Pass F 7 4 ICGO. 1800. A Bl-CENTENNIAL OUATION WEST BROO:^lELD, JULY 4, 18C0. AT THE CELBBHATION OF THE TWO HUNDREDTH ANNIVERSARY OF TOE SETTLKMENT OF TUB TOWN OF BROOKFIELD. BY LYMAN WHITINO, D.D. A KATIVK l>r XORTn BBOOKriKLD. WEST BROOKFIELD: PRINTED BY THOMAS MORI^Y. 1 869. f1^ Ixx Bx.ciiaiig9 Amer. Ant. Soo. 26 i\ ^^0^ TO TUE INUABITANTS NOW LIVING AND WHO MAY HEEEAPTER DWELL IN TUE PRECINCTS OF THE ANCIENT QU^IBOAG, "ALIJAS BROOKEFEILD," niS OWN LOVED niRTU-PLACE. THE AUTHOR DEDICATES TUIS LABORIOUS BUT LOVED TASK. LYMAN WHITING. ORATION. Tliis is a day for salutations. A family, scattered tliroii^li a nation iiave come home. Faces and names are recalled, anil l»v-gone scenes connected with them sj)rini: "p i'> irrejtres- sible, i^lad surprises. Ilalt-forgotten acfjuaintances of youth, like vines after ijleaninir, hidiny; here and there a cluster over- hujked, but ripened to ])eculiar sweetness, are found by each one of us. The ancient hills, the old rocks and trees smile tluir recognitions. The bright brooks chatter their greetings from grassy banks, and old homesteads, a few, — and new ones, manv, — offer winning welcomes from opened gate and door. A <,d:ul accost beams alike from the face of nature and of all the (lueliers in this I'ndeared town-home. " Welcome home ! " you say. " Glad to come home ! " we reply, for " Joyfully (Iciu- Is the homewiird tnick. If wc are but sure of a wtlcoiue hack." The Third Jubilee, since English hands and hearts made these fields, hills, and valleys the scenes of love's great care and toil, has come. We, the heirs of the costly estiite, assemble to cherish and rejoice in it. It is fitting that we exchange hearty salutations. This done, the serious heed of history must be assumed, and reverently we take up the tasks of the hour. Beginning, Hke curious children, at the mother's knee, we ask first, Hoto this came to be a town ? What led our fathers here ? What fixed their choice for this as their abode ? Why was Brnokfield settled ? These questions will find replies in part further back than record or tradition reaches. In that Infinite Counsel which tunis the hearts of men as rivers of water are turned, is a cause under- lying all others ; and though grand visible laws may disclose the methods, and men may seem to be the only actors, we really do little in stating the truth of any history, though of just a single town like this, until we discern a higher power and wisdom, and plans shaped by both than any man or class of men have devised. God is in history, — in that of a town- ship as distinctly as in that of an empire. The great and terrible forces impelling our forefathers to the New World, you all well know. The impulses which scattered the children of the first emigrants, and the new-come emigra- tions after the earliest, from the first homes along the sea- coast, — are not as familiar. We, looking at their case, a slender cliain of settlements clinging to the sea-side, as if need- ing land and sea both, to sui)ply daily food ; or as if, tarrying on the thrcshokl of the continent, so they could more readily flee back, if they could not stay here, — naturally ask. Why do not those coming after, in equal prudence, stay with this line of plantations, where certain sustenance, and all the comforts — scanty and jioor, indeed — which the new world had, were gathered ? Instead of tliis, from all the sea-side settlements, thi; iin|nilM- (or a westward and inland migration carried nearly all ol tlio second rjoncration from tlio lialf-rurnlsln'd and lialf- protc'ctc'd homes of tlit'ir fathers, into the deep wilderness. It is a constant question in penising the story of that veneration, M hat shaped tliesc paths of most darinrj, and seeminp;ly need- less removals ? No doubt the marked Saxon love of land, the cravinjT for soil, in which traditional aristocracy, dij^nity, and wcii^ht of character united ; and the common pride of j)ossession and sense of independence, pushed the youn^ men of those times into the wild lands where oc<-u|iancy almost gave posses- sion. Large estates were princely. House lots, in the mari- time settlements, wen' not hroad enough for youth with the blood and birth of Purhnn Pilgrim stirring them. The choice of Quaboag by the inhabitants of Ipswich, who then, as we should think, had ten times more land than they could take care of, well shows this. The first selection was of lands along the sea-board, as be- fore mentioned, where united the advantages of production and transport, and the twofold resources for sustenance, — land and sea. The broad river, and its rich alluvial basin, with meadows so friendly to tillage ; the stream serving as an highway, and the adjacent highlands offering fuel, pasturage and buihhng material was the second choice. The third selection, wius the regions of hills and ponds with connecting rivers bordered by facile meadows, lying between. Many of the advantages of sea-shore and river valleys united in these. The historical law of the early settlement was formed essentially of these conditions. Up and down the New England borders, the rugged sea-coast first wins the strangers from the parent land ; their sons, by a daring plunge, reach the fair Connecticut, and speedily the })ros- perous settlements adorn the queenly valley ; and then, between 6 these extremities in locality, — if not in qualities of character, others settled upon the midway summits, nestling among these matchless hills and valleys, lying like a basket of pomegran- ates, in an area of about fifty miles, a family of fi'uitful hills, exquisitely rounded, and gemmed with clusters of ponds, as fair in beauty as the hills are noble in form. I w'onder not that the river valley first won the companies of land-fanciers, and those searching for pleasing homes. The Queen of that valley was, as now, fair to look upon. Her waving vestments of meadow verdures, her stately coronets of hills and mountains, were enough to captivate her Saxon suitors at a glance. Nor need we deny that among them were many of the choicest spirits who then awaited the call of fields un- explored and of lands unmeasured. But that some, on their journeys thither, discerned the less showy and less winning charms of Quaboag — the land of hills and lakes — sturdier in aspect, and so summoning higher valor in the settler, need not sui'prise us. Tidings of this very marked region doubtless found their way to the sea-side settlements through the explorers and lead- ers of the emigrations to the " River," as its region was then termed ; and when the first wave had spent itself at Hartford, Windsor, Springfield and Hadley, the next one paused among the singularly charming swells and meadows of Brookfield. For fifteen years the rugged path between Dorchester and Cambridge, and the settlements made from them on the River, had been kept open by the infrequent journeyings between these extremes of colonial settlement. But the land-hunger craved fresh spaces. On the 31st of May 1660, in the second year of the Colony of Massachusetts Bay, is found the head- ing in the margin, " Ipsuich new plantacon." " In ails'" to tlu* pcticiin of st'iUTiII tlic inliahitants of I|)s\vicli, tliis Court jtulm'tli it nicote to rrrjuint the pctitioiUTs sixc iiiiK's square, or so uiucli land as shall Ik- contrjiu'd in such a coni|»asso, in a |ilaco niTo Quoljorrrr Ponils, providt'd thov hauo twenty fatnllvi's tlicro re'sident \v"'in tluvc yoeros, & that they liaui- an ahlo minister setled there w"'iii tlie sajd tenne, such as this Court shall ajiproove, and that thev make chu' jjrovission in some wav or other for the future, either hy settijiix '^ P^i'*^ <'f land, or w' else shall he thought mecte for the continuance of the ministry amongst them ; ami that if they shall faile in any of tlie particculars ahoue mentioned, this graunt of the Court to he voyd & of none effect." What did the Ipswich jieople want of Podnnk lands, one hnndri'd miles from their homes? The passion for land, as hefore named, is partly the answer. Their petition to the General Court bi-gins — " Forasmuch as it is found l)y Dayly experience that tlie common Lands of this T(»wne ( Ij)swiclO s^i**^ overhnrdcMied hv the multiplyiuij dwelliiiix houses contrary to the true intent and meanini; of the first Inhahitants in their granting of liouse lotts and other lands to such as came amonrrst them, to the end such inconvenience may be prevented " — From the last run of Western land fever hack to earliest an- nals, tlu> symptoms and forms are much the same. A curious po(>m. datiHJ twelve years hefore this grant, entitled "Good News fnim Ni'w England," so adniirahlv reciti-s the modes of land trade at that day, that I will jdace a jiortion of it here : Polijjhtfull to the eye did lye the wootla nnd mc inostern Reserve to the emigrants of that day, who would escape the tedious and perilous addition of the journey to the Illinois, — the Connecticut valley. It proved a rare resolution indeed, under any impulse, to tarry in this settlement. It was a perilous solitude. Thirty miles eastward was Lancaster, as far westward, Springfield, and these not only the nearest but the only neighbors ; and strong as were the affections between the settlements, how long in coming must succor be in the day of trouble, tlii'ougli that houseless, roadless, iilriiost j):itlilcs.s wililiTiU'ss. Rivers, swiuiips, dctis of wild Ix-asts, and haunts of mk'II more terril)le, divided these feeble bands. Wliat a race of (iivatliearts led ami defended the ancestries of these now wide-spri'ad families ! It was a true heroism to tarrv a night here, for yonder quiet stream creeping down the valley, like a silver thread, into the Wickaboag, would guiile the settler to the " chief seat " of the Nipmucs, — but a morning's run distant. This tribe ranged more territory, and were more numerous than any of the New England Imlians except the Narragansetts. Elliot, ten years before, spoke of Nipmuck as " A great country lying between Connectacot and the Massachusetts, called Nipnet, where thero be many Indians dispersed." The terrible pestilence had, how- ever, crippled the tribe into some subjection to their neighbors wilt) h:id escaped tlu scourge. In a letter of William Pyn- chon to (t >v. Dudley, dated May ll348, about some munlerers in the region, he says, " Thero are several small factions of C^uaboag, and in all near places there are other small factions. No one taction doth rule all." Gookin, a choice authority in t)ne class of Indian antiipiities, counts (^uaboag as one of the ten villages of Christian converts within the Nipmuck coun- try. " Their character was more gentle and peaceful than generally belongs to savage life." If they were prai/ing' Indians, or if some of them had received the gospel, this was doubtless true ; but factions are always (piarrelsome, and often unite only to prevail over a common enemy, as our fathers sorrowfully learn- ed from these. The settlement w;vs not at Hrst a favorite to emigrants. The grant failed to win settlers enough to meet the conditions of tenure. Perhaps a grant soon after [1004] made in behalf of the In- dians of Putikoo-kiipog " nere (^uoboag," a plantation not ex- 10 ceetling " fower thousand acres and that it prejudice not Ips- wich grant" — delayed somewhat the settling here. Plainly some " prejudice " turned the restless emigrants of that day from here, for May 15, lGt37, an extremely discouraging record is made of the place by the General Court. " This Court, hauing pervsed the grant which the General! Court made anno 1600 to the first vndertakers for that place doe finde that. 1. By their non observance of the condition of their grant, the same is altogether voyd, & that now the order- ing & disjiosing thereof is wholly in this Courts power. 2. Considering that there is already at Quabauge about sixe or seven familyes, & that the place may be capable of receiving many more, this Court will readily grant them the liberty of a touneshij) when they shall be in a ffit capacity. 