lleliotype Printing Co., Boston. HISTORY OF TIIK Town of Sutton, MASSACHUSETTS, From. 1704 to 1876; INCLUDING GRAFTON UNTIL 1735; MILLBURY UNTIL 1813; AND PARTS OF NORTHBRIDGE, UPTON AND AUBURN. COMI'IT.KJ) BY KEY. WILLIAM A. BENEDICT, A.M. AND REV. HIRAM A. TRACY. WORCESTER: PUBLISHED FOR THE TOWN, BY SANFORD & COMPANY, 364 MAIN STREET. 1878. PRESS OF LUCIUS P. GODDAKD, "WORCESTER, ACTION OF THE TOWN OF SUTTON IN REFERENCE TO /STHE PUBLICATION OF THIS HISTORY. At an informal meeting of citizens interested in the publication of a history of the town, a committee was appointed to take the matter under advisement, and, if found practicable, proceed to make arrangements for such publication. The committee feeling that the town ought to assume responsibility in the matter, and believing there" would be a willingness so to do, secured the inser- tion of the following article in the warrant for a meeting to be held June 13, 1876: " To see what action the town will take in regard to publishing a history of the town, from its organization in 1704 to 1876, or act or do anything relative to the same." Upon consideration of this article, on motion of Amos Batcheller, it was voted to choose a committee of five to procure the publication of a history of the town from 1704 to 1876, and that the selectmen are instructed to advance to said committee, on their application, sui^ sum or sums of money as may be necessary to defray the incidental expenses attending its publication, not to exceed for the above the sum of three hundred dollars, with the under- standing that the edition shall be the property of the town, and that the money received from subscriptions and sales shall be, after defraying expenses, the property of the town, and said committee shall make a full and detailed report of their doings to the town. The committee elected were as follows : B. L. BATCHELLER, EDWIN H. HUTCHINSON, CHARLES H. CHASE, AMOS BATCHELLER, SOLOMON D. KING. 2076126 PREFACE. In a Prospectus issued April 27, 1876, it was stated that this history, which "will be a volume of not less than four hundred pages," will probably be ready for delivery by the first of November. It was then supposed that Deacon Jonathan Lei and, and after him Christo- pher C. Baldwin, Esq., both of whom had been gathering materials for a history of the town, had collected nearly everything of interest for such a work from the year 1704 to 1835. The papers of the above named were found in the Antiquarian Hall, in Worcester, where Mr. Baldwin was librarian at the time of his death. Copies of all these papers were obtained, when it was seen that very little comparatively had been done in the preparation of a history. Deacon Leland's papers were largely genealogical, and contained much that was valuable pertaining to the history of the old families, but everything was incomplete. Mr. Baldwin's papers were filled with matter taken mostly from the town records, and arranged under the heads " Public Worship," " Schools," " Revolutionary period," etc. As his plan and ours were very different, these papers were at once laid aside, and recourse was had to the original sources of his information. When all that had been collected was in our hands, the work of getting together additional material was begun in earnest, and has been prosecuted until the present time. The "oldest inhabitants" have been interviewed until all the information they had to impart was obtained the records of the proprietors of the town, of the proprietors of the four thousand acres, of the town, of the ecclesiastical societies and churches, have been carefully searched, a file of the Massachusetts Spy for more than one hundred years, Dr. David Hall's Diary, kept for a period of forty years, the "New England Historical and Genealogical Register," the published histories of the families of the same name with old families of the town, have been examined ; in short, every book or pamphlet from which we could hope to secure corroboration of oral testi- mony, or additional facts, has been sought, and the result of our researches is now given to those who have patiently waited for two full years beyond the promised time for the delivery of the work. The accumulation of material has been such, that, instead of a book of about four hundred pages, as first proposed, they have one of something more than eight hundred. We have arranged the history in parts rather than chapters. 6 In Part I. the Annals what we have taken from the records we have given verbatim et literatim, and we have done so for the purpose of showing how the fathers embodied their thought and action in words, and the progress of the children in intelligence. In Part II. The Homes of Sutton an attempt has been made to give a brief history of every home, making mention of the occupants as far as it wa s possible to learn their names. All who have contributed by the payment of taxes, and in other ways to the support of government, churches and schools, have borne some part in making the town what it has been, and is to-day, and are deserving of record. We trust the sketches we give in connection with these homes of some who . have attained to honorable and prominent positions, may be found of special interest, and prove a stimulus to our young men to emulate their virtue, earn- est purpose and industry. In Part III. Ecclesiastical and Educational we have given a brief history of the churches, and traced the progress of the town in the establishment of schools, as far as we were able to do so from the meagre data at hand. In Part IV. Manufacturing brief mention has been made of the early efforts of the fathers in mechanical industry when everything was made hy hand, and we have endeavored to show the gradual development of the man- ufacturing interests of the town to their present proportions. In Part V. Genealogical we have given the history of the old families . One hundred and four family names will be found in this part, and under these names more than one thousand families have mention. A few of these family histories, as will be seen, have been written by some connection suffi- ciently interested to undertake the labor, but we have been obliged to prepare the record of most of them from the best data we could obtain. Notwithstanding the valuable material left by Deacon Lejand, no portion of this history has required so much research, taken so much time, and been attended with so much perplexity, and no part is to us so unsatisfactory, in consequence of our inability in many instances to supply dates and names. In Part VI. we give something more of the war record of the town than was furnished in the "Annals" the names of those whom the town has hon- ored with the principal offices and statistical tables. In the compilation of this history valuable aid has been rendered by many persons. The histories of the "Homes" have been almost wholly furnished by others. Mr. Gardner Hall prepared those of Districts Nos. one and two ; Mr. Solomon Severy, those of District No. three ; Mr. Alvan W. Putnam and Mr. G. Hall, those of District No. four; Mr. A. W. Putnam, those of District No. six; Mr. Milton E. Crossman, those of Districts Nos. five, seven and eight; Mr. Reuben R. Dodge and Mr. G. Hall, those of Districts Nos. nine, ten and twelve ; Mr. William E. Cole, those of a few in District No. eleven, and Mr. G. Hall the remainder. We have abridged the matter pertaining to these homes, but have endeav- ored, as far as possible, to retain essential facts, and to let the persons who have furnished these facts state them in their own words. In addition to those above mentioned, we are indebted to many who have aided us in our work. Among these is Reuben R. Dodge, Esq., who had him- self projected a history of the town and accumulated considerable material for his purpose, all of which he freely placed at our disposal, and his encouraging words and unselfish co-operation can never be forgotten. We would also express our obligations to Samuel F. Haven, Esq., the Libra- rian of the American Antiquarian Society, and to Mr. Edmund M. Barton, his gentlemanly assistant, who afforded every possible facility for research in the society's treasure house of knowledge. To all who have furnished matter to enrich the pages of this work we tender our grateful thanks. Nor would we fail to mention in this connection, Miss Sarah J. King, who, for fourteen months, has been engaged upon this history, patiently transcribing our hieroglyphical scrawls, which no printer could read, and rendering us much help in deciphering old and almost illegible records. She has written for us more than two thousand legal-cap pages of manuscript. Of those named as compilers of this history, the chief labor has fallen upon the first. Mr. Tracy has written the history of the first and second Congrega- tional churches, and the sketch of Dr. David March. The labor expended upon such a work, in collecting the mass of material, selecting from this mass, sifting the selections, separating fact from fiction, arranging in order and correcting the proof-sheets as they issue from the press, indexing, etc., can be known only to those who have had experience in kind. But though the labor has been great, we have taken much pleasure in our work, which we have prepared not so much for the general reader as for our towns- men, and those who have gone out from us, and think of old Sutton as once their home, or that of their fathers or grandfathers. If these are satisfied with a work, the imperfection of which none can feel more keenly than our- selves, we shall care little for the criticism of those to whom we claim no family relationship. For the attractive mechanical and typographical appearance of the book, much commendation is due to the publishers, Messrs. Sanford and Company, and the printer, MB. Lucius P. Goddard. W. A. B. SUTTON, November 4, 1878. HISTORY OF SUTTON Part I. A N X A L 8 . UK township of Sutton* was purchased by certain personsf residing in Boston, of John Wampus, alias White, and Company, Xipmug Indians. It is described us " a tract of waste land eight miles square, lying between the Towns of Mendon, Worcester, New Oxford, Sherburne and Marlborough, embracing with- iug its limits an Indian reservation of four miles square called Uassanimisco." The original deed from John Wampus and Company seems to have been lost, from the fact that the "Proprietors of Sutton/' at a meeting held Feb. 22, 1731-2, ordered * The origin of the name of the Town is unknown. Dea. Leland in his papers gives an old tradition concerning it which he regards as well estab- lished. It is this: John Wampus crossed the Atlantic ocean and visited England. While on his return voyage to New England his health failed him, and he received particular attention from one of his fellow-passengers, a Dr. Sutton ; and from gratitude to him for his kindness suggested his name for the Township when he gave the deed conveying it to the Proprietors. t These persons, and" others who were subsequently admitted as members of the Company, were called "Proprietors of Sutton." These Proprietors- kept a careful record of their proceedings. ]( \\\ M,s OF THE " That the Clerk shall provide a new hook, and transfer this regularly, and that on the first pages of it, the original deed of John Wampus, alias White, together with the Grant of the General Court l>e tirst placed" -and though a, new book was procured, and the transfer made, no deed appears. The grant referred to was recorded on the first pages, and is as follows : Joseph Dudley, Esqr., Captain General and Governor In Chief In and over her Majesties Province of the Massachu- -etts Bay in New England in America To all to whom these presents shall come Greeting. Whereas John Conner, Pewterer, James Smith, Shop- keeper, William Mumford, Stone-cutter, and Joshua Hewes, Innkeeper, all of Boston In the County of Suffolk, within the Province aforesaid by their petition presented to the said .Joseph Dudley, Esqr., Govenor, and the General A embly of the aforesaid Province, at their last Session begun the Eighth day of March last passt before the sale hereof, Have humbly prayed in behalf of themselves and company, a confirmation by a grant of this Court of their right and title to a certain tract of land purchased of John Wampus, alias White, and Company, Indians, situate in the Nipmug Country between the towns of Mendon, Worces- ter, New Oxford, Sherburne and Marlborough, of eight miles square, in which is included a tract of land four miles square called Hassanamisco, and possessed by the Indians. And Whereas the said Govenor and General Assembly have ordered that the prayer of said petition be granted, saving the lands purchased by the Haynes's, and reserving the Indian property of Hassanamisco Provided also that they intrench upon no former grant of the General Court, and they be obliged to settle a town of thirty families, and a minister upon said lands, within seven yeares after the end of the present war with the Indians. And that they reserve three hundred acres of the said lands for the first .settled minister, four hundred acres for the ministry, and two hundred acres for the use of a school, all to be laid out conveniently. The said tract to begin upon the line of Marlborough next Hassanamisco, a platt thereof to be TOWN OF BUTTON. 11 returned and approved by this Court, as in and by the record of said General Assembly, relation being thereunto had, doth and may appear. Know ye therefore that I, the said Joseph Dudley, Esqr., Governor, agreeable to the above recieved order passed by Ihe Council and Assembly respectively, and pursuant to the power and authority contained and granted in and by her Majesties Royal Charter the Governor and General Assem- My of the aforesaid Province of Massachusetts Bay, have granted, ratified and continued and by these presents do freely, fully and absolutely grant, ratify and confirm unto the above named John Conner, .James Smith, William Mumford, Joshua Hewes, and others, their Partners, viz: Paul Dudley of Boston aforesaid Esqr., .John Jackson of said Boston, housewriglit, Mary Conner and Elizabeth Pittom, daughters and co-heirs of John Pittom Plummer, deceased, Edward Pratt of Newtown within the County of Middlesex, Physician, and Elizabeth Wilson of Hartford in the County of Connecticut, Widows, their heires and assignes forever, all the aforesaid certain tract of waste land purchased of the Indians, Native Proprietors, as above men- tioned, scituate and described as aforesaid, and to be sur- veyed, platted and approved as above directed, with and under the severall savings, reservations, Provisos and conditions above expressed, and all the estate, right, Title, Inheritance, use, property, and Interest of the said several persons therein and thereto Together with all and singular the fields, feeding, herbage, pastures, soils, swamps, Mead- ows, Rivers, Rivulets, Ponds, Pools, AVoods, underwoods, trees, timber, stones, fishing, fowling and hunting Rights, Members, Hereditaments, Emoluments, Profits, Privileges and Appurtenances thereto belonging or in any way apper- taining. The said tract of land being hereby granted for :i township, the same to be called Sutton. And to have, use, exercise, and enjoy the same powers, immunities, and privi- leges by Law granted to towns. To have and to hold all the said tract of land by the name of the tow r n of Sutton, with all the aforesaid premises. Emoluments, Profits, Privi- leges and appurtenances thereto belonging, with and under 1'2 ANNALS OF THE ihe severall savings, reservations 'Provisos and conditions herein before expressed. And to be surveyed, platted, returned and approved as above said unto the said John Conner, James Smith, William Mnmford, Joshua Howes. Paul Dudley, John Jackson, Mary Connor, Elizabeth Pittom, Edward Pratt, and Eli/abeth Wilson, their hoi res and assiii'iies to their proper use and l)ehoofe forever. Yielding, Rendering and Paying therefore unto our Sovereign Lady Queen Anne her kings .and Successors one fifth part of all the Gold and Silver Oar and Precious stones, which from time to time and at all times forever hereafter shall happen to be found, gotten had or obtained in any of the said lands and Premises, or within any part or parcel thereof In lien and stead of all Rents, Services. Dues, Dutys, and demands whatsoever from the said lands and premises, and for every part and parcel thereof. In Testimony AYhereof I the said Joseph Dudley, Esqr., Governor have signed these presents and caused the Publiek seal of the Province of Massachusetts Bay aforesaid to be hereunto affixed. Dated at Boston aforesaid the fifteenth day of May in the third year of her Majesties Reign Anno Domini 1704. 5 The publick seal > J. Dl'DLKY. on a label appending $ Copy of Records Examined. H. Ai)DiN(;ToN. Sec. The tract of land included in the above grant was with the exception of here and there a cleared space, on which the Indians raised their corn, and a few marshes, called meadows, an unbroken forest, heavily wooded with pine. oak. hickorv, chestnut, birch and maple. In its physical aspect it presented many attractive features, and was a favorite resort of its native owners, who reserved a home within its limits. Its surface is uneven and hilly, and, though none of its hills rise to a great height, yet many of them are of sufficient eleva- tion to reveal from their summits scenes of quiet beautv un- surpassed in any other portion of \ew England. The soil is varied, in the southern and eastern part being of a saiidv and gravelly nature, while in the northern and western parts TOWN OF Sl'TTOX. 13 much of it is a clayey loam. In the main it is well adapted to agriculture, though some portions, particularly in the southern part, are too rocky to he brought under cultivation, and none of it was subdued and made productive without much patient toil. The fine farms of to-day which embellish hill-side, hill-top and valley, are the result of the muscle and money the several generations that have occupied them have contributed. This township furnishes great facilities for manufacturing purposes, as well as for agriculture. There are within its limits several natural ponds fed largely by hidden springs, whose outlets afford tine water privileges. The principal of these are Dorothy Pond in the north part of the town, Ramshorn in the northwest, Crooked Pond near the centre, and Manchaug Pond in the southwest . IJlackstone River called by the Indians Kittatuck has its rise in Ramshorn Pond, and passes through the the town from northwest to southeast. This river furnishes valuable water power. So also does Mnmford river, the outlet of Manchaug Pond. Mill Brook, the outlet of Crooked Pond (now called Singletary Lake), has in the distance of a mile a fall of 17;") feet, and affords seven water privileges. There are several other streams in town which the early settlers utilized by the erection of saw-mills, grist-mills and fulling-mills, and which in later days have been employed in manufacturing of various kinds, as will appear under its appropriate head in this History. In its Geological features the town presents nothing of a peculiar nature. Like many other towns in eastern Massa- chusetts, the rocky formation is chiefly granite, quartz rock, and gneiss. Gneiss predominates, and the quarries which have been opened furnish most excellent stone for building purposes. This rock often contains iron pyrites, mica, lead, tin and some other mineral substances in small quantities. The glitter of the little particles has led to the belief that gold and silver might be found, and this town, in common with many others in the State, has had its excitements over wild and fruitless search for the precious metals. There are natural curiosities in the town, some of which :ire thus referred to in "Whitney's History of Worcester ANNALS OF THE County": As first. In the west part of Sutton within sixty rods of the rise of the inlet of Ranishorn Pond, which is the head of Hlackstone River running to Providence and falling into the sea at Bristol, is a brook as large as to carry a sa \v-ini 11 in Sutton, then bears away into Oxford, joins French River which unites with the river Quinebaug, and enters the sea at New London. Secondly. A few rods west of the second parish meeting house, there is a swamp having two outlets, one at the southwest, the other at the southeast. Both these outlets enter Blackstone River above described, at about one mile's distance from each other. But the river is estimated to run ten or twelve miles after the entrance of that on the westerly side before it returns and takes in that on the east. Thirdly. In the southeastern part of the town is a cavern in the earth or rocks, commonly called Purgatory. The rocks on each side of the chasm evidently appear to have been rent asunder. People may enter some rods under the ground or rocks, and there are cracks down which they drop pebbles, and, after these strike the sides alternately several times they arc- heard to fall into the water ; and a brook issues out at the bottom of the hill. It may be acceptable to give a more particular description of this place called Purgatory. It is the side of a hill which consists of vast ledges of rocks. Where the natural descent begins, a chasm has been formed of perhaps thirty, and in some places, forty feet in width, in these ledges by some violent concussion which left this body of stones of all shapes and sizes to fall in. Above it is open to the heavens, and the ledges, on either side, are from five to ten, and so on to twenty, and even forty feet in height. This chasm is, perhaps, near eighty rods in length, and the descent is gradual and not very difficult. Where the greatest depth is, water issues from crevices in the rocks and hangs in icicles, and even in solid bodies of ice, not only in May, as I have seen, but in June, although the descent is to the south. Some small caverns were formed by the falling of these rocks, through which persons have TOWN OF SUTTON. 5 descended and come out .several rods below. This is a most stupendous place, and fills the mind of the beholder with exalted ideas of the infinite power of the great Creator of all things, " who removeth the mountains and they know it not ; who shaketh the earth out of .its place, and the pillars thereof tremble." After all, no description given of this place by another, will enable persons to form just and adequate conceptions of it.* The ledges which Mr. Whitney says are " from five to ten and so on to twenty, and even forty feet in height ; " are found by actual measurement to be in some places between Hfty and sixty feet in height. Dr. Hitchcock in speaking of Purgatory puts the extreme height of the sides of the fissure at seventy feet.f The settlement of the town was much delayed by the war mentioned in the grant by the Governor and General Court. This war is known as Queen Anne's war. It began in 1702 and was not ended until 1713. November 17, 1714, the Proprietors held the first meet- ing of which there is any record. At this meeting (held in Boston) it was voted, " That three men should be chosen for a committee to order the affairs of that place "- Button. Nathaniel Brewer, Jonathan Draper, and Eliezer Daniels were chosen such committee, and " were to stand until others were chosen." " It was the same day voted that all the charges that has been and shall arise, till the next meeting should be payed by the Proprietors equally according to their several pro- portions at twenty shillings for every 500 acre right." The next meeting was held in Boston, March 2, 17145.$ * See Whitney's History of Worcester County, pp. 96-98. I See Hitchcock's report on the Geology of Mass, page 295. t Before the adoption of the "New Style" in England, in 1752, the year was considered as beginning the 25th of March. Any date therefore between the 1st of January and the 24th of March would be a year too little, so to avoid mistakes it had become customary to give both years as above. March 2d would occur in the year 1714 should the year begin the 25th of March, in 1715 should it begin the 1st of January. 16 ANNALS OF THE At this nice-ting it was voted ' 4 That Jonathan Draper, Eliezer Daniels, and Nathaniel Brewer should be a commit- tee to go and lay out sixty lots at Button , for the Proprie- tors, of thirty acres a lot, thirty rods wide and one hundred and sixty long." " Voted the same day that all such as had one live hun- dred acre right should have a thirty acre lott, and they who had more according to their proportion." It was also " Voted that there should be a rate of sixty pounds, one pound on every live hundred acre right." It appears from these votes that the tirst division of the township was into sixty tive-hundred-aere rights. Kach proprietor owned at least one right, some more. Actual surveys, as will appear, were afterwards made of lots, cor- responding in number to the number of rights, and varying in area from thirty to one hundred acres. These lots were drawn by' the proprietors each right being entitled to one and disposed of by them individually. At the meeting held March 2, 1714-15 it was likewise " Voted, that all such as should appear to go tirst and live at the town of Sutton, for their encouragement should have one hundred acres of land given them for their own, pro- vided they settle two years from the date hereof ; and they to bear their proportion of town charges, the Proprietors to bear half the charges of building a Meeting house and settling a minister the first four years." March 18-19, 1714-15. Meetings of the proprietors were held at which it was " Voted that every man shall have a convenient way to his lott through his neighbor's lott, where it shall be most convenient for him and least damage to his neighbor ; also in all after divisions in the town every per- son shall have a convenient way to their lotts, which lott is to be understood to be a proper whole lott." Also " Voted the same day that for encouragement to thirty families to * (lows of diamond glass set in leaden sashes, at each side and end for the lo\ver floor, and one window of the same fashion and size in each side and end for the gallery. The pulpit was on the west side of the house opposite the front door, \vhieh opened into the broad aisle. The seats first used seem to have been nothing more than ordinary benches with baeks. The gallery extended across the front side and each end, and had two rows of seats through its whole extent. Behind these seats there Avas a narrow plat- form which the children who could find no other place occupied. "A very convenient place," Deacon Leland quaintly remarks, "for idlers: not much chance however to escape detection as the Ty thing Man in his official capacity was ready to notice every delinquent.'* 1 1720. The Town Meeting for the choice of officers was held at the meeting-house. In addition to the'town officers hitherto chosen John Page and Timothy Manning were elected Tything men and " sworn to the faithful discharge of the otise." After the choice of officers the town " proceeded toward the settling of a minister," "and it Avas voted by a major vote the same day to have a minester." "Voted the same day to send for Mr. Thatcher, to Mr. SAvift and to Mr. Dor Concerning the settling of a Minister." ' Voted the same day and desired by the Major part of the voters that Mr. Thatcher, Mr. Swift, and Mr. Dor. that they Avould send thar advis into the Town concerning the v" settling of Mr. Maeinstree for our minister." " Voted the same day that it be left with the Selectmen to send for advise to the Minesters." " Voted the same day for a sallary to the Minester and it was voted the same day sixty pounds a year to a Mines- ter." *See Dea. Leland Papers. 2(\ ANNALS OF THE " Voted the same day that William King, Samuel Stearns, and John Stockwell be a Committy to discors* Mr. Macin- stree." At an adjourned meeting held March 21, the Town " voted for the choice of a minister and it appeared by a major vote that the Reverend Mi 1 . John Makinstree vva.s chosen to be settled in Sutton aforesaid, and to have sixty pounds per annum for his yearly sallery." " The same day voted that William King, Sam'l Stearns and William Larned, should aquant the reverend Mr. John Makinstrey that the town has by a vote given him a call to the Minestry and asks his exceptance." Sept. 27, at a Town Meeting " It was agreed upon by a Major vote that the day for the ordaining ye reverend Mr. John Makinstrey should be wennesday the Ninth day of November 1720." No record is made of the ordination services. The Proprietors' Record of this year shows the following action : "Voted that Eben'r Cutler be admitted as a settler of Sutton and have a right to the lott that was John Waite's, and was declared to be forfeited, he paying all the charges with respect to said lott, and also ten pounds money, five pounds of it to be given to John Waite sen'r to reimburse him money paid for said lott, and the other five pounds towards buying a drum, Hallbards and a suite of colours in the Military Company." " Voted the same day that the .sumni of twenty five shill- ings be advanced and paid upon and by each propriety or five hundred acre right, amounting in the whole to eighty- five pounds ten shillings, to and for the encouragement and settlement of the first ordained minister of Sutton ; to be paid in three months after his ordination either to said Min- ister or to the Committy of the Inhabitants towards the building his house, or paying the charge thereof. " This vote not to be binding unlesse they have a Minister ordained In five years from this day." * For discourse used in the obsolete sense of " to confer with.' TOWN OF SUTTON. 27 This year is the date given for the introduction of tea into New England. Its influence upon social manners and morals has been great beyond the power of description, and the end is not yet. Coffin, in his History of Newbury, gives the following extract from an unpublished letter written in England, Jan. 1, 1740. "They are not much esteemed now who will not treat high and gossip about. Tea is now become the darling of our women. Almost every little tradesman's wife must set sipping tea for an hour or more in a morning, and it may be again in the afternoon, if they can get it, and nothing will please them to sip it out of but china ware, if they can get it. They talk of bestowing thirty or forty shillings upon a tea equipage, as they call it. There is the silver spoon, silver tongs and many other trinkets I can not name." ' Madame Hall had the first teakettle ever brought into Sutton : and the wife of Dea. Pierce the second : They held about a pint each, f 1721. John Singletary and Ebenezer Stearns were chosen Ty thing-men. This is the first mention of John Siugletary, father of the Singletary family. Amos was his youngest son. He was born in Sutton, September, 1721, and was the first male child born in town. There had been one birth in town previously that of Abigail Marsh, daughter of Benjamin Marsh. Dr. Whitney refers to her as the first child born in town, and states that she was living in 1793, a widow Chase, having had four husbands. Upon the Proprietors' Records of Feb. 8, 1721, are the following entries : "Upon petition of the Church in Sutton, voted that one shilling upon each five hundred acre right, as they are so * Coffin's History of Newbury, p. 191. t Leland Papers. 2* ANNALS OF THE railed, belonging to the Proprietors, be raised, collected and paid for and towards buying a cushion for the Pulpit of the Sutloii mceting-honse, the money to be paid to and collected by Dea. Timothy Manning. " Voted that an exact, large plott bee drawn k Voted that the third seat below be equal in dignity with the tore seat in the front gallery, and that the fourth below be equal with the fore seat in the side gallery." kk Voted that Percival Hall, Win. King, Timothy Manning, Nathaniel Dike and Joseph Sibley be a commitee to seat the Meeting House, and for the rea'ii latino- thereof during the ~ O * * ' Town's pleasure." Voted that the Commitee that are chosen to seat the meeting-House shall consider of what men have paid to the building <>f it< and what public charges they now bare, and what they are likely to pay for the filter, and to have respect to persons." * March 13th. kk Voted to petition the Generell Cort at the next sessions for the Inhabitaiice of Hassanamisco that dwell on the Southwestward side of the Blackstone River to be laid to said Town and all the land to the west ward of Sutton as far as Sam'l Riches farm reches, and that William King should be joined to the Selectmen for this purpose." October 22d. " Voted that Inhabitaiice on the Northward side of the Blackstone River should be freed from paying their proportion to the Minister for this Present year, excepting wat is laved, by an act of the General Cort, on the unimproved land." December HOth. "Voted that the room allowed in the meeting-House for pews be disposed of." k k J ohnathan Sibley personally appeared and declared his decent against what is above rated at time and place." "Voted there be five men chosen for the disposing of the room allowed for Pews. Voted that Timothy Carter, Ebenezer Dagget, Elisha Johnson, John Whipple and Robert Knolton be a Commity to dispose of ye room allowed for Pews to such Inhabitaiice of Sutton as they according to their best discresing (discre- tion) shall judge meet." * Town Records. 30 ANNALS OF THE Jan. 15, 1723-4. The Committee make return as follows : \Ve the Subscribers being chosen Comittee by the Town of Sutton for the disposing of the Pews in the meeting House have accordingly granted to the men under named, to them, their heires and assignes, to each man his particular place, as his right to set up a Pew upon for himself viz. to John Ward a Pew in the Northeasterly corner running four feet nine inches from the east wall towards the door then from the North wall to the Ministers- Pew. Samuel Dagget front 5 foot, in depth 5 foot and 5 inches. Ebenezer Dagget front on the east of the North door 5 foot, depth 5 foot and 5 inches. Cpt. Benjamin Willird front 5 feet and 2 inches deep 5 foot and 4 inches being on the west Side of the north door. Robert Knolton front 3 foot and 3 foot cant, deep 5 foot and three inches. John Sibley front 3 foot and 3 inches from that to the stairs, cant one foot and 5 inches, deep .5 foot & inches. James Leland front 5 foot and 2 inches, deep 5 foot and fi inches, being on the North side of the front door. Freegrace Marble front 4 foot & 10 inches, dee]) f> foot & (> inches, being on the south side of the front door. Joseph Sibley and Timothy Manning front 4 foot and 2 inches cant one foot and one inch running to the Stairs, deep 5 foot and 6 inches and so long as the Pew remains between 2 families the men have the liberty of their seats. Isaac Farewell front 3 foot, cant 3 foot to the stairs, deep ~) foot and 6 inches. John AVhipple front 5 foot and 3 inches, deep 5 foot and (5 inches, being on the west side of the South door. Elisha Johnson front 4 foot and 11 inches, deep 5 foot and six inches, being on the east side of the South door. Samuel Barber front 3 foot and 6 inches, deep 5 foot and (> inches, cant one foot and 3 inches. Timothy Holton front one foot and (3 inches and from the South wall to Mr. Carters Pew and from the east wall to Mr. Barbers Pew. Timothy Carter front 3 foot and 10 inches, cant 2 foot 3 inches, deep 6 foot and four inches. TOWN OF SUTTON. ol Dacon Hall front 5 foot and 2 inches, deep 6 foot and 4 inches being at the South end of the Pulpit." * 1724. May 18th. "Voted that the To\vn Peticions to the avneral Cort for a reconsideration of the vote for ye farms that Mr. .Richard Waters and Mr. Samuel Rich ons (owns) to be anaxed to Sutton. Samuel Barton William Waite, John Sible, Richard Norton Thomas Mede, Samuel Sible, Tim- othy Carter all of them have entered thair disent against the above said vote in gining with Mr. Waters and Mr. Rich in a peticion to the general Cort to have their farms anaxed to Sutton. "Voted that Samuel Rich and William King and Nathaniel Dike be a committe to manage the peticion above mensioned for said farms." June 3. "Voted that Mr. Richard Waters farm and Mr. Samuel Richs farm be peticioned for to the present Sescion to be anaxed to the Town of Sutton to do duty and recieve Privelege with said Town. The peticion is to be at the charge of the town, Mi 1 . Waters and Mr. Rich bearing thair part of the charge." "Voted that the farms formerly caled Collinses farm, and Col. Ilutchingsons farm, and Mr. Davenports farm be peti- cioned for to the Present and general Sescions in Boston to be lade to the Town of Sutton to do duty and Recieve priv- elege in said Town the peticion to be at the charge of the Town. "Voted that Col. John Chandler be empowered as an Agent to act in full for the Town of Sutton in the peticion above menshoned. "Voted that Samuel Rich should cary down the votes to Col. Chandler that was voted on the day above mentioned. William Wate, Samuel Barton, Timothy Carter, Samuel Sible, John Ward William Sible, John Sible, Samuel Dagit James Leland, Ebenezer Dagit and Thomas Lovell all of them personally apearing at said meeting and entered thar * Town Records. 32 ANNALS OF THK disent against the proseedings of the meeting. The reasons that they give is this, that the meeting was not as the law directs and also the vote of bearing the charge of the peti- cion AVC think it unreasonable." Mav 2. At a meeting of the Proprietors it was " Voted that all that have not paid their dues to the minister which the Court ordered upon the unimproved land be brought in to Mr. Makinstree by the 28th day of June 1724. "f 1725. March 29. "Voted that all the Inhabitants of Sutton livinv North east of Blackstone River should be freed from D the Ministereal Rate for the years 24-25. -Voted that twenty shillings be allowed for sweeping the meeting house." Voted that Mr. John Whipple should go down to the proprietors meeting to se and now what they will du concer- ning the arrears of the ministry munny." "Voted that Freegrace Marble and Kbenezer Dagit be a committee to take care of the school lot and ministerel lot that there be no waste of the wood and timber." Aug. 16. "Voted that the school land in Sutton be all- sold Reserving the thirty acre lot and the mony to be put out for the benefit of a school in Sutton forever." Voted that Laftenant William Kjng and Freegrace Mar- ble and Jonathan Kinney, John Stockwell, Samuel Dagit should be a committe for to sail the school land above recorded or aboA r e mentioned." } " Col. Johnathan Hanvood Entered his desent against the school land being sold." Feb. 18, 1725-6 : "Voted that the Farms that was formerlly Mr. Hutchi- son's and Mr. Davenports, with all the Inhabitancy on said farms be anaxed to the Town of Sutton. so that the said Inhabitance thare upon shall be anaxed as Town Inhabitancy, * Town Records. t Proprietors' Records. J Town Records. TOWN OF .SUTTOA. 33 and .shall share with This Town in all Town privileges what soever on these conditions. That ye fore said Inhabitance on said farms doe pay thare propotion To all Town charges that shall Be made in the Town of Sutton forward not to have any of Town debts or charges that wee do this day stand obliged To pay ever levited upon them." "The Inhabitance on the farms above mentioned being at the meeting concured with the Town and came into the Town upon the proposals above mentioned and manifestted it by a vote amongst them self's and desired that the vote mite be put upon Record in Sutton Town Books." This agreement above mentioned to stand during the plessuer of the General Corte." * 1726. March 7. - Voted that Obidiah Walker be added to the former Committe to seat the meeting house. May 12. "A Town Meeting was held at the Meeting House in Sutton for the choice of Kepresenttitive, and the vote passed in the Negative." July 29. A Town Meeting was held in the Meeting house " to consider of making choice of a Committy to treat with ve Mr. Mckinstrv and to give them instructtions and * / O furst Mr. John Whipple was chosen Moderator and then they proseded to chous a Committy and the Committy ware Paeon Passeful Hall, Elisha Putnam, Thomas Nickols Elisha .Johnson, Timothy Carter, Joseph Sible, Ebenezer Starns, Kbenezer Dagit, William Stockwell, Jun'r. The Town gave the Committy thar Instructtions." f There is no record showing what these instructions were. Aug. 29. At a Town Meeting it was "Voted that thar should be a Counsel to juge wether or no that Mr. Mckins- Ire should be continued in Sutton as thar minester. "then the Committy brought in thar Return to the Town, that was chosen by the Town to treat with the Reverend minester. * Town Records. t Town Records. 34 ANNALS OF THE " Voted by the Town to Call in Seven Churches fora Counsel." ''Voted that mr John Williams of Deal-field with hi.s Dilligates and mr Prentis of Lankester and his dilligates and mr Prascot of Salem with his dilligates, and mr Williams of Weston with his dilligates and mr Whiting of Concord with his dilligates and mr Brown of Reding with thar dilli- gates and mr Backer of Sharbon with thar dilligates should be called in this counsel to juge of matters of difference Between the minester and the people." Voted "that Elisha Johnson, Elisha Putnam, Joseph White, James Leland, Timothy Carter, Simon Dacon, Isiah White, William Stock well and John whippel should be a committe to take care and cary letters to the minesters and also to prepare and get things in order for the Counsel." Voted "that Decon Passefell Hall, Joseph Sible, Samuel Daget, obadiah Walker, Thomas nichols, Ebenezer Daget and Samuel Sible Should be a committe to take care and prepare for the Counsel also it was voted that the 12th day of October the Counsel Should Come." ' ' We the Subcrybers Entered our desent against Counsels Coming into Town to juge between the Town and mr mckins- tree because thar was nothin charged against him in the meeting, nor in the warrant, to vote. Sollomon Holman, William King, John Stock will, Johnathan Stockwill, Joseph Savery, Samuel Bigelo, Jonathan Kinny, John Singeltary, John ward, Babal Bixbe, william Stockwill, Nathaniel Dike Sen'r. Nathaniel Dike." * The name of Putnam first appears upon the records of the town this year. Some, if not all the brothers whose names are subse- quently found upon the records, probably came into the town during the preceding year. 1727. The records of the town for this year are missing. * Records of the Town. TOWN OF SUTTON. 35 1728. t Sept. 2d. " Pursuant to an agreement with Mr. John McKinstry to be Dismist from preaching in Sutton, att a town meeting leagely warn'd and held att ye meeting house in Sutton, first Mr. John Whipple was chosen moderater, secondly, put to vote to see wheather the town would Dismis mr. John Mckinstry from preaching hear in Sutton and it passed in ye affirmetive and there was not any voats in ye Negetive." September 26. The following receipt from Mr. McKin- stry is recorded. ' ' Then received of the selectmen of ye town of Sutton full Satisfaction and payment as to Sallery for preaching in the said Town from the first Day I Came among them to the Day above said, as witness my hand. JOHX MCKINSTRY.* Oct. 14. " Voted that the 3d Wensday be a day set apart for fasting and prayer in Sutton." " Voted that the Reverend mr Parkman and the Rever- end mr Troop Should Carry on the work of the day above mentioned, to wit the day set apart for fasting and prayer if prevailed with by the committee." " Voted that there should be preaching three months from this day forward in the Town of Sutton." " Voted that there should be a coinmttee to provide a niinester or minesters for three months to prech in Sutton." " Voted that there should be four men Chosen a commit- tee to go and get ministers to prech three months in Sut- tou."f " Voted that Decon Passeful Hall, mr John Stockwill, mr Timothy Carter and mr Jonathan Kinny was Chosen for the above said sarviss, and then the meeting was agurned to the 18 day of this October corrant at-12-of-the- clock and then they proseded : and furst voted that thar should be a committee chosen to take care to provide for * Town Records. t Town Records. 36 ANNALS OF THE lutertenment for the ininesters three months and it appered by a major vote that mr Obidiah Walker and mi- John Sible was Chosen for that sarvis." Nov. 26. "A town meeting was held at which it was "Voted that 60 pound be Rased for the support of the gospel in Sutton." " Voted that Decon Passeful Hall should be Treasurer for to reseive the contribucion monny given into the Contribu- cion boxes." " Voted that mr David Hall should continue to prech in Sutton till the furst day of March next insuing if he can be prevaled with." ' Voted that Elisha Johnson, Freegrace Marbel, Joseph Sible, Samuel Dudly, John Whipple, Nathaniel Dike, Senr. be aded to the former committee to wit Decon Hall, Insing John Stocwell, mr Johnathan Kinny and mr Timothy Carter to treete with mr David Hall Conserning his supply- ing the pulpit in Sutton till the furst day of March as above mentioned." Dec. 2. " By order of a vote that was past in Sutton on the 26th day of November, 1728, to treete with Mr. David Hall to prech with us hear till the furst day of March next insuing the date hereof, and acordingly the committee above mentioned treeted with the above said mr Hall and he acsep- ted." Feb. 10th, 1728-29. " Voted unanimously that mi- David Hall should prech and supply the pulpit in the House of God in Sutton till the midel of May next insuing the date hereof, in order for settelment if he can be effected or pre- valed with." " Voted thar should be saven men chosen a committee to treet with mr Hall, and it appered by a major vote that Decon Hall, Samuel Dudly, Thomas nichols, Nathaniel Dike, Senr., Samuel Barton, Obediah Walker and Simon Dakin ware chosen for the above said committee and if mr Hall could not be prevaled with to supply the pulpit in the House of God in Sutton until the midel of May next insuing then for the above said comm'tee to prosed in TOWN OF SUTTON. 37 order to have the pulpit supplyed till the time above men- tioned to wit midel of May next insuing." Feb. 2(>. "Voted that thar should bee a town meeting caled in order to give mr David Hall a call to Settel in the ministeral office in Sutton."* 1729. March 2fith. At a meeting, caled " to Consider and sec wither ye town will concur with the church and Give mr David Hall a Call to settel in the work of the Ministry amongst them," and " to see what salery and settelment thav will rive To mr David Hall," and " to chuse a Coinittv ' O */ To treet with mr David Hall in Case ye town a Grees To (Jive him a call," it was "put to vote whither the town would chuse mr David Hall for their miniser and Teacher to settel In ye work of ye ministry amongst them, and the vote Past in ye afirmitive." kb Voted to give mr David Hall an Honorable Salery." " Voted in the afirmitive to Give mr Hall a Salery of one Hundred Per year in Province Bills, or the Equal value of one Hundred Pounds per year of Province Bills as they are now valued, as long as he shall serve them in the work of the ministry." " Voted in the afirmitive to Leace out to mr David Hall part of the Ministeral Land to wit one thirty acre lot number 18, and one Seventy acre for Nine Hundred and Ninety nine Years at Six Pence Per year for Incouragement or towards his Setelment, and also to Give him one hundred Pounds in work, Meterals for Building." " Solomon Hole- man entered his desent against the 1 part of this vote." " Voted yt Joseph Sibly, Freegrace Marble, Johnathan Kinny and Benjamin Marsh should be a Comitty to treat with mr Hall." f May 20th. The hundred acres of land, that the " town formerly voated to give mr David hall a lease of, they have now voated to give him a Deed thareof, for his settelment amongst us." * Town Records. t Town Records. 38 ANNALS OF THE " Voated that thare should be a number of men Chosen as a Comity to give mr David Hall a warrant tea Deed of the s'd hundred acres of land in the towns behalf." The names of a committee of twenty-one persons are given. " Voated that Lieut. Elisha Johnson, Insing John Stock- will, mr John Sibly should be a Comitty to Judg upon the Present value of Paper Money in Pursuant to our forth voats last March ye 26 1729. " Voated that the Contribushon should be kept up." " Voated that the Lease money should be given to mr Hall." * July 25th. The committee appointed to confer with Mr. Hall made their report to the Town and the meeting was adjourned to Aug. 14th, " and then it was put to voat, to see whether the Town would accept of mr David Halls answer and the voat past in ye afirmitive Provided he be content with ye land which the Proprietors have voated him and accept of it in ye Room and stead of that which ye town has voted to give him a warranttee Deed of." f A meeting of the Proprietors of Sutton was held Aug. 12th, 1729, at which it was "Voted, that the committy chosen to lay out the remaining, undivided lands shall forth- with lay out to the Reverend Mr David Hall one hundred and thirty two acres of the undivided lands which we give him for his comfort and encouragement provided he is ordained Minister for this town of Sutton which is in lieu and full of the one hundred acres the Inhabitants promised to give him." J This is the vote to which reference is made in the action of the Town as above given. O Sept. 8. " Voted to accept the comittys Return which was chosen to judg with mr David Hall on ye Present value of Paper money and also to put it on Record." " Voated to send for nine Churches to assist in mr David Halls ordination." * Town Eecords. t Town Records, t Proprietors' Records. TOWN OF SUTTON. M " Voated to make Provision for these Churches and other gent'men and to chus a Committy for said servise and leave ye whole concern to their decesion." " Voated y't mr Samuel Dudley, mr John Whiple, mi- Timothy Carter, mr Robert Goderd, mr Johiiathan Kiney, mr william Stockwell, and mr Nathaniel Dike should be a Committy for ye sarvise above rnensioned." ' ' Voted to leave it with the selectmen to see what will satisfy mr David Hall for his servise in Preaching with us from ye time he first com amongst us to ye time the Town gove him a Call to settel amongst us." * The return of the Committee to fix upon a standard of valuation for paper money is as follows : " Wee, the Com'ttee chosen by the Town May the 20th 172!) to judg upon the valley of Paper Money, met together in pursuance of s'd voat in order there to. we the Committy declared as followeth 1. That sixteen shillings of Paper money is adjudged to be equivalent to an ounce of silver. 2. that as to day labour it will in general answer at three and six pence per day. 3. that it w r ill in generall purchess as followeth, beof three pence half penny per pound, pore at five pence per Pound. 4. That it purchase Indian Corn at four shillings ; and Rye at six and wheat at eight shillings per bushil, as witness our hands. ELISH JONSON JOHN STOCKWILL JOHN SIBLEY." At the same time consented to Per me DAVID HALL.J "This above written composition is a true copy of the comittes accepted (report) by ye toun and ordered to be entered upon Record as a Just standard of ye value of ye money wherein mr David Hall is to Receive his salery men- tioned & acted upon voat 2 in ye preceding page." " BENJA. MARSH Town Clerk." * Town Records. t Town Records. 40 ANNALS OF THE Oct. 10. " It was put to voat to sec- whether ye Town would fully close with rar David Halls answer & have it put upon record, and ye voat Past in ye atirmitive, which answer is as followeth * Mr. Hall was ordained Oct. 15, 1729. The Town Clerk makes no record of the Churches invited, nor of the proceed- ings of the Council. Dec. 8. "The following voats wars past tirst it appears by a major voat that Decou Pasive.1 Hall should still take care of the eontrilmshons," 21y it appeared by major voat that the town alowed ye bill of charge which ye Comity broat in for the charge of mr David Halls ordination." f Taxes were some times in arrears in the early history of the town, as appears from the following entry upon the records, made by order of the selectmen : "Feb. ye 27, 1729-30. Mr. Elisha Putnum Town Treasurer Debtter for Diver- Sums of money comited to several constables to colect. s d for ye year 1728 Constable Holmans town rate - 42. 17. 01 and his ministers Rates - - - - 24 00 11 for ye year 1726 Constable Ebenezer Daggets Ministers Rate, 52. 08. .11 his town Rate amounts to 10. 07. 05 for ye year 1727 Constable James Millers town Rate 04. 17 .01 his ministers Rate is 09. 14. .01 for ye year 1728 Constable Nicols town Rate 26. 00 00. his ministers Rate is - 52. 00. 00 for ye year 1728 Constable hazel tons town Rate - - 20. 14. .04 his ministers rate - - 11. 18. .03 By order of ye selectmen." J 1730. April X. A Warrant was issued for a town meeting to be held " at ye meeting House one wensday, the tAventy second of April att one of ye Clock in ye after noon undo- standing that the vote concerning the trusttes to (wit) of Suttons part of ye 60 thousand pounds Land money, granted by ye general Court and the town of Suttons dispoels thar * For the answer see History of "First Congregation Church " in this book. t Town Records. J Town Records. TOWN OF SUTTOX. 41 of is not Entered in ye town Book as we are in formed and other Things Releating to the town of Sutton's prudencils Hearafter Exprest As furst to see what the Town will do to secure them selves and the trustes and all so to se if tha will Chuse a committy to asist the town Clerk in searching ye town Book Relating to s'd money and trusttes and all so to see what ye town will do with ye Intrust of s'd Land money. 21y. for the town to Hear ye Petions of several pearsons of Hasanamiskco. 31y for the town to Chuse a Connnety to discourse with Rev'nd mr David Hall Concerning the valleation of our paper Bills and make a Return Thearof to ye nexte town meating." "Pursuant to the wearant of which this above writ-en Is a true Copy then the following votes was past Capt. willam King was Chosen moderator by a majer voat for said met- ing 21y voated that ye Selectmen ware Chosen to A sist ye town Clerk in searching ye town Book consuming the Land mony and thay made thare Return in ye above said meting and thair Return is that thay Can find nothing thair of any meeting for the Recouvering of said Land mony. 31y thay proseed to chuse a commete to treete with ye trusttes to see what securety thay will give to the towns for the above said Land mony. 41y voted that three men should be a com- mette to treete with the trusttes. 51y voted that mr Johna- than Kinny and Insin John Stockwell and mi- Robart God- dard should be A Commette to see what securety ye trusttes will give to ye town and to make a Return to the next town metten 61y Voted that Lu't Elisha Jonson and Insin John Stockwell and mr John Sible should be a Commett to treette with the Rev'd mr David Hall consearning the vallyation of our paper Bills." 1730. May 15th. The town voted that the following record, which had been omitted, "shall be entered in our town Book." "At a Leaguel Town meeting Held at the meting House In Sutton one mondy ye 25 of March 1728 for to consider of taking the Land mony in the Town that was parte of the 6 42 ANNALS OF THE sixty thousand pound land money being an hundred and Eighty three pounds, fifteii shiling faling to the town of Sutton or to chuse three or five meet persons for trustes to take the care of the saim. and furet by A mager vote it apeared that mr Samuel Duddly was Chosen moderater, secondly the town voted to take the Land mony that parte of the sixty thousand pound of the Land mony that was a lowed to them by the honorable Court, thardly voted that the land, money should be let out, non of it to any man above twenty pounds, nor none of it under ten pounds to any man forth ly voted y't thar should be three men chosen trustes to take ye land mony and dispose of it, fifth- voted that Elisha Jonson, Elisha Putnam and John whippel ware chosen by the town for that sarves to wit to take the land mony 61y, voted to have a schoul this present year." * The Land Money, to which reference is made in the above action of the town, was money raised by the Colonial gov- ernment, and apportioned among the several towns to be loaned to the land holders in small sums secured by lien upon real estate. According to Hutchison and others, the plan was adopted by the government to forestall private parties, who wished to be incorporated as banking associa- tions for the purpose of loaning money upon land security. The design was to prevent monopoly, and furnish money to those of small means at a reasonable rate of interest, and without danger of foreclosure. Tne towns were to remit a part of the interest to the government, and retain a part. The plan was a good one in theory, but proved a failure. January llth, 1730-31 : "Voted that no money shall Be Raisd to Defra town charges." ' ' Voted that Decon Putnam shall take Care of the Contru- luision money." "Voted to seete the meeting House and Chuse a Cometty for that sarvice." "Voted that mr Johnathan Keney and mr obdiah Walker * Town Records. TOWN OF SUTTOM. 43 and mr Ebenezer Starns and mr Thomas nickiols and mr Cornalous Putnam shall be a Commetty for said sarvice the In structions thay are to goo by Is age and Rate and oifece Heds not Regarded." Jan. 29th, 1730-31. "Lut Samuel Dudly was chosen a representtive, by a mager vote, to send to our grate and general Court and asembely Cept and Hild at Boston Feb- euarey-ye-1 1-1 730-31." * May 15th. Lieut. Dudley was chosen to represent the town at a session of the General Court and Assembly to be convened at Cambridge August 27th. He was the first representative chosen from this town. August 29th. " Voted to chuse three men to meet with gentenmen of severl towns that have apinted to meet at mr James Lealands one the 28 of this Instant to consider and provide a new skeam in order to Procure a new County." "Voted that Capt Wm. King and rnr John whippel and nathaniel Dike was Chosen for that sarves." " Voted to keep a school in s'd Town for this present year for four mounths and that the selectmen agree with a school- master to keepe School for s'd town to Lern the chelderen and youth to Rede and wright English and to be kept at the Discresion of selectmen In four Places in s'd Town (viz) one month in the town Plot and three months at 3 other Places in the town one month in a Place." f 1731. May 17th. The town chose "Ins' John Stockwell, and Lut. Beniamin marsh for trustes for Suttons Parte of ye sixtey Thousand Pounds land money." "Voted that the meeting House should be Repeared and that The selectmen should take cear to Repear The meeting House." " Voted thar shold Be schole Darnes Provided to teaceh the Cheldern in the town as shall be thought ueadfull." At the same meeting the town ' ' Dide Elect and Deput * Town Records. t Towii Records. J4 ANNALS OF THE Lut. Sainual Dudley to .send a representtive To our grate and general Cort or assembley to Be hild and Kept for his Maigesties sarvice at the Cort House In Boston upon wens- day The 26 of May In ye year 1731." "Voted that ye selectmen prefer a peticon to ye gen'll Cort in Behalcf of ye town for an abatmeut of ye Charge for Pauient of thair Representative ye last year By Reson of ve "rate sickness and mortality that god was Plesed to * O visit ye Town with the Last winter." luo-ust 2d. "Voted that Deacon Parssiful Hall should o sarve at ye Court of General sesions of ye Peace to be Holden at worsester for this present year." -'Voted that Philep Chace shuld sarve at ye Court for a pety jurey." September 2d. "Voted Doct. Thomas Sanford should sarve grand juriman at our Court at worsester this Present year." ' * Voted that Samuel Dagget should sarve at s'd Cort of Trials for this presant year on ye Jury of trials." September 20th. "Ye Inhabitants of ye Town being asembled in town meeting to Consider what advice to give ye Representative Releating to ye Diffeculty lying before ye honourable house of Representatives Respecting the supply of ye treasuary and having Considered of ye saime ye folloing vote was put to vote "If it be your minds that our Representative should yeald ye Piutt that hath been so long in Debate between his excel- lency ye governer and ye honourable House of Representa- tives Relating to ye suply of ye treasurry siguitie it by holding up your hands. ye vote passed in ye negative." November 1st. "Voted that mr nathaniel Dike should sarve on ye Jurey at ye Court of triales to be holden at worssester ye 2 day of november 1731." f " Sutton December ye 20th 1731 "The Returne of ye Commity Chosen to seat ye meeting house Is as folio weth * Dea. Lelaud says this sickness was called the Long fever. t Town Records. TOWN OF SUTTON. 45 ye fore Sect Samuel Dudley Squr Capt. King, Leut. Benjamin Marsh, John Perham, Nathaniel Dike, John Singletary, William Waite, Samuel Sibley, 2d Sect. Thomas Nichols, Daniel Elliot, Sen. Ins. John Stockwell, William Stockwell, Josiah White, Obadiah Walker. 3d seat. Caleb Bixbe, Joseph White, Ebenezer Stearns Caleb Talor Samuel Bixbe Isaac Putnam. 4th seat. James Eliott Joseph Severy John Alen Nathaniel Dike Juner. Joseph Waite Johnathan Parks. 5th Seat. David Stockwell, Ebenezer Stockwell, William Sibley, Beniamin Sibley Thomas Dennies Abel Chase. 6th. Seat. William Vinino- O Thomas Harback John Burden Joseph Kideo. "All ye above writeu are in ye body of sects below." 46 ANNALS OF THE " Ye front fore seet up in ye gallery," Thomas Lavel John Gibbs, Isaac Chase, Johnathan Xichols, Sollomon Holman Samuel Carrel Jarsham Waite Robert Jennison Richard Waters, John Hazelton. Ye 2d seet in front gallery. Joseph Eliott Samuel Waters Jacob Whipple Benjamin Marsh ju Samuel Wood Jonathan King Daniel Kiney Daniel Cariel David Harwood John Lion John Stock well. ' ' The fore seet in ye side gallery Cornelius Putnam Isaac Nichiolsun Daniel Elliot Eleazer Fletcher Edward Holmaii Samuel Parker Robert Goddard Charls Robarts, Percival Hall John Bound Johnathan Stockwell Samuel D wight, David Prince Ebenezer Cutler Jepthha Putnam Daniel Greenwood TOWN OF SUTTON. 47 Martin Armstrong Samuel Dudley Johnathan Marsh . 2nd Seat in side gallery, Jason Waite Nathaniel Jones Joseph Sibley Frances Kider William Perham Benjamin Perharn. Benjamin Carter Ebenezer Harwood. ' ' First in ye wimines foore seet below " Ye widdo Stockwell ye widdo Rich. Ye 2nd seet. Doct. Putnams wife Wido Page Wido Rebeckah Kenney Mrs. Harwood. ye 3 seat, ye Wido Martha Sibley "Ye fore seet in ye front gallery," Widdo Mary Sibley " And it is to be understood that all ye wimen that have husbands are seeted eaquel with thar husbands." THOMAS NICHOLS This done by a OBADIAH WALKER I commity chosen to EBENEZER STEARNS j seet the meeting CORNELIUS PUTNAM J in Button. At this period all property holders were taxed for the support of the gospel, and were expected to attend church. Hence, if to the above list of males we add the names of the pew-holders, we have a record of all the adult males in town at this date, with the possible exception of a few in the part which is now Grafton. January 25th, 1731-32. "Voted that Kbene/cr Dagget should sarve at ye Cort of trials to be Hoklen at Worssester on ye furst day of February 173132." 4S ANNALS OF THE March Hth, 1731-2. " mr nathaiiiel Dike was Chosen grand juriman to sarve at ye Cort of \\orster for this pres- ant year and mr Samuel Barton was Chose at s'd meeting to sarve at the next Inf. Cort of Comon Pies to be hoklcn at Worcesster." March 6th, 1731-2. The town "voted that all ye tree holders in Sutton have liberty to vote in s'd meeting." "Voted not to act upon Chusing trusttes for Sutton Part of ye Sixty Thousand pounds land money." At the meeting held this date a petition was presented by John Hazelton and several "of oure Esterly in habitants Requesting thay may be set of in order to joyne with mendon, uxbridge, and hopkinton in order to make a new Town ship." "Voted that if ye towns afore s'd shall se met to Dismis thar Inhabitants in order their to and ye generall Court shall incorporate them into a town then these our Inhabitants are Dismised in order thar to-r ye Line to Run upon ye westerly side of John Hasaltons Land and to Run north to Hasnemisco Line and south to uxbridge line." Henry King, Joseph Harwood, Stephen Hall, Xathaniel Jones, John Sibley, Johnathan Kenney, Richard Singletary, Thomas Nichols, Francis Dudley, David Dudley, Johnathan Dudley, petitioned the town of Sutton for permission "to erect and bild a new Pew in oure Meeting-house where the two hindermost seats are in the frunt galleary in the mens parte for our accomodation to set at meeting." "Voted ye prayers of this abuv writen Petion, with this Restruction, that they shall Come no further than the select- men shall allou." 1732. May 24. "Voted to Chuse a Commity to set a valiation upon ye Bills of Publick Credit with ye R'vnt mr Hall and also upon all other things which were brote under Considra- tion by a former Commity which ware Chosen by ye town to set a valiation upon ye Bills of Credit and other things * The proposed Township was incorporated by the General Court and is now Upton. TOWN OF SUTTON. 4! Iveferance being had to the valluation as it ma be found upon ye Town Book. "Voted Lut. Elisha Johnson and In's John Stoekwell and inr John Sibeley a Commity for ye above said vote about ye valuation of the paper bills and other things as thay are in that artikel menshoned. "Voted to keep the schoole at Esqu. Dudleys." "Voted Esqu. Dudley to Keep sehoole for three months." "Voted to give R'vnt mr David Hall ye loos Money that is in Deacon Halls hands Excepting ye one half that mr Leland Contributed." * June (5th. "Voted that the six acres formerly appropria- ted by the Proprietors tor building the meeting-house thereon and for a training tield and burying place bounded as folio w- eth, viz. Southerly upon Mr Hall's lott No. 18, Westerly on town road, Northerly upon the county road, and Easterly part upon the School lott and upon undivided land, should be put on record." f July 2f>. " Voted John Sible senuer Should sarve on the Jury of trials at our next Infearer Courte of Common pleas to be holden at Worcester s'd Courte to be held on ye S day of August 1732. Sep. 11. " Voted Capt. william King should sarve at our next Supeuer Court of Judecatuer of Worcester on ye grand Jury." " Voted Lut Beniamin marsh should sarve at said Court on ye Jury of trials said court is to be holden at Worcester on ye 20 Day of September Instant.!' Sept. 18. " Voted fifteen pounds to seport the schooling in Sutton this present year. ' ' Put it to vote to see whether ye Town will sink thos parcions setelment Kate which are of a Difrant Purswasion from ye generality of us, which are yet behinde and Refus to pay it and ye vote Passed in ye negative." Oct. 30. " Timothy Holton was chosen to serve on the Jury of trials at the Inf. Court of Common Pleas to be held in November. * Town Records. t Proprietors' Records. 50 ANNALS OF THE Dec. 18. " Elisha Johnson was chosen to serve at the Session of the same Court to be held Feb. 6, 1732-3. The Town voted not to send a representative to the Gen- eral Court this year.* March o, 1732-3. " Voted to allow Esq. Dudley his money that was menshuned in ye third article in ye war- rant." He was fined for not attending the General Court. The sum is not given. " Voted that Mr. Samuel Sible should sarve on the Grand Jurey this present year," " Voted that mr Simon Da-ken should sarve on ye Jurey of trials at our next Infereur Court of Common Pies to be holden at Worcester. Said Court is To be begun-Hild on Tuesday ye Eaight Day of May 1733." The same day " it was Put to vote to see wheather ye Town woold free Eleven of our esterly Inhabitants of haft' thare minesters Kate for ye year insuing and ye vote Past in ye afarmitive and ye Parsons freed oft" haff thare mines- ters Rate, are as folio weth : John Parham, Joseph Kidder, William Parham, Jonathan Smaith, Benjimin Parham, Jacob Whipple, John Hazeltine, David Bactheller, Joseph Tyler, Samuel Wood, John Rawson. 1733. March 26. "It was put to vote to see wheather ye TOAVU will Rais mony to support schooling amoungst us, or act upon any thing Relating thare to about ye keeping of school that shall be Thought Proper, and ye vote Past in ye nega- tive." April 9. "Voted Twenty-five pounds to seport ye school amoungst us this present year." "Voted that ye selectmen shall be a Commity to take cear about providing a school." * Town Records. TOWN OF BUTTON. 51 " Voted that thare shall be a moving school." To which David Harwood entered his dissent. " Voted that Lu't Beniamin Marsh and mr Samuel Dag- -et and mr Nathaniel Dike shall be a Commitv to Call Dea- O V con Percivel Hall, mr Joseph Sible and mr John Stockwell mr Robart Goddard and mr John Sible and mr John Bound to an a Compt for taken money out of ye Town Treasueary without order from ye Town, in ye year Thiurty on and in ye year Thurty TAVO." May 21. "Voted that ye Rev't mr. David Hall shall have liberty to make a vvindo against his pew. In ye meet- ing-house " " voted that ye Re'nt mr David Hall shall have a free quarter!}' Contribution." Oct. 1. " Voted to Chuse a Commity to Look into ye Deiiceince of ye money since ye a greament maid between ye Town and ye Rev'nt mr David Hall." - Voted that mr Samuel Lilie mr obadiah walker and mr Solomon Holinan, Deacon Parcivel Hall and uir Perres Rice be a Commity for saide sarvice." " Voted that mr Robart Goddard and mr freegrace Mar- bel and Timothy Holton shall be a Commity to Repair ye meeting house in Sutton." The committee appointed to examine into the deficiency of the salary of Rev. Mr. David Hall caused by the depre- ciation of the currency, report as follows : " The Comity s Return, that was Chosen to Look into ye Defisincy of ye money since ye agreement maid between ye R'viit mr Hall and ye Town, is as folio weth : We, the subscribers whose names are under writen, being Chosen by a voat of ye Town to Consider ye Present value of money and Compare it with ye Towns ofl'ers maid to Rev'd mr Hall, in relation to his sallery and ye goodness of ye money whairin he was to recive it, being assembled for said purpose the ninth of October Currant, after mature Consideration upon the value of ye money, it was unam- ously agreed by us, as our mind, that mr Hall, our Pastor, ought to have, In our present money, at lest one hundred & Thurty pounds for this Present year in anser to ye obli- gation of ye Town to give him an Honourabel Sallery ; and 02 ANNALS OF THE upon Discourse with mr Hall we tind, that altho tis his mind that he is cut short in ye Three years Past seventy five Pounds in valy by reason of ye falling of money from ye -tandard set for a vale wherby he was to have his sallery. yet, that rather than any hurt to ye Peopel, Considering our Present Circumstances, he will fore goo it upon these Condisions that ye sallery may be thus helpet and that he may Procure his money withoute Troubel at the Time. PERCIVELL HALL OBADIAH WALKER SOLOMON HOLM AN PERES RICE." * The Town made no choice this year of a Representative to the General Court. March 4, 1733-4. The Town voted for County Treas- urer, which is the first mention made of action in the choice of such an officer. The name of the person voted for is not given. 1734. May 22. "Voted ye former Contribution, that is to say Every weak as it hath ben in Time Past, and ye quart ly Contrabution to be Dropt." "Voted that ye meeting house shall be Repared." "Voted that mr nathaniel Dike and mr John Singeltary should be aded to ye selectmen to be a Conmiity to Tret with ye R'vnt mr Hall to Luck in to ye Defectiance of ye money." k k Voted that ye selectmen be a Commity to In quiere and see whether ye Town may with safty make sale of ye school Land, and to make Report to ye Town ye next meeting and also, to make Report to ye Town what offers any Parson or Persons make for ye saini." Nov. 4. "It was Put to vote to se if ye Town wood give ye R'vnt mr Hall ye sum of sixty Two pound Ten shillings for ye Diticiencey of ye mony this year, and ye vote Past in ye negative." * Town Records. TOWN OF BUTTON. 53 ""It was voted, that it was Thought that a Hundred and Thurty Pound was a Horn-able Sallery for this present year." "Voted that Thurty Pound shall be aded to the Hundred Pound for This present year." " Voted, that ye quarterly Coutrubution shall be set up in Lew of ye weakley Contrubution." March 3, 1734-5. "Voted, that Esqr. Dudley and mr Freegrace marbel and Ins. Robeart godard and mr Solomon Holman and mr Jepthah Putnam be a Coinmity to vu ye meet ing House and Lay ye saim before the Town ye next Town meeting in order for ye Reparing of ye meeting House." "Voted that Esqr. Dudley and mr Lille and mr John Sible be a Comiuitty to Joyn with the Rev'nt mr Hall In Leasing out ye minister! Land, and that ye agrement which ye R'vnt mr David Hall and ye Commity shall make with any Parson or Parsons Relating to ye ministerl Land shall be Laid before ye Town In order for thare Exceptence before any writing be Particted about the saim." The north eastern part of the town embracing the Indian reservation of Hassanamico, and a small portion of terri- tory in addition, was incorporated as the town of Grafton. The Act of Incorporation is dated 1735. 1735. May 19. "Voted that Deacon Parcivel Hall shall hove Liberty to buhl a Stabel upon ye Town Land haveing ye advice of ye selectmen where to set s'd stabel." ' ' Voted to Chuse a Commity to vue ye Town to see how man}' school Housen are wanted, and whare thay shall be set and to make Return to ye Town." "Voted Esqr. Dudley and Ln't Joseph Sibley and Ins. Robart Goddard and Lu't John Stockwell and mr Solomon IIolman a Commete for ye aforesaid sarvice about siting ye school Housen." "Voted Forty Pounds to Repair ye meeting house." * * Town Kecords. 54 ANNALS OF THE "Voted that inr nathanel Dike Dea. Elisha Putnam and Lu't Joseph Sible shall he a Commity to treet with ye Rvnt. nir Hall about ye Defieince of ye money Relating to his sallery." At the same meeting, the Town "Did Elect and Depute Deac. Percivel Hall to be our Representive to our grate and general Court or asembley to be cept and held at ye Court house. In Boston, on Wensday the 28 Day of this Instant may." Sept. 12. The committee, appointed to confer with Mr. Hall with reference to sallery, reported as follows : "We, the subscribers Chosen by the Town to Treet with the Rev'd nar Hall about the value of money, after Discourse with nir Hall, and Delibrating upon the matter, we Conclude that, acording to the general run of Provison and Clothing, that Present Provence Bills fall short one third In valley of what thay ware at the Time of His settlement with us, so that we apprehend one Hundred and fifty Pounds will but barely bring it to the Balance of one Hundred according to the standard. NATHANIEL DIKE ) ELISHA PUTNAM >Com. JOSEPH SIBLE"* ) The following agreement with the committee, signed by Mr. Hall, is also found on record. "I, the subscriber, hearby Signify and Declare that if the Town will provide that what the Towns Committee I lave adjudged reasauabel to assess for this years sallery be assessed, that, upon the Reseat of the saime, I Avill give the Town a full Discharge for the present years sallery as wit- ness my hand DAVID HALL." The Town "Voted, that a Hundred and fifty Pounds shall be assessed for the Rvnt. mr Halls sallery this present year." March 1, 1735-6. "Voted that iiir Xathaniel Dike and mr Robart Godard and Timothy Holton be a Committe to * Town Records. ' TOWN OF SUTTON. 55 Treet with the R'vnt nir Hall about the Deficiency of the money Relating to his Sallery this present year. 1736. May 19. "Voted that the selectmen shall be a Commit- tee to Repear the meeting-house." "The Return of the Comitte that was Chosen to Squd- ron out the school Housen was brought In to ye Town and non Excepted." It seems by an article in the warrant for the Tow T n meet- ing held upon the day above given the tine imposed upon the Town by the General Court for failure to send a Repre- sentative in 1784, was remitted and the money returned. The article is as follows : "To see what the Town will J)eu with the money that the Town was find for not sending a Representative to our Grate and general Court In the year 17H4, which is Got of and Returned back again to the Town." In reference to the above, it was "Voted that the ninten Pounds shall be Throod in to the Treasure that was got of which the Town was find for not sending a Representive To our grate and general Court In the year 1734." Sept. 24. The committee appointed to confer with Rev. Mr. Hall make their report : ".We, the subscribers being Chosen to be a Committe, To Treet with the Rev'nd mr Hall about the Deficencey of the money since he seteled amongst us, and having Discoursed with him about the saim and muttuerly Considered thare on togeather with the nessesarics of Life and we find that about one Hundred and fifty pounds be equelent to one Hundred at the time of his setelment. ROBERT GODDARD ) r , ... TIMOTHY HOI/TON \ Cmm,ttey. "Voted one Hundred and fifty Pound for the Revnd mi- Halls sallery This present year." A petition was received from certain young men, for per- mission to build a pew in the meeting house, and it was ' ' voted the Prayer of the above said Petisioners be 5H ANNALS OF THE granted with this Proviso that they Take in a suticent num- ber with them That have Petioned to till up the Roome and bulde thare scat or pew no wider than the Hind seat or at Least so as not to Dammidge no other seate."' 1737. May 23d. " mr Robart (loddard and mr Samuel Lille and mr Jeremiah Buckman ware Chosen a Commette To Treet with the Revnt mr Hall about the vallation of money Relat- ing to his Sallery." A desire for greater facilities for attendance upon Public- worship had been felt by those who were remote from the centre, and was made manifest about this time in a request for preaching at various places. We find in the warrant for a Town meeting upon May 23d the following article : "To hear the Petision of the several parts of our Town Relating to Preching." Upon the consideration of which, it was " Voted, that the Town Chuse a Commette to vue the several Parts of the Town in ancuer to the Petious Conserning Preching and to bring into the Town by the next March meeting what thay shall think most proper." "Voted Esqr Dudley Dea. parcivel Hall and Dea. Elisha Putnam Samuel Boutwell, Benjamin woodbeary Ens. Timothy Carter, Richard Waters, Ins. Robart goddard, mr obadiah Walker mr Isaac Putnam mr Hennery King mr Daniel Chace a Commete for ye aforesaid Sarvice about preching." Sept. 19. The committee appointed to confer with Mr. Hall report that his salary for the year should be 1(J3, slS, d.6, which the Town voted to pay him. " Voted to set up the weakley Contribution as form ley." 1738. May 24. " Voated that there should be one hundred and sixty four pound Raised to support the Rev. mr. David Hall the present year." * Town Records. TOWN OF SUTTOX. O t " In-sin Robart Goddard mr John Sibley mr Samuel Bar- ten ware Chosen to be a Committy to treet with Revrnt mr Hall about the Deficenaey of money." March (>, 1738-1). "Voted that our Daniel Dike should have liberty to build him a pue up over the wimmings stears in the meeting house for him and his famerly provided he did not hurt or Discommode the going up the gallery stares." " Voted that Elisha Putnam Junr and John Holton, John whipple, Ebene/ar waters & Amos waters should have the liberty to build them a seet up over the mens stares In the meeting house provided they Did not hurt nor Discom- mode the going up the gallery stares." Permission was given to Elisha Putnam Cornelius Putnam & Elisha Putnam Junr "and also any others Even as many as would build stables upon the Common-laud near the meeting-house might provided that they Did not hurt nor Discommode the training field nor the Buring place.'' 1739. May 22. " Voated that mr Samuel Boutwell, mr Samuel Chase and mr Solomon Holman be a Committy to treet with the Revnt mr Hall about the Deficiance of money." Johnathan Lilly was allowed thirty shillings his charge in going after a school-master the last year." Dec. 24. "'Voted that mr David Greenwood should be one of the men to take Care that the Dear within this Province be not Killed Contretrary to the law." " Voted that John Sibley Junr should be a man to take Care of said Dear as aforesaid." f March 10, 1739-40. -Voted that there should be six plases or squarderanes wheare the school should be kept In the Town provided that Each Squarderain Do Build a school- house In Each pertieler place hearafter mentioned and that upon their one Cost and Charge or h'nd sum other house to keep the school in." The six places are described in detail. * Town Records. t Town Records. 5X \\VALS OF THE 1740. May 25. In the warrant for a town meeting to be held upon this date we find the following article : "To see if the Town will hear the Petition of sundry of our notherly Inhabitance with Respect to setting off two miles In Breadth on the notherly side of the Town Joyn- ing upon the Contry Goure.-and five miles In Length from oxford Line Bastardly to joyn with their neighbouring Inhabitance that they may be better a Comidated with the word." * There are several references upon the town records TO "petitions by our Northerly Neighbors," but the above is the first mention made of the subject matter of these petitions. "Voted that there be one hundred pounds Raised for the Rev'nt Mr Hall this present year with the addition of what the assesers shall, upon their treating with the Rev'nt mr Hall, find that the money hath sunk in Credit since mr Hall setteled amongst us and all so ten pounds more which the Town is behind time." Obadiah AValker, Nathaniel Goodwin and Samuel Bout well are appointed to confer with Mr. Hall upon the depreciation of the currency. The consideration of the petition above referred to was deferred till the next town meeting. "Voted that the Baptis be freed from paying any of Mi- Halls salery this present year." Sept. 1st. Benjamin Woodbury and Henry King and Lieut. Goddard were appointed a committee to unite with a committee of the Proprietors of Sutton in making a survey and final settlement of the line between Sutton and Oxford. The location of this line had been for several years a mat- ter of controversy. Nov. 5th. Upon this date Rev. David Hall commenced a diary which he continued to the year 1789. f * Town Records. t This diary fell into the hands of C. C. Baldwin, Esq., who, for its better preservation, had the manuscript bound in two volumes, which may now be found in the Hall of the Antiquarian Society, Worcester, Mass. TOWN OF SUTTON. 59 Dec. 2. "It is a time of sore sickness and Mortality with us, God seems angry and the Heavens look dark upon us. I have agreed with my People to spend to-morrow as a day of Humiliation, fasting and prayer on ye account of sickness amongst us." ' March 2, 1740-41. * * Mr Abel Chase and mr Ebenezer Harwood chose to take Care that the Dear are not kiled Contrary to ye law." " Voted that mr Benjamin Woodbry mr Abel Chase mr Richard Waters Capt Joseph Sibley Capt. John Stockwell and Elisha Putnam be a Committy to Consider and look into the origenall agreement which the Town made with the Rev'nt mr Hall and se wheather the Town hath fulliled the same a Cording to the true Intent and meaning there-of and make Report there of a Cording as they shall find maters stand at next may meeting." ' Voted that the school laud (with the exception of an acre and a half ) should be leased out nine hundred and ninety nine years and that they would Chuse a Committy for that purpose." "Voted that Capt. Timothy Carter, inr Benjamin Wood- bury and mr Isaac Barnard be a Committy to Lease out the school land as above said." f March 7. "I am concerned that .God hath a grate con- troversy with New England, and that he calls us to great searchings of heart : he sends us war : sore sickness and seems to be smiting with ye arrow of famine." J 1741. Apr. 6. " Nineteen persons have died with the lung fever : many more of the throat distemper ; no less than five in one Family God's hand is upon old and young, espec- ially upon my People." May 25. "Voted to give the Rev'nt mr Hall the sum of two hundred and thirty pounds acording to the old tenner Bills this present year." * Doctor Hall's Diary. t Town Records. J Dr. Hall's Diary. Dr. Hall's Diary. 60 ANNALS OF THE -Voted to Defer the giveing of the Committy that ware Chosen to leas out the school-land their Instructions till next march meeting." Jan. 18, 1741-2. "Voted that there should he a Com- mitty Chosen to Consult the affair Relating to the Building of a meeting-house or Reparing the present meeting-house and to make Return to the Town at the time that shall be set." "Voted that Dea. Lilley, Deacon Hall mr Walker, mi- Richard waters, mr Samuel Chase, mr Daniel Greenwood mr Abel Chase, mr Isaac Chase, Capt. Stockwell, Capt. Carter, & Elisha Putnam Be a Committy for the above said service, and that the said Committy should make their Return to the Town the first monday In febuary next." Feb. 1st. "The Return of ye Committy was Read and it was put to vote wheather the Town would make more Room in the present meeting-house, and it past in ye affir- mitive. "Voted that mr Benjamin Woodbery, mr Freegrace Mar- ble & Isaac Putnam be a Commity to make som more Room in said house, and that the said Committy have liberty to make what Room they can In ye present meeting-house below and also in the galliries." * Feb. 3. "Rev. Mr. Edwards of North Hampton at my house this week. I thought I had not seen in any man for some years so much of the grace of God causing ye face to shine ; Might I have a house full of gold or such enlarge- ments of grace as I think shines in him, Oh I would dispise all for such enlarged measures of grace." f Feb. 2(>. "A blazing star or Comet appeared last week. It arises about midnight in ye north-east. What changes it portends who can tell ; perhaps some great Devastation of the British nation : ye lord preserve us." + March 15. "It was put to voate viz. all that are of the mind to build a new meeting house and to set it upon the * Town Records. t Dr. Hall's Diary. t Dr. Hall's Diary. TOWN OF SUTTON. 61 Common Land hear near this present meeting house to mani- fest it by holding up the hand, and the vote past in the affirmitive. "Voted that Capt. Joseph Sibley, Capt. John Stockwell, Klisha Putnam, mr Richard \vaters, inr Solomon Holman mr Benjamin Woodbery, and mr obadiah Walker be a Committy to take ('are about Building the said new meeting house. "Voted that the above said Coinmity proceed to take Care and Build the said meeting-house as soon as they Can Conveniently." "Voted that mr obadiah Walker, mr Johnathan Marsh, mr Ebene/er Parse be a Committy to treat with the Rev'nt mr Hall Relating to his sallearv." * 1742. May 25. "Voted to give the Rev. mr Hall the sum of two hundred and fifty pounds, Bills of Credit acording to the old tenner Bills for his salery this present year." "Voted that Elisha Putnam, Capt. Sibley, Mr Isaac Bar- nard, mr Obadiah Walker, mr Henry King be a Committy to Consider of the petitions of sum of our northesterly and northerly Inhabitance Couserning their being set of from us, and that said Committy make Return to the Town at the next Town meeting." June 9th. A petition of . certain persons living in the north-west part of the town, asking permission to unite with others in adjoining towns for the purpose of forming a new town was presented and denied. The committee appointed to consider the petition of the northerly inhabitants desirous of forming a new precinct, reported, and probably adversely to the prayer of the peti- tioners, for the town voted not to allow them to be set oft'. Aug. 23. "It was put to vote to see if the town would give the Committy that ware Chosen by the Town to take Care about Building a new meeting-house Instructions how Big they should Build it. and the vote Past in the affirmitive." * Town Records. 62 ANNALS OF THE "Voted that the said Comity should Build the said meet- ing-house 55 foots long and 45 foots wide and the height be left to the Judgement of the said Committy." Sept. 27th. " Voted that Capt. John Stockwell, Lieut. Goddard, Deacon Hall, Mr. Benjamin Woodbery, Capt. Carter, Cornelius Putnam, Mr. Solomon Holman be a com- mittee to go and measure three miles and one-half from the north line of the Town, south, and make return to the Town.'' Oct. 18. "At an adjourned meeting held this date the above committee report as follows : " We the subscribers being chosen by a vote of the Town to measure from our north line, three miles and one-half, a Cording to the petition of our Northerly Inhabitance, and to make Return of our Doings In that affair. First of all. we measured of three miles and half from our Northerly line, acording to our order, which we found would take off Robart Fits, juiir., Daniel Dike, John Stockwell and Both the Severies and Joseph Safford, Thomas Lovell, and Daniel Chase, junr., to the north part, which Extended so far south that we were well satisfied that the Town would not set off so far; then we went back to our three miles mark and ran another line from oxford to Grafton, paralel to our northerly line, which takes off Francis Kidder, Josiah Allen, Richard Singletary, Isaac Barnard, Garsham Waite, Samuel Goodel, and Amos Goodell to the north of said line, and leaves Daniel Chase, junr., Thomas Lovel, Joseph Singletary. Theophilus Kiuuey and Israel Easty, a little to the south. TIMOTHY CARTER, i JOHN STOCKWELL, SOLOMON HOLMAN. ^ Committee. CORNELIUS PUTNAM, BENJAMIN WOODBURY. j Then the following petition was read, viz. ; Sutton, Sept. the 8th, 1742. " The petition of sundry of the northerly Inhabitance of s'd Town, humbly sheweth that, whereas we, your petitioners, living, sum and the most of us, very Remote from ye place TOWN OF 8UTTOX. 83 of worship and having, sundry times, petitioned said Town for Releef, and hether to all our petitions have been abortive and unsuccessful! yet, not withstanding our Difficulties being so grate, we cant content our selves to give over seeking, hopeing we shall succeed at ye last and, having thought upon a new skeeui which we think will pritty well accoin- niidate us all, we pray that you would not Deny us this Request, (viz.) To set us of three miles and an half wide by a parallel line with the northerly line of said Town. Begin- ing at oxford and Riming to grafton In order to make a pre- cinct, that so we may have the worship of God set up amonirst us, which we think Cant but be a Reasonable Re- o (|iiest and what we hope you will not Deny unto us, which as in Duty Bound we hartily pray for. " Timothy Carter, Isaac Maiming. Thomas Whittemore, Josiah Bond, Dauiell Greenwood, Joseph Sparro whack, Isaac- Gale, Nathan Hiscock, Jabesh Pratt, John Allen, Samuel Buck, Junr., Jabesh Pratt, Junr., Jeremiah Bukman, John- atlian Dwinell, Amos Singletary, Ebene/ar Peirce, Thomas Hall, Ebene/ar Sibly, Garshain Bigelow, Samuel Boutell, John Allen, Junr., Jolmathan Park, Robert Goddard, Fran- cis Kidder, Edmond Barten, Abel Chase, Richard Singletary. William Fiske, Elisha Goddard, Garsham Waite, George March, Johnathan Fuller, Johnathan Waters, Theophilous Kinne, Daniel Buckman, Samuel Buck, Thomas Gould, Edward Lyon, Elisha Barton, Thomas Holman, Jeremiah Buckman, Junr., Solomon Holman, Robert Jeneson." " Then it was put to vote, to see wheather the Town would set of three miles from the north line of the Town to make a presenk In answer to the said petitioners Instead of three miles and a half which was petitioned for and the vote Past in the negitive." Failing to secure from the town favorable action, the petitioners now applied to the General Court, setting forth their desire and grievances, and praying that by special en- actment they might be set off as a Precinct. In view of this action on their part, at a special meeting of the town held Dec. 8th, " It was put to vote, to see wheather the Town would Chuse a Committy to shew to ye grate and H4 ANNALS OF THE General Court, the Resons why the prayers of Solomon Holman and Jeremiah Buckman and others, set forth in their petitions to said Court should not be granted and ye vote past in ye affirmitive." " Voted that Klisha Putnam, Benjamin Woodbery and Samuel Chase be a Committy for the above said service to shew to the grate and General Court." In answer to the petition above referred to, a committee was appointed by the General Court to visit the town and examine into the circumstances of the parties at variance, and report conclusions. Jan. 3 1st, 1742-3. " Voted, to Chuse a Committy to wait on the Committy that the great and generell Court appointed to vewe our Town, to see if it be expediant to sett of a precenct. " Voted that Capt. John Stockwell, mr. Samuel Chase. mr. Charles Ritchison, mr. Benjamin Woodbury, & Klisha Putnam be a Committy to wait on ye said Courts Committy, as above said. " Voted, that the select men should take Care for the Kn- tertainment of the said Courts Committy while they are here."* Dr. Hall w r as evidently opposed to the formation of a new Parish, as, about this time, we find the following entry in his diary : ' ' Some Town affairs respecting setting off a precinct have , of late, been much on my mind and a hindrance, as I imagine, to the inward communion of my soul with God." f He also expresses the fear " lest some zealous laymen amongst us will finally hurt the cause of our Lord Jesus pre- suming to exhort, as they call it, and to do it in an unwar- rantable manner ; who moreover seem to lay to much stress upon man's crying out under conviction and falling down or falling into raptures after they attained comfort. I pray God deliver us from dangerous errors." J * Town Records. t Dr. Hall's Diary. t Dr. Hall's Diary. TOWN OF SUTTON. 65 Feb. 7th. "A Courts Committee being here present for some days upon the projection of our north Inhabitants, I find by times concern arising, and want more resignation to God * * * * If ye Town be divided into two precincts yet God is not divided; Christ is not divided. I have a whole Christ still, why should I not be at rest."* March 14. At a Town meeting held this date it was " put to vote, to see if the Town would Erect a meeting house where it would most acommidate the whole Town, haveing sum Regard to the nonresidunt as well as the Inhab- itance and the vote past in the negitive." "Voted to set off upon the northerly side of our Town two miles of land in weedth, with the Inhabitancy there-on- paralel with the North line of our Town from Oxford to Grafton, In order to Joyn with the Inhabitance living on the Country goare, and part of the Inhabitance of Worces- ter to make a precinct and that the said Inhabitance, within the two miles above mentioned, shall be aquitted and freed from Doing aney thing to wards Building a meeting house whear the Town have alredy agreed to build one." f March 16. Dr. Hall writes, "Many that oppose ye cause and Kingdom of Jesus are in a storm at me, ye Lord God give me Wisdom and Patience. Some of my Family's friends are against me, the Town about to rend asunder, if God prevent it not. The Lord turn the Councils of all these Ahithophels into foolishness." J 1743. May liJth. "Voted to give the Rev. mr Hall two hun- dred and fifty pounds (according to the old tenner Bills) this present year." Aug. 29th. "Put to vote to see if the Town would Chuse a Committy to go to the great and General! Court to make Replie against the petition of Daniel Boyden put into the great and generall Court the last may sessions to see if * Dr. Hall's Diary. t Town Records. J Dr. Hall's Diary. 