V ► • ' - .0' 'O ■ "bv* ■^Ao< •■ ^^-^ '> . * » - " ' .^ ^o *. o'^ : -v.*' 'Y l\ >i ^'A, - ,*' ^ , •^ v*^ ^o ^o V °«. ' • xO ■^^ "':3' •kM^\/;^ % f-_ HISTORY TOWN OF MEDFORD, MIDDLESEX COUNTY, MASSACHUSETTS, jFrom it^ JFirst Settlement in 1630 to 1855. CHARLES BROOKS. // 3S£biS£tJ, ISnlargetJ, anb Brourjfjt Saiatx to 1885, jm^es\nl. usher. i-IH%A -BOSTO$?>: CK^ RAND, AVERY, &':x:^PANY. E\)z JrankU'n Pr^. ^^ I 886. O \%i M^ 1^ .v\. ^ Sb'\ Qpf1 ;l Copyright, 1SS5, By JAMES M. USHER. PREFACE. Thr announcement on tlie titlepage of this volume is a suffi- cient statement of the fact that it is based on the earUer work of Mr. Brooks ; and, indeed, no comi)lete history of Medford can be written which does not largely embody the material collected by him. Medford had no early annalist. The sources from which the account of its settlement must be made up are scanty and ob- scure ; and such imperfect information as exists must be collected from widely scatteretl records. Mr. Brooks had devoted many years of his life to the task of compiling his materials. He was, moreover, an enthusiastic and painstaking antiquarian, who had inherited from his ancestors, among the first settlers of the town, a fund of traditional lore. If, then, the present volume throws little new light upon the early history of the town, it is because his research was so thorough and exhaustive tliat he left but a barren field of labor to his successors. But the labors of Mr. Brooks as an historian ended with the publication of his volume, thirty-one years ago. Much has hap- pened since that date, which deserves a permanent record ; and much of the detail of our later municipal life will be lost, if those who have lived through it " die, and make no sign." It so happened that I was tlie ])ul)lishcr of the original History ; and, as a native and resident of Medford, I felt more than a pul)- lisher's interest in that work. It has long been my wish to see the annals of the town brought down to current date. In despair of seeing the work taken up by more competent hands, I have, for several years, devoted the time I could spare from other labors to the collection of facts and information touching the later history of the town, with a view to supplementing Mr. Brooks's work. In the performance of my task, and in the effort to fuse my materials with those of Mr. Brooks, I have found it necessary to make some changes in the arrangement of the contents of the original volume ; to suppress some of its more unimportant de- tails ; and, for one reason or another, to make occasional altera- tions in the text. It has been my aim, however, as far as possible, to preserve Mr. Brooks's text, — especially to respect that some- times quaint, and often racy, phraseology, characteristic of the writer. 4 PREFA CE. In collecting the fiicts of contemporaneous history, the com- piler has constantly to be on his guard against the intrusion of matter of merely ephemeral interest ; and, in the abundance of more deserving topics, there is a call for selection and conden- sation, which holds the ambitious chronicler under a somewhat painful constraint. I cannot hope that I have always coped suc- cessfully with these difficulties, and can only say that I have done my best. Many subjects which had been carefully written out have been omitted from the volume, and this effort to keep down its size has been attended with some sacrifice. An apology is due to subscribers for the delay which has occurred in the publication of this volume. I have to plead in excuse, that I have found it necessary to deal with a greater variety of topics than had entered into my original design, and that consequently the work has been continually growing upon my hands. The collection and verification of facts is at best a tedious process : and, in the effort to bring the history '■ up to present date," I have had to fight against time ; for, even while I have been compiling, events of local interest were occurring, which not only called for record, but frequendy for the recast- ing of pages already written. The lapse of time necessarily makes history. It is hoped, however, that the delay due to these and other causes, has inured to the advantage of the work : it has certainly entailed upon the editor much addi- tional labor and expense. I have reason to be grateful for the encouragement I have received during the prosecution of my task. My applications for information have always been courteously responded to, — in many cases by strangers, on whom I had no claim. My warmest thanks are due to friends for their assistance and coun- sel ; and I am especially indebted to Mr. Charles Cummmgs, Thomas S. Harlow, Esq., and Parker R. Litchfield, Esq., who have greatly aided me in my work, and to Mrs. George L. Stearns for a sketch of her husband's life. I wish also to make my ac- knowledgments to the Library Committee for their kindness and courtesy. There is one other friend who has followed me care- fully through my labors, and to whom I am under the greatest obligations for suggestions and practical help ; but I respect his wishes in making no mention of his name. To the town of Medford, in its corporate capacity, I return my heartfelt thanks for the substantial aid it has given to my undertaking. Loving Medford as I ilo, I shall be proud and happy if it shall be deemed that I have, in my declining years, done any thing to convey to the coming generations of her children a better knowledge of an important and honorable period of her municipal life. JAMES M. USHER. PREFACE TO THE ORIGINAL HISTORY. In writing this History, it has been my wish to secure INIcdford such territory in time as its acres are territory in space. The gathering of these annals has been too long delayed. Time, moth, and rust have done their fatal work on many valuable materials ; and some gentlemen, who felt a deep interest in their native town, have died without leaving any manuscript testimonies. When the history of New England shall be written, the true data will be drawn from the records of its towns. Now, therefore, in humble imitation of those States in our Union which have contributed each its block of gran- ite, marble, or copper to the National Monument at Washington, I, ask leave to offer Medford's historical contribution to the undecaying pyramidic mon- ument which justice and genius will hereafter raise to the character and in- stitutions of New England. The records of the first forty years are lost. I have reproduced them, as far as I could, from documents in the General Court relating to our earliest history; from several monuments of the first settlers, which are yet standing among us; from authentic traditions which were early recorded; and from collateral histories of the neighboring towns. To find the lost, and remem- ber the forgotten, seems to be the province of the local annalist. From the moment I reached the first town-records of Medford (1674), I implicitly fol- lowed those excellent guides. Where I could save space by abbreviations, without altering the sense, I have occasionally done so in my quotations, and have used our modern orthography. The spirit of antiquarian research, now beginning to show itself, will lead to the discovery of many facts concerning the early history of Medford which are beyond my reach. These may soon render necessary a new history of the town ; and I hope it may be under- taken by a person whose ability and leisure will enable him to do far greater justice to the subject than has been within my power. There are no foot-notes in this volume. My reason for incorporating such matter with the text is this: whenever notes are printed at the bottom of a page, it is expected they will be read in at the place where the asterisk in the text directs. If the note is put there to be read in there, why not put it into the text at that place, and thus save the eye the trouble of wandering down to the bottom of the page to hunt up the note, and then wandering back again to find the spot whence it started on its search? If the new mode I have adopted should prove inconvenient to readers, they must so declare against it that no writer will follow the example. I have received great help from the Massachusetts Colony Records; and S 6 PREFACE. Dr. X. V,. Shitrtleff's beautiful edition of them is a noble monument to a faithful student and public benefactor. I have also gathered much from the Historical Collections of the Massachusetts Historical Society, — from Win- throp, Hutchinson, Wood, and other early writers; and especially from the registries of Deeds and Probate. Mr. Fkotiiingham's " History of Charles- town" is invaluable. I have obtained less information from old manuscripts in Medford than I expected. Many such important papers, long since col- lected here, have been irrevocably scattered. I have received aid from Calkb Sw.an, Esq., of New York; from Mr. Joskph P. Hall, the accurate town-clerk; from Rev. Samuel Sewall, Mr. W. B. Shedp, and several other friends. To each and all I would here offer my sincere thanks. To Messrs. William Tufts, of Boston, George W. Porter and Peter C. H.A.LL, of Medford, I owe special acknowledgments for their examination of my proof-sheets. The Register of Families has been prepared by my young friend, Mr. William 11. Whitmore, of Boston. With the patience that belongs to older scholars, with an accuracy that belongs to a true lover of genealogical inquiry, and with a generosity that issues from a Christian heart, he has devoted himself to these researches; and every family mentioned in the Register owes him a debt of gratitude. Collcgisse jtivat. By means of printed circulars and public addresses in 1S53, '54, and '55, I gave very urgent invitations to all the living descendants of our ancestors, and to all the present inhabitants of Medford, to furnish me with genealogi- cal registers of their families, promising to insert all they might send. Many have complied with these requests, and many have not. I regret exceedingly that families, who alone possess the requisite information, should have with- held it. It is a serious loss to our history, and may hereafter be regretted by themselves. In this respect, the history of a town is apt to disappoint every- body. These registers of early families in New England will contain the only authentic records of the true Anglo-Saxon blood existing among us; for, if foreign immigration should pour in upon us for the next fifty years as it has for the last thirty, it will become difficult for any man to prove that he has descended from the Plymouth Pilgrims. I have introduced much collateral history, as illustrative of local laws, ideas, and customs. The true history of a town is nearly an epitome of that of the State. It is not a single portrait, but a full-length figure amidst a group, having the closest relations to all contemporary life, and to all sur- rounding objects. To neglect these accessory circumstances and illustrations, is to leave all life out of historic details, and convert history into a wide, silent field of graves, ruins, and darkness. I have spared no pains or expense in collecting materials for this work; but my chief solicitude has been con- cerning its accuracy. In no case have I recorded a fact, or drawn an infer- ence, without having satisfactory historical evidence of its truth. If my labors shall help to fix Medford in the elevated rank it now holds in the State, and shall stimulate future generations to deserve and attain a higher, mv proudest hopes will be realized. That peace may for er>er be loithiii its 'walls, aiiil prosperity within its palaces, is the fcr\ent j^raver of its humble friend, CHARLES BROOKS, CONTENTS. [For Alphabetical Index of Natnes and Topics, see End of the Volume.] CHAPTER I. PAGES Name and Location. — Boundaries. — Ponds. — Mystic River. — Brooks. — Hti.ls. — Climate. — Soil and Productions. — Natural History ^1)-Z^ CHAPTER n. Medford Records. — First Settlement. — Matiiew Cradock. — Land and Landowners. — Ancient Landmarks and Mon- uments 39~^3 CHAPTER IH. Roads. — Railroads. — Bridges. — Indians 64-99 CHAPTER IV. Civil History. — Territorial Grants. — Municipal Organiz.-v- TioN. — Enlargement of Territory. — Town Meetings.— Medford a Town from the Time of its Settlement.