3. In the meane time this Court appoints Cap* John Pin- chon, John Aires, W"" Prichard, Richard Coy, & John Young- low, or any three of them, whereof Cap* Pinchon to be one of the three, who shall liaue power to admitt inhabitants, grant lands, & to order all the prudentiall aftayres of the place in all respects, vntill it shall appeare that the place shall be so far setled w**^ able men as that this Court may judge meete to give them the fall liberty of a touneship according to lawe. 4. Because the inhabitants of Ipswich made the first motion for that plantation, & some of tlieni haue binn at charges about it, altlumgh by their remisse prosecution they haue now lost all their right, yet, such of them as shall setle there by midsunnner come twelue moneth, they shall haue an interest in the lands there in proportion w*'' others ; but if by that time they shall not be there setled, they shall then loose their lands, and all their charges w*** they haue been at vpon y* place. 5. They are to take care for the getting and maynteyning of a godly minister among them, and that no evill persons, ene- mjes to the lawe of this comon weale in judgment or practise, be recenucil ns inli;iliit;ints. G. Fur proiMotliig ol' tlie aforesajd j)lantation, and incourage- 11 iiKMit tlicreof, this Court doctli now rrrant that phuitation seven yeures freedom from all puMick rates ami taxes to the coimtrv, provided those inhal)itaiits of Ipswieh w''' intend to inhdhildufs of Ipswich m''^^ jnlnii I Z^* iiih:il)it at (^iialiaiiLjc hv niid-.-imiinfr come twehie month doe en^a^e to i^ive seeurity to the aljtjiu'sajd comittee, w"'in three moneths after the date hereof, that they nill performe aeeordingly, that so others that would setle there may not be hindreil." This legislative rebuke and free handling of the projectors of the settlement was not without effect. They doubtless be- stirred themselves to meet the new condition, and the commit- tee who were mostly on the " River " were no doubt much wiser managers of atfairs than the Ijiswit-h projectors. The growth was such that in llJl^j, the Court entrusted them with a town name and estate. " In ans*^ to the petition of the inhabitants of Quobauge, the Court judgeth it nieete to grant their re- jiiap' that the place shall be so farr setled w"' able men as that the Court may judge meete to give them the full liberty of a touneship according to law," — and then n-appoiuting the com- nnttee in the act of erection, ami again dning it nineteen years attei", (^Itll'l') some of tlu- same persons holding the other 41 years, oi- until 171S. Wore there nun fond of place and of profitable otHces aujong even our fathers ? The inhabitants did not begin to hoKl meetings, or to act with the counnittee. nntd the beginning of the ne.xt century (1700). 12 The River settlers must have entered into a partnership with the Ipswich planters, or else a most admirable amity and care for the common good prevailed, for by a deed dated 10th No- vember 16G5, Ensign Thomas Cooper of Springfield bought the land of measurement indefinite if not limitless, " together with the trees, waters, stones, profits, commodities and advantages there- of, for himself and for the present planters of Quaboag," of one Shattoockquis for 300 fathom of wampum. Who directed this purchase or why it was made is not apparent. Mr. Cooper in his deed of transfer given after the act incorporating the town was passed, declares that his " acting in the premises was only in the behalf of, and for the use and behoof of the inhabitants of Quaboag," etc. But the Court liad already granted over and over the lands. Who paid the wami)um, — the proprietors, or the settlers, or Mr. Cooper ? W^as this purchase merely to pacify the Indians, and justify the occupancy of the land to" the exchi- sion of the local tribes ? If it satisfied them, a mercantile jus- tice was done by it, but that they did not understand it as an agreement to abandon these favorite haunts, is plain from their staying, just as they had done, on the soil. Tliis transfer (no price is named) was made to John Warner, Richard Coye and William Pritchard, — " to the iuliabitants of Brookfield aforesaid, and to their successors and their heirs for- ever." This deed is recorded in Hampshire County, subscribed December 19, 1673, by Lieutenant Thomas Cooper. Two years after this act of General Court, a meeting house is found in possession of the " twenty families," and although no minister is discerned among them, yet the erection of the house of worsliip assures us that the word of God was then preached and his praises sung amid the wenrisome solitude. But their day of trial was at hand. It was truly a terrible day to meet. King IMiilijt selected either the Indians dwelling lioro as special coiifiMlc'iMtcs, or this loiiciv scttlomcnt for an early victim to liis exteniiinatiiig cuiisj)ii-acy. IV-i'iiaps the two unitetl in liis wary j)lut. Let us trace carefully this chapter of woe. Philip, sachem of Mt. Hope, — the landmark of the renrion of the now beautiful town of Bristol, R. I., between the charmini; waters of Mount Hope and Narra^ansett IJays, — perjjetuated his father Massasoit's temjier toward the English, and especially toward their faNorite theme — rcliu;iun. He "rejected with dis- dain " the [in)iii»->al to liave the ai)ostle I'^liot i)rcacli. Mather says, " once, taking hold of the apostle's coat, he said, ' I care no more for the gospel than for that button ' " Yet G(»okin testities that he had heard expressions from Philip showing that his conscience was moved. We hope it was so, indeed that niav account in part for the intense fury of his movements. I strongly suspect some yet untold and secret enmity like a liichK-n brand, infuriated this subtle chieftain. So large and deadly a plan demanded iuipulses to frame and execute it unkiiown to the savage in his usual warfare. In eager hopefulness, I lia\ e con- sidered the plea of reluctant consent, and of ti-nder movings toward the English, — jmt in for him, — and that he was more the executor than the projector of the bloody work. Mav it finally be found to be so. Hut an enthusiasm in enmity, that could blend and inflame all the " factions " and scattered families of savages who joined with Philip, had no doubtful or irresolute original projector. The part that bloody Jesuit, Baron Castine, — with his troops of Indian wives and Popish priests, — had in it, was no doubt a Jesuit's part against Protestantism. Certain it is the Indians were trained in the use of firearms, and surprised the English by their sui)ply of them and skill in using them, before it was known that, fiom that French nobleman's castle on the Pen(il> 14 scot river, those deadly missiles were freely furnished to the savao-es to be used against the EnMish. But if we cannot un- veil the terrible impulse moving this extirpating sachem, his terrible deeds written in the blood of our fathers and mothers, and echoing in shrieks and sighs to our day, commend the annal- ist to fidelity of record. Suggestions of a wide-spread confederacy against the English had been dropped here and there, awaking the settlers to pru- dent concern, if not to watchfulness. In the beginning of April, Waban, the princij)al ruler of the praying Indians living at Natic, came to one of the magistrates on purpose, and informed him that " he had ground to fear that Sachem Philip and other Indians, his confederates, intended some mischief shortly to the English, and Christian Indians." In May he repeated the warning. " Others of the Christian Indians did speake the same, and that when the woods were grown thick with green trees " the work would begin. These warnings proved true, for in mid July (14th) four or five men wex'e suddenly attacked and killed in Mendon. This startled the Massachusetts settlements, and put the government into ear- nest action. " Bloud was never shed in Massachusetts in a way of hostility before this day," says Mather. This deed is ascribed to Matoonus — "a grave and sober Indian ap])()inted by Gookin a constable of Pakachoag " (part of Worcester and Ward, now Auburn.) His son four years before had been executed for the nnu'der of an Englishman, and his " head set up on a pole" — a fearful sting to Indian vindictiveness, — and this slaughter is claimed to have been the father's revenge for that aggravated justice. The tidings got to Boston " next day at Lecture time, in the midst of the Sermon," and consternation spread with them. A few days after, Philip narrowly escaped from Pocasset 15 swamp, and with :i fi'w cliiofs roarluvl tlio Nipmuck country, ovorvwlu'iv stirrinromised league for peace. The Indians met these men with great uproar, and " an hun- dred and fifty fighting men " gathered about them. " The young men amongst them were stouL in their speeches, and sur- ly in their carriage." After brief jjarley, " some of the chief Sachems " promised to meet the messengers the next morning ''about 8 of the i-lock upon a plain within three miK-s of Prooklield." Some of these 16 Indians know Oapt. Hutchinson personally, liavinof worked on his farm. They " would speak with none but Capt. H. him- self." The suspicious appearances " did much discourage divers of the company," says Wheeler, but Hutchinson feeling, no doubt, the great urgency of the case and his personal stake in the success of his mission, and being also persuaded by the over confidence of the Brookfield men, resolved to go out to meet them. Early on that sorrowful morning, — Monday, Aug. 2d., as we picture the scene, anxious countenances and few words, and silent preparations marked the hour. Hutchinson, thoughtful, inquisitive, foreboding, is in consultation much of the time. The little band of two captains and twenty soldiers, with guns and pistols, and uniform, the three Indian guides, — a great sight in the lonely Settlement, — and " three of the principal inhabi- tants of that town marched." It must have been a morning of bodeful gloom, especially to the women and children, and to the troops also, as watchfully they descended yon hill-sides, and filed into the thick wood, hiding their path from those left behind. They came to the spot agreed on. Not an Indian was there. Former suspicions strengthen. They gather in a circle, and in low undertone in- quire of each other, what shall be done ? (Indian sentries no doubt all the time were watching them.) The former argu- ments are gone over, — a false issue was put upon this lack of In- dian faith, and the three Brookfield men strongly urged their good will, especially pleading that David, a great friend to the English, was one of the chief sachems. It was a solemn halt. The order to march, tremulous and lialf stifled by the dense thicket is given, and in bodeful silence they advance " towards a swamp where the Indians then were." It is such a thicket that they can march only in a single file. 17 " Al)oiit sixty or seventy rods " are thus tlircailed, when a sharp whoDj) pierces the silence — a score of" muskets fhish and mar, — arrows wliiz/, ami the thicket is instantly alive with murder- ous savages. Yells and war-cries terrify nian and iiorst'. Tomahawks gleam, — i^nns blaze, painted warrioi*s spring like tigers from lurking places, and the terrors of" an Indian onset fill the gloomy defile, — and, alas the result ! Eight white men reel and groan in mortal agony. The three lirookfield men are among the fallen. They are Sergeant John Ayres, Sergeant Joseph I'nteliard, and C'(»r|>()i"al .lolin Coye ; also IMiiliips of Boston, Farley of liilleriea, Coleborn of Chelmsford, Smeilly of Concord, and llapgood of Sudbury. Five others were wounded, among theui both the captains, Hutchinson and Wheeler, and his son Thomas. Flight was their only lK»pe. One of the christian Indians warned Wheeler, now chief in command, not to go back the way they came, as it was In- dian strategy to throng the path of retreat, with their surest marksman, when 'twas the same as that of apj)roach. This counsel, and the adroit guidance by the same Indian, through a long circuit from the valley, probal)ly saved the remainder. The only prisoner ca})tured by the Indians, was one of the three guides, a christian Indian named George. Capt. Wheeler bad- ly wounded, was rescued by his intrepid son, who with a frac- tured arm, helped his father from his wounded horse to mount his own ; and then catching another, whose rider had been killed, achieved thus their escape. The scene of this bloody ambush cannot be fixed with cer- tainty. A recent inspection with Wheeler's narrative in hand however, tpiite assures me that