66 ANNALS OF THE the said Court would set off the north-west part of Sutton, and the south west part of Worcester, and the south-east part of Lester, and the north east part of Oxford and to make a Distinct precinct and the vote past in the nega- tive." * In the autumn of this year, notwithstanding the remon- strance of the town through its committees, the General Court responded favorably to the petition of the northerly inhabitants, and set them and their estates off as a separate and distinct precinct. The proceedings in the matter were as follows ; com- mencing with the report of the committee appointed to visit the town : "The Committee appointed by this Court to repair to ye Town of Sutton, on ye Petition of Solomon Holman and Jeremiah Buckman, did attend said service in Febuary 1742, having first given seasonable notice to said Town and having viewed ye several parts thereof and heard the Par- ties, and Considered their Circumstances, are of oppinion that ye Petition be granted, and that a Line be drawn from ye Westerly Bounds of Graffcon Parallell with ye North line of ye Tow^n of Sutton and three miles South from it till it meet with ye easterly Bounds of ye Town of Oxford, and ye Inhabitants of Sutton living to ye northward of said line with their families and estates be set off a separate and Distinct Precint with ye same powers and Privileges as other Parishes and Precincts within this Province by Law T hold and Injoy which is Humbly submitted. By order of the Committee Jos. WILDER." "In ye House of Representatives Oct. ye 28, 1743: Read again and ordered that ye Inhabitants and their Estates within ye Limits mentioned in ye foregoing Report (excepting only such qualified Voters w r ith their estates as shall, within one year from this time, signifie to this Court, their Desire to continue to ye first Parish in * Town Records. TOWN OF BUTTON. 67 Sutton) be set off a separate and Distinct Precinct, and that they Injoy ye Powers and Privileges which Precincts ought, by Law, to Injoy, Sent up for Concurrence T. CUSHING, Speaker. In Council, Oct. 28, 1743. Read & Concurred, J. WILLARD, Secry Consented to W. SHIRLEY " "In ye House of Representatives, Nov. llth, 1743. Whereas the Northerly part of Suttou was erected into a separate and distinct Precinct by a vote of this Court on the 28 day of Oct. anno Domini 1743 and there being no provision therein obliging ye Inhabitants of said Precinct to pay all past Ministerial Charges and assessments that have arisen in ye Town of Sutton, Therefore ordered that ye Inhabitants of said New r Precinct be, and hereby are obliged, to pay their Proportionable parts and Dues to all past ministerial Charges and assessments in ye Town of Sutton, as also their Proportionable of the sum that ye Inhabitants of said Town of Sutton have agreed to raise for ye paying of their Ministers Salary this present year ending in March next, any thing in ye Vote constituting them a Precinct to ye Contrary notwith standing. Sent up for Concurrence, T. GUSHING, Speaker. In Council Nov. 11, 1743. Read and Concurred J. WILLARD, Secr'y. Consented to W. SHIRLEY." Worcester, ss. To Richard Moore Esq. one of his Maj's Justices &e. We the Subscribers, Inhabitants of ye Second Precinct in Sut- ton in said County hereby signify to you our Desire that a warrant may issue agreeable to Law for calling a Meeting in said Precinct as soon as may be &c. (which was to choose Parish officers.) Jeremiah Buckman Ebenezer Pierce Daniel Buckman Solonian Holman Thomas Gould Francis Kidder Abel Chase. 68 ANNALS OF THE The warrant appointed the first meeting to be held at the house of Richard Singletary on ye 26 of Dec. 1743 and the warrant which was directed to Jeremiah Buckman, has this return upon it. "Button, Decem'r 26, 1743. "By vert ue of this Warrant, to me Directed, I have noti- fied ye Freeholders and other Inhabitants of this ye same at Mr. John Singletary 's Mill Doore." "By Mr. Jeremiah Buckman one of the Petitioners of S'd Warrant," Jan. 23, 17434. "A blazing star or comet in the West has appeared for near two months ; at first small, but now of great length beyond what I ever saw. This is the third that has of late years appeared. I would not be dismayed at ye signe of Heaven, but O ye sinners fear who live in ye neglect of God and O y't I might so far regard it as to trim my lamp and get ready." Feb. 16th. A more particular description is given of this comet, " The blazing star from the south-west has appeared near three months. It was small it passed by north of the sun ; when it first appeared its Tail was about a yard long to appearances, was bent towards the Equator. When it came down about north of the sun its Tail was pointed towards the North Pole Its Tail appeared about 12 Degrees in Length at a farther distance from the sun. Its Body or Nucleous appeared about 3 Inches in Diameter to the naked eye. Feb. 4th. It appeared half an hour after sunset about half an hour high and about an hour and a half to the North of the sun, it being so near in the sun gloss its Tail did not appear above two yards long next morning it rose before the sun and appeared much in the same shape. Its tail must be several millions of miles long. The Lord sanctify so awful a token of an approaching God, who thus hangs out his ensign in ye skies y't ye nations may tremble before Him." * Dr. Hall's Diary, t Dr. Hall's Diary. TOWN OF SUTTON. 69 March 5. "Voted to Chuse two of the Selectmen In Each parish and one In the Baptis Sosiaty also to chnse one of the Assessors In Each parish and one In the Baptis. March 12th. " Voted to alloAv the Baptis sosiaty to Draw out of the Town Tresuary the sum of seven pounds four- teen shillings and one peuney a Cording to the old tenner Bills. "Voted that Capt Robart Goddard, Capt. John Stock- well, Deacon Benj. Woodbery be a Committee to a Jest a Counts with the Rev. nir Hall, In order to geet a Discharge In full for his salery for the time."* 1744. June 2d. War was proclaimed at Boston (by England against France). June 3d. "There was a considerable shock of an Earth- quake just as we were going to the House of God." f March 4th, 1744-5. "Voted that the school be kept In Each parrish a Cording to the proportion of the Town Rate that Each parish paves and that Each parish have free liberty to send their Children in to the other parish to school and that Each parish have liberty to settle the school as they think proper within their parish." : March 29th. The Parish Records of this date contain the following agreement : "I, Philip Chase Do Ingage to the Committee To sweep the meeting-House and to take care of all ye Dores and Windows to open and shut the same when there is need, this present year For three Pounds old Tenour as witness my Hand." 1745. April 4th. "This day is a Fast day to implore of God his mercy and smiles on our expedition to Cape Breton." * Town Records. t Dr. Hall's Diary, t Town Records. Dr. Hall's Diary. 70 AXXAL.S OF THE May 31st. Action was taken at a Parish meeting, held this date, with reference to seating again the meeting-house and it was " Voted that mr Jonathan Bacon Dea. Benj. Woodbery, mr Samuel Barton, mr Francis Dudly Lieut. Obadiah Walker, Be a Committee to seat ye meeting House Degnitieing ye -seats, 2nd Seat Below and ye fore seat in ye front (gallery) Equel, ye third seat Below and the fore seat in ye side (gallery) Equel, Having Respect to age and Real and personal Estate." * July 5th. ' ' I have lately heard comfortable tidings of ye taking of Cape Breton by our English forces for which mercy, all praise to Jehovah." "Dear Mr. Whitfield has been at my house two nights and preached two sermons and is to preach this morning." July 18th. " I have heard Mr. Whitfield preach six ser- mons this week." * ' To day, have attended a public Thanksgiving on occa- sion of ye taking of Cape Breton." f Nov. 5th. Dr. Hall writes "I have thought of proposing a day of solemn humiliation on account of ye sickness, to be observed through-out the Town. Nov. 18th he adds, "I have lately had Mr. Parkman and Mr. Prentice here on a public Fast." Nov. 18th. A committee, consisting of Mr. Benjamin Woodbury, Capt. Carter, Benj. Marsh, were authorized by the town to make sale of the school lands, and it was "Voted that ye Town doe keep the prinsaple sum good and that said com'tt state the same by Silver and take good Security with Sufficient Sureties for ye Same ; and that ye Interest be yearly Improved for the use or support of \v school and that s'd com'tt be accountable to ye Town for their proceedings and that ye surety be taken in ye name of ye com'tt and thair successors In trust in behalf and for ye use of ye Town" Also "Voted that mr Charles Richardson, mr Daniel Greenwood and Deacon Benj. Woodbury be a Committee to prefer a petition to ye grate and gene rail * First Parish Records, t Dr. Hall's Diary. TOWN OF SUTTOX. 71 Court praying Liberty to make Sale of School Lands in Manner and form as is before voted." Dec. 6th. " I have a strange account of some appearances of witchcraft in Woodstock and some other places. I pray God rebuke ye symptoms and suffer not ye Devil to appear in this audacious fashion. Lord Jesus, when thou didst send forth thy ministers thou gavest them power over unclean spirits to cast them out. O Lord suffer not these things in this age of light and knowledge to appear but give the ministers the same power to cast them out." * 1746. May 10th. Under this date we find the following entry : " These may Certifie Whome it may Concern yt mr John Gibbs has* Declared to me yt he believes ye Baptis Religion to be ye lightest and he useally attends our meetings on ye first Day of ye week for ye Worship of God. BEN.J. MARSH Elder. A true copy. Attest BENJ. MORSE Town Clerk." f It is evident from the above certificate, that the town at tliis early date in its history was disposed to accord the largest liberty of conscience in religious matters, and to ex- empt from the ministerial tax those who entered their dissent from the Congregational polity, and actually worshiped with another denomination. Sept. 24th. " On Monday night we had an alarm of the French invading Boston. My thoughts were that I would freely have gone with those that went down. I thought 1 should not be daunted by the most dangerous attendants of v o a Campaign : went ye next day four miles with them." \ March 2, 1 746-7 . "Voted that ye Com'tt viz. Capt. Carter, Dea. Benj. Woodbury, and Benj. Marsh chosen to make sale of ye school Lands in said Town, do Immediately proceed and make sale of ye same according to a vote passed in ye Town at a publick meeting held the 18th of Nov. 1745. * Dr. Hall's Diary. t Town Records. t Dr. Hall's Diary. 72 ANNALS OF THK Aug. 18th. The first mention made of a pauper in town is upon this date. Mendon secures an order for the transfer of Hannah Bumpee, daughter of Abigail Hay ward, to Sutton, the place of her birth. 1747. D ? n Benj. Woodbury, Isaac Putnam, Edward Putnam, Sam. Chace, Joseph Woodbury, and Daniel Dike were given ' k Leive to Build Stables some whare on ye common near ye meetiug-house but not on ye Road." 1748. The line between Suttou and Douglass had been for several years in dispute. Definite action was now taken for its set- tlement by both the town and the proprietors. " Capt. John Hazeltine was chosen by a vote of the pro- priety to prefer a petition to the Great and General Court with Reference to some Controverted Lands adjoyniugto New Sherborn or Douglass District and Manchogue Pond in order to Render the s'd Land uncoiitroverted for the future." May IDth. " Voted that Capt. Robert Goddard serve MS cominitt man for ye Town to Joyn with Such Committ men or man as ye propriety of ye Town of Sutton have or shall chuse to prefer a petition to ye Grate and General Court in order to get ye Line of ye westerly part of s'd. Town near to or adjoyning to ye Town of Douglass settled which is now in Controversy." f Jan. 6th, 1748-9. Upon this date Dr. Hall refers to the meeting of a council called to advise upon difficulties that had arisen between the church and certain of its members called " Separating Brethren," and to a " day of solemn Fasting and Prayer" in connection with the meeting of the council. Jan. 24th. " A vote was passed in Parish meeting to-day to suffer a new meeting-house to be built. ' " The Lord over-rule it for good." J * Proprietors' Records, t Town Records. } Dr. Hall's Library. TOWN OF BUTTON. 73 The vote to which Dr. Hall refers was upon the following article in the warrant far the meeting : ' ' To see if the Parish will give liberty to have a meeting- house Built by subscription and set as near the old one as the Parish shall think best. S'd House to be Fifty-five Feet in length and forty-five feet wide, and as hie as the parrish shall think proper and when Fineshed to be as intirely the Parrishes as if built by a Rate or assesment." Upon this article the Parish " Voted to give liberty to have a meet ing-house to be built by Subscription and set as near as can conveniently to the old meeting-House."* March loth. The Parish " Voted that the meeting-house, to be built by subscription, be fifty feet in length, Forty feet wide, Twenty-two feet high between giuts."f Until the division of the town into two parishes, which occurred in the autumn of 1743, the Town had been the Parish, and voted the salary of the minister, and appointed the committees to confer with him respecting the deprecia- tion in the currency. The last appropriation made by the town for the salary of the minister was at the May meeting, 1743. From that date the parish take the matter in hand, - vote the salary of the minister, appoint the committees to couter with him upon the valuation of the currency, and the assessors to make out the tax levy for salary and current expenses. The tax rate is upon the polls and property, made out in the same way as the rate for town expenses. 1749. Oct. Kth. Framingham sues the town for the support of Mary Edmunds, and the town sends Dea. Benj. Woodbury, Isaac Barnard, Esq., and Mr. John Hicks as a committee to defend the case in Court. * First Parish Records. t Parish Records. 10 74 AIS'NALS OF THE 1750. June 24th. Dr. Hall writes : " I have been at Northamp- ton ye last week as a member of an Ecclesiastical Council and (grievous to be seen), have found ye Chh. in general set to remove Mr. Edwards, ye Reverend and Worthy pastor, from his relation to them, (which also a Majority of ye Council advised to) and for no other reason than his insisting that Persons admitted to the Communion of Saints should profess sanctity, or sanctifying Grace, or the great things of Religion pertaining to Godliness. * * * "Some of ye Council protested against the proceedings of the Church and majority of ye Council (with good reason I apprehend), and I was one of them."* 1751. Aug. 28th. The town voted "that ye subscribers, that are Building a Meeting-house in ye first Parrish in Sutton, near ye old meeting-house shall have the old meeting-House to help finish ye new one with, excepting ye pews that were Built by perticular Men." 1752. f March 2d. The town " Voted that Mr. John Hicks, Mr. Edward Putnam, Mr. Isaac Dodge be a Com'tt for to view ye Contry Road from Oxford line to Grafton line to see if there be any Infringing upon s'd Road, also ye training field and common land near ye meeting House. J May 20th. A meeting of the Parish was called " To see if the Parish will take the meeting house as it now is and finish it, or give the Pew Roome to the subscribers to Dis- pose of to Inable them to finish s'd house," and the vote was * Dr. Hall's Diary. t The " new style " of dating between Jan. 1st and March 25th was adopted this year. J Town Records. TOWN OF 8UTTON. 75 " To give all the Pew Room, to the subscribers, in the meet- ing-house on the wall on the Lore flower and in the Gallery, Excepting the Ministerall Pew, to Dispose of in order to " I nable the said subscribers to Finish the said meeting- house provided they Finish it in three years." * This meeting-house was situated on the Common, opposite the brick block. It was a plain structure, having east, south and west porches. It had no steeple when first built. From the south door there was a broad aisle leading to the pulpit, which was upon the north side. The house remained un- painted until repaired. From the residence of Dr. Hall to the south door of the church there was a continuous line of steps made of stones carefully prepared for the purpose. In front of the old place, now owned by the venerable E. J. Mills, Esq., a son of the successor of Dr. EL, some of these stones still remain, just as they were laid more than one hundred years ago. And there they will remain until some modern vandal, who has no respect for the past, and no reverence for the monuments it has left of its taste in matters of convenience, as well as beauty, shall see in them only a fitness for cap-stones of a wall, or underpinning of a building, and thus put them to ignoble use. We will continue to step softly upon them, and cherish the memories of the noble men and women by whose tread they were worn " long, long ago." In the record of a town meeting held May' 20th, we find the first mention of the Baptist meeting-house. At this meeting it was ' ' Voted that ye Contry Road from Hutchin- soiis Farm, so-called, Down to ye Road that Comes out by ye Baptist Meeting-House be four Rods Wide. "f The road referred to is that intersecting the Oxford road, near the house of A. W. Putnam, Esq. The location of the First Baptist meeting-house then, was upon the corner be- tween these two roads. * Parish Records. t Town Records. 76 \\NALS OF THE 1753. March 19th. The parish voted "not to grant a Request of a Xumber of the Separates (so called) -which is to Sink their parish Rates.''* 1754. March 4th. The town appointed Dea. Beiij. Woodbury, Elisha Rich and John Hicks a committee to " Let or Lease out ye Burying place to mr David Hall Jun. for a number of years." The " Burying place " referred to is described as that " near ye first parish Meeting-House, Containing by Istemation, Two acres, be ye Same more or less." The lease, given by the above committee, provided that " if ye s'd David Hall, his Heires and Assigns, shall for and during ye space of seventeen years from ye date hereof freciy and without any Molestation Injoye all ye priviledge of herb- ege and pasturidge of s'd Land not plowing any of It up, nor turning any Swine thare on, and alowing Liberty to all Per- sons to Bury thair Dead with in its Limets and that, In Considaration of ye afore s'd herbage and pasterage, ye s'd David Hall his heires and assignes doth oblige himself to Inclose ye s'd Land with a good Stone wall four foot high, w r ell proportioned ; that is to say, to fence ye out-sides there-of bounding upon ye Training field or Road, with a good gate for passing and Re passing on funaral ocations. S'd gate to be Collered Read ; and that ye s'd David Hall make one half of ye fence adjoyning to other Lands in good stone wall four feet high."f 1755. March 3d. The town " Voted to Chuse a Com'tt of five men, to Consider and T re ate with ye Several Ministers in Sutton to see what they will take for thair parts in ye minis- terial Land yearly, and make Report to ye Town at May Meeting next or order to Sell or Lease s'd Land." * Parish Records. t Town Records. TOWN OF SUTTOX. 77 May 20th. " Voted upon Condition y't ye Several Min- isters in ye Town Consenting to Sell ye Ministeral Land in s'd Town ye Town having one half of ye use of ye money and ye Ministers ye other half Voted y't ye Land be Sold." 1756. May 18th. "The Town chose Robert Goddard, Esqr., John Hazeltine, Esqr., Capt. Henry King, Mr. Samuel Chase, Mr. John Hicks, a Comm'tt to make Sale of ye Min- isteral Land suid to Treate or agree with ye Several Ministers Concerning ye Same." June 20th. The above named Committee were instructed "to take Bonds for ye same (when sold) on Interest with good security, Either Land security or good Substantial Bondsmen ye Bonds to Run to A. B. & Co. trustees and their successors in s'd trust." ' ' Voted that the Interest or Income of ye Money collected by ye trustees be paid from time to time annually by the trustees to ye select men, or such as the Town shall Depute, to be Disposed according to the true Intent and Meaning of ye sale of ye Land, Reference being had to the Agreement betwixt ye Towns Com'tt and the Incumbent Ministers Bear- ing Date May 19th 1756 and accepted by ye Town." The agreement is as follows : " We, ye Subscribers, Consent y't ye ministry Land within ye Township of Sutton be converted into a money Fund for ye use of ye ministry in s'd Town for Ever, and where as now we have by way of Lease Ten pounds old Ten'r p'r year we being allowed Ten pounds old Ten'r we consent that ye Remainder of what ye Law T full Intrest of ye money ye Land shall sell for Shall amount to, be divided Between ye Town and ministers now Incumbent s'd one half with ye Ten pounds as above To be divided between ye ministers Incombent judged to have Right there- to as Law or Equity or personal agreement according to ye Right they now have to ye use and Improvement of s'd Land shall determine ; ye other half to be ye Towns prop- 78 ANNALS OF THE erty during our ministry provided we have annually paid us, out of ye Town Treasury, ye s'd one half and ye Ten pounds old Ten'r. Sutton May 19th. DAVID HALL pastor of ye 1st Church of Christ in Sutton. JAMES WELLMAN pastor of ye Second Chh. of Christ, Sutton.' BENJA. MARSH, Elder of ye Baptist Chh. of Christ Sutton. And at ye day of ye Date above we ye subscribers ye Towns Com'tt Express our acquiescence and consent to ye above. JOHN HAZELTINE 1 ROBERT GODDARP SAMUEL CHASE f Committee." * HENRY KING JOHN HICKS The committee appointed to sell the ministerial land were instructed to give, in the name of the town, deeds to purchasers. The form in which the deed shall be given is recorded. The ministers unite in the conveyance, and sign the deed. During this year Mr. Hall makes frequent mention of the war (French and Indian) and ill December gives the names of six soldiers who died in the war : "Issachar King, Sam'l Carriel, Nathan Kiimey, Win. Stockwell, John Stockwell, and Ebenezer Cutler." f 1757. May 18th. The town "Voted to sink ye pole Rate of ye men that Came Home from Menuss in ye Sumer and fall of ye year 1756." J * Town Records. t Dr. Hall's Diary. t Town Records. TOWN OF BUTTON. 79 Aug. 18th. Dr. Hall speaks of the fall of our strong- hold on the lake, and refers to the report that the siege might have been raised with 2000 men, and that Genls. Johnson and Lyman could have been spared from Fort Edward with 5000 men, and that they begged with tears to go, but Genl. Webb forbade, and that great dissatisfaction prevailed in the camp. 1758. Constant difficulty is experienced in adjusting the salary of Rev. Mr. Hall, in accordance with the terms of his settle- ment, owing to the variation in the value of the currency. March 27th. The parish kk Voted to Leave the matter of Difficulty Relating to the Rev'd Mr. David Hall's sallary to the Judgment of Indiferant men, mutually to be Chosen, what the Rev. Mr. Hall hath a just Right to, by vertue of Contract first made with him, and what shall be made up of Arrearages and what for the future, in case the Rev. Mr. Hall and the Parish can agree upon the Chairman." Mr. Hall and the Parish agree to submit the salary diffi- culty to a committee of "Iiidiferent men" of whom Mr. Ephraim Shearman of Grafton shall be chairman. The committee are Ephraim Shearman, Edward Davis, and John Brown, who report as follows : We, the subscribers, being mutually Chosen and appointed by the Rev. Mr. David Hall and the first Parish In Sutton to Settle the matter of Deficulty Relating to the Rev. Mr. Hall's salery, having mett and hearing the parties upon the Premisses & Veiwing the Records of the first Contracts made att his settlement, and after a full hearing of Evi- dences, Papers and Records Relating thereto, have mutually agreed and Determined in the following manner (viz.), that the Contract, in our judgment, allowing for Mr. Hall's nesessities and the abilities of the Pariish, amount to Sixty Six Pounds Thirten Shillings & four pence Pr. year att Silver at Six & Eight pence per ounce, or Milld Dollers att six Shillings Each ; which Sum in our opinion ought to be the stated Salery for the future & that the two years past (viz) 1757 & 1758, for which there is no Receipts in the 80 ANNALS OF THK Parrish Book, be made up Each year att the same sum, and also that in our opinion there is Due to Mr. Hall for arearages for several years Back (viz) In 174K, 1754, 17")") & 1756 In which the Receipts upon Book ware not In full, the Sum of Thirteen Pounds, Six Shillings & Eight pence.* July 21st. Dr. Hall mentions the repulse of our forces at the lake, and of great loss in killed, wounded and miss- ing, and refers to the disaster as evidently the efl'ect of treachery ' ' which intimidates our soldiers and causeth the greatest disagreement." Sept. 22nd, 1758. Refers to " comfortable tidings of Col. Bradstreet's success at Fort Frontenac and of the value of the capture." Oct. 21st. "This day sen'it died Mr. Hall, of the camp disease, lately returned from the army sundry more are .sick in the Town. Our forces are coming from the lake without further attempt on Ticonderogue." f 1759. May 22nd. The town "Voted to alter the method of warning the Town meetings." "Voted that the Town meet- ing be warned for the future by a copy of the warrant upon Posts set up for that purpose." J Oct. 15. In the warrant for a parish meeting to be held this day, the following article appears : "To see if the Parish will except of the Meeting House under the present Sircumstances ; the subscribers to Deliver up all the money they have in there Treasurer to s'd Par- rish." " And if the Parrish do Except of the Meeting House To see if they will Dispose of the Seats in s'd Meeting House as aboved Exprest." The seats referred to were " the two hind seats both the mens and womens seats in s'd meeting- house." * Parish Records. t Dr. Hall's Diary. | Town Records. TOWN OF SUTTON. 81 The proposition was to have them removed and pews erected in their place. The parish "'Voted to Receive the Meeting House under the present Sircumstances the subscriber's Treasurer to Deliver up to the Parrish, all the money they have within the Treas- urer," and "to Dispose of the Two hind seats below, both the mens and womans seats in s'd meeting-House in order to Build Pews and that the money they are sold for, is to be Disposed towards finishing the meeting-house." " Voted that Mr. Sam'l Chase, Tarrant Putnam and Dea. Benja. Woodbury be a Com'tt to make saile of s'd seats in s'd meeting-house" and also "that the s'd seats, if Built into Pews, to be Raised but half as high as the Pews against the walls, and that there be Public notice given of the sail of s'd Pews and sold to the Highest Bidder." * May. A time of sickness. Many taken with a fever; two died in one week. John Ilolton and Jona. Stockwell's wife. Many more sick. June 5th. Sickness still prevailing deaths multiplied." f The parish appoint " Capt. John Fry, Mr. Jona. Dudley, Dea. Putnam, Dea. Woodbnry Mr. Jona. Hale to be a committee to seat the Meeting-House. S'd Committee to have Regard, in the first place, to age and then, to their Real " To see if the Town will Choose a Committee to consider the Difficulties as represented to us by the Town of Boston, and to make Report ; and the Town to act upon the same as they shall think proper." At the meeting the town " Voted that a Committee be appointed, consisting of seven men, to consider the several Articles of Grievances (Imposed on this Government by the British Parliament) as represented in a printed Pam- phlet from the Town of Boston and to make Report at the Adjournment of this meeting then the following Gentle- men were appointed a Committee accordingly (vi/) ('apt. John Sibley, Lieut. Samuel Trask Deacon Ebenezer Pierce, Messrs. Edward Putnam, Daniel Marsh Nathan Putnain. and Willis Hall." Jan. 18th. The committee reported at an adjourned meeting as follows : " Having well perused the above said pamphlet and the Charter of this Province, together with the English Liberties, we do apprehend that our Charter Privileges are Infringed in many Instances and that there is just Cause of Complaint : Therefore we think it advisable that this Town recommend to Capt. Henry King, the Repre- sentative of this Town in General Assembly, that he use his best Influence with his Brethren, the members of s'd assembly, that a humble and pungant address be made to his Majesty and Court at home that we may Obtain redress under such pressing and alarming Grievances. Further, that whereas it has been thought that the Judges of the Superior Court have not had salaries adequate to their Important ser- vice that he make due Enquiry into that matter, and if he should find it to be fact, that he use his utmost Endeavours that their Salaries may be enlarged and made Adequate to their Merit and Station." March 1st. The petition of James Adams and others relative to their being set off to the town of Northbridge was denied. May 17th. The petition of John Adams and others to be set oft' to Northbridge was again denied. 12 90 ANNALS OF THE 1774. July 25th. A town meeting was called "To see if the Town will Grant Money to supply the Town Stock with Arms and Ammunition according to Law." Whereupon it was "Voted to Grant the Sum of Forty-two Pounds Ten Shillings to Supply the Deficient Town Stock with Ammu- nition." It seems that several meetings had been held dur- ing the summer, for the discussion of public affairs, no record of which was made. In the warrant for a meeting called for Sept. 26th we find the following articles : * ' To see if the Town will choose one or more persons as a Committee or Delegates to meet and act with the General Congress of this Province whenever said Congress shall meet. "To see if the Town will approve of the proceedures of the several meetings of the Inhabitants of the Town of Sutton in the Summer past and record the same upon the Town Book. "To see what method the Town will come into in order to Regulate the Militia in this Town as the Commissioned Officers have proposed to resign their Respective Offices. ' ' The Town chose Mr. Edward Putnam a Delegate to meet and act with the General Congress of this Province when and where they shall meet. ' ' Voted to approve of the proceedings of the Town in their several Town Meetings, the summer past, and that all Papers, relating to those proceedings that may be procured, be lodged with the Town Clerk. ' ' Voted that it be Recommended to the Military Com- panies in this Town to Choose their own Officers as the present Commissioned Officers have proposed to Resign/' Nov. 15th. "Voted that the Selectmen of the Town purchase such a Quantity of Powder as to complete the Town stock according to Law." * * Town Records. TOWN OF SUTTON. 91 1775. Jan. 5th. "The Town made choice of Capt. Henry King, & Elder Anios Singletary as Delegates to Represent the Town in the Provincial Congress to be held at Cam- bridge on the first day of Feb. next." * This action was taken in accordance with the recommen- dation of the Provincial Congress, which had been held at Cambridge on the tenth of December last. The warrant for the town meeting upon this date con- tained the following articles : To see if the Town approve of what the Continental Congress have done. To see if the Town will approve the Association of said Congress. To see if the Town will choose a Committe of Inspec- tion to see that said Association is duly observed and to choose such Committee. To see if the Town will order the Constables not to pay any money, due to the Province, to Harrison Gray Esq. To see if the Town will order the Constables to pay such money to Henry Gardner Esqr. of Stow and take his Receipt for the same. To see if the Town will Indemnify the Constables upon their Conformity to such orders. To see if the Town will give any Instructions tp the Representatives that may be chosen to attend a Provincial Congress at Cambridge and to give such Instructions as the Town shall think proper. To see what method the Town will come into for the effectually carrying into Execution said Association or any orders of the Provincial Congress, or of this Town relative thereto, and to determine how such shall be treated as Transgress, us the Town shall think proper. To see if the Town will Choose a Committee to Receive and forward Donations given for the Relief of the Towns of Boston and Charlestown, suffering under the operation * Town Records. 92 ANNALS OF THE of the Port-Bill and to choose such Committee, if the Town think proper. To see what money the Town will raise for supplying the Town stock of Ammunition. To see what the Town will do with respect to ordering that the Minute men should be equipt and paid according to the Recommendation of the Provincial Congress at Cam- bridge the tenth Instant. At the meeting as above called the following action was taken : " Voted to approve of what the Continental Congress have done. 4 ' Voted to adopt the Association of the Continental Con- gress. " Voted to choose a committee of Inspection to see that the Association of the Continental Congress be duly observed. 4 ' Voted to choose a Committee of Seven Persons nom- inated' and chose Messrs. Arthur Dagget, Edward Putnam, Samuel Marble, Asa Waters, Abraham Waters, Capt. Sam- uel Sibley and Mr. Seth. Chace. " On the 5th article of the warrant, unanimously voted to approve of what the Provincial Congress have done, so far as what is said with respect to the Continental Congress, their Association, and of not purchasing Imported Commodities, and their choice of members for the next Continental Con- gress. "Voted that the Constable shall pay no monies, due to the Province, to Harrison Gray Esqr." (Harrison Gray, Esqr., was collector of taxes for His Majesty.) "Voted that the Constables pay all monies, due to the Province, to Henry Gardner Esqr. of Stow, and take his Receipt for the same. " Voted to Indemnify the Constables upon their Conform- ity to such orders. " Voted to give Instructions to the Representatives. TOWN OF BUTTON. 93 " Voted to Instruct the Representatives to be careful that they do nothing that shall be inconsistent with what the Continental Congress have done." On the tenth article of the warrant - ' ' In order effectually to carry into execution the Associa- tion of the Continental Congress or any orders or Reccom- mendations of the Provincial Congress or of this Town relative to the non-consumption of Imported Commodities : It is Resolved that we will most strictly and Conscientiously adhere-to and prosecute the measures proposed in the eleventh article of said Association (viz.) To break off all Dealings with any one convicted of violating said Association and we will in like manner treat any convicted of transgressing any orders or Reccommendations of the Provincial Congress relative to the Importation or Consumption of foreign Com- modities. And where as the Inhabitants of this Town, in a meeting on the fourth of July last Voted to concur with the Reccommendations of the late House of Representatives, altogether to renounce the Consumption of India Teas : There fore Resolved that any who shall be convicted of bringing in, purchasing, or using any India Teas in this Town, after this Day, shall be treated in the same manner as those that violate s'd Association. " And it is also farther Resolved that when the major part of the Committee of Inspection have, upon due Tryal, found any one guilty of any of s'd Crimes they shall cause a notifi- cation thereof forth with to be posted up at the several Taverns, Mills and Smiths in this Town, that all the Inhabi- tants may know and avoid all Dealings with him or her. But, if there should appear any symptoms of sorrow and hopes of Repentance, the publication of it in the News, may be suspended until the next Town meeting, in order that said offender may have opportunity for Consideration, and space to repent, Avhich if he manifests at such meeting to the satis- faction of the Town, and promises a Reformation, the Town may then restore such offender to Fellowship ; otherwise he shall be published in the News according to s'd eleventh article of the Association as bein<' Incorrigible. 94 ANNALS OF THE "And it is also farther Resolved that, if any one shall disregard such sentence against any Person transgressing in Articles above, and still continues to Deal with him or her, in any manner whatever, and be there-of Convicted before the Major part of the Committee of Inspection, he or she shall be treated in the same manner as the original Offender. Provided, nevertheless, that, if upon Trial, it shall appear to the Committee that such person did no more than to help in case of absolute sickness or some casualty, in which a Building or the Life of some person or creature was in danger of immediately perishing, or spake nothing other to offender than to demand, or pay a Debt or Tax, or about the Things of the Eternal World, or to convince him or her of his or their error in transgressing as above, or if he only spake a word inadvertently, and desisted upon being Reminded of the state of such Offender, he shall not be adjudged or treated as being guilty of Criminal dealing with such Offender. " And it is also farther Resolved, that, if any person refuse or neglect to appear before the Committee or to make Defense, having six Days previous notice of the Time , Place and Charge , such person shall incur the same punishment, for such Con- tempt, as he or she would be subjected to, in case the Charge should be found against him or her. "And it is also farther Resolved, that it shall be the Duty of every Individual in this Town, upon any knowledge or Information against any one, to forward said Information to some one of the Committee of Inspection , as soon as conve- niently may be, in order that it may be properly examined into by the Committee. " Resolved that if any person, who would, by Law, be a proper witness, shall refuse to give Evidence, being called there-to by the Committee, or shall wilfully give a partial or false Testimony, such person shall be adjudged to the same Punishment as the person upon Trial would be adjudged to, if found guilty. " Resolved, that it is the Duty of every Head of a Family, in this Town, to use his or her Parental Authority in oblige- ing all under them strictly to observe said Association and O v all the orders, Resolves and Recommendations of the TOWN OF SUTTON. 95 Provincial Congress, and of this Town relative there-to, or concerning the non-Importation and non-Consumption of foreign Commodities. Voted nem. con. kk Voted to choose a Committee of Donations. " Voted to choose six for said Committee. kk Chose Capt. Moody Morse, Messrs. Stephen Prince, Willis Hall, Abraham Waters, Capt. Traskand W T m. Waite. Voted to Raise Thirty-two Pounds for the purchasing Town stock of Ammunition." Jan. 16th. "Voted that the assessors of the Town make Return of their Assessment of the Province Tax Granted by the General Court last May to Henry Gardner Esq. of Stow, Receiver General," and also -'voted to defend the Assessors in so doing." ' ' Voted that the Minute Men shall be provided with a Bavonet and other Accutriments agreeable to the advice of *< o the Provincial Congress, and also Voted, that all others from 16 to 60 years of age shall be equip'd according to the Province Law, or may get Bayonets in the room of swords or Cutlashes if any please ; and that every Householder provide himself according to Law." " Voted, that every person from 16 to 60 years of age (excepting such as the Province law exempts from Training) that refuses to submit to their respective Military Officers in this Town by not attending Trainings when warned, (without a sufficient reason given to their respective Offi- cers) and to provide themselves with a good Fire- Arm and other Accutriments required by the Law of this Province, shall be treated as those that Transgress the Association of the Continental Congress, and shall be treated by the Com- mittee of Inspection as such." "Voted that all Alarm men that shall neglect or refuse to be equip'd according to Law and to bring or send their Arms and Ammunition into the Field upon a time appointed for recieving arms, shall be treated in the same manner as above." ' ' Voted training soldiers shall be treated upon their De- linquency." !)H ANNALS OF THE Feb. 20th. The committee of donations having- made their collection, write as follows : Sutton Feb. 20th 1775. To the Committee of Donations for the Town of Boston. Gentlemen : These may inform you that the Town of Sutton has made a small Collection for the District poor of the Town of Boston & Charlestown and Desire you would write to us when and where we shall convey it. From your friend & fellow citizen, WILLIS HALL. In behalf of the Committee of Donations for said Town of Sutton." * March 6th. Samuel Goldthwait and others continue petitioning the town, to be set off to the town of North- bridge. A committee, consisting of "Dea. Tarrant Putnam, Dea. Ebenezer Pierce, and Lieut. Caleb Chase,'' were chosen ' ' to view the lands of the Petitioners and make Report to the Town at the next May meeting." The committee reported as instructed, and the town voted to take no action on the petition. The news of the bloodshed at Lexington and Concord, April 19th, produced in this town as in others the most intense excitement. It was felt that all hope of a peaceable solution of difficulties with the mother country was des- troyed by her action in attempting to subdue by force of arms the spirit of her hitherto loyal subjects, and no alter- native was left but to meet force bv force. The challenge / O thus given was accepted, and, as is seen by a record of pro- ceedings, action prompt and decisive was taken to furnish men and material at a moment's call. May 22d. "Voted to choose two Delegates to Represent this Town in a Provincial Congress to be held at Watertown on the thirty-first Day of May Instant and for six months after to serve alternately but one at a time." * From a Letter Book in the Mass. Historical Library. TOWN OF SUTTON. 97 Made choice of "Capt. Henry King and Elder Amos Singletary agreeably to the proceeding vote." "Voted unanimously to approve of the Recommendation of the Provincial Congress to disregard Gen. Gage's Precept for a Representative his Proclamations <&c." Sept. 18th. "Lieut. William King and Elder Amos Singletary were nominated by the Town for Justices of the Peace for s'd Town." Oct. 7th. "The Town nominated Mr. Nathan Putnam for a Field Officer."* Feb. 3d. " Monday and Tuesday our people mustered ye Companies and raised 24 more soldiers Avho set oft' to-day for ye camp." f March 4th. "Voted that the Committee of Donations keep those Benefactions they have now in their Hands until the next May Meeting, unless they are wanted before that time by those for whom they were given.'' The contributions referred to were those of money, grain, etc., for the poor of Boston. " Voted to choose a Committee of Correspondence, Inspec- tion and Safety for the year ensuing." " Chose Capt. Moody Morse, Dea. Willis Hall, Mr. Nathan Putnam, Col. Timothy Sibley, Dea. Ebenezer Pierce, Mr. David Holman and Capt. James Greenwood for the Com- mittee." May 20th. In the warrant for town meeting are the following articles : "To see whether That if the Honorable Congress should, for the safety of s'd Colonies, Declare themselves Independent of the Kingdom of Great Britain : They, the s'd Inhabitants, will solemnly engage, with their lives and Fortunes, to support them in the measure." " To see what Measures the Town will take with the Donations collected for the poor of Boston." * Town Records. t Dr. Hall's Diary. 13 98 ANNALS OF THE Upon the first of these articles no action was taken. Upon the second, " Voted that the Committee of Donations return to the Donors, the Benefactions the s'd Committee have now in their Hands : the Donors calling upon the Committee for the same." A special town meeting was called for July 1st to take action upon the article passed over at the last meeting. At this meeting it was "Voted. That if the Honorable Congress should, for the safety of these Colonies, Declare them Independent of the Kingdom of Great Britain : the Inhabitants of this Town will Solemnly engage with their Lives and Fortunes to support them in the Measure."* July 4th. The independence of these colonies was solemnly declared, and the people of the town felt themselves pledged in accordance with the above vote to support the measure witji their lives and fortunes. July 8th. "Voted to grant a sum of Fifteen Hundred Pounds in order to raise our Quota, or procure men, to join the Continental or Provincial Army in defence of America." ' ' Voted to make a consideration to those persons who have voluntarily served, or by hiring Men to serve in Defence of America Since the 19th of April 1775 to this time." " Chose Wm. King Esq., Dea. Tarrant Putnam, Lieut. Enoch Marble, Dea. Ebenezer Pierce & Elder Daniel Green- wood, a Committee to adjust, to every person, their equal part for Service done in Defence of America Since April ye 19th 1775." Sept. 21st. " Monday our companies met and drew out every 5th man of ye militia to go to New York."f Oct. 7th. " Voted. That the Selectmen (provided that the state of the State will admit of) should return the Field pieces borrowed by Capt. George Dodge and Esq. Gardner of Salem ; they, the s'd Dodge and Gardner, giving the Town a full Discharge for them, and sell the Carriages to the state if wanted, or other- wise bring them back for the use of the Town." * Town Records. t Dr. Hall's Diary. TOWN OF SUTTON. 99 The town was also called upon to take action on the fol- lowing article in the warrant for the meeting October 7th : ' ' To see whether the above mentioned Inhabitants will give their Consent that the present House of Representatives, of this State of the Massachusetts Bay, in New England, together with the Council, if they Consent in one Body with the House, and by equal voice should consult, agree on, and enact such a Constitution and Form of Government for this State, as the said House of Representatives and Council, as afore said, on the fullest and most mature Deliberation, shall judge will most conduce to the Safety, Peace, and Happiness of this State, in all after Successions and Generations : and if they would direct that the same be made publick, for the Inspection and Perusal of the Inhabitants before the Ratifi- cation there of, by the Assembly." " Dea. Willis Hall, Mr. Samuel Dagget, Dea. -Ebenezer Pierce, Mr. Nathan Putnam, and Col. Timothy Sibley were appointed a Committee to draw up a Form of vote upon the above article." The committee brought in the following report, which was accepted and adopted : "At a legal meeting of the Town of Sutton, upon the Hand-Bill, sent out by the House of Representatives, to see if Towns will consent, that the present House of Representa- tives and Council should form and ratify a Constitution for this State. "Resolved that this Town can, by no means, consent to what is there proposed, for the following reasons (viz.) "1. Because we think it irrational for us to consent to the setting up any Constitution unknown to us, or to vote for any thing, before we see what it is we vote for. "2. Because we look upon the present House of Repre- sentatives, not only, to be a very unequal Representation of the State ; But also an illegal one, many of them being- chosen by virtue of a pretended Law, made after the Pre- cepts went out for the Election of the House. " 3. Because we look upon it irrational and unjust for us, to act any-thing that shall operate, in any measure, for such an everlasting effect, while so m-iny of our Brethren and 100 ANNALS OF THE Neighbors are gone into the army, and would be plainly a voting away their Right, in their absense.'" Dec. 2d. " Voted to choose an Agent for to make enquiry and confer with others upon the article of Salt ; to see, upon what terms, it may be procured for the Inhabitants of the Town." Dea. Tarrant Putnam was appointed " Agent for s'd pur- pose" and instructed as follows : " We instruct you, to inform as many of the members of the several Towns in this County, as you have opportunity, and to motion to them to come into some measures to promote the Manufacture of Salt : and enquire how salt can be made, and to see how any person, or Towns, upon the Sea Coasts, will undertake to make salt, in exchange for Grain and Meat or Money ; and if any person or Town will undertake to set up making Salt for us, if we will take off one Thousand Bushells of Salt in a year for iive years, or a less time than that, as the undertaker may propose : and if you find that it will be an Advantage to have any other Towns join with us. See, who of the Neighboring Towns will join, and to make Report to this Town of what you find upon these things as soon as may be."* Dec. 14th. " This week, on Wednesday, a great part of our Militia went to Providence, a large fleet of ye enemy being come in to Rhode Island. "f It is interesting to take note of the loyal sentiment of the people of the town, as it revealed itself in the authority which is recognized in the warrants for the town meetings called after the battle of Lexington. The last one issued in his Majesty's name, bears date May 15th, 1775. Then fol- low three "In the name of America," then three "In the name of the United Colonies" or "United Colonies of America," then several " In the name of the people of this Province," or " In the name of the people of this Colony," or " In the name of the people of the Colony of the Mass. Bay." After September 27th they are issued " In the name * Town Records. t Dr. Hall's Diary. TOWN OF SUTTON. 101 of the Government and people of the State of the Massachu- setts Bay." Near the close of the record for the year 1776 the full text of the Declaration of Independence is recorded. There is also an entry of the following order of the Council : " Ordered. That the Declaration of Independence be printed, and a Copy sent to the Ministers of each Parish, of every Denomination, within this State : and that they, sever- ally, be required to read the same to their respective Congregations, as soon as divine service is ended, in the afternoon of the first Lords-Day after they shall have received it. And after such Publication there of, to deliver the said Declaration to the Clerks of their several Towns, or Districts, who are hereby required to record the same in their respec- tive Town or District Books, there to remain as a perpetual Memorial thereof. In the name and by order of the Council. A true copy. Attest, JOHN A VERY, Dep. Sec. R. DERBY, Jun., President." 1777. Jan. 20th. The principal matter to be acted upon in the town meeting of this date was : " To see if the Town will choose one or more Delegates, to meet in County Congress, with any such other Towns as will join with us in this method for a redress of the Grievance by the Law made last Spring for the new modelling the Representation of this State ; or any other Grievance that shall be thought proper by any of the Towns joining in such Congress. And also, to see if the Town will invite the other Towns in the County, to join with them in such Congress, by a note of our proceedings in the Worcester News Paper." The town " Voted to choose delegates, and made choice of Capt. Henry King and Capt. Samuel Trask as such ;" also " Voted to give invitation to the other Towns in the County to join with us in such Congress, by a Note in the Worcester News Papers," and " To give instructions to the delegates." The Instructions were as follows : 102 ANNALS OF THE ' ' The Inhabitants of the Town of Sutton in legal Town Meeting assembled Jan. 27th. " To Capt. Henry King and Capt. Samuel Trask, whom we have now chosen Delegates, to join in County Congress with such other Towns in this County as shall adopt the like method for the obtaining redress of the grievance by the Law made last Spring, for the new modelling the Represen- tation of this state ; or any other grievances that any of the Towns joining in such Congress shall think proper. We hereby direct you to repair to the House of the Widow Stearns, Inn holder, in Worcester, on Wednesday the 26th day of Feb., next, at ten o'clock in the forenoon ; then and there, to join with such other Towns as may meet you by their Delegates, and form into a County Congress, to con- sult, deliberate upon, and unite, in some method, for the redress of the grievance aforesaid or any other grievance there moved, either by petition to the General Court, or by recommending a form of Instructions to the Several Towns, to give their Representatives, or both, as shall be thought most effectual. And that you invite the other Counties in this State, to adopt the like method, and to correspond with you by Committees, that this County and others, may harmonize in their measures. And we farther direct and order you to continue yourselves by adjournment, (if the other Towns will join in it) so that you remain a County Congress, until next May meeting, for choosing Representa- tives, at which time, if it be agreeable to the County in general, we propose to continue such Congress by the choice of new Delegates, for a future time, as shall be thought proper. You are also to make return to us, at next March Meeting, what you find and agree upon at your first Congress; and so on, from time to time, as we shall require. And we think, that your first adjournment ought not to be deferred longer than the beginning of May next ; in order that, if the above grievous act should not bv that O time be repealed, some other Constitutional measures might be agreed upon for redress ; or if it should be repealed, any other matters, then thought of, for the good of the public, might be agreed upon to instruct the Representatives, at the TOWN OF SUTTON. 103 next Election, or any other business proper for a County Congress that may occur at that time. "And you are, from time to time, to attend to and pursue, as far as you can, all such Instructions as you shall receive from us, your constituents. "And we hereby, also invite all the other Towns in this County, to join with- us, in such Congress. " And, for that purpose, order that the above be inserted in the Worcester News Paper as soon as possible. "And also, that the above Delegates take care that the above be immediately put into Hand-Bills and distributed to the Selectmen of the Several Towns in this County at the expense of this Town." March 3d. There was an article in the warrant : "To see if the Town will provide a Hospital for Inoculating for the Small-Pox." Which being "put to vote passed in the negative." Another article in the warrant was: "To see if this Town will comply with the advice and Recommendations of the Convention of the Committees of Inspection from the Majority of the Towns of the County of Worcester met at Worcester the 26th day of Nov. last respecting some method for forming a system of Government in this State."" Upon which it was "Voted to comply." " Capt. Johnathan Carriel, Capt. Bartholomew Wood- bury, Lieut. Enoch Marble, Lieut. March Chase, Mr. Jonas Bond, Lieut. David Holman and Capt. Elisha Goddard were chosen a Committee of Correspondence Inspection and Safety for this present year." March 10th. The town "Voted to make an addition to what the Congress and the General Court of this State have done for the Encouragement of such Soldiers as shall Inlist into the Continental Service." "Voted, that all such soldiers, belonging to this Town, as have lately In listed into the Continental Service, shall be intitled to the same additional Encouragement from this Town, as all others shall be, who shall hereafter Inlist into said Service, provided, they have not already received an Equivalent Consideration by particular persons." 104 ANNALS OF THE "Voted, That the Sum of Twenty five Pounds he paid, by the Town, to every Soldier of this Town, that has or shall Inlist into and go into the Continental Army now Fine to offer any of it, and be exposed to have it die in the Hands of the possessor thus obliged to take it. ' ' Considering these things it appears to us that we can not in Duty to ourselves and the common Cause sit still, or hold our peace. " But the matter requires something very speedily to be done. ** Therefore, Resolved, to propose to the next neighboring- Towns whether they would join, with us, in a Suitable Remonstrance and Petition to the Court for a Redress of the aforesaid Grievances, and if the Court will not alter said Law so that the tax now coming out may be paid in this State Money, or Continental, as comes best to Hand to Individuals, that we will not attempt to pay said Rate, and if the Court will not repeal said Law, so that those, who have already sunk so much of the Money into their Hands, shall not have the advantage against us, farther to Oppress us, that we will not attempt to pay said Four Hundred Thousand Pound Rate granted in said Law. " And we hereby desire our Brethren in the neighbouring Towns to meet us, by their Select-men or Delegates, at the house of Joseph Elliot, Inn holder, in this Town, on Wednes- day, the 12th Instant, at ten o'clock before noon. ' And we hereby direct the Select-men of this Town to send a Copy of this to the Select-men of each next adjoining Town and to attend upon the Select-men or Delegates of the neigh- bouring Towns that may come upon this, our Invitation, then and there to consult upon and adopt such measures, upon the Premises, as shall be thought proper, and make Report to this meeting of what shall be concluded upon, on Thursday the 13th Instant at one o'clock P. M. to which time this meeting will stand adjourned. TOWN OF SUTTON. 10J-) " The foregoing being sundry times read before the Town, it was put to vote, to see if the Town accept of the same as agreeable to their minds. O "Passed in the affirmative.'* ' ' Voted to choose a Committee to draw up some-thing agreeable to the foregoing, to publish the same in the Pub- lick News as soon as may be. " Chose Col. Timothy Sibley, Lieut. Asa Waters, and Mr. Edward Putnam for said Committee." Nov. 13th. This committee reported at an adjourned meeting as follows : "To the Honorable Council and House of Representa- tives, of the State of the Massachusetts Bay, in General Court, to be convened at Boston on the twenty-fifth Day of Nov'r Instant. "The Petition of us, the subscribers, being a Committee of the several Towns (viz.) Suttou, Worcester, Uxbridge, Grafton, Douglass, and Northbridge, in the County of Worcester, convened at Button Nov. 12th 1777, "Humbly sheweth, that upon taking into consideration the late Act of Court Intitled : k An Act for drawing in the Bills of Credit, of the several Denominations not on Interest, which have at any time been issued by this Government and are still out- standing ; and for prohibiting the Currency of s'd Bills of any one of the United States after a certain time.' Are of the opinion that said act, in connection with a large Tax immediately to be raised, is big 'with Cruelty, Oppression and Injustice." The remainder of the petition is almost precisely in the language of the four articles above recorded. * ' The Petition being sundry times read it was then put to vote to see if the Town accept of the Same and the vote passed in the Affirmative." The committee from the towns were instructed to ' ' sign the foregoing Petition in the Name and in Behalf of the Town." Delegates met at Elliot's from the towns of Sutton, Worcester, Grafton, Douglass and Northbridge and signed the petition. 110 ANNALS OF THE " Voted to grant a Sum of Two Thousand and four Hun- dred Pounds for to pay the Continental Soldiers." "Voted that the Fire- Arms that the Selectmen have pro- cured for the Town be sold to the best advantage." * ' Voted that the Lead and Flints that the Selectmen have procured for the Town, be equally divided among the sev- eral Companies in the Town." "Voted that the Captains of the Several Companies in the Town draw their proportion of s'd Lead and Flints, and dispose among their respective Companies according to the mind of said Companies. Dec. 19th. Mr. Ebenezer Waters, Mr. Simon Taiuter and Lieut. Caleb Chase were chosen a Committee to take care of, and provide for the families of such persons as are in the Continental Service, whose families stand in need of help." * 1778. Jan. 5th. A meeting was called "To hear and consider upon the Articles of Confederation and perpetual Union, between the United States of America, agreeable to a late Resolve of the General Assembly of this State," and "To see what sum of money the Town will Raise for the purpose of lessening their proportion of the Public Debt, agreeable to a late Act of the General Assembly of this State, and pass any vote or votes relative thereto." The articles of confederation proposed by Congress were read, and a committee, consisting of Capt. King, Dea. Pierce, Mr. Nathan Putnam, Col. Holman, Lieut. Asa Waters was chosen " to peruse and Consider the Articles of Confederation &c. and make Report to the Town at an adjourned meeting." "Voted to raise the sum of Three Thousand Pounds to diminish this Towns proportion of the Public Debt." Jan. 9th. The committee upon the articles of confedera- tion reported "that in their opinion these should be com- plied with by this Town." * Town Records. TOWN OF SUTTON. Ill * ' Then it was put to vote to see if the Town would com- ply with the said Articles of Confederation and perpetual Union proposed by the Congress. Passed unanimously in the affirmative." Upon the petition of certain of the inhabitants of Sutton, Worcester, Leicester and Oxford, that they may be incor- porated into a town, the General Assembly of this State has appointed a committee to view the territory, and also issued a citation to the several towns to confer with this committee. Feb. 2d. The town chose Dea. Ebenezer Pierce, Capt. Elisha Goddard and Col. Jonathan Holman, agents to meet this committee, and "enter this Town's Objections w r hy said Parish should not be incorporated into a Town." Feb. 18th. The town chose Dea. Ebenezer Pierce, Mr. Asa Waters, and Mr. Ebenezer Waters a standing commit- tee to take action in behalf of the town ' ' to prevent a part of this Town at the Northwest corner being set oft' (against their will) according to a line ordered to be run by the Honorable Courts Committee on the 5th day of Feb. Instant." March 2d. "The Town chose Dea. David Harwood, Doctor Benja. Morse, Mr. Abel Dudley, Mr. Moses Ban- croft and Mr. Josiah Goddard a Committee of Correspon- dence, Inspection and Safety for this present year." The town of Ward, composed of parts of Sutton, Worces- ter, Leicester and Oxford, was incorporated April 10, 1778. The name has since been changed to Auburn. April 13th. The new constitution, which had been agreed upon by a state convention, was submitted for the approval or disapproval of the town. "Voted to disapprove of the form of Government Laid Before the Town by the Selectmen : 220 Disapproved, not one approved of the new form of Government." Capt. John Sibley, Dea. Ebenezer Pierce and Lieut. Asa Waters were chosen a committee to report the reason why the town do not accept the new form of government. May 18th. "Voted to Grant Three Hundred and fifty Eight pounds Eight Shillings to pay for the Cloathing that the Selectmen have promised for the Continental Soulders." 112 ANNALS OF THE Voted to allow Deacon Tarrant Putnam Two pounds Eighteen Shillings for gooing to Boston, Salem and New- bury to see about getting some Salt for the Town." June 8th. " William Fuller paid a tine of live pounds for refusing to serve as Constable." .June 15th. "Voted that Treasurer Woodbery be ex- empted from the loss of two New Hampshire Bills, which amount to Four pounds Ten Shillings, that are Counteriitts." The Massachusetts tipy of date Nov. 26th, 1778, con- tains the following advertisement : "It is earnestly requested that the fair Daughters of Lib- erty in this extensive Country, would not neglect to serve their country, by saving for the Paper-Mill in Sutton, all Linen and Cotton and Linen Rags, be they ever so small, as they are equally good for the purpose of making paper, as those that are larger. A bag hung up at one corner of a room, would be the means of saving many which would be otherwise lost. If the Ladies should not make a fortune by this piece of economy, they will at least have the satisfac- tion of knowing they are doing an effectual service to the community, which with EIGHT PENCE per pound, the price UOAV given for clean white rags, they must be sensible will be a sufficient reward." * 1779. March 1st. " Chese Ebenezer Waters, John Elliot and Nehemiah Gale a Committee of Correspondence, Inspection and Safety this present year." March 8th. "Voted to abate the pole Tax of those Sol- diers that was in the Continental Eight Months Service in the year 1777. Those that ware Dismissed at Philadelphia, and no provision made for their support home." "Chose Col. Timothy Sibley, Capt. Moody Morse, Ca.pt. John Putnam, Mr. Simon Taint er and Doct. James Freeland a Committee to Inspect and to prosecute all Breches of Law agreeable to a Late act of the General Assembly of this State, Intitled an act against Monopoly and Forestalling." * The above advertisement was repeated in several papers, and TWELVE PENCE per pound was offered. July 1779, 18d. ; Nov. 1779, 2s. ; Feb. 1780, 3s. ; Apr. 1780, 6s. ; July, 1781, 10s. ; per pound. TOWN OF SUTTON. 113 "Chose Stephen Stoekwell, Moses Bancroft, Capt. James Greemvood, Lieut. James McClelan, a Committee to supply the families of those whose Husbands are in the Army, agree- able to a Late act of the Court. May 19th. " Chose Lieut. John Hazeltine a Committee Man to take care of those families whose Husbands are in the Continental Service." " The town voted, unanimously, in favor of a new Consti- tution, or Form of Government, with this proviso that, when the Convention called for the purpose, " shall have formed a Constitution, a Copy shall be sent to each Town in tbe State, to the people at large, for their approbation or Disapprobation, or amendment." June 21st. Chose Lieut. William King, Ensign Nathaniel Carrie! , Lieut. Joseph Elliot, Jun., Mr. Samuel Waters, Dea. Willis Hall, Mr. John Harback, Mr. Joseph Waters, Doet'r James Freeland, Mr. Jonas Bond, Mr. Nehemiah Gale, Dea. Asa Waters, a Committee, in order to procure the Continental men that were called for by order of the Court," " The Town voted that any two of the Committee are impowered to agree with any person or persons who shall Ingage nine months in the Continental Service, and that any two of said Committee are Impowered to give Security, in Behalf of said Town, to any person who shall Ingage in said Service, and further, the Town Ingage to Indemnih'e said Committee." " Voted that the same Committee that was chosen to procure the Continental men, are also impowered to agree with any person or persons who shall Ingage to go to the State of Rhode Island to serve from the time of their Being Inlisted to the first day of Jan. next." July 5th. A warrant for a town meeting this date con- tained the following article : " To see what the Town Avill do in regard to our present alarming circumstances by reason of our depreciating Cur- rency and high price of the necessaries of life, occasioned by monopoly and forestalling, and whether the Town will, accord- ing to the recommendation of Congress and the Resolves 15 114 ANNALS OF THE of the Citizens of Philadelphia and Boston, unite our efforts to extricate ourselves from such dreadful consequences ; and for the above purpose, whether the Town will request one or more of the Committee of Correspondence of the Town, to meet with the several Committees from the several Towns in this State, at Concord, the 14th of July Instant, agreeably to a recommendation of the Committee of Correspondence of the Town of Boston." " The Town made choice of Dea. Willis Hall and Mr. Ebenezer Waters as a Committee to set in a State Convention to be held at Concord the 14th of July 1779 and voted that said Committee make report to the Town of their pro- ceedings for their approbation or Disapprobation." Aug. 2d. The town voted unanimously to accept the pro- ceedings of the state convention held at Concord, July 14th. 1779. "Chose Dea. Asa Waters and Mr. Ebenezer Waters to set in a County Convention to be held at Worcester the first Tuesday of August, Instant, for the purposes of regulating the prices of labor and various articles of necessity." Aug. 17th. This committee reported at an adjourned meeting. Upon hearing which report the town ' ' Voted unanimously to accept of the proceedings of the County Convention held at Worcester." " Chose a Committee of twelve, to act in connection with the Committee of Correspondence, to carry into effect the Resolves of the State and County Conventions, viz. : "Lieut. Nathaniel Whitmore, Mr. Nathan Putnam, Col. Timothy Sibley, Follansbee Chase, Capt. Moody Morse, Lieut. Caleb Chase, Lieut. James Prentice, Capt. Samuel Trask, Mr. Jonas Bond, Mr. Jona. Kidder, Capt James Greenwood and Lieut. Simeon Hay wood." "Voted, that said Committee should settle any difficulties that shall arise by reason of selling things beyond what was stated by said Conventions." " Voted to raise five thousand nine hundred pounds to pay the Continental Men lately raised, and also to pay the men lately raised to go to Rhode Island." Aug.J23d. The Town chose Mr. Ebenezer Waters to TOWN OF BUTTON. 115 Represent it at another Convention to be held at Concord, October next. ' ' Voted to support the Committee in carrying the Resolves of the late State and County Conventions into execution." Sept. 23d. The town committee stopped a number of loads of salt, rum, sugar, and other articles which were being transported, and asked for instructions as to the disposition that should be made of them, and it is recorded that ' ' The Town highly approved of what the Committee had done in stopping those loads of Rum, sugar, salt and* other articles which was agoing to be transported out of this State." " Voted that the owners of those Loads, stopped by the Committee of this Town, shall give, to said Committee, a true inventory of all the articles belonging to said Loads, upon penalty of being enemies of the Country and published in the Public Prints, and that said Loads shall be stored, under the care of the Committee, until some order of Court, or Resolve of Convention, or order of the Town, shall take place respecting the same." " Voted that those persons that appear to be inimical to the cause of America shall not be employed in an}' public business in this Town." ' ' Voted that if any person shall speak any thing against the Regulating Acts he shall be called to account by the Committee and dealt with according to his crime." Oct. 4th. An act of the general court prohibiting the carrying of any goods out of the state was unanimously approved, and the "Town voted to use their uttermost endeavors to carry said act into execution." Also ' ' Voted to leave it to the Selectmen and Committee of this Town to order the disposing of those loads of Salt and other articles that were stopped by the Committee the 20th of September last." ' ' Voted that if said Committee and Selectmen shall think it safe, for the Common Cause, to give permits to carry any part of said Loads into any other parts of this State, said permits shall be signed by two thirds of said Committee and Selectmen." ll(i ANNALS OF THE ' ' Voted to leave it to the Committee to procure the two men yet wanting to make up the Quota from this town for the Continental Army." "Chose Nathan Putnam, Capt. James Greenwood, Col. Timothy Sibley, Lieut. Simeon Hey wood, Capt. Moody Morse as an addition to the Committee of Correspondence." Oct. 19th. "Voted that the twenty-three men called for, from this Town, by order of the General Court, for three months service be raised at the cost of the Town." "Chose Stephen Prince, Dea. Aaron Elliot, Caleb Marsh, Thomas Todd, Jonathan Gould, Abijah Tainter, Capt. .James Greenwood, John Waters Abel Dudley, John Dudley and Benja. Hicks to procure the men." "The Town voted to make up thirty pounds per. month to each of those soldiers lately procured by the Officers, to go to Rhode Island." Nov. 22d. "Voted to raise one thousand pounds for supporting those families whose husbands are in the Conti- nental Service for three years or during the war." "Voted to raise three thousand, five hundred and fifty eight pounds to pay those soldiers that were procured to serve three months in the Continental Army." "Voted to raise four hundred and forty-two pounds to pay those soldiers whom the Officers procured, last Septem- ber, to go to Rhode Island to serve two months." 1780. March 6th. "Chose Major Barthomew Woodbury, Mr. John Dudley, and Mr. Jonathan Gould a Committee of Correspondence, Inspection and Safety for the present year." "Chose Major John Hathaway, Agent, to go to the Gen- eral Court, and instructed him to give his consent that those men, with their estates, that request to be annexed to North- bridge be granted to go, and none else." Apr. 10th. The time of the "nine months' men" having nearly expired, the following committee was chosen to set- tle with them : TOWN OF STJTTON. 117 "Lieut. 'William King, Ens. Nathaniel Carriel, Lieut. Joseph Elliot Jr. Mr. Samuel Waters, Dea. Willis Hall, Mr. John Harback, Mr. Joseph Waters, Dr. James Free- land, Mr. Jonas Bond, Mr. Nehemiah Gale, Dea. Asa Waters. "Voted that John Adams, Micah Thayer, Stephen Gold- thwait, E/ekiel Goldthwait, and Abner Adams, they and their lands to be annexed to Northbridge." May 1st. "Chose Dea. Tarrant Putnam, Lieut. William King, Dea. Asa Waters, Capt. March Chase, Col. Jona. Holinan, Col. Timothy Sibley, Elder Jeremiah Barstow, Dr. James Freeland and Elder Daniel Greenwood, a Committee to consider the Constitution and make report to the Town of what they do approve of, and what they do not approve of." At an adjourned meeting " Chose Elder Jeremiah Bars- tow, Dea. Willis Hall, Dea. David Harwood, Dea. Rice, and Mr. Abel Chase to consider the third article in the Bill of Rights, and make report to the Town." May 19th. A day memorable in New England for its darkness. According to the memoirs of the American Acad- emy referring to the day, "Candles were lighted up in the houses ; the birds having sung their evening songs disap- peared and became silent ; the fowls retired to roost ; the cocks were crowing all around, as at break of day; objects could not be distinguished but at very little distance and every-thing bore the appearance and gloom of night." May 22d. " Voted to grant a sum of nine thousand pounds to pay the nine months men." June 12th. A requisition has been made upon the town by the General Court, for thirty-six soldiers to serve in the Continental service. "The Town voted to hire the thirty-six men called for." "Chose as a Committee to procure them Lieut. Nathaniel Whitmore, Lieut. Bartholomew Hutchinson, Lieut. Nath- aniel Putnam, Ensign Samuel Rich, Lieut. John Woodbury, Mr. John Hall, Lieut. David Putnam, Lieut. Ezra Lovell, Mr. John Gould, Sergt. David Chase and Mr. Moses Hovey." 118 ANNALS OF THE "Instructed the above Committee that, in agreeing with such soldiers, they shall confine themselves to the late Court Act regulating the value of Money." June 26th. " Voted to grant a sum of Twenty thousand pounds to pay the six months men." "Voted to grant a sum of twelve thousand pounds to procure forty-two men out of the Militia to serve three months in the Army." "Voted that the Commissioned Officers in each Company be ,a Committee to procure these men, and that Sergt. Archelaus Putnam, Lieut. Jonathan Gould, Sergt. Isaac- Dodge Jr., and Clark Nathaniel Stockwell, be added to the above Committee to procure the men/' " Voted to instruct the Committee that they proceed with all expedition to procure the men as soon as the orders come, and the Town engage to defend them." Oct. 9th. "Voted to raise the sum of fifty three thou- sand five hundred pounds to enable the Committee to settle with the six months and three months men that are in the Continental Service." Oct. 16th. " Chose Capt. March Chase, Mr. Moses Hovey and Mr. John Hall a Committee to procure seventeen thou- sand five hundred and twenty (17,520) pounds of beef for the Army." "Voted to raise a sum of twenty-five thousand pounds to enable the Committee to purchase the beef." Dec. 4th. The town by vote gave permission to each tax payer, who was disposed so to do, to pay his rate in grain ; the value of corn being placed at twelve pounds per bushel, and rice eighteen pounds per bushel. Dec. 18th. "The Town voted that one third of all the Town Meetings, both stated and occasional, should be held in the Meeting-house of the second Parish." A requisition having been made upon the town for thirty three thousand six hundred and forty (33,640) pounds of beef, Capt. March Chase, Mr. John Hall, Mr. Moses Hovej" are appointed a committee to purchase the same, and an appropriation of fifty thousand four hundred and sixty (50,460) pounds is made to meet the expense. TOWN OF SUTTON. 119 The town has been called upon, by the General Court, to furnish thirty-one men for the Continental Army for three years or during the war. " Chose Col. Timothy Sibley, Capt. Abijah Burbank, Capt. John Putnam, (.-apt. Andrew Elliot, Lieut. Solomon Leland Mr. Abraham Batcheller Jr. Dr. James Freeland and Mr. Kbenezer Waters to class out the Town into classes in order to procure the thirty-one men for the Continental Army." At an adjourned meeting, the town "Voted that if any person in any of the classes refuses to pay his proportion as assessed in the class he belongs to, shall be assessed his pro- portion as he was in said class and half as much more" 1781. Feb. 20th. Dea. Willis Hall and Elder Daniel Green- wood are chosen delegates to sit in a County Convention, called for the purpose of remonstrating with the General Court against an act repealing the late tender act, and are instructed to invite other towns to send delegates to said convention, and notify them of the time and place of the meeting. ' ' The Town voted that the Constables shall not gather the Soldiers tax at present and the Town will defend them." March 5th. "Chose Lieut. John Woodbury Lieut. Nathaniel Putnam, & Lieut. David Holman a Committee of Correspondence Inspection and Safety for this present year." June 18th. "Voted to instruct the Constable to gather O the silver tax as soon as possible." July 9th. "Chose Ens. Nathaniel Carriel, Mr. John Hall and Lent. Moses Hovey a Committee to procure the Towns proportion of Beef for the Army as it is called for." "Voted that the Selectmen be directed to procure the clothing for the Army, called for by order of Court." The following is from the Massachusetts Spy : Siitton, Nov. 14th, 1781. Yesterday a number of the respectable inhabitants of this town assembled at the sign of the soldier, to celebrate the day, on the account of the 120 ANNALS OF THE capture of General Conrwallis and his army ; every demon- stration of joy, in their power, was shown on this occasion, and the following toasts were drank : 1. Those noble patriots convened in Congress. 2. His Excellency General Washington. 3. His Most Christian Majesty, Louis XVI. 4. The Count de Grasse and the combined fleets. 5. General Greene with his veterans and heroes. 6. Peace and unanimity in the allied army. 7. May all malicious pimps of British George, and lovers of tyranny, be swept off with the Besom of the thirteen United States of America. 8. May that Traitor Arnold, and all his accomplices, be suspended between heaven and earth, as unworthy of either. 9. May America maintain her independence until time shall be no more. 10. May those heroes, who have nobly bled in defence of their country be heard of in nations unknown, and ever be remembered in ages to come. 11. May peace on honorable terms diffuse itself throughout the Continent of America, like the lustre of the rising sun. 12. May friendship universally extend, and actuate every human breast, throughout the world. 13. May consummate happiness be the reward of heroick actions. 1782. March 4th. " Chose Ens. Nathaniel Carriel Capt. Joseph Sibley and Mr. Jonas Bond a Committee of Correspondence Inspection and Safety this present year." Nov. 12th. "Follansbe Chase, Capt. March Chase, Mr. Josiah Goddard, John Pierce were added to the above Com- mittee of Inspection." "Voted that the Committee of Correspondence, Inspec- tion and Safety of this Town be, and hereby are desired to be particularly watchful of those who are suspected of being concerned in Fraud or intercourse with the enemy, and to communicate, with the Attorney General, any discoveries they may make." 1788. Jan. 20th. "The Town voted to instruct their Repre- sentative not to allow the Continental Officers any sum of money as half pay or any other way in lieu thereof, and to use his influence to secure the repeal of the Tender Act." Feb. 3d. The following article was inserted in the town warrant ; TOWN OF SUTTON. 121 "In order to Consider of the conduct of sum of the Inhabitance of this Town going to Douglass this Day, and their Joyning in a Mob To Resiest authority and the Dew oppration of the Law." The vote upon this article was as follows : " ' Voted to divide the house to see what will support good government and will endeavor to pay their taxes and to suppress all mobbs in opposition to the laws of this State." The tact in this Douglass affair, according to the Leland papers, was, that one of the members of a class in Douglass, for hiring and supporting a soldier in the army, was sued for his proportion of the tax, and refusing to pay it, a war- rant was issued to enforce its collection. Property was attached, and when the sale took place, a mob collected and attempted to seize the property and restore it to the owner, who, it is said, was a brother of Noah Crossman. The sale was prevented, and several persons from the south part of Sutton were concerned in the affray. The officer who attempted to collect the tax having been driven away, went to Sutton or Worcester and procured a warrant for the arrest of some of the leaders, and while on his way met the Hon. Jonas Sibley (who had been a court- ing) and commanded his assistance in making an arrest of the rioters. He accordingly returned, and four of them were seized and put into jail. One of them was Crossman, above referred to, and another by the name of Bondsey, a foreigner, and one of the Burgoyne prisoners. The officer was Amariah Preston of Oxbridge. Dea. Leland says: "I have the above story from the Hon. Jonas Sibley. He does not remember the names of the other two who were arrested. An attempt was made about the same time to prevent a sale in Sutton under simi- lar circumstances." March 3d. "Chose Aaron Elliot, Abel Dudley and Moses Hovey a Committee of Correspondence, Inspection and Safety for the present year." 16 122 ANNALS OF THE 1784. March 1st. "Chose Ens. Nathaniel Carriel Mr. Moody Morse Jr. and Mr. Jonas Bond a Committee of Correspon- dence Inspection and Safety this present year." " Chose Dea. Willis Hall, Ebenezer Waters Daniel Green- wood delegates to sit in County Convention to be held at Worcester the third Tuesday of March next." The object of this convention, and the prominent part taken by Button in calling it, and molding its deliberations, are clearly set forth in the following communication to the Massachusetts Spy, written a few days after it was held, by one opposed to its action. " Mr. Thomas: I am informed you have lately had a County Conven- tion (so called) in your town, the last week, to consult and remonstrate against grievances. That it was debated in this Convention, who should be promoted to the principal offices in government, and what laws should be repealed, whether the resolves of the United States in Congress assembled and the general assembly of this State should be obeyed or not ? and in general to alter and new model the constitution. Is it not a disagreeable circumstance that we have among us certain restless spirits, who would never have been taken notice of but for the disturbance they excite : Who, not from any real emmity or design against their country ; but a low passion for popular applause, which they despair to obtain any other way, than by being clamorous and noisy, at the expence of the publick peace. Could any man in the hour of calm reflection, imagine the United States in Congress assembled, and the Common- wealth of Massachusetts,' would repeal or reverse their acts at the instigation or threat of the town of Sutton, or even the county of Worcester, should the whole country combine together, which, thanks to the prudence of the greater part, is far from being the case. "When the loose mountain trembles, from on high, Shall gravitation cease," while Sutton passes "by!" The town of Sutton, or any other town, or individual per- son have a right to petition the General Court for relief, TOWN OF SUTTON. 123 under any grievance Whatever, real or imaginary ; but for a town to traverse the county by messengers, or circular let- ters, and form alliances and combinations with other towns, to make head against the General Court, is, in fact, what Bernard called ' ' direct oppugnation " to the government which the people of this State, have themselves set up. * ****** As to the commutation or pay to the officers, I would ask the chairman of the Sutton Committee, if he would, after engaging to pay a labourer three shillings for a day's service, refuse payment after receiving the service? A private knave might, perhaps, evade payment by catching hold of some shadow under which he could take shelter ; but for a publick body to do the like, it is but one step below the Unpardonable Sin. Public credit is already quite low, and needs not the assistance of the Sutton Committee to run it- lower. " A wit's a feather, and a chief's a rod, An honest man's the noblest work of God." The town of Sutton have a worthy man to represent it at General Court, who has served it for many years to general acceptance ; if it has aught against him, it is at liberty to choose another (the time being not far off) but where they will find another more worthy, I know not, unless it be the important chairman before mentioned : Both he and I have grey hairs, and they are worthy when found in the ways of righteousness ; but surely it must afford but painful sensa- tion, to a mind flowing with gratitude to its Maker for the blessings of peace, and good will and complacency for the tranquillity and happiness of his fellow-men, to observe with what zeal and heat some restless and troublesome persons, and some just entering upon the Eternal World, striving with all the impetuosity of a sanguine temper to disturb the publick tranquility. I am, sir, a friend to the Constitution, and the County of Worcester. WORCESTERIENSIS. Massachusetts Spy. M:iiv,h 25, 1784. 124 ANNALS OF THE The convention to which reference is made, met at Leicester June 17th, and again by adjournment at the same place August 17th, and again by adjournment in Paxton, September 2fith. Dea. Willis Hall of Sutton was its President. 1785. May 12th. In the warrant for a meeting this date was the following article : ' ' To see if the Town will choose a Committee to refer a Petition to the General Court, praying that said Court would favor the town of Sutton with a Committee from said Court, to view the Town, upon condition that our Taxes are not settled according to our last valuation." "Chose Joseph Hall, Dea. Willis Hall, Mr. Ebenezer Waters, Dea. Asa AVaters, Amos Singletary Esq. to draw up a Petition to send to the General Court praying for a Com- mittee to view the Town." 17KK. Jan. 9th. " Voted to instruct our Representative to use his influence, at the General Court, to bring forward a Ten- der Act, that real and personal Estate may answer Execu- tions, and that it stand two years." May 1st. Willis Hall, Xathan Putnam, Daniel March, Ebenezer Waters, and March Chase were chosen a Commit- tee to contract with the Representative to the General Court for his compensation. The committee report as follows : k 'In obedience to the Directions of the Town of Sutton, We, the subscribers, have agreed with Col. Timothy Sibley, our Representative, for the present year, to serve at the General Court of this Common Wealth at two shillings and six pence per day provided his necessary expenses be paid by the Town." June 10th. A town meeting was called " To choose one or more Delegates to meet in Convention at Leicester, in the County of Worcester, on the 17th of this Instant, agreeable to an invitation of the Town of Spencer." TOWN OF SUTTON. 125 "Chose Dea. Willis Hall < Dr. James Freeland as Dele- gates for the above purpose." Sept. 25th. An article in the warrant calls upon the town "To see what instruction the Town will give their Delegates, that are chosen to represent them iu County Convention, respecting the Peoples stopping the Courts of Common pleas in this or any of the Counties in this Com- monwealth & to see what instructions they will give their Representative at the General Court. ' ' ( 'hose a Committee of five to draw up instructions for our Delegates at the County Convention, & for our Repre- sentative at the General Court." "Chose Dea. Harwood, Lt. Whitmore, Mr. Ebenezer Rich, Esq. Singietary <& Nathan Putnam for that purpose." The following are the instructions given to the commit- tee : 1st. "That the Town of Sutton approve of the proceed- ings of their Delegates in County Convention at Leicester on the 17th of August last and those matters, as published by said Convention, appear to us as real grievances. " 2d. And that our Delegates Dea. Hall and Dr. Free- land meet in County Convention, at Paxton, the 26th of this Instant and they are instructed to use their influence in Convention, that the minds of the good people of this Com- monwealth be obtained, whether the things stated by Con- vention, which appear to us as grievances, are grievances iu their minds, and that they agree with the rest of their Brethren, on measures for the redress of this same, or any other grievance, agreed on by Convention or otherwise by petitioning the G. Court by Town, or County, or State Committees, or as s'd Convention shall think proper. They are likewise instructed to use their influence to prevent any rising of the people in riotous manner, but to persevere in petitioning the Gen. Court for a redress of grievances, & not to disolve said Convention until the same be obtained, for it is our minds that is every way agreeable to the Con- stitution. "3d. Voted that our Representative be instructed to use his influence that the G. Court move out of Boston into 126 ANNALS OF THE some commodious part of the Country & that the seat of Government in Boston be sold to the best advantage, to pay publick charges, or to build a seat of government in the Country. Also that the Court of Common Pleas, under the mode of their present preceedure, are a scourge to the people for the interest of the Court, partly under the present mode, is to distress the people ; we pray that they may not be under that undue influence. We further instruct you to use your influence, that the servants of Government may be put on such footing as will be for the intrest of the people. "For the rest of our instructions we refer you to the pro- ceedings of our County Convention at Leicester on the 17th of August last. ' ' The above instructions were laid before the Town and met with their concurrence." Dec. 4th. " Chose a Committee of nine to treat with the Court of Common Pleas & with the Insurgents viz. Capt. Jon'a Woodbury, Capt. John Woodbury, Col. Woodbury, Dea. Harwood, Elder Greenwood, Lieut. Hazeltine, Lieut. Whitmore, Col. Holman, Capt. Smith." The "Insurgents" referred to, were those who were con- nected with the insurrection known as " Shay's Rebellion." 1787. Jan. 15th. A town meeting was called for this date "To see if the Town will choose a Committee to draw up instruc- tions for their Representatives at the next Session of the General Court of this Commoirvvealth. " To see what instructions the Town will give their Dele- gates for County Convention." " To hear and be informed of the several Acts and Laws passed by the General Court of this Commonwealth at their May and last Sessions in regard to their easing the burdens of Government according to the Prayers of the several Towns and Counties of this State and to hear what has become of the Monies raised by the Government." " To hear the report and request of a Committee in behalf of the Regulators (as they call themselves) bearing date Dec. 7th, 1786." TOWN OF SUTTON. 127 " Ainos Singletary Esq., Dea. Harwood, Capt. John Woodbuiy, Lieut. Whitmore and Ens. Carriel, Esq. King and Elder Greenwood were chosen a Committee to give instructions to the Representative and Delegates." Jan. 17th. At a meeting adjourned to this date " Voted that the Delegates of Convention be instructed to dissolve." Jan. 24th. " Chose Esq. Singletary, Dea. Harwood and Col. Woodbury to treat with the Hon. Gen. Lincoln to see if there could be any plan of accommodation laid to settle matters between Government and the Regulators, as they call themselves." ' ' Voted that our Representative be instructed to use his influence in the General Court that any man may be per- mitted to keep an half score of sheep that may not be liable to be taken from him by Warrant or Execution." March 7th. "Chose Dea. David Harwood, Dea. Willis Hall and Mr. Daniel March a Committee of Correspondence Inspection and Safety." March 22d. It appears from the following record that several of the citizens of the town had incapacitated them- selves from holding office by participation in the Shay rebel- lion. Several take the oath of allegiance. " Be it remembered that Ezra Wheelock of Sutton, hus- bandman, Delivered up his arms to the subscribers and took and subscribed the oath of allegiance as prescribed in the Constitution in Compliance with a Court act Dated Feb. 16th 1787 for indemnifying certain persons who are or may be guilty of treason. Before me, BENJ. GODDAKD, Justice of the Peace. Nathaniel Carriel, Daniel Greenwood, Jedediah Barton, Follansbe Chase, Bartholomew Woodbury, John Pierce, Asa Goodale, Stephen Marsh, Xoah Stockwell also took the oath of allegiance. All had been Shay's men." Oct. 23d. The Society, for the encouragement of singing, " chose Capt. John Woodbury, John Hall, William Slocomb, Seth Carpenter, Joseph Hicks, Stephen Monroe and David Trask to be leaders in singing," and 128 ANNALS OF THE " Voted that the singers set such tunes us they shall think proper." Dec. 10th. " Chose Dea. David Harwood, Amos Singlc- tary Esq. delegates to sit in a State Convention to be holden in the State House in Boston the ninth day of Jan. next." Also " Chose the Rev. Mr. Ehenezer Chaplin Dea. Willis Hall, Dr. James Freeland, Col. Timothy Sibley, Dr. Stephen Monroe, Lieut. Nathaniel Whitmore, Elder Daniel Green- wood, Capt. Johnathan Woodbury, and ('apt. John Holland a Committee to draw up some instructions for the delegates." This convention was called for taking into consideration the Federal Constitution, and ratifying it if approved. 