a resolve of the General Court of the fifth of June," 1780 : Lot
Lincoln, Jesse Humphrey, James Bates, Daniel Woodward, Levi
Gardner, Ezekiel Gushing, Leavitt Lane. They were sent to
Springfield, and thence to the army under Captain Soaper, Cap-
tain Burbank, and Lieutenant Gary, in July, August, and October.
Mr. Lincoln says that there were also five men on duty as guards
at Boston.

At a town meeting held on the 13th of June it was voted to
raise thirty thousand pounds toward paying the soldiers, and four
thousand pounds to purchase clothing for the Continental army.

The town records also show large sums of money paid for beef,
blankets, wood, corn, etc., supplied the army upon requisition
from the State. In one instance, however, the General Court
threatened a fine of twenty per cent if a requisition was not
promptly responded to ; and the town voted "• to comply, provided
it be not brought as a precedent in future time;" this was in the
year 1781.

This latter year Samuel Norton, Capt. Charles Gushing, Heman
Lincoln, Capt. Peter Gushing, and Elisha Gushing, Jr., were
chosen as the Committee of Correspondence.

Under a resolve of the General Court passed December 2, the
following enlisted into the Continental service for three years, or
the war ; the bounties paid are also given : —

Henry Sheppcrd

£57

Thomas Lightfoot

£60

John Daniels

108

Eeuben Wright

55-10

Lewes Freeman

60

Amos Adams

51-12

Emmuel Busson

60

Francis Comer

63

James Cook

61-4

The following furnishes an illustration of the means by which
some of these men were secured : —

Hingham, Dec. 24, 1781.

These may certifie that I the Subscriber Hired Emmuel Bussen for the

class whereof I am Chairman & that He passed muster the 8"^ day of No-

vemb'' past, and that He engaged to Serve three years in the Continental

Army ; also that I gave Sixty pounds for his so engaging in Hard money.

John Thaxter.

Others enlisting tliis year and receiving a bounty were —

Isaac Gardner, Jack Freeman,

Juba or Tuba Freeman, Benj" Jacobs,

Absolum Davis, Csesar Blake,

Military History. 325

Thomas Newell, Daniel Dill,

Jesse Humphrey, Abel Gushing,

Lot Lincoln, James Hayward,

Fortune Freeman, James Bates,

Nath' Stoddard, Perez Gardner,

John Dill, Benj" Ward.

Perez Gardner was three years in Colonel Vose's regiment, and
with him were John Tower, killed at Morrisania on a scout, James
Bates, and James Hayward, both of whom died in the service at
West Point, and John Daniels, Abel Gushing, and Solomon Lor-

ing, — the latter not given in the above list, — and Jack , a

colored man, doubtless Jack Freeman, killed at New York.

Mr. Lincoln says there were also eleven men in Rhode Island
four months under Capt. John Lincoln.

The only roll discovered, however, gives in Colonel Webb's regi-
ment in Rhode Island, Aug. 2, 1781, John Lincoln, captain ;
Robert Corthell, sergeant ; Sherebiah Corthell, private, as be-
longing to Hingham. The names of the others have not been
ascertained.

It was towards the close of the summer when the American and
French armies, after remaining some six weeks near Dobbs' Ferry
in New York, crossed the Hudson, and under the general com-
mand of General Lincoln commenced the march across the Jer-
seys, Maryland, and Virginia, which terminated in the great
victory at Yorktown on the 19th of October following.

The distinguished part performed by General Lincoln in the
last great campaign of the Revolution has been already alluded
to. The personal history of other Hingham soldiers has, with a
few exceptions, been lost or obscured with the passing years.
Of this we may be certain, that wherever the commands to which
they belonged were, there they were too, serving faithfully to
the end. Among those at Yorktown was Daniel Shute, a young
surgeon who had graduated at Harvard College in the opening
year of the contest, and immediately placed his talents at his
country's service. He is said to have commanded a college com-
pany during the siege of Boston, and soon after was commissioned
a surgeon's mate and attached to the Hospital Department. At
Yorktown he was the first surgeon to perform an amputation on
a wounded soldier. At the close of the war he was surgeon of
the 4th Massachusetts Continental Regiment, commanded by
Colonel Shepperd. Dr. Shute resided a short time in Weymouth
after the close of his military service, but soon removed to Hing-
ham, where he died April 18, 1829.

Upon the staff of General Lincoln was Major Hodijah Baylies,
aide-de-camp, who subsequently married a daughter of the general.
He became collector at Dighton, and held other offices. Several
of his children were born durins; his residence in Hino;ham.

326 History of Hingham.

The capitulation of Cornwallis was the last great military event
of the Revolution. Nevertheless, mucli of the country was still
occupied by the British army, and besides the necessity of gain-
ing and holding possession of those portions, there remained the
possibility of renewed hostilities, requiring the retention of a con-
siderable force. On the second of November the army under
General Lincoln embarked at Yorktown and proceeded to the
head of the Elk, from whence it went into winter quarters in
Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and upon the Hudson, in New York.

The Committee of Correspondence and Safety elected in 1782
were Israel Beal, John Fearing, and Theophilus Gushing; they
were re-elected in 1783.

The probabilities of peace made the enlistment of soldiers ex-
ceedingly difficult, and there were very few recruited after the
close of the Virginia campaign. The only names of recruits
known to have joined the Continental army in 1782 are Solomon
Lavingin and Elijah Beals.

Hon. Solomon Lincoln says that in 1783 there were twelve men
in the service at Hull. Neither the date nor the organization to
which they belonged have been preserved, and no list of these last
soldiers in the Bevolution from old Hingham has been found.

There remain to be added a few names not hitherto placed,
known to have served in the army in some capacity, but whose
company or regiment, place, or time, have not been ascertained.
These are —

Jedediah Beal, Bela Lincoln, served on the " Pro-
Daniel Dill, tector,"

Lemuel Dill, Benjamin Lincoln,

Daniel Egrey, Noah Nichols,

Francis Gardner, died 1780 on Moses Sprague,

Jersey prison-ship, Jacob Sprague, carried to Halifax
Jared Joy, and died on guard-ship, 1778,

Benjamin Leavitt, Ebed Stodder,

Seth Thaxter.

Serving upon the staff of General Lincoln during the earlier
part of the war as an aid-de-camp, and probably with the rank
of colonel, was Nathan Rice. Colonel Rice came early to Hing-
ham, where he resided many years. At the close of the war he
was major in Colonel Bailey's Continental regiment, and subse-
quently commanded a body of troops at Oxford during the threat-
ened difficulties with France.

From the lists of names given, it appears that Hingham fur-
nished over one hundred and fifty different persons to the regular
Continental service, of whom, however, it is probable that only
about eighty were actual residents of the town. The commis-
sioned officers, so far as known, were, —

Military History. 327

Major-Gen. Benjamin Lincoln.

Col. Nathan Rice, aide-de-camp to General Lincoln.

Lieut.-Col. Jotham Loring, 3d Mass., Colonel Greaton ; dismissed.

Major Hodijah Baylies, aide-de-camp to General Lincoln.

Daniel Shute, surgeon 4th Mass., Colonel Shepperd.

Capt. -Lieut. Nath'l Coit Allen, paymaster 10th Mass., Colonel
Tupper.

Lieut. Hezekiah Ripley, Jr., 2d Mass., Colonel Bailey; Brigade
Qr. in 1783.

Lieut. Joseph Andrews, Crane's artillery ; mortally wounded at
Brandywine.

Lieut. John Lincoln, 2d Mass., Colonel Bailey.

To these should perhaps be added —

Capt. Amos Lincoln, formerly of Hingham ; moved to Weymouth.

Dr. Gridley Thaxter who is stated to have been a surgeon in
the army, but in what branch of the service is unknown.

Dr. Peter Hobart, also a surgeon, the particular record of whose
service is lost.

John Woodman, a private in the 7th Mass., Colonel Brooks, and
marked " promoted."

Possibly, also, Chaplain Joseph Thaxter, formerly of Colonel
Prescott's militia regiment, should have his name placed upon the
Continental rolls ; he certainly was in the army later, but the
command is not stated.

Another brilliant officer, who was a citizen of Hingham pre-
ceding the division, but who by that event became an inhabitant
of the new town of Cohasset, was Capt. James Hall.

It is possible to make an approximation only to the number of
men who served their country from Hingham in other than the
regular Continental regiments during the war of the Revolution.
Many of the rolls are entirely lost, others are incomplete, and
some are partially worn and illegible ; the selectmen's records
furnish valuable but very meagre information, while from private
sources almost nothing has been obtained. From available in-
formation, — mainly the rolls heretofore given, and which are
literal copies of originals in the State House, — it would appear
to be certain that some six hundred different individuals per-
formed military duty in the several branches of the service.
There were doubtless many more whose names were recorded
upon the lost rolls, or whose identity cannot be determined, owing
to the fact that oftentimes lists still exist which are nearly value-
less from a failure to make any mention of the town to which
the soldier belonged. Tliere is reason to think that a number of
men doing garrison duty at the Castle, — now Fort Lidepen-
dence, — in Capt. the Hon. Thomas Cushing's company, were
from Hingham ; but there is an uncertainty arising from the home

328 History of Hingham.

or place of enlistment of the men composing it being in no case
stated ; and the doubt in this instance is of sufficient importance
to make it unsafe to credit the town with any of them. It is
quite probable, too, that numbers of our citizens served in some
of the various armed ships authorized by Congress or the Common-
wealth, but of other than those given as upon the " Hazard " and
" Protector," if such there were, no satisfactory records are
known. Very many, if not most, of the soldiers from Hingham
served on several different occasions during the war ; and not a
few enlisted or were called out four, five, and six times, while the
indisputable evidence furnished by existing rolls proves that
several responded to no less than eight calls to duty in garri-
son and camp. In a few instances the periods of service were
short, being comprehended in a few days, but for the most part
they extended over many months, embracing the year consumed
in the siege of Boston, the time occupied in the campaigns in
Canada, in the northern department against Burgoyne, in the
operations near West Point, those around New York, the several
Rhode Island expeditions, that to the Penobscot, a part of Wash-
ington's first campaign in New Jersey, and the many months,
aggregating several years, of garrison duty at Hull, besides that
performed in Hingham itself while the town was a military post.
It is impossible to reduce the whole to a standard of number of
men serving for a stated time, but if every different service had
been performed by different individuals, the aggregate outside of
those in the regular three-years regiments would probably exceed
one thousand.

As observed previously, it seems reasonable to estimate the
different individuals as about six hundred in number ; indeed, the
preserved rolls name some five hundred and seventy. Of these,
approximately, the Lincolns furnished forty-eight ; the Cushings,
thirty-seven ; the Beals, thirty ; the Whitens, including all the
variations of spelling the name, thirty ; the Stoddars, Stpdders,
Stoddards, Stodars, twenty-five ; the Hearseys, Harseys, Herseys,
twenty-four ; the Gardners, twenty-one ; the Hobarts, nineteen ;
the Towers, sixteen ; the Lorings, fifteen ; the Bateses, fifteen ; the
Burrs, thirteen ; the Spragues, thirteen ; the Wilders, thirteen ;
the Dunbars, eleven ; the Leavitts, eleven ; the Lewises, eleven ;
the Stowells, ten ; the Joys, ten ; the Fearings, eight ; the Lanes,
eight ; the Thaxters, seven ; the Barneses, seven ; and the Marshes,
seven. That is two dozen names of the soldiers from Hingham
included four hundred and nine individuals. The Hingham officers
of Continental regiments have already been named ; those in other
branches of the service, as far as known, were —

Major-Gen. Benjamin Lincoln (before his Continental commission),
Capt. Benjamin Beal, Capt. Peter Gushing,

" Charles Gushing, " Pyam Gushing,

^' Job Gushing, " Isaiah Gushing,

Military History. 329

Capt. Thomas Hearsey,

2d Lieut,

. Thomas Fearing,

" Benjamin Lapham,

u

Walter Hatch,

" James Lincoln,

2d

((

Josiali Lane,

" John Lincohi,

u

Jacob Leavitt,

" Seth Stowers,

u

Heman Lincoln,

" Job Tower,

ii

Levi Lincoln,

" Theophilus Wilder,

ii

Isaac Lincoln,

" Elias Whiton,

2d

a

Nathan Lincoln,

" Stephen Whiton,

a

Peter Nichols,

" Enoch Whiton,

a

Jerom Stephenson,

Lieut. Levi Bates,

a

Knight Sprague,

2d " Elijah Beal,

a

Joshua Tower,

2d " Joseph Beal,

a

Thomas Vinson,

Lieut. Thomas Burr,

u

Jabez Wilder,

3d " Isaac Gushing,

2d

u

Zach Whiting, prob-

4th " David Gushing,

ably subsequently a

" Peter Dunbar,

captain.

Prom official records still existing and other reliable sources of
information, it may be safely stated that the town of Hingham
contributed to the military service of the Revolution, including
those in the Continental regiments and on armed vessels, nearly
seven hundred and fifty men, of whom over fifty were commis-
sioned officers. The number probably was really largely in excess
of that here stated.

It cannot but be regretted that these records of the old town's
part in the Revolutionary contest are so largely composed of mere
lists of names, and that there is so little of incident to brighten
the too statistical narrative. In this connection, however, one
little event may not be without interest. It will perhaps be
recalled that during the last war between France and the Colonies,
one of the chaplains was Rev. John Brown of Hingham. The
years which had rolled by since 1759 had doubtless incapacitated
the minister for further service in the field, but under the mag-
nificent elm standing opposite to the old Gushing house at Rocky
Nook, he preached to a company of our townsmen on their march
to the post of danger, and sent them on the way with the blessings
and approval of the Church ringing in their ears, and, let us trust,
consoling their hearts.

Almost from the surrender of Yorktown the armies of the new
republic had been melting away, and when, on the 3d of Sep-
tember, 1783, the treaty was signed at Paris which acknowledged
the independence of the United States, there remained witli
Washington at Newburg scarcely more than a skeleton of the vic-
torious force which had taken a part in the grand drama enacted
on Virginia's soil nearly two years before. November 25th the
commander-in-chief entered New York with General Knox and
the officers of the army eight abreast, and, at Fraunce's tavern on

330 History of Hingham.

the 4th of December following, Washington bid farewell to the
comrades who for eight years had with him patiently and bravely
endured the dangers and privations of the field and the camp.
At about the same time General Lincoln resigned his office of
Secretary of War and retired to private life. From the opening
hour of the Revolution to its closing moment, the roll of Bing-
ham's drums and the inspiring music of her fifes had echoed
through her streets and been heard on many a weary march,
while the rattle of musketry and the dull roar of artillery served
by her children had testified to her unfl^inching and unwearying
patriotism on land and sea. Beneath the kindly enshrouding soil
in secluded shady and forgotten places, from Canada to the
Potomac, rest those who laid their young lives down in the heat
of the conflict, while many an old moss-grown stone in the town
cemeteries marks the burial spot of some soldier who in the early
days of the nation " shouldered his crutch and told how fields
were won," to his children and grandchildren long after the close
of the War for Independence.

While with the advent of peace there doubtless came that
reaction from interest in military matters which is common to
all human affairs where the undivided attention has been too long
fixed in a single direction, there was still, fortunately, enough
patriotism left in the wearied people to listen to the urgent sug-
gestions of Washington, and in a small regular army and the
West Point establishment, provide a nucleus at least, around
which might be gathered the forces for the defence of the young
nation. Many of the statutes under which the armies were gath-
ered and the militia governed still remained in force, and these
derived powerful support from the dangerous and threatening con-
dition of a number of the Indian tribes, from the menace which the
continued occupancy in the West and North of posts and forts by
the British constantly offered, and from the ill-concealed contempt
felt by the empires of the world for the small, weak, and exhausted
State in the Western Hemisphere. More than all, there was the
internal discontent and distrust experienced by a weary and
debt-laden people entering upon the experiment of new forms of
government towards which many were antagonistic, and in which a
large number had little faith. To all this must be added the bitter
disappointment of the discharged and half-paid soldiery, who, after
giving eight of their best years to the service of the country,
found themselves adrift, poverty-stricken, and for a time, at least,
neglected. Fortunately, for the most part these men were Fed-
eralists, and believers in and supporters of their old officers,
more particularly of Washington, and were generally friends of a
strong government and a national spirit. Fortunately, too, the
militia organization for tlio most part remained intact, and many
a fine regiment which had seen active service during the war was
still under the command of its old officers, and in the ranks were

Military History.