tradition rightly j)oints to the tlefile from the head of Wickaboag pond, crossing the present town line into New Uraintree. Nature seldom builils a l)etter tra[t for the use of tlu' Indian warrior than is iuund there. The 18 local features visible now, tamed as they are by clearing and tillage, meet the conditions of the narrative very fully. The deep winding valley, multiplying by its crooks the shelters for an ambuscade ; its round isolated hills, — as good as so many breastworks to these forest marksmen, — the adjacent summits rising tier above tier, so that those posted on them could shoot over the heads of those below, upon the victims in the valley ; and all overlooking the movements of the troops on the banks of the brook, and over all these spread the net-work of woods, underbush, crags and broken ledge ; and that gorge equals in available facilities for an Indian ambuscade any spot ever ex- amined. As it now lies, softened by the culture of nearly two centuries, and relieved of what must have been its bodeful gloom and hideous grandeur, it is a rare scene for art, ofter- ing uncommon combinations of quiet force and rude grace- fulness, with aspects well sustaming the tragic gloom which the history so painfully requires. I cannot but trust that many a homestead here, and of emi- grant sons and daughters, will be adorned with careful ]>ictures of it, before another centennial day shall recall the bloody story which must forever thrill the descendants of the victims who perished there. The smitten bleeding troops, pale and spent, at last reach the houses on the hill-top probably in mid-afternoon. The anxious fnmiHes soon learn the terrible tidings. But panic did not be- come helpless despair. Into one of those scanty dwellings, soldiers, women and children fly, screaming in their terror. Mothers snatch their babes from the cradles and little ones cling to older ones, and leaving their little all, precious because so little, flee to the selected house. A few timbers and boards are hastily set about the walls outside, and feather beds are hung uj) on the inside. Lieut. Curtis and Henry Young are posted 19 ofT f«)r help. Tlic savafjcs meet tliciii. Tliey turn in retreat. I'lie victors incensed bv the mutual discoverv chase theuj hack, and in noisv fury beset the little fortress. It nmst have been an awlul hour to tiie beleairnered iinnates, cut ol' from all lio|io of" succor and i'Miorant ot" the nuud)ei"s of tin- bjooil-thirsty thron<; outside. .All Impc nuist at fii-st have died within them. I>ut Cod was their liel|K'r. After the first storm of shot, there was :i check. Only Henry Youn^, lookini^ from the garret window, was struck by a bullet. lie died two days after. The same afternoon a son of " Sergeant Prichard," (who was left among tlu' slain of the morning,) was intercepted, returning to his father's house " to fetch more goods out of it'' and cruelly slain. As the sun went down, house after house is seen in flames. The Indians ])illage and then burn them. Wliat a night was that I The poor woiuuied men, weak oston, and on the same day Lieut. Cooper reached them from Springfield. What a story for epic or for drama ! Such heroism, endur- ance, suffering I What a theme for pathos or for passion ! " The waste and howling wilderness " on every side ; the smoke of burning homes lingering in the brands of the huge timbers then used ; trees and gardens broken down ; fields pillaged ; cattle slaughtered, and, over all, the remembrance of the dead, slain 24 by brutal foes wlio found a joy in tlio torture, and a delight in the agony of their victims. Five days they linger ; and on Tuesday, Aug. 10th, a melan- choly train set off from the only remaining house of the settlement, Capt. Hutchinson and such of the wounded as could bear the trav- el, and probably many of the fifty women and children are in it. Marlboro' is the haven of their hopes. Three wearisome days, unsheltered by night, scantily fed by day, are spent in getting there. It was but ten miiCS a day. The brave Hutch- inson was so " overtired with his long journey, and spent by his wounds," tiiat five days later, " on the 19th of August " he sunk into the sleep from which the war-whoop would no more awake him. Next day he was buried, and his dust still sleeps in that ancient sister town. Brookfield owes to his memory some grateful tablet, recording his rare worth and sorrowful end. Major Willard reached his family safely, but died two years after, and for nearly a century has borne dishonor from the un- accountable story given first, and given only, by Dr. Piske of this town, of his being rebuked by the court and dying of a broken heart from it, on account of his most humane and gal- lant rescue of our fathers. A descendant of the noble soldier, has recently very ably exposed the falsity of the report and for- ever extinguished the sad slantler it conveyed. The dispersion however was not complete. Thomas Wheeler, son of the Captain and some other wounded men, and of course a garrison to protect, and friends to nurse them remained, and Wheeler relates that the " men women and children removed with what they had left, to several places either where they had lived before their planting or setting down there, or where they had relatives to receive or entertain them." Dr. Fiske says " the Court ordered the people away." So far from that, the court sent men and nuniitions to the garrison. " Major Willard 25 stayed at Brookfu-ld some weeks after our coiniiifi; away from there, several eorupaiiies of scjldiers were sent up thither and to Hadley " says Wheeler, and Feb. 21, 107G : " A warrant was ordered to be issued out to y* comittee for y" arniv to send away y" jirouissions ordered to ho at the head quarters at Marlhorow by y" last day of y" weeke ; also, to send vp some litpio'^s & spice, w"' a com|)etency ot" canvas for a tent to shelter the proulsions & ainnnition, as also the carpenters tooles, navies, «S:c, to build a quarter at Suoboag, or elsewhere, w'*' was don." In March lti7'», J. Bradiiiii informs the Council of the " jeopardous condition ot" (^uobauLi; ;j;arrison," and on the 22(1 of March 1(!TI3, " Capt. Nath'l Graves of Charlestown was appointctl (.'ouinian(K'r of the garrison at lirookfield," with lib- erty, " to have 20 men, and 30 horses." Probably the settlement was mainly scattered, but the evi- dence is full that it was not broken up. The death of Philip the lollowinij; Aui^ust (1(570) broke the spirit and strength of the Indian [ijot against the settleiN, and altlioUL:Ji fVeipicnt mur- ders by them matle frontier life insecure, yet the settlers held fast their homes, and others atlventured in time to join them. " May 22(1, ItiOl. In answer to the Peticon of the Inhabi- tants of Squabaug alias BrookHeld, Colonel John Pi/nchcon, Mr. Josc/ih Hairlcif^ Samuel Marshfield, John Hitchcock and Sain'l Kly, formerly appointed a Committee for regulating the settle- ment of the j)lantation of S2, a plain- tive and tedious petition was made, " To y" Rt. ITonble his Ex- cellency S"" \V"' Phipps, Gov"" of y"^ Majestys Province of y* Mass Bay in N. E.," setting forth that " haveing made some essay toy'' Reselling s'' place (I'rodklield in y*' Co. of Hainp- shire) and fniding difficulties" (drawn out at length, mainly that of non-residence of land owners, or as the petitioners state) — " of y"' most suteable Land to encourige Inhabitants," they pray that all former grants may be null and void unless tho htijders " come and bee helpfull in bearing of charges," etc. 'J'hey also speak " as haveing some encouragement we shall speedily have a minestcr of God's Word amongst us." Several new names appear on this petition, as Owen, Lawrence, Tomb- liu and Marsh. As a resj)onse to this the " Great and Genrall Co't ordereil that Jolm Pynehon, Ls([r., Caj)' Sam" Partridi;, Mr. Josej)h Ilawley, Mr. Hitchcock and Mr. Mtdad I'liiinv be and arc hereby appointed ami Imj)oured to that service " (i. e. as a committee) " to din-ct and regulate >'* .settlement of s'' j)lantation and the affairs thereat." It was during the summer of this year that the Woolcot tragedy, so lamed in our annals, occurri'd. Dr. Fiske says, 28 two or tliree families were broken up. Doubtless the Indians were sucli a terror to the settlers as much to impede the growth of the settlement. Nov. 24th, 1698 : " The following Resolve sent up from the Representatives, was I'ead, and Concurred with, vizt : " In Answer to the Petition of the Inhabitants of Brookfield, Resolved, That there be Twenty Pounds paid out of the Pub- lic Treasury of this Province, towards the support of an Or- thodox Minister for one Year, to commence from the time of the Settlement of Such a Minister amongst them. I consent, WM. STOUGHTON." Two years more are without record though this committee doubtless nursed the infant town with faithful care, and we cross into the next century before we meet a further trace. Nov. 15, 1701, on a tattered leaf marked [8,] is written, " Laid out to Goodman Perry a parcel of land." There is an earlier date by three days on a leaf numbered [24] in the same handwriting, and so through all these Sibylline scraps, disorder is the con- stant feature. From under the one quoted is an entry of 1710. But all these tokens indicate an original book^ (it should be re-made,) detailing the endless labors of the committee who served the curious caprice of settlers as to " upland " " mead- ow " and " plain." For twenty-five years the town records are little else than these intricate locations, exchanges and adjust- ments of land. Other records were doubtless made, but they hare perished in their stormy passage toward us. Returning to the colonial records : " June 27, 1702. " Whereas the Plantation of Brookfield lying on the great Road betwixt this her Majesty's Province & 29 tlio Cdlnnv of Ct. iH'inij Ji usual eI was probably never remitted for much time. The fruit of that pious care is seen in the moral and religious excellence of the inhabitants to the present day. " Nov. 8, 1710. 10 Pounds granted towards mending the Mill Dam in the said Town, and such of the Inhabitants as are bv the Enemy driven from their Houses & Livings be admitted into the Service as Soldiers that are ca|«d)le thereof & his Ex- cellency shall please to entertain : — Consented to, J. Dudley." " Saturday, .Fune 11. ITll!," X'JO were grante Day : 33 Voti'd tliat Edward Walkor, Sen., Joscpli Banister and Klislui Kisi', I)(Hj furtlier Discourse Mr. Clienev as to his proposals lor order to a settlement in s*^ place to carry on y" work of the ministry." Having considered Mr. Cheney's proposals, the inhahitaiits voted, " To (live Mr. Cheney for his salerv, fivety-two jiouiids, yi-arly for three years ; and to Rise i'm-ty shillings a year until it comes to seventy |)oun sum pay*^ to him, there Remaynes ten i)ounds of s*^ sum or donation, the Committee judge it 35 meet*' this last part lu- jtay'' to Mr. Tlionias Clu-iu'V tlif lUfsciit iiiinistiT as part ot" his sallerv, imd have «;iven order to Luke llitchcoek Escjr., to n;et the money for him." By another act at this meeting;, a pultlic IiuiMiiiix of someeon- se(|uence to this liistory is slu)wn. "Sold to Mr. Thos. Cheiu-y oiii' prrscut minister, y'' Toimr's I loiisr i\. ahout six acres ot" hind it stanils on, tor whieh lie is to sett of, Sc allow unto the Inlialiitants thirty poumls of the first Rates that are due to him, or will be due." Wliat buildini; was this? Onlv the " besieiinecticut River. The tokens of an uiuisual esteem to- ward this first pastor, recur in the acts both of committee and inhabitants. Through the dim records of the time, we seem to discern a genial, ardent ])astor, living in great intimacy with his flock. He escaped contention in worldly matters, even to his own loss. In 1721, he couimunicates to the town : " In answer to a mt)tion from them to have me procure my own wood, I being Informed Its your desire I wcjuld do it, it aipiit the Town of their obligation in that particular. This is to Inform you that I am willing it four or five yrs. for five pounds a vear, & not be oblii^ed to take it Louger or to take it during mv Life, f"or eight pounds a year. Rather Inclining to the f"ormer, which is all at present, from yours, Thomas Cheney, Brookfield AjMill "' 18'>." In Octobi-r of this year, a note from him acknowledges liiin- self 'satisfied and contenti'«l with what Liet. Thomas ( lilliert 38 liatli done in tliat way " — i. e. bnilding liim a liouse and barn, and discharges the town from further obligation. The people agreed to dig and stone a well for him, if he would release them from the one days work each man for six years. There is no sign of the least disagreement in the record, nor does tradition bring us any, until the coming of Rev. Geo. Whitefield to the town. Thursday, Oct. 16, 1740, the great Evangelist on his way from Leicester to Northampton reached the parsonage. The land was astir under the mighty power of God upon his preaching. An almost electric force seemed to have been given to divine truth through his eloquence. To see and hear him was the universal wish. Mr. Cheney's peo- ple shared this enthusiasm, and when the great preacher came to the town, they flocked to the meeting house. The pastor hesitated ; it was an influence he was unacquainted with, and rather feared than flivored. But the flock were before the shep- herd, and with characteristic discretion he yielded to their de- mand ; not, however, before the throng made the meeting house too small by far, and around a great rock, said to be Northwest of Mr. Baxter Barnes' house they gathered. The wonderful preacher began, — kindly saluting them. He was glad to see them ; and then passed to enquire for the motives drawing them there. " Some of you come to hear what the babbler will say," is a sentence remembered by a hearer who went to her rest diu-ing the ministry of Rev. Dr. Pheli)s. A ereat revivinir of religion ensued, in which Mr. Cheney heartily labored and by which the religious character of the town was memorably strengthened.