178*. Feb. The Federal Constitution was adopted in state con- vention. Its ratification was attended by great rejoicings on the part of the people, in which this town heartily joined. 1789. May 8th. The pastor of the Congregational church, Dr. David Hall, died. His ministry in this town covered a period of more than sixty years. His pastorate was nearly sixty. Upon the day of his burial, May 12th, we find, in the Massachusetts Spy, the following obituary : " This day were interred the remains of the Rev. David Hall, D. D., Pastor of the first Church and Congregation in this town ; who, after a long and severe illness, departed this life the 8th inst. in the 85th year of his age, and HOth year of his ministry, much lamented, leaving a sorrowful widow and numerous offspring, as well as bereaved people, to bewail the loss ; who may properly adopt the words of the Prophet, "My Father, my Father, the chariot of Israel and the horsemen thereof," though confidently believing, he is enjoying that crown of life conferred by the Lord Jesus Christ upon all his servants who are faithful unto death. His character as an able orthodox divine, pungent, zealous preacher, and his steady regard to the distinguishing doc- trines of Christianity, with the sobriety and exemplary gravity of his life, and tender affection for his family and TOWN OF SUTTON. 129 flock, are too well known to require illustration; it may suffice to notice, that the general esteem and respect for him was manifested, by the large concourse of people (estimated at more than a thousand) who attended his funeral, with a solemnity becoming the occasion." 1790. March 29th. The parish unanimously concurred with the church in extending a call to the Rev. Edmund Mills "to settle in the work of the ministry in the first parish," and ' ' to pay him an annual Salary of one hundred and twelve pounds including the minsterial money." Apr. 3d. " Voted to transcribe the town Book that con- tains Births and Deaths in an Alphabetical order and also to choose a Committee to see what the cost should.be and make report at May Meeting, and chose Nathaniel Stockwell and Mr. Joel Barton such Committee." "Nov. 2(jth. Chose Capt. John Woodbury, an Agent to collect the powder that the Selectmen lent some years ago that did belong to the Town stock." 1791. Nothing worthy of record. 1792. March 5th. The town "voted to dismiss the trustees that have the care of the ministerial and school money and commit the same into the hand of the Town Treasurer." We copy the following from the records of the first parish : March 19th. To the first Congregational Society. The Society is Doubtless sencible I have been much Ingaged for the Settlement of the Rev. Mr. Mills in This place, and that I have, voluntarily & freely, Been at Some ( 'onsiderable expense Beyond my Propotion, to bring this Event to pass : This however I have Done with pleasure and I am still as friendly To Mr. Mills as ever, & equally Desir- ous as ever of The prosperity & Wellfare of the Society : I 17 130 ANNALS OF THE therefore Beg leave, with respect, to offer to Said Society Three following proposals ; and hope they will meet Their approbation. 1st. That I should be released for the future from Parish business and from Parish Taxes and this In consequence of The two following proposals : 2d. That I will pay the Rev. Mr. Mills the Sum Of ten Dollars Yearly So long as he shall continue the minister of this Place, which Sum is as much Again as has been for this Two last years past. This Sum will reduce his Salary to 109 & as the continuance of my life is uncertain & this Sum may be made sure to Mr. Mills I shall give him proper security for the same. 3d. That should the Society continue to be united And Prosper and Continue to manifest a readiness To Support the Gospel by Seasonable settlements, For this purpose I will within About Two years From this time, Should the Society be pleased to Except of it, make them a present of a bell for the Meeting House Weighing about Seven or Eight hundred Weight. And this Bell Shall be for the use of said Society as long as the publick worship of God shall be maintained under a Calvinis, Orthodox Minister, whether of the Congregational, Presbuterian, Episcopal, or baptes order. EBENEZER WATERS. June llth. The parish voted to accept of the foregoing ' * proposal of Mr. Ebenezer Waters in presenting the Parish with a bell for the Meeting-House." " Voted to build a tower to the Meeting-House." The tower was erected at the west end of the church, and occupied the place of the porch, which was removed and attached to the house now in possession of the heirs of the late Wm. P. Mascroft, of which it still forms a part. In the tower was placed the bell presented by Ebenezer Waters, and the clock given by Gardner Waters. "Voted to build a monument over the grave of the Rev. Dr. Hall." TOWN OF BUTTON. 131 1793. Jan'y 14th. Jonathan Kidder, Samuel Blanchard and Arthur Dagget asked to be set off ' ' from the Town of Sut- ton to be annexed to the Town of Oxford." They have also petitioned the General Court to be set off as above, and the court has issued an order for the town of Sutton to show cause why their petition should not be granted. "The Town chose Amos Singletary Esq. an Agent to go to the General Court and show cause why the above peti- tioners should not be set off." It seems that the reasons given by the town through their agent were regarded as sufficient, as nothing more was heard of the matter. Jan. 18th. A large number of persons are warned to leave the town, because they have taken up their abode within its limits without the permission of the town ; among whom, we find the names of Dr. Amasa Braman and Solo- mon Wellman, sou of the pastor of the second parish. March 18th. The parish " voted to petition the General Court to be incorporated into an Independent Society with the privilege of Taxing the Pews in the Meeting-House for the purpose of supporting preaching until the parish can raise a fund sufficient for that purpose." Nov. 18th. Col. Sibley, Solomon Lelaud, Esq., Col. Woodbury and Jonathan Woodbury were chosen a Com- mittee "to fabricate a petition and obtain subscribers," praying the General Court to pass such act of incorpora- tion.* Nov. 23d. Warning was given to a number of persons, in addition to those before mentioned, " who had lately come into this Town for the purpose of abiding therein not having obtained the Town's consent therefor, to depart the limits thereof forth with." 1794. Feb. 10th. Mr. Gardner Waters proposes to the first parish to make a donation " of a large clock for the Meet- * First Parish Records. 132 ing-House, if they will recieve and prepare the belfry for it." Whereupon the parish vote "to choose a Committee to receive the donation and Stephen Thorne, Capt. Jonathan Woodbury and Mr. L. Le Baron were appointed such Com- mittee." March 3d. We find the first mention of a meeting- house bell, in the warrant for a town meeting in which is the following article : "To see if the Town will vote that the meeting-house bell be rung at nine o'clock every night." August 19th. "Voted to give Each Soldier that shall go o O w into the Sarvis out of the Town of Sutton in the Detach- ment now called for shall have one Dollar as a Bounty when they shall enlist or be Detached and also for the Town to make up to Each Soldier forty-Eight Shillings pr. month with that the Congress gives as Wages if they are Called into Sarvis." Sept. 1st. The parish "voted to sell all the seats below in the Meeting-House for Pew room." At the same meeting "chose Col. Timothy Sibley and Mr. Lazarus Le Baron a Committee to call upon the Town for the ministry money."* By vote of the town this money had been placed in the treasury, and the interest was appropriated to pay town charges. In response to the demand of the parish, a com- mittee was appointed "to search the Records and get all the information they can respecting the ministerial money." Sept. 15th. "Voted that the Selectmen Cause the plan of this Town to be taken Agreeable to a Late act of the General Court requiring such plan, from all the Towns in the State, to be Lodged in the Secretary's office." f 1795. March 16th. The parish established the following rule for the reception of members : "Voted that if any person wishes to join this Society he is to notify the Society's -Clerk of his wish & enter his * Parish Records. I Town Records. TOWN OF SUTTON. 133 name- & that he has bought or hired a seat in the meeting- house his thus proceeding shall entitle him to a certificate that he is a member of said Society." May 7th. Inasmuch as the town neglected to take any action with reference to the ministerial money, the parish appointed Mr. John Hall their agent, and instructed him ' ' in behalf of the first ( 'ongregational Society to commence an action against the Town of Sutton and prosecute to final judgment and execution." * We find the following in the Massachusetts Spy of May 20th : "Ten years ago, without good mental abilities, and a good moral character, a man could not obtain any office in the town of S n ; unanimity and harmony seemed to pre- side at all the town meetings. Since then, the town has been split into small religious societies ; and an unhappy disagree- ment, between the two Congregational societies, has taken place. And the man who professes to be a friend to all parties, but in reality is not a friend to any ; who is contin- ually bawling against a learned clergy, and treats the Sab- bath with contempt; stands a fair candidate for any office the town can give." Doubtless there is something of truth in the above phil- lipic. The war had proved greatly demoralizing to the whole country. Sutton was no exception. And rivalries did to some extent prevail between the different religious societies. But there are probably few towns whose record in success- fully opposing the evil influences at work is more honorable. 1796. The suit of the parish against the town for the recovery of the ministry money was decided in favor of the parish. Nov. 7th. An attempt was made to obtain a vote of the town in favor of an effort to secure a review of the case by the court. But the town refused to take any farther action in the matter. * Parish Records. 134 ANNALS OF THE Nov. 21st. The parish " voted that the Agent (Mr. John Hall) be directed to make offer to the Selectmen that if they will settle up the execution against the Town by giving up the securities for the Ministry Money, or otherwise settle it to his acceptation ; then he be directed not to level said execution otherwise to level it." * 1797. Jan. 23d. The town " voted to give the -Selectmen dis- cretion to settle the execution the first Congregational Society in Sutton has against said Town with the securities the Town holds against individuals for the ministry money, or any other way they can agree." This action virtually settled the controversy in regard to the ministry money. The town "voted to join with other Towns interested in petitioning the General Court for a Committee to lay out a road from Boston through Sutton &c to Woodstock in Con- necticut." f The north parish make a demand for a portion of the ministry money, and the town chose "Mr. Jacob Sevey, Mr. Nathaniel Stockwell, and Lieut. Israel Putnam a Com- mittee to make answer to the demand. March 20th. The society's clerk was instructed to send the following answer to the agents : "The Society, after taking into consideration the demand made on them by Mr. Aaron Pierce, Josiah Stiles and Lieut. Asa Goodale, Agents for the North Parish in Sutton, for eight hundred dollars of the Ministry Money, dated Suttou Feb. 9th 1797, Voted that this Society will adopt such measures, respecting the demand, as it conceives will be consistent with the honor and interests of the Society. With regard to that part of the demand, which proposes a friendly negociation as the most probable means of settling such claims to the mutual satisfaction of both parties it is the determination of this Society to cultivate friendship and * Parish Records. t Town Records. TOWN OF BUTTON. 135 good neighborhood with the North Parish, and with the Town in general, upon fair and honorable principles. "But it is the opinion of this Society that it can not, with propriety, enter into a separate negociation with the North Parish upon the subject until the lawsuit between the Town and this Society respecting the Ministry Money shall be finally determined." * April 3d. The town " Voted that the powder belonging to the Town, in the Meeting house of the 1st Congregational Parish, be removed." In the early history of the New England churches, the practice of raising the salary of the minister and other par- ish expenses by a tax upon property, was universal. But the opinion that such a course was wrong in principle, enter- tained at first by few, gradually extended until opposition to the forced system of sustaining the ordinances of the gos- pel, had become so great, that some change making the matter one of voluntary contribution, was felt to be a neces- sity. Hence the action of the first parish in petitioning the General Court for a special act of incorporation, confering the right to tax pew-holders. Upon these the tax would be just as binding as that upon property. But whether one would become a pew holder, and thus assume the obligation, was a voluntary matter. The petition to which reference is made under the dates March 14th and Nov. 18th, 1795, was favorably entertained, and the act called for passed the House of Representatives June 27th, 1794. For some reasons it did not pass the Senate until June 25th, 1797. Two days later it received the signature of the governor and became a law. Anticipating its immediate passage, "The First Congre- gational Society in the Town of Sutton," held their first meeting and organized, in accordance with its provisions, Aug. 18th, 1794. Col. Timothy Sibley, Ensign Nath'l Carriel and Capt. John Woodbury were chosen assessors for valuing and assessing the pews in the society's meeting house. Henceforth the new system of raising money for parisli * First Parish Records. 136 ANNALS OF THE expenses is to go into effect. The last record we have of a tax upon property for the payment of the ministers salary is March 18th, 1793, which Lieut. Isaac Dodge agrees to collect, in the westerly part of the parish, for three pence per pound, and Mr. Thomas Harback in the easterly part for four pence per pound. The last meeting under warrant "'to notify and warn all the Inhabitants of the First Parish" was held June 2, 1794, by adjournment from April 14th. No business was done. The act incorporating the First Congregational Society is as follows : COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS. In the year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and ninety-four. An Act to incorporate a number of the Inhabitants in the Town of Sutton into a Society by the name of the First ( 1 ongregational Society in Sutton. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives, in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same that Timothy Sibley , Lazarus Lebaron, Jonathan Wood- bury (and others whose names are mentioned) , Members of said First Congregational Society, together with their Estates be and hereby are Incorporated into a Congregational Society by the name of the First Congregational Society in the Town of Sutton. Be it enacted by the authority aforesaid, that the said Society be and hereby are authorized and impowered to raise, by a tax on pews and seats in the Meeting-house in said Society, such sum or sums of money as the proprietors of said Meeting-house, at a legal meeting called for that pur- pose, shall vote and agree upon for the purpose of support- ing and maintaining a public teacher of Piety, Religion, and morality, and other incidental charges and at such meet- ing to choose all such officers as are or shall be necessary to manage and transact all the business of said propriety. And be it farther enacted by the authority aforesaid that the Proprietors of the said First Parish Meeting-House be and hereby are impowered by themselves, or their Commit- tee duly chosen, to cause the pews and seats, in the said TOWN OF SUTTON. 137 Meeting- House, to be valued according to the convenience and situation thereof and to alter, from time to time, such valuation as may be found necessary and to determine what sum each Pew, or part of Pew, or seat shall pay towards the expences and charges aforesaid, and the time and man- ner in which the same shall be paid. And if any Proprietor or owner of a Pew, or part of a Pew, or Seat shall neglect or refuse to pay the sum or sums assessed thereon for a longer time than twenty-days after notice of such assessment having been given him by the Col- lector, such Proprietor or owner shall pay to the use of the said Proprietors, over and above the said Tax or assessment, from the expiration of the said twenty days, at and after the rate of six per centum per annum on such tax or assessment, and if the same, together with the interest aforesaid, shall not be paid within one year from the expiration of said twenty days, the said proprietors may and are hereby authorized and impovvered by themselves or their Committee to sell and dispose of the Pew or part of a Pew or Seat of such delinquent, in such way and manner as shall be agreed on by said proprietors, and, after deducting from the sale thereof the said Tax or assessment with the interest thereon accruing as aforesaid and the charges of the sale the over- plus if any shall be paid to the person so delinquent. And be it farther enacted by the authority aforesaid that the Members of the said Congregational Society are hereby authorized and impowered to take into possession all the lands and other Estate and donation that by any means doth belong to the said Society, and to dispose of the use or income of the same in any way for the use of the Society as shall by them be judged most conducive to the interests and benefit of the same. And be it farther enacted by the authority aforesaid that the Members of said Society be empowered to collect and improve the whole of the Ministry money which belongs to the First Congregational Society in Sutton, and all other donations that have been or may hereafter be made to said Society for the support of a Congregational Minister in said place, and that the Members of said Society be authorized 18 138 ANNALS OF THE and impovvered to receive members whenever applications are made therefor and that the members and all others who may hereafter become their associates (being inhabitants of the Town of Button) and their several estates shall not be liable to be taxed for the support of Publick worship in any other Society in the said Town of Sutton. And be it further enacted by the authority aforesaid that Solomon Leland Esq. be and is hereby impowered and directed to issue his Warrant to some principle member of said Society requesting him to warn the members thereof to meet at such time and place as shall be therein set forth to choose all such officers as are necessary for transacting the business of said Society. In the House of Representatives June 27th, 1794. This Bill having had three several readings passed to be enacted. EDWARD H. BOBBINS, Speaker. In Senate June 25th, 1797. This Bill having had two several readings passed to be enacted. SAMUEL PHILLIPS President. June 27th, 1797. By the Governor approved. SAMUEL ADAMS. True Copy. Attest JOHN AVERY Jun. Secretary. 1798. April 2d. " The Town brought in their votes on the expe- diency of dividing the County of Worcester into two dis- tinct Counties and there were in favor of it 76 and against it one." Nov. 5th. In a town meeting this date "the question was put to see if the Town would grant the petition of the North Parish to be set off and incorporated into a separate Town with their equal proportion according to taxation with all the privileges and immunities which in any wise belong to the Town of Sutton and it passed in the Negative." TOWN OF BUTTON. 139 ' ' Chose a Committee of nine to treat with the North Parish with reference to the separation," as follows : " Col. Holman, Capt. Jonathan Woodbury, Dea. Waters, Josiah Stiles, Ebenezer Waters, Asa Goodale, Col. Woodbury, Major Samuel Waters & Col. Sibley." 1799. May 6th. The committee report in favor of "setting off the North Parish as a separate Town." The town voted not to accept the report of the commit- tee. Dec. 14th. " The Father of his Country died." 1801. June 1st. "The society chose Mr. L. Le Baron, Capt. Jonathan Woodbury and Capt. John Woodbury to cause the gunpowder to be immediately removed from the meeting house." June 22d. The town " voted to build a powder house to put the Town's stock in." 1802. Nov. 22d. The society voted "that if any person wishes to be a member of said Society, he shall make application to the Society's Committee and get a certificate from them directed to the Society's Clerk to have his name entered in said Society's Book.'' 1804. March 19th. The warrant for a society meeting con- tained the following article : "To see if the Society will be willing that a church organ should be placed in the front gallery in the meeting house, and played on Sundays," upon which the society "Voted t hat the organ now placed in this house be continued where it is for the use of the Society." 1807. March Kith. In society meeting it was " Voted that the Committee make inquiry concerning all improper conduct 140 ANNALS OF THE in the Meeting-House ;" also " That there shall be performed on the organ no tunes on Sunday's but such as the Chorister shall dictate." 1809. Nov. 20th. The town "voted to remonstrate to the General Court against the incorporation of the second Parish of Sutton into a separate Town,", and a "Committee of three was appointed to draw up a remonstrance." 1810. May 7th. The town "gave their consent that one third part of the Town Meetings should be held in the Second Parish on condition that the said parish should withdraw their petition to the General Court to be incorporated into a separate Town, and until they shall present another of the same import which (should it take place) then the meet- ings are all to be held in the iirst parish." 1811. Jan. 21st. "Voted that a Committee be appointed to draft a remonstrance against the petition of the second parish to be incorporated into a separate Town ; " also ' ' voted that the Town would not consent to the second parish being incorporated." March 4th. The town "voted to furnish themselves with two carriages or hearses, one for each Parish, and erect suit- able buildings to deposit the same in." April 3d. A committee, "chosen for the purpose of divising some means whereby to determine the legal mem- bers of the Society, and to form some tixed and established rules to receive members and associates agreeably to their act of incorporation, report as follows : " 1st. That any individual desirous of becoming a mem- ber of the First Congregational Society in Sutton being an inhabitant of said Town shall be the legal owner of at least one half of a pew in the meeting-house belonging to the Society, that he shall signify his wish to the Clerk of said Society whose duty it shall be to record his name if the TOWN OF SUTTON. 141 same shall be approved of by the Society's Committee, then being approved, he shall to all intents and purposes be a member of said Society. " 2ndly. That in all sales of pews that shall hereafter be made by virtue of said act of incorporation, it shall be the duty of the ( 1 ommittee authorized to make sale of such pews to make and execute good and sufficient deeds to the purchasers of said pews, the acknowledgeing and recording such deeds to be at the expense of the purchasers. "3dly. It shall be the duty of the standing Committee together with the clerk of said Society to make out in the month of February annually a list of the qualified voters of said Society, and the same shall be read at every annual meeting of said Society." 1812. The second parish make a demand for a portion of the ministerial money, as follows : ' ' At a legal meeting of the inhabitants of the second Parish in Sutton on Monday the ninth day of March A. D. 1812. the following votes passed, (viz.) Voted that this Parish do demand of the first Congregational Society in Sut- ton the proportion of the ministerial money, or fund, so call- ed, now in their Treasury which belongs to this Parish, being- one half of the whole. Also voted that Lieut. Asa Good- ale and Josiah Stiles Esq. and Aaron Pierce Esq. be a Com- mittee to serve the Clerk of said Society with a Copy of the above vote, and to ask and receive from said Society on behalf of this Parish their proportion of said fund. "A true copy from the Parish record. "Attest, ELIAS LOVELL Parish Clerk." "In compliance to the foregoing votes the committee therein named hereby ask from the first Congregational Society in Sutton the proportion of Ministerial Money in their possession which belongs to the second Parish in said Town they also request an answer or reply to this com- munication as soon as will be convenient. "Sutton 2d Parish March l()th 1812. 142 ANNALS OF THE "To the Clerk of the first Congregational Society in Sut- ton to be communicated to said Society. "AsA GOODALE "AARON PIERCE." Answer to the foregoing request or demand : "To Lt. Asa Goodale, Josiah Stiles and Aaron Pierce Esqs., Gentlemen. "Having been appointed by the first Congregational Society in Sutton at their annual meeting in March last to present to you an answer to your request, in conformity to the votes of the second Parish in Sutton at their meeting held march 9th 1812, to. the first Congregational Society in Sutton for the one half of the ministerial fund now in the hands of the Treasurer of said Society. In answer to your demand we can only say that, in consequence of so u/ir.f- pected a request, we have examined the Charter of fix- Town, the proprietors Book, and the town records, and can find nothing to justify a compliance with your demand and unless you can, Gentlemen, shew us some ground either in justice, or law, we cannot comply with your request. " JOSIAH WHEELOCK "DAN'L TENNEY "Agents for the First Congregational Society in Sutton. " Sutton April 8th 1812 " 1813. Jan. llth. The inhabitants of the north parish continue to petition the General Court for an act of incorporation constituting them a separate town and the town vote ' ' to oppose the prayers of the petitioners in the second Parish." A committee of five is appointed to draw up a remonstrance against their application. The remonstrance was prepared and reported, whereupon it was " Voted that the aforesaid remonstrance was agreea- ble, and that it be accepted," also " that the Representative of the town present the said 'remonstrance to the General Court." TOWN OF SUTTON. 143 The remonstrance of the people of the south part of the town against the incorporation of the second parish into a new town proved unavailing. An act of incorporation was obtained and became a law by the approval of the Governor June 11, 1813. The act is as follows : June llth. An Act to Incorporate the North Parish in the Town of Sutton into a separate town by the name of Millbury. Sec. 1. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of' Repre- sentatives in General Court assembled and by authority of the same. That all the lands comprised within the North Parish in the town of Sutton, in the county of Worcester as the same is now bounded together with the farm on which Joshua Chase now lives in said town, with all inhabitants dwelling thereon, be and they hereby are incorporated with all the powers, privileges and immunities and subject to all the duties and requirements of other incorporated towns agreeably to the constitution and laws of this Commonwealth. Sec. 2. Be it further enacted : That the inhabitants of said town of Millbury shall be holden to pay all the arrears of taxes which have been assessed upon them by the town of Sutton ; and shall also support and maintain all such per- sons as heretofore have been, now are, or here after may be inhabitants of that part of Sutton hereby incorporated, and are or may become chargeable according to the laws of this Commonwealth, and who have not obtained a settlement else where therein. Sec. 3d. Be it further enacted that the inhabitants of the said town of Millbury shall be entitled to receive and hold such proportion of all real and personal property of the said town of Sutton of what kind soever it may be, now owned in common by the inhabitants of said town as the property of the Inhabitants of Millbury bears to the property of all the inhabitants of the said town of Sutton according to the last valuation thereof; and shall also be holden to pay their proportion (to be ascertained as aforesaid) of all the debts now due and owing from the said town of Sutton and the inhabitants, and the inhabitants of said Millbury or any 144 ANNALS OF THE religious Society therein shall furthermore be entitled to receive and hold such proportion as they are now entitled to, if any, of the ministerial mone}- raised by the sale of ministerial lauds in said Sutton which money is now in the hands of the First Congregational Society in Sutton: Sec. 4. Be it further enacted : That in case the dividing line between the said town of Millbury and said town of Sutton should happen to divide the farms of any of the inhabitants of either of said towns, the said inhabitants shall be taxed for the whole of their home farm in that town only where they may respectively dwell. Sec. 5th. Be it further enacted : That any Justice of the Peace for the County of Worcester upon application there- for is hereby authorized to issue his warrant, directed to any freeholder in the said town of Millbury requiring him to notify and warn the inhabitants thereof to meet at such time and place as may be appointed in said warrant for the choice of all such town officers as towns are by law required to choose at their annual town meetings. August 16th. The town " chose Capt. Reuben Waters, Major Josiah Wheelock, Mr. James McClellan Jonas Sibley Esq. Dea. Jonathan Leland, Mr. Darius Russell and Mr. Peter Dudley a Committee to establish the line between the towns of Millbury and Sutton and make a settlement with Millbury." Sept. 27th. The committee above mentioned report as follows : The Committee appointed by the Town of Suttou for the purpose of settling with the Town of Millbury such matters as arise from the recent incorporation of that town, ask leave to report that they have attended in part to the affairs of their appointment, and have agreed with a Com- mittee appointed by the town of Millbury to report the following particulars for the consideration of the town. 1st. That the line lately reviewed by the aforementioned Committees and stated to be the original line between the North and South Parishes in Sutton be considered as the line between the towns of Sutton and Millbury. 2ndly. That the valuation of real and personal property in the late town of Sutton be considered the standard for TOWN OF BUTTON. 145 dividing the debts and property belonging to the towns of Suttoii and Millbury. Hdly. That the real estate given or purchased for the support of any of the paupers of the late town of Sntton be considered as the property of that town to which such paupers shall fall for maintenance. 4ly. That the powder house, pound, hearse-house and hearse, in Sutton, belong to that town. That the hearse- house and hearse in Millbury shall be the property of the town of Millbury. That the town of Millbury, however have the privilege of depositing their stock in the powder- house in Sutton as long as is convenient. othly. That the money raised for the support of schools, the poor t&c. by the late town of Sutton in May last, be divided before it is assessed and each town be at liberty to assess its share;, but the State and County taxes must be assessed by the assessors chosen by the late town of Sutton in March last upon all the inhabitants of Sutton and Mill- bury ; each town however to pay for the collecting of its own inhabitants. All of which is respectfully submitted. 1815. March 20th. The society " voted to choose six choris- ters, and made choice of Major Thomas Harback, Mr. John Carpenter, Capt. Nathaniel Sibley, Mr. John Morse, Mrs. Lydia Cummings,'and Miss M. Whiting." April 5th. The town "voted to choose a Committee of tive to consider the propriety of building a house for the poor who are to report the same to the town at their next March meeting." 1816. March 4th. The above committee reported, but no action was taken on the report. 1817. May 5th. We copy the following from the Worcester y - Died at Suttoii on the evening of the 5th instant, Ensign 19 146 ANNALS OF THE John H. Bartlett, aged 3#. In attempting to take a bag of meal from the fore-end of a loaded cart while the team was moving along, Mr. Bartlett, by some means fell directly before the wheels : unable immediately to extricate himself, the wheel passed over the lower part of his head and frac- tured his skull in a shocking manner. A portion of the brain was forced out at each ear. He lived about two hours after the accident. Also at Sutton on the 8th instant Lieut. Jonathan Burden, aged 56. Mr. Burden brother in law to Mr. Bartlet, early on Tuesday morning, the 6th instant, set out for Upton to give information of the death of the latter. Being on foot he did not confine himself to the road, but took the nearest course across the fields and lots. In attempting to get over a fence he fell backwards (as was supposed) upon his head and shoulders, and from that moment was unable to move from the spot where he then lay. His long absence excited much alarm among his friends and neighbors. On Wednes- day evening a number of the inhabitants assembled and made a diligent search till one o'clock that night, when he was found nearly exhausted by cold and the effects of the injury he had received. He had been lying in this situation upwards of forty hours. After being removed to the nearest house he died in about ten hours. Nov. Measures were taken for the establishment of a line of stages from Boston to Hartford, through the towns of Framingham, Grafton, Sutton, Oxford and Dudley in Massa- chusetts', and Woodstock, Ashford, etc., in Connecticut. Divisions were made of the route, and companies formed for the purpose of raising the necessary funds for its equip- ment. For the division extending from Grafton to Ash- ford the sum of seventeen hundred ($1700.) dollars was required, which was divided into shares at twenty-five dol- lars each. Subscriptions were solicited from the inhabit- ants of the towns chiefly benefited. Among the subscribers names we find from Sutton : James Freeland, two shares ; Stephen Monroe, one share ; Moses L. Morse, one share ; Daniel Hovey, one share. TOWN OF SUTTON. 147 1818. May 4th. The town "chose a Committee of five to look into the propriety of building a poor house and make report to some town-meeting next to be called." Dec. 14th. The above Committee reported and their report was recommitted to be presented at the next annual meeting. 1819. March 1st. The Committee reported, and their report was accepted, and the Selectmen were appointed a Commit- tee to procure a suitable house to accommodate the poor of the town. The town chose Mr. Samuel Taylor and Sumner Barstow and Daniel Tenuey a Committee to take measures to obtain possession of the donation made by the late Mr. John Cole to the south parish in Sutton for school purposes, if, upon investigation, it shall be found that it was the design of Mr. Cole to make it to that part of the town formerly regarded as the first or South Parish. 1820. The town ' ' voted that a suit be forthwith commenced in order to obtain the legacy of the late Mr. John Cole." 1821. May 7th. "Voted that Sumner Barstow be directed to endorse a writ made in the name of the First Parish in Sutton against Hannah Cole and the town will pay all ex- pense." This action was taken for the purpose of obtaining posses- sion of the legacy above mentioned. 1822. March 18th. The society "voted to choose a Committee of three to see what a stove for the meeting house will cost and report to the next Society meeting, and made choice of Dea. Jonathan Leland, Dea. John Morse, and Capt. Enoch Stock we 11." 148 ANNALS OF THE 1823. March 17th. The above Committee reported, and the society " voted to adjourn the matter until our next annual meeting." April 7th. "Voted to purchase a farm for the purpose of support hi": the town poor thereon." Voted to choose a Committee of five to examine such farms in the town as are for sale and ascertain the price at which each may be purchased, and at the anniversary meet- ing May next, report to the town which in their opinion it will be most for their interest to purchase." May oth. The committee report and arc authorized "to purchase for and in behalf of the town a farm and buildings such as they shall judge suitable and most convenient for the purpose of supporting their poor thereon, provided that the price does not exceed the sum of three thousand ($3,000. ) dollars." This proviso was afterwards reconsidered and discretion- ary power was given to the committee "to exceed the sum of three thousand ($3,000.) dollars if in their opinion the interests of the town will be thereby promoted." Aug. 16th. In society meeting the following votes were passed : "Voted to repair or exchange the new bell and to raise the money by subscription. "Chose Dea. Win. Bond, Jonas L. Sibley Esq., Mr. Samuel Taylor, Major Moses L. Morse, and Mr. Elisha Hale a Committee to obtain subscriptions and to procure the bell and have it placed in its proper place ; the bell not to exceed seven hundred pounds in weight." Also " Voted that it is the sense of this meeting that money ought to be raised to help support singing but as we are not going to raise any money at present, it is not thought best to. raise any at this time/' 1X24. March 1st. The committee chosen to purchase a farm for the town for the use of the poor " reported, that they had not purchased any and asked to be discharged from further duty." TOWN OF SUTTON. 149 March 15th. The society's committee to procure a bell reported as follows : W eight of new bell, 1084 Ibs. Cost of new bell, - $374.00 ( 'artiug and raising. - $20.70 Whole cost of bell, $394.70 Received for the old bell. - - $179.7") The old bell had upon it the following inscription : This bell is a present made by Mr. Ebenezer Waters to the First Society in Sutton as long as the gospel Ministry is maintained by the Congregatioiialest, Presbyterian Epis- copalian and Baptist in this place, if all the above fail in this place then to some other preference to the First Parish." June 23d. We find in the Mattsac.hn.Mttx Spy of this date the following notice : UNION CELEBRATION t The Forty-ninth Anniversary of our Xational Indepen- dence will be celebrated at Sutton on the 5th of July next, without distinction of party. An address will be delivered on the occasion by the Rev. Mr. Hoadley of Worcester. A dinner and other accommodations, both for gentlemen and ladies, will be provided at the house of the Rev. Edmund Mills by two citizens of the town. Tickets fifty cents exclu- sive of liquor, which will be furnished to those who call for it by paying for the same. Necessary accommodations for horses by Edmund J. Mills. Services to commence at 11 o'clock. CALEB BUHBANK. Per order of the Committee of Arrangements. 1K25. March 21st. In a meeting this date the society "Voted that the singers choose their own leaders." May 2d. "Voted to raise forty (40.00) dollars for the support of singing," and "chose Benj. Batcheller. Daniel AVoodbury and Nathaniel Sibley a Committee to lay out and spend the above forty dollars. Nov. 7th. Rev. Edmund Mills died. 150 ANNALS OF THE 1826. March 20th. The society "Voted that the Committee be directed to procure gravestones to the Rev. Edmund Mills' grave, said stones not to exceed forty (40.00) dol- lars." May 4th. The society "voted unanimously to join with the Church in giving Mr. John Maltby an invitation to settle with them in the ministry." Trouble with singing and singers continues, as is evident from the following vote : " Voted that the Society disapprove of the scandalous let- ter addressed to Mr. Vernon Titus, one of the Choristers, and chose a ( 'ommittee of three to inform Mr. Titus of this vote and request him to resume his office as Chorister." 1828. March 3d. The town " chose Jonas L. Sibley, Nathan- iel Woodbury and Thomas Harback a Committee to inquire into the expediency of purchasing a farm for the poor of the town, and see if one can be procured, and make their report at the April meeting." April 7th. The above committee reported that they had examined Dea. Bond's farm, containing about ninety acres, valued at three thousand dollars, the farm of Mr. Elias Pratt, being about one hundred and thirty acres, and valued at thirty-eight hundred (3800.) dollars. " They preferred the one occupied by Mr. Simon Hutch- inson to either of the others, containing about one hundred and fifty acres, and recommend that the town purchase the same. But the question being put whether this report should be accepted ; it was negatived." The question was submitted ' ' shall a new County be formed by taking from the County of Worcester the seven- teen following towns : to wit, Royalston, Winchendon, Athol, Templeton, Philipston, Lancaster, Bolton, Harvard, Gardner, Westminster, Ashburnham, Fitchburg, Leorninster, Lunen- burg, Princeton and Hubbardstou." The majority voted " no." TOWN OF SUTTON. 151 November 3d. The church erected in 1751 was burned. A town meeting had been held in it during the day to vote for representative to congress 'and electors of presi- dent and vice president. The fire occurred at night ; its origin was never ascertained, and by many it was supposed to be the work of an incendiary. Nov. 24th. A meeting of the society Avas held for the purpose of taking measures to erect a new house of worship. At this meeting it was "voted that the Rev. John Maltby be invited to open the' meeting by prayer, which invitation was given and complied with.'' "Voted that it is the ardent desire of the members of this Society that a new house of Public and Religious wor- ship should be erected near the site of the old meeting- house to be called the First Congregational Society's Meet- ing-house in Sutton, and the Proprietors thereof to form the said Society and be entitled to the funds now belonging to said Society, and all the powers and privileges of the same, and that individually we will use our utmost endeavors to accomplish the object." A committee was appointed to raise by subscription the necessary funds. The following were appointed a building committee : Amos Armsby, Jonas L. Sibley, Daniel Tenney, Elisha Hale and Nathaniel Woodbury. 1829. June 15th. The corner stone of the new meeting-house was laid with appropriate services. In this stone was deposited a silver plate, upon which is the following inscription : ' 4 Erected by the first Congrega- tional Society in Sutton dedicated to God Father, Son and Holy Ghost A. D. 1829." A list of the subscribers for building the house was also placed in the corner stone, and the sums specified which each contributed. The contract for the stone work of the church was $1,140, and for the house $4,800. 152 ANNALS OF THE 1830. The new meeting-house seems to have been completed in February of this year. It \vas dedicated February 24th. Edmund J. Mills was marshal on the occasion. 1831. May llth. The town ''Voted to hold its meetings in the future in the basement of the Congregational Meeting-house and to pay the Congregational Society the sum of twenty- tive dollars per year for the use of said room.'' June 15th. The society finding the act of incorporation of 1794 in some respects defective, secured an amendatory act as follows : An Act in addition to an Act to incorporate the First Congregational Society in Sutton. Section 1st. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled and by the authority of the same : That the First Congregational Society in Sutton, be and they hereby are authorized and impowered to raise by tax on the pews or parts of pews or seats in the Meeting house of said Society, or on such portion of them as said Society at a legal Meeting thereof shall vote and determine to be taxed O O and assessed such sum or sums of money as they shall agree upon and Grant for the purpose of maintaining and support- ing a public Teacher or Teachers of morality, for repairs and alterations of their said Meeting-house and for all other purposes incident to and connected with the objects of said Society. Section 2nd. Be it further enacted : That it shall be the duty of the Collector or Collectors of said Society to give notice to the proprietor or proprietors of the pews or parts of pews or seats in said Meeting house, by posting up at the entrance thereof and at some other Convenient public place in said town of Sutton, a notification in writing of the time and place he or they will meet the said Proprietor or Propri- etors, thirty days at least prior to the time of such meeting, together with a Copy of the Tax Bill committed to him or them to Collect to receive the tax or assessment made upon TOWN OF SUTTON. 153 his or their respective pew or pews or parts thereof or seats for the purposes aforesaid ; and if any proprietor or propri- etors as aforesaid shall fail to meet said Collector or Collectors as aforesaid, and pay to him or them the tax or assessment made upon his or their pew or pews or parts thereof or seats as aforesaid, and shall neglect or refuse to pay the same to said Collector or Collectors of said Society, they are hereby authorized and empowered to sell at public vendu such delinquent proprietor or proprietors pew or pews or interest therein or seat or seats having tirst given public notice of the time and place of sale, by posting up notifications thereof at two or more public places in said Town of Sutton four days at least before the time appointed for said sale and make and execute a good and sufficient deed or deeds thereof to the purchaser or purchasers of the same : provided how- ever that such sale or sales shall not be valid nor the Deed or deeds be given as aforesaid, unless said Collector or Collectors shall have tirst obtained the consent in writing of the prudential Committee of said Society to make such sale or sales as aforesaid, and in case the proceeds of the sale of such delinquent or delinquents pew or pews or parts thereof or seat or seats made as aforesaid shall not be sufficient to pay the whole amount of the sum assessed upon them as aforesaid and all legal charges, such Collector or Collectors are authorized and empowered, and it is hereby made their duty to collect such deficiency with all the expense attending the same out of other property of such delinquent or delin- quents in the same manner as Town, County or State taxes are collected. Sect. 3d. Be it further enacted : That so much of the Act to which this is in addition, as is inconsistent with the provisions of this Act be and hereby is repealed. In House of Representatives June 15th 1831. Passed to be enacted W. B. CALHOUN, Speaker. In Senate June 15th 1831. Passed to be enacted LEVEKETT SALTONSTALL President. June 15th 1831. Approved LEVI LINCOLN. 20 154 ANNALS OF THE 1833. March 4th. Origen Harback and others petition for " lib- erty to erect a public house for a tavern on the Common near the Congregational Meeting-house on the site of the old meeting-house." A committee is appointed to take the matter under con- sideration. At an adjourned meeting this committee report ' ' that it is the opinion of the Committee that the Town sell the Town Common in lots at public auction to the highest bidder for the purpose of erecting buildings thereon, as may best accommodate purchasers, the town giving Quit-Claim Deeds for the same." Which report was not accepted. 1835. March 2d. The warrant for a town meeting contained the following article : " To see if the town will instruct the Selectmen to with- hold any approbation or recommendation for any person as a retailer of spirituous liquors in said town for the ensuing year and to see what other directions the town will give their Selectmen in relation to the same subject." Upon which the town ' ' Voted not to instruct the Selectmen not to grant licences." 1836. May 9th. The town "Voted that a Committee of five be nominated by the Selectmen for a Committee to purchase a farm for the Town and Edmund J. Mills, Caleb Chase, David Putnam, Joshua Armsby and Samuel Waters were nominated and chosen for said Committee to buy a farm." 1837. Jan. 23d. The town took action as follows upon the dis- position of the surplus revenue which had accumulated in the United States treasury and by act of Congress been divided among the several states. "Voted to adopt the following Resolves and that our Representatives be furnished with a copy of the same and requested to Act accordingly. TOWN OF SUTTON. 155 ' < Resolved that while we feel deeply sensible of the importance of the general defusion of intelligence and knowledge throughout the community at large as inductive of public happiness and virtue as well as for the better understanding of the principles of our government, and the preservation of our liberties, and of Public schools as pro- motive of this end as also of the great and general benefit resulting from a liberal and well regulated system of Internal improvements within the State and while we would rec- ommend those as well as the general interests of education to the guardian care and fostering hand of government yet as the revenues of the Country are collected from the people through the Custom-houses or by the sale of the public lands which are the property of the people, therefore "Resolved, That the objects of Congress in disposing of the surplus revenues of the different States of the Union would be better obtained and more justly effected by distrib- uting the share to be deposited with this State among the several towns and districts of this Commonwealth in pro- portion to their respective population to be by them appro- priated as they shall deem most fit and proper." April 3d. The town "voted to receive from the Treasurer and Receiver General of the Commonwealth its proportion of the surplus revenue of the United States in deposit and will comply with the terms and provisions of the several Acts passed by the Legislature of said Commonwealth con- cerning the deposit of the surplus revenue." The town records contain no reference to the purchase of a farm by the committee appointed May 9th, 1836, but at the meeting held as above, it was "Voted that the Over- seers of the Poor stock and furnish the Town Farm." * 1843. Aug. 6th. Much interest began to be manifested by many in the town in the cause of temperance, as is evident from the following article in the warrant for a town meeting upon this date, "To see if the town by vote will instruct the * The farm now known as the "Town Farm," was purchased of David Tourtelott, March 15, 1837. 156 ANNALS OF THE Selectmen not to approbate any person to be licensed as an inn-holder with a license to retail or sell wine, or spirituous, or fermented liquors, or any other person as a retailer of wine, or spirituous, or fermented liquors." This article was not acted upon. 1844. Jan. 29th. The society "voted that the meeting-house be not opened for any political or secular purpose, and that the basement of said house be not opened for any purposes excepting the concerns of the town, Society, or Church, without the express leave of the Prudential Committee, and then only at the full expense of the persons applying for permission." 1846. March 2d. Warren Hunt and others have petitioned the legislature to be incorporated in connection with East Douglas as a new town. Upon which petition the town took action as follows : "Resolved, That in the opinion of this meeting the peti- tion of Warren Hunt and others now pending before the Legislature of this Commonwealth for an Act of Incorpora- tion for a new town out of territory of the towns of Doug- las and Sutton by which said towns will be deprived of a portion of their respective territory ought not to pass. That if said petition for said Act of Incorporation was to pass, it would do great injustice to both of said towns of Douglas and Sutton. "Resolved, That this town will take all lawful and proper measures to oppose the passage of any Act of Incorporation of a new town under said petition by which this town shall be deprived of any part of its territory." 1847. March 1st. The legacy left by Mr. John Cole for school purposes, to which reference was made in these annals under the dates of 1819, '20-21, was awarded by the court in which the town had brought suit for its possession to the keeping TOWN OF RUTTON. 157 of the South Parish (what was the South Parish when the legacy was made). The parish make a proposition to the town to take this money as a permanent loan. Upon which proposition the town "voted to borrow of the South Parish in Sutton the amount of the school-fund belonging to said parish, at six per cent, interest per annum, payable on the 1st day of January annually, and that their Treasurer be authorized under the superintendence of their Selectmen to give security for the same." 1853. Nov. 14. Certain persons interested in the formation of a Methodist Episcopal Church have asked the town for a lot of land ' ' on the west side of the Common or in the South- west corner of the burying-ground upon which to erect a meeting house." Upon which request the following motion was made: "That the town grant the M. E. Church the use of a portion of the common as asked for, on condition that a Committee of three, one of whom shall be a member of said Society, shall investigate the matter immediately, and decide that it can be done legally." The above motion was adopted, and Messrs. G. W. Put- nam, Samuel Taylor and Horace Leland were chosen a committee "to locate and fix the spot for said house, if they shall find they have a legal right." 1854. March 6th. The town chose " Sylvanus Putnam, as Agent to give a lease of the lot of land granted by the town to the M. E. Church and located by the Committee chosen for that purpose." It was also "voted that when- ever the M. E. Church shall cease to worship in their house the land shall revert back to the town and the house shall l>e moved." The Methodist Episcopal Society was duly organized officers were chosen and a code of by-laws adopted, and measures taken to secure a lease from the town of a lot of land for their meeting house. 158 ANNALS OF THE April 1st. A lease of a lot upon the west side of the com- mon, a little south of the school-house was given by the agent appointed for the purpose, the condition of which was, "that a House of worship should be built upon said premises on or before the expiration of three years from the 14th day of November last, and that whenever the said M. E. Church shall cease to worship in their House for the time of one year, the land shall revert back to the Town of Sut- ton, and the Lessees shall remove their House of Worship from the said premises and clear them of all iucumbrances." * 1856. Feb. 23. Several petitions are pending before the Gen- eral Court for a dismemberment of the town. "Horace Leland, Le Baron Putnam, Putnam King, Pliny Slocumb and Simon J. Woodbury are appointed a Committee to oppose these petitions." Dec. 6. The above named committee are instructed "to oppose all petitions of a like nature which may come before the next General Court." 1857. April 6. "Voted to instruct our Representative in Gen- eral Court to use the extent of his ability and influence to oppose and vote against any proposition for a dismember- ment of the Town before the present Legislature." 1861. April 11. Fort Sumter was fired upon and the war of the Rebellion inaugurated. April 15. The President issues his Proclamation calling for 75,000 of the militia of the several states to "repossess the forts, places and property," which had been seized, " to maintain the perpetuity of popular Government and to redress wrongs long enough endured." These men were called for three mouths' service. April 29. An impromtu meeting of citizens of the town was held for the purpose of discussing the situation, * Town Records. TOWN OF BUTTON. 159 and a committee appointed to draught a series of resolutions for the action of a meeting of the town called for the day following. April 30. At the meeting of this date the feeling of indignation at the atrocity of the act of tiring on the national flag ; of patriotic devotion, and of determined purpose to crush rebellion, was in full harmony with that which pre- vailed throughout all the loyal states. In view of the peril of the hour, and the necessity of wise action, it was pro- posed that the proceedings be opened with prayer ; and it is recorded that the Rev. Mr. Hawkins being called upon "to address the Throne of Grace, responded in a fervent and appropriate prayer." On motion of E. J. Mills, it was " voted that a Commit- tee chosen at a meeting held last evening to present the sub- ject for action to-day be invited to do so now, and the Hon. J. D. McCrate, Chairman of said Committee, responded in the following RESOLUTIONS. Resolved, That in this most unnatural contest, waged against our Country by a band of traitors in the Southern States, we, the inhabitants of Sutton, believing that the whole strength of the country should be exerted in an official manner to put down rebellion, call upon the Government of the United States to make no terms or compromises with traitors, but to carry on the war in such a manner, and with such force as will strengthen the union sentiment which we believe still exists in portions of the rebellious States, and intimidate and overwhelm those, who, regardless of all obli- gations, seek a division of our beloved Country. Resolved. That we are neither advocates of, nor believers in the right of Secession, That we regard the course taken by the self-styled Seceding States as Revolution without justifiable cause, and that the Government of the Country is therefore bound to put it down by the strong arm of force. Resolved. That we appropriate the sum of six thousand ($6,000) dollars for the specific object of taking care of the 1HO ANNALS OF THE families, and of uniforming such of the inhabitants of this Town as shall enlist either for the war or for three years or more, and shall be called out to serve for that period and be accepted by the regularly constituted authorities of the Country. Resolved. That the above sum or whatever portion thereof be necessary shall be expended under the direction of a Committee of three to be chosen at this meeting. Resolved. That Col. John D. McCrate, A. Dudley Chase and James Taylor be a Committee for the purpose above mentioned. "Voted to pay such persons as may volunteer one dollar per day for the time necessary to be expended in drilling." June 4th. The town give instructions as follows, with reference to the pay of Volunteers and aid to their families : "The Committee elected, at a previous meeting, for the purpose of disbursing certain moneys to Volunteer Soldiers and their families are instructed to pay all persons who have volunteered belonging to Sutton the sum of one dollar per day for actual drilling and to pay the families of the same such sums per week as the late State Act has authorized. The said Committee are farther instructed to pay the Towns of Oxford, and Grafton, or other Towns, such sums of money as they have paid or shall pay our men for drilling, or for uniforms." June 8th. The Committee chosen April 30th to attend to the disbursement of certain sums of money report : "That they believe the legal duties incumbent upon them can be as well transacted by the Selectmen, and they would therefore respectfully resign." Their resignation was accepted, and the selectmen were instructed to discharge the duties of this committee and to render such aid to the families of volunteers as in their judgment they may require. The town also authorized the treasurer, "by the advice of the Selectmen to borrow from time to time such sum or sums of money as may be necessary for the purposes above mentioned." TOWN OF SUTTON. 1H1 1862. July 22(1. The town " voted to pay to each Volunteer who shall enlist into the Army of the United States the sum of one hundred and twenty-five dollars." August 2d. The town "Voted to offer a bounty of one hundred and fifty ($150.00) dollars to any person who, on, or before, the eighteenth day of August, will enlist as a Volunteer in the Army of the United States as one of quota of twenty-eight men from Sutton, the same to be paid as soon as such person shall have been accepted and mustered." August 23d. The call for nine months men was promptly responded to by the town, which "voted to take measures to procure by enlistment our quota of troops, and to pay to each person enlisting as one of said quota a bounty of one hundred and fifty ($150.00) dollars." At this meeting "the following Resolutions, presented by Jason Waters, Esq. were unanimously adopted and the Clerk instructed to furnish a Copy for the press, and also to forward a Copy to the President." RESOLUTIONS. Whereas, The President having called upon this town to raise a second quota of men, in addition to those who, with patriotic zeal previously volunteered for the service, to put down the iniquitous, Southern Rebellion, therefore, Resolved: That we heartily respond to this and any call the President may make, to crush treason and save our Country from its withering curse, upon the great principles set forth in the Declaration of Human Rights made by the Fathers of the Republic by the powers conferred upon the Government by the Constitution and laws, and by the rights which the laws of the Civilized Nations of the World declare to be just ; and to this end alone do we hereby pledge ourselves, our lives and property, all that we are, and all that we can be, to the prompt deliverance of our Country from the baneful curse of malignant traitors and unscrupulous assassins. Resolved : That it is with the deepest humiliation and most poignant regret, that we have witnessed the great 21 162 ANNALS OF THE sacrifice of human life, in the persons of our brave soldiers and the union loving people of the Southern States, together with millions of public and private property, which sacrifice, in our belief, was made in the efforts of the Government to placate and flatter rebels, secessionists, or semi-secessionists, by exempting from seizure and confiscation a portion of the property of rebels on which they relied for success in their hellish raid, and without which a successful resistance to the laws and armies of the United States could not be of long duration. Resolved : That we earnestly urge the President to adopt a policy, that shall make these contumacious scoundrels feel the horrors of a war of their own inauguration, believing it to be but justice to humanity that the authors of this most atrocious rebellion should be made to feel in some degree, commensurate with their crimes, the evils and woes which they with blackhearted villainy have thrust upon humanity which they have cursed, in the name of freemen who stand firm and unconditionally by their Country, its Constitution, and Laws in the name of the brave heroes who have died that their Country might live in the name of a just God who ruleth all nations with the sceptre of Perfect justice, to take a position on the great principles of Truth, Liberty and Justice, and adopt a policy that has for its purpose the sudden and utter destruction of every root and branch of this diabolical rebellion, and let it be universally proclaimed to the army, the navy, the country and the world, so that there may be no longer any conflict of opinion among the people of the country or the world, nor further conflict of action among subordinate officials ; and that any obstacle to so grand a consummation, whether it be officials in the army or navy ministers in the cabinet or foreign courts ; whether it be from States at home or nations abroad, acting under the specious pretext of neutrality, let them be speedily removed ; and the Nation will then arise from the dust of her humiliation, with her noble principles tried and purified to elevate mankind and bless the world." August 30th. "The Rev. Mr. Richardson, of Worcester, by previous invitation, was present, and favored the people TOWN OF SUTTON. 163 with an Address upon the condition, and prospects of the Country, and our present crisis. Many Ladies, to whom an invitation had been extended to do so, were present, to listen to the Address and encourage us by their presence." * 1863. Massachusetts, under the guidance of her noble Governor, John A. Andrew, was the first state to respond to the call of President Lincoln for troops for the defense of the national capital, after the bombardment and surrender of Fort Sumter. As early as 1860 she had made a tender to the government of her military forces, and had put five thousand men under drill, for whom she had provided clothing and accoutrements ; but of these only three thousand were armed with the Springfield rifle-musket. The first call for troops was received on the fifteenth of April, 1861 , and on the sixteenth two regiments, mustered with all necessary equipments ready to move ; and within six days from the date of the President's call, Massachusetts had six regiments on the way to the scene of danger. Many of these troops were poorly armed, and left the state relying upon the ability of the national government to supply the defect when they should arrive at their destination. But the gov- ernment was sadly deficient in arms, owing to the depletion of the northern armories by John B. Floyd, secretary of war the seizure of the United States armory at Harper's Ferry by the militia of Virginia, which contained fifteen thousand stand of arms and the destruction of Gosport Navy Yard at Norfolk, Va. , by order of the government, which was the largest depot of arms in the United States. Good arms were the great need of the hour, but this need was not supplied during the first two years of the war. Massachusetts sent an agent to Europe to procure arms, but those purchased were of such inferior quality that they were of no service, and whole regiments, more than a year after the bombardment of Fort Sumter, were detained from the field. The disaster of Ball's Bluff, in which the fifteenth * Town Records. 184 ANNALS OF THE Massachusetts suffered so severely, was due largely to their being armed with muzzle loading, smooth bore muskets, while contending against the superior weapons in the hands of the Mississippi riflemen. Strange as it may seem, there were private armories in our own state that were furnishing, prior to the war, the British and Russian governments with breech- loading rifles, and it was no secret that the armory at Chico- pee Falls completed a contract for the manufacture of such rifles for the state of Mississippi ; yet the opinion of the military martinets ruled such arms out of the hands of the infantry soldiers of the Union. In the first session of the Massachusetts legislature in 1863, the military committee (unanimously on the part of the House) reported a bill for the purchase of small arms and ordnance, and upon recommendation of the finance committee, five hundred thousand dollars were appropri- ated for that purpose. The bill restricted the purchases to be made by the governor to the Springfield musket pattern. Mr. Jason Waters, our townsman, who repre- sented this district in the legislature of 1863 and 1864, moved to amend by striking out ' ' Springfield musket pattern" and insert "of such pattern as the Governor and Council shall deem best adapted to the service to which it is to be applied." The amendment was lost, and the bill went to the Senate. Mr. Waters called the attention of some of the most influential members of the Senate to the importance of the amendment, and it was introduced and adopted. The bill was returned to the House for concur- rence, and a special assignment made for its consideration. The time was short, and much must be done to convince the majority, who had voted against the amendment, that they had done so from misapprehension. Speaker Bullock ruled that the member from Sutton might bring guns upon the floor of the House for the purpose of exhibiting a principle pertinent to the question under discussion, that could not otherwise be clearly illustrated. Accordingly every kind of breech-loading rifle that could be obtained was from time to time stored in the lobbies of the House. Valuable information and aid were given by Messrs. J. TOWN OF SUTTON. 105 Ashcroft, E. T. Steere, Palmer & Batcheller, Wm. Reed & Son, and others. Correspondence was also had with Gen. A. C. Mjiggi, Gen. W. S. Rosecranz, Maj. Gens. B. F. Butler, A. Pleasanton, Geo. H. Thomas, A. E. Burnside, and J. Hooker, and Lt. Gen. U. S. Grant. When the time for the consideration of the question came, and it was announced as the order of the day, the messengers brought forth the arms from the lobbies, and stacked them in the area in front of the speaker's desk. The member from Button moved to concur in the Senate's amendment, and proceeded to show the great superiority of the breech- loading rifle over the muzzle-loading arm, and contrasted it, gun in hand, with the arm recommended by the military committee. Extracts from the letters of the distinguished generals above named men who had had proof on the battle field of the efficiency of the breech-loader were also read, and so convincing was the argument as thus enforced, that the House by a large majority repudiated its former vote, and concurred in the amendment of the Senate. Governor Andrew appointed a commission to examine, test, and select the best breech-loading rifle. Arrangements were made for a thorough trial at Readville, in which all inventors and manufacturers of breech-loaders were invited to participate. The trial convinced the commission that, all things consid- ered, the Spencer repeating rifle was the best for military service, and they accordingly recommended its adoption. Governor Andrew immediately contracted for the construc- tion of a supply for the state. Soon after the first few thousand were delivered, the battle of Chickamauga occurred, in which two thousand Spencer rifles in the hands of Gen- eral Wilder' s Michigan Brigade, that, by the permission of General Thomas, they themselves had been allowed to pur- chase, turned the tide of that desperate battle in favor of the union forces under General Rosecranz. The secretary of war, learning that Massachusetts had adopted the Spencer repeating rifle, and then had a supply of several thousand ready for her troops as they might be 166 ANNALS OF THE called for, requested the governor to turn them over to the United States government, that they might be immediately placed in the hands of men in the field. Governor Andrew at once complied with the request, and the government forthwith ordered the construction of a large number on its own account. Thus, in spite of the cautious conservatives, and the objections of those military men who condemn any change which has not commended itself to popular favor, Massachusetts enjoys the honor of first placing in the hands of infantry, by authority of gov- ernment., a weapon which is more destructive than any here- tofore in use ; and, as such, will do much to shorten wars. And with just pride do we record the fact, that the member from Sutton initiated the change by his amendment to the bill for the purchase of arms, and when his amendment was lost, used such influence with the senators as to secure its adoption by the senate, and when the amended bill was returned to the House for concurrence, single-handed and alone, confronted the opposition of the military committee, and by his convincing arguments, enforced by practical illustration, brought the majority most enthusiastically to the support of his measure. Nov. 3d. To the requisition for 300, 000 men, made by the president, October 17th, the town took the following action for raising its quota : "Voted that the town take measures to procure the men called for from Sutton, by enlistment." " Voted that the town pay a bounty of seven hundred (700.00) dollars to each person that will enlist as one of said quota. 1864. April 13. Under the call of the president dated February 1,1864, for additional troops, the town "voted to pay a bounty of one hundred and twenty-five ($125.00) to each volunteer to fill Sutton's quota." June 18. In anticipation of a call for more troops the town "voted unanimously to raise the sum of one hundred and twenty-five ($125.00) dollars for each person that the TOWN OF SUTTON. 167 selectmen may recruit to fill the quota of this town under any call of the president prior to the 1st of March, 1865." The selectmen "recommend the purchase of a lot of land upon the farm of Mr. Emory Howard for a new Cemetery ; whereupon "Voted to accept the report, and that the chair appoint two persons as Commissioners to act with the Select- men in the purchase of the Emory Howard lot, take the Deed in favor of the town, lay the same out in suitable bury ing-lots, sell the same, and give deeds as Agents of the town." 1865. June 12. Messrs. B. L. Batcheller, George Hastings and John Putnam Stockwell were appointed a committee to ascertain what amount of money individuals may have con- tributed for the purpose of filling the quota of the town or furnishing men for the war during the year 1864. This committee report a total of $6,711.00. The town ' ' Voted to accept the report and raise the sum of seven thousand (7,000.00) dollars for the purpose above specified." The town furnished two hundred and twenty-three men for the war, which was a surplus of eight over and above all demands. Two were commissioned officers. The whole amount of money appropriated and expended on account of the war, exclusive of state aid, was twenty-five thousand one hundred and eighty dollars and fourteen cents ($25,180.14.) The amount of money paid by the town for state aid to soldiers' families during the war, and afterward repaid by the state was as follows : In 1861, $501.91 ; 1862, $2,410.71 ; 1863, $3,212.70; 1864, $1,725.76; 1865, $1,901.26. Total amount, $9,752.34. The ladies of Sutton furnished a great many articles for the soldiers during the war, to the money value of about one thousand dollars. Among the articles were shirts, drawers, socks, lint, bandages and other useful stores. They were forwarded to the front generally through the Sanitary and Christian Commissions.* * See Gen. Schouler's History of the War. 168 ANNALS OF THE 1866. Jan. 6th. The town again vote to refund the money which has been paid by individuals for furnishing men for the war ; and to the same effect, substantially, at a special meeting held January 20th ; only at the latter date the sum specified is five thousand three hundred and seventeen dol- lars, sixty-nine cents ($5,317.69). To the above action of the town several entered their protest, on the ground of illegality. March 19th. The Methodist church is offered to the town for a town-house. The town take no action upon the matter. 1868. March 16. E. J. Mills, James Taylor, Solomon Severy, I. A. Dodge, and M. M. Hovey were appointed a commit- tee to report at the next meeting upon the advisability of purchasing, for the use of the town, the Methodist Episcopal church. 1869. April 9. A committee of thirteen was appointed to appraise the school-houses, land and apparatus belonging to the several school districts in town, as preliminary to the taking possession of the property in accordance with an act of the legislature passed at the last session. April 20th. The school property was appraised by the above committee as worth seven thousand nine hundred fifty-eight (7,958.33) dollars thirty-three cents. Sept. 4. The town refused to take any action with refer- ence to building or repairing school-houses. 1870. Jan. 15th. William R. Hill, Putnam King, A. W. Put- nam, L. H. Cunliff, and Gardner Gibson were appointed a committee ' ' to examine into the location of the several school-houses in town with the view to ascertain whether any reduction can be made in the number, and if so to decide upon their location ; also to make estimates of the cost of repairing such houses as need, and are worth repairing, and TOWN OF BUTTON. 169 the cost of building new ones where it is found necessary to build and report the result of their investigation at the next , annual Town meeting." .March 21. The above committee report the estimated cost of repairing the school-houses and building two new ones to be $5,900.00. The town vote to raise three thousand dollars for repairs. Aug. (). The town vote, by ballot, upon the re-establish- ment of the district system. The vote is five to 0110 in favor of such re-establishment. Dec. 21. The town again voted upon the matter of re- establishing the school district system, with district limits as fixed in 1850 and 1851. The measure did not have a two- thirds vote and was declared not carried. 1871. March 20. Yet again the town voted upon the re-estab- lishment of the school districts in accordance with the survey of 1850 and 1851, and failed of a two-thirds vote. It was also " voted that the treasurer be authorized to convey to the several school districts upon the payment of the appraised value and insurance any rights that the town now have in said school-houses." The school-houses had all been paid for by the town at the appraised value as made by the committee in their report of April 20, 1869. "Voted to rescind the vote of March 2d, 1870, appropriating $3,000,00 for the repair of school houses." All the districts paid back to the town the appraised value of their school property, and returned to their old way of employing teachers through their prudential committees. May 2d. The town "voted that no person shall be allowed to sell ale, porter, strong beer or lager beer in said town for the year ensuing." 1873. i 17th. "The to school." March 17th. "The town voted to maintain a high 22 170 ANNALS OF SUTTON. 1874. March 16. "Voted to maintain a high school and the same be held during the year at Sutton Centre." ' 1876. March 20. The town made an appropriation for a cen- tennial celebration. There was, upon July 4th, a large and enthusiastic gath- ering of the citizens of the town in the grove a little east of the house of Mr. F. H. Marble. A procession of Sunday-school children and citizens was formed at the Congre'gational church, under the direction of Messrs. Edmund J. Mills, Amos Batcheller, H. S. Stock- well and Charles H. Chase, marshals; and, escorted by the Oxford brass band, marched to the grove, where appropriate services were held under the direction of E. J. Mills, presi- dent of the day. Prayer was offered by Rev. W. A. Bene- dict, the Declaration of Independence read by Miss Hattie A. Holbrook, and patriotic speeches were made by Rev. H. A. Tracy, Messrs. I. B. Hart well, Reuben R. Dodge, J. W. Stockwell and Rev. W. A. Benedict. Old time and modern songs were sung, and stirring music was given by the band. As the day wore on to its close, the crowd slowly and reluctantly dispersed, some, at least, praying that they who shall upon the same ground celebrate the nation's bi-centennial , may look upon our flag studded with many new stars, still proudly waving over an undivided people, who have maintained their civil and religious institu- tions in their integrity, strengthened their government by the promotion of virtue and intelligence, and made as rapid progress in the second as in the first century of the nation's life, in all that constitutes true national greatness. * See History of High School, Part III. HISTORY OF SUTTON Part II. THE HOMES OF SUTTON. We now, gentle reader, introduce you to the homes of Sutton. A history of these is really the history of the town ; for in these homes the influences, both secret and silent, direct and open, conscious and unconscious, have been in operation, that have molded the characters of the men and women of the day, and established them in those principles which they have exemplified in every line of action. Of these homes, we can, in the space allotted, give you but a passing glance, sometimes making only mention of those who have passed in and out, and sometimes pausing a little to afford you opportunity to become somewhat acquainted with such as have acted a more prominent part in public affairs. Among the early occupants of these homes, there was no aristocracy of blood or of wealth. Of those boasting hon- ored titles there were none ; of those impoverished, who came fortune-hunting, there were none. All seem to have been from what is termed the middle class men of moderate means, well to do, who would have obtained a good living in any place where there was work for hands inured to toil. They were men who knew what it was to go out into the wilderness and fell the trees, build 172 HOMES OF THE houses, subdue the soil, found churches and schools, estab- lish civil government and put in operation the various forces by which social order is maintained and social progress made. And they were equal to the work. They were not what may be called educated men, and yet they were not ignorant. They had good common sense, sound judgment and strong- purpose. They knew what the rights of men are, and possessed the independence to assert and the will to maintain them. Iii their records, they made mistakes in spelling and in grammar, as our " Annals " show, but in action they evinced wisdom certainly as far-seeing as their more boastful descend- ants. The houses which they at first built were for the most part small and rude in many instances log cabins but they were the abode of contentment and happiness as great as is enjoyed in the more luxurious homes of the present day. A few years sufficed for the clearing away of large portions of forest, and the fencing in of fields for cultivation. Orchards were planted, and soon nearly every thing was produced at home that was needed for convenience and comfort. Grist-mills were erected as soon as there Mas grain to be ground, saw-mills for producing lumber, and carding and fulling mills for making rolls and fulling cloth, and, in a few of the mills, conveniences for dyeing and machinery for finishing woolen cloth were added. And now, after fifteen or twenty years from the first settle- ment have passed away, look in upon these homes. It is in summer time. The fathers and sons go out to their labor in the fields and woods the mothers and daughters are busily employed in domestic labor within. Xot a small part of the house industry of these days was the spinning of the wool, which had been carded into rolls at first by hand and afterward by the carding-machines, when such machines had been introduced and its manufacture into cloth for family use. The girl who could spin her run or run and a half a day. right through the season, was considered quite an accom- plished lass. TOWN OF SUTTON. 173 And the weaving was all done at home on a hand loom. On the beam of this loom the warp was wound, and run through the harnesses and reed, and properly attached so as to be drawn over the cylinder around which the cloth was to be wound as woven. The quill-wheel, by which the shuttle- spools were wound with tilling, stood conveniently near. The weaver, seated for her work, springs the warp by foot- treadles, to which the harnesses are attached, then with one hand throws the shuttle through the warp, catching it with the other and holding it, while with the hand at liberty she brings the reed forcibly against the thread, thus pressing it closely up against the cloth, which each additional thread slowly increases. From three to live yards were all that could be woven in a day. Every farmer kept a few sheep for the wool, and also raised flax to make cloth for summer wear. Few were the homes in which, in the winter or early spring, a piece of linen and a piece of tow-cloth were not also manufactured. Of linen cloth, both the warp and tilling were spun upon the small wheel. Of the tow-cloth, only the warp was thus spun ; the filling was of tow, carded by hand and spun upon the large wheel. The tow was the coarser part of the flax, which was separated from it by the hatchel. It was also quite common to manufacture a piece of linsey- woolsey, which was cloth made of linen and wool. Portions of the woolen yarn were also colored, and striped and plaid cloths were made for the wear of the female members of the family. These homes all had huge tire-places, in which, during the long winter evenings, there was kept up a blazing fire that threw a ruddy glow over the healthful countenances of the happy group seated around. There were fire-sides then, and influences going out from them which are lost since the gloomy stove has taken their place. There may be centers of attraction in our homes now, but there are none equal to the "tire upon the hearth." "The tire upon the hearth is the centre and symbol of the family life. When the fire in a house goes out, it is because the life has gone out. Somewhere in every house it burns, and 174 HOMES OF THE bums in constant service ; and every chimney that sends its incense heavenward speaks of an altar inscribed to Love and Home." * The social gatherings during the winter evenings o o o o iii these homes, in which the young men and maidens, clad in their home-spun attire, engaged in their innocent sports, were seasons of enjoyment and mutual interest in each other, not less true and pure than like gatherings now, in which there is more display, more tyranny of fashion, and, perhaps, more artificial refinement. Many of these homes were Christian homes, and all that were not professedly so were occupied by those who sincerely respected religion, and contributed, by a cheerful payment of the "ministry tax," to the support of the institutions of the gospel. All had seats in the house of God, and few were the families that did not make their arrangements to be represented there upon the Sabbath. Look upon the inmates of these homes as they wend their way to the sanctuary, many on foot, some on horse-back, riding singly, double, quadruple even, for it was not rare at this time to see the father on the saddle, carrying before him a child too young to walk, and the mother seated on a pillion behind, carrying a little one in her arms. Some in rude conveyances on two or four wheels, and some in carts drawn by oxen. In the winter, jumpers and sleds, extemporized for the occasion, took the place of conveyances on wheels. As we have intimated, nearly everything used was manu- factured at home, and would now undoubtedly be called veiy rough. But it answered the necessities of the day, and there was little of false pride in exercise on the part of those who felt themselves peers among peers. We would not be understood to convey the impression that our ancestors, one hundred and twenty-five years ago, were entirely free from the dictates of fashion. Some customs prevailed that wr. who are the slaves of fashion, would consider as ridiculous as they who conformed to them would certain ones of the present day. * Holland, in "Arthur Bonnicastle.' TOWN OF SUTTON. 175 For instance according to Dea. Leland all men as old as twenty-five or thirty-five years had two wigs ; one for week-days and one for Sunday. The Sunday wig was very showy and expensive. The hair was shaved closely, that the wig might set well. All old people who wore wigs usually took them off in the meeting-house and put upon the head a knit cap, made of linen or cotton yarn for summer use, and of woolen for winter. There was a small knot or tassel on the top of this cap. The practice of wearing wigs began to be unfashionable as early as 1780 or 1785. All old people wore them until 1800. Dr. Hall wore his wig and cocked hat to the last. The last wig worn in town was that of Col. Tim. Sibley. Simplicity in dress, manners and equipage, continued to be a characteristic of these homes until quite a number of years after the Revolutionary war. As wealth increased, broad-cloth and silk began to take the place of home-spun, and the rude vehicles to which reference has been made were displaced by carriages. "The first family to ride in a chaise was that of Perez Rice, the second that of Dr. David Hall, and the third that of Dea. Tarrant Putnam." * We give the history of the homes by districts, commencing with WEST SUTTON, DISTRICT No. 1. The house where widow Persia Putnam now lives was probably built by Dea. Cornelius Putnam, and all of his children were born there. A part of the house was moved from a site in what is known as the Dresser pasture, just north of the Capt. Hall site, farm now owned by Peter H. Putnam. Cornelius Putnam joined the First Congregational Church in 1729, as did Sarah, his wife. He was succeeded by his son Nathaniel. It was next owned by Dea. Moses Putnam, who, after his father's death, sold a part of the farm to Peter Putnam, who traded it to John Putnam for the place where Asa Dodge now lives. John came in pos- session about 1817, and soon after built a large barn, a part * Leland Papers. 176 HOMES OF THE * of which is now standing, and is owned by John Perry Put- nam. John Putnam prided himself on his tine stock of neat cattle, which were noted far and near, stock raisers coming long distances to secure the John Putnam breed of cattle. They were raised by most of his neighbors. He also had a line flock of sheep. He was succeeded by his son Silvanus Putnam, who also kept the farm under high cultivation, and well stocked with cattle, sheep and swine. " And now,*' says Mr. G. Hall, "as sheep are becoming nearly extinct, and bid fair to be sought after by the future Barnums as curiosities, let me tell you a little sheep story of my own." In the spring of 1827 we turned our sheep into a pasture adjoining this farm, known as the woods pasture. We "soon after missed one of the lambs, and came to the conclusion that it had been killed by the dogs or foxes. Its dam was constantly moaning her loss, and like Rachel would not be comforted ; she would come to the bars and call for help, as well as a poor old sheep could call, but no one could under- stand her language until my little dog, Tray, no sheep- killer, went to her assistance and returned to me for aid. He actually took hold of my clothes and led me to the pas- ture. I knew by his actions that he meant business, so I followed him to the lost lamb, still alive, but nearly dead ; cast in the fissure of a rock, and so imbedded there I had to get my grandfather to help me before I could extricate her. Poor thing ! she could not stand nor hold her head up. We carried her home and faithfully nursed her, the faithful dog meanwhile watching over her and licking her sores until they were healed. It was several days before she could stand. As soon as she could walk I used to take a handful of oats in my hand a.nd let her eat them therefrom. So if I said "oats," she would come for them; and, in tine, that became her name. From sympathy she became the pet of the household, and was allowed to run in the house-lot until fall, when the oats and the choice feed had made her so fat that my grandfather, thinking her better for mutton than for wool, proposed to kill her ; he even got his knife for the slaughter, when the confiding creature came and licked his hand. I asked him how he could take her life, when we had 23 TOWN OF SUTTON. 179 taken so much pains to save it. I said, see how she loves you ! I would as soon eat one of my own brothers ! Just then "Uncle Salva," as we all called him, came up, and I asked him to buy the lamb to keep. He said he would give two dollars for her, and so she was sold to him, for the knife had already fallen from the Captain's hand, and the tears were dropping from his hooked nose. Ten years after, while engaged in the store, I rode up to the old Baptist church place, and walked across to my father's. On my way I started up a small flock of sheep ; they seemed scared at first, ran a little way, then stopped and looked at me. I thought one of them looked like "Oats," so I held out my hand and said "Oats," when she came forward and licked my hand as if in gratitude for her life. A little further on I found "Uncle Salva," and asked him if Oats was alive. He said yes, and she and her descendants formed his entire flock. She had been the most profitable sheep he had ever owned. This farm had much fruit on it, and a cider-mill. It was, and is, a very desirable place. It is and always has been the home of real worth. One old lady, once a devoted Christian Eunice, the widow of Fuller Putnam became demented, and while so was profane and at times abusive, even to her twin sister, Lydia Howard, who came to care for and pity her. Mrs. David Putnam, maiden name Elizabeth Woodbury, said to have been one of the best of Christian women, died here December 27, 1831, aged eighty-seven. John Putnam died here February 24, 1827, aged sixty-seven. He had fourteen children, seven by first wife, five by second and two by third. One daughter married Rufus Sibley, who was master of inspection at the armory in Millbury for several years. One married Charles Rich and went to the State of New York, where they raised a family. Mrs. Persia Putnam, widow of Silvanus, and Mrs. Joseph Putnam live in this house ; also John W. Putnam, son of John P., son of John, jr., son of John, son of Fuller, son of Jepthah. In a house on the site where John Perry Putnam now lives, once lived Deacon Moses Putnam ; he owned a large 180 HOMES OF THE farm and was a rope-maker by trade. The rope-walk stood near the house ; the wheels were turned by hand. The last boy that turned the crank for him, I think, was Nathan Hewett. I used to see the old man, fat and fair, walk backward with flax or hemp in his arms, spinning his cords, crying ho, or go, as he desired the wheels to stop or move. His cords were considered the best in the market. He was a large, fleshy man, was troubled with a bad cough, and died here of apoplexy, April 3d, 1826, aged sixty-eight. He was acting deacon of the first Baptist church for thirty- eight years. He married Mary Allen, who had a sort of shaking palsy, brought on, some thought, by drinking strong tea. She died December 20, 1846, aged ninety-one. John Perry Putnam, who built the new house in 1862, has a farm of about forty-seven acres, and is a first-rate farmer. His daughter, Emma Jane, is a school-teacher and a graduate of Worcester academy. The house now owned and occupied by Prescott Putnam was built by Deacon Stephen Putnam, son of Deacon Moses, in 1818 ; he too was a rope-maker, and had a walk just west of the house ; he lived here until his death, Nov. 28, 1836. His wife died Dec. 25, 1857, aged seventy-five years and two months. He married Mrs. Betsey Goddard, widow of John Goddard, and mother of Tamar and Almira Goddard. Almira married Samuel Newton. Stephen and Betsey Put- nam had six children all dead. Mrs. Putnam was noted for her kindness to the sick and devotion to the church. Prescott Putnam bought the place in 1842. He, the son of Charles, son of Colonel John, son of Edward, was born April 13, 1804. He married Mary Eliza Marble, daughter of Ezra, son of Malachi, son of Freegrace, son of Samuel. She was born April 7, 1810. His farm belonged to the Nathaniel Putnam place. On the site where Lawson Putnam now lives, there once stood a house in which Mr. Eli Stockwell, father of Captain Chandler, was born. He said that many years ago there was a great drought, so that they had to drive their cattle to Manchaug Pond for water, and that the well at this place was the only one near that was not dry. TOWN OF SUTTON. 