331

numbers of disciplined veterans. The continued efficiency of these
troops enabled General Lincoln, who had been commissioned
major-general April 3, 1786, to crush the armed mobs under Shays
with a celerity and absence of unnecessary violence which reflected
credit alike upon the men and the officers, and furnished an
added illustration of the tact and ability of Lincoln. Colonel Rice
was also engaged in the service at the time, with other citizens of
Hingham. The old town might well feel satisfied with her part
in the termination of this small rebellion.

In 1781 Charles Cushing was colonel of the Second Regiment
of militia ; Theophilus Cushing, captain, David Cushing, 1st
lieutenant, and Edward Wilder, 2d lieutenant of the second
company ; and Thomas Fearing, captain, Thomas Cushing, 1st
lieutenant, and Elijah Whiting, 2d lieutenant of the third com-
pany. Theophilus Cushing became colonel June 9, 1787, Thomas
Vinson, lieutenant-colonel, and James Stodder, major, while
Quincy Thaxter had already been commissioned adjutant on the
8th of January previously. Colonel Cushing became brigadier-
general Sept. 12, 1793.

If there are any records extant of the Hingham militia com-
panies from the close of the Revolution until the commencement
of the War of 1812, it is to be hoped that the meagre historical
notes here given — ■ for they amount to no more — may incite
production. In musty old volumes in a small, dark room in the
basement of the State House, may be found the names of an enor-
mous number of persons commissioned in the militia, which was
for many years an organized army of no small dimensions — on
paper. Beyond the dates which these commissions bear and the
regiments to which their holders belonged, very little informa-
tion is given. From the list have been selected the names of
citizens of this town, but no attempt has been made to state the
companies of which they were officers. As will be seen here-
after, there were two companies formed later of which some
details appear : —

Daniel Wilder :

Ensign . . .

Lieutenant . .
Thomas Thaxter:

Quartermaster .
Benjamin Andrews:

Ensign . . .

Lieutenant . .
Jedediah Lincoln:

Ensign

Captain . . .

Major ....
John Feai'ing:

Ensign

Lieutenant . .

Captain .
Washington Cushing

Ensign

March 3, 1788.
May 3, 1796.

June 10, 1793

March 3, 1788.
May -23, 1792.

May -2, 1797.
Sept. 3, 1800.
March 26, 1806.

Sept 3, 1800.
April 10, 1806.
April 1, 1809.

April 12, 1804.

Captain . . .

Major ....

Lieutenant-Col.

Colonel . . .
John Barker:

Captain . . .

Major ....

Lieutenant- Col.
Robert Thaxter:

Surgeon's-Mate .
John Cushing, 3d;

Captain . . .
David Cushing, Jr.:

Captain
Solomon Jones:

Lieutenant .

Captain . .

March 28, 1807.
May 3, 1813.
June 20, 1816.
March 28, 1818.

Oct. 23, 1788.
]\Iay 18, 1797.
May 25, 1801.

Sept. 1, 1800.

March 3, 1788.

March 3, 1788.

Sept. a, 1800.
April 10,1806.

332

History of Hlngham.

Levi Sprague:

Ensign

Lieutenant .
Seth Hersey:

Lieutenant .
Nehemiah Gushing

Lieutenant .
Joseph Gushing:

Ensign

Lieutenant .
Elijah Waters, Jr.:

Ensign

Lieutenant .

Captain .
Rufus Lane:

Ensign
Jonathan Gushing:

Ensign

Lieutenant .
David Wliiton:

Ensign

Lieutenant .
Joseph Hammond:

Ensign
Martin Fearing:

Ensign

. April 10, 1806
. May 13, 1809.

. April 13, 1807.

. March 28, 1807

. Sept 26, 1811.
. April 15, 1812.

. March 3, 1788.
. May 2. 1797.
. May 7, 1799.

. May 23, 1792.

. May 3, 1796.
. Sept. 3, 1800.

. Sept. 3, 1800.
. April 12, 1804.

. April 11, 1803.

. Oct. 26, 1809.

Lieutenant .

Captain . . .

Major . . . .
Edward Wilder:

Lieutenant .

Captain . .
Thomas Andrews:

Lieutenant .
Francis Thaxter:

Quartermaster
Ephraim Andrews:

Quartermaster
Thomas Loud:

Quartermaster
John Beale:

Adjutant . .
Laban Hersey:

Captain
Scarlet Hudson:

Lieutenant .
Edward Wilder, Jr.

Ensign
Moses Humphrey:

Ensign . .
Abner Hersey:

Captain . .

Sept. 26, 1811.
April 15, 1812.
June 13, 1814.

. March 3, 1788.
. May 3. 1796.

. Oct. 23, 1788.

. Sept. 16, 1799.

. June 7, 1802.

. Oct. 2, 1804.

. June 7, 1802.

. Sept. 28, 1800.

. April 11, 1803.

.' March 28, 1807.

. April 23, 1807.

. Feb. 12, 1807.

In 1812 the Hingham Rifle Company received a charter from
the State, and for many years it was one of the famous militia
organizations in the Commonwealth. Its first captain was Dun-
can McB. Thaxter, while the other officers were Jairus Sprague,
lieutenant, and Daniel Bassett, ensign, all commissioned May
21, 1812. It was subsequently attached to the Light Infantry
Battalion as Company D, although a part of the Second Regiment
until that organization was disbanded.

Early in October the company made its first public parade in a
uniform described in the " Boston Patriot " as " perfectly neat,"
with " rifles lately procured from an American armory of domestic
manufacture, with complete accoutrements." On this occasion a
standard was presented on behalf of the ladies by Miss Mary
Lincoln, daughter of Mr. Solomon Lincoln, and accepted by Ensign
Daniel Bassett in a patriotic if somewhat grandiloquent speech.

Besides this company there were at this time the three stand-
ing militia companies belonging to the same regiment, and prob-
ably officered respectively as follows : Moses L. Humphrey, captain,
April 16, 1812; Samuel Hobart, lieutenant, April 16, 1812; Nathan-
iel Wilder, ensign, April 16, 1816 ; Martin Fearing, captain, April
15, I8l2; Joseph Gushing, lieutenant, April 15, 1812; Adna
Cushing, ensign, April 15, 1812 ; Washino-ton Cushing, captain,
March 28, 1807; Joseph Wilder, ensign," May 11, 1812. The
regiment was the Second Infantry, of which Nehemiah Ripley
became quartermaster March 30, 1812 ; Thomas Loring, pay-
master, March 25, 1812 ; Ned Cushing, adjutant, March 20, 1812
(he had previously been paymaster), and William Gordon, sur-

Military History. 333

g;eon, Feb. 10, 1813, while Henry Colman had been chaplain since
July 6, 1807. In addition to these the citizens exempted by law
from military duty formed themselves into three companies of
infantry and one of artillery, the whole constituting a local bat-
talion commanded by Capt. Edward Wilder. The North Ward
company had for its officers : captain, Gen. John Barker ; lieu-
tenant. Major Jedediah Lincoln ; ensign, Solomon Lincoln. The
Middle Ward : captain, Laban Hersey ; lieutenant, Capt. Solomon
Jones ; ensign, Lieut. John Fearing. South Ward : captain, Jona-
than Gushing ; lieutenant, Edward Wilder, Jr. ; ensign, Joseph
Wilder.

The Artillery Company was commanded by Captain Thomas
Brown, and the lieutenants were Ezra Lincoln and John
Hersey, Jr.

Ned Gushing was adjutant, and Ebenezer Gay paymaster of the
battalion, and Thomas Thaxter appears also to have been an
officer.

The Artillery had but one gun, which was kept in the engine-
house then standing on the land now occupied by Ford's Building.

There is little to record of local history and military service
during the three years in which was fought the War of 1812.
Even the Commonwealth possesses no rolls of the men who
served their country during this period, and neither tradition nor
private journals have contributed greatly to supply the omission.

John Todd is known to have been killed at Sackett's Harbor in
1813 ; and Alexander Gardner, of the same company, was wounded
at the time. The following also appear to have been soldiers in
this war, and some of them received pensions : —

Jesse Churchill, Bela Tower,

Enoch Curtis, Walter Whiton,

Allen Gushing, Cornelius Lincoln,

David Stoddar, Josiah Gardner,

Warren Stoddar, Matthew Stodder,

Ebed Stoddar, Job S. Whiton,

Arclielaus Whiton, Peleg Dunbar,

Samuel Stoddar, Constant Gardner,

Luther Stoddar, Anthony Gardner,

Enoch Dunbar, Daniel Wilder.
David Gardner,

Joshua Blake, born in Hingham, Sept. 27, 1778, died in Boston,
Dec. 23, 1843, was a lieutenant in the navy, and subsequently
served with Decatur during the trouble with Tripoli. He was a
son of Joseph Blake, who lived in the house on the corner of
Main and Elm streets, and who served with Major Samuel
Thaxter in the French War.

Charles Blake, known as Capt. Charles Blake, served upon a
privateei- during a part of the war. He was captured and con-

334 History of Hingham.

fined in Dartmoor Prison. Moses L. Humphrey commanded a
company composed, at least in part, of Hingham men, and stationed
at the Castle, now Fort Independence, in Boston harbor. Samuel
Stodder was in his command. Walter Whiton was born Nov. 28,
1783 ; he was a major in the United States army, and was killed
at the battle of Bridgewater ; his home was at Liberty Plain.
Archelaus Whiton, or Whiting, enlisted from the frigate " Con-
stitution " to go to the Lakes, and probably died in the expedi-
tion. Ebed Stoddar was taken prisoner and confined at Dartmoor
Pi'ison, whence he escaped, but was never afterwards heard from.
Alexander Anderson was also confined at the same place.

During the War of 1812 most of the Hingham vessels were
hauled up in the town dock or at Broad Cove, excepting, how-
ever, a few of the packets ; and some of these, it is said, had their
masts and spars removed, and after being towed up Weymouth
River, were boarded over and concealed in order to prevent their
being seized by the British. The sloop " Washington " was
launched when she was partly planked up, sufficiently so to float
her, the owners fearing that she would be burnt by excursion
parties from English ships then lying off Boston Light. At this
time numerous depredations were committed by parties of the
British ; one of them landed on Hog Island, in barges, and burned
a barn full of hay ; and other property in the vicinity was
destroyed.

There were several vessels belonging to Hingham captured and
destroyed by the enemy during the war ; among them was the
" Emily," commanded by Capt. Barnabas Lincoln, and in part
owned by him. It was a sad sight for the old sailor, who at
another time had his vessel taken by pirates, to see the fine
ship, in which were the fruits of many years of toil, given to the
flame and the sea. Captain Lincoln was well treated upon the
English man-of-war, and was soon released and allowed to return
home. The schooner " Sally," always called the " Old Bull " in
Hingham, was also captured and burned by the English cruisers ;
she was commanded by Capt. Samuel Stoddar. The crew were
all married men excepting Martin Beal, and were released. Beal,
being single, was taken to Dartmoor Prison, but through the
influence of Dr. Gordon's wife, who came from the vicinity, was
soon released.

Ebed Stoddar was in a Hingham vessel that was captured and
burnt. He was taken to Halifax and confined in Dartmoor
Prison, but escaped with others and took a small vessel to come
home in. It is said that he was never heard from afterwards,
and that the vessel was supposed to have foundered. Mr. Leavitt
Sprague, however, is authority for the statement that Ebed Stod-
dar afterward shipped on a privateer from New York and was
never heard from.

June 11, 1814, the town was alarmed by messengers with the
statement that the English ships lying off Cohasset were about to

3Iilitai-y History.

335

land a force and commit depredations on the town. The Hing-
ham companies were hurried to tlie scene with the idea of repelling
the intended invasion. Whether because of the preparations for
defence or otherwise, the landing was not attempted, and the
enem}^ soon withdrew. The companies, or at least a portion of
them, were detained a number of days at Cohasset, however.
Joseph J. Whiton was commissioned captain 16 August, 1813,
and a roll of his companj' which marched to Cohasset and was
on duty there the 11th and 12th of June. 1814, is now in posses-
sion of Mr. Seth S. Hersey, and is as follows : —

Joseph J. Whiton. Captain,
Seth S. Hersey, Sergt.
Isaiah Wilder, "
Ezekiel Fearing, "
Bela Hobart, ' "
Jacob Sprague, Musician,
Isaiah Tower, "

Josiah Gardner, ''
Hosea Dunbar, '•
Charles Whiton, Private,

^Nathaniel Hersey, '•

Stephen Gardner, Jr "

Samuel Gardner, Jr. "

Silvanus Whiton, "

Joseph Whiton, "

Theophilus Whiton, "

Charles L. Smith, "

Laban Wilder, , "

Charles Gardner, "

Luther Whiton, "

Hosea Whiton, "

Isaiah Whiton, "

Daniel Whiton, Jr. "

John Titterton, "

Israel Sprague, "

Henry Stoddard, "

Lazarus Bowker, "

Bela Thayer, "

Robert D. Gardner, "

Reuben Sprague, Jr., "

Enoch Dunbar, Jr., Private,

Samuel Dunbar,

Hawkes Hobart, Jr.,

Joshua Tower,

Quincy Gardner,

Jesse Gardner,

Warren Gardner,

Hosea Gardner,

Constant Gardner,

Moses Tower,

Reuben Simmons,

Thomas Stockbridge,

Isaac Whiton,

Hosea Gushing, Jr.,

Benjamin Wilder,

Hosea Stoddard,

Leavitt Tower,

Thomas Hum|)hrey,

Jared Jernegan,

Daniel Shute, Jr.

Anthony Gardner,

Ebed Hobart,

Daniel Dill,

Josiah Chubbuck,

Silas Chipman,

John Shute,

Caleb Stoddard, Jr.

Jeremiah Gardner, Jr.

Warren Thayer,

At the time of the alarm Ned Gushing was adjutant of the
Second Regiment ; he went into the Meeting-house during divine
service, and gave public notice of the news from Cohasset.

Jairus Lincoln, probably a soldier at the battle of Bunker Hill,
was generally known as " Old Rodney." He was impressed into
the British navy, and was under the command of Admiral Rodney

336

History of Hingham.

wlien the fleet under that officer was engaged with the French
fleet under the Count De Grasse.

When peace was at last declared the rejoicings in Hingham, as
in New England generally, were most enthusiastic. Stephen
Gushing came from Boston on horseback bringing the news. Mr.
Royal Whiton used to tell of Mr. Samuel Simmons coming to his
shop with a horse and sleigh, and of the two then riding through
the town proclaiming the news. " We went to South Hingham,
and all the way Mr. Simmons kept singing out at the top of his
voice, ' Peace ! peace !'^ — he kept his voice going the Avhole dis-
tance." There was a collation at Capt. Sarhuel Hobart's, the
military paraded, the bells were rung, and in the evening boiiliics
were lighted on the hills and private dwellings illuminated. At
some of the public-houses the celebration was of quite as marked,
if different, character. It is said that Captain Hobart's House,
especially, was the scene of a gathering composed of many of the
leading wits and political lights of the town, and that the rejoic-
ings, which were carried far into the night, were quite worthy of
the great occasion.

For a time subsequent to the war little occurred of interest in
local military circles. The Rifles maintained their existence as
one of the crack companies of the day, and the standing companies
continued for a considerable period the usual existence of militia
organizations of the time.

The officers commissioned since 1812, excepting those already
mentioned, were —

William Gordon:

Sura;eon .
Daniel Shute, 3d:

Surgeon 's-Mate
Joseph Gushing:

Captain

JMajor ....

Lieutenant-Col,
Perez Lincoln:

Lieutenant .

Captain
Jacob Cushing, Jr.:

Ensign

Lieutenant .

Captain .
Seth S. Hersey:

Lieutenant . .