— Causes of New-England Prosperity. — Lists of Town Officers. — Gov. John Brooks. — Col. Isaac Royal . . 100-154 CHAPTER V. Political History. — Patriotic Stand taken during the Revolution. — Action on State Constitution. — Votes in First State Elections iSS"'72 CHAPTER VL Military History. — Early Military Organization. — Med- ford Officers in the Revolution.— War ok 1S12.— Militia. — [Old] Medford Light Infantry. — Brooks Pha- lanx. — Lawrence Light Guard i73-'98 7 8 cox '/'/■:. vrs. CIIArTER vir. TAfJES Military Hisiory, continuep. — Mkdkord Light Infantry.— IMedkord Volunteers in Various Organizations during THE CiYiL War. — Prison and Hospital Experiences. — Home Work ok the War. — Deaiii Record of Medford Soldiers. — Lawrence Rifles 199-212 CHAPTER VHL Roll of Medford Men who seryed in the Union Army dur- ing THE ReIJELLION 2I3-219 CHAPTER L\. Ecclesiastical History. — Early Ministers. — Rev. Aaron Porter. — Rev. Eeenezer Turell. — Rev. David Osgood, 220-246 CHAPTER X. Ecclesiastical History, continued. — First Parish. — Second Congregational Society. — Mystic C hurch. — Universalist Society. — Methodist-Episcopal Church. — First Baptist Church. — Grace (Episcopal) Church. — Congregational Church, West Medford. — Trinity Methodist-Episcopal Society of West Medford. — Catholic Church . . . 247-279 CHAPTER XL Education. — Purlic Schools. — List of Teachers. — List of School Com.mittees. — Academies. — College Graduates, 2S0-301 CHAPTER XH. PUI3LIC Libraries 302-308 CHAPTER XHL Tufts College v 309-318 CHAPTER XIV. Charities. — Physicians. — Lawyers. — Authors. — Public Characters 319-32G CHAPTER XV. Fire-department. — Poard of Health. — Water-supply. — IjURving-grounds. — Great Tornado. — Fires. — Pounds. Local Diseases 327-348 CONTEXTS. 9 CHAPTER xvr. PAGES Crfmes ANn Punishments. — Si,aveky. — PAurERrsM. — Alms- houses 349-362 CHAPTER XVri. Taxes. — Lists of Early Tax-payers. — Currency .... 363-381 CHAPTER XVHI. ^rIDDLESEX Canal. — LiGHTERiNr.. — Mills. — Taverns. . . 3S2-390 CHAPTER XIX. Public Euildings. — First, Second, and Third Meeting- houses. — Schoolhouses. — Town Hall 391-40S CHAPTER XX. Trade and AIanufactures. — Fisiifries. — Ship-kuilding. — P)RICK-MAKING. — DISTILLERIES. — OtHER INDUSTRIES. — Stage-coaches. — Newspapers. — Medford Savings Bank, 409-441 CHAPTER XXL Societies and Associations 442-447 CHAPTER XXII. Biographical Notices 448-4SS CHAPTER XXIIL Hlstorical and Local Items.— Middlesex Fells.— Gov- ernors OF Massachusetts 4^9-5' 2 CHAPTER XXIV. Post-offices. — Population. — Taijles of Annual Expenditures and Valuations 5'3~5'^ REGISTER OF FAMILIES 5'9-587 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. PAGE Medford Square Frontispiece. Charles Brooks . .' Facing 39 Cradock House "60 Garrison House on Pasture Hill Lane ... "62 Summer House, Royal Farm 63 Boston and Lowell Railroad Station, 1S51 . . . Facing 70 Boston and Lowell Railroad Station, 1885 ... " 72 Boston and Maine Railroad Station, 1S47 ... '"74 Boston and Maine Railroad Station, 1SS6 ... "76 Cradock Bridge "86 James M. Usher "89 Residence of Thatcher Magoun, 2D " 9° Residence of George L. Stearns "100 Old Swan House, High Street "116 Judah Loring "128 Gov. John Brooks " ^Zli Gov. Brooks's Birthplace " 13*5 Residence of Gov. Brooks "142 Royal House " 146 Old Tufts House, Public Square. (Removed in 1S67) . " 155 Facsimile OF Tax-bill, 1772 "158 Facsimile of Receipt for Money paid for Service in Continental Army " 1^4 Facsimile of Oath of Allegiance, 1778 .... "166 Residence of Capt. Joshua T. Foster .... "184 Soldiers' Monument 219 Rev. Ebenezer Turell Facing 246 Rev. David Osgood " ~M Unitarian Church " 255 Mystic Church " ^68 Universalist Church, 1850 "269 Methodist-Episcopal Church " -7° Baptist Church '271 Grace Church • " -74 12 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIOXS. West-Medford Congregational Church Catholic Church .... 796 . AL Money Trinity Methodist-Ei'iscopal Churci Charles Cum.mings Public Library Thatcher Magoun, 2D Turrs College, 1855 IIosea Ballou, 2D, D.D Thomas A. Goddard The Barnum Museum of Natural Goddard Chapel, Tufts College Dudley Hall . Maria Gowen Brooks Engine-House . Stocks and Pillory Lydia Maria Child Facsimile of Tax-bill, i Facsimile of Continent Fountain House Medford House, 1825 First Church . Second Church Third Church Old Brick Schoolhouse High-school House Brooks Schoolhouse Residence of J. Henry Ocean Express TH.A.TCHER Magoun, ist Launch on the Mystic Withington's Bakery Residence of Henry H Charles Brooks Facsimile of Chaplain's Warrant, i Facsimile of Certificate . Peter C. Brooks, 2D . . . George L. Stearns John T. White .... Joshua T. Foster .... Facsimile of an Acknowledgment Slaves Facsimile of Receipt . Gen. John Brooks Jon.\than Brooks's Homestead . I, W History NORCROSS r\STINGS est Medford. 77 Pur Tuf TS C chase of "acing 276 " 279 " 281 " 291 " 302 " 305 " 309 " 312 " 3'4 EGE 3.6 " 3'8 " 3-- 326 331 3SI Facing 357 " 372 " 378 " 388 " 390 391 395 400 Facing 404 405 407 Facing 414 " 421 " 423 " 427 " 436 " 441 " 44S " 451 " 451 " 453 " 459 " 477 j> 488 Facin^ 5498 " 500 vo nanuHl ; hut the opinions anil habius ot men olianiiv with the oonuirios. anvl wo wlu^ iiavo nukh whi.^koy and little oivler may not be uncharitable towardvS those who had mnch cider, and i\o whiskey. Bui the point tor observation is the tact, that, in Colonial times, the lanvl in this »x\i;ion was rich and pixxluctive. Neverthe- less, it ne^Hled help from manuix*; and joh)\son tells us, that in this rei;ion "there was a i^reat store of tlsh in the sprin^^ time, especially alewives, about the largeness of a herring; and that many thons;\nd of these they nse to put vmder their Indian corn/' This meih«.Hl of enriching the soil in places near the ocean, and by those streams in which such tish abounded, was continued for many years ; and son^e farmei^ practise it at the pivsent time. The tiJ'st settle!^, as ahvady intimated, found clay in : oixMU jxxrts of their plantation wheiv cellars and wells Wv.o dug; and they concludcH.1 that drought could not extensively injure a soil which had a deep substratum of this water-pi\v>f material. It shouUl be observevl that the pioneers in this town, as elsewheiv in New l^ngland. weiv the great land-holdei's. They c\>nstitutevi the comjxmy that made the local rules and regulations before the town w^\s oiv;-;\niievl There weiv many adventui-ers who did not K^long to the eom- }\\ny, and they settled w heix^ they c\>uld buy or hire at the ■\ s: ad\^l\ntag\^, Oct. 7, 1640, we find the following rec- ** Jv^n Gjt^nlaixd is ^rrant^l his petition, which is, to plant upon a f.xxsacrx? K>t iu Ckari^stown, bounds on Mistick Ri\>er." The xule for planting was: Plant when the white-oak lea\x>s are the si^e of a mouse's ear. Hence the lines : — *• When the whiieM>ak leaves look goslin gray. Pl^mt then, be it April. June, or ^^ay." " Our fathers were farmers after the English modes, and ^ .: to learn mam - " sky and ' OF MEL J :>^ e lrj*3^ iff "tber -mrtrtf^^ r. h-yjn il 15 -. - - . --iiijj.c:» - .: ^ : ... .. . _. ..„.' a i-: • . Slit siS:fk:TS car^e bere. From tx:.z- ^ A.^£4.x^u.xxvwxj. ^^x x-ta^ir^^j-C- a.^w:3 i^v i_".*i I'^f ;d-l 16144 Aug, I. T i^ 3- ' ~ 12. : ^ T *■ " '>• - - ig. ; 1647, J% 5- ~ 14- 2- « 7- SepL 15- 1648, Mar 26. .- t 2ioan ir. ite i: 1649, JiiZv 2^- A^-::>? r^Tt " Potatoes were not ...., .. :. , _. ...it settlei^; altbongh among the articles "to send for New England" froin 30 HISTORY OF MED FORD. London, March i6, 1628, "potatoes" are named. Their first introduction to this neighborhood is said to have been by those emigrants, called the "Scotch-Irish," who first entered Londonderry, N.H., April 11, 1719. As they passed through Andover, Mass., they left some potatoes as seed, to be planted that spring. They were planted according to the directions ; and their balls^ when ripened, were supposed to be the edible fruit. The balls, therefore, were carefully cooked and eaten ; but the conclusion was, that the Andover people did not like potatoes. An early snow-storm covered the potato-field, and kept the tubers safely till the plough of the next spring hove them into sight. Some of the largest were then boiled ; whereupon the Andover critics changed their opinion, and have used them from that day. When the potato was first known in Scotland, it suffered a religious persecution, like some other innocent things. The Scots thought it to be a most unholy esculent, blas- phemous to raise, and sacrilegious to eat. They therefore made its cultivation an illegal act ; and why .? " Because," as they said, "it is not mentioned in the Bible." The prejudice against this unoffending vegetable was so great at Naples, in Italy, that the people refused to eat it, even in the time of famine. The soil in Medford has been found particularly fitted for this plant, owing to a sub- stratum of clay, which keeps it moist. The early mode of preserving potatoes through the winter was to bury them below the reach of the frost, and shelter them from rain. Raising stock was an enterprise of paramount impor- tance during the first century of our town, and the early farmers were enriched by it more than by any other de- partment of their labor. Proximity to Boston gave them an easy and sure market, and free pasture-lands enabled them to raise cattle at a small expense. The fatting of cattle in the early days of our township was attended with little difficulty or expense ; for they had hundreds of acres over which to range, unlooked to by their owners, till the close of the summer, when they were taken to the stall, and fed with corn. Each quadruped was marked with its owner's name, and was immediately restored when it had wandered into a neighboring town. The trouble with swine was much greater. March 9, 1637, before the lands under cultivation were generally HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 3 1 fenced, the following law became necessary, and was en- acted : — " All swine shall be kept up in yards, or islands, or committed to keepers, under penalty of los. for every swine not so disposed of; and whatsoever swine shall be taken in corn or meadow-ground shall for- feit 5J-. apiece to those that shall empound them, and the owners shall be liable to pay double damages." When mowing-grounds and tillage-fields became fenced, and that was earfy, then it became a common habit with our ancestors to let "hogs run at large," as they were allowed to run in the City of New York, many years ago ; of which practice something may be said on the score of economy, but very little of its neatness. It is to be pre- sumed that during the first half-century, and even after that, the law of 1637 was so rigidly enforced,_ that the swine were kept within tolerable limits ; but in March, 1 72 1, the fencing of roads and fields had become so gen- eral, that the town voted to let the hogs go at large again. This was such a grievous offence to many persons, that the action was reversed six years later; and in March, 1770, the town took final action in the matter, and voted that the hogs should no longer go at large. This action wrought wonderful changes in the grounds around private dwellings, gave public roads and walks an air of neatness they never had before, and really marked a new era in the assthetic history of the town. It cannot but be interesting to those who in these times pay sixty dollars for an ox, one hundred dollars for a cow, two hundred dollars for a family horse, etc., to read of the following valuations placed upon such animals in 1689. A tax was to be raised at that time, and the oxen were val- ued at £2 los. each ; the cows, 2.t £1 los. \ each horse at £2 ; and other animals at an equally low rate. Ship-building and brick-making were among the first lucrative vocations of the people of Medford, and we can thus see that they were favorably situated for the attain- ment of wealth. Spinning and weaving in those days were almost as much a part of farm-labor as the making of butter and cheese ; and the farmer's wife and daughters were not a whit behind him in patient toil or productive results. Hemp and flax were used for clothing ; and the labor of making these into garments for workmen was not small. 