181 The present house was built by Joseph Putnam, son of David, son of Cornelius, in 1840. He died here, and was one of the very best of men. His family are all very respect- able. Alex, and Charles are merchants in Worcester. George lives in Anoka, Minn., where he has held many offices of honor. Lawson, the present owner, bought the place in 1865 ; his farm contains about forty acres, and was a part of the farm of his great-grandfather, Dea. Cornelius. Simon Putnam, son of Joseph, was a Methodist minister ; died, I think, in Minnesota. The house where Mrs. Quinn now lives was first owned by Dea. Tarrant Putnam. Abraham Brown, who married his daughter, lived there many years. Alanson Titus, brother of Hon. Jonah Titus, who was for some years of the Provi- dence bar, lived on this place many years, and several of his children were born here. Nathaniel Putnam, son of Dea. Moses, lived here several years and finally bought the place. He married for his first wife Charlotte Morse, and for his second the widow of John Putnam. After his death the place was sold to Mr. Quinn, and is now owned by the town. Many other families have lived in this house ; among the more prominent were Major Rufus Bacon and Capt. Warren. Members of each of these families became quite distinguished. The house now owned and occupied by Mrs. Rachel Rich, widow of John Rich, jr., was built by Dea. Tarrant Putnam ; some of his children were born here. He was admitted to membership in the first Congregational church in Sutton by letter from church in Danvers, in 1847, at the age of thirty- two. He owned a large tract, embracing this place, the poor farm and the farm now owned by Henry Brigham, etc. In the days of the revolution the renowned Gen. Israel Putnam, on his way to Bunker Hill, halted at this house and dined with him. When he left, he mounted his horse from the flag at the end of the bank-wall near the south-east corner of the house, where the loving friends and cousins embraced each other and wept. His son Tarrant died Dec. 17, 1770. One of his sons, Elijah, went from here to Brown Univer- sity, where he graduated. Dea. Tarrant Putnam died here 182 HOMES OF THE August 27, 1794, aged seventy-nine. His widow died March 16, 1812, aged eighty-nine. His son, Capt. Israel Putnam, was born here and was the next owner. He kept store here for several years ; sold dry goods, groceries and all kinds of liquors. Mrs. Putnam frequently tended the store, and the greatest decorum always prevailed on the premises. After Capt. Putnam moved into town the store was moved whole, by a team of Sutton cattle, to Millbury, where it was occupied by his son-in-law, Jabez Hull ; it is now kept by Mr. Sweetzer. The Captain was proud of his cattle and sheep. He had the largest sheep and the fattest oxen. He would feed his large oxen two years to make them superior to any in the market. He used to drive a great many cattle to market, riding a gray horse that he kept twenty years or more ; he was a fine horseman. He built the large barn on the place, which he used to fill with hay, besides having several stacks outside. Capt. Putnam married Hannah LeBaron, and had a large and very respectable family. His daughter Hannah married Jabez Hull, and had one daughter, who died single. Widow Hull died some two years ago, leaving a handsome estate. Le Baron was a merchant and manufacturer ; he once owned Queechy Village in Vermont. He manufactured carpets at Holden, several years. He married Ann Braman, daughter of Dr. Amasa Braman, an estimable lady, by whom he had three or four sons ; one, Frank, a wealthy merchant, now lives in New York. Tarrant was a merchant in New York, where he died almost a millionaire. Israel graduated at Brown University, and was an eminent physician at Bath, Maine. He was at one time mayor of the city. He left a very intelligent family. One of his sons has been mayor of Portland, and is an eminent lawyer. Mary married Dr. Leonard Pierce and had two daughters, Mary Frances and Ellen Douglass. Ellen married M. M. Hovey and has two children, John Wm. and Marius M., jr. Mrs. Pierce is one of the best read and most intelligent ladies of the laud. She inherits the Le Baron estate, and lives there with her daughter, Mary Frances. TOWN OF SUTTON. 183 Edwin was a merchant in New York City, where he died single, much lamented by all who knew him. Frederick is a physician of some note in New York. Theodore was a merchant in New York, but being out of health, has retired on the farm with his sister. Caroline married Dr. N. C. Sibley, and had one son who died young. She married for her second husband Stephen Merihew, Esq., a New York lawyer, by whom she has a son and two daughters. George is in a store in New York. Since Capt. Putnam left the place several different families have lived there. Silas Brown, since a lawyer in the West, had charge of the farm two or three years. Dea. Solomon Marble and his son Joel, the father of the celebrated editor, Manton Marble of New York, lived here and carried on the farm. Joel's wife died here. * * * * John Rich, jr. , owned the farm several years and died here. He left a wife and one daughter, Mary. The house where F. F. Sibley lives it is not known who built. Samuel Goddard lived there and carried on the tanning business ; next, Caleb Torrey followed in the same business. Major Holmau owned it. Christopher Nason tanned there. Reuben McKnight owned it and lived there. Simon Sibley owned it and lived there many years. His sons were Freeman, now Dr. Sibley of Warren, Simon Harrison, the manufacturer of Warren, once worth four hun- dred thousand dollars, but who has now retired from business on account of heavy losses by the Boston fire, etc. George was a blacksmith. His daughter Sophronia married Anthony Mason, and had two sons and one daughter. Mary married a Cummings and died. Nancy married a McKnight and died. Mr. Sibley died at Warren, about ninety-seven years of age. Rev. Mr. Walker lived here a year or two. Anthony Mason carried on the farm several years and died there. F. F. Sibley was the next and is present owner. He was born in Oxford, October 22, 1827. Samuel Goddard married a King for his first wife ; for his second Widow Park. He went to Royalston and had a very large family ; among them Deacon Nathaniel Goddard of Millbury. 184 HOMES OF THE The next house was the old school-house, made into a dwelling house by Col. Jason Waters ; many families, too numerous to mention, have lived in it. Mr. Amos Waters once owned it and lived there. It is now occupied by Mr. Isaac Waters, son of Stephen, son of Richard, son of Richard ; he married a daughter of Salem J. Shaw. The present school-house was built 'in 1818. The house now owned and occupied by Salem J. Shaw was built by Oliver Bullard and sold to the present owner. Mr Shaw was born in Wales, Mass., February 13, 1821; married Susan Ann Putnam, daughter of Harvey, son of Abner, son of David, son of Deacon Cornelius. Mr. Shaw has run the mill several years and is a wheelwright by trade. The first framed building raised in West Sutton was a saw mill on the site where Shaw's mill now stands. The house where Daniel Chase died, now belonging to his heirs, was originally a store and stood where the Widow Gibson's house now stands. The store was kept by Captain Thomas Smith, then by Bastow and Hovey, then by Dr. Amasa Braman, next by Colonel Jason Waters, then by Jabez Hull, then Samuel Putnam, last Le Baron Putnam. It was moved to present site by Captain Cornelius Putnam, next owned by Adolphus Draper, who was a blacksmith and owned and occupied the trip-hammer shop. Chase was a carpenter and a good workman. He left a wife and two daughters. The house where Loren Kenney lives was built by Amos Waters, son of Amos and Abigail, about 1816 was sold to Stephen Hutchinson with a farm of about seventy-five acres : by him sold to James Phelps ; he sold to Levins Sibley, Lewis Stockwell owned it, Calvin Eager bought it, and Nathan Heath bought of him for Mrs. Grossman ; jit is now owned by Loren Kenney. Stephen Hutchinson came from Rhode Island and had a large family. He moved to Oxford, where he died. There used to be an old house on the corner. Mrs. Putnam says it was an old house seventy years ago. No one seems to know who built it. Mr. Amos Waters lived in it many years. He is said to have been one of the most TOWN OF SUTTON. 185 exemplary of men, and was known as "Deacon Amos," although he never held that office. He married for second wife a daughter of Elder Samuel Waters, and had a large family of the best of children, all quiet, intelligent, peace- ful and good. He was a hoe-maker by trade and made the best hoes of his time. They were plated hoes with an eye for the handle ; the upper side was steel, the under side iron. The theory was that the iron would keep the steel from breaking, and being soft would wear off at the bottom and keep the hoes sharp. He used to manufacture them in a trip-hammer shop which he built, near where the Hooker shop now stands. The scythe business was also carried on there. Captain Cornelius Putnam made axes there. It Avas quite a business shop, owned and operated by several different men and linns. Janes and Shumway were here, borrowed money, bought horses and ran off. They went to Wisconsin and started business. The place was named Janesville after Mr. Janes, and is now an important town. They were here in 1836. On the opposite corner stood a long, low house known a s the "Tom Smith House." Thomas Smith, son of Robert Smith, lived here many years. He married for his second wife a daughter of Elder Samuel Waters. He was born in Douglas. The Sutton high school, kept by Rev. George A. Willard, was located at one time in this house. The house was owned at one time by Captain Reuben Waters ; his mother died here in her one hundreth year. She, once so active and intelligent, in the last year or two of her life became a mere child, so that Mrs. Waters gave her toys and made her rag-babies to play with. The house was owned several years by Daniel Hovey. V. C. Hooker owned it and took it down. The next house above was built by V. C. Hooker, and sold to Samuel Newton, and by him to Mr. Ethan Brown. Mr. Brown was born in Oxford, married Mary Ann Sibley, daughter of Almon. They have one daughter, Delia, who graduated at Mount Holyoke. She married Rev. Mr. Law- rence. 24 186 HOMES OF THE The house now occupied by Franklin Sibley was built by Veranus C. Hooker, who bought the site of James Phelps about 1840. It has been owned by Henry Batcheller, John Rich and Sibley. Rev. Alvan Abbott once lived in this house. Sibley has been mail-carrier from West Sutton to Millbury for several years. The house now owned by Mrs. Elder Fuller was built by Elder Samuel Waters ; he kept tavern, had an ashery and distillery back of the house ; also two blacksmith shops, one for the manufacture of scythes and one for hoes. One was operated by water-power, near where Phelps' mill now stands. He took stock in the "village factory," which brought failure to so many, and was sent to jail, where he wrote a sermon entitled "The Spirits of the Prison," which was published. He preached in the first Baptist church several years. After he gave up preaching he had a paint shop near his house, where he painted carriages. The other part of the house, now owned by Olive Tucker, was built by his son Joshua and sold to Amos Waters. " Deacon Amos " occupied it several years and died there. The old part was owned by Esq. Bastow. His father, Job Bastow, died there March 28, 1827 ; his widow died October 31, 1830. Samuel Waters, Jr., bought it ; he was deacon of the first Baptist church. He finally moved to Worcester, where he died. Captain Willard Putnam, son of Aaron, son of Archelaus, son of Edward, owned it. James Phelps bought it and sold to Willard Hall, son of Joseph, son of Deacon Willis. On the settlement of Widow Hall's estate, sold to the present owner. Ebenezer Cad well once lived in the west part of this house, and carried on the tailoring business. He was after- ward depot master at Northbridge. The house now owned and occupied by Mrs. Mind well H. Phelps was built by Sumner Bastow, Esq., in 1817 ; John Hathaway and Darius Sibley worked on the house; they slept in it before the plastering was dry, and having a char- coal fire Hathaway was suffocated by the gas. Sibley but TOWN OF SUTTON. 187 just escaped. Esq. Bastow was a lawyer in the old grab-law time. His kind feelings rendered this profession distasteful to him, so he gave it up, and accepted the position of cash- ier of the Oxford bank, which he kept until his last sick- ness. He died December 29, 1845, aged sixty-eight. He was an affable, gentlemanly, kind-hearted man. His wife, a daughter of Elder Samuel Waters, died March 22, 1871, aged eighty-four. Their son Julius S. was born here ; he went to Brown university, was a physician, and died Decem- ber 24, 1839. Esq. Bastow, while listening on a certain occasion to a sermon by Rev. Mr. Mills, took out his pen- knife and cleaned and scraped his finger-nails, which appa- rent inattention somewhat annoyed his reverence, drawing from him a mild rebuke. So the next day Mr. Bastow sent a handsome apology, accompanied with the entire sermon nicely written out. It was a peculiarity of his to busy his hands in some such way while listening intently to an argu- ment or discourse. It taxed the very suave Mr. Mills to his uttermost to rejoin with due politeness to this unexpec- ted apology, yet he did it with such grace and dignity as few men could command ; regretting, no doubt, that he had not more nail-scraping and less giddy hearers in his congre- gation. He sold the place to James Phelps in 1827. Mr. Phelps enlarged the house very much and built the beautiful barn in 1839 : the carpenter work was done under the direction of Jabez Ellis. He built the mills now owned by S. J. Shaw in 1830 : the mill work being done by Ezra Davis and others. This saw and grist-mill with 30 acres of laud, including the orchard now owned by Stockwell, was sold to Lewis Stock- well in 1841 ; he bought also the Hutchinson house. Stock- well sold the mill to Oliver Bullard, who built the house where Shaw lives and sold to Shaw. He built a shop for making washers, just above the saw mill now owned by Henry, in 1847. It has since been moved, and stands where Amos Waters' hoe shop used to stand. It belongs to the heirs of V. C. Hooker. He built Henry's saw mill and sawed the first log there Dec. 18, 1856. He bought the upper reservoir and built the dam in 1858. He built the new 188 HOMES OF THE grist-mill in 1858. After his death the mills were sold to Henry Batcheller and by him to Sumner Kenney, by him to Henry Phelps. He built a blacksmith and wheelwright shop where Hooker's shop now stands, in 1861. It was burned in 1866. He was a millwright by trade, and doing the mill work where they were putting in a new machine for making paper, he conceived the idea of making those machines ; so he employed a draughtsman who took dimensions and drawings of all parts of the machine, and he and Gen. Spofford com- menced manufacturing the famous Fourdrinier paper machines in 1826. They made their first pattern in the machine shop at Manchaug. The business was continued on under the name and firm of Phelps and Spofford until 1841. Their machine shop was located at Spoffordsville in the town of Windham, Ct. They sold the machines for about $3,000 apiece, and when the purchasers were not able to pay for them, they took mort- gages for their security ; nevertheless, this precaution proved their ruin, for they soon had more paper mills on their hands than they knew what to do with. So, to bolster up their broken customers, they stocked several of these mills and run them with bad partners, until they were obliged to fail in 1841. After going through bank- ruptcy, Mr. Phelps invented and had patented in 1843, what is known as " Phelps' Patent Rag Washer." He sold of these washers one hundred and twenty thousand dollars worth ; a little more than one half of the amount being profit. Mr. Phelps was son of Henry Phelps ; his mother was daughter of Edward Putnam, who originally bought five hundred acres of laud on Putnam Hill, for five hundred dollars. James Phelps was a fine looking man, weighing over two hundred pounds. His twin brother, Sim., looked much like him, but was not quite as fleshy. James, for several years before he died, was troubled with the gout, and almost lost the use of his lower limbs. Yet he had wheels on his chair and trundled himself about the house, would crawl into his wagon and ride to his shop and about his farm, directing TOWN OF SUTTON. 189 all his men, and actually doing more business than any other man in West Button, although a cripple, and frequently exercised with the most excruciating pain. Of his family only his wife and two children survive. Mrs. Phelps is now in her eightieth year. The children are Henry, who married Julia Waters, and Sarah, the widow of Horace De Witt. She has one son, Alexander, a promising- young man, now engaged in the hardware business in Worces- ter. Judge Barton wrote the following obituary, which was published in the Worcester Aegis, in June, 1863 : " The death of James Phelps, Esq., of Sutton, noticed in the last Aegis and Transcript, will attract wide attention among the elder members of the busi- ness community. He was formerly a large manufacturer of paper machinery. The disastrous period for all manufacturers, previous to the passage of the bankrupt law of 1841, compelled Mr. Phelps to take the benefit of that act, and at the age of fifty years he was left entirely destitute of property. With most men at that age and under such circumstances, further enterprise would have been wholly paralyzed. But possessing great hopefulness and mechanical talent, he put forth new efforts to retrieve his fortunes ; invented what is well known as "Phelps' Patent Rag Washer," and by the manufacture of that useful machine, he supported himself under great bodily infirmities, gave remunerative employment to many laborers, paid debts from which he had been legally discharged, and saved a moderate competency for his family. Few men have left a purer name for integrity and enterprise, and his loss will be deeply felt by his family and by the community where he has so long resided." His funeral was largely attended by his friends and neigh- bors, at the Baptist church in West Sutton on the third inst. The services were appropriately performed by Rev. Mr. Lyman of Sutton Centre, assisted by the Rev. Messrs. Avery and Becker, the Baptist clergyman of West Sutton. He bought originally but little land of Esquire Bastow, but has bought on of different ones, so that the present farm contains about ninety acres. The house where widow Gibson now lives was built by Jonathan Dudley, jr., in 1826. Sold to Col. Reuben Waters who lived here several years ; some of his children were born here. It was afterward owned by James Phelps, sold by him to Gardner Gibson, a carpenter, who died there in 1876. The house where Henry Phelps now lives was built by James Gleason in 1833. He married Eliza Dodge, daughter 190 HOMES OF THE of Josiali Dodge. He sold to Samuel Eich and moved to Southbridge, where his wife Eliza died. He married for second wife a daughter of John Dodge, with whom he now lives in Southbridge. Samuel Rich married Nancy Stockwell, but had no chil- dren. He adopted a daughter who married a Presby, and to her and her heirs Mr. Rich gave this house. They are the present owners. He also gave a handsome donation to the First Baptist church. The house where widow Earle now lives was originally a wheelwright shop, occupied by Reuben Chase and Origen Harback. It was made into a dwelling house by Col. Jason Waters, sold to Daniel Tourtellott, Esq. Mrs. Perry bought it, and it was inherited from her by her daughter, Mrs. Geo. C. Earle, the present owner. Many families have lived in this house, among them Capt. Charles Harback, Charles Warren, Capt. Parley Howard, a Mr. Hastings, who went to Connecticut, Moses Sibley and others. The house now owned and occupied by Parley Waters was built by Col. Daniel C. Tourtellott about 1830. He married for first wife Sarah Sibley, daughter of Moses and Sarah ; a part of his children were born here and his wife died here. He married for second wife H. Serepta Stock- well. He now has a third wife and lives in Worcester. He was Colonel of the Regiment that used to muster at West Suttou, and was a splendid officer. He sold to present owner. Ensign Parley Waters, now eighty years of age, is active and intelligent as most middle-aged men. When quite young he had a fever, and after that his hair came out white, giving him then quite a venerable appearance. His wife is now nearly 77. Their children are all dead. Sarah, their grand-daughter, is their only surviving descendant, and one of the first graduates of the Sutton High School. The house and store now owned and kept by Henry B. Bullard, was built by Samuel Davis for Lyman Parsons, who first kept the store. It was next kept by Gibbs Lilley, Luther Woodbury acting as attendant ; next owned and kept by Amos R. Holman, who sold to Rufus C. Hall, who kept TOWN OF SUTTON. 191 it several years. He sold to Samuel Waters, who soon sold to Bullard, the present owner. The old tavern house which stood where the tavern now stands, was moved across the road, and afterwards occupied by Nathan Arnold and others. It was built by Amos Waters, one of the first settlers. He married widow Daniel Carrie! ; her maiden name was Abigail Cobb. She had one son, Daniel, by her first husband, and four sons and three daughters by her second. After his death she married Robert Smith and had one son and one daughter. Miner married a Marble, the daughter married a Whipple. The children of Amos and Abigail were all born in this house. Their names were Amos, Jude, Reuben, Simeon, Patty, Huldah, and Abigail. Patty married Capt. David Putnam, Huldah married John Putnam and Abigail Capt. Abner Putnam, son of Esq. Nathan. He moved to Ludlow, Mass., and died there. After the death of Amos Waters his widow rented her thirds to Aaron Sibley and a Mr. White, and went to live with her third husband down at the Aldrich mill place. In the days of the Revolution a train of powder wagons accompanied by a military escort, on its way from Philadelphia to Boston, passed this house. One of White's boys, full of mischief, stuck pitch pine slivers into an apple, and as the train passed, lighted his torch and threw it at the last powder cart, which act so enraged the guard, that they came back to the house, broke out all the windows and threatened the lives of the inmates, thinking them tories. One woman with a child in her arms was obliged to run for her life, the guard threatening to pierce her with his sword if she did not leave. She ran to the Elder Waters' house, and the boy to save his life went and hid under the flume at the mill. After hunting a long time for the boy they went to Le Baron's tavern, where they spent the night; and when they threatened to go back, and burn the house, feeling sure that tories lived there, Mr. Le Baron's assurance that they were good Union people, and that it was only the foolish act of a mischievous boy, was all that saved the house. White was so alarmed for his safety, that he left the place. The house was afterward occupied by Capt. Reuben Waters, who kept the first tavern here. All of his children were born here. He built the Masonic Hall and store adjoining in 1815. It was next kept by Col. Jason Waters, who also kept the store. He was the son of Jude, the son of Amos. Col. Jason was quite an enterprising man. He married a Phillips 192 HOMES OF THE and moved to Philadelphia, where he died. One of his daughters married a distinguished and wealthy physician, and o ^ now lives in Philadelphia. The store was next kept by Morgan Phillips, then by Dudley and Torry, next by Col. Eeuben Waters and Harvey Lombard. Estes Davis bought out Lombard, and Lyman Parsons went in with Davis, then moved to the new store. The store has since been made into a tenement. Geo. C. Earle next kept the hotel, and as a landlord he so served his customers as to command their respect and esteem. He married Miss Martha Rich, daughter of Amos and Patty Rich. At the time when he kept this house military trainings were very popular, and the different towns tried to see which could produce the best uniformed, armed, equipped and drilled companies. The annual regimental musters were generally celebrated in the beautiful fields in front of this house, it being made the headquarters of the inspectors. Four very popular Colonels were produced in this little village : Col. Jason Waters, Col. Reuben Waters, Col. Geo. C. Earle, Col. Daniel C. Tourtellott. Paris and Geo. A. Tourtellott moved the old house and built the brick one, making their own bricks, for there was a brick-yard on this place just back of the barn, where the brick-making business was carried on many years. They succeeded Earle in the hotel, and the Tourtellotts kept the house several years, Charles A. succeeding George. Geo. A. afterwards kept a hotel in Templeton, where he died. Charles went to Millbury, where he kept a popular house until he died. After the central turnpike was built, this house was a noted stage tavern, two stages a day stopping here on their way from Boston to Hartford and vice versa. Two drivers boarded here, Silas Freeman and Joseph Perkins, one driving east and the other west: they changed horses and coaches at this place. Many travellers stopped here, and the house was well patronized. In the olden time, before daily papers and mails were established, the neighbors used to congregate here to learn the news from travellers, and find out about the markets by teamsters from Boston. This house used to be noted for its dancing schools, singing schools, balls, etc., which were held in the beautiful hall built by Capt. Waters for the use of the Masons. Those beautiful figures, Faith, Hope and Charity, which adorned the walls, were designed and painted by the noted artist, Jeremiah Styles. TOWN OF SUTTON. 193 Since Tourtellott left, several men have kept the house, but there is not much demand for such a house, now that most of the travel is by railroad. Tourtellott sustained the house by entertaining parties and getting up bird suppers as long as he could, but finally left. Waldo Putnam bought it and kept it one year or so, then sold to an Irishman by the name of Quirk, who still owns it. Mr. Wallis kept it last year. A Mr. Whiting lives there now. A Mr. Presby once bought it and built a barn there, then it went back to Paris Tourtellott, whose heirs sold to Waldo. There used to be great amusement in those general trainings, and their dress parade was a fine sight. Their sham fights were bloodless, and conse- quently real fun, although they did on one occasion scare all the rats out of the place ; they left in the night after the battle. Their tracks were seen a mile distant the next morning in a sandy place in the road. They were so numerous that a finger could scarcely be put on a spot without touching one. They halted on Putnam and Pigeon hills, and those places were overrun by them. The next house was originally Willard Putnam's wheel- wright shop. It was made into a dwelling house by Mrs. Patty Perry, formerly Mrs. Amos Rich ; she died there. Mr. Perry married Cynthia Bastow and died there. Mrs. Earle sold it to Frank Sibley, he sold to Mrs. McKnight, she to Bowers Davis, who is now repairing, enlarging and improv- ing it very much. The next house was Esq. Bastow's office. It was first moved across the road and used as a tailor's shop by Ebenezer Cad well, then removed to its present site, and enlarged for a shoe shop by Capt. Parley Howard. It was altered into a dwelling house by Rufus Bacon. His daughter, who married a Fairbanks and died in Worcester, was born here. Several families have lived in it, and it now belongs to Nathan Waters. The next house was built by Capt. Reuben Waters for Dorrance Sibley, who first occupied it in 1813. Capt. Parley Howard owned it and lived in it several years. He was a shoemaker, and carried on quite a business. His first wife died here. He married for second wife a Miss Parker, and had two or three children; she died, and he married a third wife. He died in the north part of the county. Mrs. 25 194 HOMES OF THE Stephen Putnam died in this house. Mrs. Stephen Waters lived in it. It has been owned for several years by Xathan Waters, and by him rented to various families. The next house was built of brick by Paris Tourtellott in 1830. He lived here several years, married Mary Ann Stevens, who died here. Deacon Dana bought the place and sold to Thomas Tucker. Warren Johnson bought and sold to Rev. Mr. Snow, whose only son was killed by lightning soon after, at this place, which rendered the house so desolate that he sold to Deacon Lamb, the present owner. Opposite this house once stood " The West Sutton Lite- rary Institute," established by the effort of that popular teacher, Rev. Geo. A. Willard, under whose management it was well patronized, but whose successors failed to keep up the prestige it had possessed. Consequently, for lack of patronage the school was discontinued, and the building sold and converted into a dwelling house by P. H. Putnam, as mentioned in District No. 2. Mr. Willard went from here to Southbridge, and established the Southbridge High School. The builder of the house now owned and occupied by Samuel Newton, cannot be ascertained. It is a very 7 ancient house, among the oldest in the place. Paul Sibley kept tavern there many years ago. Gideon Sibley once lived there. Gen. Davis owned the farm ; Charles Putnam hired it of him and lived there ten years ; four of his children were born there. Prescott was born there in 1804. After Putnam left, Amasa Roberts, Esq., lived there, next Sumner Bastow, Esq. Gen. Davis gave the farm to his son Sumner Barton, when he was twenty-one years of age. He shot himself on the place, in one of the fields south of the house, July 13, 1821, aged twenty-two. It was next owned by Samuel and Elijah Rich. Paris Tourtellott bought Elijah's part. Sumner Kenney bought Samuel out, as far as the farm was concerned. Liberty Bigelow bought the house for his father, Amos Bigelow, who lived here many years. Bowers Davis bought it and sold to present owner. The next house was built by Edward Putnam in 1832. Sold to Reuben Davis in 1835. He sold to Sumner Kenney TOWN OF SUTTON. 195 in 1838, who has built a large barn, bought on land, and now owns a large farm. Sumner Kenney is son of Jesse Kenney, whose wife was daughter of Abel Sibley. The next house was built soon after by Emory Putnam, son of Rufus, son of David, son of Fuller, son of Jepthah. It was next owned by Jason Bigelow, now by John Gibson, who married Bigelow's daughter. Daniel C. Tourtellott had a wheelwright-shop a little north of the tavern, operated by water-power ; it has been down several years. It did quite an extensive business at one time. The house where Charles Johnson now lives was built by Arnos R. Holman, about 1845, and sold to Mr. Soule, and by him to the Baptist society. It was occupied by Rev. Mr. Lovell, one of the most brilliant preachers that ever preached in this town. Mr. Lovell was for a time deranged and sent to the lunatic asylum, where he remained some time ; afterward went west, recovered, and is himself again. The society sold to Thomas Tucker, he to Mrs. Marcy, widow of Larned Marcy and mother of Mrs. Johnson. The new house beyond was built in 1876, by Henry M. Brigham, born in Westborough, October 29, 1833, married Hannah Jane Sherman, Nov. 28, 1855, born May 19, 1839. They have one daughter, Ella, born in Sutton, June 16, 1859. She has just graduated from the Sutton high school. This is one of the best houses in town, large, commodious and well finished . The next house, also owned by Mr. Brigham, was built by Timothy Davis. The farm originally belonged to Deacon Tarrant Putnam. Davis sold to Benjamin Wallis, who sold to Smith Taft, who built the barn. He lived there a few years, then traded farms with Hon. John Spurr of Charlton, and went to Charlton to live. Mr. Wallis also moved to Charlton. Mr. Spurr let the farm to several different ones, Jonathan Dudley, jr., Larned Marcy and others. Marcy died there. After the death of Mr. Spurr it was sold to Mrs. Adams Carpenter. After Adams died it was sold to present owner. It is a large farm. 196 HOMES OF THE The house on the town farm was built about seventy-five years ago by Deacon Daniel Harwood, sold by him to Elkanah Spring, by him to Captain Rufus Knapp. Brigham, his son, was born there. He sold to Captain Daniel Tourtellott. Mrs. Putnam thinks he was there in 1806. Daniel Tourtel- lott sold to the town of Sutton, March 15, 1837. Captain Tourtellott was a very prominent man in town, was deputy sheriff several years, was also a justice of the peace. He was born in Mendon, Massachusetts, and died at the tavern in West Sutton, August 17, 1844, aged seventy-two years, eight months. He married Freelove Angell, born in Smithfield, Rhode Island, February 28, 1779, and died at Millbury, Massa- chusetts, November 16, 1869. They had eight children, six sons and two daughters. Paris, George A., Daniel C., Samuel, Charles A., Stephen C., Maria and Ruth all dead but Daniel C. and Mrs. Maria, widow of John Gleason. They both live in Worcester. This farm has been the home of the poor since the town bought it. The wardens have been as follows : Nathan Keith, 1838, three years; Simon Tainter, 1843-4; Alfred Morse, 1845 ; S. D. King, 1846-7 ; Joseph Wilcox, 1847 to 1854 ; T. D. Gould, 1857 ; A. H. Blake, '58 and '59 ; S. Farnum, I860, four years ; Joseph Wilcox, 1864-5 ; H. M. Brigham, '66 and '67 and '70 to '75 ; Samuel Fairbanks, 1869 ; C. S. Wheeler, 1876. There once stood a house beyond this one, owned and occupied by Ebenezer Rich. His sons were Ebenezer, Jacob, Elisha and John. Elisha kept school at the Street ; was collector of the town. Samuel Rich, one of the first settlers, who OAvned a very large tract of land, embracing several farms in the vicinity, built the house where Chandler Stockwell now lives. His son Amos was born there and succeeded his father as owner. Amos married Patty Pratt, enlarged and improved the house, and kept tavern there several years. All of his children were born there. After his death, his son, Amos, jr., kept the house, and after he died his brother-in-law, Colonel George C. Earle, kept it. It was sold to Captain Chandler Stock- well in 1835. He has occupied it ever since. He is son of Eli Stockwell already mentioned. This house is located on what was known as the Douglas turnpike ; it being the main road to Providence was formerly much travelled, affording Patina lateWi Walers Died Nov2?1 Wdters - Ot ' e ' d febr 2/ ^iedjuneMW ar f her A e >nezer Waters Fek 2 1808 /Et| wife of Ebenr Walers , d .-0.ct.-3/, /g33 /Et 86^ MRRiA, : ddu0hter of Rev.- Joseph v < died Feb. l3 1837 aged 35j/ EHzabelh, wife of Re\T Joseph ffi^,. of M-il!bur^ died Jan..26 1839 Age68 ^seph ofjfe Jr in fentgomery" ^ died Aug. 13 {^47 4aeii 42 years ^ Mrs;H/vnah^P.F. Wife o[ EbenrW;Go i I; dted Dee.J3_ iB4j aged : '46"Xe3*^-g >v Mrs. Phiicna; G. wife of Silas God r and daughter t>f f\ev J. Goj^- died May 24 1848 aoed^ MtssEliza daughter of the laic Rev. died JanJ. 1859 aoed 5< Ebenezer Waters Go Born Apr. 23 1790 TOMB AT WEST SUTTON. TOWN OF SUTTON. 199 fair patronage to this, then popular tavern. Geo. R. Earle, the popular proprietor of the Mansion House, Providence, Rhode Island, is his son. Samuel Rich, jr., built the next house in 1791. His father owned the Elijah Rich place, the Kenney place, and the Blandon place in Oxford, as well as the Eli Stockwell place in Douglas. Samuel, jr., was succeeded by his son John, who enlarged and repaired the house, built a large barn, etc. His sons were John, jr., and George, who suc- ceeded his father on the place and died here. One of his daughters married Warren Humes, Esq., of Douglas. She has been dead several years. Esq. Humes died a few weeks since. He was once considered one of the most capable men in the south part of Worcester county. He was a sur- veyor, and did much probate business. His son, John R. Humes, is now one of our assessors. Another of John Rich's daughters married Stephen Marsh, one of our most wealthy citizens. Samuel, John and George's children were all born on this place. George Rich married a daughter of Chandler Stock- well, and had two sons and two daughters. The Stockwells, Henry and James, bought this place after the death of George. They sold to Erastus W. Whiting, he to Aaron H. Read, the present owner. Ebenezer Waters built a house between the Amos Rich house and his own for his sister Hannah, who married a Marsh. It was afterward occupied as a tenement-house by many different families. It has been down several years. Richard Waters, one of the original settlers, lived at the Bullard place. He was admitted to the first Congregational * O O church in Sutton, by letter from church in Salem, between 1724 and 1728. Mrs. M. DeW. Freeland has sent me one little incident, which is as follows : The time and manner of traveling and sending communications from Boston to' Sutton in 1746, as contrasted with the same in 1876. From Records of Siyourney Family. Anthony Sigourney of Boston, was married to Mary Waters of Salem, 11 April, 1740. Mrs. Sigourney was an invalid from consumption, her physician named change of place, hoping for her recovery. Mrs. Sigourney left Boston for Sutton, where then resided her brother, Richard Waters. She soon 200 HOMES OF THE became too ill to venture a return to Boston. She survived until winter, 1746; previously to her decease a message was despatched to Boston to acquaint Mr. Sigourney with the circumstances. No answer was received. The roads were impassable from the deep, heavy snows. The funeral services were postponed for some two weeks or more, until it was decided there could be no longer any delay from the absence of Mr. Sigourney ; during the services Mr. Sigourney arrived. Having been unable to proceed from saddle- horses furnished him, he had walked most of the distance from Boston to Sutton, by the aid of snow-shoes or rackets. Mrs. Sigourney was buried in the burying grounds belonging to the Waters, Goffe and Putnam families in Sutton. No head-stones only stone marks. Richard Waters settled the Billiard place on his son Ebenezer, who built the present house in 17(>7. "Miss Ruth Waters married Thomas Kendall, a preacher ; he had a pair of twins, and made a cradle with the rockers length- wise ; so, placing their heads toward the ends of the cradle, the babies would kick and rock each other." His son, Thomas, jr., was a very ingenious man. He had five fingers on each hand, and used to make thermometers, surveyors' instruments, etc. Ebenezer Waters was a surveyor, civil engineer, conveyancer, etc. He was very particular and scrupulously nice in all his acts. It was said that expect- ing a visit from his minister he had a back-log hewed and scribed into his fireplace, that his fireside might be worthy of his guest. He sold this place to a Mr. Hunt and went to Boston, where he died Feb. 2d, 1808. One of his daughters married Dr. Bullard and one married Eev. Joseph Goff. He and his wives and daughters now sleep in a tomb which he built Sept. 18. 1773, in the old burying-place on the west side of the road leading from West Sutton to the town farm. Dr. Bullard bought the place of Hunt about 1805. He had a large family ; was a physician and surgeon. He used to tell how he amputated a sore finger for a young man. He put a block on the top of a bed-post, ground a chisel very sharp, laid the boy's hand on the block, and with one stroke of the mallet the operation was performed. Nearly in front of this house stands a large elm tree which Mr. Joseph Bullard, the next owner, said the Rev. H. W. Beecher had in his mind when he described the big tree in " Norwood." The place now belongs to Mr. Henry B. Bul- lard, and lovers of beautiful scenery would do well to visit him in summer, and rusticate under the great romantic tree of " Norwood " notoriety. Rev. H. W. Beecher was married in this house, and several went from here to college. 26 TOWN OF SUTTON. 203 A part of the Richard Waters' estate he settled upon his son Stephen, who built the house where Nathan now lives, about 1757. He lived there seventy years. His son John was born there in 1766, and died there 1847. He was succeeded by his sons, Nathan and Richard. The farm was divided. The house now owned by Peter Wake was built by John Waters for his son Richard in 1839. He died there in 1876, aged 74. He was away from the farm but six weeks during his life. His father was not away as much as his son. All of John's children were born here. He and his three wives all died here. Nathan's children were all born in the house where he lives. This was a very large farm, extending to the shore 1 of Manchaug Pond, near which he had a saw mill, now stand- ing, but not in operation at present. Near this mill Joseph Severy with his children, Benjamin, Lydia and Libra, lived in a shanty several years. Mr. Stephen Waters gave much of his attention to raising fruit ; he had the largest apple orchard in the region, and the best fruit of his time. His successors have continued to cultivate and improve the orchards. John Waters enlarged and repaired the house ; it is large and commodious, and was painted red. It remains the same color. Nathan's farm contains about 200 acres. He has been a Justice of the Peace, settled many estates, and done much for the support of the gospel ; is a member of the First Baptist church. Peter Wake now owns the farm vacated by the death of Richard Waters. It contains 112 acres, and has on it one thousand apple trees. Richard's children were all born there. Who first built the mill where Aldrich grinds cannot be ascertained. Robert Smith lived there in the days of the revolution. Benajah Putnam, the father of Abijah, lived there and run the saw and grist-mills several years. He left and went to Montpelier, Vt., in 1805. John Putnam owned and occupied them soon after ; he also owned quite a farm, and had a brick yard, and made brick up a little west of the mills. He lived in an old house that stood near where the barn now stands. He sold to James Sibley, who built the 204 HOMES OF THE present house. John Putnam had the place back and sold to Rufus Putnam ; he tended the mills several years, and John bought them again for John, jr. Rufus went to the house where Fairbanks now lives. He was a consumptive and came back here to die with his cousin, John, jr. He and his wife both died here ; but a short time intervening between the events. John Putnam, jr., sold the place to John Waters, who took pains to stock the pond with fish and then forbid fishing there. One David Lilley thought he had a right to fish where he pleased, and continued to angle there. Mr. Waters to test his right prosecuted him and gained his cause. Stephen Waters, sou of John, had the place from his father, and lived here until his death. All of his children were born here. Among them Jason Waters, who has been a popular singing master, an efficient member of the Massachusetts legislature, an editor of a public journal, a traveling agent for several different firms, an inventor, and has secured several patents, a public lecturer and is one of our most fluent speakers. The mills were burnt in 1841, and rebuilt by John Waters. After the death of Stephen Waters the place was sold to F. F. Sibley, and by him to Charles Whiting. Xathan Waters bought of Whiting for his daughter, Mrs. Aldrich. She is the renowned ' ' Carrie Carlton " of Boston Cultivator noto- riety. Her productions have been read and admired by thousands. There used to be a house down by the bridge beyond the mills, but who built it cannot be ascertained. Benj, Carlton once lived there ; he was the father of Silas Carlton, father of Silas G. Carlton, the father of Mrs. Charles Barton. One of Benjamin's sisters married Capt. Moody Morse. Phebe married B. Barton, and was grandmother to Ann H. Judson, foreign missionary and wife of Dr. Adoniram Judson. Unre- quited love for her is said to have been the cause of the derangement of John White, who used to wander about singing verses, " All for the sake of sweet Phebe, my dear." The place was afterwards owned by Peter H. Putnam. TOWX OF SUTTON. 205 The house where George Fairbanks now lives was built by Edward Putnam and Daniel Hathaway. Edward was son of Bartholomew, son of Cornelius. Daniel married Edward's .sister, and Edward and his sister both died here of con- sumption. Daniel Hathaway married for second wife a Harwood, sister to Mrs. David Putnam. He afterward moved to Charlton. His son, Joseph Hall Hathaway, HOAV a promi- nent man in Charlton, was born in the house with his uncle, David Putnam, where Peter H. Putnam now lives. Rufus Putnam owned it and John built the barn for him. Rufus Fuller owned it several years, and had a comb shop there. Aaron Darling once lived here. Simeon Larned once owned it and lived here ; then Tyler Sibley ; now his son Palmer Sibley owns it. He married Fairbanks' daughter. There used to be a house down by Sand Beach, owned by Solomon and Peter Stockwell, who let it to many families. William Metcalf lived there several years, and some of his children were born there. Jasper Eager, Mr. Bolster and several others lived there. The first house this side of the mill, now owned by Daniel Dorr, was originally built twelve feet square, by Almon Sibley, who lived there several years ; he was a saddler by trade, and used to work for Deacon Marble. He went to the State of Xew York to live, lost most of his property, came back and built this house, and some of his children were born here. He sold this place to James Phelps, and bought a larger place near Ramshorn Pond. From there he moved just over the line into Douglas, where his widow now lives. Mrs. Keziah Holbrook has since owned it. One of its inmates was drowned in Aldrich's pond. It was next conveyed to its present owner. A very valuable spring of water near the house was Mr. Sibley's principal inducement to build here. Asa Thayer built the next house in 1866. He married a daughter of Bethuel Leonard, and died here of cancer. The house now belongs to his heirs. There used to be a house up in the lot, southeast from this house, owned and occupied by Widow Wakefield and 206 HOMES OF THE her son Joseph ; her maiden name was Harwood ; she was noted for her eccentricities. She kept many cats, and to feed them caught fish. While angling one day she drew a large pickerel out of the water, when by a sudden flop it broke from the hook and left, when she exclaimed: "O the laws! how desputly it makes a body feel to lose what they never had!" She wore a large pocket and would fill it with fish, then come home and feed her score of cats, calling each by name and giving it a fish as it came forth. One young man killed seventeen of her cats one night, laying them all in a row on a large stone. The old lady finding them there the next morning called on God to curse the killer. So he having bad luck in after life laid it to the widow's curse. Some one stole some of Joe's chickens, so he took the rest in to roost on the head-board of his bed, instructing them to sit with their beaks toward him. He once went out in a boat on Manchaug Pond, and caught a pickerel that weighed five and a half pounds ; it so surprised him that his shouts were heard on Putnam Hill and at the Water's place; the people, thinking him in the pond, ran to his assistance, when he said: "O the goddies! who can beat that? " The site where the house stood now belongs to Calvin Eager. There was once a house on the other side of the road, where a Dr. Burnet lived. Nothing farther can be learned of the place or the doctor. The next, owned and occupied by Bethuel Leonard, was owned by John Putnam and settled by him upon his wife Ann, known in this neighborhood for several years as "Widow Ann." It was sold by her heirs to present owner. The farm contains about twenty acres. There is a private bury ing-place on it containing five graves. Darius Leonard built his house in 1854 ; his five children were born in it, and his wife died there. Jacob Eager's house was bought from the Gideon Sibley place, in Oxford, 1845. Four of his children were born there. George Gibson built the next house about 1855. Sold to Hollis Sherman in 1867. There once stood a house directly opposite, owned and occupied by Samuel Putnam. It is said he was one of the five who drank a barrel of cider in one night, and some locate the feat in this house. Deacon Putnam offered to give him apples, the use of his horse and cider-mill if he would make his own cider. He thanked him and said he could get it cheaper. Between Sherman's and the new road to Manchaug stood an old gambrel-roofed house, owned and occupied by John Carriel. TOWN OF SUTTON. 207 He was a very eccentric man, who used to go to Boston with his team. It sometimes consisted of a steer and a cow yoked together. He became quite lame, and used to ride on the neap of his wagon. On his way home one night he lost off one of the hind wheels and the end of the axle-tree dragged on the ground the rest of the way. He became so lame that he had to do most of his work sitting. He would hoe in the fields, and thresh in the barn, sitting in a chair. He went from here to Putnam Hill, as noticed in district number two. He was succeeded by Levins Sibley, who built a good barn and new house on the place. He had two children, twins, Levins and Eliza. Levins married Captain Hume's daughter and died in Douglas. Eliza married Olney Bolster. The house that Mr. Sibley built was bought by S. J. Wood- bury, and moved to Sutton Centre, where it is known as the " Ocean House." The barn was also moved, and now belongs to liev. H. A. Tracy. Opposite stood two small, curb-roofed houses, once owned by Joseph Sibley, who was succeeded by his sons Abel and Hezekiah. Abel had two sons and a daughter; Levins, and Isaac, who moved to Millbury, and was the father of Boyden Sibley, once cashier of Millbury bank. The daughter mar- ried Jesse Kenney, father of Sumner. Hezekiah never married, but was bed-ridden in one of these houses sixteen years ; he lay in the upper part of the house, and his poor mother attended his wants by climbing a ladder to his perch all these years. He did not see the sun for fourteen years ; at last the roof got leaky, so that the water would run on his bed ; then his friends thought it necessary to shingle the house. So, to make him more comfortable they commenced the job. The noise annoyed him very much, so he exclaimed : " O dear ! stop that noise ; it will kill me ; I am dying now ! If I live a half an hour, I shall live as long as God lives." But they kept driving the nails, and " Kiah" became so mad that he got up and went down the ladder, and soon com- menced strolling about the neighborhood. The spell was broken, and so was "Kiah." He was good for nothing but to sling invectives. He could not govern his temper, and when excited was gifted in abuse. He once got provoked at Elder Waters, on whom he discharged his battery ; when he had fired the last shot in his locker, and the bow of his 208 HOMES OF THE excited brain was strained on the last arrow in the quiver of his futile and exasperated imagination, he fell upon his knees and prayed God to give him utterance, saying "I have the root of the matter in me, but lack the power of utterance to express my feelings." He lived a miserable life, and died at last at the house of Malachi Marble, where he was boarding at the expense of the town. "Kiery" became the local for sick, discouraged, fearful, mad, lazy and nearly all ills and short-comings in the neighborhood. After the Sibleys left the place it was owned by Peter Putnam, then by Charles Putnam, was sold to John Rich, then John Rich, jr. Paris Tourtellott owned it and took down the house. The site is now owned by Parley Waters. Just below this place stood a trip-hammer shop, owned and operated by Esq. Nathan Putnam. It has been down more than forty years. The house now owned and occupied by Calvin Eager was built by his brother Stephen in 1845, and occupied by him one year, then bought and since owned and occupied by the present owner. Calvin Eager married Dorothy Titus. Fisher D. Thayer built the next and last house to notice in this district, in 1844. It now belongs to William Clark or William Abbott. PUTNAM HILL, DISTRICT No. 2. At the place where J. W. Paine now lives there once stood two small houses owned by Elijah Sibley ; one occupied by himself, the other by his son Daniel. Who built these houses cannot be ascertained with certainty. It is presumed, however, that one was built by his father, William, and the other by himself. Elijah Sibley was a man very much respected. He had two sons and several daughters ; one of his daughters married a Wheelock, father of Reuben, one a Coes of Worcester, one Timothy Leland, one married Daniel Batcheller. The sons names were Daniel and Elijah. Daniel married a Prince. Her father became insane working in the i silver mine at Eight-Lots. She was insane for many years, and was a great trial to her family. TOWN OF SUTTON. 209 Daniel Sibley was a man of medium size, but noted as an expert with the scythe and cradle. Elijah married a Bartlett and had Almon and Lowell. Elijah Sibley, sen., settled his estate upon his grandson, Daniel, jr., on condition that he should support his grand- father, grand-mother, his father and mother through life, which he did. He built a new house, and brought up a good and virtuous family of eleven children. One of his sons, Emory, lived in Webster,- where he held many town offices, and represented the town in the state legislature. Daniel Sibley, jr., was a man of great industry and cheerful temper. He never held many town offices, for the reason that he belonged to a party in the minority. He is spoken of as among those of each of whom it may be said, he was " The noblest work of God, an honest man." After the death of Mr. Sibley, his son Alden sold the place to Mrs. Lucina Paine. She has held it since 1854, the date of her deed. The house where Joseph S. Jones now lives was built (one room) by James T. Elliot in 1815 ; rebuilt soon after by John Parsons. John Burdon, an early settler who came from Salem, lived on same site or near there. He was suc- ceeded by a Mr. Rhodes. It was known as the Rhodes place Avhen Mr. Parsons bought it of Capt. Elliot. John Parsons married Lucy Hathaway and had twelve children, all born here but Daniel. Lucy Hathaway is daughter of Simeon Hathaway, who had tw r enty-one children. She, the eleventh, is the only survivor; born January 5, 1793. Mr. Parsons deeded this estate, containing thirty-one acres, to Joseph H. Putnam in 1847. Mrs. Nancy A. Jones, the present owner, inherited it from her father. Joseph S. and Xancy A. Jones have had eleven children, most of them born in this house. John Burdon, mentioned above, died at the Phinehas Putnam place when the roads were so blocked with snow that they had to draw the corpse on a hand sled across lots to the burial place, near Alvan Putnam's, where he was 27 210 HOMES OF THE interred. So says Mrs. Parsons. John Parsons claimed to be the inventor of pegged shoes, and as there is no proof to the contrar}*, he may be accorded that honor. The next house was first owned, so far as can be ascer- tained, by one Carriel, then by Charles Putnam, son of Col. John Putnam, next by Stephen Sibley, son of Tarrant, son of Jonathan, son of Joseph. He married a daughter of Daniel Sibley, and most of his children were born in this house. He afterwards moved to West Brookfield, where he made gun-powder. One of his daughters married a Gilbert, and was mother of Hon. Lucien Gilbert of Warren, who married Miss Mary L. Bliss, once a teacher in District No. 4, in Sutton. The place was next owned by Jonathan Larned, who sold it to Daniel Marble and Nathan Lombard. They took down the old house. The site now belongs to Waldo Put- nam. John Burdon owned a small house directly opposite, down long ago. Below this, on Gravel Brook, stood a malt and grist-mill, built by Tarrant Sibley. It has been down many years. The site is now owned by Waldo Putnam. The house now occupied by Alfred Malhoit and owned by Peter H. Putnam, was built by Abner Sibley. His sons were Abner, Simeon, Elihu and Clark. Clark married Hannah Marble, and had two children Edwin and Mary Ann. Edwin died single. Mary Ann married Charles P. Baldwin, a very wealthy man, now living in New York. The mother died in Brooklyn, aged ninety-seven. After the death of Mr. Sibley, Nathan Lombard bought the place. Joseph Wilcox once owned it and lived there. Abner Sibley was the father of Mrs. David Cole, the mother of Hon. Sumner Cole. The house now owned by Sullivan Graves and Emory Putnam was built by Deacon Daniel Torrey, who lived there several years. It was afterward owned by Mr. Lazarus Le Baron, then by Dr. Leonard Pierce, by Sumner and Parley Putnam. Abijah Putnam lived there six years ; two of his sons were born there, Jason and % Lyman. Elihu Sibley moved there from the Cole place April 1, 1818, and lived there several years. Abraham Tourtellott once lived there. TOWN OF SUTTON. 211 The house where Waldo Putnam now lives was first built by Joseph Sibley. He willed the east room to his wife, and the rest of the house and all his other buildings to his son, Jonathan. The will was proved at Probate court, Worces- ter, May 15, 1754. First deed to Joseph, dated 1722. Children of Joseph and Elizabeth were Joseph, born March 6, 1709, John, born August 2, 1711, James, bom May 7, 1714, Jonathan, born September 11, 1718, Hannah, born June 27, 1721, Susanna, born Aug. 24, 1723, Mary, born September 23, 1725. Jonathan, born 1718, married Hannah, born June 17, 1721. They had Jonathan, jr., born Feb. 10, 1741, Reuben, born February 20, 1743, Huldah, born September 13, 1745, Paul, born April 26, 1748, Gideon, bom November 20, 1750, Tarrant, born Sept. 1, 1754. Tarrant married Hannah Putnam born May 11, 1761. They had Stephen, bom April 9, 1780, Tarrant, jr., born October 22, 1781, Hannah, born May 22, 1784, Francis, born January 1, 1786, Lot, born December 15, 1788, Nathaniel, born Dec. 29, 1791, Tyler, born February 18, 1793, Israel, born Feb. 11, 1795, Deborah, August 5, 1797, Nahum, born June 5, 1800, Polly, born May 4, 1802, Sumner, Dec. 20, 1806, died young. Jonathan's children were all born on this farm, and Tarrant's were born in this house. Old men speak of Jonathan Sibley as a large man, almost a giant. Tarrant Sibley was a very large, thick-set man, known as a maltster. He was much respected by all acquainted with him, and called Uncle Tarrant by many. He died almost instantly of apoplexy, July 26, 1823. His family, like their father, were all full-chested men, and all successful business men. The house was enlarged by Jonathan, aud^finished in its present form by Tarrant. His sou Nahum succeeded him, but soon sold to his brother Nathaniel, who married Mary Brown, and had Mary, born September 8, 1816, who married Waldo Putnam, the present owner of the place. Harriet born July 9, 1821, married Bradford Putnam, and had Harriet, now the wife of Peter H. Putnam. She married for second 212 HOMES OF THE husband F. F. Sibley, son of Francis and Mary. This farm has been productive of great and good men. Waldo Putnam has had eleven children, only two of whom survive. There used to be a house on the south part of this farm, built and owned by the Sibley's, but last occupied by Elijah Stauntou. Staunton was an eccentric genius, a cordwainer or shoemaker by trade. He used to go round "whipping the cat" as they styled it; i. e., making boots and shoes for the families in their own houses. He was noted for his odd sayings. His last sickness was in the winter. He was not quite ready to go, so he said, "If God will spare me now. I will make Him the best pair of boots that He ever had ; it is too bad to have to die after living through such a winter." But alas, his attempted bribe availed him not! Poor blasphemous Staunton died. The house now owned by William Donaldson was built by James Sibley, next owned by his son. Captain John Sib- ley, then by Archelaus Putnam, deeded by him to Nathan Lombard in 1805. He sold to Moses Holbrook in 1827. Alanson Lombard bought it in 1831 and sold it to Joseph H. Putnam in 1836. Sumner Putnam bought it of his father and sold it to the present owner. All of Nathan Putnam's children were born in this house, except Alanson, who was born in the north parish, near the old common. Mr. Lombard was a cabinet-maker, his shop stood where Mr. Mitchell's new house stands. He employed journej^men and apprentices. One of the latter, (lark Dalrimple, married Prudence Putnam, daughter of Aaron, and went to Providence, Rhode Island * where he became a wealthy broker. The body of this house was covered with shingles and painted red. It has been recently re-covered and painted by Mr. Donaldson. There once stood in front of this house four large sycamore or buttonwood trees, the most noble of their kind, affording the most grateful shade for man and beast ; for in their day, before railroads and iron horses came into use, loaded teams and tired droves of panting cattle passed under their extended branches, and were rested and refreshed. Many weary droves from beyond the Connecticut have halted there to cool their parched tongues. Even the droves from Kentucky have been refreshed by their shade. For children and youth, young men and maidens, it was a favorite resort. But what was the fate of those noble trees ? One who bought the place saw yoke timber in their trunks, so he cut them down and left the spot desolate. The beautiful trees were widely known and much missed and lamented by their numerous admirers. TOWN OF SUTTON. 213 Mr. Lombard's shop was made into a dwelling house, and owned by the Misses Richard. It was occupied by S. Augustus Fuller, Nathan Bennett and others. It was sold to Mr. Mitchel, taken down and rebuilt ; but before com- pleted in its present form, was burned in 1875. The present house, on same site, was commenced by Mr. Mitchel in 1876. He married the widow of Andrew J. Putnam. Parley Putnam built a large house, on the opposite corner, which was used as a dwelling house and store. The store was kept, at one time, by Marcus M. Putnam. It was sold to S. J. Woodbury, and moved into the middle of the town ; then taken down by him and carried to Worcester. It had a tin roof and was known as " Tin Top." Opposite this house and the school house, Nahum Sibley built a store. It was kept first by himself, then by William Grossman, afterwards by Peter H. Putnam. It was finished for a tenement, and occupied by Rufus Bacon and others. It was finally moved off by Merritt Cook. The present house, on the same site, was made of the West Sutton Literary Institute, brought from Sutton street by P. H. Putnam, in 1849. It now belongs to his widow, Mrs. Hannah Putnam. On the site now owned by Mrs. Sumner Putnam, Isaac Putnam first built. He was there in 1730. He came from Danvers. It was afterwards known as the Phineas Putnam place ; next owned by Esq. Nathan Putnam. It was sold by his son, Captain Abner Putnam, to Captain Josiah Hall about 1816. The house was gone when Captain Hall bought. Jonathan Dudley, jr., bought the strip of land between the two roads of Captain Hall, and built the house now owned by his sister, Mrs. Putnam. It is said to have been built about 1838. Sumner Putnam bought the place of the heirs of Jonathan Dudley, jr. Jonathan and Sumner both died in this house. The house where Oliver Hall now lives, owned by him and Robert Luther, was built by Nathan Putnam, Esq., in 1776, and was then considered the best house in town. Esquire Putnam had several children. One daughter 214 HOMES OF THE married Stephen Marble, one married John Waters, one married Amos Waters and died soon after, and one married John King. Mrs. Nathan Putnam came from Salem, When they built the tombs at West Sutton she opposed the enterprise, though her husband was engaged in it She said they had some just such tombs in Salem, and that they were neglected and became dilapidated, and that she had seen dogs carrying dead men's bones taken therefrom through the streets. She said these tombs would fall into ruin in the same way. The tombs were built and for a time were very popular. They even had a "Day of Resurrection," on which many already buried were disinterred and placed therein. Time passes on, their builders are dead, their friends are gone, the tomb-doors fall in, and the bones of the builders are exposed to the dogs as she predicted. The old tombs were complained of as a nuisance, and the court ordered the nuisance abated ; so the tombs were torn down and the bones of the dead reinterred. Esquire Putnam was noted for the great number of mar- riages he performed ; many couples were married by him in this house. He was second deacon of the first Congregational church. He earned on the scythe making business, and had a trip-hammer shop just east of the house, said to have been the first in the state. It was operated by horse-power. Capt. Josiah Hall (son of Willis, son of Percival, son of John, sou of widow Mary, who came from Coventry, Eng- land, about 1630), bought this farm, containing about 117 acres, with forty acres of woodland, of Capt. Abner Putnam, son of Nathan, in 1816. Capt. Hall resided here until his death. He died October 20, 1839, aged 80 years. He was a soldier of the revolution and a member of the first Con- gregational church. He retained all his faculties wonderfully to the end. He married Mary Marble (daughter of Malachi, son of Freegrace, son of Samuel) born in Sutton, February 24, 1763 ; died in this house, June 6, 1859. They had one sou and several daughters. Their children were Oliver, born December 1, 1785. He married Cimene Carter, born in the north parish, October 19, 1789. She died in this house of cancer, June 14, 1851. She was daughter of Joshua Carter and his wife, Rachel Putnam, daughter of Isaac Putnam, jr., son of Isaac, who built the first house on this farm. Joshua Carter was son of Joshua Carter and his wife, Elizabeth Lovell. Polly, born April 7, 1788, married Alpheus Marble, and died in Millbury in her eighty-seventh year. TOWN OF SUTTON. 215 Almira, born June 4, 1790, died September 12, 1795 ; Deborah, born June 18, 1793, died September 12, 1795. These children both died of canker-rash. Hannah, born Dec. 13, 1795, married Rufus Carter, and for second husband, Cyrus Falkner. Mindwell, born February 8, 1798, married James Phelps. Anna, born June 17, 1800, died in Millbury, aged seventy. Sarah, born May 7, 1804, died at Mr. Phelps', May 11, 1837, of canker-rash. All of Captain Hall's children, as well as himself and his brothers and sisters, were born where John P. Stockwell now lives. Gardner, son of Oliver, was also born there, the place being deeded out of the Hall family the day of his birth, April 6, 1813, ninety-three years after its settlement by Deacon Percival Hall. Oliver Hall has lived on this place more than sixty years. All his children but two were born here. Julia Ann, now Mrs. S. D. King, was born at her grandfather Carter's in Millbury. Willis, now living in New York, was born here April 28, 1818. Josiah C., bom September 11, 1820, married Jane E. Congdon, January 1, 1851 ; died in this house, July 4, 1861. Mary M., bora March 8, 1822, mar- ried John F. Hinds; died in Webster, October 13, 1853. Susan M., born June 3, 1824, married Robert Luther, May 10, 1848 ; died in this house October 21, 1876. Rufus C., born July 7, 1827, married Ann E. Dudley, May 2.5, 1853. Frances A., born April 30, 1836, married Rev. Nicholas Medbery, Nov. 3, 1869. They now live in Dover, Mass. Oliver Hall came in possession of this place by virtue of his fathers will. He has been a mail of great ingenuity. He helped make the first pin- making machine that was ever made in this country. The inventor was Moses L. Morse. He was also a dye sinker, making stamps for parties in various parts of New England. He made also many surgical instruments, to order only. His pen-knives were very superior and much sought after when people used to make quill-pens. He was a dentist, too, and when pivot teeth were used, his were among the best. He was town clerk of Suttori for fifteen years in succession, and an exam- ination of the town books would give sufficient evidence of his success in that capacity. He was appointed justice of the peace by Governor Boutwell in 1852. He is now in the ninety-second year of his age, yet ab'e to give much valuable information for this history. 21 fi HOME8 OF THE Many little incidents of interest are connected Avith this place. On Sunday, September 10, 1826, there was a wonderful shower of rain, the heaviest part of which fell in this school district. Although it lasted but little over an hour, it made quite a flood. The rain poured in such torrents as to overflow the walls on the slope from Leonard Dodge's to the meadows now owned by Asa Dodge. Stones, larger than four oxen could draw, were moved fifteen or twenty feet. The roads were badly gullied and much dam- age was done. Dr. Smith came along, soon after the shower, and his horse had to wade in the water knee-deep on the flat, in front of this house, where water has not been seen to stand since. In June, 1831, a tornado, commencing on Mancbaug Pond, passed through Asa Putnam's woods and across the lots 1o Perley Waters'. In its passage, it spared nothing that came in its way. It tore up trees by the roots, break- ing off branches eight inches in diameter, carrying them one hundred feet into the air, and scattering them all about. It struck an old cider-mill located near where Asa Dodge's hog-house now stands filled with lumber which Rufus Bacon had been accumulating to build him a house, entirely demolishing the whole thing. The building, lumber and all the lumber principally boards was split into slivers and scattered broadcast over acres of land. Even the mowing lots of Captain Hall were covered with the debris; the slivers sticking upon the grass like the teeth of many inverted har- rows. Just as the wind struck the cider-mill, Paris Tourtellott opened the west barn doors, in order to drive in out of the rain. His wagon was loaded with pike-poles, for it was the day he raised his house at West Sutton. When he opened the doors on the west end, the wind made a larger opening on the north side, taking out about thirty feet, leaving him outside in a literal shower of pitch-forks and pike-poles. " When I reached him," says one who went to his aid, "he was the palest live man I ever saw; his hat was gone, his face was speckled with Hnall pieces of green leaves, as nicely adjusted as so many patches of court-plaster. The hind part of his wagon was down in the pasture below the barn, and the pike-poles were scattered hither and thither. The seat of his wagon was found some forty rods away in Capt. Hall's orchard." When Esquire Putnam built his house, he hired Abner Sibley to set some elm trees around his yard. Six of them now stand in front of the house. When the tornado struck these trees, raising their branches high and almost transforming them into the shape of Lombardy poplars, it found its match. They were too strong even for a whirlwind. They severed it in twain, its feeble branches passing one each side of the house. The salvation of the house and perhaps of its inmates, is due to these noble centennial trees. There they have stood one hundred years, a living monument to the enterprise of Nathan Putnam and his faithful employe, Abner Sibley. Though Putnam and Sibley are both dead, these beautiful trees still live, coeval with our national inde- pendence. There let them stand, never to shed their dew-drop tears over the death of our great republic. TOWN OF SUTTON. 217 When Susan Hall married and went to live among strangers in West Brooktield in 1848, her eldest brother addressed to her the following lines on the old homestead : "1 much revere the rural place, That gave thee life and growth and grace. Six tow' ring elms majestic stand To mark the spot, where hand in hand, We spent our happy childhood hours, In happy mirth beneath their bowers. Those verdant fields with harvest shocks, I love them all, their very rocks ! If there's a hallowed spot on earth 'Tis that which gave us all our birth." He adds : " Although two of us were not born here, we came here when too young to remember an earlier home, consequently it seems the birth-place of us all." There have been four deaths in the house since 1816. The estate now owned by Asa P. Dodge was lirst owned by Jephthah Putnam, next by his son, Fuller Putnam, then by his son John, who sold to Peter, sou of Edward. Peter Putnam gave it to his daughters, Fanny and Persis. Fanny married Parley Waters. Persis married Rufus Bacon, jr. Parley Waters tore down the old long-roofed house and built a new one about 1830. They sold to Waldo Putnam ; he was succeeded by his sons, Marcus M. and Elijah ; they by the present owner. John Putnam, sou of Fuller, had three wives and many children, several of whom died young. Among the first wife's children were John, jr. (who mar- ried Nancy Cummiugs, and had iive children ; of those John Perry and Jane only survive) and Sylvanus. One daughter married Otis Morse ; one married Joseph Putnam : one married Peter Stockwell. John Putnam's first wife was a Waters, daughter of Amos and Abigail. His second wife was widow Ann Cox, maiden name Powers. She was a large, resolute woman, with whom he did not well agree ; so he gave her the little farm Avhere Bethuel Leonard now lives, and married widow Dorcas Collar, daughter of Peter Sibley. He had one son by his second wife, Harry, a fine, promising young man, who took a sudden cold from washing sheep had rheumatic fever and died, much lamented by all who 28 218 HOMES OF THE knew him. He had by his third wife two daughters, Ruth and Esther. Ruth married Freeman F. Sibley ; Esther died single. John Putnam lived in Ward, now Auburn, at one time ; his son Sylvanus was born there, January 24, 1791. He married Betsey Elliot (daughter of Aaron, son of Aaron, son of Joseph), October 15, 1826. They had four children. Mary died young ; Ira was noted for his great strength ; he died single. Julia married Rev. Mr. Barber. Sarah Maria married Franklin F. Sibley. Two of their daughters have recently given the valedictory on graduating at the Sutton high school. Sylvanus Putnam held many town offices and represented the town in the legislature. John Putnam and Sylvanus carried on a brick-yard in Cumberland, R. I., several seasons. After he sold to Peter he bought the Nathaniel Putnam place, where John Perry Putnam now lives ; two of his daughters were born there. Sylvanus' children were all born there, and there he and his wife both died. John Putnam died there, and from there both wives followed him as mourners, in the same carriage, to his grave. Dorcas afterward married Nathaniel Putnam. Sylvanus Putnam married Persis Harback for his second wife. After Peter Putnam bought this place it was occupied by many different families. Simeon Hathaway lived here. Hon. James O. Eaton, now of Lodi, Wisconsin, was born in this house in 1818. His mother was Alice, daughter of Simeon Hathaway ; she married Samuel Eaton. Captain Reuben Waters lived here several years. He was son of Amos and Abigail, born February 1, 1768, died September 12, 1842; he married Tamar Sibley, daughter of Gideon and Tamar, June 28, 1795; born in Sutton, April 9, 1776; died December 25, 1803. Their sons were Colonel Reuben, Ensign Parley and Russell, all scythe-makers by trade. Colonel Reuben held many civil and military offices. He now lives in Web- ster. Captain Waters married for second wife Widow Molly Cummings, daughter of Timothy Sibley. They had three children, Abner, Mary and Linus. Capt. Waters was a TOWN OF SUTTON. 219 blacksmith and worked in Capt. Hall's shop. Arthur Sibley, Christopher Ambler, Joseph Severy and Ltewis Putnam also lived in this house. When the central turnpike was built in 1827, Capt. Luke Wel\s, of Whately, and Harry Anderson, of Hatfield, contracted to build the mile east from Sutton Street ; so they hired this house and boarded their own help, which consisted of respectable young men hired from among their neighbors. Their engineer was Ozias Norcross, a good mathematician. Waldo Putnam lived here several years, and some of his children were born here. Julius E. Bacon, master of trans- portation on the Providence and Worcester railroad was born here. There once stood a house on the site a little south of where Newell Sherman now lives ; it was owned, and prob- ably built, by one Gould. A great feat in cider-drinking is spoken of as having occurred there. Four men visited him for a social chat. He tapped a fresh barrel of pleasant cider, and they commenced drinking early in the evening, and kept at it all night. In the morning, one of them went for another mug, but found the barrel empty. So the five men had the credit of drinking a barrel of cider in one night. Probably they became careless of the tap and gave the cellar-bottom "a single drop." The estate was bought of Gould by Peter Putnam, who built an addition to the house or a new one near it. The new house has been moved, and is the one now owned by Newell Sherman. This house was occupied by Captain Peter Putnam, jr. He had three wives and twelve children, all born in this house except Sarah. His first wife was Patty Putnam, daughter of David, son of Fuller. Her oldest son, Marble, distinguished himself as a popular tavern-keeper. He kept in various places, among them the Farns worth House, in Millbury, the Brom- field House, in Boston, and two of the most popular houses in Keene, New Hampshire. He left a handsome estate. The second son, Waldo, is now living in Sutton. The third child was a daughter, Patty Waters Putnam, a most beautiful girl, and a great favorite. She married Deacon Ansel Holman, and lived near Slaters ville, Rhode Island. She had three beautiful children, two daughters and a son. She, like her mother, died of 220 HOMES OF THE consumption, and all her children soon followed her by the .same disease. She is spoken of by those who knew her as being quite as eminent in virtue and piety as in beauty. The fourth, Peter Holland, married Hannah Putnam and had two children; the present Peter Holland, and Abbie, who married Abiel Newton and died soon after. The fifth, Waters Putnam, jr., married Jane Putnam, daughter of John, jr., and Nancy, third wife of his father. The sixth, Andrew Jackson, kept tavern with his brother Marble and by himself. He died at Hopkinton. His widow married Mr. Mitchell, who has just built the new house near the school house. "Captain Peter" married for his second wife Ruth E. Waters from New Braintree. She had four children. Ruth died young. Edwin kept tavern several years ; is now engaged in the manufacture of organs at Brattleborough, Vermont. He has quite a family. His wife had three pairs of twins in succession. Solon went to California ; returned and died single. Elizabeth married George Gibson and now lives in Oxford. For his third wife he married Nancy, widow of John Putnam, jr. They had two daughters. Frances married Asa P. Dodge. Sarah married John R. Humes. Captain Peter Putnam held many town offices and repre- sented the town in the legislature. After his death, the Gould place was bought by Newell Sherman, a local preacher and shoemaker. The house where John R. Humes now lives was originally owned by a man by the name of Prince, who is supposed to have built it. But little is known of him. His wife was an invalid. Elder Lamson called to see her and proposed prayers, asking what he should pray for. She answered, " I don't know ; ask Prince." So he said: "Mr. Prince, what shall I pray for?" Prince answered, "Her death, to be sure." She took courage and recovered, but you can ima- gine the embarrassment of Brother Lamson at the strange request Peter Putnam, son of Edward, born May 16, 1757, bought the farm of Prince ; and, after repairing and enlarg- ing the house, lived here many years. He married Sarah Marble, born in Sutton, January 31, 1760. Their children TOWN OF SUTTON. 221 were Sarah, who married Moses Sibley, born where Staun- ton died, and had Sarah, Moses, Ellen and Huldah. She married for second husband Joseph Richardson of Auburn. Peter, jr., Fanny and Persis, already mentioned. Peter Putnam, sen., died November 22, 1827, very suddenly, while dining at Sherman's tavern. Captain Peter Putnam lived here after his father's death, and his mother died here October 14, 1842. He and his second wife both died here. His widow, Nancy, now lives in this house. After moving he used the old Gould house as a store-house, granary, etc. Two old men, Daniel Leonard and Wm. Cannon took lodgings in one of the lower rooms, while the garret was stored with all the usual garret accumulations, such as empty barrels, boxes, etc., besides some two hundred and fifty or three hundred bushels of corn on the ear, which was spread on the floor to dry. In the dead of night, when these old men were fast asleep in the lower rooms of this old two-story house, the door at the head of the stairs, as well as the cellar door in the entry below, both standing open, the garret floor gave way, spilling its entire contents on the single floor directly over their heads, while the crawling corn went rattling down both flights of stairs to the very cellar, giving the poor old sleepers such a scare as is more easily imagined than described. Leonard, who was a little, spry old man, caught his pants and went for Captain Putnam, crying, "Come! come! Captain! The devil to pay at the old house ! I guess, but I don't know, I kinder calculate, I don't know, but the devil got Cannon. Come quick, Captain! come as quick as you can!" "Captain Peter" aroused, lighted his lantern, and started for the old house. On his way they met Cannon, who, as he was trying to adjust his pants, which, in his trepidation, he had got on wrong side foremost, said, "I come tu, Captain; I thought the devil got Leonard, I couldn't find him no- where." When the Captain arrived and saw the work he thought it a wonder that the old fellow did not get them both. Cannon was a little deaf. One working in the field with him, on a cloudy day, said to him: "Mr. Cannon, do you think it is going to rain?" He answered: "I don't care if I do, a drop." But it was not eleven, and the grog was not there. He hurt one of his thumbs, so that the bone rotted out and made him sick for several weeks. For a year or more after it got well he wore a cot on it, and to the salutation of Good morning, Mr. Cannon, would invariably stick up his thumb and say: " Jes as tender as ye eye." The house now owned by Nathan Tucker was built by Nathaniel Sibley for Dennis Murphy, about 1853. Sold by Murphy to Tucker in 1873. The house now owned by Miss Bennett was owned, and perhaps built, by James Sibley ; then by John Carriel, a 222 HOMES OF THE teamster between Sutton and Boston. He becane lame and is remembered as walking with a wooden shovel for a staff; he died here. After his death Deacon Aaron Elliot bought the place, and married the widow for his second wife. His son Aaron lived here, after marrying the widow Spade for his second wife, several years. He died here. Luther Goddard was the next owner ; he was a cooper by trade, and had a shop opposite the house, where he carried on quite an extensive business. He had two children, Francis, and Jane, who married a Winter, and is a widow now. The house now owned by Parley Putnam was built by Asa Putnam for Asa, jr., in 1816. It was next owned by Darius Putnam, then by Sumner, then by Joseph H. Putnam, now 1 by Parley, who built the new barn. Phineas Lovett once lived in this house ; his brother Moses died here. Moses was the father of Samuel Lovett of Lovettville, East Douglas. The house now owned by Joseph Hall Putnam, was built by Asa Putnam for his brother Col. John Putnam, who mar- ried Mary, daughter of Rev. David Hall, D. D. His son, Joseph Hall Putnam, was the next owner. He married for his first wife Nancy Blandon, and had Sullivan, Sumner and Parley. For his second wife he married Waitey Blackman, born in Scituate, R. I., March 22, 1798, died here November 26, 1842. She had Nancy Ann, and Emeline, who married Joshua Lackey. Joseph Hall Putnam, sen., was born in the house opposite, and died here January 6, 1870, aged eighty- nine years, nine months. He was peculiar in his salutations. No matter what the time of day, he said, " Good morning, sir. Where ye goin' ? What ye goin' there for?" He left a large estate. When his son Sumner was about eighteen, he sent him to Oxford to learn to make sale shoes ; after remaining there three months he returned. His father built him a little shop and told him to go in and work at his trade ; he would give him his board and clothes, and he might have all he could earn. So Sumner worked early and late, putting his earnings at interest. Consequently when he died he left twenty-five thousand dollars honestly earned in this school-district. TOWN OF SUTTON. He married Susan Dudley and had two children, Edwin and Louise. Edwin was drowned. Louise married E. E. Burdon, and lived but a short time. Sumner Putnam was a man much respected. He was one of the selectmen several years, and a member of the first Congregational church. The farm, containing about sixty acres, was next inherited by Sullivan Putnam, and now by his son, Joseph Hall Put- nam. The house now owned by Peter H. Putnam was the old homestead of his and his wife's ancestors. It was built by Edward Putnam, whose twelve children were born here. His son Asa was next owner, then Asa's son David, who had but one son, Bradford, born here August 11, 1817, married Harriet Sibley, born in Oxford, July 9, 1821. They had RESIDENCE OF PETER PUTNAM. 224 HOMES OF THE one daughter, Harriet Augusta, born April 18, 1841. She married Peter Holland Putnam (son of Peter H., son of Peter, son of Peter, son of Edward), July 6, 1862. Bradford died September 16, 1856. His daughter inherited this place on the death of her grandfather, David Putnam. He was a Justice of Peace, and remarkable for his calmness. He held his share of toAvn offices and represented the toAvn in the legislature. The beautiful new- barn on the place was built by Peter H. Putnam in 1876. The farm contains about 100 acres. All of Col. John Putnam's children were born in this house. The house now owned by Leonard Dodge is supposed to have been built by Enos Buxton. Asa Putnam bought it of Enos Buxton, jr., in 1805. It was then an old-fashioned, long-roofed house. He immediately made it upright and put it in its present form. Asa Putnam had a large family, all respectable. His son Asa now lives in Connecticut. His son Darius married Sally Putnam, and had two sons. One of his daughters, Delia, married Capt. Parley Howard, and died without issue. Rachel married John Rich, jr., and had two daughters. Rebecca married Maynard Dodge, and had one son; she died soon after. Julia married Leonard Dodge, and had three children. Julia, born October 14, 1832, mar- ried Andrew J. Morse, died January 25, 1854. Richard Leonard, born Oct. 22, 1834, married Sarah Ann Fairbanks ; now lives in Oxford. Asa Putnam Dodge, born Sept. 13, 1836, married Frances A. Putnam. The commodious new barn on the place was built by Leonard Dodge in 1862. He came in possession of the farm, containing ninety acres, in 1845. The estate now owned by Newell Lackey was originally owned by Stephen Harwood. It was next owned by Solo- mon Stockwell, who lived in the old Harwood house which has been taken down. The oldest house, now standing on the place, was built by Solomon Stockwell for his sou Peter, who occupied it many years until his death. Peter Stockwell married Huldah Putnam, daughter of John. They had nine children, all dead but John P. and Sylvanus, who lives at Anoka, Minn. TOWN OF SUTTON. 22.5 A daughter of Solomon Stockwell married Amos Bigelow ; lie was sixteen and she fourteen years of age when married. The new house where Mr. Lackey now lives was built by Peter Stockwell for his son Sylvanus, in 1850. It was sold to Asa Dodge and by him to Lackey. On the road from Lackey's to Le Beau's there stood a small house owned and occupied by Oliver Sibley. On the same road stands an old house owned by Mr. Bolster. Charles Putnam, son of Aaron, once lived there. Christopher Ambler lived there, then Abner Putnam, son of David, son of Deacon ( Cornelius ; he married a daughter of Archelaus, son of Edward, and had a large family. Among them were Sally, Amy, Harvey, Ruth, Archelaus, Dexter and Lawson. His daughter, Mrs. Newton, afterwards owned it. Then Thomas Hill, now Bolster. On the place where Mr. Le Beau now lives, Levi Fuller first settled ; he came from Attleboro. It was next owned by his son Amos, then by Amos' son, Rufus Fuller ; then by his brother, Elisha Fuller ; then by William Dudley ; next by Parley Putnam ; then by Patrick Roach and now by Mr. Le Beau. The old house was taken down and the present new cottage built by Mr. Le Beau. The farm con- tains about fifty acres. On it is located the Fuller burying place. The house where Joseph Wilcox now lives was built b} r Elder Turner Fuller ; after his death the estate was sold to Leonard Logee, and by him to Zebina Day ; after his death Joseph Wilcox bought it. He married Huldah, daughter of Elder Turner Fuller. The Rev. Willard Fuller was born in the part of this house which was moved from the Levi Fuller place prior to its removal. Elder Turner Fuller was a Free-will Baptist, and held meetings regularly in this house for years. He was quite a revivalist, and many persons were converted here, among them his son Willard, afterwards an elder. Willard built a church, almost with his own hands, near Manchaug Pond, where he preached for years, and where many were converted. There was at one time a little controversy among the brethren concerning the paying for the lime with which the church was plastered. As the discus- sion began to wax warm, the Elder, with tears in his eyes, arose and rebuked them in this wise: "Friends and brethren, I am led to believe we are getting 29 226 HOMES OF THE the Christianity pretty much all out of our religion in these days. Will some one lead in prayer?" They all prayed and the lime matter was soon amicably settled. Elder Turner Fuller was a comb-maker by trade, yet he worked on his farm and preached the Gospel. His first wife was a Buxton, his second a Ford. Joseph Wilcox was born in Whitingham, Vermont, July 27, 1803. He had two sons and two daughters. One of his daughters married Henry B. Bullard. Ransom Bolster's house was built by Lewis Putnam near his father's house ; sold to John Rich, jr., by him to Ausou Nicholas, moved by him to present site. Titus Robbins lived there several years. Bolster bought of Nicholas. Ransom C. Bolster was born in Burrillville, Rhode Island, Sept. 2, 1826, married Eliza Ann Donaldson, born in Bos- ton, Feb. 12, 1841. They have one son, William Robert, born in Sutton, Dec. 25, 1859. The place where John Bennett now resides was first settled by Deacon Cornelius Putnam. His son Bartholomew lived in the large old house recently torn down by Mr. Bennett, supposed to have been built by his father. Bar- tholomew married a daughter of Edward Putnam. Their son Lewis, and Asa Stearns were the next owners ; they sold to John Rich, jr., he to Leonard Logee ; after his death the estate was bought by John Bennett, the present owner, who has just built a new house and barn. Dr. H. P. Stearns, son of Asa and Mary (Putnam) Stearns, a distinguished physician and surgeon, was born in the old house on this place, April 18, 1828. When six years of age, he removed with his parents to Shrewsbury ; entered Yale College in 1849, graduated in 1853, studied medicine one year in Harvard University, then returned to Yale and graduated from the medical department of that college in 1855. He immediately went abroad and spent between one and two years, mostly in Edinburgh, Scotland, in the prosecution of medical studies ; returned to this country and settled in Hartford, Connecticut, in 1859 ; was commissioned as surgeon of the first regiment Connecticut volunteers, April 18, 1861. After three months' service he was commissioned surgeon of the United States volunteers, TOWN OF SUTTON. 227 and ordered to report to General U.S. Grant, then in com- mand of the southwestern district of Missouri, with head- quarters at Cairo, Illinois. He remained on his staff during the winter of 1861 and 1862, and afterwards was constantly in the service, as medical director in the field, or of the United States general hospitals. At the close of the war was medical director of all the United States general hos- pitals at Nashville, Tennessee and vicinity ; was in the service four years and four months in all, and retired with rank of Brevet Lieutenant Colonel. He was in general practice of medicine in Hartford, Connecticut, from 1866 to 1873 ; was then appointed superintendent of the Retreat for the Insane at Hartford, which position he still fills with distinguished ability. The house now occupied by George Bennett was first owned by Archelaus Putnam, then by his son Aaron, then by Samuel Waters, who married Aaron's daughter Rebecca; then by Archelaus Putnam, son of Abner; then by Charles Walker, who built a new house about 1837 ; then by Brad- ford Putnam, who died there ; then by Joseph H. Putnam, now by George Bennett. On the site where George Ray now resides, Leonard Dodge built a house in 1834, where he lived until 1840. All his children were born here. He sold the place to his brother Willard, who lived here till his death. The house built by Leonard was burned 1862. The present house was built by Willard in 1863, bought by George Ray in 1869. Mr. Dodge had three wives ; first Huldah Sibley, second Fanny Bigelow, who had one beautiful daughter who lived to womanhood, married and died soon after of consumption. He married for third wife Widow Cadwell. A young man, son of John Dodge, committed suicide by hanging in Willard.' s barn. He was a fine young man, and his death caused great excitement and sorrow in the family and neighborhood. The house where George Keith now lives was built by Josiah Dodge for his daughter Nancy, born Sept. 5, 1799. She married Simeon Keith, born in Uxbridge, July 7, 1797. They had two sons and several daughters. The estate now 228 HOMES OF THE belongs to his son George. Simeon Keith has been treasurer <5 *-' and collector of this town, and was constable for several years. Mrs. Keith left his bed while he was asleep, went down and fell into the well, where she was drowned, August 5, 18(30. Her fall awoke her husband, who went to her assistance, but she died before he could get her out of the water. Whether she was asleep or awake when the accident happened, no one knows. Charity would suggest somnam- bulism. She was a good wife and a kind mother. The place where George Putnam now lives was built by Jonathan Carriel. It was afterward occupied by Dr. Free- land ; then bought by Daniel Marble ; after Mr. Marble's death it was owned by Darius Putnam. It now belongs to his heirs : he died here. His widow married Tourtellott Inman, Esq., who lived here several years, and now lives with his son in Medford. He voted for Hayes and Wheeler last fall, being in his one hundredth year. Daniel Marble married for his first wife Ruth Woodbury. They had three sons, diaries lived and died in Hartland, Vt., where he raised a family. For his second wife he married Polly Harback and had four children, two sons and two daughters. Daniel Marble was one of the best farmers in town. He was rather noted for raising fine stock. His farm was under a high state of cultivation. His fences were well cared for, and no bush or noxious weed allowed to fringe his mowing lots or fields. He was for many years a drover. He and his son Daniel bought many droves of cattle for the Brighton market, and were for a time very prosperous, but at last they met with heavy losses, which so embar- rassed them as to cause a failure. Just as the crash came, his beautiful twin daughters, Ruth and Polly, the pride and idol of his heart, were taken sick and died. The property gone, the daughters dead, the family hope seemed crushed forever. The wife and sons sought solace in the intoxicating cup, thereby adding the last killing weight to the bending back of the poor overloaded father. Until then he had been scrupulously nice to shave and keep himself in trim. But now his razor is laid aside, his personal appearance neglected, and he goes a mourning pilgrim to his grave. One of his neighbors asked him why he did not shave. His answer was, " I've been shaved too much already." After the death of Mr. Marble, the Rev. John Walker lived in this house. He was a truly good man. His six children went to school in this district and were among the best scholars. One of his sons, Harvey D., graduated at college, and is now president of a college in Pennsylvania. TOWN OF SUTTON. 