* *IIis grave is at Brookfield, a few rods from the entrance on the right hand. The epitaph reads, " Here lyes buried the Body of the Rev. Thomas Cheney, the faithful I'astor of the Church in this Place for more than 30 years. Died Uecr. nth, 1747. Aged 67." 39 A fow traces of civil history rocal lis nijain to itst-lf. A now life, from some source, was visibly iutused into town aH'airs at. the lu'ifiiiiiinu of the year 1713. The C'onunittee chosen hy the General (^ourt lu'titioiu'ij iur new in('inl)ers, " heini^ niuch weak- ened liy the (K-ath of Josr|»li Ilawlcy, Ivscjr." Mr. Ebenezeople of Prookfield, now near Hftv fami- lies oil till' |)lace, have near finished a very conveni(>nt Mei'tini; House, have settled a church and ordained an orthodo.x ami i 40 learned minister ; " be made a Township, and said Com. re- leased." An act granting this petition was passed Nov. 12, 1718, and Brookfield invested with all the powers, privileges and authori- ties to direct, order and manage all the affairs as other towns. The town was assigned to Hampshire for its county connection^. It remained a part of Hampshire until the erection of Worces- ter County, Apr. 2, 1731, when it was transferred to this, its present connection. By comparing the population at the dates 1698, when only twelve families dwelt here, and in 1718, twenty years after, when fifty families were numbered, an average yearly growth of less than two families is shown. " The Town being Dismist from y® Committee, held its first Town Meeting Dec. 15th, 1718." Thus begins the record, — " Voted : Lfcft. Philip Goose, Moderator." (If cackling is some- times heard in town meetings since, what wonder ?) Thomas Gilbert was chosen Town Clerk. " The work of the day not being finished " adjourned one week. Mr. Gilbert went to Hartford, Ct., to be qualified for his office. The next year, 1719, Thomas Barnes and others of the Se- lectmen of the town, petition on the basis of an order passed May 1701, for a survey and plot for the town " eight miles square." The work being done and the plot lost or " mislayed," another as taken by Timothy Dwight, Surveyor, is offered for acceptance, which was done. Thus this matron township had territory enough to spare por- tions to the daughters which soon sprung up around her, War- ren, New Braintree, Ware ; and more recently the remaining domain has been partitioned into the three goodly municipalities, 41 — North Brookfii'ld, West Brookliold and r.rookliold ; so that the orit;niul " eight miles square " is now parted ainon<^ six townships. '11 n' next year, 1720, the "Town was of ()])iiii<»n tliat the jiower was wholly in the Town to make (rrar.ts of land.' Land was almost the oidy sta[)le, the eurrency indeetl between the peoi)le. An example occurred in 1722. " In consideration of three pounds in nails, (i. e. the nails costin1, the lirst discovered trace of public care for common schools. *' Voted. That the Selectmen provid Schooll Dames to keep Schooll in y" Seueral parts of the town for 3 or 4 months in the Summer Season." "Voted. That any numlier of ])ersons that are mindi'd to build a Schooll lunise may set it uj) in y" hii^hway or common Land, near y" middle of the town." The same " priuiliiic in any otlu'r jiart of the Town," was voted to any desiring; it. The spelling of the votes sliows it was hii^h time the school- master should he abroad. We caiuiot but suppose that schools had been kept duriiiii; these sixty years of life in tlu' place. In some form, instruction was doubtless jrivcn to the children, or this and subsecpient action would not be found, as the care for education would have ceased in that lonj^ time, unless fed by some rills of instruction invisible to the historian. In 1733, a vote of " fifty pounds for y" school for y" ensuing year " is seen. 42 Tills settlement ma}'^ indeed have been behindhand with those on the coast, and with those in the valley beyond, in the matter of schools at the outset ; but the eminence of our public schools in recent times, has happily shown a disposition to recompense any early neglects. Two events of conspicuous consequence appear in the record of 1748. The people in the Northeast part of the town had grown weary of their distance from the sanctuary, and the town being without a minister, by the death of Rev. Mr. Cheney tlie preceding year, a design for a new precinct was formed. On the 28th of Nov., the petition of Capt. Ebenezer Witt and others, for such a division was refused ; but a generous proposal was offered by the town to grant the petition on certain con- ditions. Probably the election of Mr. Elisha Harding as minis- ter, (the other noticeable event of the year,) was a large ele- ment in this new precinct question, for a quite tempestuous meeting it plainly was, in which the petitioners were repulsed, though they voted concurrence with the church in their choice of Mr. Harding as minister. The meeting was adjourned for four weeks ; and then " after considerable Debat," voted for Mr. Harding's " encouragement to Settle in the Gospel Ministry one thousand pounds old tenor currancy, & for his yearly Sallry & Su])port, the Sum of five hundred pounds old tenor." This almost over-generous stipend makes us suspect that the rest of the town would pay a free tax themselves, for the sake of bleed- ing the petitioners for the new precinct down to quietness through their share in it. The negligent orthography of the records betrays a sadly discomposed spirit. A curious sliding scale was devised at this meetmg for Mr. Harding's payment. " Accounting the Same " i. e. the money, " as tho' it be in Indian corn at 20s. pr. bushel. Rye, 30*. 43 Wlicat, 40.\\ per hiislicl and so tlio X')00 to ho inorcasi'd or diininislKMl yearly as the prices of the ii;i"aiiis varied," — a ratlier j)eriloiis harixaiii for any l)iit a siiperliimiaii minister, ami I'or j)aris]ii()ners, not ot" like passions as we are. There is an ad- vance, however, a|i]»arent in adnptinu; a nn>nev hasis fur pastoral maintenance in j)lace ot" the entanulini;; land <;rants of earlier days. Afterwards, liherty was o;ranted him to cut liis own firewood on th'- common land. *■' s'* Mr, Harding not to mak wast of s'' wood, especialiv ot" the voniiij; wood." Next year, 1749, Sept. 13, Mr. Ilardinii; was ordained. A hrief and troubled ministry was liis record. The North-men, t. c. men of the north-east j)art of the town, pressed their suit t"or parochial separation. The conditions named bv the towfi in the November met'tiiiLT were fulfilled in /ess l/inn ten da//s, i. e. tifty and more persons, (and bv Dec. -W, eii^ht more) sent their personal request for such jieiMuission, as lia1(' 1i;uI srarcclv :itt:iiiu'(l tlicir composuiv over the se|):iratioii of tlie North j)arislj, when a fresh diiKeulty he^aii ainon;^ themselves. In the year 17o3, tlie project of hiiildiiii:; a new incetiiiLC house hi'canu' a source of troulilc and contention. As often since, tlie ([uestion of" /oin/i/i/ (hvided the people. Three loeaHties \vei"e in (hspute ; — tir^t, on the top of the hill where the nieetin;^ house thtn stood ; second, " on the j)lain," wjiere it now stands ; and tlnrd, " Mr. Seth IJanistt'r's lawn," wlu-re tlu' church edilicrs of Brookfield are now seen. The people South of the hill would not willin^lv go u]) the hill, as they hail done, much less go over it, as desired to do ; those West of the hill would go up it as they had done, hut would not go over to the "■ lawn." The contest as shown in the petitions and projects for precinct meetings was amusingly acute, not to sav acrimonious. The /////, einiihaticall\' diriilnl the town, in opinion, as well as in territory. Both divisions called meetings one after another to act on mere tentative opin- ions. A series of these j)reeinct skirmishes at length drew a ]>ro|K)sal from the West side, to give up "the plain " entirely, and to unite on the hill-to|). They were a little too late. The South side, with the (.-xample of the North i)recinet before them, determined to cut the knot by a decisive act. They set up the frame of a meetiuix house "on Mr. Banister's lot,'' in an incre- diblv short time, expecting to decide the question^ by doing the thiii^-. r>ut tiuilier and self-will W(.'re rather more |ilenty than yielding self-sacritice, and before the echo of the hewer's axo liad died away, the General Court were moved by the West side to arrest proceedings and to send a committee to view and advise. They came, and after patiently hearing the parties, the ct)mmittee advised a .separation and the erectitm of a third parish. Their report was accepted Nov. 8, 1754, but the new house lin- 46 gercd in finishing, as did its fellow in the North parish. A church was not gathered until April 15, 1756. It was formed of twenty-five males and fourteen females. Two years after, or May 24th, 1758, Nathan Fiske, A. M., was ordained pas- tor. He continued in office forty-one years, and died unattend- ed, Sabbath night, Nov. 24th, 1799. "At night he retired apparently in good health, and in his sleep, his spirit departed to its eternal home." — {Rev. Mr. Ward's Funeral Sermon.) His education and talent made him superior to most of the men of his time. He became a Doctor in Divinity in 1792. He was a classmate of Governor John Hancock. An unusual fondness for writing and publishing gave him preeminence over any pastor settled in these churches, in the number and amount of publications. A famed literary club known as the •' Minerva Society," gave occasion for a series of essays by him, somewhat in the style of the Spectator., which were published. His his- torical sermon, preached " On the Last Day of the Year 1775," the first local history written of the town, — though singularly inaccurate, yet as a first effort, deserves the gratitude of posteri- ty. He erected the house in which Rev. Mr. Stone, his succes- sor, lived and died and bestowed upon the Evangelical Church and Society. The first church, though again reduced by the division form- incT the third parish, nobly went forward to build and finish a new sanctuary. This was done in 1755. The record is worthy a place here. " Jan. 22nd, 1755, Voted, To build a Meeting House for public worship at the turning of the County rode near the North East Corner of a plow Field belonging to John Barns being on the Plain, in said first Precinct." " Voted, That said Meeting house be built with timber and wood." *' Voted, That the meeting house shall be forty five feet in 47 Icn^tli and thirty fivo fl-ft In wcdtli." At tlii^ suinc nifctiiiL: a ciniiinittc'c was cliost'ii '' to apiily to the '2nd and :')d Precincts in suid town tor tlicir |ir(i|ii)rti(in of ilM,lit in the i)\<\ nicctini^ house i'lanie." Animosity to the '• *Jnd Pn-cinct," is seen in votes rel'usin^ Jahe/ Uphani, and others, li'ave to be " sett oti" to join it. A coniniittee was chosen to tro to General Court and resist such petitions, hut in August their rigor was rehixed, and the negative votes were " Reconsidered and Disannulled." The "' I'ewdoor" was estimated liv a committee — noui' to he more than £o 10s. nor less than -5 shillings. This was a j)erio(l of vigorous agitations in the now trl|»licated parish, l)ut the mother showed marked t' th*- Court of Sessions in 1807, and chosen Senator for the county in 1808. His residence yet stands next to the first Meetini:; Ihnise of the lOvangelical Conj;re<;ationaHst Church. He used to express his <:reat attachment to his pastor, — Rev. Mr. Stone, — by saying that if anv man spoke i-vil ot' him in his j)resence, he woidil in- stantlv knock liim down. He had Hved in V^ir^inia I Oliver Crosby, a native of Brooktield, b»)rn Jiwu', 17'»'», be- came a justice of the Court of Conunon Pleas in 1814, and the next year was elected a Senator for the county. Thonii;!i not publicly educated, he raiseil himself to rare emi?ience by self- culture. He was for some years one of the chief uku of Brook- field. His decease occiu'reil July 24, 1818. Jabez Upham, son of Phineas, was born in Brookfield. By self-exertion he ijained a de.itrioti(' rhetoric, however, is followi-il h\' seiiteiict's of ii<>I)K'i- patriotism. '■'• l>()yalty & lidelity to our most gracious Kino;, George the I'hiid, vt (hie oheiHenet- to thi' ;j;ovcrnmeut under him, l)y Divine Providence & hy Law established in this Province, we will to the utmost of our power maintain and div fend. An uninterruptetl Friendship & Commerce with the Country of our Fatliers' nativity, we wish to continue to the latest Generation ; hut our ilcar bou'j^ht rights i^ jiriri/e^-es we iri/f wrrr himilij ^irr up." h'urther on they say, " of (Mir dearest civil & religious privileges when wrested from us, we shall not think our lives and property too much to be spent in their defence and recovery." The self-denial and determined sacrifice in those woi'ds, prophesied, as they deserved, the suc- cess which crowned the weai'isome strife. In May 1774, another letter, much like the former, was sent to lioston. " June 21. At a very full meeting of the inhabit- ants," — after reading several letters from committees in Boston ami Worcester, — three citizens were de]iuted *' to wate on the Kev. Mr. Ward, and desire him to attend and oj)en this meet- ing with j)rayer, antl the recjuest was complied with in a very sollom manner." Letters and covenants were then read "and long debate thereon." A number of persons signed the cove- nants. A connnitti't' of six were chosen " to inspect the 'i'raders of this Town and see that they do comiilv with the covi-nants, and to see that every person had the oiler of signing the cove- nant, and also to take care that pedlars do not sell any goods in this Town." These patriotic fowu mir/in^s wi-re frcMpient, ami in them instruc-tions to lve|>ri'sentatives and other ofKcers, very ably tiiawn; correspomlence with tlu' chief towns, and hx-al com- 56 mittees, all sliow the presonoe of active and stronj^ leaders. Jedediali Foster was chosen Representative to General Court, and in December to a Provincial Congress to be held at Cam- bridge ; and at the same meeting " Voted unanimously, that this town do fully approve of the association of the Continental Congress, and that they will strictly adhere to the same in all respects." Also voted, That the ministers be desired to notify contributions for the Boston sufferers, and David Hitchcock, John Baldwin, and Seth Banister, Jr. (one from each precinct,) were chosen to receive the same and transport them to Boston. A corps of minute men was resolved on, to " be immediately equiped with an effective fire-arm, cartridge box, knapsack, and thirty rounds of Powder and ball," and that they should " take extraordinary pains to acquire the skill of compleat soldiers." These were in addition to the regularly enrolled militia. Gen- erous provisions for paying these minute men for training time was also made. A curious covenant, as 'tis styled, was drawn, to which one enlisting should subscribe. The heart of the town was swelling with the keen tliroes of fear and determined sac- rifice if called to it, in the coming contest. Town meetings were frequent, and " long debate," is a repeated description of them. In reverent admiration and surprise, we come upon the records of a meeting held May 22, 1776. " The question was asked in the words of a resolve of the General Court whether this Town would support tlie Hon'ble Congress in the measure if they for our liberty should see fit to declare the colonies In- dependent of Great Britain, and it passed in the affirmative al- most unanimously.'''' Honor to the Brookfield patriots ! Their declaration of Independence, is one month and twelve days older than that of the Congress. Foremost in declaring, may they be the last in resigning or betraying the priceless Free- dom so gloriously won ! 57 Near tlie close of this year (177G) a record of siiifjular in- terest occurs. A bounty of £00 is levied to be paid for " one liundred fire-arms with a bayonet affixetl thereto, j)rovided they are wholly nianutaeturiii in this town within one year." Where was the Brooktield armory, and who made muskets and bayo- nets here eiij;iity-four years ago ? At the March meeting next year (1777), it was " Voted, That the Town may wear their hats excepting when they sjieak in publick in Town meeting." At the same meeting " A list of tile j)rice of articles" was ado])ted. These lists, connnoii to the towns at that time, were faUil checks to speculators and mer- cenary plunderers of the public in the time of general distress. A few of the items will repay copying. " Farming labour, — from the 20th day of June, to the 20th day of August, shall not exceed 3 shillings per day, and from the 20th day of Nov'r to the 20th day of Jan'y, shall not ex- ceed Is. 6(1. j)er day. Indian corn meal shall not exceed oS. per B'., good grass-fed beef 2^ j)ence per lb., stall-fed do., 'id. Good butter, 9^ pence per lb., firkin do., 8| per lb. Good yard wide Tow cloth 25. per yard. Striped y'd wide flanel 3s. Ad. Good Walnut wood 8 ft. long, Ss. j)er cord. Oak do., 7s., " each cord to be delivered at the door of the buyer." " A good meal of meat victuals of the common sort shall not exceed ikl.'" " For making men's shoes shall not exceed 2s. Sd. per paw." " A Doctor shall not exceed ijil. (sixpence) j)er mile in his charge in travel to visit his Patience." " For men's com- mon boarding by the week shall not exceed 7s.'' In suggestive sagacity the prices of N. E. t()ding their Creator agreeably to its dictates." The protest failed and the liaitti^t Church and Society of East Brookfield is the result of the petitioners endeavor. 62 Tlie century closed under the shadow of tliat great national bereavement, which also closed an era, the death of Washington. The town with patriotic reverence called its eminent citizen, Hon. Pliny Merrick, to pronounce an eulogy on the beloved Fatlier of his Country ; for which service done on the 22nd of February following, he received " the thanks of the inhabitants," with the request of a copy for publication. This century of town-life begmning as it did, amid savage tragedies ; the settlement in the wilderness far from neiglibors ; with no extended natural feature, like sea coast, great river, or national road, and vs^ith no surpassing soil, or forests, or mines, was yet a remarkably prosperous century. Superior personal character can safely be claimed for many of the early settlers. Their enterprise, wisdom and culture, gave the town a memorable eminence among the sister settle- ments which, before the close of the century, surrounded it. The names of Gilbert, Foster, Hale, Merrick, Crosby, Upham, Ayres, Reed, Hamilton and Hitchcock, are set in our early his- tory by counsels, acts and beneficent public influence, which would adorn any annals and ensure success to any rising settle- ment. These are but a part of the names that claim the grateful esteem of the posterity enriched by their endurance, wisdom and sacrifice. Each, family discerned through the deepening shadows now settling on them, seems almost entitled to special mention. The municipal acquirements found among our fathers rather surprise us. No roads, bridges, or large city from which to bring the implements or fruits of mechanism aided them. Until about the close of the former century not a wheel vehicle had passed from the River to Boston. On horseback all riding was done ; antl as horses were few, the roads blind, crooked, rough and perilous, travel was slow and infrequent. A short distance r>8 miulc a \im(i and iicriluus jouniov. We wonder at the rdpitl, lint at the sluio j^rowth of the town. The century had bi-i-n truly a prosperous one. Tlie town was well advanced in cul- ture and nu'chanic arts at tlie close of it. "Seven ^'rist-niiiis, six saw-mills and three i'ullin^-niills," were counted in it ten years before the new century began. " Mr. Jenks," says an annalist, " besides his mills prosecutes the blacksmiths' business lar<:;ely, and has two trip-hammers and a grindstone carried by water." '* Ellis & Company," he adds, " annually dress alxjut 5000 yards of cloth at their works." They had reacheil the art of coloring scarlet, eipial to that imported, " an art which few in this commonwealth have attained unto." Earlier is narrated the establishment of " one of the first wolK-n factories ever at- tempted in this country " by Joshua I'pham in ITtJS, mid the bounty otlered for one liuiKlred nuiskets manufacttu'ed in the town, show a remarkal)le advance in those trades. Watches were made in the South parish by Mr. Ephraini Kingsburv, about 1790, several years before they were made in Worcester. Mr. Cyrus Dean, now living in Mrookfield,* U-arned his tradt- of that watclnnaker, and still occupies the original shop. A Print- ing Press was set up here by Isaiah Thomas of Worcester in 1794, " a Printing Mouse and Bookstore," he termed it. In coiniection with an apprentice named Waldo, a news|)aper was ollered to the pulilic in Si>ptenil)er of that year, called "The Worcester Intelligencer or Brooklield Aiook- field Advertiser." The ownership and title were again changeil to " The political Ilepository and Farmer's Journal, by E. Miiriam & Co., 1708." But a short life was the portion of the • While these paj^cs arc in press, Mr. Deun ilii>- ably the ///■>•/ and oiilif ground. Tiiere was no such dispersion as the note referred to supjmses. Iidiabitants were here all the time, and graves per]>etually mark the dwelling places of men. Through the entire foi'ty years preceeding the last century, the liviuiT were here, and death was doing its work among them. " At a legal meeting of the inhabitants of Brookfield, on the twenty-fifth day of October, 1T5>kfleld. West Itrookfltld Cil.e Club. Cliizons Gtnerally. TIIIKI) DIVISION. ComuiilU'e of North ItrookOeld. President, Vice Prculdents, Cliaplain, 4c. Guustii — Citizens Generally. FOtTKTII DIVISION. nay StJ\t<> F.npine Company, Kast Urx.okH.ld. Capt. C. K. Wlllar(V-.'Vl num. Challrnge F.iit;iiio Company, (jiivrnilel. Kast Hrooklleld— Capt. Kniory J. Nichols — 10 lioyB. (.fuexls and C'ltlzi-ns. The procession marched tlirough the principal streets, making a good ap- pearance, and returned to the Common, where they were joined by the lathes, and from thence proceeded to the Tent, where dinner had been provided. Tlic r>lniior In tlio Tent. Yale's mammoth tent, 24U feet long and O.'i feet wide, had been erected on aji elrvatod situation near the village, commanding a fine view of the sur- rounding country, in which the richly cultivated farms of intervale and liigli land, the Quaboag river and the Podimc pond, and various interesting locali- ties blend to form one of the richest views in the interior of Massachusetts. Dinner had been provided for twelve hundred people, and the arrangements for that number had been carried out in a highly creditable manner by Mr. E. IJ. .Shaw of Palmer, the caterer of the occasion. Seventeen tables were arranged across the tent, besides which an elevated table in front of tho Spc.ikers' stand was provided — occupied by the speakers and invited gue.st.s. The tables were prettily laid, and amply provided with substantial provisions and ornamenled with bou(iucLs and small ll.igs. The tent was quite exten- sively decorated. A line of Hags w.as suspended from the middle of the tent the entire length. All around the out-siilc of the tent was festooned with bunting. From the two end poles of the tent hung the following mottoes: From the north end : Tea Destroyed in Dostou Uarbor, Due. 10, 1703. 