32 HISTORY OF MED FORD. As Boston increased in population, the neighboring farm- ers found another source of constant gain in tJic milk busi- ness. This led to raising cows on an extensive scale, while this, in its turn, led to the culture of grass and hay in preference to corn. The amount of butter and cheese made in Medford has been, therefore, comparatively small ; the milk-farms being found more profitable. At the begin- ning of this century, the quantity of milk sold in Boston by our Medford farmers was very large, and its price varied from three to five cents a quart. During the last fifty years, Medford milk has found a good home market. The cultivation of fruit has been a favorite and profita- ble employment in this town. Many farms have greatly increased in value as the result of this pursuit, which has been a specialty with many farmers in this and surround- ing towns. The rapid increase in population during the last decades has diminished the size of apple-orchards, so that it is no longer usual for them to produce two or three hundred barrels each in a year ; but the quality of fruit has been constantly improved, and pears, plums, quinces, grapes, and some other pomological productions of the best varieties, are abundant in all this region. To Medford belongs the honor of introducing to the peo- ple of New England the delicious Baldwin apple. The tree that first bore this fair and precious fruit grew on the side-hill within two rods of the former 'Woburn line, and about ten rods east of the present road which leads from West Medford to the ancient boundary of Woburn. It was on the farm occupied by Mr. Samuel Thompson, forty or fifty rods south of the building that was called " Black Horse Tavern." The author of the first history of Med- ford, at the request of Gov. Brooks, went to see this tree in 1 813. It was then very old, and partly decayed, but bore fruit abundantly. Around its trunk the woodpeckers had drilled numerous holes, and, because of this prominent feature of the tree, its apples were called "Woodpecker Apples." In process of time the name was shortened, and the apples were called " Peckers." They had their present name from this cause ; viz., Mr. Baldwin of Woburn, the father of Loammi Baldwin, was an intimate friend of young IMr. Thompson (afterwards Count Rumford), and both of them, being lovers of science, asked permission of Pro- fessor Winthrop to attend his course of lectures in natural philosophy at Harvard College. Twice each week, these HISTORY OF MEDFORD. y^, two ambitious students walked from their homes in Wo- burn to bring baek with them the teachings of the learned professor. One day, as they were passing the " Wood- pecker Tree," they stopped to contemplate the tempting red cheeks on its loaded boughs ; and the result was the usual one, — they took and tasted. They were greatly sur- prised to iind the quality of the fruit more excellent than its appearance, and unhesitatingly they pronounced the apples the best they had ever tasted. Some years, after this. Col. Baldwin took several scions from this tree to a public nursery.; and from this circumstance they named the apple after him, which name it has since retained. In the gale of September, 1815, this parent tree fell ; but it left to us and to posterity a numerous progeny of Bald- wins, that will be highly esteemed wherever known. That the Baldwin apple is a natural fruit, and not the result of grafting, we have the testimony of Mr. L. R. Symmes, formerly of Medford, but now of Winchester,, who says, — " I well remember that tree. I picked its fruit every season for several years ; and, although we called the apples ' Peckers ] at^ that time, they were the same a's those that are now called ' Baldwins.' " My reason for knowins; that the fruit of the original tree was natu- ral, and not grafted, is, that a sprout which came up from the roots o£ that tree bore the same kind of apples that the tree itself did. The tree was not killed when it was blown over; but a part of its roots remained in the ground, and it lived until it was destroyed by fire, at the burning of the house of the late Mr. Boone, some twenty years ago. It stood, so near his house, that some of its branches touched his windows." The price of land has steadily increased from two shil- lings an acre in 1635, and five shillings in 1689, to fifty dollars in 1778, and one hundred dollars in 1830. From the year 1800 to the present time, favorite house-lots have advanced in price so rapidly, that two thousand dollars would be refused for a single acre. This fashionable re- treat from city to suburban life has induced the owners of farms to cut up into house-lots their tillage-lands, and sell them at public auction, as they could not afford to till land that was so valuable for other purposes. Natural History. — The rocks are mostly primit-ve granite or sienite, existing in large masses. Some are in a state of decay, as, for example, the "Pasture-hill gravel" This gravel is used extensively for garden-walks, and its fineness and color make it very desirable. The soil is 34 HISTORY OF MEDFORD. composed mostly of silex and argil, a mixture favorable to vegetation. The flora of Medford is a fair representation of the botanical products of the State. The high hills, rocky- pastures, large plains, alluvial intervales, deep swamps, and extensive marshes in this town, give food to almost all kinds of trees, plants, shrubs, grasses, and sedges. The presence of fresh water and salt, also the mingling of them in Mystic River, produce a rich variety of herbaceous plants ; and the salt-marsh flowers, though very small, are often exceedingly beautiful. Of lichens there are great varieties, and some rare specimens of the cryptogamous plants. Among our forest-trees we have the oak in four varie- ties, — white, black, red, and gray. Two varieties of wal- nut are found here; and "nutting," once a great pastime with Medford boys in the month of October, is not all in the past. Graceful elms rejoice our eyes wherever we turn, and our streets are shaded by them. The clean, symmetrical rock-maple has come among us, and seems to thrive like its brother, the white-maple. Of the chestnut, we have known two large trees in the woods, but have never heard of more. Beach-trees have never been abund- ant or thrifty here ; and we can say the same of the black and the white ash. There are still flourishing specimens of three varieties of birch, — the black, the white, and the yellow. The class of forest evergreens is well represented in Medford. The white and pitch pines are common, though their use in building, and their consumption by steam- engines, have made them comparatively scarce. One of the most familiar, beautiful, and valuable forest-trees, is the cedar ; and both kinds, the red and white, are here. The hemlock and the holly are only casual among us. Whether all these trees were common when our ancestors first set- tled here, we cannot say ; for there may have been then what we now see, namely, a rotation of forest-trees. We have seen a pine-forest felled, and an oak one spring in its place ; and, where the oak one has been felled, the pine has sprung up. In like manner, the cedar and maple for- ests have been rotatory. The fruit-trees now so numerous and of so great varie- ty were not indigenous to the soil, but were brought here at different times from other countries. Also the orna- HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 35 mental trees and flowering shrubs, so extensively culti- vated, are largely from different parts of Europe, and Central and South America ; so that we seem to live in the midst of the vegetation of five zones. Wild animals once abounded in the forests of Medford, as we may learn by consulting the ancient records of the town. May 18, 163 1 : " It is ordered that no person shall kill any wild swine without a general agreement at some court." The bear was quite social with our fathers, and for a century haunted their home here. He was far less destructive than the wolf. Wolves and wild-cats were such devourers of sheep that premiums were paid for their heads. Going back to Sept. 6, 163 1, we find these rec- ords : "The wolves did much hurt to calves and swine be- tween Charles River and Mistick." Sept. 2, 1635 : "It is ordered that there shall be 5^-. for every wolf, and \s. for every fox, paid out of the treasury to him who kills the same." Nov. 20, 1637 : " \os. shall be paid for every wolf, and 2s. for every fox." Wolves have disappeared from this locality ; but foxes are occasionally seen. Deer were very common when our fathers settled in Medford ; and until the beginning of this century, our inhabitants chose annually an officer whom they called "Deer Reeve." Dec. 25, 1739 : "Voted to choose two persons to see to the preservation of deer, as the law directs." Nov. 15, 1637 : "It is ordered that no man shall have leave to buy venison in any town, but by leave of the town." The raccoon, that used to plunder our cornfields, has disappeared. The mink and muskrat are still around our streams and ponds ; but the boys seldom find them, though often engaged in the hunt for that game. The woodchuck, weasel, skunk, gray and yellow squirrel, are still seen in some parts of the town. Rabbits, that were once abundant, have nearly disappeared ; and the oldest inhabitant cannot recollect seeing a wild beaver. Moles and meadow-mice are still so abundant as to be troublesome ; and, if posterity should wish to know if rats and mice are a pest to us in this generation, we leave on record our emphatic affirmative. The birds now common in Medford are such as abound in all this region, and such as are usually found in this lati- tude all around the continent. As birds must follow their food, their migration northward in spring, and southward in autumn, enables us to see a great variety of these trav- ellers. How powerful, how mysterious, is this impulse for 36 HISTORY OF MED FORD. change of place ! God seems to have touched them with his spirit, and they became as obedient as the planets. " Who bade the stork, Columbus-hke, explore Heavens not his own, and worlds unknown before? Who calls the council, states the certain day? Wlio forms the phalanx, and who points the way?" Some birds, like wild geese, make their journey in one steady flight, only pausing for food and rest ; while others advance slowly to greet the opening buds, the spring in- sects, and the spawning herring. Some leave the sunny south, and hasten to a cooler clime, passing us at Medford in April or May ; and a close observer might publish regu- lar ornithological bulletins of their successive arrivals. Of those that rest with us, the first-comer in the spring is the bluebird, whose winter home is in Mexico and Brazil, and whose first song here is a soft, exhilarating, oft-repeated warble, uttered with open, quivering wings, and with such a jubilant heart as to thrill us with delight. Then comes the friendly and social robin. The old robins do not, usu- ally, go fur south in the winter, and frequently they stay in this region, with the woodpecker and other birds, all through that cold and stormy season ; but the young robins migrate in autumn, sometimes as far south as Texas. A large variety of spring birds, among which are the bunt- ings, finches, sparrows, and thrushes, come in quick suc- cession to rear their young. Snipes, quails, partridges, and woodcocks come a little later. Sandpipers, plovers, teals, and ducks arrive among the latest. Medford Pond was a common resort for several kinds of wild ducks in the long-ago ; but the sound of the hunter's gun, and the progress of civilization, startled them from that retreat, so that in these days very few are seen there. The barn-swallow, that comes from the Gulf of Mexico to spend his summer with us, is always greeted with a joy- ous welcome about the loth of May. The rice-bird of Carolina, called the reed-bird in Pennsylvania, and the butter-bird in Cuba, is called here the bobolink, and it amuses us greatly. The male, when he arrives, is dressed up as showily as a field-officer on parade-day, and seems to be quite as happy. Wild with the gush of animal spirits, he appears not to know what to do, and flies and sings as if he needed two tongues to utter all his joy. We might speak of the little wren, that creeps into some hole under HISTORY OF MED FORD. 37 