229 The estate containing ninety-three acres now owned by Herman A. Kimmel, was originally owned by Nathaniel Carriel, who built the old long-roofed house taken down by his successor, Josiah Dodge, who bought the place of the Carriel heirs in 1818. Mr. Dodge built a new house in 1822. He also built the present beautiful house in 1832. But little can be learned of Mr. Carriel. He was father of Mrs. Huldah Dodge, who was born here. She married Josiah Dodge May ^4, 179,'. G. King and ('apt. Amasa Wood, shoe manufacturers, also sent in their orders. The farmers then made cheese and sold much of it at this store. The Sutton Flour Mill was running then, and their " family flour," put up in half and quarter barrel bags, made of drill- ing, was here sold in large quantities. The manufacture of bags was also quite a business. After a partnership of two years Mr. Hall disposed of his interest to Mr. Teimey. Gibbs Lilley then went into com- pany with him, moving his stock from the other store into the brick building, making one of the largest stocks to be found in a country store. Mr. Lilley soon bought out the entire stock, taking it to Michigan City, Indiana, where he carried on trade some time. After he left, Messrs. Tenney and Veazie manufactured brogans awhile. Since then B. L. Batcheller has manufactured in the building. John Allen, Mr. Greenwood, Baker and Putnam, Baker and Howard, Chase and Sibley, N. G. King, Loren C. Howard, Wilder S. Holbrook, Mr. Aldrich, L. W. Howard and others have kept the store. John P. Putnam and D. A. Tenney made harnesses in the lower part of the building for some time. That shop is now occupied by Hoyle, Barton and others, who are shoemakers. The tenement was first occupied by 36 282 HOMES OF THE Mr. G. Hall. He was married there by Rev. H. A. Tracy, to Catharine B. Woodbury, Sept. 19, 1841. It was next occupied by Mr. Simon Tenney. His son Daniel died here. It has since been occupied as a tenement by many different families ; among them were Salem Chamberlain, then town clerk, Rev. Dr. John R. Smith, one of whose children was born here. It is now occupied by Charles H. Barton, son of Hudson, son of Capt. Reuben. His mother was Lucy B. Marble, daughter of Capt. Samuel, son of Major Alpheus, son of Enoch, son of Freegrace, son of Samuel. He married Catherine H. Carlton, daughter of Deacon Silas G., son of Silas, son of Benjamin. They have two children William Herbert and Nellie Agnes. The room now occupied by the selectmen was first used as a lawyer's office by Edward Clarke, Esq. The room used for the Sutton Library was the office of Dr. Nehemiah C. Sibley, a skillful physician. He was cousin to the late Gov. H. H. Sibley of Minnesota, and son of Capt. Nathaniel, son of Reuben, son of Jonathan, son of Joseph, son of Joseph, son of John. The front room of the second story has been used as a tailors shop by different parties. Dr. Shurtleff occupied it at the time of Dr. D. E. Hall's death. He soon after left town, and now practices in Sterling, Mass. In the upper part of the building is a hall known as Washington Hall. The Methodists held their meeting there one year before they built their church. It has been used for lyceums, exhibitions, etc. The Walden brothers started the boot business here, but the great Boston fire failed them and they left. On the site where the brick block now stands, once stood an old wooden building, which was burned in 1837. We can not learn who built it. Elijah Putnam, it is said, traded there, and his brother-in-law, Abner Brown, lived there. Elijah died single and was succeeded by his brother, Captain Israel Putnam, who lived in the house. Some of his chil- dren were born here. The business was continued by Put- nam and March Jacob March, the father of Mrs. Tracy - then by March and Chase, then by Chase and Lilley, and after the death of Nehemiah Chase, by Gibbs Lilley, until . the store was burned. TOWN OF SUTTON. 283 The trade in that old store was very different from the trade of the present time, and the traders there all became rich. They took in farmers' produce, and sent a team to Boston every week. It was no unusual sight to see several whole hogs on the counter at a time. They bought beef, pork, butter, cheese, grain, poultry, eggs, wool, feathers, flax, and in fine any thing that the farmers then raised. Farming was a business. The farmers of New England then sup- plied the Boston market, and Sutton did her part. The railroads had not then injured farming interests in the eastern states. There were three taverns then in this district, filled every night with lodgers, and their stables with horses. The old church stood nearly opposite this store. It had no fire- place it was before the day of stoves yet the people attended church more then than now. The women used to carry foot-stoves, filled with coals in the forenoon from their own fire-places ; then at noon-time they would replenish them from the friendly hearths around the church, and no one suffered from cold. The male members used to come into the old store, and get their "flip" or "gin slings," and then return to the afternoon service. March and Chase kept all kinds of liquors. The farmers used rum freely in hay- time, and in fact it seemed to be regarded as the inspirer of power to swing the scythe, that then cut their grass, which is now principally mowed by horse-power. At the com- mencement of haying most of the farmers had their fifteen gallon kegs tilled, and it was nothing strange for March and Chase to draw off a pipe of New England rum in one week. It was sold then for less than the tax on it now. In some of the customs of that day there has been great improvement. Where Mrs. Nancy P. Hall now lives there once stood a large, old-fashioned house, with a long roof on the back side. It is not known who built the house ; but a Mr. Houghton, who came from Boston, lived there several years ; he was a tall, slim, straight, gentlemanly-looking man, and kept a small store of Yankee notions in the house. He had a son, John, who went to New Orleans ; he had also several daughters. His wife died here, and while they were arrang- ing for some one to watch with the corpse, the oldest 284 HOMES OF THE daughter made the remark that she did not think mother would run away if they did not have a watcher. Afterward Mr. Houo-hton returned to Boston. It has since been owned r"5 and occupied by Gibbs Sibley, Moses L. Morse, Dr. David March, Xehemiah Chase, Edward Clark, Esq., Simon Tenney and Silence Putnam, who took down the old house and built the present^beautiful one in 1855. She leased it to Dr. David E. Hall and wife during their lives. She occupied it with them until her death in 1862. She gave the place then by will to the first Congregational society in Sutton. She left some ten thousand to various religious charities. John Allen lived in the old house while engaged in the store. It then belonged to Simon Tenney. Mr. Allen was a very worthy man. He married a Miss Maynard, a popular teacher. One or two of their children were born here, and little Johnnie died here. Mr. A. now lives in Gardner, Massachusetts. Mr. Philander Derby, now one of the richest men in Gardner, was once the hired man of James Phelps, and worked on his beautiful farm at West Sutton. He gave five thousand dollars a few weeks since towards building a new church. He made his money there by manufacturing chairs. We orive a brief sketch of Dr. David March, furnished bv O * Rev. H. A. Tracy, and also of his distinguished brother Alden. David had three lovely daughters. One, Catherine M., married a Mr. Clarke, a wealthy merchant, and now lives in Framiiigham. Emily married Mr. Estey, a late member of Congress. Augusta remained single. DAVID MARCH, M. D. David March, M. D., born in Sutton, Jan. 29, 1785, was the son of Jacob March and Eleanor Moore, daughter of David Moore. He spent his childhood and youth upon his father's farm, afterwards called the Samuel March farm. Being of a delicate constitution, the family decided that he must be educated, and through the aid of his father and brothers he obtained a classical and medical education at Brown University, and received the degree of M. D. in 1812. He immediately entered the army as assistant surgeon, and was commis- sioned surgeon's mate, March 1, 1813, and stationed at Sackett's Harbor and TOWN OF SUTTON. 285 Watertown, New York. Here he spent, chiefly in the hospitals connected with the army, some two years or more, distinguishing himself in several surgical operations. Thus early in his career he gave promise of what he might have become if opportunity had favored him as subsequently it favored his younger brother, Alden. He commenced the practice of medi- cine in Sutton, in 1815, in connection with Dr. Stephen Monroe, whose youngest daughter Catherine he married the same year. Here he continued to reside and practice his profession till his death, May 13, 1829. In his professional character he stood high, and was frequently called into neighboring towns in consultation, especially in surgical cases. Through his advice and assistance his brother, Alden March, the eminent surgeon of Albany, New York, was introduced to that career which subsequently so much distinguished the name. Dr. David March was a devoted and earnest Christian man, and his professional and domestic character was most thor- oughly imbued with the spirit of religion. He died as he lived, a man of God. Alden March was born 1795, on the farm known as the Samuel March place. This place is situated on the road from Millbury to New England Village, and was in Sutton until 1813, when the north parish became the town of Mill- bury. Mr. March enjoyed only the limited advantages for education afforded by the common schools of the time. As he approached manhood he taught school for quite a number of terms, and at the same time studied medicine with Dr. David March, an elder brother, a physician and surgeon in Sutton of eminence. He attended medical lectures first in Boston, and afterwards Brown Uni- versity (which then had a medical department) where he graduated with the degree of doctor of medicine. In 1820 he removed to Albany, New York, and commenced practice; at the same time lecturing to small classes of students upon anatomy. His teaching and practice in the departments of both medicine and surgery were altogether in advance of the age, and excited much opposition on the part of the pro- fession and the people. But believing himself in the right, he steadily pursued his course, expect- ing, in the end, success and approval. In 1824 he was appointed professor of Anatomy and physiology in the Ver- mont academy of medicine, at Castleton, which position he held for ten years, during which time he continued his general practice and his private lecture course in Albany. In 1830 he delivered a public lecture in Albany on " the propriety of estab- lishing a medical college and hospital" there. The lecture was published and much interest resulted. An effort was soon made to secure from the legislature an act of incorporation for a medical college in that city; to which great opposition was made by the various medical institutions in the state. But with indomitable energy he battled with the opposition, and after eight years of ceaseless conflict, arrangements were made for a course of lectures which was commenced Jan. 3, 1839, with a class of fifty-seven students. Dur- ing this course a charter for the college was obtained from the legislature ; and, under the presidency of Dr. March, the institution at once took a stand second to none in the country. 286 HOMES OF THE "As a surgeon, Dr. March stood in the front rank. His fame not only filled his own land, but extended to medical circles throughout Europe. In- deed, competent authorities assert that he was unquestionably the foremost surgeon of the world. When Dr. Brainard, himself an eminent lecturer, returned from Europe, he expressed the general judgment in his exclamation : ' Dr. March is ahead of them all.' " * Dr. James L. Babcock in speaking of his professional life says : " There is no record of the surgical operations performed by him during ten years of his practice ; yet those of which we have a record number seven thousand one hundred and twenty-four." Among these were operations never before attempted, requiring skill, daring and delicate manipulation, for which he was pre-eminently distinguished. He contributed many valuable papers to medical and surgical science was made an honorary member of various state medical societies, and elected to the highest offices in the gift of the profession to which he belonged. But Dr. March was more than the eminent physician and surgeon. After speak- ing of him as such, Dr. William B. Sprague says of him .in an address deliv- ered at his funeral : "That which constituted the crowning glory of the charac- ter of our friend was a loving, all-pervading piety and for that he was indebted to God's gracious, sanctifying spirit. * * * And not only did the spirit first implant in his soul the principle of the new life, but He has preserved and quickened and finally matured it." He was a member of the first Presbyterian church in Albany, and it is said of him, " He never absented himself from the sanctuary on the Sabbath, or from the weekly prayer-meeting, except in case of severe illness or imperative necessity; and was equally anxious that his entire family should be there." Prominent mention is also made of his domestic life. Dr. Sprague speaks of him as "the life and joy of a happy home," and adds: " Within that sacred enclosure his heart always seemed full of blessing, the result of which was, that he drew all the members of his household around him by a cord of unwonted reverence and tenderness. "I understand that he was a model both in the conjugal and parental rela- tions ; that his presence in his own endeared circle was always welcomed as a benediction ; that his discipline, dictated by kindness and guided by calm dis- cretion, seemed only as the legitimate working of the law of love." Dr. March was evidently what can be said of few, a model of excellence in all the relations he sustained ; and Sutton may well feel proud in claiming him as her son. Dr. March died in Albany, June 17, 1870. Moses L. Morse, who livedf on this place, was a great inventor. He invented the first pin-making machine ever made in this country. Mr. Oliver Hall aided him in its construction. The pins made had solid heads, and the principle involved in their manufacture was the same as that intro- duced in the best machines now iu use, which make two barrels a day. Some one who has written on the subject gives a Mr. Wright credit for inventing * Albany Evening Journal. t See Crossman's report of the place where the Morse family lived, 150 years ago, in district number five. TOWN OF BUTTON. 287 the first machine for making pins with solid heads in 1833, but it is a mistake. Solid head pins were made by Morse's machine during the war of 1812. He also invented and had patented scales for weighing coins and other substances hydrostatically. Mr. Hall also helped make the scales. He says a gentleman came into the shop one day, and having his attention called to the new scales, took out a new Spanish dollar and asked Mr. Morse to test his scales on that dollar ; so he weighed it and pronounced it a rank counterfeit. The man was provoked at the idea, for it was a very perfect coin. So Mr. Morse gave him another dollar that he might test the one in dispute ; then he took his drill and bow and began to tap the dollar, which proved to be made of copper, slightly plated with silver. Then the man declared the scales the greatest invention of the age, and ordered one immediately for his own use. The scales had a graduated face not unlike a clock-face, with hands to point out the result. Mr. Morse afterward established a cutlery manufactory in Worcester, at what was known as the red mills. Mr. Hall went over to instruct him in the art of polishing steel upon a wheel. The art was not much known then. The wheels were covered with buckskin and set with crocus mastic. Mr. Simon Tenney, son of Daniel, son of Simon, son of Daniel, died in this house June 11, 1856, aged fifty-six. He married Nancy Putnam and had tAvo sons, who died young. He did much business, and was a quiet, peaceable, good- hearted man. She married for her second husband Dr. David E. Hall, son of Joseph, son of David, D. D., son of Joseph, son of John, who came from Coventry, England, about 1630. Family tradition says his brother, the husband of Mary, the father of John, father of Deacon Percival, came with him and settled at Mystic, now Medford. Dr. David E. Hall was born in the house where Esq. Mills now lives, Nov. 14, 1791. He married Mrs. Nancy P. Tenney Dec. 2, 1857, and died in this house very suddenly, January 24, 1872. He studied the languages with his father, Master Joseph Hall, entered the medical department of Yale college, and received his diploma and recommendation from the late renowned professor, Dr. Nathan Smith of that institution. After which he practiced medicine in New Boston, Ct., then at Westfield, now Danielsonville, where he was well patron- ized and much respected. He married a Miss Summer and had one daughter, Miss Sarah S. Hall, who is an accomplished lady. She is well educated and a very fine artist ; is con- stantly employed, and makes portraits a specialty. Dr. Hall was one of the most genial and companionable of men, scholarly, gentlemanly, a good story-teller, and always entertaining and instructive in conversation. Many of his 288 HOMES OF THE pithy anecdotes will be long remembered. Both himself, wife and daughter were members of the Congregational church. Between these two houses once stood the law office of Jonas L. Sibley. It was formerly a school-house and located where the school-house now stands. It has since been moved and made into a dwelling-house, now owned and occupied by Estes Putnam. Esquire Sibley had several students in this office, among them were C. C. Baldwin, C. White, a Mr. Livermore, now of Cambridge, Esquire F. Botham, now of Southbridge, Edward Clarke and others. Dr. D. March had an office in the same building, containing many 'anatomical preparations. There used to be a barn connected with the old house, in which D. A. Tenney and J. P. Putnam kept a livery stable, which was well patronized when one could stand and see fifty or more young shoemakers playing ball on the common after finishing their work for the day. Here are the old sheds, erected long ago by the fathers who worshipped in the old church. They have been cursed and threatened with destruction by many, yet they have been a humane institution, inasmuch as they have given grateful shelter to many a poor tired nag ; keeping him dry from the storm or shading him from the burning rays of the sun. Three or four generations, now sleeping in their graves, have tied their horses to the same hooks ; and many of the pretty girls who were courted by our forefathers have watched and waited before them for the horse, the beau and the pillion behind him, on which she was to ride to her home ; and, even now, succeeding belles every Sunday " wait for the wagon" to take them home. On these same sheds on which we look, our grandmother and her mother looked, who will never look again. Let the old sheds be respected for their antiquity and the memories of the past which they recall. The next house east of the sheds was built by Miss Lucena Woodbury in 1843. Win. E. Cole was the carpen- ter. Mr. Gardner Hall lived in this house several years. A little daughter born June 23, 1851, died there in his arms, June 15, 1852. Mr. John Woodbury, a most conscientious and kind-hearted man, died very suddenly in this house June 22, 1847. Miss Woodbury built on the low part of this house in 1855. Rev. Daniel Babcock, who married a daughter of John Parkman, was the carpenter. It was used as a parsonage for the Methodist church, and was occupied 37 TOWN OF SUTTON. 291 by Revs. Rodney Gage, N. S. Spanieling, William Clapp, J. J. Woodbury, Brown, and C. S. Macreading the two latter boarding with Miss Woodbury. Miss W. was very liberal and gave freely to the church. She went from here to live with her nephew in Ohio. It cannot be ascertained who built the first house opposite the above. Mrs. Sibley says that the Hon. Jonas Sibley lived there when he was first married. He was succeeded by Dr. Carter, who lived there and kept school. He after- ward went to Maine, then almost an unknown wilderness, his wife remarking as they left that ' ' It was better to be the head of a mouse than the tail of a lion." Dr. Carter became quite distinguished there. Russell Buckman lived there several years. Estes Howe, Esq., then bought the place, and built the front part of the house now standing ; he also repaired and much improved the old part. The rooms were made high-studded and spacious and were considered very nice at the time. Simeon Hathaway was the carpenter, and it is said Esq. Howe paid him for the entire job in legal services. Howe was a thick-set, portly gentleman, and a lawyer of more than ordinary ability. He went to Worces- ter, thence to New York, where he became a judge. Jacob March and his brother Dr. David owned it, and kept tavern there some time. Dr. Stephen Monroe, their father- in-law, was found dead, sitting in one chair with his feet in another, on the morning of Sept. 10, 1826. Dr. David March was a dark complexioned, sedate man, of sober, quiet mien, quite becoming the office of deacon which he held. His wife was one of the best of women. The next owner was the Rev. John Maltby, a man of fine personal appearance, and a most eloquent preacher. The new church was built during his ministry, and he filled it so that new side-galleries were proposed to accommodate his hearers. The place was next owned by Rev. H. A. Tracy, one of the compilers of this history, a man much beloved and respected by the people of his church and the town. His wife was a modest, unassuming Christian lady and greatly beloved. Mr. Tracy sold the place to Mr. Elijah 292 HOMES OF THE Billiard, a very worthy man, who died here, and the place now belongs to his heirs and assignees. The house now owned and occupied by M. M. Hovey is said to have been built for, and occupied by, the Rev. John McKinstry, who was ordained and installed first pastor of the Congregational church, Nov. 9, 1720, and dismissed Sept. 2, 1728. The place was afterward owned by Dr. Benjamin Morse, who joined the same church in 1741, and was seventh deacon in 1761. He was a very prominent man in town, and town clerk several years, as our list of officers shows. He was succeeded by his sons. Ezekiel Morse conveyed it to Caleb and Tyler Marsh, March 2, 1799. It was conveyed by Mr. Joseph Hall, son of Deacon Willis Hall, to Daniel Hovey, May 27, 1811. Mr. H. was a very enterprising business man. He married for second wife, Nov. 10, 1813, Miss Susan Jacobs, one of the most worthy of women. He was born Oct. 29, 1778, and died here Jan. 10, 1839. She was born Dec. 15, 1793; died March 25, 1850. Their children were all born in this house. John is now a wealthy planter and merchant in Virginia. Susan, a fine young lady, died single. Daniel Tyler went to college at Amherst, studied medicine, then went to California and returned as far as New York, where he died unmarried. He was engaged to Miss Lydia Bishop, sister of Dr. Bishop now of Worcester. She taught school here and was a very fine lady. She afterward married a Lanman and died at Norwich, Connecticut. M. M. Hovey, the present owner, is too well known to need comment. He has been largely engaged in the wood and lumber business, in which he is presumed to have accumulated a respectable fortune. He has run a saw-mill for several years, principally on his own lumber ; he has cleared much woodland and is now a large landholder. He has one of the best cultivated farms in town, and some of the best stock. He has also a store in Greenville, South Carolina, where he is doing an extensive dry goods business under the name and firm of Hovey and Town. He has been our representative in the legislature, and held other offices of trust and honor. His wife is the daughter of the late Dr. Leonard Pierce. TOWN OF SUTTON. 293 His brother William was engaged in trade in South Caro- lina for several years, and was worth more than one hundred thousand dollars before the war ; but lost heavily by that unfortunate aifair ; so to regain his fortune he started stores in different places, over did, became insane, came home and soon after died in the asylum at Worcester. Erastus Franklin went into the flax business somewhere in the State of New York ; was burnt out and lost every- thing. He is now doing business in Philadelphia. Mary Elizabeth was born Sept. 17, 1829. She married Colonel Asa H. Waters, June 27, 1849. They live in Millbury. He graduated at Yale College, studied law, has been a mem- ber of the Massachusetts senate, and held many other offices of honor and trust. He has been engaged in the manufacture of guns, also in manufacturing cotton and woollen goods. He has three daughters, Isabel H., Lilian H., and Florence E. Lilian married Professor Grosvenor of Roberts College in Constantinople. The Colonel with his wife and daughters have visited her there, remaining some two years. M. M. Hovey's first wife was Louisa L. Sabin of Plainfield, Conn. She died here Sept. 24, 1860. The north part of the house was built by the present owner, wfyo has much improved every^part of the place, and bought on much land. We find the following brief biographical sketch of Deacon Benjamin Morse, M. D., in the Worcester Spy, May 10, 1776. It is dated Sutton, April 6th. Last Thursday died Deacon Benjamin Morse, M. D., of this town, in the sixty-second year of his age. Very few persons have passed so many years with more reputation to himself and usefulness to others. His private and public conduct in life merit general applause. Sensible of the particular obli- gations resulting from private connections, he was led to show himself the kind husband, tender parent, obliging neighbor, social and sincere friend. He evinced his piety toward God and benevolence to men in action, the genuine offspring of those noble principles. Well esteemed in the church of God as a physician, eminent and -useful. For months a disorder of a nervous kind j attended 'him; which he was convinced would close the scene of life. In much Christian patience and submission he awaited the event. His removal is, to the mourning family, town and church, a deep felt loss ; though doubtless gain to him. Among God's saints he sang surprising grace; Met death with joy and closed his eyes in peace. The memory of the just is blessed. Solomon. 294 HOMES OF THE It is not known who first settled on the place opposite the above. The tavern, so far as can be learned, was first kept by a Mr. Hale, and his hostler was David Dudley, of whom mention has been made. John Safford, who married a Hayden and afterward lived in Newburyport, boarded there. It is said that some returned soldiers called at Hale's tavern RESIDENCE OF MRS. MARY L. B. PIERCE AND THEODORE E. PUTNAM. and paid thirty dollars for a mug of "flip." It was undoubt- edly known as Hale's tavern after he left. It is also said that Lazarus LeBaron bought the place of Capt. Nathaniel Sibley (son of Samuel, son of Joseph, son of John) , Jan. 10, 1777, and paid for it in continental money. Mr. LeBaron came here from Boston about 1774. He had been a merchant there, and married Susan Johannot and had one daughter. His first wife died in Boston. He was thrice married after he came to Sutton, and had one daughter, Hannah, who TOWN OF SUTTON. 295 married Capt. Israel Putnam. The place descended to her, and now belongs to her heirs, the present owners and occu- pants. Capt. Israel Putnam had a large family, of whom mention was made at the place of his birth in district number one. Mrs. Mary L. B. Pierce is the present owner and occu- pant. Her brother, Mr. Theodore Putnam, now has charge of the farm and keeps it in a fine state of cultivation. He has a fine stock of cattle, and prepares most of his own fertilizers, coating his pastures and mowing lots liberally with plaster. Mr. LeBaron commenced keeping tavern in an old house which was standing when he bought the place. He built the present large and commodious house about 1794. His tavern was considered the most popular house between Boston and Hartford, and was constantly thronged by visitors. He used to mention among the distinguished guests he had entertained, Gen. LaFayette, Gov. John Hancock, Major Paul Jones, Gen. Putnam and others. He kept a store and did quite an extensive business. He also manufactured potash. The ashery stood a little east of the store. Tradition has handed down the following amusing anec- dote : He closed his store one day and left, taking the key with him. Soon after a customer came for something, but could not get in ; so his daughter, a heavy, buxom girl, said she could get in and get what he wanted. She placed a ladder under the attic window, and went in. From the attic she had to descend into the store through a trap door, directly under which stood a hogs- head of molasses on one end ; so she jumped through the scuttle upon the upper head of the hogshead, when it gave way, and let her into a pool sweeter than any in which she had ever before been immersed. Whether she waited on the customer, tradition saith not. Mr. Le Baron was aristocratic, yet cheerful, jovial and familiar with his customers. He wore his small clothes a la- the regulation suit ordered for Queen Victoria's receptions ; breeches of fine cloth with silver knee buckles, long stock- ings and silver shoe buckles. He also wore a cocked hat. He was a gentleman of wealth and high standing. He and his three wives died here ; also Capt. Putnam and his good 296 HOMES OF THE wife, Dr. N. C. Sibley aiid his son, Le Baron Putnam, Caroline Gerrish, Miss Caroline Hull and others. Incidents enough to fill the history might be gathered in connection with this place, but we must save the space for others. The building once used as a store by Mr. Le Baron was moved down just opposite Mr. Hovey's farmer's house and used many years as a tenement house. Three or four tailors lived in it. John Shea lived there several years, Alanson Titus, who worked for Capt Putnam more than thirty years ; besides other families. It was taken down in 1875. ' The house belonging to M. M. Hovey, standing opposite, was built by him and has been occupied mostly by his own workmen, among them Palmer Sibley, Thomas Marlboro, Obed P. Johnson and others. The next house below was built by N. G. King and first occupied by F. M. Marble and George Hastings. It has since been owned by Jason Dudley, and is now owned by L. C. Howard. It has since been used as a tenement house by many different families. The small house at the foot of the hill was originally built by Estes Howe, Esq., and used by him as an office. N. G. King bought it of Rev. H. A. Tracy, moved it and fitted it up as a tenement for his mother, who died there January 20, 1857. She was daughter of Dr. N. F. Morse, and a very worthy woman. The house has since been occupied by several of Mr. King's workmen. It is now used by him as a store-house. The next place was first owned by Deacon John Morse, who, it is supposed, built the house. It has since been owned by Christopher Nason, Jacob March, N. G. King and George S. King, the present owner. Mr. Nason was a tanner and currier, and carried on that business in the old tannery near this place. Deacon Morse was son of Dr. N. F. Morse, and was quite a prominent man, especially in the church, but he went west and somewhat changed his views, and published some severe things concerning the Andover theo- logical seminary. TOWN or BUTTON. 297 X. G. King married Eveline, daughter of Samuel Morse. She had three daughters and one son born here, and died in this house. One of their daughters, now Mrs. Hastings, is u well educated lady, and was at one time assistant teacher in Leicester academy. She was the third wife of Mr. Frederick H. Hastings, her sister Laviuia having been his second. Her sister Eveline married Fred. A. Stockwell, and now lives in Webster. Mr. X. G. King was a shoe manufacturer on this place for some time, doing quite an extensive business, giving employment to many different men, and as already stated, he kept store awhile in the brick block, and was at one time engaged in the manufacture of friction matches. George S. King, the present owner and occupant, enlisted during the war and was a good soldier. He is a boot and shoe maker by trade, but has given much attention of late to growing early vegetables for the market, and been quite successful. He married Mary, daughter of Emory Howard ; they have two children. It is not known who built the next house. Mr. Putnam reports as owners, first a Mr. Towne. It was afterward owned by Capt. Moody Morse, who held a commission under the English crown. He came from Xewbury. It has since been owned by Dr. Nathaniel F. Morse, Deacon John Morse, Deacon Sylvester Morse, Deacon S. B. King and N. G. King, Jason Dudley, and now by George S. King. Many other families have lived in this house, and it was last used by X. G. King as a shoe shop, when it was burned, contain- ing many shoes, stock and valuable machinery and tools for the manufacture of shoes. The barn, which once stood opposite, was struck by lightning in hay-time and burned. A young man by the name of Rice, who was at work on the farm, went into the barn for shelter from the rain, and was killed. He was the son of a widow, then living inMillbury. She afterward married the father of the celebrated John B. Gough. Rice's brother was at one time the partner of Deacon N. Goddard, shoe manufacturer at Millbury ; firm name God- dard and Rice. 38 298 HOMES OF THE Dr. N. F. Morse was much respected as a man and a physician, and had considerable practice, although there were three or four other doctors in this school district. He used the by-word " by guy" so frequently, that he was often called " Dr. Guy Morse." Deacon Sylvester Morse was a very fine man ; he married a sister of Deacon Jonathan Leland and had two sons, and one daughter, who is the wife of George Hastings. He was born here and probably died in the house where George King now lives. His sons were Sylvester, now living in Whitinsville, and Edward, a physician somewhere in the west. Dr. Morse's son Nathaniel has already been referred to as drowned at Wilkinsonville. The old tannery since used as a shoe shop was also burned on this place. The date of these fires cannot be given. The old bark mill is now used as a barn by Mr. King. This is the last house on the great road in district number four. The first house north of the brick store was built by E. A. Dudley, ,son of Jonathan, son of Jonathan, son of Jonathan, son of Jonathan, son of Samuel. He went to Minnesota, where he lived a few years. He now resides in Norwich, Ct. He married Elizabeth Howard, daughter of Jonathan. The place has since been owned by Elijah Sibley, son of Daniel, son of Daniel, son of Elijah, son of William, son of Joseph, son of John. Mr. Sibley worked at cutting sole leather several years for Mr. Woodbury ; he now lives on Green street in Worcester. He was associated with W. F. Pond in war time, and kept an eating house at Camp Nelson, Ky., where they fed sometimes as many as three thousand soldiers, employes, etc., in one day. The next owner was Franklin Sibley, son of Almon, son of Elijah, son of Elijah, son of William. He now lives at West Sutton and carries the mail. He traded it to John Rich, son of George, son of John, son of Samuel ; he now lives in Millbury. He sold the place to M. M. Hovey. Several tenants lived in it before he sold to the present owner, Rev. H. A. Tracy, who has so enlarged and improved the house that it is one of the most attractive in the place. TOWN OF SUTTON. 299 Mr. Tracy married for his second wife Miss Harriet March, daughter of Jacob, jr., a native of this district. Miss March was the first person received into the church by profession after the commencement of Mr. Tracy's ministry in 1835. The next house was built by John C. Woodbury, son of John, son of John, son of Joseph, son of Deacon Benjamin, about 1854. He soon after left and went to Minnesota, where he lived several years. He was finally gored by an enraged bull so that he died soon after. He married Maria Sibley, daughter of Simeon, son of Abner. She died at Anoka, Minnesota. Mr. Gardner Hall occupied the house in 1856. In 1857 it was sold to Mrs. Pomeroy Peck, who sold to Mrs. Rich, the present owner. She was the wife of George Rich and daughter of Capt. Chandler Stockwell, the son of Eli. She now occupies it with her daughter, Mrs. Marsh. The house now owned by Capt. Luther Little was built by Deacon S. B. King in 1835 ; he is son of Tarrant, son of John, son of Jonathan, son of John, son of William. He has held the office of deacon of the first Congregational church for thirty years. He sold the place to Capt. Luther Little, son of Capt. Little already mentioned in connection with the place where Frank Batcheller now lives ; they were both sea-captains commanding whalers. Capt. Little and his wife are members of the Congregational church. They have one daughter. It was in this house that old lady Whit- ing was burned. The land belonging to the place was taken from the Whiting farm, and the valuable orchard was planted, grafted, trimmed and cared for by the good deacon. The next house opposite was built by L. C. Howard since 1842 and sold to I. A. Dodge in 1876. Mr. Howard had a large shop and store in connection with this place, where he manufactured boots and shoes for several years, and kept a country store. The building has since been moved and fitted up as a dwelling, where he now lives. His barn at the new place was once occupied by Elder W. Fuller, or in other words, was the Fuller meeting-house. He married Miss E. Anthony, daughter of Dr. John Anthony, late of Providence, 300 HOMES OF THE R. I. She is a fine singer, and has been the leading soprano of the choir in the Congregational church several years. The nice cottage opposite to Mr. Dodge's was built by Mr. Joseph H. Nason, who sold it to George Miller, who occu- pied it two or three years, and sold it back to Mr. Xasou, the present owner and occupant, who married Miss Mary T. Fuller, adopted daughter of Deacon S. B. King ; they have one son, Edward Summer. The next house is the parsonage built by M. M. Hovey and J. C. Woodbury for the society. It was first occupied by Rev. George Lyman, then by Rev. F. E. Fellows, next Rev. H. A. Tracy. The barn was built for him. It is now occupied by Rev. W. A. Benedict. Just back of this house stands what is known as the " Ocean House," brought there from district number one by Simon J. Woodbury, as already explained. It is now the residence of William E. Cole, who has recently moved there from the Cummings place. The next house beyond the parsonage was built by F. F. Sibley, son of Samuel, son of Peter, and by him left to his wife, who sold to Mr. Reuben Leland, the present owner. Dr. James M. Newell, a very successful physician, lived here; he married Miss Fannie Bates, who taught school several terms in town, and is now Mrs. Pound, living in the west. The place has also been occupied by Dr. Alonzo L. Stick- ney, who married Lizzie A. Hill, daughter of James D. Hill, Nov. 6, 1867 ; and is now practising with good suc- cess at Ashburnham, Mass. The next house was built by Major Daniel Tenney for his son Simon, about 1827. It was made of eastern lumber, and Esq. Tenney ordered the carpenter who finished up the inside not to put a board into it that had a knot in it. It was, when first built, considered a very fine house. Mr. Simon Tenney occupied it until 1842, when he moved into the brick house. Both of his children, Daniel and George, were born here. It was next occupied by Mr. Linus Tenney, one of the best mechanics of his age. He died here June 4, 1854, aged forty-nine. Mr. G. Hall lived in a part of this TOWN OF SUTTON. 301 house with him in 1842, and here his son, John G. Hall, who now lives in Miamiville, Ohio, was born. He served his country three years to help put down the rebellion. He is quite a musician, teaches music and is styled Professor Hall. The place has since been owned by D. A. Tenney, whose father came to live with him, and died here April 19, 1860, aged eighty-six. It was next owned by Rev. Fred. Kuapp, who taught a select school and was engaged in the cranberry culture with President Hill, Fred. L. Olmstead and the Stockwells ; he now resides in Plymouth, Massachusetts. It was next owned by D. T. Thurston, Esq., who was town clerk. He died suddenly in his barn, Aug. 9, 1875, while unharnessing his horse. He had been a merchant for several years in various places. He lived for a time in Bal- timore, also in Southbridge, Massachusetts. He served as paymaster in the United States service during the rebellion. He was born in Oxford and was buried there. He had two wives but no children. His loss was much lamented by the people of Silt-ton. The place is now owned and occupied by Lieutenant Obed P. Johnson, a native of Sharon, Mass. He served in the union army during the rebellion, and is an intelligent and worthy man. He has three children, two sons and a daughter, Mary, who graduated at the Sutton high school, and is now the wife of B. F. King. This house was built on the site where once stood a house erected by Samuel Dagget, whose daughters Rebeckah and Hannah were born here. All the houses between this and the brick block have been built since 1802. The next house, once a store and bar-room, was moved from the Whiting place and made into a tenement by Patrick Marlow. It now belongs to James Malhoit. The next house was known as the Gould house : old Mr. Gould lived there. It was owned many years by D. Tenney, Esq., and was enlarged by S. Tenney & Co., about 1840, for D. A. Tenney, who lived there several years; some of his children were born here. He married a Marcy. George Fairbanks bought it and lived there awhile. It now belongs to Loren Hoyle, who married a Mascroft, and 302 HOMES or THE has several daughters and one sou. He enlisted in the noted fifteenth Massachusetts regiment, and served his country faithfully in the war of the rebellion. The place opposite was owned by Ebenezer Dagget, after- ward by Daniel and Simon Tenney, Major Daniel Tenney, then by Luther Wheelock, who sold the house and a part of the land to Asahel Newton, and the barn and the rest of the land to William Perry, who are the present owners of the Tenney farm. Daniel Tenuey, sen., did not live here; but owned the place with his only son, Simon, who occupied it until his death. He died here Aug. 14, 1838, aged ninety- two. Sarah, his wife, died here Aug. 22, 1830, aged seventy- seven. Daniel Tenney, Esq., their only child, born on the Henry Sibley Stockwell place in 1774, succeeded his father and died in the Simon Tenney house April 19, 1860, aged eighty-six. He married Betsey Waters, who died here Aug. 16, 1851, aged seventy-five. All of Esq. Tenney's children were born here ; five sons and two daughters. John Tenney graduated at Brown University and was a skilled physician. He practised here, and afterward at Webster, where he was greatly respected and did much to improve their schools. He married a Miss Fisher, an educated lady of fine personal appearance and Christian deportment. They had one son, Edward, who now resides in Iowa. Simon Tenney was a carriage-maker. He carried on the business here with his father for several years, then went into trade, built the brick store, 'and died in the house where his wife, now Mrs. Dr. Hall, lives, June 11, 1856, aged fifty-six. He married Nancy Putnam, daughter of Archelaus, son of Archelaus, son of Edward, son of Deacon Edward, son of Thomas. They had two sons. Linus has already been spoken of at the place of his last residence. He married Sally Elwell, daughter of Mark Elwell, late of Dudley. She died Sept. 19, 1865, aged fifty-nine, and left two sons, Charles L. and James. Sarah married Edmund J. Mills and will be noticed in connection with him. Daniel Austin was a natural mechanic, and a wit whose sayings would make a book to entertain a dyspeptic and drive away the blues; but, alas! they were not recorded, TOWN OF BUTTON. 303 "so," says Mr. Hall, "I will only say to those who knew him, revive your recollections, and laugh anew at the fun you enjoyed while listening to his entertaining sallies." B. F. Tenney was for several years a merchant in Boston. His store was at the corner of Hanover and Blackstone streets. He had for a partner there Amos Tenney, one of the best salesmen in the city. The firm name was B. F. & A. Tenney. They sold dry goods at wholesale and retail. He is now a broker. Their youngest daughter, Nancy, was one of the four young ladies who were drowned in Singletary pond, May 29, 1826 ; their names and ages were as follows : Mary H. Marble, aged twenty-three ; Hannah G. Marble, twenty-two; Ade- line M. Lombard, aged seventeen ; Nancy Tenney, aged four- teen. Their untimely end caused great sorrow in town, for they were young ladies well connected, and much beloved by all who knew them. Major Daniel Tenney was a large, fine looking man, and did a large amount of business. Almost everything desired was made in their two spacious, shops carriages, from a hack to a baby-cart or wheel-barrow ; cider-mill screws, all kinds of household furniture, side-boards, sofas, lounges and chairs of every variety. They employed many journeymen and apprentices ; among the latter were Jonathan Sibley, Zadock Woodbury, Sylves- ter Morse, John Humphrey, Aaron Burdon, Jonathan Howard, Adams Morse and others. Charles DeCoster, a fine cabinet-maker, worked here ; he came from Charles- town. A sculptor by the name of Peck, made gravestones here for a while. S. Putney painted carriages. Major Tenney was for many years a justice of the peace, and did much business as such. He was trial justice, a conveyancer, and probably wrote more deeds than any other man in town. He was also a civil engineer, and did much business as a surveyor both in and out of town. He was the possessor of much real estate, and, with his son B. F. at one time owned the Singletary factory, now Wheeler's in Millbury. He was a freemason of the highest order in the state ; was town clerk several years, and quite improved the method of keep- 304 HOMES OF THE ing the records. He was very methodical, and kept all his papers tiled, so that he could find any document called for directly. He even left a file of the Massachusetts Spy for some seventy-five years, which his son, D. A. Tenney, after- ward sold to an institution in Worcester. Mr. Newton, the present owner, is a blacksmith and one of our most industrious and worthy men. He married Charlotte H., daughter of Reuben Wheelock, whose mother was daughter of Elijah Sibley, son of William, son of Joseph, son of John. Mr. Newton has one son, George, born in Baltimore, now living in Grafton. The next old house, now down, was known as the Gibbs house. Old Mr. Gibbs lived there. It was next owned by Thomas Harris, a tailor. He had one son and three daugfh- O ters, one of whom married Caleb Chase, and one a Buxton. The son, Ithran, married Arethusa Morse, daughter of Dr. N. F. Morse. She was born in Button, Aug. 30, 1797 ; died June 6, 1839. He was born in Northfield, Massachu- setts, Oct. 8, 1790; died at Millbury, Feb. 14, 1870; their daughter, Martha Ann, married Hon. H. L. Bancroft. Mr. Harris was in the war of 1812, and was a pensioner. The house was owned for many years by Major Tenuey. Lowell Sibley bought it, and Washington Hill owned it a while. It was occupied by several different families while owned by Esq. Tenney. It was finally taken down and used in build- ing the new house opposite by Mr. William Perry, who is one of our successful fanners. He married Eunice A., daughter of Reuben Wheelock. The small house, as you pass up the old road, is owned by James Deviny, who came from the Emerald Isle. He is the father of twelve children, and an industrious and peaceable citizen. Passing up the old road to the next house, the first owner known to us was Nathaniel Stockwell, the next John Stock- well, the next Simeon, the next Horace, and it is now owned by Simon W. Stockwell. It is not known by whom the first house was built. The present one was built by Nathaniel Stockwell, who carried on the farm, cabinet making:, sash O ' making, etc. His son, Simeon, succeeded him and carried TOWN OF BUTTON. 305 on the chair making business. He was quite a trader, and a great joker. His son Horace lived there with his mother, but died single. Simon married a Burnap and has one son. The early history of the next place is not known. Asa Walker lived there with his mother, a widow. Probably his father lived there before him. His mother married for second husband a Phipps. She believed in witches, and her boys imposed upon her by wonderful feats in the black art. Asa Walker was succeeded by his son-in-law, Reuben F. Chase, who sold to Reuben Wheelock. It is now owned by his sons, Luther and Calvin. Reuben F. Chase was a miser and considered a man of great wealth, but did not prove to have been so on the set- tlement of his estate. He left two children, John C. and Mary Ann. Reuben Wheelock was born on the place now owned by J. Wales Paine, March 2H, 1782; he married Charlotte H. Baker, daughter of Reuben Baker. She was born in Shrewsbury Dec. 2, 1786, and died here Nov. 21, 1865. Mr. Wheelock died here, January 16, 1876. They had six children. Luther, born April 1, 1810; Calvin, Sept. 4, 1812 ; Charlotte H., June 20, 1815 ; Maria L., Oct. 12, 1817 ; Eunice A., July 27, 1824; Luke, Sept. 12, 1828. The first four were born in Grafton and the other two in Sutton. Mr. Wheelock was once run by the Whigs for representative, but that party being in the minority, he was not elected. His sons built the beautiful new house now standing on the place, also the large and very commodious barn. They have a fine farm- on which are many excellent fruit-trees. They have raised many fine horses and cattle. Luther was once a shuttle-maker ; he and Calvin both remain unmarried. The first house on the main road north of Deviny's was owned by Peter Sibley, then by his son John, who died about 1822, after which the place was sold to John Stock- well. It has since been owned by Nathan Lombard, and now by his son, Mr. Alanson A. Lombard. The present house was built by John Stockwell just before his death. His wife was a Severy, and married for second husband Mr. Stephen Blanchard, late of West Millbury. She was a 306 HOMES OF THE very fine woman. Mr. Lombard was spoken of in connection with his former residence in district number two. Mr. A. A. Lombard married A. Ann Hutchinson, daughter of Simon Hutchinson. They have one son, Henry F., who now lives in this house. He has two sons, one, Herbert E., is a member of the graduating class of the Sutton high school, 1878. Mr. Nathan Lombard and his son, besides improving this farm, have carried on the cabinet-making business. B. L. Batcheller carried on the shoe business here in 1847 ; built a new shop near where Mr. Tracy now lives, in 1849. It is now the house occupied by Miss Tamar Goddard. A part of the old house that stood on this place is now the house of James Deviny, it having been moved. The next house was originally built as a shop for Edward Brigham and stood near Franklin Freeland's. It was moved here by the widow Lucinda Elliot, daughter of Joseph Hall, son of Deacon Willis. It now belongs to a Mr. Varney. The place now belonging to Mrs. H. A. Kendrick was owned by a Mr. Todd, and it is presumed that he built the house. A Mr. Cord well lived there. It has since been owned by Timothy Walker, Capt. Samuel Marble, son of Major Alpheus, son of Enoch, son of Freegrace, son of Samuel, by Simeon Stockwell, John W. Whipple, and now by his daughter Almira. Mr. Walker was a carpenter by trade. He had three sons born here, John, Appleton and Emory. Appleton was in the store at the Singletary mills, with Daniel Armsby ; he afterward went to New York. Emory married a daughter of Paul Whitin, and died at Whitinsville. Mr. Whipple has already been referred to as a remarkably successful man. Mr. H. A. Kendrick, the present occupant, was born in Heath, Mass., March 18, 1825. His son Ford is a physician now practicing in Saundersville, Grafton. The next house was originally built by Master Hall, moved and fitted up on the present site by Daniel Waters, who was a gardener ; he set out the beautiful fruit trees standing on the place. It now belongs to Mr. Cheatem. TOWN OF BUTTON. 307 The next house and barn were built some six years ago by Richard M. Whipple, son of John W., son of John, son of John. Mr. Whipple was a Union soldier in the days of the rebellion. He married Ruth M. Streeter. The next and last house in town on this road is the cottage of many gables and zigzags. It was built at divers times by Thomas Robbins, and has been occupied by him as a sort of public house. He has been accused of selling liquor, and there is probably more truth than fiction in the accusation. The time is past when rum-selling is considered an honorable business. Mr. Robbins once kept a tavern on Christian Hill, in Providence. Returning to the common, the house now owned by James W. Stockwell, Esq., son of Simeon, son of Israel, son of Absalom, son of William, the brother of Capt. John, was built by Simon J. Woodbury, about 1832. He built a shoe shop and store between the house and the road about the same time. He took in a partner in the store by the name of Foster; the store firm was " Woodbury and Foster." Then he sold his part of the store to Simon Tenney, who continued the business with Mr. Foster under the name of "Foster and Tenney" for one year; then Mr. Tenney bought out Foster and continued the business alone for two years. Then he took in Jos. A. Veazie as a partner, who remained one year ; the firm name was " S. Tenney & Co." Mr. Woodbury was meanwhile carrying on the shoe business in the upper part of the same building, Wm. Harback working for him as click- Soon after Mr. Woodbury was kicked by a horse and made quite lame. During his lameness he became somewhat involved and discouraged, so he sold his house and store to B. F. and A. Tenney of Boston, taking his pay in jewelry from the store of one Kimball, then trading in Boston. The jewelry was consigned to Amos Brown, who took it to Florida. Not receiving suitable returns from that far-off place, he took a case of brogans and left for Boston ; thence by sailing vessel he went to Florida, got what jewelry remained unsold, and returned fully believing, no doubt, that "All is not gold that glitters." He hired the place of the Tenneys for a while and manufactured shoes with better success, so that he bought back his house, after which he re-opened his store, enlarged his business, built a new shop south of the first one, and two other houses now belonging to Mr. Stockwell, one now occupied by Mrs. Chase and Mrs. Slocumb, and the other by Miss Tamar Goddard and John T. Mascroft. His brother Leonard, seeing his success, came and built a large shop just south of Simon's, and started business, but soon sold out to Simon J., who finished Leonard's shop into a house for his help. It was occupied some time by Elijah Sibley and others. Mr. Woodbury, now feeling his strength, extended his business in various directions. He went into the flax business somewhere in the state of New York with E. F. Hovey was burned out and lost heavily. Then he built a saw-mill at Anoka, Minnesota, and went into the lumber business, built an expensive dam and booms to hold his 308 HOMES OF THE logs. But soon a great freshet carried away his dam, damaged his mill and took off his booms, logs and all. Then he resumed his legitimate business of making shoes, in which he seemed to be doing well, when, for reasons that need not be stated, he concluded to change his place of business. He moved several of his houses to Worcester, where he did business for a while and then went to Chicago, 111., where he now resides, and where his wife died. Her remains were brought here, and her funeral was largely attended in the Con- gregational church. She was interred at Grafton. Mr. Woodbury has done a great amount of business, and is one of the most public spirited men of his age. He was born where Mr. Ooogan now lives, and is the son of John and Esther, son of Joseph and Elizabeth, son of Benjamin and Ruth. He married Sabrina Dodge and had several children ; only two survive. He sold this place to N. G. King, who carried on business here for a time* and sold to the present owner, Jas. W. Stockwell, Esq., who, with his brother Henry S., has been dealing largely in wood and lumber. They are also partners in the Sutton cranberry enterprise. Mr. Stockwell has been much in town office ; was postmaster and is now justice of the peace, librarian of the Sutton free library, for which institution no one has done more. He married Miss Mary Frances Sibley, daugh- ter of J. L. Sibley, Esq. The store and back shop have been taken down and removed since Mr. Stockwell bought the place. The house east of Mr. Stockwell's has been occupied by many different families. George W. Putnam and John P. Putnam were the first. Rev. John H. Gay lord lived there, also Rev. F. E. Fellows, S. D. King and several others. The other house has been occupied by John C. Woodbury, Otis Chamberlain, a very worthy man, also his brother, Mr. Salem Chamberlain, once our representative and town clerk, since for several years mail agent on the Worcester and Nashua R. R., who furnished the one vote that first elected Charles Sumner to the United States senate, and S. D. King to the legislature, while he was town clerk. It has been occupied several years by John T. Mascroft, and Miss Tamar Goddard. John Hall came from Coventry, England, about 1630 and landed at Charles- town. He afterward married Miss Bertha Larnard and moved to Yarmouth, a town on the cape, where he had by his wife twelve sons. John, the eldest Copied from old photographs. Heliotype Printing Co., Boston. 2 Elizabeth Prescott Hall. 4 Abigail Moore Mills. TOWN OF SUTTON. 309 son married a Bearse from Barnstable, and had three sons and many daugh- ters ; his sons were named Joseph, John and Nathaniel ; the latter moved to Levitown, near Philadelphia. Joseph, his eldest, settled upon his father's inheritance in Yarmouth, and married Miss Hannah Miller, daughter of Rev. John Miller, first minister of the gospel in the same town. The said Joseph Hall had four sons by her, Joseph, Daniel, Josiah and David; and three daughters, viz : Hannah, Priscilla and Margery, at which time his wife died in the year 1710. Afterward he married Mary Morton, a widow, of Plymouth, by whom he had four more children, viz : Mary, Peter, John and Bathsheba. David, the fourth son, he gave a collegiate education. He was born Aug. 5, 1704, graduated at Harvard College 1724, and received the honorary degree of doctor of divinity from Dartmouth College in 1777. He was ordained pastor of the first Congregational church in Sutton Oct. 15, 1729. He married Miss Elizabeth Prescott of Concord, Mass. daughter of Dr. Jona. Prescott and his wife, Rebeckah Buckley June 24, 1731. She bore him a son May 5, 1732, and named him David ; Elizabeth, born Feb. 17, 1733 ; Rebeckah, born Sept. 1, 1736; Mary, born December 1738; Hannah, born August 1740; Sarah, born Dec. 17, 1742 ; John, born March 1744 ; Benjamin, born February 1745; Lucy, born March 1748; Joseph, born Sept. 8, 1751; Jonathan, born 1754; Deborah, born March 5, 1756. Rev. David Hall, D. D., it is supposed built the house where Esquire Mills now lives, and that he had thirteen children born here, although we have the names of but twelve. "Master Hall" used to relate an anecdote to the effect that his father made an exchange with a young minister who had just been settled in one of the neighboring parishes, and who knew nothing about the doctor's family. As he came and was ushered into the parlor, a child was creeping on the floor, so, as Mrs. Hall was a very young looking woman, he asked her if that was her first child; she answered, "Yes, sir, the first of the second dozen." Many distinguished persons have descended from this highly honored family. Their son Jonathan was a physi- cian in Pomfret, Connecticut, and had three learned and quite distinguished sons, viz. : Prescott, David and Charles. Prescott was a lawyer of distinction in New York, and had a beautiful summer residence at Newport, Rhode Island ; David also had an elegant villa at Newport ; Dr. David E. visited him there, and complimented him for having the Atlantic Ocean in his door-yard. Rev. Dr. Hall's daughter, Rebecca, married Rev. Aaron Putnam of Pomfret, Connect- icut. Sarah married General Jonathan Chase, and was the mother of Mrs. Dr. Nathan Smith, whose husband was the renowned surgeon and professor at Yale. So his distin- guished sons descended from this house. Hannah married 310 HOMES OF THE Rev. Asa Grosvenor and went to Pomfret, Connecticut. Several distinguished preachers of that name also descended from Dr. Hall ; who was succeeded on this place by his son Joseph, familiarity known as "Master Hall" from the fact that after graduating at Harvard College he adopted teach- ing as a profession, and taught grammar and the learned languages for many years, fitting many men for college and others as teachers. He also served the town faithfully for nearly thirty years as their town clerk. He married Miss Chloe Grosvenor, daughter of General Grosvenor, of Pom- fret, Connecticut. They had four sons and one daughter, all born in this house, viz. : John H., Joseph G., David E., J. Lemuel and Lucy. The first was a jeweller and died in the north part of Worcester county, June 16, 1815. The second was a surgeon and physician, also a judge of pro- bate in Tennessee, where he died, leaving one son, also a doctor, and one daughter. The third , already spoken of, was a physician. The fourth graduated at Brown University, and was a Congregational clergyman somewhere in the west ; he left two sons Lemuel R. now lives in Chicago, Illinois. He married for second wife Augusta A. Norton, the only child of very wealthy parents. TOWN OF SUTTON. 311 The daughter of Master Hall married a noted physician, Dr. D. S. C. H. Smith, who lived in this house some two years. It is said that Dr. Hall owned a strip of land run- ning from the great Boston road to the Mendon road. He also owned woodland taking in a part of Purgatory. It is said that he gave the common and burying-ground to the town. Dr. Hall was a large, fine looking man. His hand was so large that one woman said that it was big enough for Faxon's glove ; another, more profane, that it was almost as large as the hand of Providence Faxon's glove was one hung out in Boston as a glover's sign. The following obituary of ' ' Master Hall " was copied from the Worcester Spy : Died in Sutton, April 6, Mr. Joseph Hall, aged eighty-eight. Mr. Hall was son of Rev. David Hall, D. D., who was pastor of the first Congregational church in Sutton for the space of sixty years. Of thirteen children which composed his father's family he outlived them all but one. * * * * At the age of eighteen he entered into the freshman class at Harvard Uni- versity, and maintained a respectable standing in his class. He obtained the esteemed approbation of the faculty of the university, and in the year 1774 received the degree of A. B. Mr. Hall taught a grammar school in his native town for more than forty years. It is believed that he assisted more young men in their studies, preparatory to entering college, than almost any other person that has lived in the county of Worcester. He was a man of uprightness and integrity, in whom the people best acquainted with him placed implicit confidence. As an evidence of this he was elected town clerk in his native place for nearly thirty years in succession. When he was eighty-four years of age he commenced the study of the French language, and acquired so much knowledge of it as to be able to read it with ease ; and has actually read through the New Testament in French, several times, carefully comparing it with the English. * * * * He lived with his bereaved companion fifty-four years ; she is now left to mourn the loss of a kind husband, and his children of a tender parent.* Of the daughter of Dr. David Hall, Rebeckah, who mar- ried Rev. Aaron Putnam, we give the following obituary from the Massachusetts /Spy of July 19, 1773 : On Saturday last departed this life, in a sudden and affecting manner, the very amiable consort of the Rev. Aaron Putnam of Pomfret, in the thirty- sixth year of her age. She had been unwell for some years, and for the promoting of health had been riding out a little way, and now returning back she desired Mr. Putnam to stop the chaise and pick her some useful herbs which she observed as they were passing. Accordingly, apprehending * See Massachusetts Spy, April 15, 1840. 312 HOMES OF THE no danger, he got out of the chaise and was doing as she proposed, at which time the horse in the carriage took some start, and running with one wheel over a rock she was thrown out of the chaise, which gave her such a shock, as notwithstanding the utmost endeavor of ph} T sicians (which providentially were nigh at hand), proved her death in about three hours' space. She was a daughter of the Rev. Mr. David Hall of Sutton. From her very early years a professor of godliness, and of a very serious and exemplary deportment, a person of distinguishing endowment, a good wife, a tender and indulgent mother, one beloved by her acquaintances abroad and by the people among whom she lived. She hath left her husband in deep affliction and sorrow for his great loss, attended thus with peculiarly affecting circumstances ; hath also left three young children. On the next (being Lord's) day, her remains were decently interred a little before sunset. The Rev. Mr. Whitney of Brookline delivered at Pomfret on that day two very suitable discourses, that in the afternoon more particularly adapted to the mournful occasion. O "that this, so solemn warning of Providence, might be suitably regarded and improved, not only by the bereaved and greatly afflicted relatives, but by others. "Boast not thyself of to-morrow, for thou knowest not what a day or an hour may bring forth." Dr. Bond of Norwich, Connecticut, who fitted for college under the instruction of Mr. Hall, furnishes the following reminiscence : There was in Massachusetts a law or usage in compliance with which towns of a given number of inhabitants provided at public expense a teacher quali- fied to give instruction in higher branches of education than were taught in common schools. The last of the teachers thus employed in Sutton was Mr. Joseph Hall "Master Hall" as he was generally designated. Though a graduate of Cambridge College, he never studied a profession, but lived with his father, Rev. David Hall, and was a farmer. Young men who wished to qualify themselves as teachers of common schools, or who wished to prepare for college, availed themselves of the opportunity thus provided. The instructions given were private, as usually there was not a sufficient number to form classes. Times for recitation were managed to suit the convenience of the teacher, and not interfere with his occupation as a farmer. At certain sea- sons of the year, there would sometimes be quite a number of pupils, as academical institutions at that time were few and distant. Young men of the town who wished to qualify themselves as teachers or to enter upon a course of medical or other professional studies, or prepare for entering some college, usually studied at home, and at some appointed hour went to the teacher's house for the purpose of recitation. Most, if not all the youth in the town who received a collegiate education, fitted for college wholly or in part with the teacher appointed by the town, whose tuition was paid by the town. As the result of this arrangement, some were encouraged to seek a collegiate education who otherwise would not have attempted it. The place was next owned by Rev. Edmund Mills and his son Edmund John, in 1819. The ancestor of Rev. Mr. Mills was Peter Vander Meulen, born in Holland ; his son, Peter TOWN OF SUTTON. 313 Mills, was born in Windsor, Ct., in 1686, married Joanna Porter, and had eight sons and one daughter. Their son John, born in Kent, Ct., 1722, was a farmer and was drowned at Hartford, Ct., in 1761. He had five sons and three daughters. His son Edmund, born in Kent, Ct., June 1752, died at Sutton, Nov. 7, 1825. He graduated at Yale college in 1775, married Mrs. Abigail Packard, widow of Rev. Winslow Packard, who was born in Bridgewater, Mass, in 1754, graduated at Dartmouth college, and was settled at Wilmington, Vt., in 1781; was married to Miss Abigail Moore, Feb. 18, 1782, and died Oct. 12, 1784. They had two children, Origen Packard, born Nov. 30, 1782 ; Clarissa, born August 23, 1784. The Rev. Edmund Mills was ordained pastor of the first Congregational church in Sutton, June 23, 1790. He brought up the two Packard children, and had six children of his own. Polly, born January 10, 1790; Edmund John, August 17, 1791; Abbie Moore, March 16, 1793; Maria Swift, Dec. 2. 1794; an infant, Sept. 19, 1797; Lewis, March 20, 1800; Henry February 20, 1802. Most, if not all of his children, were born in the house now owned and occupied by L. W. Howard, but as they all lived here, and this was their last residence and has so long been occupied by his son, it has been thought best to write more particularly of the family in connection with this place. Origeu Packard was a book-binder and learned his trade of one Goodell, who carried on the business in the house where Rev. C. Willard Morse was born. Mr. Solomon Warriner, whose mother was sister to Mrs. Mills, learned the same trade at the same time and place ; he afterward carried on business at Springfield. Mr. Packard went to New, Haven, Ct., where he married a Miss Smith. They had a very worthy family, one son and three or four daughters. Esther married Volney Forbes and lives in Wilmington, Vt. She has no children. Andrew went south and married a % southern lady ; owned a plantation, and had quite a family. Mr. and Mrs. O. Packard both died at Wilmington, Vt., and were both buried at the same time. 40 314 HOMES OF THE Clarissa Packard married Rev. David Holman and had a very respectable family. He was the Congregational minister at Douglas for many years, and there both died. Edmund J. Mills, Esq., the best preserved man in town of his age, married Miss Sally Teuney, daughter of the late Daniel Tenney, Esq. ; they have had four sons and two daughters. William E., born Nov. 2, 1825 ; Nancy T., March 15, 1827 ; Samuel John, Nov. 17, 1829, died January 23, 1838 ; Frank Lewis, Oct. 24, 1836 ; an infant son, March 1, 1835 ; Sarah Maria, August 18, 1841. William E. married Jane Dusen- bury and has four children. He is a civil engineer and lives in Worcester. Nancy T. married Mr. L. Taylor. They have several children, one of whom, Lizzie Jane, a recent graduate of the Sutton high school, was the valedictorian of her class. Frank L. married Susie . He is now a widower and works at the shoe business in Worcester. Sarah is a fine scholar, and assistant teacher in the high school. Edmund J. Mills, Esq., taught school with great success for some sixteen years. He was a deputy sheriff for many years, had an appointment at the reform school on Thompson's Island, in 1839 ; has been justice of the peace for several years ; also trial justice. He has been quite distinguished as a presiding officer on various occasions ; has conducted more funerals than any other man in town, and with order and grace rarely witnessed on such occa- sions. He has been our representative in the legislature ; but the list of town officers will show the honors bestowed on him. His farm is one of the best of its size in town. There was once quite a mulberry grove on the place, from which they fed worms and made silk. They had a patriotic celebration in this grove on the fourth of July, 1824, provided for by Mr. Mills and Deacon McClellan. In 1840 a large delegation from Douglas and Sutton attended a mass meeting at Worcester, on the 17th of June. Mr. Mills, mounted on a beautiful dappled gray horse, belonging to Reuben Sibley, acted as marshal, and being a fine horseman, was much noticed in the general parade on that exciting occasion. Both himself and his companion enjoy a vigorous old age. Their golden wedding was celebrated in this house by their numerous friends, who warmed their grateful hearts by substantial tokens to a considerable amount. The next child of the Rev. Mr. Mills married William Whittlesey, who was for several years cashier of the Millbury bank. They had several children. The next married New- ton Whittlesey, who lived in Cornish, N. H. She still survives. Lewis Mills was also cashier of a bank and a merchant in Boston ; he now lives in Brooklyn, New York, TOWN OF SUTTON. 315 Deacon Henry Mills, now a doctor, was a merchant and manufacturer for several years. He built a number of houses in Millbury, and was for a time part owner and agent of the Singletary factory. He is now principal of the Fairview Electropathic Institute at Binghampton, N. Y. He was for some years deacon of the first Congregational church in Millbury. He married first, Nancy Goddard ; then Mrs. Kate Douglas. Both wives and his three children are dead. The likeness of Rev. Mr. Mills in this book is not con- sidered a good one ; it represents him bald-headed and inferior. Mr. G. Hall says : "I went a fishing with him only a few weeks before his death, and thought him one of the noblest men I ever saw. I remember as we unloaded the boat at Sand Beach, Joe Putnam came along and cried out, ' What, Mr. Mills, ye goin' a fishin' ? ' Mr. Mills answered, ' Yes, indeed, we are going to take the monarch of the pond.' While we were out in the boat he and my grandfather talked on various subjects ; among them he referred to Paul Revere passing the British sentinel in a boat with muffled oars, and asked Capt. Hall what was meant by muffled oars ; so he told him that they wound the oars and tholes with woollen cloth, to deaden the sound, as rowing with bare oars and pins could be heard in a still night quite a distance. I then learned the meaning of muffled oars ; and, as Mr. Mills asked the meaning, perhaps others may yet learn what he then learned, by asking one who knew. When we went ashore we selected our best fish for him, and his son E. J. met us on the shore to take him home. He tells me it was the last ride he had with his honored and reverend father. " When a small boy, having been told that God made man in his own image, I thought that he got the best likeness in Geo. Washington and the next best in Mr. Mills. When he died I saw hard-faced old men shed tears that I had never seen weep before, and men too who did not attend his church. He was a noble man and much lamented by all who knew him. I was at his funeral in the old church. The church was full and the common was the best approach of many. It was a solemn day. The sermon was preached by Rev. Mr. Wood, and some of the best singers from Worcester assisted in the choir." His widow married for her third husband Rev. Nathaniel Emmons, D. D., of Franklin. He was a very eminent divine, and his published sermons were the doctrinal wonder of the age. He was not a very large man, and wore his small clothes and three-cornered hat as long as he lived. When President Jackson visited New England he went to Taunton in company with the cele- brated surgeon, Dr. Miller, to see him ; as they drove into the village the boys saw his quaintly antique style, and thought he must be Gen. Jackson ; so they followed him through the street, vociferously cheering him as President of the United States; at every cheer the crowd increased, and all supposed Jackson had arrived. They had mistaken an eminent divine for a great warrior. 316 HOMES OF THE With all his distinction as a theologian, he was a perfect child in many things. After he married Mrs. Mills, some of her lady friends went from Sutton to visit her. His man was away at the time, so they asked him to harness their horse ; he tried to do it, but did not know how to put the bridle on, so Mrs. Tenney had to do it herself. He had an old horse that he had owned for several years ; he drove it into Boston and had it put up at a hotel stable ; when he was ready to leave, he went to his carriage and ordered his horse harnessed to it, but the hostler had put the wrong number on his bridle, so he harnessed the wrong horse and one varying much in color from his own, yet he never discovered the difference until a neighbor in Franklin asked him if he had been swapping horses, when he indignantly replied, "I never did such a thing in my life." "Well," said the neighbor, " that is not the one you went away with, at any rate." " It is the horse that I have owned for years." "No, sir!" said the neighbor. "Well, then ask Tom." So the matter was referred to his man, who went immediately to Boston to swap horses for the learned doctor. Sixteen families have resided in this house. There have been twenty-five births, seven deaths and twelve funerals, besides many marriages. The next house was built by James Phelps for Dr. D. S. C. H. Smith, who was born in Cornish, N. H., June 27th, 1797, and died at Providence, R. I., April 5, 1859. He was educated at Dartmouth and Yale colleges. His father, the renowned Dr. Nathan Smith, was connected with both of these institutions. Dr. David Solon Chase Hall Smith came to Sutton about 1819. There were three other doctors in this district at that time, and all quite distinguished men, which circumstance made his place a hard one for a young man; yet his thorough training and the prestige of his father's fame soon made him the most popular physician in this part of the county. He was called in consulta- tion by many of the doctors for miles around. He drove to Rhode Island almost every week for years, and was frequently called to Providence. He was a large man, of fine personal appearance, had large, piercing gray eyes, and some of his patients thought he could look straight through them and tell exactly what ailed them ; and, indeed, diagnosis was his forte. To determine the nature of disease and its cause is the most difficult part of medical practice. The remedial agents are all defined, but disease is often so insidious and its locality so obscure as to baffle the skill of the most astute practitioner. To understand the complicated and intricate mechanism of the human system requires great research, as well as intuition, genius, judgment and skill. AH these Dr. Smith possessed in a remarkable degree. So when other physicians had a human machine on their hands that they could not keep going, they used to send for him to find out what cog was broken, what pin loose or what pulley disbanded. Some seemed to think that he could put in a new mainspring, wind up the human system like a clock, give motion to the pendulum of life, and restore a defunct body to animation, strength and vigor. He used to say that other doctors would send for him when they TOWN OF SUTTON. 317 thought their patient was dying, and once in many cases such a person would recover; then he got the credit of the case, and that gave him reputation. He said he had no proof that he ever cured any one, though circumstances sometimes seemed to indicate it. The recuperative power was more frequently in the hand of God, or the constitution and courage of the patient, than the skill of the doctor. When he had a patient over whom he was unusually anxious, he said he did not know what to do, and that sometimes he thought his patients lived in spite of him rather than from his help. He was at times quite subject to the blues, and while in one of these despondent moods he was told that he had been seen with the blues before; " I know it," said he, " but I've got the blacks now;" meaning, no doubt, that the blues of that day were of an unusually dark tinge. He was a great naturalist, and seemed to know all about animated nature. He was almost as intimately acquainted with the American birds as Audubon .himself; he also gave much attention to entomology. His hat was frequently lined with insects which he had pinned there for his cabinet ; he furnished Professor Harris several thousand for his valuable work. He also gave a description of the reptiles of New England for President Hitchcock's great work. Before he came to Sutton his father hired a German botanist to travel with him one year through the western country, that he might master the study of botany ; so he became a great botanist, and could classify and give the medical properties of nearly all the known plants that grow in this country. Like his father he was a great man, but never became rich ; indeed at one time he was quite poor, deeply in debt, and his creditors attached his horse, so that he had no way to visit his patients, and he became discouraged. One day a man came for him to go to Thompson, Ct., but he told him that he could not go, for he had no horse ; the man told him that he would take him up there in his own carriage and bring him back. " Well," said the doctor, "if you will do that I will go;" so he went. When he reached home the man asked him what was to pay. " Oh, nothing," said the doctor, "you have had trouble enough to get me there already." " But I am going to pay you for all that." He gave him a ten dollar bill and left. The next day a man came for him to go and see a poor family in the south part of the town. He said, "If they are poor I'll go, for I am poor myself." When he reached there he found they were poor indeed, and he said starvation was all that ailed them ; so he took out his ten dollar bill and gave it to the poor woman to buy wholesome food for her sick children. It was all the money he had. He thought their rich neighbors could doctor that family as well as he could. He married Miss Lucy Hall, daughter of Joseph, son of David, son of Joseph, son of John, son of John. They had two sons and three daughters, Sarah C., born July 17, 1822, married David N. Hall, a college graduate and lawyer, and died at St. Louis Jan. 15, 1849 ; Nathan, born Aug. 24, 1825, died Oct. 14, 1853 ; Maria, bom Jan. 19, 1828, died Nov. 2, 1850; Elizabeth P., born Dec. 2, 1830, died at Providence Dec. 29, 1849; Geo. S., born Dec. 19, 1835, died March 25, 1838. Dr. Smith married for second wife Mrs. Dr. Wood of East Douglas, and for third a Miss White. 318 HOMES OF THE The last still survives. His children are all dead. His son Nathan studied medicine, and had just commenced practice when he was stricken down with consumption and died. He married Susan Anthony ; they had one child that died in infancy. Sarah and Elizabeth were both very good artists. We have already said that the doctor was quite poor at one time. Then it was that Dr. Shattuck of Boston sent his son up with a good horse for him as a present. Dr. Shattuck was one of his father's students, and had a great regard for the family. Soon after, Mr. James Phelps, then doing a large business, volunteered to build him a house, telling him he could pay for it from his earnings in small instalments as was most convenient. So he built the house now owned by Dr. Robbius, and Dr. Smith lived there till 1848, when he moved to Providence, thence to Webster, where his wife died Sept. 23, 1850. Then he came back to Sutton, and on the 19th of June, 1851, he married the widow Wood and went to East Douglas ; from there he returned to Provi- dence, and died of apoplexy very suddenly at the time above stated. He was at one time quite skeptical, almost an infidel ; yet his mother was a pious woman, and read her bible through in course as often as she could. When she died, her book-mark was at one of the psalms. He had her bible and kept the mark where she left it ; so, thinking of his good mother and her bible, he learned to love it for her sake, and " when I last saw him," says Mr. Hall, " on the occasion of my wife's funeral, when he spent two or three days with me, he told me that he thought he had experienced religion, and was quite happy in his new hope." His wife and all of his children were born in Sutton. He now sleeps in the old graveyard, the " holy ground" of his choice. The place was next owned by Mrs. Terry and occupied by her and her son, Dr. William Terry ; then by Miss Esther Terry. It next went into possession of Putnam King, who sold to the present owner. Dr. Terry is one of the best of men ; he was deacon of the church for several years, also a member of the school committee. He taught school and was a useful citizen ; he married a Slocomb, and has a large family. He now lives in Ansonia, Ct. Mr. TOWN OF SUTTON. 319 Joseph Hall built a house a little south of this, where he lived several years. It was moved, and has been accounted for where it now stands. We insert the following obituaries of Sarah C., daughter of Dr. Smith, and of her husband : "Died in St. Louis, Mo., Mrs. Sarah C., wife of David N. Hall, Esq., and daughter of Dr. D. S. C. H. Smith, formerly of Sutton, now of Providence, R. I., aged 26 years. " A few months since Mrs. Hall left the parental roof, and took leave of the hills and valleys of her native place (often sketched by her pencil) for the city of her adoption. Little did she or her friends think she had been stricken with that disease which loves to prey upon youth and beauty, and which would prepare her for a grave in a land of strangers, far from the sepulchres of her honored sires. In intellectual and moral worth Mrs. Hall had few superiors. Possessing a vigorous and well cultivated mind, and a heart prompt to feel for others' joy or woe, she won the friendship and love of all favored with her acquaintance. Her death is an irreparable loss to her husband, and makes a wide breach in that circle of which she was lately one. There are many hearts in the place of her nativity who sympathize deeply with the bereaved in their loss ; and who fervently offer the prayer that the hand which has wounded may also heal."* " Died on the evening of the 29th of April, at the residence of Col. Owing, St. Louis, David N. Hall, Esq., a member of the St. Louis bar, in the 33d year of his age. " The deceased was a native of Sutton, Mass., and a graduate of Yale Col- lege, in the class of 1839. * * * * " In the spring of 1847 he received from Governor Edwards the appointment of circuit attorney for the county of St. Louis. Upon the resignation of Judge Blair, of the Court of Common Pleas, Mr. Hall was strongly recommended by a large body of his fellow citizens for that high and responsible station. In August 1847 Mr. Hall re-visited his native home, and there married an accomplished and amiable lady, the daughter of Dr. Smith of that place. Before two years had passed away, the death of a beloved wife and an only child had prepared his mind and heart for the deepest afflictions of life. * * * His mind wore a philosophical cast, and he contemplated death with the placid equanimity of a Socrates, and at the same time with the Christian's hope of a higher life to come." t It is not known who built the next house. The first owner of whom we have any knowledge was Deacon Reuben Putnam, who was deacon in 1794. He had several children born here. Austin graduated at Brown University, and was a Congregational minister at Cornish, N. H. Polycarp, whose * Massachusetts Spy, January 31, 1849. t Massachusetts Spy, June 11, 1851. 320 HOMES OF THE name was changed to John Milton, also graduated at Brown University. His mother was a widow and lived alone in this house for several years. When Polycarp was eight years old, he felt that he must do something to help his mother. So he took a bundle of his clothes and a cane, and sallied forth to seek his fortune. He first went down the Boston road, stopping at every house to see if they wanted a boy, but no one gave him any encourage- ment ; so he started back and threw his cane up, resolving to go in the direction that the cane might point. It directed him across lots, towards Millbury, so he went in that direction, and at last reached the house of Mr. Jonathan Waters in West Millbury; there he asked Mr. Waters if he wanted a boy. Mr. Waters inquired whose boy he was, and finding him quite intelligent, con- cluded that he would like a boy ; so he told him that if his mother approved he might come and work for him. He came and lived with Mr. Waters ten years, and then, by the assistance of friends, went to college, became a Congre- gational minister and was settled at Great Barrington, Mass. He married a Miss Brigham of Westboro', and took his mother to his own home and cared for her as long as she lived. He afterward went to Maine. His son, Rev. George Putnam, now preaches in Millbury. The place was occupied by Capt. William Warren, who had a large and very intelligent family. One of his daughter* kept a select school in this house. One married a Horton, and was the mother of Rev. Francis Horton. It was next owned and occupied by Ithran Harris, then by Dr. D. 8. C. H. Smith. Simon Wheeler lived there once. Nehemiah Chase took possession on a mortgage and sold to Mrs. Sylvester Morse, a very fine lady, who had two worthy sons and one daughter ; she occupied it several years. It now belongs to William D. Mascroft. Mr. William P. Mascroft lived there several years, and there died. He married a Batcheller and had a large family. Three of his sons weigh over two hundred and fifty pounds each. He, in his best days, weighed over three hundred pounds. The next house, which stood on land now owned by M. M. Hovey, was originally owned by Perez Rice, who, " Master Hall" said, was cousin to the Rices that the Indians carried from Westboro' to Canada in 1700. He had a large family and owned a large real estate in Sutton . He it was, according to the Leland papers, that owned the first chaise in town. His nephew, Rev. Asaph Rice, gradu- ated at Harvard in 1752 ; taught school in Sutton, and TOWN OF SUTTON. 321 preached in Westminster. The place was afterward occupied by a Leland, and then by Capt. Francis Putnam, who mar- ried Leland's daughter. The next house was built by Mr. Simeon Carpenter for his son .John, whose children were born there. It was after- ward occupied several years by Reuben F. Chase. Many other families have since lived there. It is now owned by Putnam King- and occupied by Andrew Laverty. The next place, so far as can be learned, was first owned by Henry Harback, then by Ensign David Putnam ; next by his son Abner, and has since been owned by Reuben Wheelock, Luther Whiting, Samuel King, Isaac Burdon, William V. Inman, H. C. Mascroft, George Stock well and A. W. Putnam. The Rev. Samuel Mellen Whiting was born here. Solomon D. King, "Esq., bought the place some eight years since and now occupies it. He has been town clerk, and held other town offices, has presided in county conventions, been one of the leaders in many of the temperance organizations ; has also been a justice of the peace, a member of the legislature, etc. He married Julia Ann Hall, daughter of Oliver Hall, Esq. They had three sons and one daughter : Sim E., who was a soldier in the late war, and is now in a law-office in Worcester ; Henry ; and Sarah, who is a graduate of the Sutton high school. Rev. Samuel Mellen Whiting was born (in the house on this place), June 25, 1825 ; was graduated from Trinity College, Hartford, in 1846, and from Newton Theological Seminary in 1850. He was ordained May 8, 1850, in the first Baptist church, Hartford, and was married the next day to Miss Mary Elizabeth Flint of that city. In June following they sailed from Boston for Assam, India, as missionaries of the American Baptist Missionary Union, and arrived at Gowahati, Assam, in April, 1851. His missionary service in India covers a period of a little over ten years, a decade rendered remarkable in the history of our missions by the enlargement of missionary operations, and the triumphs of the cross over the powers of heathenism. Mr. Whiting was qualified by natural endowments, culture, learning, piety and zeal, to enter into, and help fonvard this aggressive work. He translated large portions of the Old Testament from Hebrew into As- samese, a work which reflects great credit upon his accurate scholarship. He was successful as pastor and preacher, as teacher and translator, as editor and financier, proving himself equal to all these high trusts. For four years he took charge of the printing establishment, and for two years he had the whole charge of the mission at Sibsagor. 