Captain . .
Blossom Spi'ague:

Lieutenant .
John Thaxter:

Ensign . .

Lieutenant .
Samuel Fearing:

P^nsign

Lieutenant .

Captain . . .

Feb. 10, 1813.

Aprils], 1816.

July 25, 1814.
Feb. 16, 1818
March 28, 1818.

June 25, 1717
May 31, 1819.

July 25, 1814.
March 5, 1818.
March 22, 1820.

May 16, 1814.
March 5, 1818.

March 21, 1816.

Jixne 25, 1816.
May 31, 1819.

March 5, 1818.
March 22, 1820.
March 26, 1822.

James W. Sivret:

Lieutenant .
Seth Cushing, Jr. :

P^nsign
Cushing Leavitt:

P^nsign
Joshua Tower:

Ensign
Joseph Richardson;

Chaplain .
Henry Thaxter, Jr.

Paymaster .
.Jairus Sprague:

Captain
Samuel Hobart:

Captain .
Seth S. Hersey:

Captain
Adna Cushing :

Captain .
Lazarus Bowker:

Ensign . .

Lieutenant .

Captain
Laban Heirsey, Jr. :

Ensign

Captain . .

. June 29, 1820

. March 5, 1818.

. May 2, 1820.

. Sept. 25, 1820.

. April 20, 1816.

. Nov 7, 1817.

. March 21, 1816.

. June 2.5, 1817.

. March 5, 1818.

. March 5, 1818.

. May 16, 1814.
. March 5, 1818
. June 29, 1820.

, March 21, 1816,
. April 12, 1820.

Military History.

337

Lieutenant-Col.

Colonel . .
Charles Lane:

Lieutenant .

Captain . .

Major . . .
John Kingman:

Ensign . .

Captain . .
Marshall Lincoln:

Ensign . .

Lieutenant .
Henry Gushing:

Ensign . .

Quartermaster
Joshua Humphrey:

Ensign . .

Lieutenant .

Captain . .
Benjamin Wilder:

Ensign . .

Lieutenant .
Lincoln Gould:

Ensign . .
Samuel W. Loring

Ensign . .

Lieutenant
Benjamin Thomas

Ensign . .

Lieutenant .
Joshua Hersey, Jr. :

Ensign . .

Captain .
Caleb Gill, Jr. :

Ensign

Lieutenant .

Captain . .
Alfred C. Hersey:

Lieutenant .

Captain .
Jacob A. Nichols:

Captain . .
Robert T. P. Fiske:

Surgeon . .

May 21, 1823.
. Sept. 3, 1827.

. May 2, 1820.
. May 31, 1823.
. Sept. 3, 1827.

. May 31, 1819.
. May 7, 1822.

, May 2, 1820.
. May 31, 1823.

. Oct. 13, 1821.
. April 12, 1822.

. May 7, 1821.
. Sept. 13, 1822.
. May 3, 1825.

. May 29, 1822.
. Aug. 29, 1825.

. May 3, 1825.

' . Aug. 29, 1825.

. July 2, 1827.
Jr.:

. April 20, 1826.

. Nov. 27, 1827.

. July 2, 1827.
. Oct. 18, 1830.

. Nov. 27, 1827.
. April 15, 1820.
. June 19, 1832.

. June 12, 1824.
. May 21, 1827.

. Aug. 1, 1825.

. Oct 1, 1827.

John K. Corbett:
Ensign
Lieutenant
Captain .

Charles Lincoln:
Ensign
Lieutenant

April 15, 1830.
June 19, 1832..
Sept. 2, 1833..

Sept. 13, 1822,
May 3, 1825.
James Stephenson, Jr. :

Ensign . . . May 13, 1823.

Lieutenant .

Ca])tain . .
Anson Nickerson:

Ensign

Lieutenant .

Captain . .
Leavitt Lane, Jr.:

Ensign . .

Lieutenant .
Joshua D. Turner:

Lieutenant .

Captain . .
Enoch Lake:

Lieutenant .

Captain .
David Cushing:

Lieutenant .
Isaac Waters :

Lieutenant .
Charles Shute:

Captain
Luther J. Barnes :

Paymaster .
Samuel L Fearing:

Ensign . .

Lieutenant .

April 20, 1826.
Nov. 27, 1827.

March 1, 1826.
May 21, 1827.
April 19, 1830.

May 21, 1827.
April 19, 1830.

May 30, 1821.
March 27, 1822.

March 26, 1822.
May 15, 1821.

March 27, 1822.

June 21, 1828.

Aug. 1, 1825.

March 12, 1824.

Theophilus Cushing, 2d:

April 19, 1830.
March 18, 1834.

Ensign
Lieutenant
Captain .
Joseph Jacobs:
Ensign
Lieutenant
Captain .
Captain .

Oct. 18, 1830.
Feb. 7, 1831.
March 13, 1834.

May 3, 1831.
Dec. 25, 1833.
April 7, 1843.
April 17, 1844.

In 1833 the Washington Guards were formed and received a
charter from the State. The Hingham " Gazette " of that and sub-
sequent years contains numerous notices of meetings, some at
Col. Laban Hersey's Hall, at West Hingham, and some at the Old
Colony House, at which latter place they sometimes had dinners
with speeches. Their first meeting with muskets appears to have
been on Nov. 1, 1833. The meeting of December 13 was called
at Wilder's Hall, situated in Wilder's Tavern, Lincoln Street. On
December 25 the members were notified to meet at the Old Colony
House to choose officers ; at this meeting Edward Cazneau was
elected captain, Joseph Jacobs, lieutenant, and Charles W.
Seymour, ensign. The uniform adopted was to consist of scarlet

VOL. I. — 22

338

History of Hingham.

coats and white trousers, similar to that worn by the Boston
Fusileers.

In June, 1834, the Quincy Light Infantry visited Hingham, and
was received by the Guards at the town line and escorted to the
Union Hotel, where the two companies dined. July 4, 1834, the
ladies presented a flag to the company at Captain Cazneau's house,
Miss Almira Seymour making the address. Afterwards there
was a dinner at the Old Colony House, and it is recorded that
twenty toasts were drunk. Oct. 9, 1834, the volunteer companies
of the First Brigade First Division of the militia assembled at
Milton, near the Roxbury House, for inspection and review. In
addition to an artillery battalion, there were eight companies,
including the Hingham Rifles and the Washington Guards, com-
prising a regiment commanded by Colonel Spooner. At that
time Captain Corbett commanded the Rifles and Captain Cazneau
the Guards, between which organizations there was sharp rivalry.
The account says they made a fine appearance. Both companies
appear to have maintained their existence until the general dis-
bandment in 1843, at which time they were attached to the Third
Battalion of Light Infantry then or lately commanded by Colonel
Seymour. Joseph Jacobs, however, received a second commission
as Captain of the Guards, — then called Company G, — April 17,
1844, and he was not finally discharged until Feb. 12, 1846. The
following are additional commissions issued, generally, after the
formation of the Guards : —

Charles Gordon :

Surgeon's Mate
William White:

Paymaster . .
Charles Lane:

Colonel
John Stephenson:

Ensign

Lieutenant .

1st Lieutenant

Captain .
Ivery B. Gerry:

Captain .
Isaac G. Sprague:

Ensign

Lieutenant
John C. Webb:

Ensign . .
Solomon L. Damon:

Ensign . . .
Joshua Tower, Jr. :

Lieutenant .

Captain . . .
Lincoln B. Sprague:

Lieutenant . .
Enoch Whiting:

Ensign . . .
Caleb Hersey:

Lieutenant . .

Captain .

Sept. 27, 1830.

Sept. 13, 1830.

June 28, 1830.

Sept. 2, 1833.
June 9, 1837.
May 18, 1840.
March 31, 1841.

May 3, 1838.

June 19, 1832.
Sept. 2, 1833.

March 13, 1834.

March 18, 1834.

March 13, 1834.
May 3, 1836.

May 3, 1836.

Sept. 14, 1836.

May 3, 1836.
Mav7. 1839.

Benjamin S. Whiting:

Lieutenant . . May 7, 1839.
Thomas Corbett:

Ensign . . . June 9, 1837.

Lieutenant . . Feb. 28, 1839.

Captain . . . Aug. 15, 1839.
Elijah L. Whiton:

Ensign . . . June 10, 1837.

Lieutenant . . June 23, 1838.

1st Lieutenant . 18 May, 1840.
Charles Churchill;

Ensign . . . Feb. 28, 1839.

Lieutenant . . Aug. 15, 1839.
Edward Cazneau:

Captain . . . April 23, 1842.
John Todd:

3d Lieutenant . April 5, 1841.

Quartermaster . July 13, 1841 .
Rufus Lane, Jr. :

3d Lieutenant . May 18, 1840.

Paymaster . . July 13, 1841.
Joseph Sprague:

2d Lieutenant . May 18, 1840

Adjutant . . July 13, 1841,
Joseph P. Batson:

3d Lieutenant . Aug. 6, 1841.

2d Lieutenant . April 23, 1842.
John C. Eldridge:

2d Lieutenant May 27, 1840.

Military History.

339

Joshua Hersey, Jr. :

Major ....
Ezra Stephenson:

Surgeon . . .
Joseph M. Whiting:

Ensign . .
Charles W. Seymour

Ensign . .

Lieutenant

Captain .

Captain . . .

Colonel . . .
Moses Humphrey:

Ensign . . ,
Moses L. Whiton-

3d Lieutenant .

2d Lieutenant .

Captain . . .

May 2, 1838.

July 13, 1841,

May 1, 1838.

Dec. 25, 1833.
June 10, 1837.
June 23, 1838.
April 5, 1841.
June 17, 1841.

June 23, 1838.

Aug. 22, 1840.
April .5, 1841.
Aug 6, 1841.

Elijah B. Gill:

2d Lieutenant . May 18, 1840.

1st Lieutenant . March 31, 1840.
Nehemiah Ripley, Jr. :

3d Lieutenant . May 18, 1840.

2d Lieutenant . March 3, 1841.
Elihu Thayer, Jr. :

3d Lieutenant . May 26, 1841.

2d Lieutenant . Aug. 6, 1841.
Bela S. Hersey:

2d Lieutenant . Aug. 22, 1840

1st Lieutenant . April 5, 1841.
Lincoln B. Sprague:

3d Lieutenant . March 31, 1841.
Henry Lincoln, 3d:

3d Lieutenant . April 23, 1842.
Nelson Corthell:

1st Lieutenant . May 27, 1846.
Christopher C. Eldridge:

4th Lieutenant . May 27, 1846.

By a general order April 24, 1840, very many of the above
officers who were then in office were discharged, but some of the
number received new commissions to the same rank as those pre-
viously held. As early as 1831 the company commanded by
Captain Nichols was disbanded and annexed to Captain Nicker-
son's company in the Middle Ward ; thus the two north military
wards became one. After the historical Second Regiment was
disbanded, there remained in Hingham only the volunteer com-
panies, the Hingham Rifles and Washington Guards. These were
attached to the Third Battalion of Light Infantry, and with its
disbandment March 31, 1843, the Rifles ceased to exist. The
Guards appear to have lingered somewhat longer, for on May 27,
1846, Nelson Corthell and Christopher C. Eldridge were commis-
sioned lieutenants in the company. Little was heard of it there-
after, however, and Hingham was soon without a company of
organized militia, for the first time in some two hundred years.

In a little one-story wooden building, slightly altered in appear-
ance in these later days for its occupation as the intermediate school
at Centre Hingham, and standing near Spring Street, on what was
once a part of the Common lands, and not far from the site of the
old fort of brave John Smith and his men, there was quartered in
1861 a company of the Fourth Massachusetts Volunteer Militia,
known in military circles as the Lincoln Light Infantry, composed
of some of the best young men of the town, and having a wide
reputation for its discipline and efficiency. It was organized on
the 28th of October, 1854, and January 20 of the following year
Hawkes Fearing, Jr., was elected its first commander. The other
officers were : Joseph T. Sprague, 1st Lieut. ; Luther Stephenson,
Jr., 2d Lieut. ; Edwin Fearing, 3d Lieut. ; E. Waters Burr, 4th
Lieut. Edwin Fearing died, and E. Waters Burr became 3d

840 History of Hingham.

Lieut., while William Fearing was chosen 4th Lieut. The two
latter officers resigned subsequently.

July 4, 1855, the company had its first parade ; and from that
date to the day of its disbandment in 1862, this last of the many
military organizations which had faithfully served the country,
and kept bright the honor of the town, maintained the reputation
of its predecessors. At the opening of the Rebellion its com-
mander was Joseph T. Sprague ; but its high standing was largely
due to its first captain, who had then recently become lieutenant-
colonel of the regiment. To the little armory where were kept
its arms, equipments, and colors, which had been the pleasant
gathering-place of its members and the scene of its drills and
instructions, came with sober faces, and probably heavy hearts,
the soldiers of the company on the afternoon of the 17th of April,
1861. The booming of the cannon across the bay of Charleston,
sounding the minute-guns of slavery's death-knell, left to the
townsmen of Benjamin Lincoln no alternative ; and in the great
march towards liberty which then commenced, the Hingham
which nestled in her bosom the sleeping remains of the heroes of
four wars knew no faltering.

The voice of the great leader who had arisen was not strange
in her ears ; and as it readied the home of his ancestors and bade
the descendants of the Hobarts and Herseys and Cushings and
Lincolns take up the old battle for freedom and give their lives
that others might live, the response was as in the days of Church,
of Wolfe, and of Washington ; and the town whose forebears had
first settled down here at Bare Cove and given it the name of the
English home they had left, whose firstborn had helped subdue
ji|t Philip, whose sons " went out " against the French, and strove

i' with the Redcoats at Bunker Hill, through all the weary and sad

and disheartening days of the long contest gave freely and gen-
erously of, her means, and honored many a southern battle-field
with the graves of her children. The details of the story can be
scarcely more than touched upon here ; the briefly related facts
expand too greatly the limits of this chapter. In glancing back
at the history of this exciting period, we cannot repress a little
local pride in the recollection that the beloved President belonged,
at least in a sense, to the old town, being a descendant of the
Hingham Lincolns ; that the Governor of the Commonwealth was
our own loved fellow-citizen ; that the company which upheld the
town's honor and continued her noble record of devotion to duty was
named after her great general, and its commander was descended
from the old soldiers of the Revolution ; and that, moreover,
many of its members bore the honored names of ancestors who had
faced death at the cannon's mouth nearly a hundred years before, —
while the second officer of the regiment to which it was attached
was a grandson of the Hawkes Fearing who drew tlie Hingham
cannon to Hull in 1776, and a relation of Capt. Thomas Fearing of
the Revolutionary army.

Military History.

341

On the 16th, after a meeting of the field officers of the regiments
near Boston in the Governor's room at the State House, Lieut.-
Colonel Fearing came to Hingham and called a meeting of the
Lincoln Light Infantry at its armory. During the day, Lieut.
Luther Stephenson, Jr., had received a despatch from the Governor
announcing the discharge of Captain Sprague, and ordering him
to report with the company by the first train in Boston.

At one o'clock p. m. of Wednesday, the 17th, the members
assembled at the armory, and at four o'clock marched out amid
the ringing of bells and the cheering of the multitude. Taking
the train, Boston was reached late in the afternoon ; and the com-
pany soon joined the Fourth Regiment, to which it belonged, at
the State House. After receiving equipments and listening to a
brief address from Governor Andrew, the Fourth and Sixth Regi-
ments together marched for the depots, — the former proceeding by
the Old Colony, and the latter by the then Worcester road. April
20, the Fourth reached its destination, Fortress Monroe. The
following is the roll of the Lincoln Light Infantry of April 19,
1861 : —

Luther Stephenson, Jr., Capt.,
Charles Sprague, 1st Lieut.,
Nathaniel French, Jr. , 2d "
Peter N. Sprague, Sergt.,
Joshua Morse, "

Henry Stephenson, Corp.,
Lyman B. Whiton, "
Samuel Bronsdon, Fifer,
George W. Bibby, Private,
Jacob G. Cushing, "

Henry S. Ewer, Private,
Levi Kenerson, "

Josiah M. Lane, "

George R. Reed, "

Benjamin S. Souther, "
James S. Sturtevant, "
William S. Whiton, "
Joseph N. Berry, Weymouth, Pr.,
Parker E. Lane, '' "

Daniel W. Lincoln, " "

The above were members of the company previously, but the
following joined at the time of its 'departure : —

George M. Adams, Private,
Charles H. Bassett,

Andrew J. Clark, "

John Creswell, "

Fergus A. Easton, "

John W. Eldrcdge, "

George A. Grover, "

James M. Haskell, "
George E. Humphrey, "

John Q. Jacob, "

Benjamin L. Jones, "

George Miller, "

William T. Nelson, Private,

Ebenezer F. Roberts,

John S. Souther,

William J. Stockwell,

Alvin Tower,

Isaac G. Waters,

George Wolfe,

Elijah Prouty, Weymouth, Priv.,

Theodore Raymond, Weymouth,

Private,
Alfred W. Stoddard, Marshfield,

Private.