our eaves, and there rears its numerous family ; the hum- ming-bird, that builds so skilfully in our gardens that we never find its nest ; the yellow-bird, that makes the air resound with its love-notes ; 'the thrush, that seems made to give the highest concert-pitch in the melody of the woods ; the sparrows, that a few years ago were brought from Englan.d, and are now very numerous in this country : and to these we might add the night-hawk, the whippoor- will, and many more that spend their s-ummer with us ; but these are enough to show that the dwellers in Medford are favored each season with the sight and song of a rich variety of birds. We find the following record made March 8, 1631 : "Flocks of wild pigeons, this day, so thick that they obscure the light." Another record shows that our fathers preserved the game laws. Sept. 3, 1634: "There is leave granted [by the Genera] Court] to Mr. John Winthrop, jun., to employ his Indian to shoot at fowl" (probably in Mystic River). The fish most common in oui waters were the shad, ale- wives, smelt, bass, perch, bream, eel, sucker, tom-cod, pick- erel, and shiner. Some of these are now rare. We do not now think of any species of fish which frequent either our salt or fresh waters that is unfit for food. Of insects we have our share, and could well do with fewer. If all persons would agree to let the birds live, we should have less complaint about destructive insects. The cedar or cherry bird is appointed to keep down the canker-worm ; and, where this useful bird is allowed to live unmolested, those terrible scourges are kept in due subjection. The borer, which enters the roots of apple, peach, quince, and other trees, and eats his way up in the alburnum, is a destroyer of the first rank among us. Of late years, almost every variety of tree, plant, and shrub, appears to have it's, patron insect, that devours its blossoms or its fruit. They are so numerous and destructive, that many persons do not plant certain kinds of vines, in eat- ing which these creatures display a most voracious appe- tite. The bugs most complained of here are the squash, yellow, potato, cabbage, apple, peach, pear, and rose bugs. Fire, water, and all sorts of decoctions, powders, and fumi- gations, have been resorted to for the extermination of the above-named bugs, yet all with unsatisfactory results. A Medford gardener, many years ago, who raised the most and best melons and squashes of any man in the country, 38 HISTORY OF MED FORD. was accustomed to place toads near his hills of plants. Every morning these hungry hunters would hop forth to their duty ; and their missile tongues, glued at the end, were sure to entrap every insect. Caterpillars and canker- worms have destroyed orchards, as grasshoppers have fields ; and the most thorough measures are necessary to prevent their ravages. The keeping of honey-bees was a favorite employment in the days of our Medford ancestors, and a pound of honey bore, for nearly two centuries, the same price as a pound of butter. As early as 1640 bees were kept here, and their gathered sweets were among the very choicest deli- cacies on our ancestral tables. The modes now adopted for taking a portion of honey from every hive, and yet leaving enough to feed the insect family through the win- ter, was not known by our forefathers. Their mode of securing the honey of their bees was the extreme of cru- elty and ingratitude. When autumn flowers ceased to yield any sweets, the owner of bees resolved to devote one hive to destruction ; and his method was as follows : He dug a hole in the ground, near his apiary, si.x inches square and three deep ; and into this hole he put brimstone enough to kill all the bees in any hive. When night had come, and the innocent family were soundly sleeping, the owner set fire to the brimstone, and then immediately placed the hive over the suffocating fumes, and there left it till morning, when it was found that not even a member of the hapless household was left ! We have given these broken notices of the natural his- tory of Medford, and of matters connected with it, in popular language, and without full scientific arrangement, deeming any further catalogue foreign to the purposes of this history. ^-^^-^ HISTORY OF MED FORD. 39 CHAPTER II. RECORDS OF THE TOWN OF MEDFORD. The best sources of history are contemporaneous rec- ords. The earhest records of the town extant are in a book fifteen inches long, six wide, and one inch thick. It is bound in parchment, and its leaves are tied together with leathern strings. The loss of the first thirty pages is much to be deplored. The first entry is as follows : — "The first Monday of February, in the year of our Lord, 1674: At a meetina; of the inhabitants of Medford, Mr. Nathaniel Wade was chosen constable for the year ensuing." The chirography is good, the sentences are properly constructed, and the spelling is unusually correct for that period. In accordance with the pedantry of the day, Latin quotations are frequently introduced among the somewhat dry and meagre details of town business, furnishing satis- factory assurance of the sound scholarship of our fathers. The first six pages of the book, in its present imperfect condition, were written by Jonathan Wade ; and, so far as is now known, he was the first town-clerk. His successor was Stephen Willis, who held the office thirty-six years, in two terms of service, — from 1675 to 1701, and from 1708 to 1718. John Bradstreet was town-clerk in the m- terval. The book closes with the retirement of Stephen Willis from the position he had so long and faithfully filled. The last item in the volume is dated Aug. 20, 171 8, and is the receipt of Rev. Aaron Porter for his salary. The second volume is a small folio, bound in parchment. Its records cover the period. from Feb. 12, 1718, to June 23, 1735. The third volume is a large folio, sadly torn and injured. The later town-records are complete, and well preserved in books which are calculated to stand the wear and tear of time. 40 HISTORY OF MEDFORD. The early church-records of the First Parish furnish much interesting information touching the religious life of the period, and they incidentally throw a good deal of light upon the personal and family history of the old in- habitants. The first volume begins May 19, 171 2, and ends April 13, 1774. It contains all the records of the church during the pastorates of Rev. Mr. Porter and Rev. Mr. Turell, including births, baptisms, and marriages, the doings of the church, the admissions to the Lord's Supper, etc. ; but it does not notice the deaths. The second vol- ume contains all the records belonging to the ministry of Dr. Osgood. It begins Sept. 14, 1774, and ends with his last entry, Dec. 2, 1822, made twelve days before his death. The earliest records of the town-treasurer which are preserved are those of Capt. Samuel Brooks, who died in 1768. The old records are made up of scanty and brief memo- randa, giving, in most cases, the barest statement of facts and transactions. The first official in Medford who seems to have had a just regard for posterity in making his rec- ords was Thomas Secomb, who, holding the office of town- clerk for twenty-two years (1745-67), recorded with admira- ble particularity the facts most important to the historian. IJie First Settlement. — To show properly the first com- ing of our ancestors to this region, it will be necessary to trace their last movements in England. Valuable infor- mation touching the purposes of the migration, and the views of its promoters, is furnished in a letter of Gov. Dudley to the Countess of Lincoln, dated March 28, 163 1. The followino; are extracts from it : — To the Right Honorable, my very good Lady, the Lady Bridget, Countess of Lincoln. Madam, — Touchinoj the plantation whicli we here have begun, it fell out ;hus: About the year 1627 some friends, being together in Lincolnshire, fell into discourse about New England and the planting of the gospel there ; and, after some deliberation, we imparted our reasons, by letters and messages, to some in London and the West Country, where it was likewise deliberately thouglit upon, and at length, with often negotiation, so ripened, that in the year 1628 we procured a patent from his Majesty for our planting between the Massachusetts Bay and Charles River on the south, and the River of Merrimack on the north, and three miles on either side of those riv- ers and bays, as also for the government of those who did or should inhabit within that compass. And the same year we sent Mr. John Endicott, and some with him, to begin a plantation, and to strengthen HISTORY OF MED FORD. 41 such as we should find there, which we sent thither from Dorchester and some places adjoining ; from whom, the same year, receiving hopeful news, the next year (1629) we sent divers ships over, with about three hundred people, and some cows, goats, and horses, many of which arrived safely. These, by their too large commendations of the country and the commodities thereof, invited us so strongly to go on, that Mr. Win- throp of Suffolk (who was well known in his own country, and well approved here for his piety, liberality, wisdom, and gravity), coming in to us, we came to such resolution, that in April, 1630, we set sail from Old England with four good ships. And, in May following, eight more followed ; two having gone before in February and March, and two more following in June and August, besides another set out by a private merchant. These seventeen ships arrived all safe in New England for the increase of the plantation here this year (1630), but made a long, a troublesome, and costly voyage, being all wind- bound long in England, and hindered with contrary winds after they set sail, and so scattered with mists and tempests, that few of them arrived together. Our four ships which set out in April arrived here in June and July, where we found the colony in a sad and unexpected condition ; above eighty of them being dead the winter before, and many of those alive weak and sick, all the corn and bread among them all hardly sufficient to feed them a fortnight. But, bearing these things as we might, we began to consult of our place of sitting down; for Salem, where we landed, pleased us not. And to that purpose some were sent to the Bay to search up the rivers for a convenient place, who, upon their return, reported to have found -x good place upon Mistick; but some other of us, seconding these, to approve or dislike of their judgment, we found a place liked us better, three leagues up Charles River, and thereupon un- shipped our goods into other vessels, and with much cost and labor brought them in July to Charlestown. But there receiving advertise- ments (by some of the late arrived ships), from London and Amster- dam, of some French preparations against us (many of our people brought with us being sick of fevers and the scurvy, and we thereby unable to carry up our ordnance and baggage so far), we were forced to change counsel, and for our present shelter to plant dispersedly, — some at Charlestown, which standetli on the nortli side of the mouth of Charles River; some on the south side thereof, which place we named Boston (as we intended to have done the place we first resolved on) ; some of us upon Mistick, which we named Meadford; some of us westward on Charles River, four miles from Charlestown, which place we named Watertownj others of us two miles from Boston, in a place we called Roxdury; others upon the River Saugus between Salem and Charlestown ; and the Western-men four miles south from Boston, in a place we named Dorchester. They who had health to labor fell to building, wherein many were interrupted with sickness, and many died weekly, yea, almost daily. After my brief manner I say this : that, if any come hither to plant for worldly ends that can live well at home, he commits an error of which he will soon repent him; but if for spiritual, and that no par- ticular obstacle hinder his removal, he may find here what may well content him, viz., materials to build, fuel to burn, ground to plant, seas and rivers to fish in, a pure air to breathe in, good water to drink till 42 HISTORY OF MED FORD. wine or beer can be made ; which together with the cows, hogs, and goats brougiit liither already, may suffice for food: as for fowl and venison, they are dainties here, as well as in England. For clothes and bedding', they must bring them with them, till time and industry produce them here. In a word, we yet enjoy little to be envied, but endure much to be pitied in the sickness and mortality of our people. If any godly men, out of religious ends, will come over to help us in the good work we are about, I think they cannot dispose of themselves, nor of their estates, more to God's glory and the furtherance of their own reckoning ; but they must not be of the poorer sort yet, for divers years. 