41 322 HOMES or THE He did a great work for Assam, and left behind him there a name and an influence that will live in all coming time. He returned to this country on account of Mrs. Whiting's health in 1861, and entered at once into earnest work for the Master. For seven years he was the esteemed and successful pastor of the church in Colchester, Vermont. While there he performed a large amount of varied and useful work in the New Hampton Institution at Fairfax, and in the vari- ous religious organizations of the state ; showing in these spheres the same versatility of talent, mature wisdom, and executive ability which had charac- terized his services in India. He was very highly esteemed in ministerial circles beyond the Baptist denomination, and was pronounced by the best judges in Vermont the foremost Hebrew scholar in the state. He was as modest and unassuming as be was profound in classical scholarship. He was as true in friendship, and as gentle and loving in spirit, as he was firm in truth and principle and unswerving in integrity. For four years he was the honored pastor of the ancient and venerable church in Windsor, Vermont, a worthy successor of the devoted and able Elijah Hutchinson of blessed memory. From Windsor he was called to Fair Haven, Connecticut, where the crowning work of his pastoral life was accom- plished. The church there owes to him, under God, almost its very existence. He found them without a house of worship, few and feeble, worshiping in a hall over King's Hotel. While looking faithfully after the spiritual interests of the people, he gave himself with singular devotion to the work of building a house of worship, and by indefatigable labors and large personal influence he succeeded in building their present beautiful church edifice on Grand street, and dedicating it to the worship of God. The spiritual interests of the church were also greatly built up under his ministry, and the church stands to-day as a monument of his fidelity and ability. In the midst of these abundant labors his health gave way, and he was forced to resign all connection with this cherished work, and retire from the active ministry of the Word. Since 'then he has lived in New Haven, an invalid in steadily failing health. He died Feb. 21, 1878.* The next place Jonathan F. Putnam bought of Lot Wood- bury, Nov. 29, 1793. The house was an old fashioned gambrel-roofed one ; there was a mill and scythe-maker's shop on it when he bought it, but the next morning it was a smouldering ruin, having been burned on the very night on which he took possession. It was dhe of the oldest mill sites in town. Who first built there is. not known. Miller Putnam, as he was always called, built a grist-mill twenty- feet square, directly after the fire, and occupied it until after the great September gale in 1815. His wife had her spinning-wheel placed in the attic of the mill, and belted to the water-wheel, and there she spun flax and tow for several years. After the great blow Mr. Isaac King induced him to From The Watchman and Elector. TOWN OF BUTTON. 323 build a saw-mill, that he might have sawed some of the best logs from trees that had been blown down on his land, so he built a new saw and grist-mill sixty feet long, which he operated until 1836, when he sold out to Edward Clark and others to make room for their flour-mill already des- cribed. The house on this place has been built over sixty years, and there has never been a death in it, unless one child died there in infancy when the house was first erected. Probably there is not another house in town which has been constantly occupied, in which there has been no death for more than sixty years. Estes Putnam lives in the house opposite, which has been already spoken of as once a school house and a law office. The house now owned by the heirs of Deacon William Bond is presumed to have been built by Daniel Stone, a mason by trade, who also carried on the farm and manufac- tured potash. One of his children was buried on the place. The farm was afterward owned by Nathan Woodbury, who deeded it to Deacon Bond when his children were young ; they were born, however, in the next house beyond where Lewis Griggs now lives. Deacon Bond lived here many years, and here he died, an honest man and a Christian. His son Alvan graduated at Brown University in 1815, and studied theology at Andover. He is now the Dr. Bond of Norwich, Connecticut, a distinguished scholar and divine. The place is now occupied by Mr. John E. Ball, a very worthy man. The following sketch of Deacon William Bond and family is prepared from data furnished by Rev. Dr. Bond: Among the old families and early settlers of the town of Sutton the name of Bond is found. In 1737 Josiah Bond, grandson of William Bond of Water- town, was received to the Congregational church by letter from the church in Newton. He settled on a farm in what was called the north parish, now Millbury. He was among the number of those who in 1744 were organized as the second church in Sutton. He was the grandfather of Dea. William Bond, who in the spring of 1801 removed from the westerly part of Millbury to the farm still in the possession of the family, about half a mile south of Sutton centre. He and his wife, members of the second church, were received by letter to the first church. In 1811 he was elected a deacon of said church, in which office he continued till his death in 1842. Dea. Bond as a citizen was public spirited, ever ready to co-operate with others in promoting the cause of education, public improvements, morality and peace. 324 HOMES OF THE He was a well known peacemaker, who never had a lawsuit or a quarrel with his neighbors. As a professed Christian he was an example of humility, consistency, charity and conscientious devotion to the duties of his profession. Constant in his attendance on the service of the sanctuary, and such occa- sional religious meetings as were appointed in the parish, he showed that his piety was a principle and a life rather than a periodic awakening of religious emotion and zeal. In ordering the affairs of his household, family worship was maintained, the sabbath was sacredly remembered, and religious instruc- tion given. Deacon Bond had three children, two of whom are now living. It was a cherished purpose of this Christian father to give to one of his two sons a col- legiate education, with the hope that he might become a preacher of the gospel. This purpose was accomplished and the hope realized by the educa- tion of the eldest son at Brown University, and the theological seminary at Andover. And he enjoyed the privilege and satisfaction of representing his church as a delegate to the council by which that son, Rev. Alvan Bond, D. D., now of Norwich, Conn., was ordained and installed as pastor of the Congregational church in Sturbridge, Nov. 29, 1819. After a prosperous ministry of nearly twelve years, Mr. Bond in 1831 accepted an invitation to a professorship in the theological seminary, Bangor, Maine. As his health suffered somewhat from the severity of the climate in that place, he accepted an invitation from the second Congregational church, Norwich, Conn., to become pastor of the same, being installed May 6, 1835. After a happy and prosperous ministry as the pastor of this church, continuing thirty years, he resigned his pastorate on account of age and failing health. He continues to dwell among the people for whom he so long labored in the gospel, esteemed and honored in his old age. During half a century he has, in addition to his professional labors, been active in promoting the interests of education, and in organizing, supporting and managing the institutions of Christian benevolence, most of which have come into existence during his life- time, to the support of which he has been a constant contributor. Among the first settlers of Sutton the name of Richard Waters may be found. He united with the church when the Rev. Mr. McKinstry was pastor, being received by letter from the church in Salem. Several families of this name lived in the westerly part of this town, and others in what is now Mill- bury. In Sutton, Ebenezer Waters, Esq., was a prominent citizen and a land surveyor. He gave the bell to the old church. He lived on the Bullard farm, West Sutton. A brother or relative was Elder Waters, a Baptist preacher, whose house was a short distance below where the Baptist meeting-house now stands, and upon the opposite side of the street.* As Baptist ministers in these times did not receive salaries, it was necessary that they should procure some secular occupation as the means of support. The " Elder," as he was called, was an enterprising man of business, a well known and highly respected citizen, and an earnest preacher in his denomination. The fact that this good Baptist Elder run a distillery shows how different public sentiment then was as to the manufacture and use of intoxicating liquors from what it now is. He received the surplus cider of the farmers and converted it into what was called cider brandy, at one time extensively used as a beverage. * See sketch of Elder Samuel Waters in connection with the history of the first Baptist church. TOWN OF SUTTON. 325 With many other good men, Deacon Bond made cider for the elder's distil- lery; on one occasion, after 'having discharged a load of cider, the deaco^ tarried for the purpose of a social chat with the elder. While watching the fire of the distillery, "Deacon," said the elder, "this business furnishes me with some very striking illustrations for my preaching. Here, while attending to the fire, I have time to think and study my discourses. When I want to impress on my hearers the awf'ul subject of future punishment, this big fire which I keep continually burning affords an illustration of the fire of hell which is not quenched. The worm of the distillery reminds me of what Christ has said about the worm that never dies. And then the product, the spirit of the cider, represents the evil spirits by which men are tempted and in danger of being destroyed." And as the conversation went on, the deacon thought that the elder's study, with its fire and worm, and burning fluid, was quite a suggestive place for sermon making. Neither of these good men at that time entertained the slightest suspicion that the business in which they were engaged was not as justifiable as any other occupation. If young men had dreamed dreams in those days, as one did on a time about "Deacon Giles's" notorious distillery, in which it was said a Bible depository was kept, some one might have immortalized Elder Water's distil- lery as a study in which sermons were made. He might have dreamed how the good man's exhortations and warnings for Sabbath services received point and force from the inspiration created by the grim fixtures and fiery work of this old cider-brandy mill. The next and last house in district number four was owned and occupied by Mr. Daniel Tenney, then by Elisha Carpen- ter, then by his son Simeon, then by his son Tyler. It has since been owned by Aaron Holman, Henry M. Brigham, Joel Houghton, Stockwell and Putnam, I. A. Dodge and S. B. Holbrook, the present owner. Simeon Carpenter, son of Elisha, son of William, was a comb-maker and carried on that business here. His eleven children were born here. His sons, David and Simeon, went to Charlton and were prom- inently connected with the Worcester County Agricultural Society. Tyler married Betsey Waters, and went to Min- nesota ; Matilda married Stephen Waters and is the mother of Jason Waters. There was once another house on this farm, owned and occupied by James Giles, who was a cooper, and had a shop near his house. Both buildings were burned about 1818. It is not known by whom either of these houses was built. We insert here the following sketch of Hon. J. H. Morse, which should have been given in connection with the place now owned by George S. King. 326 HOMES OF THE H>n. John Hathaway Morse, son of John and Mary Hathaway Morse, was Wlrn in the town of Sutton, Worcester County, Massachusetts, July 21, 1819. The family was originally English, and came from a renowned and remote ancestry. Three brothers Anthony, William and Robert Morse emigrated from England and settled in Newb uryport, Massachusetts, in the year 1635. From Anthony, the oldest son of Anthony, descended Professor Morse, father of our telegraph system; and from Joshua, the youngest son, John Hathaway Morse of Missouri traces his genealogy. His paternal grandfather, Nathaniel Fry Morse, was a surgeon under Wash- ington during the revolutionary war ; and his grand-uncles, Caleb and Joshua Morse, served as soldiers during that memorable struggle, and never laid down their arms until the freedom of the colonies was proclaimed. The father of John was one of the first cotton manufacturers in the United States, but met with severe losses in the destruction of his mills by lire in 1822. Owing principally to these reverses, young John received but a common school education, and was early called upon to begin the great battle of life. It being prior to the introduction of railroads into the United States, the elder Morse became interested in running canal boats from Providence, Rhode Island, to Worcester, Massachusetts, on what was known as the Black- stone Canal, in which occupation he was assisted by his son John, who had barely reached his sixteenth year. In 1837, when John was eighteen years old, the family moved west, and settled in McLean County, Illinois, John going to Springfield and becoming engaged in general wood working. Here he remained four years and married Miss Panthea Armsby. His wife being of a very delicate constitution, he was induced to return to the east, in the hope of bringing to her renewed health and strength ; but disease had taken a too strong hold of her, and she died in 1844, John returning and coming to Missouri in 1847. Possessed of a quick and active mind, coming from one of the best devel- oped and most prosperous of the eastern states, of wonderful energy and perseverance, and perfectly enthusiastic upon all matters relating to the open- ing up and developing of his adopted state, he soon began to take active part in all the important questions of the day, and ere long was tacitly acknowledged as the representative man of his section. Politically he was always known as an old line whig, and a union man as opposed to slavery. He was a firm believer in state rights ; but was firm in the opinion that the institution of slavery was wrong in itself, and injurious to the growth and prosperity of the state. These ideas he never failed to advocate upon all occasions. During the war Mr. Morse occupied a very peculiar and what might be termed a very harrassing position. Living on the line between the two hostile parties, he was exposed to the incursions and hostilities of both parties. Regarding the union of the states as a strong and indissoluble bond, he warmly favored the measures put forth by the general government for its mainte- nance. Notwithstanding a majority of the most influential citizens of the county were secessionists, he strongly advocated the restoration of the states to their old places in the union, and assisted in raising a company of soldiers for that purpose. His influence kept many at home who were inclined to join fortunes with the confederacy. The educational interests of Missouri had no more faithful guardian in the legislature than Mr. Morse, who watched with a jealous eye every movement liable to affect our public school system. TOWN OF BUTTON. 327 In 1872 the university was crippled for the want of money; the public schools suffered from the same cause. Mr. Morse was the author of the measures reimbursing the state university and the common schools, giving to the university $147,080 of the proceeds of the sale of the stock of the State Bank of Missouri, sold under Governor Fletcher's administration to James B. Eads, and giving $900,000 to the common schools. This was one of the most popular measures ever passed in Missouri. Mr. Morse was married twice; in 1841, as has been already intimated, in McLean County, Illinois, to Miss Panthea Armsby, who died in 1844 without issue. His second marriage took place in 1861, in Springfield, Illinois, where he espoused Miss Mary P. Barrows, a native of Vermont, but whose early life was passed in Sangamon County. She still survives, and has borne him three sons. * * * Through his own intrinsic merits and indefatigable energy he has made his life a success. His industry has been rewarded. Generous in his nature and social in disposition, he counts his friends and well-wishers by the thousands, who respect and esteem him for the high moral principles which he ever puts forward in his public and private career, and which to-day place the name of John Hathaway Morse among Missouri's most honored citizens.* HATHAWAY DISTRICT, No. 5. The first house in this district on the Oxford road, now owned and occupied by Sullivan Fuller, was built in 1832 by Parley Kenney. Mr. Sullivan Fuller married first, Miss Prudence Kenney ; married second, Miss Graves ; mar- ried third, Miss Eunice Knights. Mr. Fuller has greatly enlarged and improved the place since he has been the owner. The house now occupied by Miss Mary Record was built by Benjamin Boyce about the year 1775. Miss Record made an addition to it a few years ago. She is a daughter of Jonathan Record, and the only one of the name in town. Abijah Putnam built the house where his widow, Mrs. Betsey (Burdon) Putnam, aged ninety-three, now resides with her son, Sylvester Putnam. Mrs. Putnam retains her faculties in a remarkable degree, and, as Mr. Grossman remarks, furnished him "from the store-house of her memory much of the information gathered in this vicinity." The house where Simeon A. Fuller now lives was built by Daniel Towne about 1750. A few years later the Fuller family were in possession of the place. They came from Attleboro and established the comb-making business, and for * From L. U. Reavis' Centennial work on St. Louis and Missouri. 328 HOMES OF THE many years carried it on in a shop on this place. Simeon Fuller, father of the present owner, with his brother Reuben were the first of the name who owned the place. The house where James D. Hill lives was built by Jona- than Burdon, nearly a hundred years since. Mr. Burdon was born in an old house which stood a little east of the one now occupied by Miss Mary Record. For the singular accident connected with the death of Mr. Burdon, see Annals, 1816. The next occupant was James Hill, born in Douglas ; married Sally H. Burdon, daughter of Jonathan Burdon. His children were Harriet Craggin, born Dec. 20, 1815 ; Emma Craggin, August 29, 1817 ; James Dudley, July 19, 1820; Sarah, July 31, 1827. James Dudley succeeded his father upon the place, and still occupies it. He married Mary E. Simmons Sept. 17, 1845. They have one daughter, Elizabeth A., born Aug. 7, 1847, who married Dr. Alonzo L. Stickney, Nov. 6, 1867. Dr. Stickney practiced medicine for several years in Sutton, which place he left for Ashburnham, where he is now engaged in his profession. He ranks high as a physician and_is emi- nent as a surgeon. The house where Rufus King resides was built by his father, William King, in 1834, upon the site of the old house which was torn down. It is not known by whom the old house was built. Perhaps by Mr. Richard Dodge, who occu- pied the place about a hundred years since. It was subse- quently in possession of Mr. Jonathan Record, who lived here for a time and sold to William King. The place now owned and occupied by Thomas J. Nealy was for many years in possession of the King family. Next owned by Major Rufus Burdoii, who built in 1861 the house now standing. Major Burdon died here. Mr. \caly has greatly improved the place. The place now owned and occupied by Putnam King was bought by William King, one of the original proprietors of the town, of Elisha Johnson, after which he built the old house now standing on the place in 1722 ; he was succeeded TOWN OF SUTTON. 329 by his son, Capt. Henry King ; he by his son, William King, Esq. ; he by his son Isaac ; he by his son Putnam, the present owner. This beautiful farm has not been allowed to " run out," but has been constantly improving. Mr. Putnam King has added many acres to his fathers farm, and bought other farms, so that now he is the largest land-holder in town; he built the house in which he lives in 1833 ; also the large and T1IK 01,1) HOUSE Hl'ILT 11Y WILLIAM KINO. commodious out-buildings. He has transformed bush pas- tures into mowing tields, built many rods of stone wall, and his pastures are well fenced. He has also sunk many rocks to prepare his mowing^fields for the mowing machine, the tedder and the horse rake. It is an interesting sight in hay-time to see his two mowing machines, drawn by able horses, pass over his beautiful fields, followed by the tedder, then by his horse-rakes, and in the afternoon perhaps three or four ox-wagons being loaded at the same time in the same field. As they arrive at the barn, an apparatus awaits them to unload by horse power, lifting hah* a load at once and stowing it in the spacious mow. 42 330 HOMES OF THE Mr. King carries on fanning on a larger scale than any man in town, and seems quite successful. He keeps a large stock of choice neat cattle ; also horses, sheep and swine. They raise many vegetables on this farm, which are principally sold at Whitinsville. After selling their own product they buy tons of cabbage and potatoes to keep up their supply to their customers. Mr. King has dealt largely in wood and lumber; he furnishes many ties to the railroads ; so his man will go down with four yokes of young oxen with a horse on the lead, hauling a large load of railroad ties, to return with as many potatoes as the team can draw, brought on cars from Vermont or Canada, all of which sell at a good profit. This King family has been a very enterprising and suc- cessful one. Mr. Putnam King is one of the largest tax- payers in town, and the five Kings, who in succession have owned the estate, have paid into the treasury of this town an amount which, put at six per cent, compound interest when paid in, would now amount to more than twice the present valuation of the town. Our list of preferments shows the standing of the early settlers on this place, and our genealogy their connection. William King, Esq., born here, lived on this place ninety- one years. Peter was a good Latin scholar, but became insane and died at an advanced age single. One of the daughters married Deacon Jonathan Leland and was the mother of his fine family. Silence married Caleb Woodbury and had a large and quite distinguished family. (See genealogy of the Woodbury family.) Mr. Isaac King, who succeeded his father and lived here ninety-seven years, only when away on business, was a soldier in the revolution, and one of our most substantial men. He married for first wife Sally Putnam, daughter of Archelaus. (See genealogy.) Charles was in the shuttle business, lived several years in Worcester, went from there to Anoka, Minn., and there died. His widow lives there now and is in high esteem. Mr. Isaac King was a man of great industry and wonderful constitutional strength ; he retained his faculties remarkably to the end. Horace Leland said that they were getting the hay out of an old swamp one day after he was ninety years of age, so he went down to the meadow, took off his shoes and stockings and spread swaths all of the forenoon, TOWN OF SUTTON. 331 He fell one day from the great beam in the barn to the barn floor, and being so old they thought his injuries would prove fatal; but the next day he was sitting up in his chair. He said he fell from the beam and was jarred a little, but thought he should be all right in a day or two, and so he was. When Charles was told of it he said, " That was nothing; if his falls could all be put together they would reach a mile." He was a very temperate man. He attended the Baptist church and did much for its support, and also had a pew in the Congregational church. The place now occupied by Edmund Day is known as the Taylor place. Caleb Taylor, an early settler, was the first owner. He had a daughter Lydia, who married her cousin James, Sept. 15, 1741. There is a little romance connected with this marriage. James, a young man of twenty-one, living in Reading, came to visit his uncle, wholly ignorant that Cupid was practising his archery in the wilds of Sutton. and being intro- duced to his cousin Lydia, a comely lass of eighteen, was at once smitten, and she was smitten too. The result was their marriage, and he forsook father and mother and did cleave to his wife. After the death of his father-in-law he succeeded him on the place. His son Samuel by a third marriage (see gene- alogy), succeeded him. Samuel built the present house. He was a large, portly man, genial, somewhat eccentric, and humorous. Many of his quaint, comical speeches are still remembered and repeated. He was succeeded by his son James. The place is now owned by Putnam King, Esq. The next place on the Purgatory road is Owned by Putnam King and is now unoccupied. The house was built by Moody Morse more than one hundred and fifty years ago as the story goes, and probably occupied by him until his death. He seems to have been succeeded by his son Moody, who was the father of Moses L. Morse. The place was also owned by Archelaus Putnam, Capt. Elias Pratt, Thomas Davis and Simeon Batcheller, who died here. Moses L. Morse, who was born on this place, was a great inventor. The house where Richmond Burt lives was built by James Elliot, and subsequently owned by Levi Elliot, who died here in 1846. The first house erected on this place was burned. The house nearest the woods, owned by B. Franklin King, was built by Capt. Samuel Sibley for his son Samuel, who married and lived here a few years. 332 HOMES OF THE One day as Mr. Sibley and his hired man were unloading hay in the barn they heard a screaming in the house, and running to see what was the matter found Mrs. Sibley in the cellar. As she stepped off the bottom stair she saw a rattlesnake, which coiled and began to shake its rattles. She was so fright- ened that she went into convulsions, which continued that day and night, and she declared she never would go into that cellar again, and she never did. The place was sold to Benjamin Richardson, who put up a blacksmith's shop and carried on blacksmithing in connection with farm work. Merrick Titus married Patty Richardson, daughter of Benjamin, and lived here until his death in 1864. Their children were John M., Frances and Chloe. Frances mar- ried Frank Lowe and had one child. Mr. Lowe had been to Chicago, setting up and running stitching machines for a boot and shoe firm, and came home and had the small pox, and died. His wife's father took it of him and died. The youngest daughter, attending the funeral of her father, scantily clothed, took cold and died of consumption the next summer. The year following, Mrs. Lowe died also of con- sumption, contracted by exposure and hardship. John M., the brother, was during that time in the service of his country in the Union army. The barn on this place was burned by an incendiary in 1877. The old red house, or Pratt house as it is sometimes called, was built in part by Mr. Joshua Hathaway, grandfather of Simeon and great-grandfather of Isaac Hathaway, who died on the farm at the corner of the Sutton and Oxford roads a few years since. Mr. Simeon Hathaway, son of Joshua, occupied the place and had twenty-one children by two wives. (See genealogy.) Mr. Hathaway was a carpenter by trade. Captain Pratt bought this farm in 1825 and lived here many years. Sumner Pratt, the only son, married Serena Chase, daughter of Caleb Chase, and carried on the shuttle business for several years at Pleasant Falls. He is now in Worcester, located on Front street, Pratt's block, and under the firm name of "Sumner Pratt and Co." is a dealer in manufacturers' supplies. It is now owned by Rufus King, but is not occupied. TOWN OF BUTTON. 333 Joseph Hicks built the house which he occupies, in 1865. There was a house burned on the same spot Jan. 22, 1863, and at that time was owned and occupied by John Parkman, who bought it in the spring of 1838. Warren Hathaway built the house that was burned in 1818, and moved in, but died in a day or two after from over work. During the September gale in 1815 much wood and timber was blown down on a lot near by, and Mr. Hath- away hauled seventeen loads of it to his door in one day and died the same night. The place had several owners after his death ; among them were Amos Eddy, Charles King, Benjamin Hill, then John Parkman. Mr. Eddy built a blacksmith shop here, and was followed by Charles King, who made blacksmithing a business. The house on the corner of the Sutton and Oxford roads seems to have been first in possession of a Mr. Fletcher, then of Samuel Prentice, who sold to Simeon Hathaway, and here Isaac Hathaway was born, lived and died. Samuel Prentice married Mrs. Whitin, mother of Paul Whitin, Esq., and grandmother of Hon. Paul Whitin, John C., etc. They had several children, who resided in Northbridge. This farm is now owned by Rufus King, and occupied by Nathan Tucker. The place now owned by Charles C. Ambler was, so far as can be ascertained, first occupied by Lucius Boyce, whose name appears upon record as early as 1795. It has fre- quently changed owners ; was for a time in possession of Wm. Winter, who sold to a Mrs. Wheelock, and she to the present occupant. At the place where M. E. Grossman lives stood an old house built before the French and Indian war, it is supposed by Samuel Sibley or his father, in which Captain Samuel Sibley kept a tavern for many years. Mr. Sibley owned some three hundred acres of land, and as his sons became of age divided his farm with them. For Job he built the house where Wm. V. Inman lives ; for Samuel the house near Purgatory woods, and Nathan lived on the home place. 334 HOMES OF THE Capt. Sibley built a saw mill on a stream called Purgatory Brook, about a third of a mile east of his house, on land now owned by W. V. Inman. The old mill has been torn down at least seventy-five years. At this mill-yard, Ebene- zer, son of Benja. Boyce, was killed by a log rolling upon him. He was the first one buried in the Sibley cemetery. He had just married, and lived at the old house which stood a little east of Marv Record's, lonp; since torn down. RESIDENCE OF MILTON E. GROSSMAN. Mr. Sibley was a pioneer, and has left as a monument of his industry nine miles of stone wall which he built and caused to be built. There is a bridge at the reservoir just above the mill site, covered with a single stone, twelve feet long, six feet wide, and from twelve to eighteen inches thick, which, it is said, was drawn to its present location one moonlight night, on sleds, over the hills from near Purgatory, by twelve yokes of oxen. Samuel Nelson purchased this farm in 1818 of Capt. Sibley's heirs, and lived here until his death in 1823. TOWN OF SUTTON. 335 Newell Nelson settled Col. Nelson's estate, and in 1824 Samuel Morse of Wrentham bought it and moved upon it in April of the same year. Mr. Morse married Miss Hannah Herring of Dedham, and had three daughters when he came to town, Eveline E., Roxa and Julia Ann. Eveline E., born May 5, 1811, married Nathaniel G. King; see King gene- alogy. Roxa, born March 11, 1815, married Thomas B. AYoodbury ; see Woodbury genealogy. Julia Ann, born February 6, 1818, married M. E. Grossman; see Grossman genealogy. Samuel Morse built the house now on this farm in 1845, and lived in it till his death by accident, July 7, 1850, by being thrown from a wagon at the yard of Prescott's Mill, July 5th. Samuel was the son of Joshua, who was the son of Daniel, who came from Sherburne to Walpole. Joshua, born in 1735, married Esther Baker, and died April 12, 1801, leaving three sons: Ebenezer, born 1770, died January 9, 1818; Ezekiel, born 1772, died Sept. 26, 1818 ; Samuel, born Nov. 3, 1776, died July 7, 1850. M. E. Grossman built the barn on this place in 1853, took down the old house and barn, moved the carriage-house, built an ell to the house, etc. The place now owned by William V. Inman Avas first occupied by Mr. Job Sibley. He sold to Philo Fisher, and he to Lyman, son of Jonathan Burdon. Mr. Burdon kept a public house here from 1819 to 1830 ; he died in 1831. Mr. Joseph Cummings was the next owner. He sold to Samuel A. Hough, who died here. After his death the place was bought by Benjamin Hill. Mr. Hill married Miss Dorothy Dudley of Douglas. They had six children : Ben- jamin C., Emeliue, Frances Jane, Eliza Ann, Edwin G. and Dinah, who died in infancy. Benjamin C. married Miss Emma Flowers ; Eliza Ann married Joseph Wilcox ; Frances Jane married William Hall ; Edwin C. married Julia Marble ; Emeline married Simeon T. Stockwell. Mr. Stockwell bought the place after Mr. Hill's death in 1851, and lived here until 1867, when he sold to Mr. W. V. Inman. Mr. Inman married Miss Elmira Mascroft. They have three children: Win. M., Josephine A. and Arthur V. 336 HOMES OF THE The place occupied by Edwin E. Kingsbury and his sister was probably first owned by Noah Rice, who by will proved February 26, 1759, gave to wife Hannah ; to son Thomas ; to daughter Lydia Bacon, and the residue to his youngest son Asahel. ENTRANCE TO PUKGATOKY. Asahel was the next occupant of the place. Jonas Sibley married Lydia, his eldest daughter, and it was when return- ing from this house, where he had been courting, that he was impressed into the service of the sheriff as one of his posse TOWN OF SUTTON. 337 for the suppression of a mob. (See Annals, p. 121.) Mr. Luther Kingsbury was the next owner. He married Miss Clara Holbrook of Bellingham. They had four children: Maria Holbrook, Eliza Clara, Luther Franklin and Edwin WITHIN PURGATORY. Erastus. Maria H. married Mr. Moses Stone of Oxford; Clara married George B. Nolan, Luther F. married Susan Baylies of Uxbridge. 43 338 HOMES OF THE A tavern was kept on this place for many years. It was opened by Asahel Rice, continued by Mr. L. Kingsbury, and known as the Rice Tavern from 1790 to 1810. Purgatory* is in the extreme southeastern part of this district. Dr. Hitchcock in the " Geology of Massachusetts " says : This is an immense chasm, and I confess myself at a loss to explain its origin. It is natural to suppose that its sides have been in some manner separated from one another. But I can conceive of no mode in which this could have been accomplished but by a force acting beneath, and this would so elevate the strata, that they would dip on both sides from the fissure. The inclination along the fissure corresponds with that which is common in the region round, viz., twenty-five degrees northeast. In the vicinity of the fissure however, the rocks are often exceedingly broken into fragments ; and this circumstance indicates some early subterranean convulsion, or the agency of troubled waters ; and I am rather inclined to refer these fragments, as well as the fissure, to the long-continued action of the waves of the sea, when the spot was so situated as to form a shore of moderate elevation." Purgatory attracts numerous visitors, and is a great place of resort for picnic parties from the neighboring towns. " The Devil's Pulpit " has been occupied by many a preacher, clerical and lay, and we are not aware that woman's right to speak from it has ever been questioned. " His Majesty's Cave " is also open to all who choose to enter, and multitudes have gone in and come out recalling the words of Virgil : " Facilis desceusus averno ********* Sed revocare gradum, superasque evadere ad auras, Hoc opus, hie labor est." A sad accident and the only serious one which has ever taken place here happened July 7, 1876. Professor George Prentice of Wesleyan University, Middletown, Ct., and his wife visited the place, and had been sitting on a bank near the rock which overhangs the chasm at the deepest point. Rising to go away, Mrs. Prentice said to her husband : " I must take one more look ;" and advancing to the edge of the rock, on which the figure of a man is seen in the picture, " Within Purgatory," she became dizzy and fell upon the rocks below, a distance of nearly sixty feet. Strange to say she was not instantly killed, but lived several weeks. * See description in Annals, pp. 14-16. TOWN OF SUTTON. 339 DISTRICT No. 6 MANCHAUG. JOHN DARLING'S FARM. The first knowledge we have of this place is that it was owned by Jonathan Wheeler. The house occupied by Mr. Wheeler stood opposite the house where Ezra Morse now EGKESS FROM PURGATORY. lives ; it is not known by whom it was built. It has since been owned by Zelek Darling, and John Darling, who is the present owner. The house was built by Zelek Darling in 1807, and there is another house built by John Darling and 340 HOMES OF THE occupied by his son John D. Darling. There are two burial places on this farm. One of them, known as the Harwood burial-ground, is an ancient one containing some thirty graves, but no stones with inscriptions on them. In the other yard, on the stones are inscribed the names of Darling, Morse, Hubbard, Haradan, White, etc. This yard is enclosed with a good iron fence. Upon this place there was formerly another house owned by David Harwood, who was brother of Joseph. The cellar and well may still be seen. EZRA MORSE'S FARM. This farm and the John Darling place were formerly one, and owned by Jonathan Wheeler. This part of the farm fell to Mr. Wheeler's daughter, who married Simeon Morse, and has since been owned by David Morse, and now by his son Ezra. The house was built by Simeon Morse in 1806. There was formerly a shoemaker's shop on the place, where Mr. David Morse and sons made shoes. It is now used as a barber's shop in Manchaug Village. DANIEL HUBBARD'S FARM. This place was formerly owned by Joseph Harwood, then by Zelek Darling, Molly, wife of Timothy Hewett, and Daniel Hubbard, who is the present owner. Mr. Hubbard is a jeweller by trade, and has on this place a shop where he repaired watches and clocks. An old house once stood here, but it is not known by whom it was built ; neither is it known by whom the present one was erected . It has been thoroughly repaired by Mr. Hubbard. There was at one time another house on the place, owned by Jerusha Harwood. JOSEPH COGGSHALL'S PLACE. The house upon this place once stood in front of Amos Burden's house in South Sutton. It was built in 1822, and moved to its present location in 1827, when it was for a time occupied by Salmon Burdon, father of Amos, and held by him until 1833, when it came into the possession of Joseph Coggshall, the present owner, and has since been used as a house of accommodation for travelers. A building formerly TOWN OF SUTTON. 341 stood directly opposite this place, which was occupied for twelve years as a store, when it was moved back 'to its present position and converted into a tenement house. RICHMOND WHITE PLACE. The first knowledge we have of this place, it was owned by Zelek Darling. It has since been in possession of Deacon Zelek Darling, John Morse, Richmond White and Laura Wilbur, who is the present owner. The house was built by Deacon Darling in 182(i. On this place there once stood a school-house, known as the White Birch school-house, taking its name from the birches by which it was surrounded. It was moved near the other buildings, fitted up for a carpenter's shop, and used as such by Mr. White. JAMES CHAPPEL FARM. This place seems to have been first owned by Wm. Axtell, and since by Simeon Morse, Zelek Darling, Stephen Kimpton, Samuel Holbrook, James Chappel, John Abbott, Manchaug Company, etc. It is not known by whom the house was built. JOHN HUNT PLACE. The first we know of this place, it was in possession of Jonah Titus, and has since been owned by John Hunt, Amasa Wakefield, Mrs. Emeline Lackey and John Darling, who is the present owner. The house was built by Amasa Wakefield. The builder of the former house is not known. DBA. JOHN TITUS FARM. This place was formerly owned by Dea. John Titus, after- ward by John Titus, jr., Henry Titus, Obed Morse and Ira Darling, who is the present owner. The house which stood upon this place has been recently removed by the Manchaug Company to their village, where it now stands. DENNIS KENNEY'S FARM. This place was first owned by Henry Titus, and has since been occupied by Chester Williams, Mrs. Wm. Walker and Dennis Kenney, who is the present owner. The house was built by Henry Titus. 342 HOMES OF THE LAWRENCE HOLT'S FARM. This place was first owned by Lewis Torrey, then by Charles Abbott, Prince Parker and Lawrence Holt, the present owner. The house was built by Mr. Torrey. On this place stands a school-house, owned by the inhabitants of what was formerly district number thirteen.* Mr. Torrey was a blacksmith by trade, and had a small shop where he carried on the usual business of that trade, except shoeing horses. On this place is a burial ground, on the headstones of which are the names of Titus, Torrey, Stockwell, Hunt, etc. LEANDER PUTNAM'S PLACE. The first that we can learn of this place, it was owned by William Darling who was a lieutenant in the revolution- ary army and his son Aaron, since by William Darling, jr., Zelek Darling, Wheeler Darling, Cyrus Putnam, Philan- der Putnam and Leander Putnam, the present owner. The house is a very old one and it is not known by whom it was built. Formerly there was a grist mill and fulling mill where Mr. Wm. Darling carried on business. Afterward this water privilege was sold by Wm. Darling to Cornelius and Joseph Putnam, who erected a shop for the manufacture of scythes, which business they carried on for several years, when it passed into the hands of Col. Reuben Waters. The Messrs. Putnam also erected two houses in connection with the shop, one of which is now occupied by John Met- calf and is owned by the Whitinsville Company ; the other stands upon the same side of the road, and is owned by the same company. The water privilege at this place was sold by Col. Reuben Waters to Mr. Rogerson of Uxbridge, and by him to the Whitinsville Manufacturing Company, who are the present owners. There was another water privilege below this one, upon which Lewis Torrey erected a shop for the manufacture of scythes, which he made for several years, and then sold out to Harrison Sibley, who continued the business for a time, then converted the building into a shoddy mill, soon after Since writing the above the Torrey school district has been re-established. TOWN OF SUTTON. 343 which it was burned down. This privilege was afterward purchased by Emmon Carpenter, who erected another build- ing considerably larger than the former one, which was used by him and others for manufacturing Kentucky jeans. This mill shared the same fate of the other after a few years. This privilege has since been owned by the Oxford Bank and the Manchaug Company, who are the present owners. ELDER WILLARD FULLER'S PLACE. This place was first owned by Benjamin Robbi-ns, and has since been owned by Elder Willard Fuller and Mary E. Fuller, who is the present owner. The first house on this place was erected by Mr. Robbms in 1806, and the present one by Mr. Fuller about 1854. On this place there was a Freewill Baptist church, erected by Mr. Fuller and others, which was taken down in 1876. Connected with this place is a burial ground, and on the headstones are found the names. Fuller, Moore, Putnam, Metcalf, Parker, Dudley, Cook, etc. JOHN o. PARKER'S PLACE. This house was fitted up by Lewis Torrey for a tenement house, and purchased of him by John O. Parker, who has made several additions to it._ AARON STOCK WELL PLACE. The earliest knowledge which we have of this place, it was owned by Aaron Stockwell, senior, who erected a small house upon it, which has since been enlarged by Aaron Stockwell, jr. The place is now owned by the heirs of Mr. Stockwell. IRA DARLING'S FARM. This place was first owned by Lot Simpson, who com- menced building upon it, but afterward conveyed it to Ira Darling, the present owner. Mr. Darling erected most of the buildings now on the place. ROYAL KEITH'S PLACE. This place was first owned by Aaron Darling, who built the house now standing upon the premises. It has since been owned by Ira Darling and Royal Keith, the present 344 HOMES OF THE owner. On this place there has been recently erected a blacksmith's shop, where the business is carried on by Benj. O. Paine, who married a daughter of Mr. Keith. TUCKER PLACE. The earliest knowledge we have of this place, it was owned by Cyrus and Peter Darling, and since by Capt. Moses Thayer, Col. Earle, Ebenezer Tucker, Ebenezer E. Tucker and sister, F. F. Sibley and the heirs of Ebenezer E. Tucker, and was conveyed by A. W. Putnam (as guardian of said heirs) to the Manchaug Company, who are the present owners. On this place there have been erected three saw mills, the two first having been burned, and the last taken down recently ; the two last mills also had shingle mills connected with them. SOUTH SUTTON, DISTRICT No. 7. Commencing at the eastern limit of the district, the first place we notice belongs to John Fuller, and is the old home- stead built by Wm. Hewett, or his father when Mr. Hewett was a young man. Mr. Hewett had several sons, viz : Daniel Hewett, who died in Auburn; Eli, who died in Northbridge ; Hammond, Henry and Phinehas. All lived to be old men. Valentine G. Hewett, grandson of William, remodeled the house, new covered, painted, etc., and sold to John Fuller, the present owner. Law son Taylor, son of James of Northbridge, built the house he occupies, in 1853, which stands on the west side of a beautiful plain, some hundred and fifty feet above the meadow, and his farm is on the plain or table land. Mr. Taylor spent several years in California during the gold excitement, about 1850, and had a somewhat successful experience in gold digging. Mr. Taylor has been twice married, and has one son, James. Orrin Hewett, son of Eli, built the house where George H. Hewett lives, in 1852. George H. bought the place in 1871, and erected a fine barn, in which he has a paint shop 44 TOWN OF SUTTON. 347 and sleigh manufactory. George H. is the son of Valentine G. Hewett. He married Miss Lydia Houghton, daughter of L. A. Houghton. Charles Dorr came to this town from Boston about the year 1816, and lived in the west part of the district for many years. He was a carpenter, and in 1858 built the house occupied by George W. Albee, and lived here until his death. The house occupied by Rev. Joseph P. Burbauk, on the top of " Boomer Hill," so called, was built by Elder Job B. Boomer in 1829. Elder Boomer became pastor of the Baptist church in South Suttou about the year 1816, and continued as such for thirty years. He married Nancy, daughter of James McClellan. They had two daughters and two sons: Nancy McClellan, Amelia, Lucian and George Boardmau. Nancy married Hon. John Daggett of Attleboro', June 18, 1840 ; Amelia married a Mr. Stone of Cleveland, Ohio ; Lucien went west and became a partner with his brother-in-law in the bridge-building business, and is now president of the Illinois Bridge Company at Chicago. George Boardman Boomer, the youngest son, went west while quite young to work for his brother-in-law in collecting lumber, and at the breaking out of the rebellion in 1861 was living in the Arkansas River country, Arkan- sas. At the call for troops he responded and raised a company among his acquaintances and became their captain. He was in many battles, in all of which he was distinguished for bravery and skill in command. He was pro- moted to the brigadier-generalship, and killed in one of the battles before Vicksburg. His remains were brought to Worcester and interred. A fine monument has been erected to his memory. The remains of his father and mother repose in the same cemetery. After Mr. Boomer, Percival Taylor owned the place and lived there until his death. Mr. Taylor married Miss Hannah Holbrook. They had three children : James, George and Maudana. Rev. Mr. Burbank has preached at the Baptist church for several years past. The next place west of the Boomer house was built by Sumner B. Hewett about 1841. It is now owned by Mrs. Jonathan Sprague. Sumner B. Hewett married Miss Mary E. Allen. They had four children: Mary Allen, Sumner Barstow, Amanda and Warren. Mr. Hewett was by trade a 348 HOMES OF THE millwright, and served apprenticeship with William Hall. Later he became a plow-maker and Avorked for the firm of B. Martin & Co. at South Sutton, then at Waterford. Groton Junction, and lastly at Cleveland, Ohio. The family moved west to Goldtield, Wright County, Iowa, where he died in 1877. His sou, Sumner B. is, or was a year ago, judge of probate for Wright County, Iowa. Jonathan Sprague, born Oct. 6, 1801, married Oct. 26, 1826, Miss Mary Anne Whipple, daughter of Welcome Whipple, Esq., grand-daughter of Deacon John, and great- grand-daughter of John Whipple of ( 'umberland, R. I. Their children are, Welcoine Whipple, born February 16, 182S ; Homer Baxter, Oct. 19, 1X21) ; Frances Maria, Sept. 13, 1831 ; Charles A., February 24, 1834 ; Solon Smith, March 5, 1836; Mary A., February 8, 1838; Jonathan A., May 20, 1844; Flora Emma, February 5, 1847; Philander A., February 4, 1849. Homer B. Sprague fitted for college at Leicester academy, graduated at Yale in the class of 1852, receiving the DeForest prize, a gold medal of the value of one hundred dollars, given for the best written and spoken composition; studied law at New Haven, came to Worcester and formed a law partnership with District Attorney Matthews. After the death of Matthews he became principal of the Worcester high school. From Worcester he went to New Haven and established himself in the practice of law. When the war of the rebellion was inaugurated by the attack upon Fort Sumter, his voice gave forth no uncertain sound. He did much to inspire patriotism and secure enlistment. At the organization of the thirteenth Connecticut infantry he marched to the barracks wiih the " Welsh Rifles," a fine company he had raised in New Haven, and of which he had been elected captain. He was promoted Major, Oct. 5, 1863, and Lieut. Col. Nov. 5, 1863. His regiment was ordered to the department of the gulf, and left New Haven for Ship Island March 17, 1862. It reached its destination April 13, and remained in active service in the states of Louisiana and Mississippi unti[ July 1864, when it returned to Connecticut on veteran furlough. While on duty in the department of the gulf it bore a prominent part in the following engagements: Georgia Landing, La., Oct. 27, 1862; Irish Bend, La., April 14, 1863; Port Hudson, La., May 24, 1863; Port Hudson, La., June 14, 1863; Cane River, La., April 23, 1864; Mansura, La., May 16, 1864. In August it was again ordered to the seat of war, and joined the army of the Shenandoah, under General Sheridan. In the battle of Winchester, Sept 19, Lieut. Col. Sprague commanded the regiment, which was in a part of the field the most fiercely contested, and consequently exposed to a tremendous fire. His horse was shot under him, and he led his regiment on foot. It was the plan of Gen. Early to cut Sheridan's army in two, and then defeat it in detail. To accomplish his object he massed his forces and struck a terri- ble blow upon the position held by Gen. Grover's division. Sheridan sent an TOWN OF SUTTON. 349 order to hold the point at all hazards. By some unexplained blunder* an order to retreat ran along the lines of Gen. Grover's division, and the regiments fell sullenly back. Col. Sprague with a few brave men made a desperate stand, but were overpowered and captured. Col. Sprague was taken first to Libby prison, afterward to Andersonville. Upon his release he again resumed com- mand of his regiment, which in January 1865 was transferred to Savannah, Ga., and served in the state of North Carolina, doing provost and guard duty until April 25, 1866, when it was mustered out, being the last of the Connect- icut regiments in the service. Col. Sprague has written a history of his regi- ment, which is a model of excellence in its line, and a valuable contribution to the literature of the war. Since the war he has been engaged in the profes- sion of teaching. In 1867 he was chosen principal of the state normal school at New Britain, which position he held until offered a professorship in Cornell University, Ithaca, New York. From Ithaca he went to Brooklyn, New York, and became principal of the Adelphi Academy, which position he held until the Beecher excitement, when he resigned and entered the lecture field, in which he remained for a year or more, one of the most instructive and popular lecturers of the day. He is now principal of the girls normal school, Boston, Massachu- setts. The next place west, where Mrs. Williams lives, was built by Jonas Batcheller and Elder Jones in 1859. At the corner of the roads to East Douglas and Whitins- ville is a store built by Deacon Pliny Johnson, made partly from the shoe-shop moved from the other side of the road, and is now owned by Pliny F. Johnson of Westerly, R. I. A few years ago a stock company was formed to manufacture boots and shoes, under the name of the South Sutton Boot and Shoe Company, with Deacon Johnson, president ; John C. Johnson, treasurer, and Moses L. Johnson, agent : but it survived for only a year or two, and made a bad failure. Upon the closing up of this company another was formed under the firm name of Knox.and Walker, but this, like its predecessor, soon went into bankruptcy. Since the last failure the shop has been used as a grocery store and tene- ment. The house owned and occupied by Leonard Dorr was built by Deacon Pliny Johnson in 1851, and has passed through many hands. It was owned for a time by Cimeue Green- wood of Northbridge, and later by Rufus, son of Daniel Fuller. * See History of Connecticut, during the Rebellion. 350 HOMES OF THE Leonard Dorr is the son of the late Charles Dorr, who removed to Sutton from Boston about sixty-eight years since. The Baptist meeting-house in this district was built about seventy-five years since, mainly by the Batchellers. Originally it was a plain unpainted building, with a porch on tne south side. Within, the construction was after the old style. The prominent seat was for the deacons ; the pews were of square form with seats upon three sides, and the pulpit was so high that the head of the preacher nearly touched the ceiling. When this pulpit was finished it is said that Elder William Batcheller rode up the steps of the church on horseback to the open door, and pointing to the lofty pulpit, said to his horse, " There ! see where your master is going to stand." The church has been thoroughly repaired, modernized and made quite attractive as well as convenient. Apropos of these high pulpits, we recall a little story which we heard told in childhood by a venerable D. D., designed to illustrate the fact that Satan sometimes obtrudes himself into the most sacred places. He said, " I was once called upon to preach in an old church which had an exceedingly high pulpit As I ascended the stairs, going up, up, up, to my dismay these words came into my mind : ' Jack and Gill went up the hill, To fetch a pail of water, Jack fell down and broke his crown And Gill came tumbling after.' "In vain I bade the tempter 'get thee behind me; ' he would do no such thing, but continued his infamous suggestions. I rose to make the in vocation, and as I looked down upon my audience so far below me, I began my address to the Searcher of Hearts with these words uppermost in thought : 4 Jack fell down and broke his crown And Gill came tumbling after.' " Opposite the church stood the old school-house. This house was at first located on a high hill fronted by a steep bank, which in icy time was the scene of many an amusing slip and slide in the " days of yore,'' when the winter school was attended more than now by the " large boys and girls." At one end of the school-room was a huge fireplace that would 'take in "-four foot wood;" at the other end the teacher's desk, Hanked on each side by a desk for scholars. TOWN OF SUTTON. 351 On the sides of the room, running the entire length, with the exception of a narrow space for passing behind, were desks, raised two steps from the floor, for the larger scholars. Behind these desks were benches made from plank or slabs, without backs ; in front of them were low benches for the small children. The center of the room was unoccupied, only as some lazy or refractory b'oy or girl was called out for punishment. A common punishment for girls was to study with a book or ruler on the head, which they were directed to keep in position. Boys would sometimes be required to fasten their eyes upon a nail in the floor and " hold it down with one finger." Occasionally one who had incurred the peculiar wrath of the teacher, would be called upon to "ride the stone horse." This achievement consisted in occupying, at the same time, five round smooth stones, one as a seat and one for each of the hands and feet ; a performance which, it is needless to say, was generally found a somewhat difficult one to* go through with gracefully. Whether the stone horse was ever introduced into the " Quabbin '' school-house we cannot say. In 1843 the school-house was repaired, in what was then the modern style. This house was burned by an incendiary in 1875. A new one, and finely furnished, was built on the Man- chaug road in 1876. The house where Fred P. Burr lives was owned and probably built by a man of the name of Lackey, a brother of Matthew Lackey, who came from Upton to Sutton in the latter part of the last century. Mr. Lackey sold to the Batchellers, who also came from Upton, and it remained the Batcheller place until Stephen Grossman bought it in 1816. The Batchellers were hop growers, and had a fine building for kiln-drying hops, which stood for many years after Mr. Grossman bought it. In 1817 Mr. Grossman moved upon the farm where, with the exception of seven years spent at Pleasant Falls, from 1830 to 1837, he remained until his 352 HOMES OF THE death, July 27, 1851. Stephen Crossman was son of Elijah and Rebeckah, born June 21, 1779, and grandson of Noah Crossman, who it is said came from Taunton to Button about 1750. (See Crossman genealogy.) Ferdinand J. F. Crossman, son of Martin L. and Experience, was brought up by his grandmother Crossman, on this place. He enlisted at Cambridge, Aug. 19, 1862, in Andrew's first company of sharp-shooters, and went into camp at Cambridge. He left camp for Washington Dec. 1st, where he remained but a short time. He was in the first battle of Fredericksburg, Dec. 11, 1862. He was stationed at Falmouth during the winter, and was again in the battle of Fredericksburg June 11, 1863. During this battle a ball passed through his hat, and one of his fingers was shattered by a bullet. Lysander Martin, a young man of great promise, enlisted with him, and was at this time by his side. They occupied an advanced position behind some fallen trees, or stumps, and were firing through small apertures, and took turns in watching the firing of the enemy. Ferdinand retreated just over a knoll to have his finger attended to, but soon returned to find his companion prostrated on the ground, having been wounded by a ball which entered his cheek, knocking out several teeth, and came out at the back of the neck. A general retreat was now ordered, and the wounded who were able marched off the field, and others were huddled into wagons and carried off, Martin among these, who died of his wound the nineteenth. At Gettysburg, Crossman was in the battle from July first to the fourth, and from this field was sent to Harper's Ferry. He spent the winter in the hospital at Washington, D. C. , taking care of the sick and wounded. In the spring, May 3, 1864, he rejoined the army, and was in Ihe battle of the Wilderness from the fifth to the seventh. At the battle of Spotsylvania Court house he was taken prisoner, carried to Columbia, from thence to Andersonville, where he died Aug. 8, 1864. Mrs. F. J. F. Crossman married Frederick P. Burr, Jan. 12, 1866. He was a soldier in the Union army. They have one daughter, Ida R., born Nov. 17, 1870. The house where Lysander Houghton lived was built by Matthew Lackey, who came from Upton about 1750. Mr. Lackey had a large family : see genealogy. After his death the place was sold to Ebenezer Cook, who also raised a large family. Ira Cook of Oxford was a son of Ebenezer. Lysander Houghton married Lydia White of Northbridge, and they had four .children : Mahlon, Chilion, Vernon, Lydia and Merrick. Chilion married Miss Darling, daughter of Ira Darling. He enlisted in the company of Andrew's sharp- shooters and served through the war. He is now a dentist. Mrs. Lydia Houghton died in the fall of 1870, and Lysander Jan. 4, 1878. TOWN OF SUTTON. 353 At the place owned by A. F. Brown, Esq., Mr. Timothy Martin lived until about eighty years of age. Timothy was the son of Abel Martin, who lived and died on this place. Abel Martin married for his second wife Eunice Crossmau. His son Timothy married Sukey Crossman, daughter of Noah and Huldah. They had three children, two of whom died young, and a son, Benjamin, who died in 1877 in the west. His wife died in the fall of 1826, and he married for a second wife, Miss Rachel Darling, and they had two sons. Darius and Lysander. Lysander was killed in battle, as stated on a preceding page. Benjamin Martin was the plow-maker already alluded to on another p#ge. The next place on this road is owned by Lewis Hopkins of Linwood. The house was built by Timothy Hewett as early as 1773. Timothy H. had a large family. He was a basket maker. His son Timothy, born Nov. 22, 1773, had a son Timothy born in 1803, who married Lavina, daughter of Daniel Leonard. Their children are, Edwin C., born Nov. 1, 1828 ; Alfred Francis, born Sept. 20, 1831 ; Richard Lysander, born Feb. 20, 1833; Milton Oscar, born Feb. 15, 1838; Tamar, born May 2, 1842. Edwin C. graduated at the Normal school, Bridgewater, and became a teacher in the school, and was transferred tb Pittsfield. He returned to Bridgewater, and subsequently was in Worcester as principal of the high school. In 1858 he went to Illinois to take a professorship in the Normal school at Normal, Illinois; a position he held until 1876, when, upon the resignation of President Edwards, he was elected president, and this position he now holds. George Jones was brought up at Mr. Hewett's and became the owner of the place after Timothy senior died. He mar- ried Sarah Bryant and had several children. The house was burned in 1876. There were five other houses on this road, the sites of which are marked by cellar-holes nearly filled, and the lower portions of the chimneys, in which the rude stone fireplaces still remain, sad reminders of the unknown and now broken circles that once gathered round them. At one place near the woods lived Elethan Jones, who had a large family of children. The house was burned and the 45 354 HOMES OF THE barn torn down. Samuel and Consider Bryant lived at this place for a number of years, and sold to Jesse Leonard, who died here, and his heirs were lately the owners of the land. The place where Leonard F. Everett lives was first owned by David Burt, who built the house a hundred years ago and died there. Mr. Burt came from Taunton. and had a large family of children ; among them Benjamin, who died in Northbridge in 1874 ; Ellis, who died in town a few years since ; and Samuel, who married Polly Cook and had three children, Eichmond, Julius and Juliet. Mr. Everett mar- ried first Miss Freelove Darling. They have had three children, Mahlon,, Albert and Susan. Albert went to the war in the fifteenth regiment. Mr. Everett married second Mrs. Mann, whose son was in the battle of Bull Run and never heard of after. White and Barrows bought the place on the hill back of the school house of John Casey in 1867, and Casey bought of Timothy Hewett, jr., in 1865. This was the homestead of Jesse Jones, who probably built the house in the last century, as they were old people and lived in an old house sixty years ago. Elethan and Leonard were his sons. The house owned by Jerman Houghton was built by Dr. John G. Johnson in 1852. Mr. Houghton is a son of Wm. Houghton. Pliny F. Johnson, now of Westerly, Rhode Island, built the house owned by him near the corner, in 1864. Mr. Johnson kept a store here for several years. He married first Julia, daughter of Stephen Cole, and for his second wife a Miss Mann. The house on the corner, owned by Mrs. Deacon Pliny Johnson, was taken down at the Lackey place and put up here by Deacon Johnson. The old house was moved across the road for a shop. Mr. Johnson had a large family of children: Pliny F., John G., Emily, Eliza, Moses, George, Carew, Danforth, Elmira and Sapphira. Deacon Johnson was a shoemaker, and with his large family of boys and girls, turned out a great many pairs daily. He did much for the support of the gospel. Samuel Williams lived in the old house many years. TOWN OF SUTTON. 357 Julia Woodis owns the old red house, but no one knows its history. The next house, owned by Mrs. Daniel Kelley, was built by Daniel Kelley about 1866. The house which* Horace Batcheller owns and lets, was built by Thomas Carlin in 1854 or '55. Thomas Carlin married Miss Lovina Leonard. The house owned by Henry Williams was built by Henry Dorr in 1847. Henry Williams is son of Alpheus and Clarissa, and grandson of Samuel Williams. The house that Joseph Wheatley owns and lets was put up in 1831 by Richard Hewett, who was the son of Timothy and grandson of Timothy Hewett, senior. He married Mirandah Crossman in 1826 and had two sons, Croyden and Lowel. The last died in infancy. Mrs. Hewett died in the fall of 1830, and he married for his second wife Electa Eoss. Croydon died in Paris, Oneida county, New York, in 1868. Horace Batcheller built his own house in 1876-77, on the corner of the Douglas and Manchaug road. There was. a small house on the same site built by his father, Warren Batcheller, in 1838. Warren Batcheller was a successful contractor. He built many fine roads, and was for a long time employed in the excavation of the Blackstone canal. He died, and was carried to his burial March 30, 1873, from the house he built. The house of Mr. Horace Batcheller, a view of which is given, is intended for a summer boarding house and hotel, and is finely fitted for the purpose. It has accommodations for thirty boarders ; and when its ease of access, con- venience, and the attractions of the surrounding region are known, it can hardly fail of being a popular resort for those seeking recreation among rural scenes of peculiar beauty. In 1827 Obed Taylor put up a building on this corner and opened a store, but did not occupy it long, and it was sold and moved away. The house where Mason W. Morse lives was built by Dea. Wm. Batcheller. Jason Morse married a daughter of Elder Samuel Waters and bought the place of Deacon Batcheller. Mr. Morse fell in the street near his house and died instantly. His wife died in 1877. Harriet Morse married 358 HOMES OF THE Josiah Brown, a son of the Rev. Parley Brown of East Douglas. He was an architect and engineer, and at one time had charge at the Hoosac Tunnel bore, under the O Shanleys. Jonas Batcheller built his house in*1840. Orlando, his son, joined the army in the late war and was killed at the battle of Antietam, Sept. 17, 1862. He was a member of the fifteenth regiment, and one of the many from this pad of the town who laid down their lives for their country. RESIDENCE OF JONAS BATCHELLER. Origeii, brother of Jouas Batcheller, was a superior scholar, though he never enjoyed the advantages of a collegiate education. He was the editor of the Anti-Universalist, published at Providence, R. I. He is spoken of as a devoted Christian and very tenacious of the Orthodox faith. He was often engaged in controversy with the enemies of Christianity in this country and in Europe. He was the author of several pamphlets in which, with earnestness and ability, he gave his views of the doctrines of grace as revealed in the Word of God. The Howard place, where Mrs. Clarissa Williams, widow of Alpheus Williams lives, belonged to James Howard, her TOWN OF BUTTON. 359 father, who had a large family of children, among whom was a son, whose name was Jonathan, and he had a son, who is the author of the book entitled, " The Bruised Reed." George Case married a daughter of Mrs. Williams, who built a house near by, which was burned about 1858. Cyrel Williams, son of Alpheus and Clarissa Williams, who now lives in the State of New York, was the owner and builder of the house near the cemetery, where Mrs. Glover lives, which is now owned by Ezekiel Thayer of East Douglas. The house is comparatively new, and took the place of the one which was considered old fifty years ago, and occupied by a family of the name of Blackmar. Among the children of this iamily were Rhoda, Deborah, and one or two others. Fifty years ago there was another house on the opposite side of the road. The house where George Thompson lives was built by Russell Titus about the year 1835. It was made up from one or two small buildings which were moved together, and with some slight additions fitted up for a tenement. Geo. Thompson married a daughter of Daniel Stockwell. On the opposite side of the road is a house which was built by Josiah Hewett in 1849, and sold to Henry Marshall, who died here in 1876. The next house, called the Titus house, was built by Rus- sell Titus in 1848. Mr. Titus carried on the butchering business here for a few years. He married Martha, daughter of Hammond and Lydia Hewett, and they had two daugh- ters, one of whom married Noel Clark of Uxbridge. Mr. Titus was captain of a canal boat on the Blackstone canal in 1830 or 1831. This is the last house in Sutton on the road leading from the corner to East Douglas. The house where Orison, son of Hammond and Lydia Hewett lives, is the homestead built by Hammond Hewett sixty years ago. He married Lydia Pierce of Millbury, and they have had five children : Orison, Josiah, Moses, Martha and Rebeckah. Hammond is the son of William Hewett, and brother of Eli, late of Northbridge. 360 HOMES OF THE The last place on this road is the Alpheus Kawson place, so called forty years ago. Mr. Rawson bought it of Wel- come Whipple sixty-five years since. Mrs. Jonathan (Whipple) Sprague was bom here, but it is not positively known whether any more of Mr. W.'s children were born here. It is now in the hands of some French Canadian families. CEMETERY. The original cemetery in this district was set apart as a place of burial by Deacon William Batcheller, son of Rev. William. The first body buried was that of his brother Moses, who died Sept. 4, 1803, in the twenty-first year of his age. His monument has upon it the following epitaph : " A burying-place by me 's begun, Father and Mother view your son. Brethering and sister's view me too, Pale death has taken me from you. My wife and children on earth I leave, In faith that Christ will me receive, Praying that you may likewise be, Prepar'd for death to follow me." UNION DISTRICT, No. 8. The old house, as seen in the engraving, was built by William Davenport in 1767, and remains as first built, no part having been burnt or destroyed. The farm consisted of one hundred and seventy acres of land, received from his father, William, senior, who lived in a house that stood w r here Mr. Barney Hewett's now stands. William Daven- port, jr. , sold his farm to a Mr. Clark and moved to Peters- ham in 1800. Samuel Carpenter was the purchaser of a small part of the estate. He was a plow-maker by trade. The shed attached to the house was formerly used as a corn-barn. Mr. Carpenter moved it to its present location, and used it in the manufacture of wooden plows, in which business he employed several workmen. William Davenport built a saw-mill and grist-mill soon after locating on this place, perhaps as early as 1766. These stood until about 1824, when TOWN OF SUTTON. 361 the saw-mill was taken down by Joel Lackey, then in pos- session of the place. The grist-mill was carried away by a freshet in 1838. Mr. Lackey erected a building for the manufacture of scythes on the stream below the mills, and made scythes for Ji few years, then, in company with George B. Nolen, engaged in the manufacture of gun-barrels. He sold out to Mr. Xolen in 1834. Amos Burdon is the present ownerW the property. DAVENPORT HOUSE, SOUTH SUTTON. George B. Nolen married in 1826 Olive Grossman, second daughter of Stephen. Their eldest son, Horace Whipple, died in North Carolina during the war of the rebellion. George Augustus, their second sou, born Jan. 7, 1831, attended school at the brick school-house; then at Leicester, Wilbraham and Westfield, where he fitted for college. He entered Yale College in 1853, and graduated in 1857 with honor, having taken most of the prizes offered in mathematics and Eng- lish composition. A few weeks before graduation he entered Major Skinner's school in New Haven as teacher, where he remained until Mr. Skinner's death in 1859. We. quote the following from the " Obituary Record of Graduates of Yale College." " PRESENTED AT THE MEETING OF THE ALUMNI, JUNE 28, 1876. CLASS OF 1857. " George Augustus Nolen was born in Sutton, Mass., Jan. 9, 1831. " He remained in New Haven as a graduate student, until he accepted a tutorship in the college in the summer of 18PO. He resigned this office in 1865, when he was appointed assistant examiner in the. United States patent office. 46 362 HOMES OF THE He entered on his duties in Jan. 1866, and at the time of his death held the position of examiner in-chief, having been appointed to that rank by Presi- dent Grant in April 1875. " A few weeks after this appointment he was attacked with consumption, which first manifested itself by a violent hemorrhage of the lungs on the 13th of May. He failed steadily and rapidly, and died in Washington, Aug. 17th. His wife, who had been struggling with the same disease for three years, survived him but a few hours. They left one son. In ability, integrity and courtesy no one in the patent office was his superior." Mr. Nolen's daughters were Sabra "W. and Olivia R. Sabra W. married Joseph E. Waite, Esq., now a merchant in West Brookfield. Olivia R. married George "W. Sargent of North Brook- field. Alfred Eugene, born Dec. 25, 1845, graduated at Yale, class of 1867 ; was teacher for a year in the high school at Norwich, Vermont ; for three years principal of the high school at Wethersfield, Connecticut, when he returned to New Haven to resume his studies, and for a year or two gave private instruction to students; but his health failing he went to Washington, D. C., with his brother. In 1875 he came to West Brookfield with his health much impaired ; but after a year, had sufficiently recovered to be able to accept a position as principal of the high school at Winchendon. He is now principal of the high school in Brookfield. Mr. Nolen's wife died in West Warren, June 25, 1850, when he returned to Sutton, and in 1852 married Clara Kiugsbury. The house where Amos Burden now lives was built by himself in 1848. The barn on this place was struck by lightning the first of July, 1866, and burned with two horses. Mr. Burdon subsequently erected a fine barn on the same spot. The old gun-shops are standing here at the dam. In 1841 Benjamin Martin commenced the manufacture of plows at this place, and for five years employed several hands. His "Eagle Plows " were in great favor among the farmers in all this part of the country and the bordering towns in Rhode Island. The works were moved to Waterford. After Mr. Burdon bought these shops he put in saw and shingle mills, and run them for a few years ; but they are not used now, though the machinery remains. Mr. Burdon came into possession of this property soon after the freshet which carried away the grist-mill. TOWN OF SUTTON. 363 There is a beaver dam in the pond, and it is said that beavers were abundant when the town was first settled. The house near the outlet of Swan Pond was built in 1810 by Caleb Hicks, and is now owned by George C. Allen. The house occupied by Charles Britton was built by Joel Lackey in 1818, and sold to Alpheus Grossman. The house where Mr. Burroughs lives was built by Geo. Dorr about 1850. Mr. Dorr moved to Lacrosse, Wisconsin. George Dorr was the son of Henry Dorr, and married a daughter of Daniel Cole. The house where Philander Hewett lives was built by William Davenport, and his son Aaron received it from his father; but exchanged with Jonathan Carpenter in 1835. Mr. Hewett bought it of Aaron W r akefield about 1863. The Valentine G. Hewett place, which is in the hands of the administrators, was prior to 1810 the old school-house. William Grossman bought it, and moved it from above the George Allen place, and repaired it for his father and mother (see genealogy) and they lived there until his death. Samuel Grossman had one son and two daughters by his first wife. His son Samuel enlisted in the ninth regiment, called the "bloody ninth," in the war of 1812, and was at the battle of Chippewa and Lundy's Lane, was wounded and drew a pension till the time of his death in 1870. He died in Pennsylvania. Samuel Grossman, senior, was a soldier in the revolution, and drew a pension. William Grossman taught school in his early days, and then kept a country store on Putnam Hill, and in East Douglas in company with Sumner Cole. He was the first postmaster of East Douglas ; kept a hotel in Webster, Albany, N. Y., and Springfield, from which place he was sent to the legislature. During President Pierce's administration he was a custom-house officer. He died in Brookfield, Sept. 22, 1873, and was buried in the Howard cemetery. The brick school-house was built in the fall of 1822, and known as the Union school-house, a part of the district 364 HOMES OF THE being in Northbridge. Extensive repairs have been made on this house and new furniture put in. It is now one of the best in town. Willis Thayer built the house where Barnabas Hewett lives. Mr. Hewett bought it in 1856. George Reynolds and Jonathan Sprague carried on the manufacture of broad axes here for a few years, and lived in this house. Colonel Homer B. Sprague was born here. The trip-hammer shop has been torn down, but the saw-mill still stands, and is owned by Benjamin Burt of Woonsocket, Rhode Island. Barnabas Hewett is the son of Timothy, and married Eliza Hewett for his first wife and had three sons, Welcome, Philander and Warren. His second wife was Miss Brigham. Jehu Bartlett, who came from Cumberland, R. I., in 1780, once owned the place where George C. Allen lives. John Allen, who came from Mount Holly, Vt., about 1810, seems to have been the next owner. He thoroughly repaired the house, built on the ell, built also a. cider-mill, a barn, a car- penter's and blacksmith's shop. He was a carpenter by trade. John Allen had a son George, Avho was the father of George C., the present owner. The house where Amory D. Lackey lives was built by William Houghton in 1818. Mr. Houghton was a blacksmith by trade, and occupied the .shop just below the dam, which was afterward a scythe manufactory. It was torn down several years ago. Amory D. Lackey married Lydia, daughter of Salmon Burdon, in 1838, and had one daughter, who.mar- ried Henry Parkhurst of Uxbridge. The house where Deacon Salmon Burdon lived and died was built by him in 1813. The old house stood within a few feet of the present structure. John Burdon, father of Salmon, owned the farm and died here. John Vant built the house where George W. Fletcher now lives, but nothing farther is known of him. Mr. Fletcher bought the place of Newel Lackey about 1858. He came from Northbridge. Mr. Casey owns the house built by Augustus Thayer about 1840. After his death Rufus Young bought the place, TOWN OF 8UTTON. 365 enlarged the house and built the barn. Mr. Young married Lydia Ballon. He died here in 1857. The house owned by Jonas Batcheller and let as a tene- ment, called the Young or Waterman place, was built by Thomas Axtell, who had the initials of his name put on the chimney, where they are distinctly seen at the present time. Mr. .Angel bought the place, and in connection with his son- in-law, Captain Young, carried on the farm. Captain Young- followed a sea-faring life for a number of years after being married. His children were Joseph, Julia, Mary, Abigail, Rufus Smith and Lucinda. Joseph married Miss Euphemia Taft and had two children : William and Mary. Julia married Knight Waterman and had three daughters : Susan, Amanda and Nettie, and a son, Oscar. Mary married Jonas Batcheller. See genealogy. The house owned by Horace W. Chamberlain was built by Deacon Reuben Tisdale. Mr. Crossman says of Deacon Tisdale, " He was treasurer of the town, and ran away with the town's money and Deacon William Batcheller's wife." Soon after Mr. Tisdale left, Welcome and John W hippie bought the place. Deacon John Whipple moved from Petersham and opened a public house, which he kept until about 1825. Deacon John Whipple was born in Cumberland February 12, 1748; married May 24, 1770; Eunice Ellis, born May 9, 1751. Children: Welcome, born Sept. 12, 1772; Olive, July 12, 1775; Jabez, March 15, 1779; Nancy, April 27, 1781 ; John, Dec. 31, 1783 ; Martin, April 17-, 1786. Welcome married Amy Whipple. Jabez settled in New Salem and married. John married Patty Sibley, daughter of Nathan. Nancy married Nahum Prentice. Olive married Stephen Crossman. Welcome Whipple, Esq. came here to take care of the farm and his father and mother about 1825 or 1826, and remained here until his death. His children were: Milton D., Cullen, Justin, Virgil, Mary Ann, Homer and Ardalisa. Some of these Whipples were great inventors. Cullen was engaged at the screw factory in Providence for several years. Jonathan Sprague, who married Mary A. Whipple, Oct. 26, 1826, took the farm in 1843 and cared for his wife's 366 HOMES OF THE father and mother until their death. In 1867 Mr. Chamber- lain bought it and removed from Whitin's here. The small house just below Mr. Chamberlain's, and owned by him, was built by Willis Thayer. Stephen Drake lived here for a few years ; also his brother, Albee, who moved to New York state. Mrs. Hilton built the house where she resides, in 1877. The house on the same spot put up by William Norbury was burned in March 1876. The old house, which had been occupied by Noah Grossman for many years, was torn down in 1832. Mr. Grossman and wife both died here. On the place near the woods stood an old house which was taken down by A. J. Bryant in 1868. The barn is standing and is owned by Lewis Hopkins of Linwood. In 1778 and '79 Elijah Grossman lived in the house, and in 1784 moved to a house then standing a few rods east of where George Fletcher lives, the cellar hole of which is still to be seen, though trees of a large growth cover the whole ground. After Elijah left the place, Noah, a brother, occupied it. He made wooden ware and measures. The old kettle and steam box he used for steaming and bending the wood for measures were here a few years ago. Subsequently Luther Grossman, a son of Noah, lived here for many years. The house off the road was occupied by Samuel Grossman in 1780, but who built it is not known. In 1828 John Allen lived in this house, and a few years later Mr. Edward Norbury owned it, and lived here until he went to Illinois with his son in 1875. The house where Mrs. Nelson Fairbanks lives was built by Joshua Lackey in 1812. He also built a saw-mill on the south side of the river. About the same time Matthew Lackey, a brother, built on the north side and put in a grist- mill and a carding machine, which was the only one in this region for many years. Every vestige of the mill is gone, and Whitin's reservoir covers the ruins. Just a little north of the place where those old mills stood are two old houses, in one of which Mr. Nelson Nicholas lives. The other, or what there is left of it, is owned by TOWN OF BUTTON. 367 Mr. Prescott. The main part of the house was burned in 1876. This place belonged to Stephen Cole, the blind basket-maker. OLD STONE DISTRICT, No. 9. Benjamin Wakefield first settled on the Samuel Hall place. He was followed by Mr. Joseph Mosely. Enos Armsby and his son Silas were the next owners. They built the small THE OLD STONE SCHOOL HOUSE. house south of the road. Silas Armsby enlarged and repaired the Mosely house, soon after the central turnpike was built, with the intention of keeping tavern, but sold to Asa Hall, who carried on the brush-making business there several years. After the death of his wife he transferred the place to his son Samuel, the present owner. Asa Hall married for his first wife Alethina Parkman. Miss Sarah Parkman, her sister, a wealthy and benevolent lady, lived here several years. 368 HOMES OF THE Mr. Silas Armsby had one son, James H., and five daugh- ters : one married a Davis ; one married Silas Dudley, and lives in Mendon ; one married Dr. Alden March, the cele- brated surgeon of Albany. James H. Armsby went to Albany and studied medicine and surgery with his brother-in-law March. He went into the study of anatomy with a minute- ness that astonished his fellow students ; for, while they were satisfied with the ordinary hackings of the dissecting-room, he worked a whole month industriously upon a single finger, determined to know the mechanism of the human system to a microscopic nicety. He was connected with the medical college in Albany for twenty-five years. He died there, highly distinguished and much lamented, Dec. 3, 1875. He was born in this house Dec. 31, 1809. Remembering his native town, he made several valuable donations to the Sutton library. Enos and Silas Armsby came to Sutton from Leicester. They were proba- bly natives of Medfield or Franklin. Mr. Silas Armsby was a member of the first Baptist church, and a constant attendant. He died in Mendon, aged eighty-two. His wife died two years later at the same age. From an obituary of Dr. Armsby, published in the Albany Evening Journal the day of his death, we make the following extracts : "Dr. Armsby's early years were spent on his father's farm (in Sutton). His only educational advantages were derived from the public schools of his native town, and from a brief period in the Worcester and Monson Academies. But his love of study was gratified by the facilities afforded by the Public Library of his native town.* "In 1830, when in his twenty-first year, he came to this city and entered as a student with Dr. Alden March, who was then in active practice and the foremost physician and surgeon of the city. He was an earnest student, and gave early indications of the eminent talent and skill which have marked his professional life. "His first public service was the circulation of a petition while yet a stu- dent, for the establishment of a hospital and medical college in Albany, and from that day to this he has never wearied in his efforts to advance the educa- tional, religious and benevolent interests of his adopted home. As a student he evinced special fondness for anatomical and physiological studies, and manifested great skill in the preparation and arrangement of anatomical specimens; so much so that Dr. March made him his chief assistant during his term of study, and he occasionally supplied his place in the lecture room. "In 1832 he was made the resident physician of the cholera hospital, and took part in the post mortem examination of the first cholera patient that died of the disease in this city, making careful dissections of the parts most involved in the disease, specimens of which are still preserved in the college museum. "After graduating at the Vermont Academy of Medicine in 1833, with the highest honors of his class, be became teacher in a private medical school in this city. This school, in which he was associated with the late Dr. Match, was known as ' March and Armsby's School,' and was continued until the Library of district school. TOWN OF SUTTON-. 369 foundation of the Albany Medical College. Within a year of his graduation the Vermont Academy recalled her student and made him professor of anat- omy and physiology. " After the establishment of the Albany Medical College he devoted himself heart and soul to its interests, taking up his residence in the building ; and soon after resigning his Vermont professorship, gave his entire time to the arrangement of the museum and the manifold details of organization. We need scarcely add that during all the succeeding years of the institution he remained its steadfast friend, ever laboring with unflagging zeal for its advancement. In 1839 he made his first visit to Europe, and inspected all the leading medical institutions, hospitals and museums of the old world. He brought back with him a choice collection of specimens, with which he enriched the college. He made a second visit of a similar nature to Europe in 1845. In 1841 he opened an office in this city, dividing his time with his duties at the college. " Dr. Armsby was a warm and intelligent friend of art in all its manifesta- tions, and in him the brotherhood of artists always had a sympathetic friend. " His connection with the Albany hospital was whole hearted. From the time it was opened in 1848 until his death, he was its untiring friend in season and out of season. The largest portion of the funds that have been raised for its support were secured through his personal efforts. His efforts to secure the necessary endowments, and the events which attended and followed the inauguration, when Edward Everett delivered his great oration, are familiar to all our citizens and need not be rehearsed here. "In 1861 Dr. Armsby was appointed United States consul at Naples, a position which he filled with honor to himself and the government. It is interesting to note he gave the first popular scientific lecture ever delivered in Naples. "Dr. Armsby was married in 1841 to Anna L. Hawley, daughter of the late Hon. Gideon Hawley, by whom he had one son and one daughter. The wife and daughter died in 1846, and six years later the doctor married Miss Sarah Winne. bhe and one son, Gideon, survive him. Dr. Armsby was the frequent recipient of honorary degrees from our American colleges and other institu- tions of learning. In 1841 Rutgers gave him her A. M., and in the same year the Yale National Historical Society made him an honorary member. In 1836 he was elected member of the National Historical Society of New Orleans, and about the same time Rochester University conferred on him the degree of master of arts. " In his address to the American Association for the Advancement of Science, in this city, in 1855, Dr. B. A. Gould spoke truthfully of Dr. Armsby when he said : "And now I come to a name whose sympathetic influence calls up all the generous feelings of the heart a name which I cannot lightly utter, for it belongs to a man whom to know is to love, and to mention is to praise. It is his whose agency is evident in all good works, whose thoughtfulness is con- spicuous in all kindly action, to whom is in great part due the establishment of many a noble institution in this city of his adoption and his love, forming an imperishable monument of his public spirit ; Ms whose efforts were among the most untiring in behalf of the university; Ms whose mild and gentle persuasiveness, whose modest, retiring, disinterested zeal conferred on this association a priceless boon; when, under the form of asking one, he per- suaded it to disregard all precedents by returning, after the expiration of a 47 370 HOMES OF THE single lustrum, and holding now for a second time its session in this great- hearted capital. There is no need of saying that his name is James H. Armsby. God bless him ! for he is blessing God's earth, and the world is better that he lives in it." The house now owned by John S. Burnap was built by Lot Simpson, next owned by Henry Bright Harback, then by James King, then by Daniel Harback, and occupied by his son Captain Charles Harback. D. Harback deeded it to John Burnap in 1821. Mr. B. bought on eleven acres of Silas Armsby, making a farm of forty-three acres. Mr. Burnap died here Feb. 2, 1864, aged seventy-six. John S., the present owner, has much improved the place. Some miners during the present year commenced sinking a shaft here, hoping to find silver, but the enterprise has been abandoned. Joseph Woodbury first settled on the place now owned by B. A. Whitcomb ; he was succeeded by Benjamin Wood- bury, next Benjamin, jr. ; then his heirs sold to Rufus King, he to Asa Hall, he to Otis Hall ; next owned by J. S. Bur- nap, sold by him to Rev. Elijah Brigham, and occupied by his son, Dr. John Brigham; sold by him to Bainbridge A. Whitcomb of Providence, the present owner. Mr. W. has recently built a fine mansion on the place, besides large barns ; he has also moved and repaired the old house, now occupied by his farmer, Mr. Cady. He has plowed and fer- tilized nearly the entire farm. On the place now owned by Newell Wedge, Deacon Per- cival Hall settled his son Stephen, who moved from there to where John Armsby now lives, in 1753. It was next owned by Mr. Potter, then by Thomas Harback, then by Leland and Brigham, blacksmiths. Jacob Brigham deeded it to Joshua Armsby in 1795. The present house was built by Joshua Armsby, jr., about 1824, the shop in 1835, and the barn in 1839. Joshua Armsby, sen., was educated for the ministry, but for some reason never engaged in the duties of his profession ; but retired, lived and died on this beautiful farm. His son Joshua was a carpenter and machinist. He was for several years superintendent of the Wilkinsonville factories ; was for three terms representative in the legisla- TOWN OF BUTTON. 371 ture, and held various town offices. His son Joshua was engaged in the manufacture of agricultural implements at Worcester; where he accumulated a fortune, built several blocks, and died much honored and lamented. One of his daughters married Newell Wedge, a graduate of Amherst College in the class of 1840. Mr. W. has taken a deep interest in the education of the young, has taught a number of years in town, been on school committee, and done much RESIDENCE, OF NEWELL WEDGE. to improve our schools. He has now retired upon this attractive place, and is bringing his intelligence to bear in the cultivation of the soil. His crops reveal the skill of the hands at work, especially those of fruits and vegetables. He has two daughters, Sarah E. and Mary A., well educated and successful teachers. The next place east, now owned by James Prentice, was first setttled by John Day, who sold to Nathaniel Cheney, 372 HOMES OF THE who set out the big elm in front of the house in 1775. Nathaniel Cheney, jr., succeeded his father and lived there until his death. The estate was sold to James Prentice in 1867. Mr. Prentice was born in Scotland, but came to Button and bought a place on the turnpike below Samuel Hall's, in 1835. Said house was built by Stephen Hall, son of Stephen, son of Percival, and next owned by Lucas Chamberlain, then by Edmund Day, who sold to Prentice. Mr. Prentice has a remarkable family, all of whom attended school in the " old stone,'" yet, strange as it may seem, none of them were born in Sutton. Professor George Prentice of Middlctown College, con- sidered one of the ripest scholars in the country, was born in Fisherville, Grafton. He graduated at Wilbraham, and finished his education in Germany. His youngest sister, Laura, has also been to Germany and France, attending school six months in each place, and all by her own efforts. She now teaches in the normal school at Westfield. Two of his children were born in Millbury and two in Webster. To memorize was the forte of the Prentice children. When the Rev. J. W. Lee was preaching here, he offered as a prize a nice bible to the Sabbath-school scholar who should commit the most verses in the bible. So main" entered zealously for the prize, but after the first recitation withdrew, because they said Helen Prentice had learned the whole bible, and only stopped her recitation when there was time to hear no more. The wife of Professor Prentice fell over fifty feet from the cliff of Purgatory, July 7, 1876, and so injured her spine that she died in a few weeks At this place.