The company, which numbered forty-two at this time, was
increased to seventy-nine on the 22d of May by the arrival of
the following recruits : —

342 History of Hingham.

Henry F. Binney, Jacob Ourish,

James B. Bryant, Albert L. Peirce,

John W. Burr, Charles H. F. Stodder,

Thomas A. Carver, Demerick Stodder,

Silas H. Cobb, William Taylor,

Charles Corbett, Charles H. Damon, W. Scituate,

Jerry J. Corcoran, George C. Dwelly, Hanover,

Isaac M. Dow, Hosea Dwelly, "

Levi H. Dow, Francis W. Everson, Weymouth,

George Dunbar, Charles A. Gardner, W. Scituate,

George W. Fearing, Henry C. Gardner, "

Henry C. French, John D. Gardner, "

Albert S. Haynes, Herbert Graves, "

Edwin Hersey, William B. Harlow, Hanover,

William H. Jacob, E. A. Jacob, West Scituate,

William H. Jones, Jr. John H. Prouty, " "

Alfred A.Lincoln, William Prouty, Jr., " "

Daniel S. Lincoln, Alpheus Thomas, South "
William H. Marston,

Two days after the departure of Lieutenant Stephenson with his
men, a meeting of the citizens was held at the Town Hall for the
purpose of devising means for the relief of such families of mem-
bers of the company as might need assistance during its absence.
Caleb Gill presided, and eight hundred dollars for the purpose was
subscribed by persons in the hall. It was the anniversary of the
battle of Lexington. On Sunday, the 28th, a large number of
ladies, under the general direction of Mrs. Solomon Lincoln, met
in Masonic Hall, in Lincoln Building, for the purpose of making
clothing to be sent to Hingham's company at Fortress Monroe.
April 30, Charles W. Gushing presided over a town meeting, at
which six thousand dollars were appropriated to furnish supplies
to the families of those who had been, or thereafter should be,
called into the country's service. The Fourth Massachusetts was
stationed a portion of its time at Newport News, and a portion at
Hampton, from which last place it returned to Fortress Monroe
on the expiration of its term of enlistment. It reached Boston
July 19, and went into camp at Long Island. On the 23d the
Lincoln Light Infantry, having with the rest of the regiment been
mustered out of service, proceeded to Hingham, where it was given
a formal public reception. A procession consisting of a detach-
ment of the Second Battalion of Infantry, a company of " Home
Guards," the fire department, a cavalcade, and a large number of
citizens, was formed upon the wharf. Subsequently Cobb's Light
Battery headed the escort. In front of Lincoln's Building a
service of thanksgiving was held, and addresses were made.
At the close of the exercises the procession proceeded to the
Town Hall amid the ringing of the church bells and the firing of
cannon ; here a collation was served, and the men returned to the
homes which they had left so suddenly three months before.

mm¥^

-'yf^iry A.JtSztcrai:-

Military History. 343

The subsequent history of this company was uneventful ; it
may as well be briefly related here. Feb. 17, 1862, Joshua Morse
was elected captain, vice Luther Stephenson, Jr., honorably dis-
charged. May 26, 1862, the company, then numbering forty-two
men, was ordered to report to Boston for active service, but was
sent back to Hingham on the 28th. June 23, Captain Morse
having resigned, Peter N. Sprague was elected captain. Sep-
tember 29 of the same year, the company was disbanded.

May 3, 1861, President Lincoln issued his first call for volun-
teers to serve three years, Elijah B. Gill, then a resident of
Boston, but a native of Hingham, enlisted in Company I of the
First Mass. Volunteers, and was made lieutenant of the company.
Lieutenant Gill was mortally wounded July 21, and buried at
Centreville, Ya. He was the first Hingham man killed in the
war. The following also enlisted in 1861 : —

First Regiment.

John William Gardner, Co. I ; also in Navy. Died in service.

George P. Kilburn, Co. I.

John W. Chessman, Co. H. Transferred to Veteran Reserve Corps.

Seventh Regiment.

William Dunbar, Jr., Co. K. Born Hingham, Nov. 2, 1828. While
a member of the 35th Infantry he was mortally wounded at
Weldon Railroad, and died April 19, 1864, in the 36th year of
his age.

Eleventh Regiment.

James J. Healey, Co. E ; also Co. K, Sergt. ; twice wounded.

Lemuel S. Blackman, Co. K. Quota Dorchester ; former resident
Hingham. Born Dorchester Feb. 18, 1840. Died June 13, 1870,
from disease contracted in service.

Daniel H. Burr, Co. K. Born Hingham Feb. 19, 1838. Wounded
at Williamsburg May 5, 1862. Killed at Gettysburg July 2^
1863, aged 25 years.

James S. Dustin, Co. K. Musician.

Nathaniel Gill, Co. K. Musician.

William T. Barnes, Co. K.

Charles H. Marsh, Co. K. Born Hingham July 12, 1828. Mortally
wounded at Williamsburg May 5, 1862, and died the next day,
aged 34 years.

Edwin Humphrey enlisted April 20, 1861. June 13 he became
First Lieutenant Company G, and October 11 he was made
Captain of Company A. Captain Humphrey was the son of
Leavitt and Muriel Humphrey, and was born in Hingham
Sept. 6, 1831. He was the first man to enlist for three years
upon the town's quota. He was a brave officer, and was mor-
tally wounded at Gettysburg, July 2, 1863 ; he died the next
day. The Grand Army Post in Hingham is named in his
honor.

344 History of Hingham.

Twelfth Regiment.

Alexander Hitchborn, Co. F. Killed at Chancellorsville. Captain
Hitchborn was born in Hingham in 1822, and removed to
Brockton in 1854. After resigning from the Twelfth Massa-
chusetts, he became Assistant Surgeon in the Seventh Regular
Infantr}^, and was killed at the opening of the battle.

George Gardner, Co. E, Corporal.

John H. Blackman, Co. H. Quota Weymouth. Born Dorchester
June 6, 1842. Killedat Fredericksburg Dec. 13,1862. Brother
of Lemuel S.

Laban F. Cushing, Co. K. Quota Manchester.

James D. Dunbar, Co H. Quota Weymouth.

John J. Edmonds, Co. G. Transferred to V. R. Corps.

James Fitzgerald, Co. G. Born Nova Scotia, 1841. Mortally
wounded at Antietam, and died Nov. 6, aged 21 years.

Jacob Gardner, Jr., Co. H.

Samuel Spencer, Co. E. Mortally wounded at City Point, and died
June 25, 1864, aged 20 years. ^

Henry Swears, Co. H. Quota Weymouth. Killed at Fredericks-
burg Dec. 13, 1862, aged 20 years.

Francis Thomas, Co. H. Born Hingham, Feb. 1, 1844. Lieu-
tenant Thomas was at the time of his enlistment but 17 years
of age, and the first of live brothers to enter the service. Enter-
ing the army as sergeant-major, he became in 1862 adjutant
of the regiment, and in January, 1863, Inspector of the Second
Brigade, Second Division, First Army Corps ; he was killed at
Gettysburg, July 3, 1862, aged 19 years.

Thirteenth Regiment.

William Wallace Sprague, Co. B. Quota Boston. Prisoner at
Belle Isle.

Fourteenth Regiment.

William Carter. Transferred to 1st Heavy Artillery, 1862.
Anton Tapp, Co. L. Transferred to 1st Heavy Artillery, 1862.

Fifteenth Regiment.

John E. Morse, Co. B. Quota Fitchburg. Captain in the Invalid
Corps. Afterward in 20th Regiment.

Sixteenth Regiment.

Michael Fee, Co. E. Born Leitrim County, Ireland, December,

1820. Wounded at Gettysburg, and died in service Sept. 26,

1863, aged 43 years.
Charles W. Blossom, Co. I, Corporal. Born Chicopee June 29,

1840, and died at Hingham from disease contracted in service

Aug. 26, 1862, six days after reaching home.
Dennis Meagher, Co. A. Died or killed in service.

Military History. 345

Seventeenth Regiment.

Owen Murphy, Co. C, Sergt.

David Pettengill. Probably enlisted in 1861.

Philip Sullivan. Probably enlisted in 1861.

Eighteenth Regiment.

Thomas Weston, Co. E, Middleborough, Capt. Colonel Weston
entered the service as Captain of Company E., became Major
Oct. 15, 1863, and Brevet Lieutenant Colonel Sept. 2, 1864.
He was a brave and efficient officer, and was wounded at the
second Battle of Bull Run. Has been for many years a resident
of Hineham, and represented the district in the legislature in
1892. "Was Commander of Post 104, G. A. R., in 1890 and
1891.

Benjamin F. Meservey, Co. H, 4th M. V. M., Quincy, 2d Lieut.
Major Meservey became Captain of Co. K, 18th Mass. and was
wounded severely at second Bull Run. A brave officer. Brevet
Major.

Henry Jones, Co. E, Sergt. Quota Duxbury. Wounded at Bull
Run, and again at Petersburg.

William H. Jones, Jr., Co. K. First served in Lincoln Light
Infantry. Became Sergeant in Captain Meservey's company,
in which, also, his father served. A brave soldier. Born Wey-
mouth Jan. 26, 1841. Died from disease while in service, Feb.
12, 1864, aged 23 years.

Nelson F. Corthell, Co. A, Corp. Born Hingham April 1, 1838.
Killed at second Bull Run, Aug. 30, 1862, aged 24 years.

Thomas Churchill, Co. A. Quota Boston. Born Hingham, Feb.
5, 1808. Died in service, Aug. 7, 1862, aged 54 years.

James M. Downer.

John Q. Jacob, Co. K. Transferred to V. R. Corps. First ser-
vice in Lincoln Light Infantry.

William H. Jones, Co. K. Afterward Co. C, 4th Cavalry. Born
Boston, March 23, 1816, and died in service Sept. 19, 1864,
aged 48 years. Mr. Jones was the father of Sergt. Wm. H.
Jones, Jr., and of Gardner Jones, both of whom also laid down
their lives for their country.

Samuel T. Mears. Quota Duxbury.

William W. Robinson, Co. K. First served in Co. H, 4th Infantry,
M. V. M. Born Hingham, April 14, 1835. Died of disease
contracted in service.

Jeremiah Spencer, Co. K.

George E. Smith, Co. G.

Edward L. Tracv, Co. K.

Robert Tufts, Co. K.

846 History of Hingham.

Nineteenth Regiment.

Samuel Bronsdon. Musician. Also served in Lincoln Light

Infantry, M.V.M.
James McKay, Co. I.

Twentieth Regiment.

Alvin Tower, Co. A. Born Cohasset, Sept. 13, 1832. Mortally
wounded at Fair Oaks June 1, 1862, and died June 8, aged 30
years. First service in Lincoln Light Infantry.

Edward 0. Graves, Co. K. Afterward in 59th and 57th,

Twenty-first Regiment.

George A. Grover, Co. E. Also in Lincoln Light Infantry; wounded.
Andrew Jacob, Co. E.

Twenty-second Regiment.

Charles F. Alger, Co, K. Quota Boston.

John B. Crease, Co. A. Quota Boston. Born Scotland, May 26,

1839. Died in service May 16, 1862, aged 23 years.
William B. Cushing, Co. D.

Twenty-third Regiment.

George E. Humphrey, Co. H, Sergt. Wounded. Also in Lincoln

Light Infantry.
Edward C. Blossom, Co. A, Corp. Also in 29th Regt. of Infantry.
Andrew J. Clark, Co. H. Also in Lincoln Lt. Infty.
Samuel M. Lincoln, Co. H. Born Hingham Dec. 28, 1841 ; died

in service Oct. 2, 1864, aged 23 years.

Twenty-fourth Regiment.

George L. Gardner, Co. E.

John W. Lincoln, Co. C. Quota Northborough.

Justin A. Carver, Co. C.

Thomas Conway, Co. F.

Twenty-eighth Regiment.
Peter Ready, Co. F.

Twenty-ninth Regiment.

Joseph H. Barnes, Co. K, Capt. Boston. Captain Barnes became
Lieutenant-Colonel in December, 1861. Brevet Brig.-Gen.

Waldo F. Corbett, Co. H, Corp. 1st Lieut. 1st U. S. Heavy Artil-
lery (Colored).

George Thomas, Co. A.

Thirtieth Regiment.

Jacob Ourish, Co. I, Sergt. Wounded. Also in Lincoln Light

Infantry.
Joseph C. Burr, Co. C, Corp. Also in V. R. C.

Military History. 347

John Brown, Co. E.

William J. Stockwell, Co. I. Also in Lincoln Light Infantry.

Born Hingham, Feb. 24, 1842. Died in service, Aug. 9, 1863.
John Sullivan, Co. E.

Thirty-second Regiment.

The Thirty-second Regiment, of which the basis was a battalion
originally raised to garrison Fort Warren, contained many more
men from Hingham than did any other in the service. Indeed,
three of the companies, A, E, and F, were so largely composed of
recruits from this town as to be regarded almost as Hingham
organizations ; and the movements of the regiment were prob-
ably followed with greater interest by our citizens than any other
in the army. Its magnificent record for bravery and faithful-
ness more than fulfilled and repaid the expectations and pride
felt in it. Capt. Luther Stephenson, Jr., recruited and commanded
Company A, which eventually contained twenty-four from Hing-
ham. Captain Bumpus, of Braintree, commanded Company E, in
which thirty-two Hingham men enlisted, and in Company F there
were twenty-two of our fellow-townsmen ; besides these, there
were six others scattered through other companies, — making
eighty -four Hingham soldiers in the regiment. The names of
those enlisting in subsequent years will be found in their proper
places.

Luther Stephenson, Jr., who, it will be recalled, commanded
the Lincoln Light Infantry on the departure of the Fourth
Regiment, M. Y. M., was born in Hingham, April 25, 1830. He
became Major of the Thirty-second Regiment Aug. 18, 1862,
and December 29 was commissioned lieutenant-colonel. He was
severely wounded at Gettysburg, and again on tlie 18th and 22d
of June, 1864. Colonel Stephenson was a brave officer, and by
order of General Grant was breveted colonel and brigadier-
general March 16, 1865, for gallant services. He was chief of
the State Detective Force from March, 1875, to July, 1878, and in
1883 was appointed Governor of the United States Soldiers' Home
at Togus, in Maine, with the rank of a brigadier-general in the
army, which ofifice he still holds.

George R. Reed, Cos. A and I. Born Hingham, Dec. 17, 1839.

First service in Lincoln Light Infantry. Sept. 1, 1862, became

2d Lieut. ; 1st Lieut. Dec. 30 ; July 20, 1864, commissioned

Captain.
George W. Bibby, Co. A. Member Lincoln Light Infty. Aug. 21,

1862, 2d Lieut., and 1st Lieut. Aug. 22, 1863. Killed May 20,

1864.
Nathaniel French, Jr., Co. A. Born Hingham, Aug. 28, 1858.

2d Lieut. Lincoln Light Infty. April 20^, 1861, and of Co. A,

32d Regt. Nov. 16 ; 1st Lieut. March 7, 1862, and transferred

to Co. D. Died in service, Aug. 9, 1862.