78 Tort of Boston closed by the Enemy, June 1, 1774. Washington in command, July 2. 1775. Evacuation of Boston, March 17, 1776. From the south end : Declaration of Independence, July 4, 177(i Confederation of the United States, July 9, 1778. Surrender of Cornwallis, October 19, 1781. Definitive Treaty of Peace, Septemljer 3, 1782. The following mottoes were arranged before the speakers' stand : " Forget not those who by their exertions secured to you the blessings of this Day." " Our national honor must be preserved at all hazards." "July 4th, 1776," (In the centre of the stand.) "It is henceforward what the dying Adams pronounced it — 'A great and good Day.' " " Our country in all that is great and good — may her progress never cease." The following were arranged in the rear of the speakers : "Peace with all nations." "John Bull and Uncle Sam — May they ever live in peace." "Governor Winthrop, 1630 — His name and fame still live." '• Washington — the father of his country." (In the centre of the stand.) " Our fathers trusted in Thee, and Thou didst deliver them." "Liberty and Union, now and forever, one and inseparable." "God be with us as he was with our fathers." About nine hundred sat down at the table at two o'clock. Tliis was a larger ninnber than had been anticipated during the unfavorable weather of the former part of the day. The Blessing of Heaven upon the feast prepared was invoked by Kev. Dr. Vaill of Palmer, and the sweet tune, " Home Again," was sung by the Glee Club, under the direction of Mr. Edward Ham- ilton of Worcester. An hour was then very pleasantly occupied in disposing of the various dishes which made up the dinner. The intellectual part of the feast was particularly full and pleasing. Hon. Amasa Walker, of North Brookfield, presided, assisted by the following Vice Presidents: Hon. Francis Howe, O. C. Felton, Abraham Skinner, Aaron Kimball, Esq.. of Brookfield. Hon. Alanson Hamilton, Nathaniel Lynde, Esq., Ebenezer Merriam, of West Brookfield. Col. Wm. Adams, Pliny Nye, Esq., of North Brookfield. D. L. Morril, Esq., of West Brookfield was toast master. At three o'clock the attention of the company was called to the read- ing of the Declaration of Independence, which was read by Rev. S. S. Hunting of Brookfield. The company then listened to the first regular toast: The Fourth of July, 1776 — The memorable day in the history of the Amer- ican nation. May its anniversary never be forgotten, and may the blessings which it inaugurated for us be speedily secured for and enjoyed by every person. who breathes the free air of heaven within the confines of this Republic. The Band responded with " Hail Columbia." Hon. A-inasa, "Walker, Df North Brookfield, the President of the day, opened the addresses of the occasion by speaking of the early history of " The good old town of Brook- 79 fiolil," wliicli was settled in 1073, long before any other settlements were madn in this section of the State. IJrooIitieiil, he said, was one of the "old towns " of the State in 177'), and acconliiigly took an active part in the deliberative councils of that time. She was not only w«ll represented in the council, but she was also prepared for war. She had more gunpowder than any other town except Charicstown (tlie amount was (liree barrels) when the war broke out, and more tin-locks than any other town except Lancaster. Hrooklield was not lacking in patriot- ism to make use of her means of defense. Some interesting statistics were given of the means of defense existing, at the time of the Kevolution. in the various towns. In 17.S1 there was a season which tried the patriotism of the people more than any other. When the war was still raging, and when the general government eould not raise money to support the troops, tho towns and parishes were ajipealed to. and responded nobly to the ap|M^al. The precinct of Brookfield voted to ta.x themselves 1())Si>n allowed and recognized; but on this glorious d.iy all had united in sentiments for the peri)etualion of this country, complete and insepai^able. 80 Succeeding generations had celebrated the day with excitements and loud acclamations, and it was well they did. The day, whose anniversary was thus celebrated, was not a day of pomp and ceremony. It was no time for that, then. It was the time for action. But the extent of our country and its various institutions, need all the warmth of patriotism to bind it together. All, with the exception of a few who preferred to be slaves rather than freemen, united in the maintenance of the same great cause. Commerce, agriculture and the arts united together. Towns which had become opulent by trade contributed and assumed the expenses of the war of the Revolution. This was not all; the poor gave also — casting their whole living into the support of liberty. Historians had embalmed the memory of many of the prominent actors in the great cause, but the acts of their companions who had shared equal dangers with them, but in less prominent positions, were being lost to us, in a particular sense. There had been but little dissimilarity in the origin of the great actors of the American Revolution. Putnam went up with the soldiers who had plowed with him in the same field — uneducated, but bearing as brave a heart as was ever carried into battle. Greene, in his early life, was familiar with the forge in his father's blacksmith shop. Washington followed the occupation of a land surveyor. Brookfield, said the speaker, herself had produced patriotism more valuable than all the auriferous sands or seductive placers of gold piled up in the mountains or existing in the valleys of California, or of the world! Brookfield was ahead of the other towns when the Revolution broke out. The audience had been told that it had three barrels of powder when the war commenced, and it always kept it " dry" and was ready to use it. (Applause.) The history of the town, except in ecclesiastical and parochial matters, was but imperfectly recorded, but the speaker was glad to learn that the reapers in this harvest of living history were already girding themselves to bind up the sheaves. Who shall say what names shall grace that page of our history. Let the work be done as faithfully as its importance demands. The names of Ward, Appleton, and Fiske, leaders in our Israel, will figure there. These considerations should be deferred till that more appropriate occasion, the two hundredth anniversary, which would soon be celebrated, when the children of these noble men would pay their dearest tribute to their fathers' memory. But these considerations would press upon us now as we hear mentioned the honorable names now represented here, and those that had been sent abroad. From IMymouth Rock to the Golden Gate of the Pacific, tliere could hardly a place be found where some representative from this old town had not rested, and assisted in establishing the institutions of our country. In other lands they have stood alone, and nobly represented our nation. They have flung out the flag of the country, and defended it from its enemies. Whatever may have been the occupation of their lives, wherever their lots had been cast, they would deeply sympathize with the present residents of Brookfield in their veneration of its ancient honor— and when the proposed centennial cel- ebration was held, they would return to unite their voices with them in its praise. 81 In conclusion Jiulcjc MiCRiiifK oflcri'tl llio following sontiniont: JJi' o rhhl — Brookjldd as of Old. Peace be witLiii thy walls and pro.'si)er- ity within tliy gates forever. yecond regular toast: The Miinnry of vur Ihimrtcd Patriots and StalcKtnni. Tlieir cliaraetors were upright and manly — their motives were pure as the sky ahovc them. Their fame is co-extensive with the universe. May future generations enm- late tlieir virtues, practise their precepts and pay liomage to tlieir minds. In response to this sentiment, a dirge was performed by the IJaud. Third regular toast: Thv CoustUution and the Union. May tlie wisdom which framed the one aiul the patriotism whicli secured tlie other, by the Fathers, be perpetuated in the sons, so tliat llie inheritance whieli was be<|ueathed to us may be main- tained, the pride of the people, the glory of the age, and the example for tho world. Hon. Wm. Appi.ktox of Boston was expected to bo present and respond to this sentiment, but disappointed the audience in not being present Fourth regular toiust: The Sons of Brookfidd. Where success is honorable, tliere is no such word as/(/(7. A letter was read from Hon. .Simkon Duatku of Now York, in response to tills sentiment. He had been unexpectedly detained from participating in this celebration by urgent business. The spirit of the letter wiis accordant to tho words of the toast, and was highly congratulatory and eulogistic in its charac- ter. " Aulil Lang Syne " was then sung by the Glee Club, with excellent effect. Fifth regular toast: The Patriots of Brookfidd in 177(3 — They showed their patriotism no less by their self-dinial at home than by tlieir fjrutcrij on tlie battle field. Hon. DwuiiiT FosTEU of Worcester, descended in the second generation from Hrookfield, which was the residence of his grandfather, the fatlier of tho late Hon. A. D. Foster of Worcester, responded. His ancestry, he said, had lived here, and their graves were here, and so familiar was he with the jilaces of interest in this old town that he felt he had ;us good a right here .xs any one. He referred to the ancient liistory of lJrnokfi<'ld, reading from an old record of the town, of curious interest, showing the great interest and zeal which this town exhibiteil in all its meetings during the struggle of the Kevo- lution. He then offered for a closing sentiment: Our Forifathirs of thr toirn of lirookfitlit — May we cherish their memory, imitate their virtues, and equal their characters. Sixth regular toast. Tlie Veteran Schoolmaster of 1702 present icith us on thui occasion. — He has probably taught and flogged more Brookfield boys tlian any otlier man that ever lived. The remarkable success of his scholars in after life shows that his instructions were good, and Lis discipline judiciously applied. 