* Stephen Hall, son of Percival, built the house where John Armsby now lives, in 1752. He was succeeded by his son Stephen, and he by his son William, he by his son-in-law, J. P. Stockwell, who sold to the present owner. It was in the Hall family more than one hundred years. Mr. William Hall was a millwright by trade, and a wealthy and worthy citizen. * * See sketch of Purgatory, in District No. 5. TOWN OF SUTTON. 373 The present owner is a son of Joshua Armsby, already mentioned. On the place now owned by Reuben R. Dodge, Deacon Percival Hall settled his grandson, James McClellan. He was succeeded by his son, Deacon James McClellan, who was succeeded by his son, Major John McClellan, who sold to the present owner in 1865, and now lives in Grafton. The McClellans were in possession of the place for more than one hundred and ten years. Deacon James was a large, good-natured man, and very successful in every undertaking. He used to have an ashery on this place, and made potash for the Boston market, which he himself carted. He built the large house which was burned March 9, 1875. His farm was one of the best in town. He owned much real estate away from the home place. His son Major John was also born here ; since he went to Grafton he has represented that district in the legislature, and is a worthy and prominent man in the town. Like his father, he has been deacon of the Baptist church. It is said that he and his father both made it a rule to give one hundred dollars a year for the support of their church. They both had large families. Mr. Reuben Rawson Dodge came into possession of the place in 1865. In the spring of 1875 the old mansion was destroyed by fire, and the present beautiful and commodious house was built upon the same site. Mr. Dodge is an enthu- siastic 'antiquarian, " and especially interested in family genealogies and town histories." He has been for many years a member of the New England Historical and Genealo- gical Society, Boston. November 3, 1873, he was elected a corresponding member of the State Historical Society of Wisconsin. Mr. Dodge's farm extends to Manilaus Hill. This hill was the site where once stood one of the first houses built in town. It was begun by Benoni Chase, who went there with his axe and crowbar to make an opening in the then dense forest. He got lost and wandered about until he found the cabin of a cousin in what is now Northbridge ; after that he went to his work by marked trees. He soon sold out to his nephew, 374 HOMES or THE Deacon Seth Chase, who was succeeded by his son, and then by his son's son, Nathan Chase. It was next owned by Benoni Wilmarth, then Benjamin Carlton, once a deputy sheriff; then Jacob Dodge bought it and took the house down in 1833. Standing upon this hill, Mr. Hall writes : " When I arrived on this hill I was led to exclaim in the language of another, " Heavens ! what a goodly prospect spreads around, of hills and dales, and woods and lawns and spires." It presents some of the most enchanting scenery to be found in the world. From this hill you look down upon the beautiful valley of the Blackstone, and in the distance view the hills of New Hampshire, Ehode Island and Con- necticut, with the varying landscape that intervenes. All around in every direction, to where the misty horizon limits the view, we behold the beauties of nature and the improvements of art. Nor is distance necessary to give enchant- ment to the prospect. The near-by well walled and well cultivated fields, carpeted with living green, the fruits and flowers, the green pastures and the lowing herds, all conspire to fill us with admiration for the fathers, who cleared and cultivated them, as well as for every succeeding generation whose works have followed them; Then the many spires pointing heavenward, which we see from this stand- point, are reminders of Him who giveth the increase, who maketh the sun to shine and the rain to refresh the earth. Now, from this spot where the hopeful Benoni wandered and was lost in the woods, we behold the march of civilization and improvement. Where the red man and the wild beast prowled in the days of yore, in deadly fear of each other, we see the white man and Christian, with his domestic animals, living in peace and quiet. Where the brakes and wild-briers once grew, we see the beautiful fields and cultivated grasses ; the bog hoe succeeded by the mowing-machine, the tedder and the horse-rake, while the nodding grain falls before the two-horse reaper and is threshed and winnowed by a like power. If you stand here at high noon, instead of the howling wolf you hear the steam whistles from Worces- ter and the bells of a dozen factories in this vicinity, all screaming and ring- ing to send five times ten thousand hungry toilers to dine around their well- spread boards. The first house west of Mr. Dodge's was built by Mr. Kelley, and now owned by Mr. Hawkins of Worcester. It has been occupied as a tenement house. Whiting Fisher built the brick house now owned by Aaron Day, about 1830. He sold to Jemima Hicks, she to Day, son of Aaron, son of David. Mr. Day married a Cheney ; he has no children. Lucy Cheney moved the old school-house and commenced the house now owned by Henry Stone. Salmon Campbell bought and enlarged it. His son Ezra was the next owner and sold to Edmund Day, who sold to Stone, present owner. TOWN OF SUTTON. 375 Mr. Day has had two wives and two daughters. Mr. Stone has set out fruit trees and improved the place. He and Mr. Going, his son-in-law, have made a specialty of raising early vegetables. There used to be a house nearly opposite Aaron Day's, built by Daniel Day. His wife had three children at one birth, viz. : Moses. Aaron and Miriam. The two boys lived and had families. Miriam died single when about twenty RESIDENCE OF DEA. AMOf< BATCHELLEK . years of age. His daughter Lydia was the mother of Sal- mon Campbell. Polly married Ezra Batcheller, who went to North Brookfield and was the father of the noted boot and shoe manufacturer, who did so much toward building up that beautiful town. Daniel Day was succeeded by his son Aaron, who had a large family, among them one pair of twins; Sylvester and Sylvanus Newton, now living on the " old common" in Millbury. Moses Day was the father of Daniel, late of Northbridge. Moses went to Vermont. 376 HOMES OF THE The house now owned by Amos Batcheller was started from a shop moved from Leland Hill by Daniel Brown about 1830. Brown married a daughter of Amos Batcheller, who was grandfather of the present Amos, and had two daughters born here. The eldest daughter married a Dav O of Dayville, Connecticut, son of the man from whom the village was named. o At the birth of the second daughter the mother died, and Mrs. Stephen Putnam took the child THE HOUSE BUILT BY CAPT. ABRAHAM BATCHELLER, NOW OWNED BY REUBEN LINCOLN. to keep for a few days, but became so much attached to her they finally adopted her. So Sarah Brown was brought up and educated by Deacon Stephen Putnam. She married a Mr. Greenleaf and now lives in Boston. Charles Ide Dean was the next owner, then Rice, then Charles E. Taylor, who married Dean's daughter. Dean was a blacksmith. Taylor made sleighs; he sold to Batcheller, the present owner. TOWN OF BUTTON. 377 Mr. B. married Julia M. Taylor, daughter of Benjamin, son of Samuel, Esq., and has two daughters. He has much improved the house and grounds. The next house on the corner was the old Batcheller homestead, built by Abraham Batcheller, all of whose children were born here. He was succeeded by his son, Benjamin, whose children were also born here. Deacon John Leland, Avho married his daughter, Betsey, once had a RESIDENCE OF AMOS B. STOCK WELL. deed of it. Then Ezra Campbell, then Judson Day, son of Aaron, son of Daniel ; next Oliver Adams, who sold to present owner, Mr. Reuben Lincoln. The Batchellers were a race of large, strongmen, and were good citizens. B. L. Batcheller was born here. He is the present town clerk, has held many other offices in town, and represented it in the legislature. He is now on the committee of publication of this history, and its most efficient member. The house now owned and occupied by Amos B. Stockwell was built by Benjamin Batcheller, then traded to his brother 48 378 HOMES OF THE Amos for his share of the old homestead. Amos Batcheller lived here until his death. One of his daughters married Tyler Stockwell and was the mother of Amos, the present owner. He married Catharine Hall, a niece of Mrs. Batcheller, and daughter of William Hall, son of Stephen, son of Stephen, son of Percival. Her sister Maria lives here. Mr. Stockwell has been one of the assessors. He has a fine family of children. The next house was built by Elhanan Batcheller in 1835. It was burned in April 1874. Elhanan, son of Amos, son of Abraham, was born Sept. 6, 1799, and died in this house, Nov. 17, 1866. He married Lucinda Hicks, and had two sons, Amos and Harrison J., who occupied the house after the death of his father. He now lives in Upton. Elhanan Batcheller gave much attention to the cultivation of fruit, and perhaps grafted more trees than any man in town. Abraham Batcheller built the house which was owned and occupied many years by the late Abel Ellis. He served as chorister in the first Congregational church for several years. Some of his descendants have been quite distinguished for their musical talents, especially the Lelands. One of his daughters married Oliver Leland, one Royal Pennimau, who built the new house on the place now owned by Dr. John Brigham, who was born in Fitchburg, Mass., March 11, 1835. He went to Wisconsin, where he married Betsey A. Jelleff in 1856 ; practiced medicine there for several years before he came to Sutton. All his children were born in Wisconsin. This farm was much improved by Mr. Penni- man and his sons, and has many valuable fruit trees, which were set out by them. The old house has been taken down. The house where Asa Lincoln now lives was built by Simon Elliot about 1846. Jacob Dodge owned it next, then his daughter Sarah. Lincoln bought it of her heirs ; He married an Elliot and has one son. Mrs. Redfield, the mother of Dr. Redfield of Providence, lived here several years with her daughter Ellen. Salmon Campbell built the house now owned by Dexter Lowe ; it was next owned by Daniel Fisher, then by Monroe TOWN OF BUTTON . 379 Wheelock, then by Widow Fisher, then by Amos Aldrich, and now by Lowe. Harrison Chamberlain once lived here, and also Mr. Redfield. The next house was built by Ezra Batcheller, son of Abra- ham. He went to North Brookfield. It was next owned by Caleb Hicks, then by Benjamin Taft, then by Mr. Larned, then by Judson Day, son of Aaron, who sold to Timothy Lincoln in 1837 ; he came from Newton ; married a daughter of Daniel Leonard. It is now owned by his son, Reuben Lincoln, but is not occupied. There was a house not far from this place where Mr. Wm. Dean and his son Alpheus used to live. Alpheus Dean married an Ide, sister to Dr. Ide of Webster. Charles I. Dean, already mentioned, was their son. The house has been down several years ; the site belongs to Fayette Armsby . Zachariah Hicks first settled where Hiram now lives, and built a part of the house. It was next owned by his sons, Joseph and David. David sold his part to Felix Brown. That part was next owned by Simeon Batcheller, jr. It is now all owned by Mr. Hiram Hicks, who has improved and enlarged the house. The next house was built by Daniel Scannel. Elliot and Campbell next owned it. Scannel took it back and sold to Joseph Bancroft ; now owned by Tolman of Worcester. It is unoccupied. The place now owned by Joseph Bancroft was first settled by Solomon Hicks. John Pierce was the next owner, and built the present house. It was next owned by his son Jonathan, who married a Beaman and went to West Boylston, where he died, leaving a family and a handsome estate. John Pierce had twelve children, all born here, six sons and six daughters. John Walter was a Congregational clergyman, a sketch of whom follows the history of this place. William, the only surviving member, is a wealthy manu- facturer, now living in Leicester. He married a Dickinson ; her father had five wives. It was next owned by Barnabas F. Howell, then by Cornelius Duggan, grandfather of Mr. C. W. Duggan, who represented this district in the legislature of 1875. Next owned and occupied by Mr. Ellis Burt, who 380 HOMES OF THE died here. The next owner was P. Dwight King, the next Campbell, then Daniel Scannel, who sold to Joseph Bancroft, the present owner. Rev. John W. Pierce died at Highgate, Vermont, March 2, 1872, aged sixty years. He was a native of Button, Mass. ; a son of John and Lucy Pierce. He became a Christian while young, under the ministry of Rev. John Maltby. It was through Mr. Maltby's influence that he was induced to commence study for the ministry. He graduated from Bangor seminary in 1840. He commenced his work as a minister in the service of the A. H. M. Society at Hudson, Michigan, where he labored with fidelity and success two or three years; when the climate being deemed unfavorable to his family, he ' removed to Harpersville, N. Y. After a short ministry there his own health gave way, and he was obliged for a season to suspend ministerial labor. For some time he was engaged in a secular agency, but at length his health was so far recovered that he resumed the duties of his chosen calling with the Congregational church at East Westminster, Vermont, in 1851. In 1853 he accepted an invitation to Jericho, Vermont, where he remained four years. During his ministry here a precious revival was enjoyed. He next removed to Highgate, Vermont, for one year, and then to St. Alban's Bay, where he had labored but a few months when the health of his family required him to seek a home upon the sea-coast. Accordingly, in 1859, he removed to Tre- mont, Mount Desert Island, Maine; where, after a ministry of five years, his own health failed, so that he was again obliged to suspend preaching. From Mount Desert he removed to Clinton, where he lived four years, preaching only occasionally. Though to be laid aside from the ministry was to him a severe trial, yet as he would not be idle he again engaged in secular business ; but with less satisfaction than success. He had acquired some property, and having previously purchased a house in Highgate, Vermont, in March 1868 he removed his family there. His health had for some time seemed to be improving; and in January 1871 his physician pronounced his lungs well, and judged that he might with safety resume the duties of the ministry. Rejoicing at the thought, he made an engagement with the church at West Townsend, where he preached a few Sab- baths and left for Highgate, intending soon to return, and if suitable arrange- ments could be made to remove his family thither. He reached his home at Highgate quite ill, from the effects, as he supposed, of a severe cold. He was confident that he should soon recover, but alas ! his work as a minister was done. Consumption had taken fast hold upon him. Alternating periods of comparative comfort with days and nights of weakness and suffering meas- ured out a year or more, when his spirit was released and he entered upon his reward.* John Hicks came from Cambridge about 1743, and built a house nearly opposite the Anderson house. The place was next owned by his son, Deacon Benjamin Hicks, who built the present house. He had five daughters, all born here. One married Job Sibley, one married Amos Pierce, one married Archelaus Putnam, one married Samuel Taylor, * Furnished by Miss Fannie Pierce, Suttou. TOWN OF SUTTON. 381 Esq., and one married Simeon Hathaway, jr. The place was next owned by Elhanan Batcheller, whose son Amos was born here ; next owned by Barnabas F. Ho well, next by Moses Bigelow, then by Leonard and James Dudley, who sold to James Anderson ; next owned by his son Edward. The Rev. Daniel G. Anderson, rector of the church at Great Barrington, to whom reference is made below, was born in this house. Edward Anderson enlisted in the late war in the fifteenth regiment Massachusetts volunteers, and was an intrepid soldier. He says he was a coward, because he was afraid to stay at home when his country called, and that he durst not run when under fire. The place was next owned by Bowker, now by Joseph Shambeau, who is repairing the house. One young man who lived in this district, and attended school several seasons, is now the celebrated Dr. Redfield of Providence, Rhode Island. It is also said that Jesse Lincoln, son of Timothy, now living in Providence, has obtained some credit as an inventor, having secured some valuable patents. Kev. Daniel G. Anderson was born in Sutton, May 9, 1840 ; was educated in the school of district number nine, until sixteen years of age. He entered Kenyon College, Ohio, in the class of 1864. Left college in 1862 to enlist in the ninety-sixth regiment, O. V. I., and served for three years, being dis- charged as first sergeant, June 28, 1865. He graduated from the Philadelphia Divinity School in 1868. Was ordained the 26th of May 1868, and at once took charge of the parish of St. John's church, Ashton, Khode Island. He remained at St. John's, Ashton, Rhode Island, and St. Bartholomew's, Crans- ton, until November 1874, when he removed to Troy, N. Y., and became rector of St. Luke's church. In February 1876 he received a call to St. John's church, Great Barrington, and Trinity Church, Van Deusenville, where he still remains as rector. Mr. Anderson has been, and is, successful in his calling. In 1872 he mar- ried Miss Martha McDonald of Providence, Rhode Island. SLOCOMB DISTRICT, No. 10. The first house east of Reuben Dodge's was built by Ebenezer R. Dodge about 1850. It is now owned by R. Gamage. Mr. Gamage discovered, or thought he had discovered, silver ore on his place, and hoped to open a valuable mine, and is hoping still. 382 HOMES OF THE The next house was the Benoni or Seth Chase place, already described in connection with the R. R. Dodge place. One of the Chases was a comb-maker, and some of the horn- piths remain there now. The house now standing near this site was built by John C. Ford about 1857. He sold to Andre wBoyce, the present owner. Mr. Boyce had a soap manufactory here, which was burned in 1876. The house recently taken down by Robert McFarland was built by Benoni Chase, next owned by John Goodale, then by Moses Marsh, then by Captain Samuel Bigelow, next by Captain R. F. Fosdick, then by McFarland. Captain Bige- low carried on the shoe business here for several years quite extensively. The next house, now owned by Robert McFarland, was built by Captain Samuel Bigelow about the year 1830, and sold to Captain R. F. Fosdick, who was engaged in the milk trade for several years, running a car to Providence daily. He was one of the overseers of the poor several years. At a town meeting after his death, resolutions of respect and condolence were introduced by Mr. Hartwell, and passed by the unanimous vote of the town. He was stricken with a paralysis while gathering some berries. He left a wife, but no children. A young lady who had bestowed much aflec- tion upon him, came forward after his death with a will which he had given her, hoping to be his heir ; but a later will made no provision for her. After the death of Captain Fosdick the estate was sold to the present owner. The house now owned and occupied by John Harkuess was built by Solomon Leland, Esq. He was succeeded by his son, Deacon Jonathan Leland, whose interesting family were born here. After the death of Deacon Leland the estate was owned and occupied by his son Horace Leland, Esq., who was one of the prominent men of the town, and highly respected by all who knew him. He never married, but remained here, having a happy home with his sisters, some of whom remained single. Deacon Leland spent much time collecting materials for a history of Suttou. He was particularly interested in the genealogy of the old families. TOWN OF BUTTON. 383 He was very particular and precise in all his doings, and was thought by many to be the great man of the town. He was one of the assessors and collector and treasurer for several years. He also represented the town in the legislature. Moses Leland, father of Solomon, built the old house that stood on the site now owned by Mr. Pope. It was next owned by Timothy Leland, then by his son David ; after whose death the old house was taken down by his heirs and a new one built in 1843. It was next owned by Joseph Daniels, then by Henry Brigham, then by Esek Saunders, then by W. B. Holton, then by F. Ballon, now by J. Pope. David Leland was a man of much public spirit, and gave for a public burying-ground the lot now known as the Leland cemetery, in which his remains were buried. But, strange to say, no monument marks his grave. He left a handsome property, and we understand that the heirs, some of them at least, contributed liberally for a monument; but through the neglect of the executor of the will it was never erected. And that unmarked grave remains, an illustration of the frequent forgetfulness of obligation on the part of those who owe the most to the dead. It will undoubtedly so remain, unless they who through his generosity are furnished with a burial-place free of cost to themselves shall show their appreciation of his gift by honoring his grave. The house now owned by Robert McFarland and occupied by Mr. Kennedy, was built by Ebenezer Fletcher ; next owned by John Goodale, next by Emerson Hall, then by Noah White, next by Capt. Samuel Bigelow ; then owned and occupied several years by Dan Richardson, then back to Bigelow, then to Fosdick, then to present owner. Emerson Hall, son of Stephen, son of Percival, married Tabitha Fletcher and had Tabitha and Lydia (twins) , then Eleazer, Ebenezer and Lucy. He went to Boscawen, N. H. Simeon Hathaway lived in this house when the chimney and roof were blown olf by the great September gale. There once existed in this vicinity a sect known as the " Live for Evers." They were peculiar in their views, believing that, like Adam, every man had a wife made from one of his own ribs, and that there was danger of trouble if he did not get the right rib. Some of the women belonging to this order thought they were misplaced. Mrs. Fletcher was one of them, and also her sister, who married a Miner. The latter, it is said, left her husband, who went after her and had hard work to get her back. They carried the idea of being misplaced so far as to misplace themselves in their own beds, putting the pillow for the man at one end of the bed, and that for the woman at the other. Like some of the Spiritualists of the present day, they were dissatis- fied with their companions and sought for their affinities. It seems they held 384 HOMES OF THE evening meetings to discuss and adjust their difficulties. Mr. Fletcher came home one rainy night and found them holding a meeting at his house ; and, not heing in favor of their views, ordered them out, but on account of the rain they refused to go. So being enraged, he said : " If you fear rain more than fire you can stay," at the same time seizing the peel, he drove it into the fire and began scattering hot embers and fire coals around the room and among the crowd until they dispersed, then he put out the fire and went to bed. A few days after he went to Grafton with his steers and tip-cart, but never returned, as he was found dead in the road, and it was supposed that he was murdered by the " Live for Evers." They thought if one seemed to be dead, faith accompa- nied by certain manipulations by the faithful would restore him to life. That part of their faith gave them their name. No record is found of the death of Fletcher. The only proximate date is the marriage of his widow, Mrs. Lucy Fletcher, with John Goodale, Dec. 12, 1781. The house now owned by Joel Knapp, Esq., was built by Jacob Dodge about the year 1806 : then owned by Timothy Johnson, blacksmith, then by John Goodale, who sold it to present owner in 1829. Mr. Knapp has enlarged and improved the house and land ; he has also built two tenement houses near by, which he now owns. One was built in 1843, the other in 1871. He used to carry on the shoe business here, etc. He has also a large real estate interest in Worcester. The house now occupied by James Thurber was built by William Slocomb, jr., next owned by his brother Pliny; then sold by his heirs to Dr. Copp, and by him to the present owner. Mr. William Slocomb went from here to Marietta, Ohio, where he accumulated a large property, and was a leading man in that city. Pliny Slocomb was one of the assessors in this town. He was a Freemason, belonged to the Sutton Lyceum and was skillful in debate. He was an artist, an ornamental painter, and one of the fastest workmen to be found. His sleighs, chairs, cradles, settees, etc., were much sought after for their fanciful ornamentation. One of his sons too was an artist, and painted a panorama, with which he traveled. Mr. Slocomb gave some attention to fruit growing, and made choice wines, on which he realized handsome profits. His second wife survives him. Her mother, Mrs. Corson, is also living, and the oldest person in town, being nearly ninety-five, and quite active and intelligent. The house now owned and occupied by Charles H. Searles was built by William Slocomb, jr., for Noah White, and next owned by George Searles, who sold to Jesse Jackson in 1830 ; now owned by Searles, who married his daughter. TOWN OF BUTTON. 385 Mr. Searles has been a teacher, and also on the school com- mittee. He has been one of the assessors, and likewise a deacon of the Congregational church in Saundersville. The place now owned and occupied by Augustus Adams was first settled by Samuel Miner, next owned by Abner Batcheller, next by Joseph Dudley, next by Allen Cum- mings, next by Joshua Slocomb, next by Welcome Adams, now by his sou. Welcome Adams married Sally Dudley, daughter of Capt John. Mr. William Slocoinb came from Franklin about 1778, and bought the place where Erastus Slocomb now lives of Thomas Leland. All Mr. Slocomb's children were born here ; he was succeeded by his son Horatio, who had a large family, all born here. William Slocomb, jr.. went to Marietta, Ohio ; he was for several years a teacher, and compiled and published an arithmetic. He was a man of property and distinction in Ohio. Capt. John W. Slocomb was one of the most successful business men in Worcester county. He manufactured boots of such a quality that they would sell, Avhere known, even in hard times. No sham was allowed in his shop. He was much esteemed by all who knew him. One of Horatio's sons, Albert, entered college at Marietta and graduated at Amherst ; after which he spent two years in Germany in travel and study. He was a paymaster for a year or so at Camp Nelson, Kentucky, where he afterward established himself as a broker, buying government claims, and accumulating quite a fortune. After the war he went south, where he married and now resides. One of the daughters married Dr. William Terry, and now lives in Ansonia, Conn. ; they have a large family. Another daughter married Rev. Mr. Frisby ; one married Sylvester Morse and had several children ; she died in Minnesota. Mr. Horatio Slocomb was a painter, and gave much attention to fruit and flowers. The house now owned and occupied by Eli Sprague was built by Jacob Dodge for Benjamin White, in 1795. Mr. White was a soldier in the Avar of 1812. Mr. Dodge sold to present owner in 1840. Mr. Sprague is a relative of Gen. Sprague and of Homer B. Sprague. 49 386 HOMES .OF THE The house now owned and occupied by H. Linton was built by James Foster, next owned by James Carlton. Everybody knew " Jimmy." He was at times quite a wit. It was next owned by Gardner H. Dodge, then by N. Remick, who sold to present owner. The next house was built by Josiah Dodge, in 1796. All his children were born here. He was succeeded by his son John, and all his children were born here. The place is now owned by Edwin, son of John Dodge, and occupied by his sister, Miss Abbie Dodge. John Dodge's wife was an Elliot, daughter of Aaron Elliot, jr. Dudley Chase built the house now owned and occupied by Gardner H. Dodge. It was next owned by Richard Hubbard Dodge, then by his son, Jacob Dodge, whose large and respectable family were all born here. Dudley Chase lived on this place ten years previously to 1755. He was the ances- tor of Rt. Rev. Philander Chase, bishop of Ohio and Illinois ; also of Hon. S. P. Chase of Ohio, too well known to need further mention here. Dudley Chase afterward went to Cornish, New Hampshire. Jacob Dodge, who was an enter- prising man, built several houses and was a large landholder. Gardner has much improved the place, built the large barn, etc. He makes carriages and threshing machines. When threshing machines were first introduced here, Mr. Dodge himself run one, assisted by an industrious and intelligent boy, now Judge Calvin E. Pratt of New York. The house now owned and occupied by W. W. Phillips, was built by Moses Leland about 1780; next owned by Abner Batcheller. Capt. John Marble bought it and sold to Moses Batcheller, father of Mrs. Phillips, wife of the present owner. Mr. Moses Batcheller was known as one of the best temperers of steel in this region. He tempered scythes for a large firm in Rhode Island for several years, and their scythes were sought after far and near for their excellent cutting qualities. Mr. Phillips has been quite a traveler, and lived several years in South America. The place now occupied by Mrs. Miranda Peirce, Mr. Jonathan .Peirce bought of a Mr. Leland ; it was next owned by his son Amos, then by his sou, Lewis Peirce, now by his TOWN OF BUTTON. 387 heirs. Mr. Ezekiel Peirce, who taught school in this district and elsewhere, was born here ; he finally settled in West Boylston, where he had one of the best farms in that town. He had some of the choicest fruit in the county. His daughter married Dr. Merrifield, now living in that town. Mr. John G. Law sends from Brooklyn, New York, the following facts concerning Judge Pratt : Calvin E. Pratt was born in Princeton, Worcester county, January 23, 1828. His father's name was Edward Pratt, son of Joseph Pratt of Shrewsbury ; his mother's name was Mariana Stratton, daughter of Deacon Samuel Stratton of Princeton. His father moved from Shrewsbury in 1836 to the easterly part of Sutton, where he continued to reside until about 1851, when he removed to Princeton. Calvin attended school in what was known as the Slocomb district until he was fifteen years of age, when he was sent to Wilbraham academy, and after- wards to the Baptist high school at Worcester, where he fitted for college. In the spring of 1849 he commenced the study of law with Judge Henry Chapin of Worcester, with whom he remained until his admission to the bar in 1862. At the establishment of the police court at Worcester, he was appointed clerk, which office he held for about one year. During the time from his admission to the bar until May 1859, he was engaged in a large law practice in Worcester, and took an active part in politics and military matters. He was a member of the Democratic state central committee for some years, and served actively upon the various local committees, and upon the stump during all the political campaigns. He enlisted in the Worcester Light Infantry as a private, and was appointed orderly sergeant and second lieutenant. He afterwards was elected major of the tenth regiment Massachusetts militia, in which capacity he served for several years. In May 1859 he removed to New York and formed a co-partner- ship with Levi A. Fuller for the practice of law. In April 1861 he commenced to organize a regiment for the war, which was afterwards numbered thirty-first New York volunteers, and of which he was made colonel. With this regiment he went to Washington in June 1861, and was assigned to duty at once in the army commanded by Gen. McDowell, and took part in the first battle of Bull Run. Afterwards he was assigned to duty in the army of the Potomac, and took an active part in the Peninsular campaign until the 27th of June 1862, when he was severely wounded in the battle of Games' Mills. Having partially recovered from the wound, he returned in season to take part in the Maryland campaign, which ended with the battle of Antietam on the 18th day of September 1862. On the tenth of September of that same year he was promoted to the rank of Brigadier General for "Meritorious service in the field," and assigned to succeed General Hancock in command of a brigade in the second division of the sixth army corps. He remained in command of this brigade and took part in the operations of that corps until after the battle of Fredericksburg. During the winter of 1863 he was assigned to command the light infantry of the sixth corps, and there continued until the battle of Chancellorsville, when he resigned and 388 HOMES OF THE was honorably discharged. Immediately upon returning to New_JTork he commenced the practice of law in copartnership with the late Grenville T. Jenks; afterwards was in partnership with Judge Emmot and J. M. Van Cott, and again with General P. S. Crooke and John H. Bergen, Esq. In the fall of 1869 he was nominated by both political parties as a candidate for judge of the supreme court, and was elected and took his seat on the first of January 1870, which position he still holds. In addition to the offices before stated, Judge Pratt was appointed collector of internal revenue in the fall of 1866, by President Johnson, which office he held until March of the follow- ing year. Although Judge Pratt was not born in Sutton, and the house where his father lived fifteen years has since been set off to Northbridge, some of his old schoolmates desire to have the above inserted in the Sutton history, to remind them of the happy days of " Auld Lang Syne." HARBACK DISTRICT, No. 11. The Buruap farm is situated on the road from Bramau- ville, Millbury, to the school-house in district number eleven. It is the most northern farm upon said road, and a small part of it lies on the Millbury line. It was first settled by Ebenezer Burnap about 1770. Mr. Burnap first located on Burnap Hill (now called Boltou Hill) about 1750, where he lived twenty years upon land that was first occupied by the Indians for growing Indian corn ; then removed to what is now known as the old Burnap place, which is about one hundred fifty rods north-east from where the first house stood ; on which place he spent the remnant of his days. He purchased the old farm in small parcels, and at sundry times, just as he had means. He had a family of eleven children. The old house that he built in 1770 stood in what is now the garden. It was about equidistant from the present house and the old barn ; and was accidentally burned about 1833. The old barn, which was a small one of thirty by forty feet, has received an addition of twenty-two by thirty feet, and is still standing ; the only relic of olden time now upon the farm. After the death of Mr. Buruap and his wife the farm came into the possession of his son Timothy, who occupied it for some time. He and his son Timothy built the present TOWN OF BUTTON. 389 house in the year 1815, and it was occupied by them until the death of Timothy in 1828. Timothy, jr., then took the farm in his charge, and in 1830 his brother Elijah bought an interest, and they occupied it jointly until the death of Timothy in 1858, after which Elijah became the sole ewner. He sold to Andrew B. Gartield, and by him it was sold to Miss Mary E. Henry, who now occupies it with C. C. Hall, who married a great-grand-daughter of Timothy Burnap, sen. The old farm now contains but fifty-two acres of land. Timothy Burnap, jr., served the town as representative in the legislature one year. The Thomas B. Woodbury farm is situated south of the Burnap farm. It was originally owned by Dr. Elias Haydeu, who came to Sutton from Hopkinton. He had two sons and two daughters. Both sons were in the war of the revolu- tion. His son Joel served during the whole war or nearly the whole, and was in many important battles in that part of the army under the immediate command of General Washington. Doctor Hayden occupied the farm until his death, when it came into the possession of his son Asa, who owned it until his death, when it was divided, and his widow received two- thirds, which part was known as the Joel Hayden farm. This Joel was the son of Asa and Anna Hayden ; the farm came into the possession of Joel through his mother's right of dower. He occupied it until his death. After the death of Asa Hayden two-thirds of the original farm was pur- chased by Mr. John Woodbury (father of Thomas B. Wood- bury) who for many years carried on the wheelwright busi- ness. Previously to his death he settled up his affairs and arranged with his son, T. B. Woodbury, to assist him through life. A few years after the death of Joel his widow sold her place to Thomas B. Woodbury, who now owns the whole estate of Elias Hayden. Mr. W r oodbury occupies the whole house upon the original site where Dr. Hayden first built his house ; that house was burned by Dr. Hay den's wife, she being insane at the time. The present house was built by charitable contributions and the assistance of neighbors 390 HOMES OF THE and townsmen. That part of the estate known as the Joel Haydeii farm is now occupied by J. Francis Woodbury, son of T. B. Woodbury. The place occupied by James W. Barnes is next the T. B. Woodbury place, and was originally a part of the Freegrace Marble farm, and was occupied by Andrew Marble. The old house was the one built by Ebenezer Burnap upon Burnap Hill and moved upon the site of the present house. It was for along time owned and occupied by Mr. Marble, passing from him into the hands of Ezra Marble, who sold to Mr. John Hall, at whose death it became the property of Mr. Barnes. A part of the old Burnap house is still stand- ing and used as an ell to the house. The old house was built about the year 1750, and is the oldest building in this part of the town. There used to be many years ago an old wigwam just west of this farm, where the Indians lived for many generations, cultivated the fields and chased the deer until the last one passed away to the happy hunting-grounds of the Great Spirit. Austin Leland, son of Oliver and Silence Leland, owns and occupies a portion of the farm, which was divided between his two sons, Malachi and Enoch, Malachi keeping that part upon which his father had lived and died. He occupied it until his death, after which it came into the possession of his heirs and was divided among his chil- dren ; this part became the property of his son Ezra, who sold it to his brother, Simeon Marble, Ezra being the administrator of his father's estate. Simeon Marble sold the property to Oliver Leland, who occupied it for many years, and then sold it to his son Reuben, who occupied it for a time, and then sold it to his brother Austin, who now occupies it. The present house was built by Malachi Marble about ninety years ago. The house in which Freegrace Marble lived and died was situated on the opposite side of the road, west of the house as it now stands. Freegrace Marble purchased of the town at auction the old building that was, in the early settlement of the town, situated between the house occupied by H. D. Bond and the TOWN OF SUTTON. 391 Congregational church, and was built as a defense against the Indians. This building was moved to a spot about forty or fifty feet south-west from the house now owned by Austin Leland, where it was used for religious meetings and other public purposes. It was taken down a few years since by Mr. Leland. Mr. Joseph Hathaway used it for a time as a machine shop, driving the machinery by horse power, using the old-fashioned tread-wheel. Here Mr. Hathaway made shuttles in the beginning of his business, for which in after years he was so justly famous. He removed from here to Millbury, where he invented a machine for the manufacture of wooden screws, which worked so successfully that it would finish sixty per minute. He again moved and located upon the site now occupied by Ezra Marble in the manufac- ture of shuttles. (See manufacturing.) There was also a distillery situated upon the above farm, on the brook that passes from the Sibley reservoir to Marble's pond, about thirty rods below the road. It was used only one year, for the manufacture of cider brandy. There is a private cemetery on this farm, upon the hill north of the house. It was located by the original proprietor, Freegrace Marble. He and several of his descendants were buried here. The Ezra Marble place is a portion of the Freegrace Marble estate, and also of Malachi Marble, who owned and occupied it until his death, when the farm was divided and the children received their portion in land. This part came into the possession of Ezra, and after many years the chil- dren built the present cottage for their father and mother, in the year 1855 or 1856, where both have since died. Mr. Ezra P. Marble now resides upon the place. He is about seventy years of age. Mr. Marble is great-grandson of Freegrace. The Simeon T. Stockwell place was first settled by Capt. Reuben Sibley, but it is not now known when he first located upon the farm. He lived and died here, and was succeeded by his son, Capt. Nathaniel Sibley, who also lived and died here, and was succeeded by his son Reuben, who occupied it until his death, which was caused by being thrown from 392 HOMES or THE his sleigh in a collision with the cars at the station in Oxford, during a blinding snowstorm. After his death it came into possession of his brother, Sylvester Sibley, who occupied it until his death, when it was sold to Mr. Simeon T. Stockwell, the present owner and occupant. It was here that Capt. Caleb Sibley was born and lived until he entered the military academy at West Point, where he graduated and immediately joined the United States army and continued in the service until his death. HON. SOLOMON SIBLEY. Solomon Sibley was born in the town of Sutton, in the house where Simeon T. Stockwell lives, in 1769, and died in Detroit, Michigan, April 4, 1846. One of his brothers, Nathaniel, lived to a somewhat advanced age on the old home- stead in Sutton, leaving several sous and one daughter at his death. One of his sons, Caleb Sibley, entered the army from West Point in 1828, and remained in the service until he departed this life in Chicago, Illinois, some years since. He won a high reputation as a high-toned, conscientious and able officer, and rose by promotion to the rank of brevet brigadier general. His widow and a number of sons and daughters survive him. Solomon Sibley studied law under William Hastings, a distinguished member of the legal profession in Boston, and after the completion of his education, he emigrated in or about the year 1795, to Marietta, Ohio, but subsequently went to Cincinnati, where he formed a law-partnership with his intimate friend, Judge Burnet. Thence he removed to Detroit, and in 1798-9 he was elected and served as a member of the first legislative assembly of the north-west territory, which met at Chillicothe, Ohio. Judge Burnet was one of his fellow members, and he says of Mr. Sibley in the records of the historical society of Ohio, that "he was one of the most talented men in the House. He possessed a sound mind, improved by a liberal education, and a stability and firmness of character which commanded general respect, and seemed to have the confi- dence and esteem of his fellow members." The history of Michigan shows that for more than fifty years Judge Sibley was one of the most public-spirited, prominent and able of the citizens of that commonwealth. He occupied many positions of trust and high responsibility, having been delegate to Congress, United States attorney, and for many years judge of the supreme court of the territory, in all of which positions he commanded universal confidence and respect. Hon. George C. Bates, in one of his newspaper articles on the "Bye-Gones of Detroit," thus speaks of Mr. Sibley as he appeared upon the bench of the supreme court, its chief justice : " Judge Sibley was quite short, very stout, very deaf, a most venerable, plodding, slow and careful judge, listening very patiently, studying very care- fully, and deciding after the most mature deliberation. His long, gray hair, large, projecting eyebrows, and heavy set jaws, gave him very much the air of Chief Justice Shaw of Massachusetts, whom Choate compared to the native's view of their Indian God: 'He feels that he is ugly, but he knows that he is great,' while in his manner, gait, dress and address, there was a quiet dignity, TOWN OF SUTTON. 393 a calm, deliberate action, which bespoke the judge always and everywhere. No man would have slapped him on the shoulder any more than he would Washington, and while he was not exacting or arbitrary, any lawyer who had to address him would involuntarily take his feet from the table, his hand from his pocket, eject his quid of tobacco, and address him as ' Your Honor.' " "Our present chief justice; whose upward march on the judicial ladder has been so steady, so brilliant, so wonderful ; whose untiring industry, intense application and persistent study, have made him in early life the Joseph Story of the west, may well follow through all his future career the good example and sterling virtues of Chief Justice Sibley." In October 1804 he was united in marriage to Sarah Whipple Sproat, daugh- ter of Colonel Ebenezer Sproat, a gallant officer of the Continentals during the revolutionary war, and granddaughter of Commodore Abraham Whipple of the federal navy, who fired the first hostile gun at the British, and who became noted for deeds of successful and desperate daring on the ocean. After the war. Commodore Whipple and Colonel Sproat having retired from the service, removed, together with their families, to Marietta, at the mouth of the Muskinguui, on the Ohio river, and settled permanently there. The nauti- cal tastes of the old veteran were not extinguished by his inland residence, for he was placed in command of the first square-rigged sail-vessel that ever de- scended the Ohio and Mississippi rivers to the Gulf, a feat which he successfully accomplished, passing the falls of the Ohio without accident, and making the voyage to Havana in safety, where the cargo of flour and other stores was profitably disposed of. Mrs. Sibley died in Detroit in 1851 much lamented. There were born to Solomon and Sarah Sibley uine"children, four sons and five daughters. One of the latter died in infancy, and two others, Mary and Augusta, a year or two after their marriage. Four sons and two daughters are still living. The eldest of the family, Ebenezer Sproat, graduated with honor at West Point, at the head of his class. He entered the army, and after a few years service as an officer in the line, was transferred to the United States quarter- master's department, in which he remained for more than a quarter of a cen- tury, rising gradually in rank until he attained that of colonel. He was so accomplished and valuable as an officer that he was stationed at headquarters in Washington City for many years, performing mainly the duties of a quar- termaster general through the war of the rebellion, until excessive labor broke down his fine physique, and he was compelled to tender his resignation, after thirty years continuous service. He was chief quartermaster of General Taylor during the Mexican campaign, and was complimented in general orders by that commander for his ability and efficiency. He retired from the army with the warm attachment and respect, not only of the officers of his own corps, but of all others of the staff and line also. He has been in Ger- many for the past three years, superintending the education of his children. The oldest daughter was married to Hon. M. Trowbridge of Detroit, where they yet reside, surrounded in their old age by loving relatives and friends. That city is also the home of Sarah J., unmarried, and Alexander H. and Frederick B. Sibley, of the surviving sons and daughters. Henry Hastings Sibley, whose portrait is presented in this work, was destined to the legal profession by his father, but after a year's application he wearied of the study of Blackstone and Coke, and obtained the consent of his parents to push his fortunes in some occupation better suited to his restive and adventurous character. He went to the "Sault St Marie," at the foot of Lake Superior, 60 394 HOMES OF THE in 1828, and there secured employment as a clerk, and remained during the winter, becoming initiated in the mysteries of the fur trade. He was then seventeen years old. The following spring he entered the service of the American Fur Company, of which John Jacob Astor was the head, as office clerk at Mackinaw, the great central depot of the north-western fur trade. Here he remained for nearly five years, devoting his leisure time to study. In 1834 the company was reconstructed, with Ramsey Crooks as president, and young Sibley was selected, in company with Messrs. Roletta and Hous- man, to conduct the fur trade of the upper Mississippi region as partners with the company. The whole of the extensive country occupied by the Sioux bands of Indians, from above Lake Pepin to the British possessions and to the tributaries of the Missouri, with its many posts, clerks and voy- ageurs, was assigned to young Sibley as the district over which he was to exercise exclusive control. His duties required him to visit the several trading stations more or less frequently, so that he was accustomed to travel hundreds of miles through woods and prairies, where wild Indians and wild beasts alone were to be seen. Nevertheless, being an enthusiastic hunter, expert alike with shot gun and rifle, he greatly enjoyed this new kind of life, beset though it was with many dangers. Mr. Sibley' s headquarters were at St. Peters, now Mendota, near the junction of the Minnesota river with the Mississippi, and that was his home for a quarter of a century. On his arrival in 1834 there were no white residents in what is now the state of Minnesota, save the United States sol- diers at Fort Snelling, and those persons employed in the fur trade. In 1848 Mr. feibley was elected delegate to congress, for that portion of the territory of Wisconsin not included within the boundaries of the state of the same name. He was admitted to a seat in the house of representatives, in January 1849, and through his exertions and the aid of friends in and out of congress, the act arranging the territory of Minnesota was passed before the adjournment, and approved by the president. He was elected for the two succeeding congresses as delegate from Minnesota, and after serving during five consecutive sessions, he declined to be longer a candidate. When the convention to form a state government met in the city of St. Paul in 1858, Mr. Sibley was elected president of the democratic branch, two separate conventions having been formed, which subsequently harmonized upon a constitution that was adopted by the people, and still remains the fundamental law of the state. Mr. Sibley was elected first governor of Min- nesota, and served until the first of January 1860. When the great Sioux outbreak of 1862 occurred, carrying death and desolation among the frontier settlers of Minnesota and Iowa, Ex-Governor Sibley was placed in com- mand of the forces raised for its suppression, and his intimate knowledge of Indian character and of their mode of warfare, particularly fitted him for this position. Notwithstanding the fact that he had none but raw volunteers, aided by good officers, he brought them in a short time under discipline, and on Sept. 23, 1862, he defeated the savages with great slaughter, took more than two thousand prisoners, more than five hundred of whom were war- riors, and released one hundred and fifty white women and children, and twice as many mixed bloods who had been held captives by the Indians. The warriors were tried by a military commission appointed by Colonel Sibley, more than three hundred of them condemned to be hung, and nearly one hundred more to various terms of imprisonment, from one to ten years. The humanitarians of New England and the Quakers of Pennsylvania prevailed TOWN OF SUTTON. 395 upon the tender-hearted President Lincoln to interfere and prevent the whole- sale military execution which was about to take place, and but forty of the murderers were hung by his order during the winter following. Colonel Sibley, shortly after the decisive action at Woodlake, was commis- sioned brigadier general United States volunteers "for gallant and meritorious service," and remained in command of the military district of Minnesota until 1865. In 1863 he followed "Little Crow," the chief, and others who escaped after the battle, far into the wilds of Dakota, with a force of four thousand men. The refugees had fallen back upon the strong bands of their kindred in the upper prairies, and although thus heavily reinforced, they were pursued, defeated in three successive engagements with heavy loss, and driven in confusion across the Missouri river at a point where the flourishing town of Bismarck now stands. General Sibley was brevetted major general before the muster out of the volunteer officers. He now resides in St. Paul, Minn., and is engaged in active business. He is president of the board of regents of the State University, and of other literary and charitable institutions. Welcome Aldrich made an opening and built a house in the woods west of George Dudley's, where he lived several years. Two of his daughters were born there. He had fine peach trees and many flowers around his house, and although much retired, it seemed a pleasant home. It was on no public road. After Aldrich left the place, it became of bad repute and was burned. The site belongs to his widow, who now lives at the McKnight place. Still farther west, on what is known as the Robinson pas- ture, one Robinson built a small house and lived. Malachi Marble hired him to go into the revolutionary service as a soldier, and he never returned. His widow married an Ambler, and was mother of Christopher. The place now occupied by Alvan Stockwell was a part of the farm of Samuel Dagget, one of the thirty original pro- prietors of the four thousand acres. He probably sold it to Nathaniel Sibley. It then came into the possession of Jonas Sibley, and afterwards into that of Jonas L. Sibley, by whom it was deeded to Ensign Daniel Woodbury, and by him to John Stockwell ; by him to his cousin Tyler Stock- well, who occupied it until his death, when it was sold to his nephew, Henry Sibley Stockwell ; by whom it was sold to a man by the name of Mulchray, and by him to Mr. Charles F. Mack, and by him deeded to Mr. Alvan Stock- well, the present occupant. 396 HOMES OF THE The farm now owned by Rufus Harback was part of the original farm owned by Freegrace Marble, and was deeded to his son, Enoch Marble, who lived and died here. It then came into the possession of Rufus Marble, who also lived and died here ; then it was deeded to Freegrace, a great- RESIDENCE OF GEORGE DUDLEY. grandson of Freegrace Marble ; then deeded to Joseph H. Putnam and occupied by his son Sullivan and his son-in-law Joshua Lackey ; then sold to Rufus Harback. The Dudley farm is situated on the county road running from Millbury through Wilkinsonville. Samuel Dudley first TOWN OF SUTTON. 397 settled here about 1725, and built a house upon the site of the present dwelling and occupied it until his death. After his death Mr. Reuben Eaton occupied the old house until his death ; then it was sold to Reuben McKnight, who owned and lived upon it until his death, after which his widow occupied it for a time, when she sold it to Mr. Welcome RESIDENCE OF WILLARD AND G. W. RICE. Aldrich, who occupied it until his death, since which it has been occupied by his widow. The Jonathan Dudley place was purchased by him about 1745, of a man by the name of Ward, who, it is supposed, was the original owner. The old house stood opposite the present one, on the other side of the road. The present one was erected in 1805. 398 HOMES OF THE Jonathan Dudley occupied it until his death, when it came into the possession of Mr. Jason Dudley, who occupied it until his death, when it came into the possession of Mr. George Dudley, who now owns and occupies it. The Willard Rice farm was purchased of Anna Marble, widow of Major Alpheus Marble, son of Enoch, and grand- son of Freegrace. There is now standing upon these premises an old shop that was used by Major Marble one hundred years ago for a blacksmith shop, and by the present owner for fifty years as a cooper shop. In the old house which stood near where Willard Rice now lives, lived Major Alpheus Marble, a man of some note in his day. He it was that owned the first chaise in the east part of the town. After the death of Major Marble, his son Alpheus, who married Polly Hall, daughter of Capt. Josiah Hall, lived in the same house, and there their three children were born. Their sons, Willard and Henry, now live on the old common in Millbury. The place now occupied by Mrs. Sophronia Rice was first owned by Mr. Noah Rice, then by his widow, Mrs. Hannah Rice, by whom it was conveyed to the present owner, who now lives upon it, with her son, Henry Rice. This is a part of the Enoch Marble estate, and was originally owned by Freegrace. The house upon this place was moved here from the old Reuben Eaton estate, just north of the Dudley farm. The house now owned and occupied by Gilbert Searles or sou, was built by Aaron Marble for his son Luther, who sold to his brother-in-law, William Boomer, who traded it to Joseph H. Putnam for a place in Charltou. Putnam sold to present owner. The first house in Marbleville was built by John Nelson. One Pratt lived there early ; Joe Nelson owned it. Noah Rice built the upright part now standing and lived there. Capt. Samuel Marble, son of Major Alpheus Marble, lived there and carried on scythe making. Alvan Pratt stocked guns in this house. One Metcalf wove satinet there. Grover and Sprague made wicking in the old scythe shop . There was a grist-mill there, once owned by Major Marble. TOWN OF STJTTON. 399 Joseph Hathaway made several different articles there. Noah Rice had a still in which he made cider brandy. One Sherman of Grafton brought cider there containing many shiners, supposed to have been dipped up with the water with which it had been diluted. The old scythe shop was burned, after which Ezra S. Marble built a shuttle shop in which he carried on business several years, and accumulated a handsome estate. After his death he was succeeded by his son Ezra W. The factory was burnt about 1874 and rebuilt by present owner. Ezra S. Marble built the house now occupied by C. Ruggles, for his daughter. Mrs. R. Ruggles built the barn. The house where Albert Stockwell now lives was built by Ezra S. Marble ; his son Henry lived and died there. The small house on the new road he also built. His father first occupied it. It has since been occupied by various operatives who have worked in the factory. Albert Stockwell bought the farm owned by the Marbles and the house where he lives ; he is son of George, son of Enoch. His mother lives with his brother, George K. The other house was built by Aaron and Thaddeus Marble, and has been owned by Lewis Burnap, Capt. John Marble, Palmer Harback, Ezra S. Marble, and now by Mrs. E. Mclntire. The house now occupied by Benjamin Hathaway and Charles Young was built by Capt. Asa Woodbury. Samuel Prescott lived there several years. It has been occupied by many different families who have worked in the factory. It is one of the factory tenement houses, as is the one opposite now occupied by John McDermot and Richard Thompson. It also was built by Capt. Woodbury. The first house west of the bridge was built by Capt. Asa Woodbury for his brother-in-law, Benjamin Fiske, who lived there a few years. It has since been occupied by various families employed in the factory. The next house was also built by Capt. Woodbury and first occupied by his partner, H. Boy den. After the death of Capt. Woodbury's first wife, he married again and moved into this house, where he died. He held his share of town 400 HOMES OF THE offices, and was representative in the general court, etc. He was a very kind-hearted, companionable man, of enterprise and general worth. This house has also been occupied as a tenement house by the mill operatives, and belongs to the mill property. John P. Stockwell built a grist-mill where the store is. He also had a shoddy mill there, but losing his dam twice, he converted it into tenements, which are at present unoccu- pied. The store in same building is owned by Horatio Chase, and kept by his cousin, Lyman Pratt. Both are worthy men, and descendants of the Rev. David Hall, D. D. The place now owned and occupied by John P. Stockwell was first settled by Deacon Percival Hall, who came to Sutton in 1720. He bought proprietor's rights, so that he owned six-sixtieths of the town ; his name is on almost every page of the old proprietor's books. He came here from Medford, where he was one of the founders of the church. He was second deacon of the first Congregational church in Sutton. He married Jane Willis and had eleven children. His son Willis Hall was less than two years of age when he came to Sutton. He (Percival) died in the old house which stood near where the present one stands, Dec. 25, 1752, aged eighty. His widow died here Oct. 28, 1757, aged eighty. She was daughter of Thomas and Grace Willis, and was born in Cambridge ; married in Woburn, Oct. 18, 1697. He owned the saw-mill already mentioned. He was suc- ceeded on this place by his youngest son, Deacon Willis Hall, who married Martha Gibbs, daughter of Jacob Gibbs. (See genealogy.) Martha Gibbs, wife of Deacon Willis Hall, died Feb. 1, 1756. He married Anna Coye, daughter of William and Anna Coye, who came from Scotland and settled in Worces- ter county. (See genealogy.) Anna Coye, wife of Deacon Willis Hall, died here April 7, 1800. He died April 10, 1800. Their funerals were both attended on the same day, and both were buried in one grave. The day is said to have been one of great solemnity, and a large concourse of people followed them to their grave. The honorable Willis Hall was the son of Rev. Nathaniel Hall, and grandson of deacon Willis Hall, of Sutton. He was born in Middle Granville, Washington County, N. Y., April 1st, 1801. Graduated at Yale College with the first honor of the class of 1824. Practised law in Mobile, Alabama. In 1832, resumed his profes- sion in New York City. In 1836-7, represented the city in the State legislature, and successfully introduced a bill requiring banks of issue to secure their notes by depositing collaterals with the State Comptroller, a system afterward adopted by the United States. In 1838 he was Attorney-General of the State of New York, and filled the office with distinguished honor. In 1842 his health became seriously impaired, yet he did not lose his interest in public affairs, and acted as corporation counsel to the city of New York in 1857-8. He subsequently spent two or three years in France, Italy, and Ger- many, and returned to New York in 1856, and resided with his brother, Dr. E. Hall, until his death, July 14th, 1868. He was a man of remarkable political foresight, and greatly esteemed by his cotemporaries. TOWN OF SUTTON. 401 Their son Nathaniel graduated at Dartmouth college in 1790. He was a settled minister at Greenville, 'N. Y., where he died July 31, 1820. He married Jan. 22, 1798, Hannah, daughter of Deacon Daniel Emerson of Hollis, New Hampshire, born there Dec. 7, 1773, and died May 22, 1832. They had nine children. Two graduated at Yale college, one at Hamilton, and one at Union college. Willis was attorney general of New York in 1839. He was a par- ticular friend of Henry Clay, who on his last visit to New York was the guest of Hon. AVillis Hall. Hannah married Rev. Abijah Crane. Nathaniel was a limner ; Daniel E. was a noted physician in New York. Edward is now living in New York, and is also a doctor of much celebrity. David B. is a retired clergyman, now engaged in preparing a history of the Hall family. He lives in Duanesburgh, New York. Jonathan Hall, born here, settled at Windsor, Vt. One of his daughters, an accomplished lady, married Captain Blood of St. Louis, who owned and navigated a steamboat. His son Alfred succeeds him on his place at Windsor, Vt. Israel was quite distinguished. Jacob lived in Hartford in Vermont, where he married a Richardson and raised a large family. One of his sons, Andrew, now lives in Boston, where he has been a broker many years. His second wife was Sarah Prouty. During the rebellion she raised a com- pany of volunteers and marched them into camp. Willis, son of Deacon Willis, lived in Vermont and had quite a large family. His son Willis was at one time a merchant at Woodstock, Vermont, and was very popular ; he afterward went to Garretsville, Ohio, where he died. His son John died where James W. Barnes now lives. Deacon Hall's son Willis, who was an officer in the revolu- tion, was born in this house. Deacon Willis Hall settled his estate upon his son Joseph, who sold him out, causing the deacon much grief; so his son Josiah bought the place of Joseph, and built the present house and barn ; his eight children, enumerated in district number two, were all born here. The large buttonwood tree standing in front of the house was set out by his son, Oliver Hall, when he was quite young. Gardner Hall was born in this house April 6, 51 402 HOMES OF THE 1813, and Dr. Stephen Monroe wrote the deed conveying the entire estate, mill and all, to Captain David Dudley on that day. The mill then belonging to Captain Hall has been removed, and is now owned by Joel Houghton. This house arid farm was afterwards owned and occupied by Captain Asa Woodbury, and inherited by Mrs. J. P. Stockwell, the present owner. Anna Hall, daughter of Willis and Anna, married John Whipple, and had Parley, who was for several years a scythe manufacturer at Millbury, in company with Captain Charles Hale. Firm name Hale and Whipple. He was a deputy sheriff; he went from Millbury to West War- ren, where he built up a place known as Whipple ville. His son Franklin went to Yale, but left on account of sickness. He is now an insurance agent at Worcester. Almira married a clergyman by the name of Rice ; father of Hon. W. W. Rice of Worcester. John Willis was a justice of the peace, deputy sheriff, coroner, etc. He lived and died in Button, leaving a large estate. Clarissa married John M. Case and now lives in Charlton. She is noted for religious charities. Lyman was a printer and publisher ; he was a man of great intelligence and true worth. Percival was a gunsmith ; died in Worcester. Joseph was educated at West Point and died in Mexico, probably in military service. Mary Ann married Rev. Mr. Fiske, and now lives in New Hampshire. The small house now belonging to J. P. Stockwell was an ell moved from this house. The house opposite, now occupied by Silas T. Servey, was originally a weaver's shop owned by Daniel Harback. It was removed and finished up by Captain Asa Woodbury for his daughter, Mrs. Servey, the present owner. Mr. Ser- vey's mother was a Taft, sister to Stephen Taft, the father of Hon. Velorous Taft. The place now owned and occupied by Samuel Prescott has quite a history, which can be but imperfectly learned. On the original farm Elisha Johnson lived in 1717.* * See Annals, page 18. TOWN OF SUTTON. 403 Deacon Willis Hall was Indian agent, and paid annuities to the Hassanamisco Indians. One of the tribe, who be- friended Mrs. Johnson, known as Roberts, came with his squaw for his money after he was ninety years of age. His wife said he was getting to be a boy again, as his teeth were just cutting. He had just had two new ones. The next occupant of the place seems to have been Benj. Swinerton, who married Elizabeth Hall, daughter of Stephen, son of Percival. Swinerton was a blacksmith. Then it was occupied by Mr. Prime, a tailor, the father of Nathaniel Prime of the firm of Prime, Ward and Company, once bankers in New York. The widow Prime, mother of Nathan- iel, married for second husband Nathaniel Carriel. It was next owned by Solomon Wheeler, who kept store in the east room. Caleb Morse lived there. Colonel Joseph Ward, brother of Mrs. Morse, lived there. Wheeler and Morse married sisters. Wheeler married a second wife by the name of Milk ; she was a widow from Boston, and had one son, James Milk, who lived in Boston. Wheeler sold to John Harback ; the deed was acknowledged at Suffolk before Samuel Cooper, April 16, 1790. John Harback was a trader in Boston, in company with Nathaniel Prime, after which he went to Port au Prince, where he died. After the death of John Harback, the farm, containing two hundred and thirty acres, was owned by his brother, Daniel Harback, who married a Ward and raised a large family in this house. His second wife was widow Park, maiden name Peirce. The big buttonwood trees now stand- ing in front of the house were set out by one of his boys. After the death of Mr. Harback, Captain Asa Woodbury bought the place, and moved the barn down to the Deacon Hall place. Some of the land is now owned by Stockwell. The house and some twenty acres of land Samuel A. Pres- cott bought and now owns. He has just been improving and enlarging his house, adding bay windows and terracing and beautifying his grounds. He has a fine arrangement for irrigation, which gives him a good opportunity to force his early vegetables, strawberries, etc. He is making it one of 404 HOMES OF THE the most desirable places in town. He bought the saw-mill built about 1830 by Joseph Hathaway, which he has very much improved and enlarged, adding thereto a box factory, in which he has done much business. Mr. Prescott has been quite an inventor. He invented, and had patented a water- wheel, which promised him a fortune but for the pressure of the times. Nelson Cowen, now living in Worcester, once lived in this house several years. Edmund T. Hall built the next house about 1817. He lived here until the death of his wife, when he went to live with his son, T. E. Hall, at Holden, where he died. T. E. Hall, born here, was Captain and acting Quarter-master at Camp Nelson, in Kentucky, during a portion of the war of the rebellion. The business of the office amounted to more than a million dollars a month. He was one of the most efficient officers in the service. His brother, Joseph L. Hall, went out as a sutler ; was afterwards on the police force in Worcester, where he died. His great-grandfather, Stephen Hall, was a quarter-master in the old French war. After the death of Edmund the estate was owned by Theron E. He sold to Ephraim Nealey, he to Mr. Sherman, he to York, he to Daniel Johnson, he to Joseph Beasley, and he to Chas. Young. The house now owned and occupied by Avery Ward was built by him in 1825. Mr. Ward has had two wives and twelve children, nine of whom were born here. His farm contains about sixteen acres, has much fruit on it and is under high cultivation. Joseph Smith Livermore bought an office, commenced for Dr. JohnTenney on Mr. Mill's place, made it into a dwelling house and lived in it several years. It was next owned by Mr. Gilbert, who married Lucy, daughter of Tyler Stock- well. After the death of Gilbert, Stockwell sold it to Charles Johnson, who sold to C. Ruggles, the present owner. J. S. Livermore married Electa Hall, daughter of Edmund T. They had Albert and Ann, both noted singers. Jesse Cummings built the house now owned by Lackey. It was owned afterward by Harback, then by Tyler Marble, then by Major Thomas Harback, then by Origen Harback, TOWN OF SUTTON. 405 then by Mrs. John Stockwell, who sold to Daniel Johnson, he to George Lackey, the present owner. Deacon Leander Stockwell, who died at Graftona few days since so suddenly, and who was much lamented, was brought up here. Leander Lackey, the inventor, died here. He invented the first pegging machine and many useful tools. He had a shock of paralysis and was a great sufferer. Willard F. Mallalieu, D. D., the popular writer, lecturer and eminent divine, was born in this house. At or about the time of his birth, his father, John Mallalieu, was the owner of the place and the woolen mill then standing. He was engaged in the manufacture of woolen cloths as early as 1812 ; first in Dudley, Mass., and then in Sutton. He was one of the first woolen manufacturers in Worcester county to employ power machinery in the production of cloth. He commenced about the same time with Mr. Samuel Slater, of whom he was a constant friend till the death of Mr. Slater. Mr. Mallalieu graduated at Wesleyan University, Middletown, Connecticut, 1857; joined the New England conference of the Methodist Episcopal church in 1858. In 1867 he was elected president of the Central Tennessee college at Nash- ville. In 1872 was elected delegate to the generd conference of the Methodist church ; in 1874 received the degree of doctor of divinity ; in 1876 was elected secretary of the Freedman's Aid Society of the Methodist church. Mr. Mallalieu has now been preaching twenty years, and reports that during the time he has not been disabled from labor a single day by sickness. He is at this writing the pastor of a large and influential church in Boston. There used to be a house directly opposite the Lackey house, built by Thomas Harback, the first Harback that settled in this town. His son Thomas succeeded him here, and his son John built the house where James Putnam now lives. Thomas Harback was the father of H. B. Harback and Major Thomas Harback, who built the first woolen mill in town. He went to Worcester, where he was associated in business with William B. Fox. He represented Worcester in the legislature, and was a man much respected. He and his brother, Henry Bright Harback, built the house where Mr. Odion now lives, about 1812 ; he bought out his brother and sold to Joseph Freeman, who sold to Dr. N. C. Sibley. Origeu Harback owned it, then Caleb 406 HOMES OP THE Chase, then Addison Eaton, then Joseph L. Hall ; he sold to Lafayette Willard ; he to Joseph Freeman, he to Nathaniel H. Odion, present owner. The house where James Putnam now lives was built by John Harback, who raised a large family there. Henry B. Harback lived in it at one time, and his son Rufus H. was born here. Origen Harback owned and occupied it many years. His wife died there, after which he married -the widow of Asa Cummings, jr. Then his children began to drop off of consumption, until they were all dead but one. Then he too died of heart disease ; his son George soon followed of consumption. His widow survived a few years and died ; not a living trace of Origeii remains. He enlarged and repaired the house ; he was a wheelwright by trade, and had a shop just above the elms on the opposite side of the road, which, strange as it may seem, was operated by water drawn from a little pond fed entirely by springs just back of the shop. Simeon Russell Marble worked with him several years. Lawson Hathaway, son of Simeon Hathaway, jr., next owned the farm and raised quite a family here. Since the Hathaways left, it has been owned by James and Alfred Putnam, who have enlarged the house. The house now occupied by Mrs. Parsons was built by Jacob Cummiugs ; next owned by his son Asa. Asa, jr., lived and died here, also his son, David Cummings. They thought they found limestone on this place, and even made kilns and burnt some of the specimens ; but the experiment proved unsuccessful. They probably mistook feldspar for lime. The experiments were made about 1740 or '50. Mr. William E. Cole says he has been on the place with a geologist, who declares there is limestone there now. After the death of Mr. Cummings, Captain John Marble bought the place, and mortgaged it to Joseph H. Putnam, who took possession and sold to John Parsons, whose widow now occupies it. William E. Cole, who married her daugh- ter, also lives here. Asa, jr., married a daughter of Simeon Hathaway, and had one son, Davis, who married Sophronia Humes, daughter "TOWN or BUTTON. 407 of Captain Humes of Douglas, and died young ; his wife soon followed him. The house now owned and occupied by the Misses Adams was originally Deacon Palmer Marble's shop. It was removed by Daniel Hovey, and used as a currier's shop by John Ewers. Pomeroy Peck made it into a tenement for George Fairbanks, who lived there, and worked for Peck. Lewis Holbrook bought it and lived there ; his wife died, and Peck took it back and sold to the present owners, who are relatives of Ex-Governor Clafiin. On the opposite side of the place now owned by Henry Stockwell, stood the old house, occupied first by a Howe, next by Simon Tenney, then by John Hall, son of Stephen, son of Percival ; he married Dolly Ward and had Lucy, Thad- deus, Jonas, Dolly, John, Harriet, Hannah and Increase S. Thaddeus had one son, Orson, who kept the St. Charles Hotel in New Orleans one of the largest and most popular houses in the country ; he had several children and died there. One of his sons, Henry, is a popular lawyer now living in New Orleans. John Hall, jr., built the present house and sold to Pome- roy Peck; he, J. H., was a noted plow-maker, making the best plows of his time, they taking the first premium at the Worcester county plowing matches. He moved to Mill- bury, where he died. After the death of Peck, the place was sold to Emory Howard, who sold to his son-in-law, the present owner. Simon Tenney raised a pole and put a vane on it in the shape of a fish. In the days of the revolution some sharp- shooters or riflemen from Virginia passed along the road : as they did so they made a target of the fish, firing a ball through it from the foot of Le Baron Hill. They went into an orchard, and while there one of them held an apple on his hand while one of his comrades fired a ball through it. It is not known who built the first house where J. Cronin now lives. It was occupied by Daniel Woodbury, who was keeping some of the town's poor at the time it was burnt ; among them Rebecca Dagget, a deformed cripple, but 408 HOMES OF THE thought to be angelic in spirit. He built the present house soon after. It was next owned and occupied by Sylvanus Larned, Esq., then by Benjamin Woodbury, then by John Hall, jr., next John C. Woodbury, then Joel Peck, next Otis Fuller, then Lafayette Willard, next Austin Hayward, now John Cronin. Dr. Fuller, now of Worcester, lived there with his father. Captain John Woodbury built the house where Michael Coogan now lives. Simon J. Woodbury next owned it ; he sold to a Mrs. Lyon, who repaired and enlarged the house ; then sold to Lee Chamberlain ; he sold to Joel Fay, he to Edward Clark, who mortgaged to Dr. Eddy ; he took it on the mortgage, and one of his heirs, a Mr. Salisbury, sold to Mr. Coogan, the present owner. Several who have been members of the legislature were born here. Many men of distinction descended from Captain John Woodbury ; doc- tors, merchants, lawyers, ministers, authors, etc. Where the mill now stands once stood a saw-mill known as the Woodbury saw-mill. The Woodbury saw-mill com- pany sold to Edward Clark, who built a flour mill about 1828. He and Gibbs Lilley run it, making very superior flour, known in market as Sutton flour. It was put up in bags holding one-fourth and one-half barrel each. It was for a time very popular. They rented the mill to Putnam King, who hired an experienced miller by the name of Davis to tend it. After King gave it up it stood still a while, and the rats destroyed the bolts. Dr. Eddy foreclosed on his mortgage, and Mr. Salisbury rented it to Sumner, son of Jim Putnam, who run it as a grist-mill several years. Coogan finally bought it and made it into a shoddy-mill. Freeman and Sibley* built the house where F. B. Smith lives at Pleasant Valley, and the other houses now owned by him. The old house out on the plain was built by Daniel Harback for his son, Captain Charles. It has since been occupied by many families, too numerous to mention. It is now owned by Smith, but not occupied. The large house has been occupied by Captain Freeman, Mr. Holbrook, and the agents * See in Manufacturing, Part iv. TOWN OF SUTTON. 409 who have had charge of the mill since it was built. It is now being enlarged and improved by Mr. Smith, who is one of the selectmen of the town. RESIDENCE OF F. B. SMITH. WILKINSON VILLE DISTRICT, No. 12. The first place beginning our survey on Leland Hill is now owned and occupied by Harvey Dodge, Esq. It was first settled by Zacchcus Hall, sou of Deacon Percival Hall, who exchanged it for some property in New Braintree, with Ebenezer Rawsou, about 1754; at which time he removed to New Braiutree. He married Mary Jeunison, and had Elias, Mary, Zaccheus and Aaron, all born here. Ebenezer Rawson, the next owner, married Sarah Chase and L had 52 410 HOMES OF THE fourteen children, all born on this place. Mr. Rawson lived here upwards of sixty years. It was next owned by Jacob Dodge, who married Mr. Rawson's daughter Elizabeth, who was the mother of Harvey Dodge, the present owner. He was once a breeder of Devon stock. He has been a mem- ber of the board of agriculture of Worcester county ; has also been one of the trustees of the AVestboro reform school, and, as is said by his brother, was at one time its treasurer. He was once very intimate with Governor Francis. He has associated much with the leading agricultural men of his day. He has a son who served an apprenticeship with the late A. T. Stewart. He is now engaged in the city of New York at a large salary. His other son is also getting high wages in Providence, R. I. Mr. Dodge has a large and highly cultivated farm, and probably more thrifty fruit trees than any other man in that part of the town. His place is beautifully situated on the northern slope of Mani- laus Hill, commanding a fine prospect ; having several flour- ishing villages in near view in the valley, through which several trains of cars may be seen passing daily. It is really one of the most desirable places in town. Of Ebenezer Rawson, second owner of this place, and grandfather of the present owner, it is said in the " The Rawson Family History " : He was a man of genius and extensive historical attainments. Judge Rawson says, " he was a learned historian." Dr. Leland of Fall River, a relative who knew him well, says in a letter respecting him : "In stature he was, I think, full six feet, slender built, though with considerable breadth of shoulders. His countenance was open, his nose aquiline, and his forehead projecting and high. His perceptive faculties must have been acute, from the very configuration of his frontal region. His step was elastic and all his motions rapid and easy. I have rarely ever known a man gifted with higher powers of conversation. This made him the delight of every circle. His mind was rich in reading, and his own reflections were sometimes astonish- ingly brilliant. His memory was a vast storehouse of facts, always at bis command, and I have heard him for hours delight a small circle with sketches of early colonial or Indian history. In his composition there was a vein of good-humored irony, which never missed its mark when let off. The peculiar bias of his mind was antiquarian, and nothing delighted him more than the company of the clergy. With them he was sure to plunge into old biblical history, with the whole of which he was perfectly familiar. His word was as good as his own or any other man's bond in Worcester county. Altogether he was a remarkable man, and as emphatically a genius as any man I ever knew." TOWN OF SUTTON. 411 Of his fourteen children and forty-five grand-children, not less than fifteen were professional men, and most of the fifteen graduates of college. For the likeness of Mrs. Polla Rawson, and the residence built by her late husband, Samuel Rawson, Esq., we are indebted to the heirs. THE OLD RAWSON PLACE, OWNED BY HAEVEY DODGE, ESQ. Samuel Rawson was the son of Ebenezer, and was born in Sutton, Sept. 4, 1771. His wife, Polla Freeland, was the daughter of Dr. James Freeland, born in Sutton, Sept. 17, 1778, and died August 29, 1875, almost ninety-eight years of age. Bishop Philander Chase and Chief Justice Salmon P. Chase were the nephews of Mrs. Rawson. 412 HOMES OF THE The next house was built by Jacob Dodge in 1834. It has been occupied as a tenement by man}' different families, and is now owned by Harvey Dodge and occupied by Julia O'Neil. The next house was built by Jacob Dodge in 1830, and is now owned by T. Bashaw. It has been used as a tenement house by various parties. Otis Pratt lived here thirteen years, and his son Lyman was born there. Otis was born in Shrewsbury and was the son of Nathan Pratt, who was a soldier in the revolution and for many years " grammar master," and known as "Master Pratt." Otis married a daughter of Charles Putnam, son of Colonel John, who mar- ried Mary Hall, daughter of Rev. David Hall, D. D. Offen Burnham first occupied the place where John Dudley now resides, next owned by John Dudley, son of Jonathan, next by Capt. John Dudley, father of the present owner. Mr. Burnham was an Englishman by birth, but was admitted into the first Congregational church by letter from church in Norwich, Connecticut, in 1742. Deacon Willis Hall kept school in this house in 1763. It was a public school. John Dudley moved on this place in 1780, but- owned it before and rented it. His widow married Stephen Hall, jr., and lived where J. Armsby now lives. Capt. John Dudley married Deborah, daughter of Malachi Marble, and had four sons and three daughters, all born here. Capt. Dudley is spoken of as an affable, genial, and companionable man, a most interesting story-teller and great mimic ; as always quiet and peaceable, never allowing himself to be excited to overflowing anger. He died at an advanced age of pneumonia, said to have been his first sickness, Feb. 11, 1859, aged eighty-seven. His widow lived to be ninety-two, was very intelligent, and one of the best of Christian women. One of his sisters lived to be ninety- six, and one was ninety-seven when she died. The present owner is a most worthy citizen. He has a wonderful memory and has furnished much information for this history. He is now eighty-four years old. He married a Woodbury, and has one son and one daughter, both at home. The daughter is a well educated lady and quite an artist. The largest elm tree in town stands near this house ; another very large one was set out by Capt. Dudley on the "i, TOWN OF SUTTON. 413 day of the birth of his son John, eighty-four years ago last March. These majestic trees add much to the beauty of the place. The next house as we go towards Woodbury's factory was built by Abel Dudley, and occupied several years by his unfortunate son David, known as " Lame David." He lived in New Hampshire or Vermont at one time, where he ate Vermont plums, stones and all. He had a breach, and there the stones made a stop- page, so that the noted surgeon, Dr. Nathan Smith, was called to relieve him. He cut above the groin and found the intestine broken ; he got out the stones and relieved him, but could not heal the ruptured intestine, so his excremental discharges always afterward passed out at the aperture made by the doctor. By wearing a belt and a cloth over the aperture he was made quite comforta- ble, and able to work some for several years ; he died at last from drowning. The old house where he lived was taken down and the present one built by Avery Ward. It has since been occupied by several different persons, among them David Waters. It is now owned by Horace Bassett. The next house, now owned by Miss Sarah Putnam, was built by her and her sister Matilda. It has been occupied by them and their sister, Mrs. Otis Pratt, and her son, Mr. Lyman Pratt. Otis Pratt was a painter and a noted drummer. He served as such in the war of the rebellion. The first house on the new road from Woodburyville to Millbury was built by Capt. David Dudley, who married the only daughter of Peter Dudley. David was son of one known as " Fat David," who was son of Rogers, brother to the twins, Jonathan and David. Rogers settled on the old road from here to Worcester, via Doroty Pond. His son, " Fat David," built the largo house now standing this side of the John Park place, near said pond. His son was the Capt. David Dudley who bought out Capt. Josiah Hall for five thousand five hundred dollars ($5,500), all of which he paid in gold ; he was the father of the present David T. Dudley, shuttle manufacturer. Peter Dudley had a saw and grist mill near the house first owned by his father, Jonathan Dudley. It was changed into a scythe shop by Captain David, who carried on an extensive business there for several years. It has since been owned and occupied by Joel Houghton. The old house is now owned and occupied by a Mr. Anderson. 414 HOMES OF THE Up the lane, leading from the above house to the old road, .stands what was known for many years as the Peter Dudley place. The house was built by his father, Jonathan Dudley, and all his children were born there ; his son John lived there, and his son, Capt. John, who was born at the " Peter place." The public school was kept in this house for a time. Peter Dudley lived his life-time on this place ; he was a large, fine-looking and enterprising man. He was succeeded by his grandson, Peter Dudley, who married a Robinson, and had two sons and two daughters ; one of his daughters married H. L. Ains worth, the well-known musician, now living in Millbury. Mrs. Ainsworth is also a popular teacher. They have both traveled in Europe. The place is now owned by John Dudley of New York, son of James, sou of John, son of John, son of Jonathan, son of Samuel. The house has been occupied several years by James M. Ward, son of Avery. Jonathan Dudley died here Nov. 23, 1783, aged eighty-one. His widow died May 21, 1801, aged eighty-three. Peter died September 8, 1836, aged seventy- eight; his widow, February 24, 1836, aged seventy-six. The next building was once the grist-mill of Capt. Josiah Hall, moved from the site where now stands the Woodbury factory. It has been enlarged and run as a batting factory and grist-mill by Joel Houghton, the present owner. The next house, a fine "English cottage," was built by Mr. Joel Houghton in 1870. He occupies it himself, and it is an ornament to the place ; he has also much improved the grounds. One of his sons graduated at the Technical school in Worcester, and one daughter graduated from the Normal school in that city. The next house was built by D. T. Dudley in 1871, and has been occupied by his son Henry, the present owner. The next building is the large shuttle-shop now owned and occupied by D. T. Dudley and son. It was built by Warren Wilder in 1867, and by him sold to the present owner. The next place was first owned by Samuel Dudley, who was succeeded by Samuel Chase, he by his son, Capt. March Chase, he by Nathaniel Dodge, and he by his son, George W. Dodge. TOWN OF SUTTON. 415 Samuel Dudley was the forefather of the present Dudley family. He removed to Douglas, where he died at the advanced age of one hundred and nine years. His descend- ants have been remarkable for longevity ; some of them have also been highly distinguished for their honorable positions in society. Samuel Chase married Mary, daughter of Samuel Dudley, and his sons Dudley, Jonathan and March were born on this place ; one of his daughters married Ebenezer Rawson. Capt. March remained on this place. His father and broth- ers, it is said, went to Cornish, New Hampshire, where they owned a large part of the town. Captain March Chase married for first wife, October 10, 1759, Beulah Coye, daughter of William and Annie Coye, and sister of Anna, wife of Deacon Willis Hall. She died at this place May 7, 1795, aged fifty-four. Capt. March Chase was born and died on this place. He died Sept. 26, 1822, aged eighty-one. He was a noted money lender and miser; when on his death-bed, it is said, he would take a handful of gold coin and drop it from one hand to the other, and child-like say, " pretty money," as if in adoration. He married for second wife Polly Dodge, daughter of Richard Hubbard Dodge, but had no children. After his death her nephew, Nathaniel Dodge, lived with her several years and inherited much of her property. The present buildings on the place were built by him ; the house in 1834. He mar- ried Adeline Dudley, daughter of Jonathan and Lydia, son of Jonathan, son of Samuel, the first settler on this place. They had one son, George W., who married a daughter of Stephen Marsh. Mr. Nathaniel Dodge raised some of the largest oxen and finest stock ever owned in town. One pair of his oxen were taken through the large cities and towns for exhibition. The next house was built by General Jonathan Chase, next owned by Capt. March Chase. It was occupied sev- eral years by Benjamin Carlton, next owned by Jonathan Eaton, and repaired by contributions to his widow ; next owned by Joshua Hutchinson, now by Mr. Brigham, 416 HOMES OF THK General Chase married Sarah Hall, daughter of Rev. David Hall, D.D. ; they went to Cornish, New Hampshire. One of their daughters married, the renowned Dr. Nathan Smith, for many years Professor at Yale College, and had David S. C. H. Smith, our noted doctor who died at Provi- dence, R. I., April 5, 1859, Nathan R., the noted surgeon of Baltimore, who died a few weeks since ; also James Mar- vin, a celebrated physician and surgeon, who was killed by the Norwalk bridge disaster, for which the railroad corpora- tion gave his widow twenty thousand dollars ; also the Rev. Dr. John D., the last survivor, who married Mrs. Susan Smith, daughter of Dr. Anthony of Providence, for his third wife ; their son Walter J. is now studying medicine at Yale College. D. T. Dudley built the next house and sold it to S. T. White, he to John Mulcahy, jr., then William Rice bought it. It is now owned by Sullivan Newton and occupied by Moses C. Dodge. John Mulcahy built the hou.se where Mr. Boyce now lives ; it stands almost on a gravel pit, yet Mr. Mulcahy made it a little Eden ; he raised the earliest vegetables and the finest flowers on this barren spot, he even made money selling his vegetables and his beautiful flowers. But the weed- grown terraces of to-day only remind us of a paradise lost. Solomon Whipple built the old yellow house near Pleasant Falls. There was a house there once owned by one of the Chases. Russell Whipple, son of Solomon, when a boy, backed into the well ; he said " he thought he was going to God," but Lydia Farrar went into the well and got him out. He married a Smith, and went to Ludlow. Captain March Chase was the next owner. Charles King once occupied it. It now belongs to the Sutton manufacturing company, and has been the tenement of many families. The next house was built by Moses Batcheller, and was owned by Luke Wood, then by Jeremiah Stone, then by the Sutton manufacturing company : now occupied by Charles Norcross. The old mill, a grist and saw-mill, once at Pleasant Falls, and one of . the first mills in town, was built by Daniel TOWN OF SUTTON. 