348 History of Hingham.

Amos P. Holden, Co. A. 2d Lieut. March 26, 1862.

Edward T. Bouv^, Co. G, 1st Lieut. See 4th Cavalry.

Lyman B. Whiton, Co. I. Born Hingham, Jan. 17, 1834. Sergt.

in Lincoln Light Infty ; 2d Lieut. Co. 1, 32d Regt. ; 1st Lieut.

May 26, 1862; Capt. 3d Co. Heavy Artil., Dec 31, 1862;

Major 3d Regt. Heavy Artil. Sept. 8, 1864 ; Commander Post

104, G. A. R., 1892.
Thomas A. Carver, Co. E, Sergt. Wounded. Trans, to V. R. C. ;

first served in Lincoln Light Infantry.
Charles Corbett, Co. A, Sergt. Memb. Lincoln Lt. Infty.

John W. Eldredge, Co. E, " Wounded. " " "

Henry S. Ewer, Co. A, " " " "

James M. Haskell, Co. A, " " " "

Born in Augusta, Me. ; one of six brothers in the service.

Mortally wounded at Gettysburg.
James McCarty, Co. A, Sergt. A very brave soldier.
Charles S. Meade, Co. A, " Born Walpole, N. H., March 1, 1844.

Enlisted at 17 years of age, and died in service, March 7, 1864.
Peter Ourish, Co. E., Sergt. Born Buffalo, N. Y., April 15, 1845.

Enlisted at 16 years of age. Mort. wounded; died June 8, 1864,

aged 19 years.
John Parry, Co. A, Sergt.

Nathaniel Wilder, 2d, Co. E, Sergt. Transferred to V. R. C.
John C. Chadbourn, Co. A, Corp. Wounded.
Silas H. Cobb, Co. E, Corp. Member Lincoln Light Infty.
Jacob G. Cushing, Co. D, Corp. Member Lincoln Light Infantry.

Born Oct. 8, 1886. Mort. wounded at Laurel Hill, May 12, 1864.
John C. Eldredge, Co. E, Corp.
Harvey M. Pratt, Co. A, " Wounded.

Edgar P. Stodder, Co. E, "
Sumner A. Trask, Co. A, "

Edwin Hersey, Co. E, Musician. Also in Lincoln Light Infty.
Charles H. F. Stodder, Co. E, Musician. Also in Lincoln Light

Infantry.
Otis L. Battles, Co. E. Wounded at Cold Harbor.
William Breen, Co. A, Corp. Died a prisoner in the service.
Henrv F. Binney, Co. E. Also in Lincoln Light Infantry,
Ichabod W. Chandler, Co. B. Transferred to V. R. C.
William Fardy, Co. E.

George French, Jr., Co. A. Transferred to Y. R. C.
Stephen P. Gould, Co. E.
Warren Hatch, Jr., Co. A.
Samuel J. Henderson, Co. A.
John Q. Hersey, Co. E. Born Hingham, Sept. 23, 1829. Died

in the service.
William Hersey, Jr.
Wallace Humphrey, Co. E. Born Hingham, Sept. 2, 1836. Killed

at Cold Harbor, June 3, 1864.
Alfred A. Lincoln, Co. E. Member Lincoln Light Infty.

Military History. 349

Meltiah Loring, Co. A.

Frank H. Miller, Co. E. Wounded Feb. 6, 1865.

Paul McNeil, Co. A.

John M. Nolan, Co. A.

Nathaniel B. Peare, Co. E.

George M. Prouty, Co. F.

James B. Prouty, Co. E.

Thomas Rafferty, Jr., Co. E.

Foster Remington, Co. E.

William F. Riley, Co. E.

Jqhn E. Snell, Co. E. Wounded at Gettysburg.

Franklin A. Stodder. Transferred to V. R. C.

Horace L. Studley, Co. E. Born Scituate, Sept. 24, 1837. Died in

the service, April 1, 1863.
William H. Thomas, Co. A.
Ezra Wilder, Jr., Co. E.
George Wilder, Co. A.
Joshua Wilder, Co. A.
Horatio P. Willard, Co. A. Born Ashburnham, Sept. 25, 1819.

Died in service, Nov. 6, 1862.
George A. Wolfe, Co. E.

First Battery Light Artillery.
James R. French.

Third Battery Light Artillery.
George F, Tower.

First Cavalry.

William A. Daggett, Co. K, Bugler. Transferred to Co. K, 4tb
Cav. First served in Co. C, 4th Regt. M. V. M.

Charles D. Kilburn, Co. B, Corp. Born Boston, June 22, 1839.
Mortally wounded at Hope Church, Ya., November, 1863, and
died Jan. 4, 1864.

William 0. Lincoln, Jr., Co. A, Commissary Sergeant.

Nov. 15, 1861, the town voted to raise three thousand dollars in
aid of the families of volunteers.

March 3, 1862, at a town meeting, a committee previously
chosen reported that they had expended for uniforms, clothing,
caps, shoes, etc., for the Lincoln Light Infantry, $1,331.27, and
to volunteers in other companies, $18.50.

July 5, 1862, the town voted $5,000 for the payment of State
aid, and $1,000 as town aid, to volunteers and their families in
the service of the United States.

July 11, a meeting of citizens, held in reference to raising the
town's quota of three hundred thousand men called for by the
President on the 2d of the same month, voted to recommend
the payment of $75 to each man volunteering on the town's
quota ; at a meeting four days later, the amount recommended
for this purpose was increased to $100, and this sum was voted
by the town at a meeting on the 19th.

350 History of Hingham.

Numerous meetings of citizens were held in aid of recruiting by
the town during the summer, and on August 15, at a town meet-
ing, it was voted to give one hundred dollars in addition to the
sum previously voted to be paid to volunteers for three years on
the first quota ; and at a meeting of the town on the 29th of the
month the amount of bounty to be paid for each volunteer upon
the second quota was increased fifty dollars.

In the autumn of 1862, two companies of " Home Guards "
were formed ; they paraded as a battalion on the 22d of October,
and a second parade took place November 4.

During the summer of 1862 the Government had called for
three hundred thousand nine-months men, in addition to those
already required for three years' service. On the quota for nine
months, Hingham was required to furnish eighty-three men. Many
of these were at the time borrowed from Plymouth, Middleborough,
and Quincy, but were soon afterwards returned. The following
were enlisted for nine months : —

Fourth Regiment.

Tilson Fuller, Co. K, Corp.

Caleb B. Marsh, Co. A. Prisoner at Donaldsonville,

Fifth Regiment.
Jairus Lincoln, Jr., Co. E, Sergt.

Sixth Regiment.
George Smith, Co. F. Quota Newton. Wounded.

Forty-second Regiment.

Augustus Boiling, Co. C.
Swan P. Colberg, Co. C.
James Corcoran, Co. C.
Patrick McCrane, Co. C.
Michael Reardon, Co. C.

Forty-third Regiment.

John C. Whiton, Lieutenant-Colonel. Born Hingham, Aug. 22,
1828. First served as Captain of the Second Battalion M. V. M.,
in garrison duty at Fort Warren, then as Captain and Lieutenant-
Colonel in the 43d Regiment of nine-months men. Was sub-
sequently Lieutenant-Colonel and Colonel of the 58th Regiment,
and was wounded at Bethesda Church.

Dexter Grose, Co. F, Sergt. Two brothers of Sergt. Grose were
in the service.

George W. Fearing, Co. K, Corp. Formerly in Lincoln Light
Infantry.

Loring H. Cushing, Co. K.

Isaac F. Goodwin, Co. K.

Military History. 351

Hollis Hersej, Co. K. Born Hingham, May 3, 1833. Died from
disease contracted in service, Aug. 30, 1865, aged 31 years.

Peter Loring, Co. K.

Daniel McKenna, Co. K.

Samuel C. Souther, Co. K. v

Thomas Souther, Co. K.

Charles Tower, Co. K.

William Waters Sprague, Co. A.

Robert M. Cummings, Co. B. From Braintree ; served in Hing-
ham's quota.

Frederick W. Cotton, Co. K.

Forty-fourth Regiment.

Alvin Blanchard, Jr., Co. D.

Charles H. Bailey, Co, A.

James L. Hunt, Co. H.

William Jones, Co. D.

Levi Kenerson, Co. D. First service in Lincoln Light Infantry.

John H. Litchfield, Co. D.

John A. Reed, Co. D.

Ezra T. C. Stephenson, Co. D.

William L. Stephenson, Co. D.

Forty- FIFTH Regiment.

Robert Burnside, Co. I. Of Boston.

Ernest F. Eichborn, Co. G.

Edwin G. Evans, Co. B. Of Dorchester,

Jacob A. Ewell, Co. B, Of Dorchester,

Francis Hersey, Co. G,

Henry O. Little, Co. G,

William Lowry, Jr., Co. G.

Josiah L. Marsh, Co. G.

John R. Mayhew, Co. G.

Daniel W, Pendergast, Co. G, Died of disease contracted in

service.
James Souther, Co, G.
Artemas Sprague, Co. G.
Edward Trabbitts, Co. G, Of Boston,
Hubert J. Tulley, Co. G.
Daniel J. Wall, Co. G.

Fiftieth Regiment.
Charles H. Brown, Co. E.

Eleventh Light Battery.
Joseph M. Thomas. Lieut, in 42d Regt.

352 History of Hingham.

The three-years men who enlisted in 1862 were : —
First Regiment.

William H. Beal, Co. K. Born Hingham, Oct. 9, 1841. Severely
wounded at Gettysburg ; gradually failed, and died Dec. 20,
1865. Also in 24th Regt.

Joseph M. Poole, Co. F.

Thomas Tinsley, Co. K. Born England, Aug. 7, 1821 ; died May
11. 1863, from wounds received at Chancellorsville.

Second Regiment.

Isaac B. Damon, Co. I.

Seventh Regiment.

Ebenezer F. Roberts, Co. A. Wounded and transferred to V.R.C.
First served in Lincoln Light Infty.

Ninth Regiment.
John J. Breen, Co. K, Corp. Wounded at Spottsylvania.

Eleventh Regiment.
William C. Miller, Co. B. Wounded at Williamsburg, May 3, 1862.

Thirteenth Regiment.
George W. Stodder, Co. H.

Twentieth Regiment.
Daniel Daley, Co. H. Wounded at Fredericksburg.

Twenty-fourth Regiment.

Albert F. Barnes, Co,. A.
James Booth.

Thirty-first Regiment.

John G. Dawes, Co. K, Sergt. Transferred to 2d La. Volunteers,
and commissioned 2d Lieut.

Thirty-second Regiment.

George M. Hudson, Co. F. 2d Lieut. Dec. 29, 1862; 1st Lieut.

Sept. 29, 1863. Wounded at Laurel Hill, May 12, 1864.
Thomas D. Blossom, Co. E, Sergt. Wounded at Petersburg, June

18, 1864.
Leonard E. Buker, Co. F. Wounded at Gravelly Run.
Isaac G. Waters, Co. F. Trans, to V. R. C. First served with

Lincoln Light Infty.
Theophilus Gushing, Jr., Co. F, Corp.

Military History. 353

William L. Dawes, Co. F. Wounded Cold Harbor.

Thomas L. French, Co. F, Corp.

Washington I. Stodder, Co. F, Corp. Born at Hingham,Aug. 26,

1841. Mortally wounded Spottsylvania Court House, May 12,

1864.
Ephraim Anderson, Co. F.
Daniel L. Beal, Co. F. Born Cohasset, June 23, 1832. Died in

service, July 29, 1864.
Laban O. Beal, Co. F.
Patrick Callahan, Co. K.
Rufus Churchill, Co. F.
Gustavus T. Corthell, Co. F.

Henry Gardner, Co. F. Transferred to Y. R. C. and made Sergt.
William H. Hersey, Co. F.
Sylvanus H. Higgins, Co. F.
Joshua Jacob, Jr., Co. D.
Frank Jermyn, Co. F.
Gardner Jones, born Boston, Jan. 10, 1843. Died June 1, 1864,

of wounds received at Laurel Hill, aged 21 years.
Morallus Lane, Co. F.
Henry G. Morse, Co. F.

John S. Souther, Co. A. First service in Lincoln Light Infantrv.
Demerick Stodder, Co. F. Born Hingham, Nov. 23, 1839. First

served in Lincoln Light Infty. Killed at Gettvsburg, July 2,

1868.
William Taylor, Co. F. First served in Lincoln Light Infantry.

Thirty-fifth Regiment.
Oliver Burrill, Co. H. 2d Lieut. Aug. 11, 1862; 1st Lieut. Dec.

15, 1862.
George M. Adams, Co. H, Sergt. Wounded. Trans, to V. R. C.

Served in Lincoln Light Infty.
Jason Gardner, Co. H, Musician. Quota Weymouth.
David W. Gushing, Co. H. Born Weymouth, Dec. 8, 1831, and

served in quota of that town. Killed at Antietam, Sept. 17,

1862.
Perez F. Fearing, Co. L Born Hingham, Aug. 19, 1842. Mort.

wounded at the Mine, July 30, 1864.
Hiram Thomas, Co. D. Quota Waltham.

Thirty-eighth Regiment.

James H. Wade. Capt. Aug. 20, 1862.

Louis T. Y. Cazaire, Co. I. 2d Lieut. June 16, 1864. Subse-
quently in 89th Regt. U. S. Colored Troops, and later on staff
of General Canby.

Billings Merritt, Co. D, Sergt.

Henry Brown, Co. D. Transferred to the navy.

Cyrus H. Chase, Co. I.

Thomas Hervey, Co. I. Of Charlestown. Killed Aug. 13, 1863, at
Bisland, La., aged 37 years.

VOL. I. — 23

354 History of Hingham.

Joshua Roach, Co. H. Died in service, June 1, 1863, aged 38 yrs.
Cushman Rounds, Co, H.
Peter H. Royal, Co. H.
William Rich, Co. I.

Thirty-ninth Regiment.
Thaddeus Churchill, Co. D, Sergt. 2d Lieut. 3d U. S. Col'd Infty.
John H. Prouty, Co. G, Sergt. ; 2d Lieut. First served in Lincoln

Light Infty.
John W. Bailey, Co. G, Sergt.
Henry C. French, Co. G, Sergt. Born Hingham, June 30, 1836.

First served in Lincoln Light Infantry. Murdered while a

prisoner at Belle Isle, Va., Aug. 26, 1864, aged 28. One of

three brothers, all of whom gave their lives for their country

and ours.
William H. Jacob, Co. G, Sergt.
Charles C. Bailey, Co. G, Corp.
Benjamin C. Lincoln, Co. G. Capt. 2d U. S. Col'd Infty., 1863;

Major, July 20, 1864. Born Hingham, Aug. 12, 1840. Mort.

wounded at Natural Bridge, Fla., March 8, 1865.
Henry F. Miller, Co. G, Corp. Born Salem, Jan. 30, 1845. Mort.

wounded at Laurel Hill, May 8, 1864, aged 19 yrs.
Charles C. Young, Co. G, Corp.
Charles E. Bates, Co. G. Born Cohasset, Dec. 16, 1837. Wounded

at Laurel Hill. Died in service, Nov. 2, 1864, aged 26 years.
Timothy B. Chapman, Co. G.
Eleazer Chubbuck, Jr., Co. G.
James T. Churchill. Born Hingham, May 9, 1841. Died in

Andersonville Prison, June 23, 1864, aged 23 years.
John Cresswell, Co. G. First served in Lincoln Lt. Infantry.
Andrew J. Damon, Co. G. Born Scituate, June 14, 1843. Died

of disease contracted in service, Oct. 27, 1863, aged 20 years.
Charles E. French, Co. G. Born Hingham, Aug. 2, 1842. Died a

prisoner at Salisbury, N. C, Nov. 28, 1864, aged 22 years.
George D. Gardner, Co. G. Born Boston, Aug. 27, 1828. Died

in service, Aug. 4, 1864, aged 36 years.
Alvin R. Glines, Co. G.
Albert S. Haynes, Co. G. Born Hanover^ Sept., 1843. First

served in Lincoln Light Infty. Mort. wounded at Laurel Hill,

and died June 11, 1864, aged 21 years.
Albert Hersey, Co. G.
George L. Hersey, Co. G.