82 The veteran schoolmaster, Mr. Rufus Dodge, who is 85 years of age, then stood up and showed himself to the company. Mr. Cart of St. Charles, Mo., Geo. Howe, Esq., of Boston, and Wm. Howe, Esq., of Brookfield, responded briefly. Seventh regular toast. The President of the MassacJmsetts Senate — A distinguished descendant of one of the most ancient and most respected families of the old town of Brookfield. He has served in the councils of the nation and in the legislative halls of tlie Commonwealth, in both with the fullest approbation of his fellow- citizens. This was briefly responded to by his cousin, Henkt Upham, Esq., of Bos- ton. The eighth regular toast — was complimentary to the clergy of Brookfield — their learning, piety, success and longevity. This toast was prepared for Eev. Dr. Snelx. of North Brookfield, who last Sunday preached his sixtieth anniversary sermon. He was not able to be present, and the sentiment was responded to by Rev. 0. Cushing, his colleague. Four pastors were named whose aggregate pastorate had been 194 years. The remarks of this speaker were particularly impressive. Ninth regular toast. The late Senator from the County of Middlesex — A descendant from one of the most talented and brilliant families that ever lived in Brookfield. We congratulate Newton and that coimty upon their adoption of one of our sons. This sentiment was happily responded to by the gentleman so warmly alluded to, Dr. Hitchcock of Newton. He spoke of the county and town of which he was a resident — of its history and chivalrous deeds. He spoke of the marked devotion which Newton showed to the cause of liberty in the struggle of the Revolution. There, he said, labored the Apostle Elliott; there were the best theological institutions, the best schools, the best young ladies' seminary, the best ministers, the best physicians, the best lawyers, the best farmers, the best mechanics, the best firemen, the best neighbors, which can be found on the face of the globe. Notwithstanding all this, after so long an absence he joyfully returned to greet his loved friends in his native town. For him nature had never spread out such inducements as in the days of old, in this goodly town. He was unable to visit them often ; other cares and duties occupied his time; but he loved to think, wherever he was, of this place and those dear friends whom a kind Providence had so signally blessed. In conclusion. Dr. Hitchcock said: " We have to-day visited these spots where our ancestors and kindred sleep in peace. They have crossed the river of death. In some instances, hardly a broken slab, half legibly inscribed, tell us where they repose. How silent their resting places! So it will be with us, for we are soon to follow. We are, Uke them, to bid a last and long farewell to loved ones. The cold sweat of death will be upon our brows ; the glazed eye will be unable to recognize ; I 83 tlio palsied toiiijufi will be sppocliless; and theso hands cannot n-tiirn the (penile pressure of the idols of our hearts. When tliat hour sliali roitie may we be ready, so that the cold stream ()f death shall be to us but a rill, and may the sweet music of heaven break upon our enraptured ears, destroying even the stinc; of deatli." An orii^'inal ode to science was then sung by the Glee Clul, which contri- buted largely to the pleasiue of the occiusioii by its swfu't music. The celebration was eminently successful antl satisfactory, notwithstamling the bad weather of the morning, and the clouded sky all day. Much credit is s: tJeo. E. Clapp, Ksq., CJeo. W. Johnson, Esq., ,\. II. Moulton, Charles Eales, Joel IJartlett, Tyler Ilosman, \Vm. II. Montague, Stillman Buttc-rworth, Henry L. MelK-n, (Jeorge Forbes and I'liny Doanc. The great kindness and hospitality shown to our reporter merits his warmest regard, and sjKjaks nobly for the citizens of ** the good old town.'' THE BI-CENTENNIiVL CELEBRATION". The Celebration of 18G0 was announced to the public by the Cir- cular following : BnooKFiFi.n. March 15, ISOO. DeauSir: The present year marks the Two Hundredth Anniversary of tlie Settfement of tliis Town, and it is tliought desirable and proper that the event should be commemorated in a suitable manner. A general meeting of the citizens of the several towns into whicli the an- cient town of Brooklield has been divided, has been helil, and the umiersigned ajipointed a Committee to make arrangements for the occasion, and invite the attendance of all who may feel an interest in it. We therefore respectfully extend to you an invitation to be present on the Fourth of July next, the day fixed upon as on the whole the most eligible and convenient. The committee arc especially desirous that all who originated in, or liavo been residents of tliis place, should join in this Celebration. The Sons and Daughters of Hrookfield are scattered far and wide in all the JStates of the I'nion; but the Committee trust they will be happy to conn' to gether on an occasion so fraught with interesting associations aud reminiscen- ces. The first settlement having been made in tl>at part of the old town now in- corporat«?d as West Brookficid, and the site of the first Meeting House, the old garrison which stood successfully the Indian Siege of 1075, the (Jilbert Fort, and the first (Jrave Yard beingalso in that section, the Committee h.ave deeided to hold Ihe proposed celebration in that town. Kkv. Lyma_n Wuixtxo of 4 84 Providence, R. I., lias been invited to deliver the Address, and every eflort will be made to give interest to the occasion. A large tent will be erected upon the Common, in which the services will be held, and the dinner be provided. Tickets to the Tent and Dinner, one dollar. We have the honor to be. Respectfully, Your Obedient Servants, AAEON KIMBALL, FRANCIS HOWE, O. (!. FELTON. EMMONS TWICHELL, LUTHER STOWELL,. A. H. MOULTON. GEO. W. JOHNSON, H. L. MELLEN, GEO. FOR BES, PLINY DOANE, WM. ADAMS. EZRA BACHELLER, CHARLES ADAMS, JR., HIRAM CARRUTH, PLINY NYE, AMASA WALKER. BONUM NYE. E. D. BACHELLER, T. M. DUNCAN. G. B. DEWING, ALANSON HAMILTON. NATHANIEL LYNDE, ALEKEl) WHITE, JOSIAH HKNSHAW, BAXTER BARNES, RAYMOND CUMMINGS, CHARLES E. SMITH, JOHN M FALES. L. H. THOMPSON, S. N..WH1TE, G. W. LINCOLN, The following report of the Celebration, is copied from The Mas- sachusetts Spy, July 6, 18G0. The morning of Wednesday July 4th, opened with heavy, foreboding clouds, which however, " in honor of the day," soon broke, and the sun looked down with gladness, shedding splendor on the whole day and sc(.Mie. The decorations of Col. Deals were hung around in great profusion . mak- ing the whole village, With its neat dwellings, its rich shadowy elms, and luxu- riant maples, radiant with bunting, parti-colored flags, national emblems and devices. The new Town Hall was bedecked with flags and streamers, and on its broad front were displayed a large equestrian design representing Wash- ington, with the goddess and cap of liberty on one hand, and the blind god- dess of justice on the other, while below were arranged the coats of arms of various of the states. Across all the principal streets were displayed flags of all colors and devices, conspicuously displaying the word " Welcome " at each entrance of the vihage, and across from the Town Hall was the hiscription, " Welcome Home, Sons and Daughters of Brookfield." Many private dwellings were decorated with flags and evergreen wreaths, as well as patriotic mottoes, most conspicuous among them being the old tavern opposite the Town Hall, with the inscription, " Hitchcock Tavern, 17G0." The Wickaboag House, near the depot, was also tastefully decorated. The citizens of West Brookfield proceeded at 9 o'clock, luuler the escort of the Oakham band, to Foster's Hill, the site of the first fortification, where they were met by the citizens of North, South, and East Brookfield, with the Brookfield Cornet band, and marched to the common. Here the final pro- cession was formed, with S. D. Cooke as chief marshal, and marched through the village to the grounds of E. B. Taintor, Esq., where, entering under a tasteful birch, bearing the iuscriptiou, " Brookfield incorporated 1660," they k 85 procppnnini;s, KIm-ih-zit Ilayward.and Jolni (Jrosvenor, who wen- killed by the Indians, duly 20, 1710." Thence the procession returned across the old Baldwin place to the street, under an ornamental arch inscribed, " ItJOO. The day we celebrate. 1770,'' with the word " Welcome " on the reverse. Arriving at the large tent, wliich w;us set up at the east end of thecomimm near the old Fisk store, the large company entered and completely tilled the tables, which had been set for twelve hundred, leaving a large margin for out- siders wlio did not care to particijtate in the dinner. The meeting being called to order, A.masa Wai.kkk, Esq., appeared as president of the ilay,and introduced the venerable Uev. Dr. Joski'II Vaii.i. of Palmer, who invoked the divine blessing. The gatliered host then spent a half hour in doing justice to the ample viands spread before them by the caterers, Messrs. Cummings and Crowell. The platform was appropriately arranged with evergreen mottoes and de- vices, and set out with boufjuets, which also ornamented the long tables. Conspicuous on the i)latform was a banner having on one side a sketch of an ancient meeting house, with a gathering Sunday crowd on foot and on horseback, in the olden style, with the inscription, " Church of our Fathers." The reverse bore a sketch of the Indian attack on the fortified house in H>7ii, with the inscription, "Attack on the Last House," and " If (iod be for us, who can be against us? " Other inscribeil b.".i:iiers, whicli had been borne in the procession, were conspicuously displayi'd in different parts of the tent. l'|)on tlve platform sat quite an array of the old sons of Brooklield, with gray and silvere*! locks, which formed a dignified and touching picture to tho view of the audience. The edibles beuig disposed of, the president of the day, Mr. Walker, offered in eloqiient terms, a welcome to the sons, daughters, and former residents of the old town, to this historical reiniion. Then recurring to KKIO, he said il was the time of the restoration of the Stuarts, one of the darkest and most gUximy in Knglish history. Louis XJV. was just entering upon his brilliiuit but desperate career in France, and this, when the cause of lil»erty in Kiui>iH^ seemed hopeless, the early settlers of New England were planlhig the institutions of freedom in tlie new world. This settlement was not the mere outgrowth of a crowded civilization, but an independent establishment; it was a vine planted in the wihU-rni-ss. There were no settlements within Ihiily miles, Lancaster in the east, and .Springfield in the west, and this w.xs made half a century before any nearer was attenipted — fifty-seven years before IJrimfield, the first after, and eighty-nine yeare before O.akham, the next, while the proud city of Worcester was still a swamp, and Leicester hills were covered with wilil forests. The great reasons why tliis was maih; so early a point for settlement, were, first, this beautiful plain was oi)en and clear of 86 trees, and all ready for the culture of the husbandmen ; second, the broad and beaiitiflil meadows ofTered ample supplies of grass and hay for their stock ; ajid third, the beautiful ponds, rivers, and brooks, were amply stocked with fish, for tlieir earlier and later wants. Remarking further upon the ancient glory and importance of this town, above others near it, Mr. Walker introduced the Orator of the day, a native of North Brookfield, the Rev. Lyman Whiting of Providence, R. I. The Orator opened with an eloquent welcome to the gathered sons and daughters. Thence passing on, he reviewed the attractions of the place for early settlement, and sketched the recorded history of its occupation. He called attention to the fact that it was lai'gely the Saxon desire for landed possessions that led these settlers into this wilderness, really a land specula- tion, that led the western emigrants of that day lo locate in this western reserve, in the place of pushing Anther into the distant Illinois of the Con- necticut valley. He dilated in eloquent and glowing terms upon the heroism and daring that led these settlers to locate at the chief seat of so warlike and fierce a tribe of Indians as were the Nipmucs, He then brought in record the various interesting historic facts and in- cidents connected with this settlement, such as the grant to the original com- pany from the General Court in 16G0, the deed from the Indians in 1G05, and the memorable and fearful events of the King Philip war in 1675, the terrible events of which, as they transpired in d'etail on this soil, he portrayed In graphic and telling periods, with occasional bursts of impassioned eloquence. After this he came to the earliest sacred records of the town in its organic capacity, holding up a dilapidated manuscript leaf containing the first record extant. He also exhibited an original deed of land from Ebenezer Scott and William Scott of Springfield, to Thomas Barnes of Brookfield, in 1708, ad- dressed " To all Christian People to whom these presents shall come," as the earliest surviving deed of land in this town. In reading extracts from the early records, many of historic interest were given, and many of curious qnaintness; many of them showing the historic characteristics of the early churches, and the history of the various early clergymen of this town, which he brought to the present generation, this his- tory being quite full and complete. The following is a specimen from the town records of 1721: — "Voted to build good strong plain seats in ye body of ye meeting house." The speaker then reviewed