1 am now, this 28th March, 1631, sealing my letters. Your Honor's old thankful servant, Thomas Dudley. By this letter we learn, that, while there was a religious purpose in the venture of those who first came to this part of New England, there was also, with many of them, large hope of temporal good Those who came over from Eng- land in 1628 met with dire misfortunes, and those who came in 1630 found the colony disheartened and in a famishing condition. The new-comers did not like Salem, and re- solved at once to make a new departure, and find, if possi- ble, a better location. In carrying out that resolve, they discovered the valley of the Mystic, which they called Mead- ford. Having supplied the wants of their friends at Salem, and having divided their party into six companies, those having health set to work earnestly at the different points named in the foregoing letter, and none were more prosper- ous than those who settled near the Mystic. In the Charlestown records, 1664, John Green, in giving a history of the first-comers, says, — "Amongst others that arrived at Salem at their own cost were Ralph Sprague, with his brethren Richard and William, who, with three or four more, by joint consent, and approbation of Mr. John Endicott, Governor, did, the same summer of anno 162S (29), under- take a journey from Salem, and travelled the woods above twelve miles to the westward, and lighted of a place situate and lying on the north side of Charles River, full of Indians, called Aberginians. Their old sachem being dead, his eldest son, by tlie English called John Saga- more, was their chief, and a man naturally of a gentle and good dispo- sition. . . . They found it was a neck of land, generally full of stately timber, as was the main and the land lying on the east side of the river, called Mystick River, from the farm Mr. Cradock's servants had planted called Mystick. which this river led up unto ; and, indeed, generally all the country round about was an uncouth wilderness, full of timber." These were the first European feet that pressed the soil we now tread. HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 43 Gov. Winthrop, in his Journal, says, — "Thursday, 17th of June, 1630: We went to Massachusetts to find out a place for our sitting-down. We went up Mystick Rive7- about six miles." This was probably the first exploration of the river, car- ried as far as Medford Hnes, and we may reasonably fix upon June 17, 1630, as the time when our Anglo-Saxon ancestors first came to Medford, and determined upon the settlement of the town, and thus took possession. The first settlers came from Suffolk, Essex, and Lincolnshire, in England. The first grant made by the Court of Assistants of lands in INIystic was made to Gov. Winthrop in 163 1. The record says, — " Six hundred acres of land, to be set forth by metes and bounds, near his house in Mistick, to enjoy to him and his heirs forever." He called his place the "Ten Hills Farm," which name it still retains, not as a farm, but as a section of the town, now converted into building-lots, and occupied for various purposes. This favorite selection of the chief magistrate would naturally turn his thoughts to his fast friend, Mathew Cradock, and lead him to induce Mr. Cradock's men to settle in the neighborhood. Thus we arrive at a natural reason for the first coming of shipwrights and fishermen to this locality. Gov. Winthrop had early settled the question for himself, and then immediately gave his advice to his friend's company; for, by special contract in England, the artisans were to work two-thirds of the time for the com- pany, and one-third for Mr. Cradock. This arrangement brought the Governor and these workmen very near to- gether, and made it for the interest and convenience of both to become neighbors. We do not see how it could well have been otherwise. The facts we infer are these. The four ships, " Arbella," "Jewell," "Ambrose," and "Talbot," which sailed from the Isle of Wight, April 8, 1630, brought the first settlers of this region. Two of the ships belonged to Mr. Cradock. The Governor had the care of Mr. Cradock's men, and, as soon as possible after his arrival, searched for the best place wherein to employ them. His choice fell on Mystic, probably on the seventeenth day of June ; and so rapidly did our young plantation thrive, that, on the 2Sth of Sep- 44 HISTOID V OF MED FORD. tember (only three months afterwards), Medford was taxed three pounds for the support of military teachers. Nov. 30, 1630, another tax of three pounds was levied. Thus Medford became a part of " London's Plantation in Massachusetts Bay." Twelve ships had brought, within a year, fifteen hundred persons ; and Medford had a large numerical share. The running streams of fresh water in our locality were a great inducement to English settlers ; for they thought such streams indispensable. In 1630, they would not settle in Roxbury "because there was no run- ning water." In Charlestown (1630) the "people grew discontented for want of water, who generally notioned no water good for a town but running springs." Medford, at the earliest period, became that anomalous body politic called a town, creating its own government, and electing its own officers. Careful provisions were made by the London Company for the allotment of land. At the meeting in London, March 10, 1628-29, the Court say, — " This day being appointed to take into consideration touching the division of the hinds in New England, whfere our first plantation shall be, it was, after much debate, thought fit to refer this business to the Governor (Cradock), and a committee to be chosen to that purpose to assist him ; and, whatsoever they shall do therein, that to stand for good." At the Court of Assistants, held in London, May 21, 1629, it was ordered : — "That two hundred acres of land be by them allotted to each adventurer for fifty pounds' adventure in the common stock, and ac- cording to that proportion, for more or less, as the adventure is ; to the intent that they may build their houses and improve their lands thereon. It is further fit and ordeied, that all such as go over there in person, or send over others at their charge, and are adventurers in the common stock, shall have lands (fifty acres) allotted unto them for each person they transport to inhabit the plantation, as well servants as all others." May 28, 1629: In the "second general letter" the Court said, — " We have further taken into our consideration the fitness and con- veniency, or rather necessity, of making a dividend of land, and allot- ting a proportion to each adventurer ; "and to this purpose have made and confirmed an Act, and sealed the same with our common seal." The court above named was that of the London Com- pany, organized under the royal authority, with powers to HISTORY OF MliDFORD. 45 settle plantations, etc. ; and the five undertakers in that enterprise were Gov. Winthrop, Deputy-Gov. Dudley, Sir Richard Saltonstall, Isaac Johnson, Esq, and Mr. Revil. With the Governor and Mr. Cradock's men, many, doubt- less, were glad to associate themselves, because something like a definite organization already existed among them. The elements of power and prosperity seemed to be with them ; and we can imagine our first settlers beginning their eventful experiment with an assured confidence in it? happy result. Although, in the letter of Gov. Dudley to the Countess of Lincoln, we find traces of discouragement in view of the obstacles which the first settlers encoun- tered, yet he gave his co-laborers just credit for courage and enterprise, by saying of them, " They who had health to labor fell to building ; " and, as we peruse the scanty records of their first endeavors, we see that they must have been energetic and determined men. As we look back to the first days and years of our township, we see, with our mind's eye, the lofty forest falling by the woodman's axe, and anon taking its place as material for the huts or log- houses which were the only shelter from the fast approach- ing cold ; and we know, that, however dark were some of the shadows that fell across their path, the light which their mighty blows let into the openings which they cleared in the forest gradually dispelled the gloom, and filled them with ever-increasing hope. It has been well said by a high British authority, that "the first settlers of New England were /zV/^^/wt-w," and the remark will hold good of the little community which settled here. In the minute accounts which have come down to us, there is no mention of treachery, idleness, or dissipation. If any violation of good neighborhood, or civil law, or gospel morality, had existed, w,e should certainly have heard of it ; for every man was emphatically his brother's keeper, and was Argus-eyed to detect the offender, and Briarean-handed to clutch him. We therefore confi- dently infer, that they who had concluded to make this place their home were men of character, and uncompromising Puritans, — men whose courage dared to meet the panther and the tomahawk, and whose piety inspired them with a steadfast faith in Him who had so graciously sustained them through all their afflictions. The care which the English Company exercised over those who came to settle here may be more than inferred 46 HISTORY OF MED FORD. by that company's directions, dated April 17, 1629, in which is the following most excellent suggestion : — " Our earnest desire is, that you take special care in settling these families, that the chief in the family (at least some of them) be grounded in religion; whereby morning and evening family duties may be duly periformed, and a watchful eye held over all in each family, by one or more in each family to be appointed thereto, that so disorders may be prevented, and ill weeds nipt before they take too great a head." The early histories tell of many, in other places, who became dissatisfied with their first choice, and moved to more promising localities ; but not a word of complaint reaches us from the first planters of Medford, and no one, to our knowledge, left the plantation. They brought with them the animus manendi. To show how fast the settlement went on, it is said, under date of Oct. 30, 163 1, that '■ the Governor erected a building of stone at Mistick." The houses of the first settlers were fortified by palisades, thought to be a very necessary defence of themselves and their cattle against the nocturnal attacks of wild beasts and savages. It was not uncommon for a plantation to unite in building a stone or brick house, into which they could retire for the night, or escape from the Indians. In Medford were built three of these strong brick citadels, two of which yet stand. Josselyn speaks of the town in 1638 as "a scattered vil- lage." We suppose that the three " forts," or brick houses, were placed conveniently for the protection of all the in- habitants. If so, the first settlers occupied the land near the river, on its north bank, from the old brick house on Ship Street to the west brick house now standing behind the house of the late Gov. Brooks. But soon the popu- lation stretched westward to Mystic Pond ; and, when the inhabitants came to build their first meeting-house, they found the central place to be " Rock Hill," and there they built it. During the winter of 1630-31 the anxiety of Medford's first inhabitants must have been very painful ; for a writer in that year says, — "The scarcity of grain is great; every bushel of wheat-meal, 14.?. sterling, every bushel of peas, io.y., and not easy to be procured either." But the crops of 1631 were most abundant. HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 