Henry F. Hersey, Co. G. Prisoner at Libby Prison.
Charles Leroy, Co. G.
John S. Neal, Co. G. Born at Hebron, N. H., Nov., 1831. Died

in prison at Salisbury, N. C, July 16, 1865, aged 33 years.
Levi C. Newcomb, Co. G,
Charles H. Poole, Co. G.
Benjamin W. Prouty, Co. G.
Elijah Prouty, Co. G. Died in service Dec. 9, 1863. Served in

I^incoln Light Infantry.

Military History. 355

Isaac Prouty, Co. G. Transferred to Y. R. C.

William Prouty, Jr., Co. G. Served also in Lincoln Light Infty.

Joseph Simmons, Co. G. Born Scituate, April 11, 1829. Died

in service March 3, 1864, aged 35 years.
Edward A. F. Spear, Co. G. Born Norwich, Vt., March 13, 1828.

Died in Salisbury, N. C, prison Jan. 20, 1865, aged 37 years.
Thomas Sprague, 2d, Co. G. Born Oct. 25, 1826. Died in service

April 24, 1864, aged 37 years.
Seth M. Sprague, Co. G.

Alonzo G. Stockwell, Co. G. Wounded at Weldon Railroad.
Charles H. Tisdale, Co. G.

Frank J. Torrey, Co. G. Wounded at Laurel Hill.
Albert Wilder, Co. G. Born Hingham, Feb. 28, 1842. Mortally

wounded at Laurel Hill, May 8- 1864. Died June 1, 1864, aged

22 years.

Fortieth Regiment.

Jeremiah J. Corcoran, Co. A. First served in Lincoln Light
Infantry. Mort. wounded June 3, and died June 10, aged
28 years.

Ensign Lincoln, Co. I.

At a town meeting held March 9, 1863, the sum of $9000 was
placed at the disposal of the Selectmen for the payment of State
aid to the families of volunteers ; it was also voted to raise $800
as town aid to the families of volunteers.

Aug. 14 the town voted that $15000 be raised by the Town and
appropriated for the aid of the wives, children, parents, brothers,
and sisters of such as might be drafted into the service.

During this year numerous war meetings were held by the
citizens for the purpose of encouraging enlistments, and strenuous
efforts were also made to procure recruits in order to avoid the
necessity of a draft being enforced in the town.

These proved unavailing, however, and on July 20 a number
of names were drawn at Taunton for the purpose of supplying
the only deficiency that ever occurred in any of Hingham's
quotas. So far as is known, only William K. Gould, Sewall
Pugsley, and Don Pedro Wilson ever joined the army under the
requisition, while fifteen others obtained exemption by the pay-
ment of the sum required by law for commutation.

Sewall Pugsley and Don Pedro Wilson never returned to the
homes which they loved, both laying down their lives in the
country's service.

The names of the men enlisting for three years in 1863 are —

Eleventh Regiment.
Wallace Thomas, Co. K,

356 History of Hingham.

Sixteenth Regiment.

Don Pedro Wilson, Co. A. Born at Dracat, Aug. 16, 1821.
August, 1863, drafted into the service. Probably taken pris-
oner Oct. 23, 1863, and never since heard from.

Twenty-second Regiment.

William K. Gould, Co. P. Also in 5th Battery and 32d Regt.
Sewall Pugsley, Co. P. Born Hiram, Me., March 20, 1831. One

of the three drafted men from Hingham ; died in service Nov.

12, 1863, aged 32 years.

Thirty-second Regiment.

William K. Gould, Co. L. One of the three drafted men from
Hingham.

Fifty-fourth Regiment.

David H. Champlin, Co. B.
Louis L. Simpson, Co. G.

Fifty-fifth Regiment.

Alphonso Marsh. Private 21st Mass. Infty. 2d Lieut. 55th
Infty. Aug. 21, 1863. 1st Lieut. July 9, 1864.

Tenth Light Battery.

Hosea 0. Barnes. Born Scituate, June 13, 1842 ; killed at Jones's
Farm, May 30, 1864, aged 22 years.

First Regiment Heavy Artillery.
Webster A. Gushing, Co. D, Corp.

Third Regiment Heavy Artillery.

Lyman B. Whiton, Major. See 32d Reg.

Edwin Thomas, Co. K, Captain. Born Hingham. Private 1st

Unattached Co. Heavy Artil. ; Jan. 1863, 2d Lieut. 3 Co. : May

25, 1863, 1st Lieut ; Sept. 8, 1864, Capt. Co. K., 3d Regt.

Heavy Artil. Quota Weymouth.
Francis K. Meade, Co. A. Qt. Sergt.
Franz Burhenne, Co. A, Corporal.
John B. Batchelder, Co. A, Artificer,
Jonathan B. Ackerman, Co. A.
Fielder Botting, Co. A.

George A. Chubbuck, Co. A. Transferred to Navy.
Daniel H. Miller, Co. A.
Levi H. Dow, Co. E. Served in Lincoln Light Infty. and in Co. E,

17 Regt. U. S. A. (Regulars).
Joseph H. Noyes, Co. A. Also in 1st Regt. Mounted Rifles U. S. A.

(Regulars). Refused commission in rebel armv in 1861.

Military History. 357

George E. Richardson, Co.' A. Transferred to Navy.
Joseph Rollins.
Charles E. Spurr, Co. A.
Warren R. Spurr, Co. A.
Henry Whitman, Co. A.

Second Regiment Cavalry.
Thomas T. Barnes, Co. B.

Fourth Regiment Cavalry.

Alfred Gardner, Co. C.

George W. Farrar, Co. B.

Samuel Newcomb, 2d, Co. D. Transferred to Navy.

Edward Spellman, Co. A.

Philo C. Winslow, Co. A.

Veteran Reserve Corps.

The following are in addition to the men transferred to this
corps and noted in the general lists : —

Michael Carr, Lawrence Hicks,

Michael Casey, John Keefe,

John Dolan, James McGregor,

Patrick Donnelin, Edward McLaughlin,

Moses Fairfield, James Tettler,

Michael Flemming, Charles Timmons,

Thomas Foley, Henry B. Livingston. Died in

Peter Forrester, service May 21, 1864.

Edward Galvin,

Unknown.
John Ryan.

Under the call of the President of Oct. 27, 1863, for 300,000
additional volunteers, the quota of Hingham was fifty. Forty-two
men were soon obtained, and the re-enlistment of twenty-two sol-
diers of the 32d Regiment enabled the town to have credited to it
a considerable surplus above all previous calls.

March 7, 1864, the annual meeting of the town was held, and
it was voted to appropriate §800 for town aid to the families of
volunteers, and to borrow $8,000 for the purpose of paying
State aid. It was also voted to raise $1,000 for the expenses of
recruiting.

At a town meeting held April 11 it was voted to raise 18000
for the purpose of refunding to individuals the money contributed
by them towards filling the town's quotas under the calls of the
President of Oct. 17, 1863, and Feb. 1, 1864. At this meeeting,
too, the selectmen were requested to obtain authority from the

358 History of Hingham.

Legislature to defray the expenses of obtaining and interring
the bodies of such officers and soldiers belonging to the town as
may die in the service during the rebellion.

The enlistments into the three-year organizations in 1864
were —

Seventeenth Regiment.

Owen Murphy, Co. C. One year enlistment.
David Pettingill, Co. C. One year enlistment.
Philip Sullivan, Co. C. One year enlistment.

Twentieth Regiment.
George Gramburg.

Twenty-sixth Regiment.

Charles Bolster, Co. E. Corporal.
Edwin Barr, Co. E.
John O'Brien, Co. B.
Nelson T. Wood, Co. E.

Twenty-ninth Regiment.

Caleb H. Beal, Sergt. Also served in Co. K, 35th Regt.
John Manix, Co. I, Corporal.

Edward C. Blossom. Also served in Co. A, 23d Regt.
Robert Grace.

Thirty-second Regiment.

Hiram Newcomb, 2d, Co. E. Born Hingham, Jan., 1842. Died
of disease contracted in army Oct. 15, 1867, aged 25 years.

Charles E. Wilder, Co. E. Born Hingham, Aug., 1832. Wounded
at Laurel Hill, May 12, 1864. Died of disease in the service,
Dec. 23, 1864.

Thirty-fifth Regiment.

Charles H. Beal, Co. K. First served in 84th N. Y. Vols. After-
ward, 2d Lieut. Co. E, 107th N. Y. Vols. Finally transferred
to Co. I, 29th Mass., where he was a sergeant.

Fifty-fifth Regiment.

Peter N. Sprague, Co. A. Born Hingham, Dec. 16, 1826. First
served in Lincoln Light Infantry. 2d Lieut. Co. A, 55th Regt.
Aug. 20, 1864. 1st Lieut. May 15, 1865.

John T. Talbot, Co. B.

Fifty-sixth Regiment.

George Bailey, Co. I, Corporal. Killed at Petersburg, June 17,

1864, aged about 30 years.
George A. Clapp, Co. H.

Military History. 359

Fifty-seventh Regiment.

Edward 0. Graves, Co. C. Also served in Co. K, 20th Regt,, and

Co. C, 59th Regt. A musician.
John Welch, Co. G. Also served in 59th Regt.

Fifty-eighth Regiment.

John C. Whiton, Colonel.

William M, Carter, Co. H, Sergt. Wounded ; one year enlistment.

John McDonald, Co. A.

James L. Litchfield, Co. D.

Fifty-ninth Regiment.

Alfred Tyler, Co. F, Corporal.

Edward 0. Graves, Co. C, Musician. Transferred to 57th Regt.

William C. Torrey, Co. G. Enlisted from Dedham.

John Welch, Co. G. Transferred to 57th Regt.

First Regiment Heavy Artillery.

William Carter, Co. G. One-year enlistment. Transferred from

14th Infantry.
Anton Tapp, Co. L. One-year enlistment. Transferred from 14th

Infantry.

Third Regiment Heavy Artillery.

Edwin F. Tirrell, Co. B, 2d Lieut. Enlisted from Weymouth.

Isaiah W. Loring, Co. A, Corporal.

Joshua Crosby, Jr., Co. A.

Francis Mayhew, Co. A. One-year enlistment.

George Peacock, Co. A. One-year enlistment.

Aaron D. Swan, Co. M. One-year enlistment.

Second Regiment Cavalry.
Eben Hart, Co. L.
John McLaughlin.

Fourth Regiment Cavalry.

Edward T. Bouve, Co. G. Born Hingham, Aug. 14, 1841.
2d Lieut. 32d Infty. June 30, 1862 ; 1st Lieut. Sept. 1, 1862 ;
Capt. 4th Cavalry Jan. 22, 1864 ; Major 26th N. Y. Cavalry,
Feb. 28, 1865 ; Major 4th Mass. Cavalry. Commander of Post
104, G. A. R., in 1877, 1878, and 1879.

Benjamin Thomas. 2d Lieut. Dec. 1863. 1st Lieut, and Quarter-
master 4th Cavalry Jan. 1, 1864. A. A. Q. M. Tenth Army
Corps.

Thomas Hickey, Co. M. Born Hingham Jan. 14, 1841. First
served from Waltham in Co. M. 1st Regt. Cavalry in 1861.

360 History of Hingham.

Color-Sergt. 4th Cavalry ; 2d Lieut. Aug. 9, 1865. Prisoner at

Hio'h Bridge Aug. 1865. Destroyed the colors to prevent their

falling into the hands of the enemy.
Frank H. Oilman, Co. B, Sergeant.
Arvander Merrow, Co. B, Sergeant.
James G. Raymond, Co. D, Corporal. From Weymouth. Died at

Hilton Head May 24, 1864, aged 18 years.
Thomas Cloney, Co. F, Musician.

William A. Daggett, Musician. Also in 1st Reg. Cavalry.
Orietes L. Bailey, Co. C.

Charles Campbell, Co. D. Transferred to Navy.
Cornelius Council, Co. D. Prisoner at Florence, Ala.
Samuel N. Corthell, Co. D. Prisoner at Florence, Ala. Also

served in Co. K, 7th Infantry.
William L. Cummings, Co. D.
Charles Gardner. Enlisted from Brighton.
James Hickey, Co. C.
WiUiam H. Jones, Co. C. Died of wounds Sept. 19, 1864, at

Magnolia, Fla., aged 48 years. Served also in 18th Infantry.

Lost two sons in the service.
Joseph S. Miller, Co. F. Wounded at Deep Bottom, Va.
Thomas Rafferty, Jr., Co. F.
Dennis Scully, Co. D. Born County Cork, Ireland, Sept., 1834.

Died in service, April 26, 1864, aged 29 years.
Frank H. Tilton, Co. C. Died in service July 12, 1864, aged 18 yrs.

Fifth Regiment Cavalry.

Rufus Clark, Co. B.
Thomas Davis, Co. I.
George Jones, Co. G.
Matthew H. Lucas, Co. B.
Joseph Nathan, Co. B.

In 1864 the President called for 85,000 men to serve for 100
days. Those enlisting for this service from Hingham were —

Fifth Regiment.
Robert Cushing, Co. F.
Revere Lincoln, Co. F.

Forty-second Regiment.

Joseph M. Thomas, Co. A. Born Hanson, Aug. 24, 1841 ;

2d Lieut. July 14, 1864. Also served in 11th Battery.
Fergus A. Easton, Co. E. Sergeant. First served in Lincoln

Light Infantry ; then as Orderly-Sergt. in 6th N. Y. Cavalrv, in

which he was 2d Lieut. June 27, 1862, and 1st Lieut. March 22,

1863.

Military History. 361

George Dunbar, Co. D, Corporal. First served in Lincoln Light

Infantry. 2d Lieut. Co. I, 4th Mass. Vol. Militia.
John Henry Stoddar, Co. D.
Arthur Beale, Co. A, Commander of Post 104 G. A. R., 1893.

Sixtieth Regiment.
Andrew W. Gardner, Co. B.

The following members of the Thirty-second Infantry re-enlisted
as veteran volunteers for three years from Jan. 5, 1864.

Ephraim Anderson, Charles S. Meade,

Otis L. Battles, James McCarty,

William Breen, Frank H. Miller,

John C. Chadbourn, Peter Ourish,

Jacob G. Cushing, Harvey M. Pratt,

William L. Dawes, William F. Riley,

John W. Eldredge, Charles H. F. Stodder,

Thomas L. French, Edgar P. Stodder,

Edwin Hersey, Washington I. Stodder,

Wallace Humphrey, Nathaniel Wilder, 2d,

Gardner Jones, George A. Wolfe.

Under the head of "Unassigned Recruits" the following names
occur in " Hingham in the Civil War" : William Burtes, trans-
ferred to Navy, and Charles Richardson.

There were enlisted for one year the following-named men : —

Sixty- first Regiment.

John E. Wilson, Co. E, Corporal.
William H. Allen, Co. F.
Thomas S. Bria^ham, Co. G.
Wakefield Carver, Co. F.
John R. Donaven, Co. F.
Michael Franey, Co. K.
William Hilton, Co. F.
Patrick J. Kelley, Co. C.
James McNamara, Co. F.
John A. Watson, Co. F.

Fourth Regiment Heavy Artillery.

James M. Cleverly, Co. G.
John A. Farrington, Co. C.
George J. Fearing, Co. G.
William M. Gilman, Co. G.
Henry Hart, Co. C.
Charles Helms, Co. G.
Michael Landers, Co. G.
Michael Roach, Co. G.

362 History of Hingham.

Charles Shute, Co. D. Probably enlisted from Worcester.

Melzar Vinal, Co. C.

Henry B. Vogell, Co. G.

Joseph N. Wall, Co. G. Also served in 23d Regt.

On the first of December the town had to its credit twenty-six
men above all calls, having furnished two hundred and fifteen
soldiers to the army during the year.

On the 29th December a meeting of citizens liable to military
duty was held at the town hall for the purpose of forming a
company in accordance with the provisions of an act of the Legis-
lature approved May 14. Henry Jones, who had served in the
18th Infantry Mass. Vols., was elected captain. The law was
shortly after repealed, and this, the last of Hingham's militia
companies, never met for parade or drill.