417 Chase, known as "Miller Chase ;" he died May 28, 1769, aged eighty-four; his widow, Sarah Chase, died December 1771, aged eighty-eight. The mill was tended at one time by Nathaniel Hall, son of Willis. It was next owned by Solomon W hippie, next by Captain March Chase. Site now owned by the Sutton manufacturing company. There was once a gun-factory and blacksmith shop there owned and occupied by Luke Wood, then by Jeremiah Stone, then by Timothy McNamary. Michael Coogan once made shoddy there. The shuttle business was first started there in 1832 by Milton Ruggles, then carried on by Rug- gles and Fowler, then Fowler, Pratt and King, then Fowler, King and Baxter, then by S. Pratt and company ; then by Wilkinsonville shuttle company; next by A. D. Chase, then A. D. (/base and company. The old shop was moved away. A new shuttle shop was built by the Sutton manufactur- ing company, near the Wilkinsonville railroad depot, in 1849, and first occupied by Chase and Dudley. A part of it was occupied by B. Taft and Son of Northbridge, as a box shop. R. B. Fuller made shoe-kit there for awhile. It was burned in 1851, soon rebuilt by the corporation and occupied by Chase and Dudley. It is now used as a cotton mill by the owners. The first place across the river, now owned and occupied by Nehemiah B. Chase, is a beautiful one. The old house was built by Lot Hutchinson, and afterwards owned by Captain Aimer Chase, who married Sukey Marble, daughter of Malachi. She was a beautiful woman. He died of con- sumption, June 25, 1825, aged forty-two ; his widow mar- ried Stephen Crossman and died December 1, 1855, aged sixty-nine. She sleeps by the side of her first husband in the Wilkinsonville cemetery. The present house was built by N. B. Chase in 1857. The brick house on the hill above Pleasant Falls was built by Abraham Chase in 1837 the barn in 1829. The old house was taken down in 1838. Caleb Chase was the first settler there, then Moses, then Nehemiah, then Captain Abraham, now his son Levi. 58 418 HOMES OF THE This is one of the best farms in the east part of the town ; the different owners have all been wealthy and honorable men Captain Abraham, Captain Abner, Caleb and Nehe- miah. Captain Abraham kept school, was on the town's committee for several years ; he also represented the town RESIDENCE OF I. B. HARTWELL. in the general court, and held other offices. His widow, daughter of Lydia and Jonathan Dudley, still survives. He died here October 26, 1857, aged sixty-eight years and seven months. On the place now owned by I. B. Hartwell, Francis Dud- ley first settled ; he was the son of Samuel, The present TOWN OF SUTTON. 419 house was built by Caleb Chase, son of Nehemiah. He first built a low house, and afterwards enlarged it to its present form. Edward Dudley bought and sold to Mr. Hartwell. He has been on the school committee and held other offices. The next place toward the village was built by Leonard Dudley, son of Captain John, in 1832. He was a stone- cutter and one of the best of men; he died there May 12, 1842, aged forty. He married Elizabeth Fisher, born September 17, 1813, died February 26, 1875. Since the death of Mr. Dudley the place has been owned by his brother John, and occupied for several years by Jonas Brown, a retired merchant in delicate health. He has one daughter, who is quite an accomplished teacher. The pretty cottage nearly opposite was built by Horatio Chase, next owned by Harper, now by Mr. Shambeau. The large house now standing on the site of the former stone school-house, was built by Horatio Chase. A sort of public house and stable have been kept there ; it has been partly owned and occupied by others, but is now owned by Mr. Chase. The next house was built by John Sherman. Mr. Barber, who married a daughter of Caleb Chase, lived there. Amos Severy also lived there. It was afterward owned by \Yhitney, now by John Anderson, and occupied by his brother Edward. N. B. Hapgood built on the east side, and sold to Whit- ing Fisher, who sold to Mr. Woodburu, the present owner. The next house back was built by Whiting Fisher, and sold to Mr. Wilson, the present owner. Mr. Fisher was a mason by trade, and a very industrious man; he became quite deaf, walked on the railroad and was badly injured by the cars. The house now owned and occupied by Edwin C. Hall was built by Mr. Belknap. Mr. Hall is son of Calvin, son of Stephen, son of Stephen, son of Percival. His mother was daughter of Thomas Harback, Jr. Her mother was a Bemis from Spencer. The brick house opposite was built by Leonard and Edward Dudley in 1836 ; sold by them to their brother 420 HOMES OF THE James, and now owned by his son John of New York, and occupied by Fred. C. Dudley, son of D. T. James Dudley was a very fine man ; he was engaged for several years in trade and was of the firm of Dudley and Hill Avhen he died. He was born May 13, 1805, and died December 12, 1841 ; he married Dolly Towne, born July 4, 1810, died Aug. 22, 1864. Their son John served an apprenticeship at Stew- art's in New York, and is now engaged at a salary of $10,000 a year. Since the death of Mr. Dudley this house has been let to many different families. The next house on the other side of the street was built by N. R. Hapgood, who married a daughter of Caleb Chase ; it was built in 1836, next owned by Sullivan Newton, now owned and occupied by Mr. Boyd. Nearly opposite stands the store. It was first kept by John Sherman, when it was broken open and a large amount of goods stolen. Leonard and James Dudley succeeded him in 1828 ; next kept for several years by Jonas Brown ; he was also postmaster there. Since Mr. Brown left the store it has been kept by several different parties, among them Luther F. Woodbury, for several years. It is now kept- by Fred. C. Dudley. Opposite is a small house made from the old Harback school-house which stood on the knoll just east of Samuel Prescott's. It is now owned and occupied by Mr. Van Buren Dorr. On the place where Sullivan Newton now lives, David Dudley, twin brother to Jonathan, who settled on the ** Peter place,' 5 and son of Samuel, the more than centena- rian, built the first house, which was burnt about 1797. His son Abel rebuilt soon after and gave it to his son Abel, who sold to Jeremiah Stone and he to Asa Waters in 1815. Waters sold the place to Brown and Newton in 1835. They enlarged and improved the house to its present grand form and proportions. David Dudley died here January 10, 17J7. The next house was built by Edward M. Dudley, son of Capt. John and Deborah, in 1860, and has always been occu- pied by himself and family. He is too well known to need TOWN OF SUTTON. 421 mention here, but, for future generations, let us say that he does not degenerate from the high standard of the Dudleys already given. Nor has he many superiors for honest integ- rity and good common sense. He has been "boss farmer" for "the corporation " for several years. He is one of the best judges of horses and cattle to be found. Has been one of the selectmen of the town, etc. RESIDENCE OF SULLIVAN NEWTON. The next house on the other side of the street was built by the Hon. William R. Hill in 1848 and has always been occupied by himself. Mr. Hill is one of our best known citi/ens, as the honors bestowed upon him will testify. For personal appearance he has few equals ; he is noted for his vocal gifts : has led the choir at Grafton for seven years ; has been president of the Worcester County Musical Con- vention, held many town offices, represented the town in 422 HOMES OF THE the legislature, and has also been a member of the Massa- chusetts senate. The next house belongs to the Sutton manufacturing com- pany, and has been occupied by too many tenants to allow of personal mention. The next house was built by David Wilkinson for the Sutton bank, which was established in 1827 and continued about three years, when it closed and redeemed all its bills. The first cashier was Wilkinson, the next Darius Boy den Sibley, the next and last was William Hovey. Hez- ekiah Howe was President. The building was used several years as a store. Charles P. Baldwin kept there two years, commencing in 1830. Mary Ann Sibley, now his wife, had rooms in the same building, where she and her mother carried on millinery and dress-making. He is now a retired merchant of wealth in New York. Dudley and Hill kept here one year. The building has since been occupied by various parties as a tenement house. It belongs to the corporation. . The first house nearly opposite or in front of the present store and post-office, was built by Benjamin Morse, who married a daughter of Samuel Dudley and moved on to the place where M. M. Hovey now lives. The house has been down nearly a hundred years. The present house was built by David Wilkinson for a tavern in 1824. They had a great raising and a dinner, the tables being spread in the barn. The Rev. Edmund Mills was there and asked the blessing. It was first kept by William Newhall, then by Dea. Jona- than Leland, then by Major Thomas Harback, next by Josiah Towne, then by Townsend Willard, then by Sardius Bacon, then by \Villiain C. Walker, then by Daniel Sabine. It has since been occupied as a store, first by Dudley and Hill, in 1836, till the death of Dudley in 1841, since by W. R. Hill, the present occupant, who has also kept the books of the corporation, and is the present Wilkinsonville post-master. The rest of the building has been used as the factory board- ing house. It was at one time kept by John W. Gamble, a very worthy man, who was instantly killed by the falling of some heavy machinery which they were raising by tackle to TOWN OF BUTTON. 423 one of the upper stories of the factory, September 15, 1847 ; he was forty-five years of age when he died. One of his daughters married Elijah Marten, one of the noted writing masters. The first house south of the bank house was built for the agent. It was occupied for several years by Mr. Seth Hart- well, then agent. It has since been occupied by the several agents, and is now the residence of Mr. G. H. Searle, superintendent of the mill. The next house was built by David Wilkinson for the cashier of the bank. It has since been occupied by various parties as a tenement house. The next house was also built by Mr. Wilkinson as a rectory or parsonage for the Episcopal church. It was first occupied by Rev. D. Le B. Goodwin from 1825 to 1854 ; his family were born there. His son Daniel was a clergy- man, graduated at Brown University. It has since been occupied by his reverend successors. The present rector is the Rev. James S. Ellis. The corner stone of the church was laid in great pomp by the freemasons on the twenty-fourth of June 1828. There is a house on the corner opposite the boarding house. It was once occupied by Deacon John Morse, agent of the old mill that was burnt, also by his brother Nathaniel, who was drowned one Sunday while watching the dam in the time of a flood. It is now owned by the corporation, and has been occupied by too many to particularize. The other three or four houses between the boarding house and the factory are also corporation houses. North of the new iron bridge which spans the disgraced and attainted Blackstone, made so by the waste of fertilizers cast into it by the foolish and prodigal city at its head, stands the railroad depot known as Sutton station. A little above is the beautiful residence of Abraham Dud- ley Chase, with his large, elegant and commodious barn. He made most of his money in the shuttle business, from which he has now retired and carries on his very valuable farm. He is a son of the late Captain Abraham Chase. He built his house in 18 50. 424 HOMES OF SUTTON. The next house was built by David Tyler Dudley in 1851, and is and has been occupied by himself. He is a shuttle maker, and has been much in office, as the town's list of officers shows. The next house was built by Mr. Warren Wilder, once a shuttle maker, now retired on account of ill health. The house was built in 1851. These three houses of old busi- ness associates are very much alike and all good ones. The next building that side of the river was a shuttle shop, but is now a cotton mill. The old house beyond is a tenement house belonging to the corporation. Any other houses not particularly noticed in this village, are either corporation tenement houses, or over the line in Grafton. The corporation own twelve houses in the village. 54 Heliotype Printing Co., Boston. Part III. ECCLESIASTICAL AND EDUCATIONAL. The religious history of this town is coeval with its civil. When the governor, council and assembly of the province confirmed the purchase and made a grant of the land to the proprietors in 1704, it was upon the condition "that they settle a town of thirty families and a minister upon said lands within seven years after the end of the present war with the Indians." At the first town meeting, held at a private dwelling, December 2, 1718, a prominent object of the meeting was to provide for the establishment of the gospel ministry. Measures were taken in March following to erect a house of worship, which was completed in the course of the year.* " In the fall of the year 1720, a number of the Christian inhabitants of the township of Sutton embodied into a church state under the direction of Rev. Mr. Swift of Fram- inghain, and the Rev. Mr. Breck of Marlboro ; at which time (after the Publick services of a Day of Fasting and prayer in which the Reverend ministers mentioned assisted) , the *See "Annals" in this book. 428 CHURCHES or THE following persons, whose names are as folio weth, signed a solemn covenant to walk together in church relation. Timothy Manning, John Whipple, Samuel Stearns, John Stockwell, John Page, Ebenezer Stearns, Elisha Johnson, William Darned, Samuel Sibley, Samuel Parker, The persons entering into covenant. At the same time Timothy Manning was chosen Monitor." The above is the only record of the organization of the First Congregational church in this town, and it is found in the handwriting of the Rev. David Hall, the second pastor. The records of the church for the first eight years of its existence are lost, having been carried away by the first pastor. The church was organized upon the Congregational plat- form, of the simplest and most rigid character, and has ever maintained the principles of such organization. Tradition says it was owing to a difference upon the matter of church government with the first pastor that led to his dismission. Subsequently an effort was made to introduce the Eldership into the church, according to the Cambridge platform, but the proposition was unanimously rejected. "On the 9th day of November 1720, the Eev. John McKinstry was ordained pastor over them as a Congrega- tional church, they calling him thereto, and calling in the help of sister churches. "The Rev. Mr. Swift of Framingham gave him the charge, and the Rev. Mr. Thatcher of Milton gave him the right hand of fellowship. "The Rev. Mr. Baxter, pastor of Medfield, the Rev. Mr. Breck, pastor of Marlboro', the Rev. Mr. Prentice, pastor of Lancaster, and the Rev. Mr. Dor, pastor of Meudon, assistants sent to on the occasion mentioned." The ministry of Mr. McKiustry continued about eight years, when, from difficulties arising as stated above, he was dismissed, and was subsequently settled in Ellington, Con- necticut, where he died. TOWN OF SUTTON. 429 Mr. McKinstry was dismissed Sept. 2d, 1728, and on the 30th day of the same month the church solemnly renewed their covenant and subscribed their names to the same. The following is a record of the transaction : CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH, SUTTON CENTRE. "Sept. 30th, 1728. The Brethren of the Church here renewed their solemn covenant with God and one with another and subscribed thereto as following: " 1. We, whose names are hereunto subscribed Promise this day to renew our Solemn Covenant engagements to serve the Lord God Almighty with his grace assisting us ; apprehending ourselves called of God into the church state 430 CHURCHES OF THE of the gospel, do first of all confess ourselves to be unworthy to be so highly favored of the Lord, and admire that free and rich grace of his which triumphed over so great un worthiness, and with a Humble reliance on the aids of his grace therein promised for them, that, in a sense of their inability to do any good thing, do humbly wait on him for all we now thankfully lay hold on his covenant and would choose the things that please him. "2ndly. We declare our serious belief of the Christian Religion as contained in the sacred Scriptures, and with such a view thereof as the confession of faith in our churches has exhibited. Heartily resolving to conform our lives unto the Rules of that Holy Religion as long as we live in the world. " Srdly. We give up ourselves unto the Lord Jehovah, who is the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and avouch him this Day to be our God, our Father, our Saviour, and our Leader, and receive him as our Portion forever. " 4thly. We give up ourselves unto the Blessed Jesus, who is the Lord Jehovah, and adhere to him as the Head of his People in the Covenant of Grace, and rely upon him as our Priest, and our Prophet, and our King to bring us unto Eternal Blessedness. " 5thly. We acknowledge our Everlasting and Indispensible obligations to glorify our God in all the Duties of a Godly, and a Sober, and a Righteous life ; and very particularly in the duties of a church State and a body of Peo- ple associated for an obedience to Him in all the ordinances of the Gospel ; and we hereupon depend upon his gracious assistance for our faithful discharge of the duties thus incumbent on us. " 6thly. We desire and intend and, (with Dependence on his promised and powerful grace) we engage to walk together as a Church of the Lord Jesus Christ in the faith and order of the Gospel as far as we shall have the same revealed unto us conscienciously attending the Publick worship of God, the Sacraments of his New Testament, the Discipline of his Kingdom, and all His Holy institutions in Communion with one another, and watchfully avoid- ing sinful stumbling blocks and contention as becomes a people whom the Lord has bound up together in the bundle of Life at the same time we do also present our offspring with us unto the Lord, proposing with his Help to do our parts in the methods of a Religious Education that they may be the Lord's. And all this we do flying to the blood of the Everlasting Cove- nant, and praying that the glorious Lord, who is the Great Shepherd, would prepare and strengthen us for every good work to do his will, working in us that which is well pleasing in his sight, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen." The men subscribing were by name as followeth : Suttou, Sept. 30th, 1728. Percival Hall, Nathaniel Dike, John Singletary, Samuel Rich, Elisha Johnson, John Whipple, Elisha Putnam, John Sibley, Obadiah Walker, Ebenezer Stearns, Simon Dakiu, John Stockwell, Samuel Bigsby, Israel Putnam, Ebenezer Stockwell, Gershom Wait, Solomon Holman, James Leland, Samuel Dudley, John Page. After this transaction, which took place the same mouth, Mr. McKinstry was dismissed. We have the following inter esting record, showing with what zeal the infant church after TOWN OF SFTTON. 431 a severe trial, put itself in readiness for the work of main- taining the covenant which they had so solemnly renewed : " October 4th, 1728. 1st. The Brethren had a meeting and made choice of Dea. Percival Hall for a Moderator so long as they remain Destitute of a Pastor. "2. Chose Simon Dakin, Clerk. "3. Chose Dea. Elisha Putnam, Monitor. " 4. Chose Dea. Hall to read the Psalm. '-' 5. Chose Mr. John Whippleto set the Psalm, and Isaac Chase to set it in his absence." At this meeting it was also " agreed upon and voted to observe the 23d of the Instant October as a day of Humilia- tion and the Rev. Mr. Parkman and the Rev. Mr. Troop to preach on said day if the Town acquiest therein, and then the meeting was dissolved. ' ' To the substance of which attest " SIMON DAKIN, Clerk." Early in November following the above acts of the church, Mr. David Hall was invited to preach to the people in this town. He supplied the pulpit several months to the great acceptance of the people, and in March 1729 received a unanimous call to settle with them in the ministry and become their pastor, the church and town concurring in the call. This invitation was laid before Mr. Hall, and on July 24, 1729, his acceptance of the same was laid before the church at a meeting called to consider the same. The following is Mr. Hall's answer to the invitation : " To the Chh. & Christian Inhabitants of the Town of Sutton. The Invita- tion which you gave me to settle with yon in the work of ye ministry, March ye 26th, has been with me as a matter of serious advice and Religious Consid- eration and I have also thought upon the Incouragment which you conjoyned therewith and would manifest a sense of gratitude to you for your Respect and good will discovered in both. The value of a hundred pounds which you offer me in work and materials for my Incouragment in settling with you, I Return you my hearty Thanks and shall be willing to manifest a cordial acceptance of it provided I am ordained among you. As for the hundred acres of Land you Proposed to Lay out to the ministry and as such promised to give me a Lease or deed of it to be ye Sole Propriety of me and my heires after me : I would with respect Thereto take notice of your good will therein manifest towards me, but must be excused from accepting of it under such a proposal. But if I 432 CHURCHES OF THE may have a cleare and secure Title to it from ye Proprietors of ye undevided lands in Sutton and not as included in ye four hundred acres of ministerial Land (as there is a fair Prospect that I may) it not being as yet laid out to the ministry, upon this proviso I will thankfully accept it, and the Same shall discharge you from your obligations in Reference thereto. Lastly as to the Sallery you have offered me I observe with a suitable Resentment yt you have made provision yt it shall be honourable & as you have made a honourable Pursuance thereof for the present Considering your abilities and my present necescities in voting a hundred pounds sallery in money, equivalent to silver at sixteen shillings an ounce, which is the standing value of money, wherein you have agreed that I shall receive my yearly sallery according to which standard I do accept of an Hundred pounds a year at present, and doubf not and expect that as my necessities shall require, you will continue to make Good your obligation as God shall bless you, that my necessities and charges if they should increase may nevertheless be honourably supplied, and with these provisos, I do now accept of your call, which, if you will please to receive and record in confirmation of and compliance with what amendments I have made, and prove yourselves a willing and Honourable People unto me, I shall account that necessity is laid upon me as at this day, and, according to help from Christ, will endeavour to labor with and for you in the gospel. "DAVID HALL. " July 15th, 1729." After this answer was read to the church " it was put to vote to see whether the church would accept of the said answer provided Mr. David Hall would be* ordained accord- ing to the church platform, i. e., in the Congregational way ; and the vote passed in the affirmative." A committee was then appointed to wait upon Mr. David Hall to see whether he would take office according to the forementioned vote. The following is the answer of the candidate : "In compliance with the Terms of the church with respect to Governing the same I shall as far as I am concerned therein endeavour to conform to the platform drawn up by the Synod of our churches of New England in every article so far as it may be thought in reason to be consistent with the interest and peace of the church provided it be agreeable to the great rule of the g 08 ? 61 - DAVID HALL." This was acceptable to the church, which then proceeded to take measures for Mr. Hall's ordination. This extreme jealousy for their liberty and rights as a Congregational church arose in part, if not wholly, from the controversy with Rev. Mr. McKinstry, their first minister. The answer of the candidate exhibits a degree of caution even, while assenting really to the proposition of the church, TOWN or SUTTON. 433 worthy of all praise. He would consult their interest, while maintaining the integrity of the gospel in all matters of church government and discipline. "October 15th, 1729. The Rev. Mr. David Hall was ordained to the Pastoral office in Sutton. The Rev. Mr. Troop of Woodstock began with prayer. The Rev. Mr. Williams preached the sermon from 1st Thess. 5 : 12-13. The Rev. Mr. Swift of Framinghani gave the solemn charge. The Rev. Mr. Campbell of Oxford gave the Right-hand of fellowship." The young pastor thus ordained to the work of the minis- try in this town, commenced his labors with considerable zeal, and prosecuted them faithfully for a period of nearly sixty years. The records of the church during his administration fur- nish little more than a few hints concerning its history except as to its discipline, which seems to have been faithfully and kindly administered, contributing largely to its almost uni- form prosperity. At times the pastor and people passed through great trials, and at others great peace and prosperity attended the preaching of the word and administration of the ordinances. One fruitful source of trouble was the admission of persons to the ordinance of baptism but not to full communion in the church. This is called in the records of the church the covenant of baptism, but is known in his- tory as the "half-way covenant." There is no record of any form of covenant used in the admission of such members. The list of the names of those who were thus admitted is preceded by the following introduction : " The following have owned the covenant of Baptism and some of them were baptized." The first entry is made May 10, 1730, when "Joseph, John, James, and Elizabeth, children of Joseph Sibley owned the covenant and were, baptized." It would seem from this and other entries that some took this step for themselves, while others owned the covenant and had their children baptized. The last entry is made October 28, 1781, when 55 434 CHURCHES OF THE Nathaniel Cheney and Mary Cheney his wife owned the covenant and had their children baptized. Out of this unscriptural measure grew up many things to trouble the church. It led in large part to the separation of a portion of the members both from the public worship and ordinances of the church. With these separating brethren and sisters the pastor and church had long labor and severe trials, in all which they seem to have been actuated by the gentleness and forbearance of Christ. All those who occasioned the trouble finally returned to the church and were restored to its fellowship. Another subject that at times was a source of trouble was sacred music. At first and probably for a long time the singing was congregational, led by one who was called the precentor or chorister. The hymn or psalm was lined by one appointed for that purpose. The tunes were few and simple, and were not sung by rule, as it was called, for this gave great offence to some. It seemed to them less devotional if there were any rule or order about it. The objection to singing by rule seems to have led to the resignation of the choristers at a certain time. Under date April 8, 1779, is the following record : " The church was stayed on account of some uneasiness about singing by rule, but the church adjourned the matter to April 19th." " April 19th. The Church and Pastor being notified assembled upon that occasion a letter was read from the Choristers before deputed John Woodbury, and John Hall, giving up that service. After some discourse the church voted : " 1st. To encourage singing by rule. '* 2nd. That some of the old tunes be studied and learnt, as 100 Old and New, and Canterbury. " 3dly. That Amherst and the six line metre be sung. " 4thly. They desire new tunes be not multiplied, though they mean not wholly to exclude them. " 5thly. Chose John Woodbury and John Hall to be Choristers. TOWN OF SUTTON. 435 " In all these votes the People of the Parish voted concur- rence and no vote in opposition when put to the Parish." Subsequently, in November following, in consequence of the refusal of the above-named to act as choristers, the church and parish in meeting assembled requested by vote David Town and John Harback "to be helpful in that service, and that they don't set the tune called 34th Psalm tune which so many have been offended at." But the trouble was not yet at an end, for in May follow- ing, 1780, at a church meeting, " after a long discourse on the affair of singing, voted to choose a committee of three brethren to consider what tunes were proper to be sung and confine the Choristers not to exceed, and see if they could get one to set the tune, and the church by vote chose Deacon Putnam, Bartholomew Town, and Caleb Chase, and afterwards Nehemiah Putnam, to act in the affair and make report to the church at their next meeting and then the church meeting was adjourned to the first Monday in June next at 4 o'clock, by vote of the church. June 5th 1780. The church met on adjournment and after prayer they made return and after long reasoning the church voted the fol- lowing tunes be sung in our Publick assembly Bucklaud tune, Bangor, Barley, Canterbury, Funeral Thought, London New, Little Marlborough, New York, Plymouth, Portsmouth, 50th Psalm, Rentham, 100th Psalm Tune old, Quincy, Amherst, St. Martyns, Standish, Southwell, Windsor, Brookfield, Colchester new, 113th or Proper Tune, Trinity, Aurora. No objection being made against them." This measure of the church did not however satisfy all the members, for in January 1781, after two meetings of the church called to treat with two of the brethren who had absented themselves from public worship and ordinances, it is recorded that the ' ' matter of great uneasiness expressed by both was respecting the singing of new tunes at which they were offended." It is also stated that this expression of their uneasiness was accompanied by some " unbecoming reflections." At what time the change was made from congregational singing to singing solely by a choir, no mention is made, but 436 CHURCHES OF THE it must have been about this time, and this increased the trouble. Tradition states that on the sabbath when this took place, Dea. Tan-ant Putnam, whose office it was to line the hymn, began as usual to discharge the duty, but after reading the first two lines, the singers took the matter into their own hands, and proceeded without pausing for the remainder ; the good deacon however kept on, and lined the hymn as usual, both reader and singers reaching the end of the hymn about the same time, though not in exact harmony. The congregation were in great commotion, and the pastor rising to explain that he had no hand in the matter, was saluted by one of the offended brethren with the declaration : "David Hall, you lie!" then turning to his wife, seizing her hand, he said, " Sally, it is time to go." They left the house of worship and never entered it again. This trial in relation to sacred music, involved both church and parish and continued long. The ministry of Dr. Hall was long continued and unusually blessed among the people. At his settlement the church consisted of forty-nine members twenty males and twenty- nine females. Religion was in a low and languishing condition, and wicked men abounded. There were about eighty families in the town and not far from four hundred inhabitants. The profaneuess and other vicious practices of the people seemed to have greatly distressed the pastor, both before and after his ordination. He says in his half-century sermon : "I can never forget my vehement struggles at the throne of grace just before I was here ordained a pastor, lest I should fail of success among this people." Immediately after his settlement religion was greatly revived. In a communica- tion published in " Prince's Christian History," giving an account of the work of God among his people in 1741-2, he says : " There was, soon after my settling here by the favor of God, some considerable abatement of that too common profaneness and other vicious practices visible among us, and within the space of two years we had a very large addition to the church, more than doubling the number of TOWN OF SUTTON. 437 communicants." In five years' time eighty-one persons were added to the church, the most of them on profession of faith. In the years 1741-2 there was enjoyed a season of great religious prosperity. The labors of the pastor were abundant and successful. It was a season of great religious excitement throughout New England. This powerful and wonderful work of God in this town continued for some months, with various degrees of power. It seemed to be free in a great measure from those excesses that were witnessed in some other places. Dr. Hall set himself resolutely against these, and discountenanced all extravagances ; though some over- zealous brethren (as he calls them) gave him considerable trouble. By this religious interest the whole face of the community was changed. The additions to the church during this period were ninety-eight by profession and forty by letter. During the first fifteen years of Dr. Hall's ministry, two hundred and sixty-one persons were added to the church ; one hundred eighty-one by profession, and eighty by letter. These additions, considering the small number of inhabit- ants, show that the people had been greatly prospered in spiritual things. There were at times during the ministry of this faithful pastor, seasons of revived religious interest, and others of great trial from laxness and indifference. Dr. Hall continued to labor and feed the flock over which the Holy Ghost had made him overseer, until the time of his departure drew near. He closed his labors in the pulpit but a short time before he was called to a higher and purer ser- vice in the sanctuary above. He died May 8th, 1789, aged eighty-four years ; having preached the gospel to this town more than sixty years. He came to his grave " in a full age like as a shock of corn cometh in his season." As an able and faithful minister of the gospel he was excelled by few in his or any other age. It is only as a Christian and a preacher that we can view him at this late day. From his first settlement in the ministry he was pecu- liarly distinguished for the candor with which he engaged in his Master's ser- vice. From the first his determination seemed to be " not to know anything among men save Jesus Christ and him crucified." As a Christian his char- acter was above suspicion as well as reproach. His piety was consistent, uniform and fervent. He possessed a well-balanced mind and was a man of excellent judgment. He was eminently a peace-maker among the people of 438 CHURCHES OF THE his charge. As a preacher he was both pungent and popular. He was bold in rebuking sin. The effect of his labor, like that of Whitfield's, resulted in part from his manner of presenting truth. That he was a popular preacher appears from the great demand for his labors abroad and the success which he often had with those opposed to him and his views of truth. He left the impress both of his character and his ministry upon the people of the town to whom he was for so many years the messenger of God, an impress that has never been effaced. The successor of Dr. Hall in the ministry of the first church in Sutton was Rev. Edmund Mills, who was a native of Kent, Connecticut. He preached his first sermon on Sabbath, October 25th, 1789, about six months from the date of Dr. Hall's decease. " The next spring he received an invitation from the church and people to settle with them in the evangelical ministry, which invitation he accepted and was ordained pastor of the First Congregational church and congregation in Sutton on the 22d day of June 1790," a lit- tle more than a year-after the decease of Dr. Hall. At his ordination his brother, Rev. Samuel John Mills of Torring- ford, Connecticut, preached the sermon ; the Rev. Mr. Frost of Milford gave the charge, and Rev. Mr. Chaplin of the north parish gave the right-hand of fellowship. In May, 1790, immediately preceding the ordination of Mr. Mills, the following important articles or by-laws were adopted : 1st. We are fully of the opinion that the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper is designed particularly for the real friends of Christ or those savingly con- verted, and that of consequence we ought to proceed in admitting members on the ground that they are such. 2. For the satisfaction of the church in regard to the qualifications of per- sons to be admitted, we think it most wise for the church and person or persons to be admitted, to meet in some convenient place for mutual confer- ence. 3. We are fully of the opinion that the half-way practice, as it is called, is not supported by scripture and ought not to be favored. 4. That a strict regard to discipline is an indispensable duty and necessary for the happiness and prosperity of the church, and that the outlines of it are contained in the eighteenth chapter of Matthew . It appears from the records of the church that soon after Mr. Mills' ordination, the rule in receiving members to the church was adopted, requiring a narrative of their religious experience to be publicly read. In a few years this was changed and the following was adopted: " Voted, that it is agreeable to this church when any person or persons desire TOWN OF SUTTON. 439 to become members of it, that it be signified to the pastor ; that on his receiving satisfaction they be propounded, and that on the second sabbath following, no objection arising in the interim, they be received." Not long after this decision the deacons, by vote, were chosen a committee ' ' to aid the pastor in the examination of persons proposing to make a public profession of religion and thus to unite with the church." No particular articles of faith had been drawn up to which assent was required from those who were admitted to the church. All hitherto had been admitted by giving assent to the covenant first adopted and subscribed at the organization of the church. This covenant made special reference to the Westminster confession of faith as containing the principles of the religion professed by those owning and subscribing the same. In "April, 1811, the church being regularly convened, proceeded to the consideration and adoption of the follow- ing confession of faith, unanimously : " 1. We believe there is one God subsisting in three persons, whose appella- tions in scripture are Father, Son and Holy Ghost, who are the same in essence and equal in every divine perfection. 2. We believe the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments were written by men divinely inspired, and contain all the truths necessary to be known in order to salvation. 3. We believe that God hath a perfect knowledge of all his works, of the final issue of every event, and of the endless condition of every intelligent creature, consequently a concerted plan relative to creation, providence and redemption from eternity. 4. We believe that God created man in his own image, holy or upright, and constituted him in regard to the moral state of his posterity their public head and representative. 5. We believe that, consequent upon man's fall and apostacy from God, human creatures come into existence with hearts deceitful above all things and in a state of entire moral depravity. 6. We believe that for the purpose of carrying forward the great work of man's redemption, the Lord Jesus Christ hath suffered and died in their room and stead, and in this way wrought out a complete atonement, tasted death for every man, magnified the divine law and became its end to every one who believe th in him. 7. We believe that divine and saving grace correspondent to the immutable and eternal design of God, and in a sovereign way and manner, will be so far displayed in the recovery and salvation of the hell deserving, and particularly in the millennial state of the world, as shall be on the whole most promotive of his glory and the happiness of the intelligent universe. 440 CHTIKCHES OF THE 8. We believe that in order for the impenitent to become the subjects of right affections of heart, and interested by faith in the atonement of Christ, they must be renewed in the temper of their minds by the irresistible and gracious influences of the Holy Spirit. 9. We believe that a dutiful celebration of the Lord's supper requires a sincere and cordial friendship to Christ, and that a profession of this friend- ship ought to be required of all those who are received to communion. 10. We believe that sprinkling is the proper mode, and infants and children of believing parents proper subjects of Christian baptism. 11. We believe that God hath mercifully engaged to keep all who are renewed by the Divine Spirit from final apostacy, and enable them to perse- vere in holiness until they shall be made perfect in glory. 12. We believe that God hath appointed a day in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by Jesus Christ, when he will admit the godly to everlasting happiness and doom the wicked to everlasting sorrow. The above confession of faith was for a number of years used in the admission of members to the church, and is sub- stantially the creed of the church to this day. It has been twice revised, and at the last revision materially modified in expression. " In the fall of the year 1820 several meetings of the church were by regu- lar appointment holden, and a number of inquiries were attended to. " 1. Whether professors of religion who have opportunity to give their children the advantages of the sabbath-school are under obligation to im- prove it ? It was agreed that they were. " 2. Whether the baptized children of the church are entitled to any particu- lar attention by reason, and if so, to what extent ? It was agreed that they were, and that extent is pointed out by their solemn covenant engagements. " 3. Whether the brethren of a church can deprive themselves of voting in ecclesiastical and church concerns without violating important obligations ? united in the opinion that they cannot." The records of the church during Mr. Mill's ministry are very imperfect. From October 1804 to April 1810, there is no record of any transaction, and from 1811 to 1819 there is a similar omission. It will be seen from these facts that materials for a history of the church during this period are very meager. Many of the following facts were gathered from living witnesses in the autumn of 1841, and incorporated in a historical discourse by the fifth pastor of the church, then in charge of the congregation. The num- ber of members in the church at the time of Mr. Mill's ordination was eighty-five. For a long period after he took the pastoral charge of the people, there was no special relig- ious interest ; iniquity abounded, and the church was greatly TOWN OF SUTTON. 441 reduced in numbers as well as in power. Infidelity, brought into the country during the revolutionary war from France where it had deluged the land in blood, burnt the Bible, blotted out the Sabbath, and annihilated the church swept over the nation like the sirocco of the desert, and blighted every thing with its touch. The land mourned and all was dark. The pastor of this church, undismayed amid all the scorn and open blasphemy of an infidel club, still wielded the sword of the Spirit, and not without elfect. Infidelity was checked, its most able champions came to an untimely end, and their memory perished with them. Though there was some increase of religious interest in the year 1800, and a few were added to the church, yet the number of members in the church was reduced by death and dismission nearly one-half in twenty years. In 1810 there were but lifty-five members. During this year and the fol- lowing religion was greatly revived, and the interest pre- vailed generally through the town. A universal seriousness pervaded the face of society. All minds were more or less affected by religious truth. Sixty-seven were added to the church as fruits of this revival, the majority of whom were heads of families. The number of members in the church was increased from fifty-five to one hundred and twenty-five. Again in 1820 there was another season of special religious interest that greatly strengthened the church. Between forty and fifty were added to its membership. From this time to the close of Mr. Mill's ministry there was no unusual attention given to the subject of religion, and piety was in a languishing condition at his decease. The venerable pastor continued to preach with his usual ability and acceptance till seized with disease a short time before his death. A few weeks before the close of his earthly pilgrimage he preached his last sermon with unusual animation and solemnity. He calmly anticipated his approaching dissolution, and cheerfully committed his spirit into the hands of his Redeemer, November 7, 1825, aged seventy-three years ; having sustained the pastoral office thirty-five years and five months. Dr. Hall and Mr. Mills served this people in the ministry ninety-six years. 56 442 CHURCHES OF THE Mr. Mills was an uncommon man. His erect and com- manding person, the dignity and urbanity of his manner, and his great sensibility and kindness of heart, fitted him in an admirable degree to gain the respect and good will of all who knew him. These traits of character, as much as his original and interesting manner of unfolding and presenting truth, deeply seated him in the affections of his people. He was a man universally respected and admired. The successor of Mr. Mills was the Rev. John Maltby. He was born in Northford, Connecticut, graduated at Yale College in 1822, received his theological education at Ando- ver, and was ordained June 28, 1826 a little more than seven mouths from the decease of Mr. Mills. At his ordi- nation Rev. Mr. Hoadly of the Calvinist church, Worcester, preached the sermon, Rev. Dr. Crane of Northbridge gave the charge, and Rev. Dr. Pond, then -of Ward, now of Bangor theological seminary, gave the right hand of fellow- ship. The church consisted at this time of one hundred and forty-three members. There was no unusual interest in religion among the peo- ple for two or three years after his settlement. In 1828 a few individuals were hopefully converted and united with the church. This year was characterized by a serious calam- ity to the church and society their house of worship, erected in 1751, and endeared to them by many precious associations, was consumed by fire, in November. Measures were immediately adopted for the erection of another ; and in fourteen months the beautiful and commodious house of worship that now adorns the centre of the town was com- pleted and dedicated to the worship of the one only living and true God, the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost. Soon after this there seemed an evident increase in piety in the church ; and the way was evidently preparing for the rich shower of divine grace which watered this part of the Lord's vineyard not long after. In 1830 there was a season of considerable interest, which continued for a short time, and about twenty were added to the church on profession of faith. The summer following, Christians were more than usually awake, and many began to TOWN OF STJTTON. 443 feel that the set time to favor Zion had indeed come. There appeared an unusual willingness on the part of God's people to make sacrifices and labor personally for the good of their fellow-nien. They " went forth, weeping, hearing precious seed, and came again rejoicing, bringing their sheaves with them." A series of meetings, continuing through four days, held in the month of August, gave great impulse to the revival. The work of grace in its progress was remarkably rapid. Multitudes seemed to press into the kingdom of God ; the interest was general, though some neighborhoods were more blessed than others. It produced a great change in the town, and many of the subsequent fruits have been exceedingly happy. The revival continued a shorter time than any previous season of special religious interest. It prevailed with power but for a few months. Among the subjects were numbered many heads of families, and a mul- titude of youth. The Sabbath-school was greatly blessed. Most of those converted were members, and many of them ascribed their first impressions and subsequent hope to the influence of Sabbath-school instruction. There were added to the church as fruits of the revival more than- one hundred individuals, increasing the church to two hundred and thirty-one members ; of the number added thirty-six were heads of families twenty of these were husbands and wives jointly. The voice of prayer was hence- forth heard in many habitations where before God had not been called upon. In 1834 there was a revision of the articles of faith and covenant of the church, which were published, with the names of all who had been members of the church since its organ- ization. In the same year the church, with great unanimity, adopted the principles of total abstinence from all intoxi- cating liquors as a beverage, as a qualification for member- ship, but, owing to several circumstances, the resolutions were not placed on record. The matter, however, for many years, was made a subject of examination in the admission of members to the church, and a pledge or promise of total abstinence from intoxicating liquors required. The church continued to enjoy an unusual degree of prosperity during 444 CHURCHES OF THE the remainder of Rev. Mr. Maltby's ministry. Mr. Malthy closed his short but successful ministry with the church in June 1834, for the purpose of taking the oversight of the Hammond street church in Bangor, Maine, where he was permitted to reap the fruits of his labor. His dismission was caused by no dissatisfaction on the part of the people, or their pastor ; but by the prospect of greater usefulness in the Held to which he was invited. Mr. Maltby continued in the ministry in Button eight years. The next pastor was Mr. Hiram A. Tracy, a native of Lisbon, Connecticut, who obtained his classical education at Plainfield academy, while engaged as a teacher in the same. His theological education was obtained at Andover. He was invited to supply the pulpit while yet a student at Andover, and came directly from the seminary to Suttou, preaching here for the first time on the second sabbath in September 1834. In October following he received a call to become the pastor of the church. Having accepted this invitation, he was ordained pastor January 1st, 1835, a little more than five months from the dismission of his predecessor. At his ordination Rev. Dr. Woods of the theological seminary at Andover preached the sermon ; Rev. Benjamin Wood of Upton gave the charge ; and Rev. John Wilde of Grafton gave the right hand of fellowship. The number of members in the church at Mr. Tracy's settlement was two hundred and twenty-two. During the first five years of Mr. Tracy's ministry only eighteen persons united with the church on profession of faith. In the autumn of 1839 this church, in view of the low state of piety in the community, was impressed witli the importance 'of earnestly seeking the Lord by repentance and prayer. For this purpose they united with the three Congrega- tional churches in Millbury, and assembled weekly, alter- nately in the different houses of worship, for prayer and mutual exhortation. Soon there was a manifest increase of interest among Christians. In the latter part of February 1840, sinners began to inquire the way to Zion, and not long after many were solic- TOWN OF SUTTON. 445 itous to know what they should do to be saved. The work increased in power and extent through the months of March and April. After this there was a gradual abatement in the number of those who were specially interested. Most of the subjects of the revival were youth, and nearly all mem- bers of the sabbath-school. As fruits of this revival forty- eight individuals were added to the church, increasing its membership to two hundred sixty-one, the largest number that has been connected with it at any one time. The church continued to enjoy prosperity and peace dur- ing the remaining ten years of Mr. Tracy's ministry. There were occasional additions to the church during this period, but no seasons of general interest like that in 1840. In August 1842 the church, upon the recommendation of a committee, voted unanimously to dispense with the use of alcoholic wine in the administration of the ordinance of the Lord's Supper. This vote has been adhered to from that time to this. November 24th, 1850, Mr. Tracy resigned the pastoral office to accept the appointment of district secretary of the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions in the district of Cincinnati, which embraced southern Ohio, Indiana and southern and central Illinois. A council con- vened December llth, 1850, dissolved the relation which had continued with great harmony for sixteen years. The number of members in the church at the close of his minis- try was two hundred and five. After several attempts to unite in calling a pastor, the church and society agreed upon Mr. George Lyman of East- harnpton, and to him an invitation was extended to become their pastor and teacher. This invitation was given to Mr. Lyman September 26th, 1851, and accepted October 18th, 1851. He was ordained November 12th following, Rev. R. S. Stone of Easthampton preaching the sermon ; Rev. J. H. Bisbee of Worthington giving the charge, and Rev. L. F. Clark of Whitinsville the right-hand of fellowship. The number of members in the church at the ordination of Mr. Lyman was one hundred ninety-three. 446 CHURCHES OF THE There does not appear from the records of the church to have been any season of special religious interest for several years after Mr. Lyman's settlement. There were occasional conversions and additions to the church. In October 1858 nine persons were admitted to membership, indicating a pre- vious state of revived religious feeling in the church and congregation. Again in 1863 the church was enlarged by the addition in May of nineteen on profession of faith, and in November following thirteen were added. From this time to the close of Mr. Lyman's ministry there was no season of special religious interest. Mr. Lyman resigned the pastor- ate June 30th, 1867, to take effect the twelfth of November following, the anniversary of his ordination and settlement as pastor of the church. A council was called which met October 15th and sanc- tioned the action of pastor and churcn, and Mr. Lyman retired from his labors here November 12th, 1867. After considerable delay and several attempts to unite upon a pastor, the church and society gave a call to the Kev. F. E. Fellows, who had been previously pastor of the Con- gregational church in Bridgton, Maine. This invitation was accepted July 4th, 1869, and Mr. Fellows was installed by council October 26th following. Mr. Fellows' ministry was a short but successful one. He labored among this people a little more than eighteen months, but during this period there was a season of great religious interest, bringing into the church upon profession of their faith forty-three persons. In December 1870 Mr. Fellows resigned, and closed his labors as pastor of the church on the second sabbath of January 1871. The following sabbath the pulpit was sup- plied by Rev. Mr. Tracy, who had returned from Ohio on account of the health of his family. On Monday, at the annual meeting of the society, he was invited to be the acting pastor for one year, which invitation he accepted, thus renewing his labors in the field of his first settlement after a lapse of twenty years. From this time on during a period of four years and nine mouths, the church, under the labors of Mr. Tracy, performed for the greater part of the time through severe infirmities, enjoyed an TOWN OF SUTTON. 447 unusual degree of prosperity. Thirty-three persons were added to the church on profession of faith, the congregation was increased, and great harmony and peace abounded. The articles of faith, covenant and by-laws of the church were revised and largely changed in phraseology, but not in sub- stance, and published in a manual containing a brief history of the church, together with the names of the officers and members of the church from the first. Early in September 1875, Mr. Tracy gave notice that he must close his labors after the second sabbath in October. In the meantime, upon his recommendation, Rev. William A. Benedict of Plainfield, Connecticut, was engaged to sup- ply the pulpit for six months, and commenced his labors on Sabbath, October 16th, following Mr. Tracy's retirement. There was almost immediately a revived state of religious feeling, and during the winter many souls were converted. In January Mr. Benedict received an invitation from the church and society to become their pastor, which invitation he accepted, and was installed by council Feb. 16th, 1876. Rev. J. Taylor, D. D., of Providence, R. I., preached the sermon, Rev. T. E. Babb of Oxford gave the charge, and Rev. J. R. Thurston of Whitinsville the right hand of fellowship. There was a renewal of religious interest the following winter, and as the result the church has been largely increased in membership.' In less than two years there has been an addition of forty-nine persons on profession of faith. At this time both church and congregation are larger than they have been at any time during the last fifteen years, and both are now enjoying great prosperity. The following are the names of those who have served the church in the office of deacon : The year named is the year of their election. Timothy Manning, . . . 1720. Percival Hall, . . . 1721. Elisha Putnam, . . . 1731. Samuel Sibley, . . . 1737. Cornelius Putnam, . . . 1744. 448 CHURCHES or TTTE Benjamin Woodbury, Dr. Benjamin Morse, John Fry, Tarrant Putnam , 1765. Willis Hall, . 1775. John Haven, . 1775. Nathan Putnam, 1791. Daniel Torrey, 1794. Reuben Putnam, 1794. Benjamin Hicks, Jonathan Leland, William Bond, . 1811. Sylvester Morse, . 1819. Dr. David March, . . 1819. John Morse, . 1825. Palmer Marble, . 1826. Alvan Leland, Luther Hall, . Sumner B. King, . 1845. Dr. William Terrey, . . 1854. Edwin H. Hutchinson, . 1860. John W. Marble, . . . 1864. TOWN OF SUTTON. 449 HISTORY OF THE SECOND CHURCH IN SUTTON, FKOM 1747 TO 1813. The inhabitants of the north part of Sutton were incor- porated a parish, called the North Parish, by the General Court, October 28, 1743. The first meeting was warned and held at the dwelling-house of Mr. Richard Singletary, by virtue of a warrant from Richard Moore, Esq., of Oxford, to organize said parish, on the twenty-sixth of December, 1743. At this meeting it was voted to choose a committee to find the centre of the parish, striking off one mile from the east end of the parish, and to prepare the materials for the build- ing of a meeting-house. One year after this, the male members of the church in Sutton, residing within the bounds of the north parish, sent a petition to said church desiring to be " dismissed and com- mended to the work of embodying together in a church- state, and asking assistance therein." Upon this petition and request, the church took the following action at a meet- ing held December 13, 1744 : 1. Voted, that our brethren living iu the north parish, or precinct, as many of them as are disposed to embody among themselves into a church-state, and as shall subscribe to a church covenant, agreeable to the church covenant which the church of Christ in Sutton are under, be dismissed and recom- mended thereto. 2. That such as shall thus form and embody, be by us acknowledged a church of our Lord Jesus Christ. 3. That we will send our elder and messengers to assist them in embodying and procuring some officers, and to give them the right hand of fellowship when so embodied. 57 CHURCHES OF THE The brethren of the north parish did not at once avail themselves of the above action, but, some months later, renewed their request, and were answered that their petition had already been granted upon condition that they subscribed to a church covenant agreeable to what we are now under. It is added on the records of the church in relation to this matter, ' ' but their conduct -of. late had given us some rea- son to suspect their wavering respecting principles, and therefore desired this first, that they would be joining, in the renewal of the covenant with us, removing the matter of our jealousy, so then we should be ready to prosecute our former votes in answer to their former petition." These brethren in the meantime had taken some measures to procure some meet person to preach the gospel in the parish. This was done, and a call was given to two persons to become their pastor, but the invitation in each case was declined. In March 1747 they gave Mr. James Wellman a call to settle with them in the ministry. This invitation Mr. Wellman accepted. All this transpired before the church was organized or embodied. This was effected Sep- tember 10, 1747, three years after the petition and request to the first church in Sutton. The record respecting this transaction, in the hand-writing of Rev. Mr. Wellman, the first pastor, is as follows : " Sutton, Sept. 10, 1747. The second Church of Christ in Sutton, was embodied in the presence, and with the assistance of Rev. Messrs. John Campbell of Oxford, and Nathan Webb of Uxbridge." They then adopted and signed a covenant similar in all respects to that of the first church from which the members were dismissed. The covenant was signed by forty brethren, whose names are as follows : Thomas Lovell, jr. Joshua Carter, *Samuel Buck, jr. William Waite, *Nathaniel Waite, *Amos Singletary, *William Fiske, *Thomas Gould, jr. Daniel Gale, *Daniel Buckman, *Elisha Goddard, *Daniel Kenney, Elisha Barton, * Charles Roberts, TOWN OF SUTTON. 451 John Holland, *Thomas Gould, Charles Richardson, *Abel Chase, James Wellman, Francis Kidder, *Jonathan Fuller, *Jonathan Dwinnel, *John Singletary, *Daniel Greenwood, Timothy Carter, *Isaac Gale, * Samuel Buck, *Richard Singletary, *John Waite, *Edmund Barton, *Robert Goddard, Joseph Singletary, Jonathan Park, *Thomas Holman, *Josiah Bond, *Gershom Waite, *Solomon Holman, *John Grove, *Isaac Barnard, *Ebenezer Stearns. The names above marked with a * were dismissed from the first Congregational church. The others may have united upon profession of faith, or been admitted upon letters of dismission from other churches. All are represented as having signed the covenant at the embodiment of the church. "Oct. 7, 1747, James Wellman was separated to the work of the ministry and ordained pastor of the second church of Christ in Sutton. The Council was composed of the Elders and delegates from the following churches. The first church in Sutton, the church in Oxford, the church in Uxbridge, the church in Worcester, the second church in Lynn, the church in Wilmington, the first in Westboro, and the church in Southboro." The council met upon the occa- sion, "and after having consulted upon the affair of ordina- tion, and taken the previous necessary steps, the Council as well as Church, and said Wellman repaired to the meeting- house, and the Rev. Mr. Hall of Sutton began with prayer, the Rev. Mr. Chase of Lynn preached a sermon suitable to the occasion from Rev. 1, 20. The Rev. Mr. Campbell of Oxford gave the charge, and the Rev. Mr. Parkman of Westboro gave the Right Hand ; the whole was carried on with decency and good order." In respect to receiving members to the church the follow- ing rule was adopted on the twenty-ninth of October fol- lowing the ordination : 452 CHURCHES OF THE "With regard to admitting persons to our fellowship, Voted that the Pastors relating to the church something agreeable to the conversation he hath with those that desire O to join in full communion with us should serve instead of a relation." Thomas Gould and Abel Chase were chosen first deacons of the church. It will be noticed that the church was organized solely with male members. It was not till Nov. 12th following that any females were received. Under this date it is recorded : " The following females were admitted to full communion O with this church, viz. : Eunice Lovell, Anna Allen, Sarah Chase, Hannah Hiscock, Hannah Holman, Mary Waters, Sarah Fisk, Dorothy Genison, Elizabeth Kenney, Susanna Fuller, Mehitabel Dwinnel, Abigail Park, Elizabeth Bond, jr. Joanna Waite, Martha Gould, Sarah Barnard, Phebe Buckmau, Hannah Gould, Mary Singletary, Judith Gaile, Mary Stockwell, Rachel Bigelow, Jane Stearns, Elizabeth Bond, Thankful Singletary, Elizabeth Pratt, Mary Singletary, Anna Barton, Martha Singletary, Sarah Wait. "These all being dismissed and recommended to our sacred Fellowship from the First Church in Sutton." Including the above named females, the second church in Sutton began its history with a membership of seventy. The materials for a history of the church during Mr. Wellman's ministry are quite meager. It was not, for a part of the time, either a successful or happy one. During the thirteen years of its existence, there was no special religious interest in the congregation. Forty persons, thirty- one by profession and nine by letter, were received to fellow- ship in the church, and according to the records no two were TOWN OF SUTTON. 453 received on the same day. The latter part of Mr. Well- man's ministry was prosecuted under great difficulties, by reason of differences that had arisen between him and his people. According to memoranda found in the handwriting of Rev. Joseph Goffe, the third pastor, these differences commenced in 1755. There are no means of knowing the ground of them ; but, as these troubles were so prominent, and continued so long, no history of the church could be a faithful one which did not notice them. In March 1758 matters had reached such a crisis that a council was proposed by the church to settle the difficulties. The record of this transaction, as kept by Mr. Wellman, is as follows : "Tuesday March 28, 1758. The church met, and, after prayer, the standing part of the church voted : " 1st. To call in the advice of a Council before we pro- ceed to act anything further. It was then put to the with- drawing members whether they would join the standing part of the church in calling in advice and'they refused. " 2nd. To invite the following churches, viz. : The first in Mendon, First in Shrewsbury, First in Westboro, the church in Sturbridge, and the church in Dudley. "3d. That they be invited to sit on the affair on Tuesday the 13th day of June next." Subsequently the second church in Shrewsbury was added . The council met on the day appointed. June 13, 1758. The churches that were sent for agreeable to the fore- going votes all came by their Pastor and delegates, except the Pastor of the church in Dudley, and formed into an Ecclesiastical Council. A paper hav- ing been sent to them signed Robert Goddard and others intimating that the churches convened were imposed upon by the Pastor and Church in their letter missive, the Council passed the following vote, viz. : Voted by the Council here sitting that a paper signed per Robert Goddard and others, inti- mating that the churches here convened have been imposed upon, and that when the vote was passed to call this Council there were but nine that voted when at the same time, there were twelve in the negative the remaining part of the church sitting neutral and respecting what was said, designed in confirma- tion of said paper [it was voted] that said paper contains a great mistake, and that this Council was fairly voted for by the church, and chosen by a considerable majority of the members, in regular standing present. Where- fore upon the whole, it most clearly appears to the Council that there was no imposition upon the churches contained in the letter missive, but the churches were regularly convened upon the call of the second church in Sutton. JOSEPH DORR, Moderator. 454 CHURCHES OF THE The above seems to be but a part of what the council did, though they came to no result upon the merit of the case, according to the following record : The Council was then dissolved without coming to any result upon the merits of the case by reason of divers proposals made on one side and the other in order for an accommodation by another church meeting, and, if that did not succeed, by a mutual Council, all of which proved abortive. But after a long controversy, various Councils, and many Church meetings, an exact jour- nal of which has been kept but which was not thought expedient to insert in this book especially, it being so lengthy the Pastor and church, the with- drawing brethren and others, in the Parish, agreeable to the advice and a letter missive prepared by Mr. Trowbridge of Cambridge, consented to call a mutual Council to end the matter, whose result is as follows : A council of four churches the first church in Cambridge, the church in Charlestown, the second church in Cambridge, and the new north church in Boston convened by their elders and delegates in the Second Parish in Sut- ton, July 1, 1760, at the request of the pastor and church, there to answer two questions which the said pastor and church have submitted to them for their consideration and determination. After repeated supplications to the Father of Light, and a full hearing of the matter in controversy between the parties, so far as adjudged necessary to the forming a right judgment, came unani- mously to the following result : The first question was whether Mr. James Wellman is, or is not, minister of the second church and parish in Sutton. Previous to the resolution of this question, the council thought proper to take into their consideration the valid- ity of the suspension of the thirteen brethren by vote of the church at their meeting the eighteenth of October last, and considering the dubious circum- stances attending that affair and exceptions to which the proceedings then had were justly liable, the council apprehend that such censure ought not to be accounted valid to the abridging those brethren of the right of voting with other brethren of the church, or of the exercise or enjoyment of other church privileges. This, notwithstanding upon duly weighing the proceeding after- wards had in the supposed dismission of the Kev. Mr. James Wellman from his pastoral office, it was resolved by the council in answer to the first ques- tion proposed and submitted, that Mr. James Wellman is the pastor of the second church and parish in Sutton. The second question was whether Mr. James Wellman shall continue as pastor of the second church and parish in Sutton, or his pastoral relation to them, or any of them, shall be dissolved. In relation to this question the council, considering the very perplexed and unhappy situation of affairs in this place, are of opinion, and do accordingly advise that if the second parish in Sutton shall, within fourteen days from the date of these presents, pay or give security to their present pastor, Mr. James Wellman, or of Mr. Edmund Trowbridge of Cambridge, to pay or cause to be paid to him, the said James, his executor or administrators, on or before the third day of July next, the sum of sixty pounds, lawful money of this province exclusive of what will become due to him for his salary from the day when such payment shall be made, or security given that in such case the Rev. James Wellman, within one week next after such payment or security given, do ask a dismission from his pastoral relation to said church and parish, and we advise them to grant it TOWN OF SUTTON. 455 accordingly. And in case of his failing to ask a dismission, agreeable to the preceding advice, then, upon application made to him to call a church meet- ing by any five of the brethren of said church, if he shall not appoint one to be held within three days next after such application for the purpose before men- tioned, in which case it is advised by this council that the same five brethren, or the major part of them, signifying their desire in writing under their hands to the brethren that the church may meet in such time and place as in such writing they shall appoint, and causing due notice or warning to be given thereof to all the brethren dwelling within the limits of said parish ; that at that meeting so obtained, the church proceed to his dismission, as they might have done in case such church meeting had been appointed by their pastor. And now to the Rev. pastor and beloved brethren of the church we would say, that we heartily lament the sad contentions and intemperate heat toward each other which have for so many years subsisted among you, whereby God has been dishonored, the progress of religion in the place greatly obstructed, your characters greatly disparaged, and which have led you into many unbe- coming and unjustifiable actions toward each other. And we hope you will all humble yourselves before God for whatever you are sensible has been amiss in you, and although we don't expect there should be any particular and explicit confession of your fault one to another ; yet we hope you will forgive one another as you trust God, for Christ's sake will forgive you. Particularly we exhort the pastor of this flock seriously to consider how far any conduct of his has been the cause of those unchristian heats and animosi- ties that must arise in a separation between you and the church and people of this place. Yet we are glad to find they have not charged you with the least unsoundness of doctrine ; and that amidst the trials no imputation has been fixed on your moral character. Upon which accounts we may and do recom- mend you to the gospel ministry whenever God shall open a door of service for you. And with respect to you, the beloved flock and congregation of the Lord in this place, we hope, under the present grievous division, there are great searchings of heart; and may every one of you consider how far you, by any way, have been the means of begetting, increasing, and continuing these divisions among you. We hope that when you and your pastor shall part it will be with mutual love and charity, and that although his pastoral relations to'you will cease, yet his relation to you as a brother will continue while he remains with you, and we pray God you may love and live together as breth- ren. May you the brethren of this flock so conduct toward one another, especially in all your measures for settling another pastor among you, and. may your treatment of him be such as to gain the character of a loving, quiet and peaceable people. And may the God of love and peace be with you. Amen. Sutton, July 3, 1760. NATHANIEL APPLETON, Moderator. Samuel Danforth, Thomas Prentice, John Winthrop, Samuel Cooke, Samuel Grant, Andrew Elliot, Richard Carey, Thomas Hall, Samuel Whittemore, Samuel Dexter. 456 CHURCHES OF THE Mr. AVellman, in explanation of some things in relation to the council above and its results, records as follows : " N. B. By means of party councils which gave different results, one of which obtained by the opposite party advised to the dismission of the pastor, and upon the vote of a num- ber of brethren, consisting of those that had been censured by the church, and a number of others whom they collected, the moderator of said council declared the pastor dismissed from his pastoral relations to the church and people of the second parish in Sutton, which occasioned a dispute among the people, some thinking that he was validly dismissed, and others that he was not. He was then opposed in going into the pulpit to preach on the sabbath, and there was consider- able disturbance, whereupon application was made, as I take it, to Edmund Trowbridge, Esq., who as I suppose was then King's attorney, and he recommended a council and the form of a letter missive which was the means of the two questions being put to the council as mentioned in the result above." The parties acquiesced in the result, and Mr. Wellman was dismissed July 22, 1760. During the interregnum from the dismission of Mr. Well- man to the settlement of another pastor, a period of more than four years, there was a very happy adjustment and set- tlement of the long controversy with the first church. This controversy had arisen from the dissatisfaction of the church with the part the second church had taken in the ex-parte council called by a brother and his wife, who were under censure of the first church. During this period of more than four years, two persons were called in succession to the pastorate Mr. Joshua Paine, who afterwards settled in Framingham, and Mr. Ezra Weld. Both these gentlemen declined the invitation. At a meeting of the second church in Sutton, of which the following is a record, Mr. Ebenezer Chaplin was chosen pastor. " September 12, 1764. The church of Christ in the sec- ond parish in Sutton being met at the meeting-house in said parish pursuant to a vote of said church past on Wednesday, TOWN OF SUTTON. 457 the third day of August 1764, viz., to come to a choice of a candidate to settle with us in the work of the ministry, and being met at time and place came to the following votes : " 1. Made choice of the Rev. David Hall to serve as mod- erator of said meeting. " 2 . They made choice of Mr. Ebenezer Chaplin for their pastor, there being twenty-seven votes for him, and not one in the negative, and all that were present in the church I think voted except three, and two out of these three declared they had nothing against Mr. Chaplin." Mr. Chaplin accepted the invitation, and the following is a record of his ordination : Sutton second parish, November 14, 1764. A council of seven churches being invited by the second Church of Christ in Sutton to come and assist in the ordination of their pastor, Mr. Ebenezer Chaplin : five were present. Windham second parish and Mansfield churches by their delegates, Sutton first parish, Uxbridge, Southboro', and Mendon second parish with their pastors, forming into an ecclesiastical council. Chose Rev. David Hall of Sutton moderator, and Mr. Amariah Frost of said Mendon scribe. After prayer to the Great Head of the church for direction and assist- ance. Five persons in the parish presenting with a paper containing objec- tions against said ordination detailed the same. But finding those objections of no great weight and as chiefly disowned by most of the signers of said paper, voted to proceed by a great majority. Accordingly the Rev. Mr. Hall preached and gave the charge: Rev. Mr. Webb gave the right hand of fellowship, and Rev. Mr. Frost made the first and last prayer. As attest, AMARIAH FROST, Scribe. Previous to Mr. Chaplin's ordination, some articles of agreement were drawn up by which the government of the church was to be administered, and were mutually agreed to by the church and the pastor elect. They are as follows : For steps of civil order in prosecuting the commands of Christ in church government, or discipline, made and concluded by, and between Ebenezer Chaplin, elect pastor of the second church in Sutton, and said church, the 19 day of October 1764, which articles are to take place and be in full force on the said Chaplin being settled in the ministerial work in and over said church. Article 1. We agree to take the Cambridge platform as our rule as to such steps so far as it is reducible to practice with such exceptions, expla- nations and additions as are hereafter agreed and expressed. 58 458 CHURCHES OF THE EXCEPTIONS. Article 1. We agree that we will not insist on what is said in the Platform of Ruling or Teaching Elders distinct from the Pastor or Minister. Article 2. We agree that whatever has been or might be understood in said Platform as giving the negative to the minister ; or the power to null the vote of the brethren be rejected. EXPLANATIONS. Article 1. We agree that the term Elder or Elders used in the Platform shall be taken and used in that sense as though it were expressed Pastor or Minister; and that all that Rule, place or office therein belonging to them, or predicated of them, shall be and belong to the minister, except as it is excepted in the 2nd Article of exceptions or may be further ascertained and explained by agreement. Article 2. Whereas there are in the 3d section of the 10 Chap, these words, " Nor may they oppose or contradict the judgment or sentence of the Elders without sufficient or weighty cause," which we think leaves room for endless dispute and cavil. We therefore agree that it be explained as followeth, viz. : That whenever anything shall so labor between the minister and any brother, the matter shall be determined by a vote of the Brethren. ADDITIONS. Article 1. We agree that when it shall so happen that anything labors between the Pastor and Brethren wherein he can't in conscience agree with them ; it shall be in the power and at the discretion of the Pastor to suspend the matter from coming to a final issue for the space of two months for farther light, in which time there shall be a Council called in if either side desire it. After which term of time it shall pass into a valid vote as the Brethren shall then agree to vote, and if the Minister is still uneasy and can't in con- science agree to what is concluded, he may redress himself by being dismissed from his people. Article 2. We agree that if any difficulty or uneasiness whatever shall at any time arise between the Pastor and Brethren, or against him, which arises to that degree that a major part qf the Brethren shall desire him to resign his relations to them, and signify such desire to him by subscription, the pastor in such case shall have one year to see if the matter can be recon- ciled except in case of moral scandal or Heresy evidently proved in which time there shall be a Council called in if either side desire it, and if at the end of said term the difficulty remains and a major part of them shall appear to sign a desire of his resigning his Relation to them, together with a vote of the Parish, such desire by subscription and vote being presented to him within one month after the end of said term, his Relation shall thereupon be dissolved, and it is hereby agreed and declared in such case to be dissolved to all Intents and Purposes. Nevertheless we think it would be proper in such case to call in a Council as is usual to dismiss a minister, and it is hereby agreed so to do, and said Council may be called in by either side if the other refuses to join, and shall be witnesses of the dissolution of said Relation. Proviso. Provided nevertheless that if such difficulty or uneasiness arises in part or in whole from any Bodily weakness or infirmity in the minister whereby he is rendered more or less unable to fill up the place of his relation, TOWN OF SUTTON. 459 the Parish still making him some allowance or consideration as he and they can agree, or as shall be adjudged just and reasonable by indifferent men mutually chosen for that purpose, or appointed by one side only, if the other refuses to join. In witness whereof and evidence of our agreement as aforesaid the said Chaplain hereunto sets his hand ; and the Church copy of the vote for accept- ance of it is annexed. EBENEZKR CHAPLAIN, Elect Pastor. Oct. the 20th, 1764. At a legal meeting of the Brethren of the second Church in Button held at the Meeting House in the second Precinct of said Town on Friday the 19th day of October 1764, they having chose a Moderator, the Committee laid before the church the Articles of Agreement which were drawn up by them and Mr. Ebenezer Chaplain the Elect Pastor of the Church, and upon mature consideration of the same the church passed the following vote (viz. ) : To accept of the Articles of Agreement consented to and drawn up by the Com- mittee and our Elect Pastor, viz. : Ebenezer Chaplain relating to church gov- ernment or Discipline. A true copy, attest, KOBERT GODDARD, Scribe. DANIEL GREENWOOD, Moderator. There seems to have been some dissatisfaction with this departure from the platform from the first, and it is probable that this was the ground of protest against Mr. Chaplain's ordination. In November 1767 the church voted to take the Cam- bridge platform in full as a rule of church discipline. At the same meeting two ruling elders were chosen : Deacon Abel Chase, and Deacon Daniel Greenwood. At a meeting held February 4, 1768, "It was proposed that, if it would not be a grievous to any of the Brethren, a Hymn out of Dr. Watts should be sung at the communion and if it would be a grievous to any they were desired to speak. After three or four hymns being read that were pertinent for that purpose no objections appeared, but sev- eral spoke agreeable." The difficulties in regard to the agreement in relation to church government did not vanish with the adoption of the Cambridge platform in full, but continued for some time. An ex-parte council was called by the aggrieved portion, who pronounced them the true second church in Sutton, inasmuch as they had adhered to the original constitution and covenant. But they were advised, if no redress could 460 CHURCHES OF THE be obtained, as they were few in numbers, to connect them- selves with other churches in the neighborhood, to which the council recommended them. Mr. Chaplin's ministry, which continued for twenty-eight years, was passed amid much controversy. This culminated at last in calling a council, which met December 20, 1791. On the twenty-second of March, 1792, the church were assembled in church meeting by the authority of the ruling elders, Amos Singletary and Daniel Greenwood, upon peti- tion of the brethren, and formally voted the dismission of Mr. Chaplin, and ordered the door of the meeting-house to be shut against him, which was done accordingly. This action of the parish was confirmed by the supreme court sitting at Worcester, to which Mr. Chaplin had appealed in a suit to recover his salary. No season of general religious interest was enjoyed by the church during Mr. Chaplin's ministry of twenty-eight years. During this period one hundred and eight persons were received to membership. There are no means of knowing from the records what proportion of this number were received on profession of their faith. The next pastor of the church was Mr. Joseph Goffe. He was ordained pastor of the church and minister of the north parish in Sutton by an ecclesiastical council, Sept. 10, 1794. Records of the church, 1792 to 1827, having been kept in a book of pamphlet form are lost, and the materials for a history of the church for the remaining period of its continuing to be the second church in Suttoii are therefore wanting. Some general statements therefore concerning this period must suffice. The church and parish under Mr. Goffe became united and prosperous. The pastor in his intercourse with the former pastor, Rev. Mr. Chaplin, was "wise as a serpent and harmless as a dove." He treated the ex-pastor with great deference and kindness, and the old wounds were largely healed. In a conversation with the writer of this history, and near the close of Mr. Goffe's life, he stated that when he was settled in the ministry he was convinced that God never designed him to be an orator. Neither his TOWN OF BUTTON. 461 person, voice, or character of mind fitted him to become such, and hence he made up his mind to win his way by giving instruction. The results of his ministry show the wisdom of his deter- mination. He built up a strong church ; strong in number and in influence. Many of the members were men of mark for their knowledge of God and divine things, showing that they had been apt scholars under the wise teaching of their pastor. In the years 1800 and 1810 there were powerful revivals of religion, which brought large numbers into the church ; and so on to the close of Mr. Gofte's ministry, once in five years there were refreshing showers of divine grace. During his pastorate of thirty-six years there were seven seasons of revival, which brought three hundred persons into the church. In the year 1813 the north parish was erected into a town and called Millbury, from which time the second church in Sutton has been the first church in Millbury, and its history merges in the history of that town. FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH.* The first Baptist Church in this town was organized Sep- tember 16th, 1735. It was the fourth oldest church of the denomination in Massachusetts. Backus, the Baptist histo- rian, says, in regard to the founding of this first Baptist church at Sutton, that a Mr. James Bound, a sensible Bap- tist, who had immigrated from England, and located in Salem village, and had with others become imbued with Baptist principles, removed and began a Baptist society in Sutton. * Chiefly from a history by Rev. C. P. Myers, published in the Minutes of the Worcester Baptist Association, 1875. 462 CHURCHES OF THE In 1737, two years after the organization of the church, Benjamin Marsh and Thomas Green were ordained its joint pastors. Marsh came to Sutton from Danvers, and Green from Maiden. The same year in which these two men were ordained, a branch went off from this Suttou church and BAPTIST CHURCH, WEST SUTTON. became a Baptist church in Leicester, of which Elder Green became pastor. Elder Marsh remained pastor of the church in Sutton until his death. During all the forty years of his pastorate the church in Sutton seems to have been full of life and vigor. In the year 1771 the Warren Baptist Association met with this church. It reported that year forty-five members, and was for that time a strong and important church. Elder Marsh died in the year 1775. The church was soon after TOWN OF BUTTON. 463 dropped from the Warren Association. The reason given was "because rent with dissension." It now disbanded and became extinct. From 1775 to 1785 were years of great trial and affliction to the country. The revolutionary war raged. The town of Sutton, and the churches in it, felt the influences of the war. Rev. David Hall, D. D., pastor of the First Congrega- tional church in the town at that time, wrote : "The gates of Zion tremble. New England never saw such a day as this. Gloom, troubles, distresses and trials are on every side. We are in fear, in jeopardy, in war ; a war pregnant with the fate of thousands on the event of which much depends the rights and liberties of America." This war and its hardships had, no doubt, something to do with the struggles of this church at that time. The health- ful, evangelical element, however, of the original church seems to have been preserved, and in 1785 another Baptist church was organized, which continues its existence till this day. Ebenezer Lamson was chosen pastor of this new organization. In 1788 the churches at Charlton and Leicester sent dele- gates to sit in council with this church. Brother Lamson was regularly ordained pastor. The same year Moses Putnam and Samuel Waters were chosen the first deacons of the church. We find the following laid down as the office work of the deacons : 1. To provide for the communion table. 2. The minis- ter's table. 3. To take care of the poor. 4. To see that the church faithfully performs its duty as pointed out in the word of God. It appears that there was an open communion Baptist church in the south-east part of Sutton with which this church inter-communed in 1793, for about six months, when it passed the following vote : " Whereas open communion seems inconsistent to the major part of our members, therefore voted to rescind all previous action in regard to this matter." 464 CHURCHES OF THE In 1794 the pastor, the Rev. E. Lamson, made known to the church that he believed in open communion and univer- sal salvation. The church met and voted to consider his ordination and pastorship a nullity, and that he be deposed from the church and pulpit. This is the only instance of this church ever having excluded a pastor or clergyman from its membership. Elder William Batchellor was now for a time pastor. In 1799 delegates from Sturbridge, Charlton, Leicester, Northbridge, Wrentham and Sutton, and free communion church, Sutton, met in council and ordained Samuel Waters pastor over this church. Elder Waters was, in many respects, a remarkable man ; noted for his vigor, integrity and determination. In 1829 he passed away. The minutes of the association of that year say : ' ' We sorrowfully regret the death of our venerable father, Rev. Samuel Waters of Sutton, and especially pray that God may raise up others to fill his place." In 1825 Elder Waters, at his own request, retired from the pastorate, and a young man by the name of Moses Har- rington, a licentiate of the Weston and Framing-ham church, O 7 O received a call to the pastorate of this church on a salary of $200 a year. The following churches sent delegates to his ordination : Weston and Framingham, Worcester, Grafton, Warren, Charlton, Southbridge, Thompson, Douglas and Sutton. Mr. Harrington held the pastorate for about three years. This church for a long time belonged to the Warren association, but in 1802 was dismissed to join the Stur- bridge association. In 1819 this was one of the churches constituting the Worcester association. From 1819 to 1829 the membership reported each year was between ninety and one hundred the largest during any decade. August 19 and 20, 1829, the Worcester association met with this church. It reported external prosperity, and as having nearly completed a convenient house of worship at West Sutton, more eligibly situated than the old one. TOWN OF SUTTON. 465 The autumn of the next year this new edifice was dedica- ted. The congregation from that time is said to have more than doubled. In 1831 Rev. John Walker was installed pastor, and nine- teen were baptized. In 1835 the church reports Perley Howard superintendent of the Sunday-school. Ten teachers, one hundred pupils and one hundred volumes in the library. In 1836 Rev. John Walker resigned, and brother L. B. Cole, a licentiate from the Newton theological institution, supplied the pulpit for the most part of the year. In 1837 Rev. Charles H. Peabody settled as pastor, and twenty-one were added. In 1840 Rev. Otis Converse became pastor. The mem- bership was seventy-nine. In 1842 Rev. Samuel Richards was pastor, and twenty-one were added. The church is described as having renewed its youth. In 1843 Rev. George Deland was pastor. In 1846 Rev. Job B. Boomer was installed pastor. In 1849 Rev. G. W. Benton became incumbent. That year nine were baptized, and an old debt was discharged and the meeting-house was painted. In 1850 Rev. J. Thayer took the pastorate, and twenty- one were added. In 1852 Rev. L. O. Lovell succeeded the former pastor, and the Worcester Baptist association met October 6th and 7th of that year at West Sutton. The association was cor- dially welcomed to the church and homes of the people. Rev. Dr. Stearns, now Hebrew professor at Newton, was moderator, and preacher of the doctrinal sermon. During the pastorate of Rev. L. O. Lovell the church prospered. The membership was eighty-two. In 1856 the pastor resigned. The church was now until 1860 without a settled pastor. It depended on supplies, and kept up its prayer meetings as best it could. During one of these years (1857) it contributed $101.20 for benevolent purposes. We find the following remarkable entry in the records of 1859 : 5