47 It was necessary to take proper precautions against the intrusion of interlopers. Tlie Court of Assistants, Sept. 7, 1630, made the following regulation : — "It is ordered that no person shall plant in any place within the limits of this patent, without leave from the Governor and assistants, or the major part of them." Gov. Winthrop felt too deep an interest in his near neighbors to allow any infringement of this law ; and the first planting of Medford was thus singularly auspicious under the supervision of the illustrious chief magistrate, called the "American Nehemiah," and by the more effec- tual patronage of the richest member of the company. Its numbers and prosperity increased while Mr. Cradock lived ; but, when his interest was removed, they learned by a too sad experience how much his friendship and finan- cial aid had been worth to them. How titles to estates were obtained in those times is a matter of solid interest, and it is cause for local pride that not a foot of land was taken from the Indians by force. Every acre of our township was fully and satisfactorily paid for, as will be shown elsewhere. Having thus honorably come into possession, the question was. How can ownership be legally secured .'' That question was answered by the following most important order of the General Court, under date of April i, 1634: — " It is ordered that the constable, and four or more of the chief inhabitants of every town (to be chosen by all the freemen there, at some meeting there), with the advice of some one or more of the next assistants, shall make a survey of the houses backside, cornfields, mowing-ground, and other lands, improved or enclosed, or granted by special order of the Court, of every free inhabitant there, and shall enter the same in a book (fairly written in words at length, and not in figures), with the several bounds and quantities, by the nearest esti- mation, and shall deliver a transcript thereof into the Court within six months now next ensuing ; and the same, so entered and recorded, shall be sufficient assurance to every such free inhabitant, his and their heirs and assigns, of such estate of inheritance, or as they shall have in any such houses, lands, or frank-tenements." But, before the order could be executed, the lands of the several settlers had to be parcelled out and located, and this was done by seven wise and prudent men selected by the town ; which work, thus directed by the corporation, was confirmed by the same authority. The first settlers came to Aledford in June, 1630. The 48 HISTORY OF MED FORD. grant of land to Mr. Cradock was IVIarch 4. 1634. Here, therefore, were almost four years in which the first-comers were gathering and settling, before Mr. Cradock came into possession. His prosperous company would naturally in- duce others to come here ; and when they had thus settled they would form a government ; and, when all these things were done, it would not be policy for Mr. Cradock to disturb or remove such friends. For more than three years they labored on the land, and made an agricultural beginning, confirmed by Mr. Cradock. In his letter he gives special charge concerning all such ; that every thing be done for their safety and comfort. These were the fathers of Med- ford. 1633, an historian says of the colonists, "Although they were in such great straights for food, that many of them ate their bread by weight, yet they did not faint in spirit." Gov. Winthrop, Sept. 9, 1630, says, "It is enough that we shall have heaven, though we pass through hell to it." As soon as Gov. Winthrop had settled himself on the Ten Hill Farm, in 1630, he recommended Gov. Cradock's men to plant themselves directly opposite bim on the north side of the river. They did so. A promontory there, jut- ting towards the south into the marsh, was the only safe place then to build upon. It is about sixty rods south-east of the ancient house standing on the farm belonging to the heirs of James and Isaac Wellington, now known as " Welling- ton." The marshes stretch away from this promontory on every side except t,he north, where it joins the mainland. On its highest point they built the first house erected in Medford. This was in July, 1630. Thirty years ago there were persons living who knew an old lady, named Blan- chard, who was born in that house. It was probably a log- house, of large dimensions, with a small deep cellar, having a chimney of bricks laid in clay. The cellar was walled up with stone, and has been destroyed but a few years. The bricks, very similar to those in Gov. Cradock's mansion- house, were removed years ago ; but on the 25th of April, 1855, some of them were collected as souvenirs, and are preserved by Medford antiquarans. Names of Some of Medford' s Earliest Freeholders. — How many of the first settlers became freemen, we shall not know until the lost records of Medford are discovered. We find the following Medford names among the list of freemen between i630andi646: Nathaniel Bishop, Thomas Reeves, HISTORY OF MED FORD. 49) John Collins, Jonathan Porter, Richard Bishop, Thomas. Brooke, John Waite, William Manning, John Hall, Richard Francis, William Blanchard, Henry Simonds, Zachery Fitch, Richard Wade, Richard Bugbe, John Watson, Abraham Newell, Henry Brooke, Gamaliel Wayte, Hezekiah Usher, Thomas Bradbury, Richard Swan, John Howe, Edmund Angler, Thomas Oakes, Hugh Pritchard. In the county records we find the following names of men represented as at Medford : — George Felt James Noyes Richard Berry . Thomas Mayhew Benjamin Crisp James Garrett . John Smitli . . Richard Cooke . Josiah Dawstin . Dix . . Ri. Dexter . . WiUiam Sargent James Goodnow John Martin Edward Convers Goulden Moore Robert Burden Richard Russell Thos. Shephard Thos. Danforth Thomas Grfeene James Pemberton Joseph Hills The 1680:- 1633 1634 1636 1636 1636 1637 1638 1640 1641 1641 1644 1648 1650 1650 1650 1654 1655 1656 1657 1658 1659 1659 1662 Jonathan Wade Edward Collins John Call . . . Daniel Deane . Samuel Hayward Caleb Brooks . Daniel Markham John Whitmore John Greenland Daniel Woodward Isaac Fox . . Stephen Willis . Thomas Willis . John Hall . . Gersham Swan . Joseph Angier . John Bradshaw . Stephen Francis Peter Tufts . . Jonathan Tufts John Tufts . . Simon Bradstreet 1668 1669 1669 1669 1670 1672 1675 1678 1678 1679 1679 1680 1680 16S0 1684 1684 1685 1685 1 686 1690 1690 1695 following persons owned lands in Medford before William Dady. Rob. Broadick. Mrs, Anne Higginson. Caleb Hobart. John Palmer. Nicholas Davidson. Increase Nowell. Zachary Symmes. John Betts. Jotham Gibons. Richard Stilman. Mrs. Mary Eliot. Matheiv Cradock. — Gov. Cradock, although he never came to this country, took an important part in the opera- tions of the London Company, and no other man was so helpful as he to the early settlers of Medford. Indeed, Medford owes its early prosperity, and we may almost say its settlement, more largely to him than to any other man. He was the richest member of the New-England Company, ■50 HISTORY OF BEDFORD. and he spent his money in promoting its interests with all the liberality of an enthusiast. We first hear of him as a distinguished merchant in the city of London, who took a deep interest in the Puritan cause, and who, for that reason, became active in promot- ing the settlement of New England. He lived in Swithin's Lane, London, near London Stone, and " had a furnished house at Rumford in Essex." He was instrumental in the formation of the Company of Massachusetts Bay, and, in the petition for a charter, his was the foremost name ; and when the King (Charles I.) granted the important boon, March 4, i628,"he named Mathew Cradock as the first gov- ernor of the company. We are to understand by this that Mr. Cradock was governor of the company in its commercial capacity, and not its political head in America. In all subscriptions for aiding the company he gave the largest sum, and to him belonged the honor of moving, July 28, 1629, to transfer the government of the Colony from London to New England. The reader cannot too soon appreciate what Gov. Cradock was to Medford in its earliest days, and we set down in this place a few facts that should reflect the honor of his name to the latest generations of our posterity. As already stated, two of the ships that sailed with the "Arbella" belonged to him ; and while his men — fisher- men, coopers, and shipwrights — came over in tho^e vessels, it is almost certain that most of those who settled in Med- ford at the first came with Mr. Cradock's men from Suffolk and Essex. He did all he could to get the ships in readi- ness to sail. He was first on the committee that apportioned the lands, and thus decided where the first settlements should be. He was on board the "Arbella" the morning the fleet set sail (Easter Monday, 1630) ; and the captain gave him " three shots out the steerage," when he went back to land, for a farewell. This man, zealous, honored, wise, and good, may be regarded as the founder of Medford ; and the following extracts from a letter he wrote to John Endicott, then already in America, show the deep religious feeling of the man. After writing of what he would liave done for the temporal welfare of the adventurers, he said, — We are very confident of your best endeavors for the general good; and we doubt not but God will in mercy give a blessing upon our labors ; and we trust you will not be unmindful of the main end of our HISTORY OF MED FORD. 51 plantation, by endeavoring to bring the Indians to the knowledge of the gospel, which that it may be speedier and better effected, the earnest desire of our whole company is, that you have dihgent and watch- ful eye over our own people ; that they live unblamable and without reproof, and demean themselves justly and courteous towards the Indians, thereby to draw them to affect our persons, and consequently our religion ; as also to endeavor to get some of their children to train up to reading, and consequently to religion, while they are young: herein, to young or old, to omit no good opportunity that may tend to bring them out"" of that woful state and condition they now are in; in which case our predecessors in this our land sometimes were, and, but for the mercy and goodness of our good God, might have continued to this day; but God,"who out of the boundless ocean of his mercy hath showed pity and compassion to our land, he is all sufficient and can bring this to pass which we now desire in that country likewise. Only let us not be wanting on our parts, now we are called to this work of the Lord ; neither, having put our hands to the plough, let us look back, but go on cheerfully, and depend upon God for a blessing upon our labors, who, by weak instruments, is able (if he see it good) to bring glorious things to pass. Be of good courage, go on, and do worthily, and the Lord prosper your endeavor. And now, minding to conclude this, I may not omit to put you in mind, however you s'eem to fear no enemies there, yet that you have a watci:ful eye for your own safety, and the safety of all those of our nation with you, and not to be too confident of the fidelity of the sav- ages. It is an old proverb, yet as true, the btirnt child dreads the fire. Our countrymen have suffered by their too much confidence in Virginia. Let us by "their harms learn to 'beware; and as we are commanded to be innocent as doves, so withal we are enjoined to be wise as serpents. The God of heaven and earth preserve and keep you from all foreign and inland enemies, and bless and prosper this plantation to the en- largement of the kingdom of Jesus Christ, to whose merciful protection I commend you and all your associates there, known or unknown. And so, till my next, which shall be (God willing) by our ships, who I make account will be ready to set sail from hence about the 20th of this next month of March, I end, and rest. Your assured loving friend and cousin, Mathew Cradock. These extracts show the deep enthusiasm of Mr. Cradock in the New-England enterprise. He went into it heart and purse. He adopted Medford as his headquarters ; and here he made his first settlement, here opened his business of ship-building and fishing, and here placed an agent to execute his plans. The most sagacious and wealthy mer- chant of the company could not have made a wiser choice. To Medford he directed his thoughts, in Medford he ex- pended his money, and for the prosperity of Medford he devoutly prayed. Our infant town could not have had a better father. 