March 6, 1865. At the annual town-meeting it was voted to
hire 19000 for the payment of State aid, and to appropriate $800
for town aid to families of soldiers.

There were enlisted for one year the following men in 1865 : —

Sixty-first Regiment.

James W. Gray, Co. K, Corporal.
James Daley, Co. I.
George C. Dunham, Co. I.
John H. Hayes, Co. K.
Joseph H. Hilton, Co. I.
George W. R. Putnam, Co. H.
George L. Rich, Co. H.

Sixty-second Regiment.
Andrew W. Gardner, Co. C.

Regular Army.

There enlisted in the regular army at various periods during
the war, the following : —

Richard J. Farrell, Co. G, 2d Regt. U. S. Artillery. Born in

Dungarvan, Ireland, Jan. 10, 1841. Enlisted June 10, 1861.

Wounded on the Peninsula, and died March 24, 1864, aged 23

years.
Dennis Mullian, 19th Infantry. Enlisted May 10, 1864.
Joseph H. Noyes, 1st Mounted Rifles.
William Perkins, 19th Infantry, May 10, 1864.
Michael F. Thompson, Co. D^ 5th Regt. U. S. Artil., Sergeant.

Born Ireland, March 9, 1840. Died of disease contracted in

service Jan. 6, 1867, aged 27 years.
Joseph W. Welsh. Enlisted Sept. 24, 1864.
James H. Williams, 19th Infantry, May 10, 1864.

Military History. 363

Under the title " Enlistments in other States of Natives or

Residents of Hiugham," we find in " Hingham in the Civil

War " —

Hawkes Fearing, Jr. Colonel Fearing was born in Hingham
May 20, 1826, and became Captain of the Lincoln Light Infantry
upon its organization in 1855. In 1860 he was Lieutenant-
Colonel of the Fourth Regiment, M. V. M., in which capacity he
first went into active service. September 24, 1861, he was com-
missioned as Colonel of the Eighth New Hampshire Volunteers.
April, 1863, Colonel Fearing was wounded at Bisland, in
Louisiana. During the years 1871 and 1872 Colonel Fearing
represented the district comprising Hingham and Hull in the
General Court. He was one of the original members of Post
104 of the Grand Army, and Commander in 1869 and 1870.
Colonel Fearing has been for some years Librarian of the
Hingham Public Library.

James Ballentine. Born in Roscommon County, Ireland, April,
1842. Enlisted May, 1860, in the Third Infantry, U.S.A., and
was soon taken prisoner by the rebels. He subsequently enlisted
in the Fifteenth Independent Volunteers, New York, and was
killed at Weldon Railroad.

William Barnes, Lieutenant in a New York Regiment. Prisoner
at Andersonville.

George Bicknell, 2d New York Infantry. Wounded at Bull Run.

Martin Gushing, in a Pennsylvania Cavalry Regiment.

Henry H. dishing. Captain in 88th Illinois Vols. Buried in
Hingham Cemetery.

David P. Eldredge, Orderly Sergt., Co. G, 7th Kansas Cavalry.

John J. L. French, Co. E, 1st Regt., N. H. Heavy Artillery.

Caleb B. Gill, Sergt., Co. I, 57th Indiana Foot Volunteers ; 2d
Lieut. April 3, 1863. Died April 24, 1867, from disease con-
tracted in the service.

John Gorman, Sergt., 25th N. Y. Cavalry. Wounded at Malvern
Hill July 1, 1862 ; prisoner at Libby Prison.

Hosea Harden, Co. G, 40th N. Y. V. I.

Elijah Hobart. Born Hingham Oct. 4, 1821 ; killed near Point
of Rocks, Va., July 4, 1864. A grandson of Caleb Hobart of
the Revolutionarv Army. Captain of Co. B, 93d Regt. N. Y.
Vols.

Allen G. Jennings, Co. H, 121st Regt. N. Y. Vols. Afterwards
pastor of Second Unitarian Church in Hingham.

Charles B. Leavitt. Oct. 20, 1863, 1st Lieut. Co. M, 6th U. S.
Colored Heavy Artillery. March 13, 1864, Lieut.-Col. 70th
U. S. Colored Infantry. Twice wounded.

Beza H. Lincoln, Quartermaster-sergeant, Co. B, 1st N. H. Heavy
Artillery.

John Lincoln, Jr., Co. G, 13th Conn. Vol. Infantry; Sergeant.

Leavitt Lincoln, Sergt., Co. I, 61st Illinois Vols. Born Hing-
ham March 2, 1823. Died in service Dec. 7, 1864.

364 History of Hingham.

Allyne C. Litchfield, Capt. 5th Michigan Cav. Lieut.-Col. 7th
Michigan Cav. Prisoner at Libby Prison. Brevet Brigadier-
General. In 1871 Consul-General at Calcutta.

James Lowry, 3d District of Columbia Regt.

Daniel Murphy. Born Boston Nov. 22, 1840. Died in Hospital at
Washington prior to Nov. 24, 1862. Soldier in 15th N. Y. Vols.

William h. Neal, 6th N. H. Infantry.

Charles Remington, Lincoln Body Guard.

John F. Rogers, Co. A, 74th Regt. Illinois Vols.

Henry E. Spaulding, 13th N. H. Infantry. Now a physician in
Hingham.

Isaiah F. Tower, Captain Co. G, 93d Regt. Ohio Vol. Infantry.
Wounded at Nashville Dec. 16, 1864.

Benjamin S. Whiting, Lieut. 17th U. S. Infantry.

Webster A. Whiting, Capt. 88th Illinois Vols.

Conrad P. Yager. Born Mergantheim, Wiirtemberg. Enhsted in
Co. F, 2d Regt., Lincoln Guard. Died in service Oct. 15, 1863,
aged 20 years.

The Navy.

The natives or residents of Hingham serving in the Navy, so far
as known, numbered thirty-seven, as follows : —

Charles H. Loring, 3d Asst. Engineer, Feb. 26, 1851 ; 2d Asst.
Engineer May 21, 1853 ; 1st Asst. Engineer May 9, 1857 ; Chief
Engineer March 25, 1861. Served on the " Minnesota " and
" Susquehanna."

Thomas Andrews. Born Hingham June 9, 1816, and died in
service Feb. 27, 1865, aged 48 years. Acting-Master U. S.
Navy. Captain Andrews was a direct descendant of Capt.
Thomas Andrews who died in Sir William Phips's expedition
against Canada. Served on " Vermont," " Courier," " Crusa-
der," and " Pensacola,"

Lemuel Pope, Acting Master's Mate, Sept. 10, 1862 ; Acting
Ensign, Feb. 11, 1864; Acting Master, July 18, 1865.

Andrew Tower, June 2, 1863, Acting-Assistant Pavmaster, U.S N,
Served on " Norfolk Packet," " C. P. WilliamsV' " Para," and
" Passaic."

Franklin Nickerson, Acting-Assistant Surgeon, U. S. N. Served
on " Shokokon " and " Brittania,"

Edward W. Halcro. Born Hamburg Jan. 24, 1836. Acting
Ensign Dec. 15, 1863. Died in Norfolk Hospital April 5, 1867.
Buried in Hingham. Served on " Genesee," " Ovetta," " Sarah
Bruen," " Idaho," and " New Hampshire."

Charles M. Fuller, Acting Master's Mate. Served on " Mace-
donian," " Essex," and " Ozark."

Charles A. Stewart, March 16, 1865, Acting Ensign. Prisoner at
Charleston, S. C. Served on '' Wachusett," " Southfield,"
"Underwriter," " Muscoota," and " Saco."

Military History. 365

John M. Trussell, Acting 3d Assistant Engineer. Served on

"Connecticut," " luka," and " Clyde."
Augustus Barnes, Captain's Clerk. Served on " Marion " and

" Pocahontas."
Frederick C. Blair, Master-at-Arms. Served on " W. G. Ander-
son," the prize "Arizona," "Potomac," "Metacomet," and

" Selma."
Alfred B. Whiting, Master-at-Arms. Served on " Colorado."
Charles Campbell, Gunner's-mate. Served on " Vermont " and

" Para ; " was also in U. S. Army.
Henry W. Hersey, Paymaster's Steward. Prisoner. Served on

" Sachem," " Diana," " Onondaga," and " Otsego."
Elkanah Binney, Signal Quartermaster ; wounded in Mobile Bay.

Served on " Oneida."
Samuel New^comb, 2d Signal Quartermaster. Served on " Bra-

ziliera," and " South Carolina."
Alden Lincoln, First-class Fireman. Served on " Genesee."
George A. Grover, First-class Fireman. Served on " Acacia " and

prize " Julia."
Daniel S. Lincoln, First-class Fireman. Served in Lincoln Light

Infantry and on " Monadnock," " Connecticut," and " luka."
William Eldredge, Seaman on "• Vincennes."
John W. Gardner. Born Hingham, Aug. 17, 1820. Died in

service June 24, 1863, aged 42 years. Served in Co. I, First

Mass. Infantry, and in Co. I, 12th Maine Infantry, and on

" Hartford."
George E. Richardson. Served in 3d Mass. Heavy Artillery and

on " Massasoit."
George A. Chubbuck. Served in 3d Unattached Co. Heavy Artil-
lery, and on " Glaucus " and " Mather Vassar."
William G. Cushing. Served on " Gemsbok."
Benjamin Hatchfield. Served on " Louisville."
Daniel Stodder. Served on " Conewaugh."
Thomas R. Murphy. Served on " Ethan Allen."
Isaac M. Dow. Served on " Massasoit."
Daniel Daley.

Robert F. Fardy. Served on " Queen " and "Passaic."
Edward Gottchell. Served on " Queen " and " Passaic."
Benjamin L. Jones. Served on "Hetzel " and "Louisiana."
George H. Merritt. Born Scituate Sept. 11, 1842. Died at

Little Washington, N. C, Feb. 7, 1863, aged 20 years. Served

on " Hetzel " and " Louisiana."
Daniel J. Thompson. Served on " Ohio."
Henry Trowbridge. Served on " Hetzel " and " Louisiana."
William Burtes.
Edwin Barnes.

Under the heading of " Additional Enlistments in Hingham
in the Civil War," the following names appear. Of most of them

S66

History of Hingham.

little else is known than the fact of their being recruited, and
that they were either natives of Hingham or served upon its quota.

Edwin Allen, three years,

Louis Anderson,

Calvin R. Baker,

John Baker, three years,

Joseph Barstow, served with Kit
Carson,

George W. Boen, three years,

George H. Bonney, three years,

Edwin Booth,

John Brown, three years,

Melzar W. Clark,

John Collins, three years,

Thomas Collins, three years,

William Colman,

Barney Conaley,

Charles Cook, three years,

Henry Daggett, three years,

Horatio M. Dallas, one year, Cap-
tain in frontier service,

Thomas D. Dalton, three years,

Albert Damon,

James Dempsey, three years,

Henry B. Downes, three years,

Josiah Edson,

West D. Eldredge, three years,

Lendal Hanscom Ewell, Co. H,
4th Regt.

Thomas M. Farrell,

John G. Gorman,

Timothy Gordon, Capt. Co. G,
4th Regt.

James Gorman, 21st Regt.

Thomas Griffin, three years,

Edward Hackett, three years,

Mark Hall,

Otis C. Hardy, three years,

James Hayes,

William Hillarston,

Edward Bourne Hinckley, Clergy-
man,

Henry A. Hitchcock, three years.

Jeremiah Hurley,

Edward Kelley,

Joseph B. Kelsey,

Kittredge,

William H. Lane, three years,

Jacob Lowe, 5th (U. S.) Artil.

John C. Maguire, Co. G, 56th
Mass.

Patrick Mahoney,

Michael McGrane, 9 months,

Charles H. Muschatt, three years,

George H. Osborn,

Edwin Poiney, three years,

Edward L. Preston, Co. A, 5t"h
Cavalry,

William Randall,

Edward Roach, three years,

David P. Robinson,

Albert Sawyer,

Franklin Simmons,

William T. Sprague, three years,

William Thompson.

The roll of honor which Hingham cherishes with love and pride
for its record of bravery and devotion contains the names of four
hundred and seventy-three soldiers and sailors who served upon
her quota, besides nineteen who marched with the Lincoln Light
Infantry in the first days of the war and did not subsequently
appear on the lists ; making four hundred and ninety-two different
men furnished by the town for the defence of the country. To
this number should be added twenty-eight Hingham men who
joined regiments in other States, bringing the whole number up
to five hundred and twenty. The number re-enlisting cannot
perhaps be accurately ascertained, but the aggregate of enlist-
ments from Hingham during the war, and not including the mem-
bers of the Lincoln Light Infantry, is stated in " Hingham in the

Military History.

367

Civil War " to have been seven hundred and five. There were
mortally wounded or killed in battle thirty-one men and seven
officers ; died in tlie service, twenty-seven men and three officers,
besides one man murdered and six others who died while pris-
oners ; nine men and one officer died from disease contracted in
the service during or soon after the war. Thus there was a loss
of eighty-two of our townsmen, most of whom were citizens at
the time, as a direct result of the conflict. Many more have
passed away since, in consequence of the months and years of
privation and exposure. In addition to the casualties above,
there were thirty men and seven officers wounded, and seven men
and three officers taken prisoners.

The names and rank of the officers from Hingham, as far as
known, are : —

IN THE ARMY.

BVT. BKIGADIER-GENERALS.

Luther Stephenson, Jr. ; wounded.
Allyne C. Litchfield ; prisoner.
Joseph H. Barnes.

COLONELS.

John C. Whiton, 58th Infty.; wounded.
Hawkes Fearing, 8th N. H. Lifty.

LIEUTENANT-COLONEL.

Charles B. Leavitt, 70th U. S. Infty.;
twice wounded.

BVT. LIEUTENANT-COLONEL.

Thomas Weston, 18th Infty.; wounded.

Benjamin C. Lincoln, 2d U. S. Infty. ;

killed in battle.
Edward T. Bouve, 4th Cavalry.
Lyman B. Whiton, 3d Heavy Artill'y.

BVT. MAJOR.

Benjamin F. Meservey, 18th Infantry;
wounded.

CAPTAINS.

Edwin Humphrey, 11th Infty. ; killed.
Alexander Hitchborn, 12th Infantry ;

killed.
Elijah Hobart, 93d N. Y. ; killed.
John E. Morse, Invalid Corps.
James H, Wade, 28th Infantry.
Edwin Thomas, 3d Heavy Artillery.

Henry H. Cushing, 88th Illinois,
Webster A. Whiting, 88th Illinois,
Isaiah F. Tower, 93d Ohio; wounded.
Timothy Gordon, 4th Infantry.
Horatio M. Dallas, Frontier Service.
George R. Reed, o2d Infantry.

FIRST LIEUTENANTS.

Peter N. Sprague, 55th Infantry.
Benjamin Thomas, 4th Cavalry.
Oliver Burrill, 35th Infantry.
Alphonso Marsh, 55th Infantry,
George M. Hudson, 22d Infantry;

wounded.
Nathaniel French, Jr., 32d Infantry;

died in service.
Charles Sprague, 4th Infantry.
Elijah B. Gill, Jr., 1st Infty. ; killed.
George W. Bibby, 32d Infty. ; killed.
Fergus A. Easton, 6th N". Y. Cavalry.
Waldo F. Corbett, 1st U. S, Heavy Art.
Francis Thomas, 12th Infty. ; killed.

SECOND LIEUTENANTS.

Amos P. Holden, 32d Infantry.
John G. Dawes, 2d Louisiana.
•Toseph M. Thomas, 42d Infantry
Louis T. V. Cazaire, 89th U. S. Infty.
Thaddeus Churchill, 3d U. S. Infty.
John H. Prouty, 39th Infantry.
Caleb H. Beal, 107th N. Y. Infty.
Thomas Hickey, 4th Cavalry.
Caleb B. Gill, 57th Indiana Infty.
Edwin F. Tirrell, 3d Heavy Artillery.
Benjamin S. Whiting, 17thU, S, Infty.
William Barnes, — N. Y. ; prisoner.