the prominent men who in early days were lo- cated here, speaking of the Dwights, the Uphams, the Fosters, and others, attributing to Mr. Upham the building of the first woolen mill on the continent, and dwelling at length upon the virtues and meritorious characteristics of Hon. Jedediah Foster, and his descendants, to the late Hon. A. D. Foster of this city. He then came to the records of the Revolution, which are full of patriotic transcripts, one of them calling on " all the world to witness our indignation at the importation of tea to be peddled out among us, which is a more deadly ^ 87 poison to our polilical and moral constitutions than ratsbane is to our physical." A year and twelve days before the Declaration of Independence, this town voted to sustain the Colonial Congress, if they should vote to dissolve their connection with the mother country. A few specimens of the " Moral and Polilical Telegraph, or Brookfleld Advertiser," which was published a few years, conunencing in 17'J4, was exhibited — one of them in 170C, advocating the project of a canal to Provi- dence, and suggesting tliat books be opened for subscription, among other places, at Worcester. Also a copy of " The Political Repository or Fanners' Journal," Volume 3, Number 18(), published at Brookfleld, March .U, 1801, was held up to view. The oration, which occupied nearly two honrs, was full of historic f;icls of great value to all interested in the town as well as to the antiquary, and occa- sionally leaving dry details, the orator brought out many glowing elo<|uent pas- sages, and closed with an eloquent tribute to the three venerable clergymen who were so near contemporaneous, and who each lived to preach to the churches of their first love their lialf-century sermons, Uev. Mr. Stone of South Brook- field, Rev. Dr. Snell of North Brookfleld, and Kev. Dr. Fiske of New Brain- tree, quoting, as a finale, some beautiful lines of Bryant appropriate to such an occasion. Arrangements were made for the publication of this valuable history of the town. Blanks were distributed through the audience, to be filled out with the names and other statistics of all the sons and daughters present, for publica- tion, with the address and other proceedings of the day. Cieorge W. Lincoln, Esq., the toastmaster, then read the sentiments as follows : — The Perils and Sufferings of the Early Settlera — The price paid for our civilization and freedom — we will not forget our obligations. Brookjield — Forty-five years under tutelage, she has attained to her major- ity, and iiiis greater reason than any ancient Spartan of being proud of her sons. This was responded to by Rev. C. Gushing of North Brookfleld, who gave some historic sketches of the past sons, with coijiplimontary notices of some of the more recent sons who had distinguished themselves in busHiess, in the pulpit, at the bar, on tlie bench, and in the medical profession, giving also a list of the college graduates from this town. T)n' Mi)iittry of lirookjiild — Noted fur long life and long pastorates; may their successors emulate their virtues, and receive in like measure the bless- ing of their Lord. Responded to by Dr. Eliakim Phelps of Philadelphia, forty years ago pas- tor of the first precinct church, (West Brookfield,) eloquently setting forth the duties and inlluence of the ministry, and the importance always set upon it by the inhabitants of this town. 88 The Three Brookfichls — Like the tliree graces, all beautiful, and so much the more for the contrast and variety which they present; may they never cease to vie with each other in all useful and honorable enterprise, as well as in rendering more and more attractive their homesteads and villages. Responded to by-N. B. Chamberlin, Esq., of Boston, (a native). By E. W. Bond, Esq., of Springfield, (a native) :— The Tri-Centennial Anniversary of the Settlement of Brookfield — May it dawn upon a people as eminent for their virtues, their noble and heroic qual- ities, as the people of the first and second centuries in its history. The System of Free Schools, established hy our Fathers — It opens a straight and xniobstructed pathway from the threshold of eveiy abode, however hum- ble, to the highest places of usefulness, influence, and honor. Responded to by Rev. Mr. Burr of South Brookfield, sketching the Iristory of the free schools of New England, complimenting the early connection of the schools with the church, and regretting the tendency to separation there- from. Our National Banner — Wherever on the earth's surface the eye of the American beholds it, may he rejoice and have reason to bless it; on whatever spot it is planted, there may freedom have a strong foothold, humanity a brave champion, and religion a pure altar. Rev. C. M. Cordley of West Brookfield, pastor of the original Brookfield church, responded in historic and patriotic reminiscences, and instruction as a religious civilian. He spoke of the number of members of this church who had fallen at various distant points ol* battle in the struggle for the establish- ment of the nationality of this flag, and closed by expressing the hope that it may soon wave over all the inhabitants of the land, as free citizens, whether black or white. A letter was here read from Hon. P. Merrick (a native), regretting his detention by ill health from this celebration. The following letter was also read : — Boston, June 28, 1860. Gentlemen — Your communication, inviting me to attend tlie two hundredth anniversary of the settlement of the town of Brookfield, would liave been sooner replied to, but ft)r the hope that I might be able to accept your invita- tion, which I am compelled to decline. I have known but little of Brookfield or its inhabitants since my childhood, yet I feel much interested in the place of my nativity, ami where rests the mortal remains of my nmch beloved and respected father. Very sincerely yours, Wm. Appleton. Messrs. Aaron Kimball, Francis Howe, and others. N. B. — I enclose a check for one hundred dollars, which please apply toward the expenses of the celebration. Our Boy, East Brookfield — A promising minor, destined soon to come to his rights; he bids fair to make a vigorous and honored member of th^^^ old family of Brookficlds. Our hoy " Warren,'^ who left his Parent and set tip for himself in 1741. — He might have been a little wayward in his youth, but he makes a likely man, and does honor to the present age. 89 Rospnndoil to l>y T. M. Diiiiciin of North HrnokfioM, in prose and verse, A Pure Church, and Free Schooh, and a Government resjiuiutihle to the Pviiplf — These were the great uh'as which brought our falhei-s to New Kiig- l.ind, and our greatest honor will be to have aided hi the development of tiiese institutions. Hev. W. II. Heecher of North Brookfiold spoke to this, speaKuig of the n«>cossary result from and connection with the free schools of a free church, and a free government responsible to an intelligent people. Shdttonckf/uis, the Indinu Chief, who Hold (^hinhtiaf; to EnsUpi Cooper for three huudnd fiithoDiH of Wod up .•and practi-*ed his old scholar, the president of the day, in tlie ornament of 'making polite bows, whereupon Rev. Dr. Phelps congratulated him upon the proficiency of his pupil. The Ahsent Sons and Daui/hters of Old lirookiflcld. The Merriams of Sprinafield— The enterprising and worthy publisliers of that great "American institution," Webster's Unabridged Dictiouary ; they are sons of whom Brookfiold is proud. By ( lOo. Forbes, Esq : — Old lirookilield — She has turned out ni.iny brave boys and modest maidens, and sent them to prairie and town. May she continue year by year to add 90 recruits of tnie manhood and womanhood who shall be living epistles and proof of her worth. Rev. Hubbard Winslow, D. D. of Brooklyn, N. Y., made a short speech. Judge Danforth of New York, (a native,) seventy-four years absent, spoke briefly, also Deacon Josiah Gary of St. Charles, Mo., (a native;. The president here exhibited a note of the Massachusetts colonial currency numbered 5655, and dated December 1, 1772, for the amount of five shillings and four pence; also a stone pot, of Indian manufacture, of the capacity of about two gallons, which was found in the earth near the Wickaboag pond. Conspicuous upon the desk was also a lignum vitae mortar and pestle that showed a long and ample service, with a card reading as follows: — "This mortar was the property of John Howland, one of the Pilgrims, who landed from the Mayflower at Plymouth, in 1620. His descendant in the fifth gene- ration, Southworth Howland, resided in West Brookfield for half a century, tUl 1843. His widow and surviving sons and daughters are present to-day. George Howe, Esq., of Boston, offered the last sentiment, as follows: — The Ladies of the Three BrookfiekU — Among whom may be found those capable of acting in the place of Victoria herself. The band, which had through the whole afternoon interspersed their music with the other exercises, here played a parting tune, and tlie gatliering dispersed, well pleased with the exercises, and having never before assembled, never expecting again to assemble for a centennial celebration of the settle- ment of this old town. 91 CONCLUDING NOTE. The interval botwoon the pivinj; of this Oration, and tho printing of it, arose from many and coniplfcated causes; — tlie action of tlie several towns ; the great war of Southern Rebellion ; the author's removal to a distant state, etc. etc. The work after all the labor and care spent on it, will come short of the expectations of many, — of none more than of the author. It is really but a thread drawn through our multiform town history ; not the history itself A volume would bo filled with fragments of the great story, unwilliiij^ly k-ft behind, as I have traversed the stern and shadowy realm of our heroic past. Who will gather and pre- serve these precious traditions and fragments of record? Now they are within reach. Soon they will be gone past recovery. Rev. Cuuistopiier M. Cordley, sometime pastor at West Brook- field, — now deceased, — gathered for me a score of pages of capital traditions, — of forts and roads,; and family legends of the Gilbert, liAKNKs and a few other families. They are a choice bundle of local archteolgy ; so also, are some pages by Joel Jennings, Esq., as to Mason's Kill and Forts, at Brookfield, etc. Also a fine sketch of his father's family, and exteudttl notes of several other worthy households, from the pen of tho Hon. A.masa Wal'KER. A few pages full of curiosities as to North Brookfield's early days and ways, from Hon. Freeman Walker, betray him as having a rare aptitude for, and a store of that rich legejidar}' lore, which so beau- tifies and enriches history. A few other scraps, like the Sybil's leaves, growing costly as they diminish, await some patient annalist. Not long will they wait. It was my hope and purpose to edit and blend into this print, these treasures from the past ; as also notices of the royal men and families who planted these towns. But that would be forming a volume, which was not the service to which I was calK-d; and, se- lecting some families, to the neglect of others, would expose me to 92 the complaints of sensitive survivors. So these touching, precious and n^structive local traditions, and the family genealogies, are left to some faithful lover of our truly heroic ancestry. The substantial historic frame-work, I am happy to think, will be found m th,8 Oration,-which, with the reverent admiration of a child toward a worthy parentage, has been, with much pains-taking drawn up, and is now fraternally presented to my Townsmen and Jbriends. % To those now living, I give joyous salutations for the Times in which we live; to those who shall come after, I send hopeful assur- ances now enjoyed, of a day radiant with the glories of which our leathers saw only the fainter beams of its dawn. The Eedeemer in whom they trusted is strong. I^uMtue, /«„., February, 1860. ^'^^^ WHITING. hFe 06 IGGO, A 18G(». Bl-GENTENNIxVL OrATION MAnK IN WEST BROOKPIELD, JUL*Y^4^ 1860. AT Till; 1 i.i.l.];i;A riuN (m nil. TWO HTINDKEDTH ANNIVERSAJtY OF THE 8KTTI.KMKMT OF TJIK TOWN OF BKOOK FIELD. BY LYMAN WHITING, D.D. * IfATtVS or >OBTn BIOOKriBLD. WEST BROOKFIELD: PRINTED BY THOMAS MORKY. 186 9. -^. — f--^*^