52 HISTORY OF MEDFORD. After his decease, Mr. Nicholas Davison, his mercantile ap;ent, petitioned the General Court, in the name of Mrs. Q-adock, to pay to her a sum which she claimed from the Colony, amounting to £676. The Court, always mindful of the interests of the Colony, replied that^ " the govern- ment were never concerned in Mr. Cradock's adventure," and therefore could not allow any such claim. Another attempt was made in 1670, and met with a similar fate. It was not long afterwards that the General Court took into consideration the munificent "disbursement of Mr. Cradock in planting the Colony," and resolved to show their grateful estimate of his worth, and accordingly gave his widow, then Mrs. Whitchcot, one thousand acres of land, and she relinquished all further rights. As stated on a previous page, Gov. Winthrop advised Cradock's men where to locate ; and it was three years after the first of them settled on his lands, before they were confirmed to him by the London Company, of which he was the wealthiest member. They had unbounded con- fidence in him, and while they went forward to clear farms, and organize a town, before they had personal titles to the land they held by pre-emption, he preserved all their rights, and in the final adjustment gave every man the benefit of the improvements he had made. P^or several years his vast estates, upon which he was taxed by the town and county, made the burdens that fell upon others very light. In proof of this gentleman's profound attachment to the Puritan enterprise, we will here quote a few sentences from the " First Letter of the Governor and Deputy of the New-England Company for a Plantation in Massa- chusetts Bay, to the Governor and Council for London's Plantation in the Massachusetts Bay, in New England." April 17, 1629: Many men, and various articles for trade and use, having been sent from London, the letter says, — " We pray you give all good accommodation to our present gov- ernor. Mr. Mathew Cradock, who. with some particular brethren of the company, have deeply engaged themselves in their private adventures in these' ships, and those W come ; and as we hold these men, that thus deeply adventure in their private, to be (under God) .special instruments for the advancing and strengthening of the plantation, which is done by them without any charge to the company's general stock, wherein, not- withstanding, they are'as deep or deeper engaged than any other." The following items from the public records show some- HISTORY OF MED FORD. 53 thing of the estimation in which Mr. Cradock was held in this colony : — "At a General Court held at Boston, March 4, 1633, the following grant was made : ' The Wear at Mistick is granted to John Winthrop, Esq., present governor, and to Mr. Mathew Cradock of London, to enjoy to them and their heirs forever.' "March 26, 1638: There is a grant of a thousand acres of land, granted to Mr. Mathew Cradock, where it may be had without preju- dice to any plantation, or former grants, in the judgment of the Court. Also there is granted to Mr. Cradock five hundred acres of land more for such servants as he shall appoint it unto, twenty miles from any plantation, without prejudice to any plantation. "June 2, 1641 : Mr. Thomas Mayhew and Mr. Joseph Cooke ap- pointed to set out the five hundred acres of Mr. Oldham's for Mr. Cradock, near Mount Feake. "On the same day: Voted that Mr. Cradock's rates should be fore- borne till the next ship come, and then it is referred to Mr. Stoughton and Mr. Hawthorne, to consider and give order in it.'' The reader may now be referred to what is said in another chapter concerning Mr. Cradock's agency in build- ing the first bridge over Mystic River ; and, putting those facts with these here stated, we come at the conclusion that Medford should cherish with gratitude the memory of one who opened here a new and extensive trade, who sent over many men as laborers in ship-building and fishing, and who rendered the greatest service to the first settlers in furnishing them with the means of self-support. He holds an honorable place among the founders of the plan- tations in Massachusetts, men of great practical wisdom, who, whatever may have been their ideas concerning the establishment of a theocratic commonwealth in the New World, at no time seemed to forget that Providence was likely to furnish the most efficient aid to those who were most active in helping themselves. Of Mr. Cradock's influence upon the early fortunes of Medford, and the results which followed its withdrawal, Savage, the able editor of "Winthrop's Journal," says, — " Of so flourishing a town as Medford, the settlement of which had been made as early as that of any other, except Charlestown, in the bay, it is remarkable that the early history is very meagre. From sev- eral statements of its proportion of the public charges in the colony rates, it must be concluded that it was, within the first eight years, superior in wealth, at different times, to Newbur)', Ipswich, Hingham, and Weymouth, all ancient towns. . . . Yet the number of people w-as certainly small; and the weight of the tax was probably bonie by the property of Gov. Cradock, there invested for fishing and other purposes. When that establishment was withdrawn, the town languished many 3'ears." 54 HISTORY OF MED FORD. We know of only one relative of Mr. Cradock who came to this country, and his name was George Cradock, men- tioned by Douglas and Hutchinson as an inhabitant of Boston. We cannot better close the notice of Medford's founder and friend than by giving a copy of his will : — Last Will and Testament of Mathew Cradock. I, Mathew Cradock of London, merchant, being in perfect memory and bodily health, — thanks be given to God therefor, — do hereby make and ordain this my last Will and Testament in manner and form following; that is to say, — I bequeath my soul into the hands of the Almighty God, trusting, bv the merits of the death and passion of our Lord Jesus Christ only, to obtain remission of all my sins. My body, when it shall please God to separate it from my soul, I recommend to the earth, in as- sured contidence of a glorious resurrection at the great and dreadful day of judgment. As to my outward estate, wherewith God of his goodness hath endowed me, I have ever accounted myself but a steward thereof ; therefore humbly entreat the Almighty to enable me so to demean mvself in disposing thereof as that I may, through his mercy in the merits of Christ, be always prepared to give a comfortable account of mv stewardship. I do hereby order, in the first place, that all sure debts as are, any manner of way, justly due and owing to any person whatsoever, be truly and fully satistied and paid : the accounts of the widow of Stephen Benister, late of London, cloth-worker, deceased, that the same be answered and (committed) to the use of my executors ; and for dealing with one Henry Colthirst, if Mr. Pennoyde, who is best ac- quainted with the business, see it to be due, which is challenged, 1 order it to be answered with consideration for the time, all just debts paid. The remainder of mv estate I give and bequeath as followeth : — To the poor of the parish of St. Peter's, the poor in Broad Street, Avhere I served my apprenticeship, forty pounds sterling; to the poor of St. Swithin's, where I dwelled, one hundred pounds, to be employed as a stock for their use, and the benefit thereof to be distributed A'early at the discretion of the greater number in the vestry. This to be taken out of the third part of my estate, wh.ich, by the custom of the city of London, is at my own disposing. One-third part of my whole clear estate, my debts being paid and satisfied, I give and bequeath to my precious, dear, and loving wife, Rebeccah Cradock; one other third part of my estate, according to the ancient custom of the city of London, I do give to my daughter Damaris, and to such other child or children as it sh.all please God to give me by mv wife Rebeccah. ^Moreover, I do give and bequeatli to my said dear and loving wife all mv household stuff and plate at my house in London, where I dwell, and at a house I held at Rumford, in Essex, as also the lease of my dwelling-house in London. Only, out of my plate and houseliold stuff aforesaid, I give to my said daughter Damaris to the value of fifty pounds, in such particulars as HISTORY OF MED FORD. 55 my said wife shall order and appoint the same. Moreover, I do give to my loving wife aforesaid, to be by her enjoyed during her natural life, the one-half of all the estate 1 now have or shall have in New England, in America, at the time of my decease ; and, after the de- cease of my wife as aforesaid, I do give and bequeath the moiety of my movables and immovables hereby intended to be enjoyed bv'mv wife during her natural life, unto my brother, Samuel Cradock,' and his heirs male. And for the other moiety of my estate in New Eno-- land aforesaid, I hereby give and bequeath the same to my daughter Damaris and the issue of her body, to be lawfully begotten ; and, for want of such issue, to my said brother Samuel, and his heirs male aforesaid. And my will is, that when my wife shall marry, that in such case her then intended husband, before their marriage, shall become bound to my said brother and his heirs in five thousand pounds of lawful money of England not to sell away or alienate any part of the moiety of my lands hereby intended and bequeathed to my wife, and subsequently to him, during her natural life, and that he shall have at the time of her decease in personal estate therefor my brother and his heirs to enjoy after the decease of my said wife at least for the full value of five hundred pounds sterling in movable goods. And whosoever shall marry my daughter Eiamaris, I do hereby will and order, that, before marriage, he likewise shall enter into like bond, with the like covenants and conditions; in case my said daughter depart this life without issue, or either of the parties before mentioned, both or either of them, hereby enjoined to seal the said several bond, which shall refuse or neglect to do the same, or to deliver the said bond or bonds to my brother or his heirs then being, in legal and lawful manner, I do herebv declare, that, imme- diately from and after such marriage respectively, the moiety of the estate hereby intended to the party so marrying, and not giving the bond as aforesaid, sliall be, and I do hereby becjueath the same to my said brother Samuel and his heirs, any thing before mentioned to the contrary notwithstanding. Moreover, I do give to my brother, Samuel Cradock, and my sister, his wife, five hundred pounds ; and to every one of tlie childreii of my said brother I do give one hundred pounds. Moreover, to his son Samuel, now student in Emanuel, in Cambridge, I do give for his maintenance for three years forty pounds per annum ; and to his son Mathew, for his better preferment, whereby to place him with an able merchant, two hundred pounds. And 1 do give twenty pounds yearly to my said brother Samuel towards the maintenance of my brother and sister Sawyer ; and to my sister, after the decease of her husband, I do give two hundred pounds. Item: To Dorothy Sawyer, daughter to my said sister Sawyer, I give, for her better preferment, in case she will be advised by my wife in her marriage, two hundred pounds ; and to the rest of my sister Sawyer's children I do give to every of them fifty pounds. To my maid-servants five pounds every of them. Item : To my partners that ventured with me and were my servants and part}--venturers in the East-land trade, namely, to Thomas Hodlow and Edward Lewis, six hundred pounds apiece, if they accept of it for their part, and declare themselves wilHng thereunto within three months after the publishing of this my Will, or else to have their several equal one-eighth part of the clear profits of the trade aforesaid, from the time that I promised the same, till the amount for the same 56 HISTORY OF MED FORD. shall be perfected, which is to be done by their help and