368 History of Hingham.

IN THE NAVY.
CHIEF ENGINEER. ACTING ASSISTANT SURGEON.

Charles H. Loring. Franklin Nickerson.

ACTING ENSIGNS.
ACTING MASTER,

_ , . . Edward W. Halcro; died in service

Thomas Andrews; died in service. Charles M. Fuller.

Lemuel Pope. Charles A. Stewart.

ACTING ASSISTANT PAYMASTER. ACTING THIRD ASSISTANT ENGINEER.

Andrew Tower. John M. Trussell.

Fifty-six Hingham men, who received commissions in the ser-
vice of their country during those eventful years in which was
fought the Civil War ; fifty-six men who, like their comrades
in the ranks, served her faithfully and bravely, and in many
instances even unto death.

No account of the soldiers of Massachusetts, however brief, and
especially of those belonging to Hingham, would be complete
without at least a reference to the loved fellow-townsman who
within the Commonwealth was commander-in-chief during the long-
period of anxiety and sacrifice from 1861 to 1865. This is no place
in which to eulogize John A. Andrew, and for the people of the
town no eulogy is needed. Yet in this their book they would feel
it amiss, if to his noble wreath no laurel leaf were to be added
by them as a memorial to the kind words and warm-hearted deeds
with which the great chief sped his comrades from Hingham on
their way, cheered and sustained and cared for them in the field,
and received and welcomed them again to the common home ; a
leaf glistening and gleaming with the sunshine which his great
heart carried to the waiting hearths, beside which sat the wearied
and watching, — gold-lighted with its record of the hope his ten-
derness brought to the sorrowing, while he gently helped lay in
their mother earth the town's brave who had fallen asleep in her
service. Proudly and lovingly we claim this man as one of the
soldiers of Hingham.

Near the close of the record of Revolutionary services the num-
ber of the men bearing certain of the most numerous surnames
which occurred among those representing Hingham, and belong-
ing undoubtedly to the twenty-four largest families, was given.
A similar statement, but with the same selection of names, and
taken in the same order, may not be without interest to the dwell-
ers in this old town, which, while maintaining with little change
so many of the customs of the olden time, has preserved also no
inconsiderable number of the names of the early settlers in the
families of to-day. Serving in the Union army there were six-
teen Lincolns, eleven Cushings, five Beals, three Whitons, nine

STATUE OF GOVERNOR ANDREW.

Military History. 369

Stodders, eleven Herseys, thirteen Gardners, one Hobart, five
Towers, four Lorings, one Bates, three Burrs, eight Spragues, six
Wilders, three Dimbars, one Leavitt, four Fearings, four Lanes,
seven Barneses, four Marshes, while from our military lists the
Lewises, Stowells, Joys, and Thaxters have entirely disappeared.

This chapter, with all its length, yet all too short for a satisfac-
tory memorial to the children of the town who have cared naught
for suffering and death when duty beckoned along the dangerous
path, is fast drawing to its close. A few words only remain, and
those mainly for the living. To promote Loyalty, Fidelity, Char-
ity, there was organized, August 5, 1869, Edwin Humphrey Post,
No. 104, of the Grand Army of the Republic. Col. Hawkes Fear-
ing was its first commander. Major Benjamin F. Meservey, senior
vice-commander, Capt. Peter N. Sprague, junior vice-commander,
Lieut. George R. Reed, quartermaster, Samuel J. Henderson,
officer of the day, William H. Jacobs, oflicer of the guard, and
Henry Jones was appointed adjutant. These, together with George
Thomas, William H. Thomas, Isaac B. Damon, Edward T. Blossom,
William Jones, Hubert J. Tulley, John A. Reed, and William S.
Whiton were charter members. Colonel Fearing was again
chosen commander in 1870, and the same office has been held
since that date by Capt. Peter N. Sprague in 1871-1874, Lemuel
Pope in 1875, Captain Sprague again in 1876, Major Edward T.
Bouve in 1877-1879, — during which the Post became uniformed,
and raised a considerable charity fund, — Lieut. George R. Reed
in 1880, Isaac F. Goodwin in 1881 and for part of 1882, resigning
April 8 of the latter year, William H. Thomas for the remainder
of 1882 and in 1883, Charles H. Wakefield for 1884-1886, John
H. Stoddar in 1887 and 1888, J. Henry Howe in 1889, CoL
Thomas Weston in 1890 and 1891, Major Lyman B. Whiton in
1892, and Arthur Beale in 1893. Since its organization one
hundred and forty names have been upon the rolls of its com-
rades. The present number is seventy-seven. Eleven comrades
have joined the greater army which responds only to Heaven's
trumpets ; they are Samuel J. Henderson, Thomas Murphy, Edward
W. Marston, Samuel Bronsdon, William Hersey, John W. Gault,
Charles Sprague, Stephen A. Hall, Octavius R. Barry, George T.
Kilburn, William Taylor.

In 1888 the Post, with the aid of funds raised by fairs and
contributions of citizens, built a hall well adapted for its purposes
at Centre Hingham, and within a short distance of the old fort
commanded by Capt. John Smith in the days of King Philip.
Here the members meet for business, mutual assistance, encour-
agement, and pleasure ; and here on each Memorial Day are held
appropriate exercises in which the Woman's Relief Corps, the
Sons of Veterans, visiting comrades, and the citizens of the town
kindle anew the fires of patriotism, and lay upon the altar of the
heroic dead the flowers of memory.

VOL I — 24

370 History of Hmgham.

To assist and encourage the Post of the Grand Army in its
noble work, to aid its charities, and to inculcate and diffuse the
spirit of patriotism among the children, a branch of the Woman's
Relief Corps was organized here December 17, 1885. Its first
president was Mrs. Mary Whiton, who held that office two years ;
she was succeeded by Mrs. Martha C. Wakefield during the next
three years, and by Mrs. Martha S. Litchfield, who was presi-
dent in 1891. The next president was Mrs. Hattie M. Lowe,
who was chosen in 1892, and again this year. There is a small
relief fund for the benefit of the needy among soldiers' families.
The present membership is seventy-six, and monthly meetings are
held at Grand Army Hall, which is also the headquarters of the
Corps.

A camp of the Sons of Veterans, called the Charles S. Meade
Camp, also meets at the hall of the Post. It was organized
March 10, 1887, and its successive commanders have been Arthur
L. Whiton, C. Sumner Henderson, Gustavus 0. Henderson,
Hosea H. Batchelder, J. Arthur Batchelder, and Fred S. Wilder.
The Camp numbers about forty-eight at this time, and the mem-
bers materially assist in the ceremonies of Memorial Day.

In the declining hours of the day, near the close of tlie beauti-
ful spring month of May of each recurring year, when the fra-
grance of a thousand flowers scents the air with its sweetness,
and the bright green of the young grass and new leaves clothes
New England in freshness, a little band of blue-coated men fast
growing into years, and with ever feebler steps mai'ching under
the folds of the flag which to them has been a shield by day and
a star by night, to the music which was once an inspiration in
battle, which sung poeans in victory, lulled to slumber in weariness
and death, whispered ever of home, and to this day is never heard
without sending a thrill to the heart, enters the old cemetery, —
the village burial-place of the fathers, — and passing beneath the
pines which shade moss-grown stones and tombs, through wind-
ing paths leading by sunken graves, by the first settlers' monu-
ment, down into a quiet valley and up again to the height beyond,
ranges itself in line before the resting place and white statue of
their friend and comrade, the great War Governor. Here, aided by
comrades from a Post bearing his name in the city where his
official life was mostly spent, with a few earnest words breathing
his spirit, and with simple and brief exercises, the Grand Army
lays upon the grave of Andrew its annual memorial.

A few steps farther, and around the granite pillar inscribed
with the names of the sons who so gallantly served her, the
people of Hingham await the ceremonies which keep bright the
memories of those who fell to sleep in the love of their country.
Here are the rulers of the town, the selectmen, chosen each
March to guide its affairs through the ensuing year, the constable
with scarcely perceptible insignia of office and inspiring little

Military History.

371

awe, the ministers of the several churches and of the Old Meeting-
Hoiise ; here are others with even better right, — an old gray-
headed man who leans upon the arm of no stalwart son ; a
black-robed woman who, standing by a low flower-covered mound,
will never again hear lier bright boy's " Mother ; " a younger
woman, too, but also past the meridian of life, leaning against a
stone bearing a soldier's name, and beside which flutters a little

i!

*4-

r:^'

i^^.

'■^.■J-

SOLDIERS' AND SAILORS' MONUMENT.
Erected by tlie Town; Dedicated June 17, 1870.

flag,

a woman whose wearied face with its far-away look is full
for a moment of the bright but never-to-be-fulfilled promise of the
thirty years ago ; yes, and others still whose short happiness was
almost effaced by the sorrow which time has hardly yet softened

372 History of Hingham.

into a sweet memory, and whose sadness is only tempered by an
unspoken hope. They are all here, — these and the young
maiden, the coming men, and the happy children of to-day. And
they all gather closer as the Grand Army forms in front around
the large semi-circle of baskets overflowing with the blossoms
brought to mingle their brightness with the green of earth. In
front is the monument, and to the east, upon the side of the highest
ground in the cemetery, was the fort erected to defend the harbor
against the Spaniards ; on an adjoining elevation northwesterly
still stand the defences of 1676, when Philip menaced the town ;
between the monument and the valley, and beyond it by and near
the old general's resting-place, lie the slumbering brave of the
Revolution ; everywhere, among the fathers, beside the old sol-
diers, and in the new ground alike, the flags which mark the sleep-
ing heroes of the Civil War wave gently in the soft spring breeze.
From the band stationed near floats a hymn, — an old one, dear and
familiar ; the chaplain hushes the assembly in prayer ; a short,
earnest plea for country, a tender tribute to the fallen, a word of
pride in their sacrifice, of sympathy for the sorrowing, and the
orator — local and uncelebrated perhaps, but reverent and full of
the occasion — is through. A word or two from the commander
of the Post, a signal, quietly given, and the violets and the lilies
are blooming and nodding in new places, and saying, in language
equalled by no other, that here sleeps a soldier whom his loved
ones, his comrades, and the great Republic have not forgotten.
Again the music sounds; the street, full of the homes and the
history of other days, re-echoes with the martial strains; the sun-
light fading away from the lowly mounds gilds still the Old
Meeting-house steeple, touches with its rays the top of the monu-
ment, and reflected from the masses of clouds in tlie western
horizon paints the harbor with the color of the rose. From the
distance the last notes of " retreat " borne from Grand Army
Hall come floating on the evening breeze, "old glory" flutters to
the ground from many a staff, and Memorial Day, fitly and faith-
fully observed in this old town of the mingled Puritans and
Pilgrims, has come to its close.

With the exception of the company formed under the law of
1864, which elected Henry Jones captain, but in consequence of
the repeal of the Act soon after, never met for drill or parade,
there has been no strictly local military organization in Hingham
since the disbanding of the Lincoln Light Infantry, September
29, 18^2.

Upon rising ground stretching along Broad Cove, overlooking
the early anchorage of many of the fleet which long years ago
whitened Hingham's bay, — some undoubtedly built in the ship-
yard then situated just below the bluff, but since disappeared and
forgotten, — and directly opposite the southern slope of Otis Hill,

Military History. 373

lies the beautifully located military post of the First Corps of
Cadets, and the scene of its camp in each recurring July. In
the rear and looking toward the setting sun as it crimsons the
placid waters which finally shrink into a little winding brook,
the view extends across the green meadows and far up the
valley in the direction of Weymouth IJack River. On the
opposite side and about a half-mile distant the church spires
and roofs of the houses — themselves half hidden by the inter-
vening hill — indicate the nearest village, while to the east the
harbor of blue in its setting of green, with its steamers plying
back and forth, is seen through a break in the land bordering
Otis Street.

Beyond its natural attractiveness there is no little historical
interest attaching to the place as the training-field of the militia
in the olden days, and still more, as being the probable location
of the barracks, — certainly situated in the immediate vicinity, if
not on the ground, — erected for the accommodation of Captain
James Lincoln and his company when Hingham was a garrisoned
town in the early part of the Revolution. In plain view, too, is
the road, once called Broad Cove Lane, but now Lincoln Street,
down which marched Captain Lincoln's command, and the other
companies of the town, as well as those of Scituate and Weymouth,
when hastening to drive the English from Grape Island May 21,
1775.

Here, in the succeeding years, come large numbers of people
interested in the regular order and beautiful ceremonies of a
military camp, and the snow-white streets are thronged each
evening with listeners to the concert of the fine band.

While having no official connection with Hingham, the posses-
sion by the corps of these increasingly attractive grounds with
the bright green and well-kept parade and fine rows of growing-
maples, together with the annual tour of duty performed here by
it, the fact that no inconsiderable number of the town's young
men have been from time to time enrolled in its ranks, as well as
that among her citizens are three of the present officers, have
gradually created a feeling of local ownership in the corps, which
is now claimed and regarded, as in a sense at least belonging
to the town, and as one of her institutions.

The First Corps of Cadets was organized in 1741, and is the
modern outgrowth of the famous " Governor's Company of Cadets,"
which composed a part of the militia, both before and since the
Revolution. While commanded by Hancock, — whose mother, it
will be recalled, was a Hingham lady, — the then company was
disbanded by Governor Gage for its adherence to the patriotic
cause, but was reorganized and served under General Sullivan in
Rhode Island. At the opening of the rebellion the corps was
sent to garrison Fort Warren, and later it furnished many officers
to the army, and particularly for the Forty-fifth Massachusetts
Infantry, generally known as the Cadet Regiment.

374 History of Hingham.

It is one of the two organizations forming a separate branch of
the militia of the Commonwealth, and at the present time com-
prises four companies armed as infantry, and having headquarters
at the armory on Columbus Avenue, Boston. It is commanded
by Lieut, -Col. Thomas F. Edmands, a distinguished officer in the
Civil War, while Major George R. Rogers, Captains William H.
AUine and Andrew Robeson, and Lieut. Edward E. Currier, are
all veterans who were in active service in the Union's cause.

Several of our present or former citizens have held commis-
sions m the military service of the Commonwealth since 1865.
The following is believed to be a correct list : —

Solomon Lincoln, Jr., Colonel and Aide-de-camp to his Honor

Lieut.-Governor Talbot, acting Governor, May 26, 1874 ; Colonel

and Aide-de-camp to his Excellency Governor Talbot, January

14, 1879.
Arthur Lincoln, Captain and Judge Advocate, 2d Brigade, July

30, 1877^
John D. Long, Governor and Commander-in-chief, 1880-1882.
Edward T. Bouv^, Colonel and Aide-de-camp to his Excellency

Governor Long ; Captain and Engineer on staff of Brig.-Gen,
• Nat. Wales, 1st Brigade, M. V. M., Feb. 9, 1883 ; Captani and

Provost Marshal, 1st Brigade, May 24, 1887 ; Captain and

Aide-de-camp, 1st Brigade, April 10, 1888.'
Elijah George, Captain and Judge Advocate, 2d Brigade, M.V.M.,

August 12, 1882.
Charles E. Stevens, 1st Lieutenant and Quartermaster, Feb. 26,

1868, Captain and Paymaster, Jan. 9, 1874, First Corps Cadets.
Charles C. Melcher, 1st Lieutenant and Quartermaster, First

Corps Cadets, Feb. 9, 1875.
Walter L. Bouve, 1st Lieutenant, First Corps Cadets, Feb. 20, 1889.

United States Regular Seevice.

Not previously mentioned in these pages : —

Charles H. B. Caldwell, son of Charles H. Caldwell and Susan

Blake, born in Hingham, and died in Boston, Nov. 30, 1877,

Commodore in U. S. Navy, June 14, 1874.
Charles L. Corthell, graduated at West Point June 14, 1884, 2d

Lieutenant, 4th Artillery, June 15, 1884 ; 1st Lieutenant, Apr.

24, 1889.

No.^c?"^ Sect. / ' Shelf.
CONTENTS

Lincoln National Life Foundation
Collateral Lincoln Library

7/ Ji003 OB^- 0^5Z3