endeavors. Item: I do desire and entreat Mr. William Corbine to assist my wife aforesaid, whom I make sole executor of this my last Will and Testa- ment, to get in my estate, and to see my debts paid and my Will per- formed. Given as my act, last Will, and Testament, this 9th day of Novem- ber, 1640. Mathew Cradock. Witness hereto : Edward Lewis, William Alney, Richard Howell. Entered and recorded the 12th of February, 1642, by Thomas Daxfouth, Recorder. After his death, a part of his farm in Medford was sold to Mr. Ed. Collins, who pays to Mrs. Cradock £,120, to Samuel Cradock and Sons £,100, and to Damaris Cradock and her husband ;^230. The condition attached to his be- quest to his niece, Miss Dorothy Sawyer, is proof that he had a wise-judging wife, and that his wife had a provident husband. There has been some question as to the time of Mr. Cradock's death. We have the following record to show that he died in 1641. In the obituary of Richard Smith, published by the Camden Society in 1849, this item ap- pears : — " Mathew Cradock, merchant, one of the members of Parliament for ye city of London, died May 27th, 1641." This seems in harmony with other facts ; for in 1641 deeds are found from his agent, and in the next year from his executor. The estate of Mr. Cradock was disposed of after his death ; and some account of the various transactions in connection therewith will be interesting to the reader, and help to a correct idea of the magnitude of his planta- tion. Mr. Cradock's widow, Rebecca, married Richard Glover, who, March i, 1644, rented to Edward Collins one-half of his land "in Medford in New England ; " viz., "houses, edifices, buildings, barns, stables, out-houses, lands, tene- ments, meadows, pastures, findings, woods, highways, prof- its, commodities, and appurtenances." Mr. Cradock's widow married her third husband, Rev. Benjamin Whitchcot, D.D., in 1652. Damaris, Mr. Cra- dock's daughter, married Thomas Andrews, leather-seller, of London. Samuel his brother was clerk of Thistleton, HISTORY OF MED FORD. 57 and had three sons. By instruments dated June 2 and Sept. 6, 1652, they quit-claim to Mr. Collins "all that messuage, farm, or plantation, called Meadford in New England " by them owned. Aug. 20, 1656 : Mr. Collins, after residing twelve years on his farm in Medford, sells to Richard Russell of Charlestown sixteen hundred acres of it, with his man- sion-house and other buildings. This tract was bounded by Mystic River on the south, by Charlestown line on the north, by trees standing near a brook on the west, and by the farms of Nowell and others on the east. "Collins covenants to save Russell harmless from all claims from the heirs of Cradock, unto whom the said plantation was first granted " by the court. No specification is given of the number of "cattle" or of "tenements." Mr. Collins deeded other portions of his farm to other parties ; but we need not follow that transaction. May 25, 1661 : Richard Russell, who had occupied the "mansion-house" five years, sold it, with twelve hundred acres of his land, to Jonathan Wade, who lived near the bridge on the south side of the river. After the death of Mr. Russell, his heirs sold three hundred and fifty acres to Mr. Peter Tufts. The deed is dated April 20, 1677. This tract is now the most thickly settled part of Med- ford. Land and Land-Owners in Medford. — The value of real estate from 1655 to 1675 may be learned from transac- tions that were placed on record at that time. Oct. 20, 1656 : James Garrett, captain of the ship " Hope," sells for five pounds, to Edward Collins, "forty acres of land on the north side of Mistick River, butting on Mistick Pond on the west." March 13, 1657: Samuel Adams sells "to Ed. Collins forty acres of land, bounded on the east by Zachariah Symmes, south by Meadford Farm, on the south and west by James Garrett." Paid ten pounds. March 13, 1675 : Caleb Hobart sells to Ed. Collins, "for £660, five hundred acres in Meadford, bounded by Charles- town northerly, Mistick River southerly, Mr. Wade's land easterly, and Brooks's and Wheeler's lands westerly." Edward Collins, Richard Russell, Jonathan Wade, and Peter Tufts were the largest land-owners in Medford, after Mr. Cradock's decease, and they laid out small farms and lots, and made many sales. Collins, who lived in Med- 58 HISTORY OF MED FORD. ford a lonp^ time, was perhaps the first specimen of a genuine land-speculator in the Massachusetts Colony. Mr. Tufts had a numerous family, and left an honored name. There were but few of the Wades, but they were rich and influential ; while little is known of the descendants of Richard Russell. Jonathan Wade paid the highest tax for several years, and dealt largely in lands, not only in Medford, but in other towns. The records show that in 1656 he purchased four hundred acres of Matthew Avery, then a freeholder in Ipswich, but was outdone the same year by Mr. Collins, who sold to Richard Champney five hundred acres in Billerica, and who in 1660 sold four hundred acres in West Medford. Dealing in real estate was the most important business transacted by our early fathers. As a specimen of their greed for large estates, we give a list of purchases by Mr. Peter Tufts, chiefly on " Mystic Side : " — 1664, June Bou 1674, t679. 16S1, 1682, Sept. 28 April 20 Nov. 16 Sept. 20 Feb. 3 May 18 1684. 1687, 1691, 1693. 1694, Dec. 22. June 8. Dec. 13. June 20. April 21. Oct. 5. Aug. 20. May 17. " 18. " " 31- " Aug. 23. 1695, April 23. 1696, Nov. 3. " Dec. 8. 1697, April 15. " iNIay 10. 1698, May 30. " Nov. 25. ht of Parmelia Nowell 200 acres. " " " commons, 24 ■' " Benjamin Bunker . . 17 cow-commons. " Richard Russell 350 acres. " A. Shad well 32 " " S. Rowse 32 " " John Green 6 " " Alexander Stewart 11 " " M. Dady 10 " " L. Hamond 8:^ " " Christopher Goodwin .... 16 " " Isaac Johnson . . . . i cow-common. " \Vm. Dady 3 cow-commons. " " " 3 acres. " " " 4 cow-commons. " J. Frost iQi acres. " J. Lynde Sf " " T. Crosswell 3 " " J. Phipps lo^ " " W. Dady 2" " " J. Newell 1 0.1 " " John Melvin fl " " John Gary (Walnut Tree Hill) . 3^ " " Timothy Goodwin .... three pieces. " John Dexter 9 acres. " John Frothingham \o\ " " John Blaney 7 " Including the cow-commons, about 835 acres. HISTORY OF MED FORD. 59 During this time, they sold as follows : — 1680, Tan. 30. To S. Grove, in Maiden 20 acres. i69i,Feb. 22. To Jonathan Tufts, brick-yards 39 " 1697, Jan. 10. To Jonathan Wade, in Medford .... 12L " Mr. Peter Tufts, born in England, 161 7, was the father of the Tufts family in Medford. He died May 13, 1700, ao-ed eighty-three. He was buried in Maiden, where his tomb may now be seen. An Indian squaw, the sachem of her tribe, had a great friendship for a family named Gibbon, and in 1637 gave to a lad of that family, named Jotham Gibbon, then only four years old, a portion of land in Medford, the deed to which was perfect in all respects, as will be seen, when we shall treat of the lands of the Indians and their con- veyancing, in another chapter. In 1675, Mr. Collins, at the age of seventy-three years, was still engaged in specu- lations in real estate; for we learn that he then sold "a piece of land to Daniel Markham, bounded by the river on the south, by Joshua Bro&ks on the west and north, and by Caleb Hubbard on the east." He also sold the next year thirty acres to George Blanchard. The " Blanchard Farm " was a large one, and is frequently mentioned in the records. Ancient Landmarks and Monuments. — Medford is peculiarly rich in monuments of her early history, and es- pecially in ancient buildings ; and, as she has lost her earliest records made upon paper, it is all the more im- portant that the old landmarks be preserved as long as possible, and that the historian snatch them from the oblivion with which they are threatened, and cause them to appear upSn the printed page, when future generations fail to find their corner-stones. From Pine Hill, south- westerly to Purchase Street, there are scattered remains of houses, naw almost lost in the forest, which prove that there were living in this region many families. The cel- lars are, in some places so near together as to show quite a social neighborhood. When some of the " Scotch-Irish " who settled" Londonderry, N.H., in 17 19, became dissatis- fied with that place, they came into this quarter, and many of them settled in Medford. They built some of the houses, whose cellars yet remain among us, and introduced the foot spinning-wheel and the culture of potatoes. They were as scrupulous about bounds and limits in these wilds as they 6o HISTORY OF MEDFORD. had been in Scotland ; hence the remarkable stone walls which still stand to testify to their industry. They were Scotch Presbyterians in religion ; and the Rev. Mr. More- head of Boston frequently came to preach to them. Some of them migrated to the then District of Maine ; and fifty years ago there was living in Maine Gen. Jacob Auld, who was born about a mile north-east of Medford meeting- house, whose father was Irish, and left Londonderry about 1730. These people kept up many of their European customs ; and tradition says, that once, when a young child died among them, they held a genuine " Irish wake." A few of these adventurers remained, and became good citizens ; and among their descendants we may name the Fulton, Wier, Faulkner, and McClure families. Gov. Cradock's House. — The old two-story brick house on Riverside Avenue, in East Medford, is one of the mos.t precious relics of antiquity in New England. That it was built by Mr. Cradock, soon after the arrival of his company of carpenters, fishermen, and farmers, will appear from the following facts. The land on which it stands was given by the General Court to Mr. Cradock. When the heirs of Mr. Cradock gave a deed of their property, June 2, 1652, they mentioned houses, barns, and many other buildings, but did not so specify these objects as to render them cognizable by us. There is no deed of this house given by any other person, and it must have passed in the aforesaid conveyance by the Cradock heirs. It was on Mr. Cradock's land, and just where his busi- ness made it necessary : the conclusion, therefore, is inevi- table that Mr. Cradock built it. There is every reason to believe that it was commenced early in the spring of 1634. Mr. Cradock made such an outlay in money as showed that he intended to carry on a large business for a long time, and doubtless proposed visiting his extensive plantation. The very first necessity in such an enterprise was a suffi- cient house. The sooner it was finished, the better; and it was commenced as soon as the land was granted, which was March, 1634. Who, in that day, could afford to build such a house but the rich London merchant 1 and wouki he delay doing a work which every day showed to be in- dispensable } He was the only man, then, who had the funds to build such a house, and he was the only man who needed it. Tradition has always spoken of it as the HISTORY OF .^r ED FORD. 6 1 Cradock House. Taking all these circumstances into con- sideration, the inference is clear that the "Old Fort," so called, was Gov. Cradock's house, built in 1634. It is an invaluable historical jewel. It has been called the " Fort " and the " Garrison House," because its walls were so thick, and because it had close out- side shutters and port-holes. It is certainly well placed for a house of defence. It is on land slightly elevated, where no higher land or rocks could be used by enemies to assail it, and is so near the river as to allow of re-enforcements from Boston. Its walls are eighteen inches thick. There were heavy iron bars across the two large arched windows, which are near the ground, in the back of the house ; and there are sev- eral fire-proof closets within the building. The house stood in an open field for a century and a half, and could be approached only by a private road through gates. As the outside door was cased with iron, it is certain that it was intended to be fire-proof. There was one pane of glass, set in iron, placed in the back wall of the western chimney, so as to afford a sight of persons coming from the town. It was probably built for retreat and defence ; but some of the reasons for calling it a fort are not conclusive. Out- side shutters were' in common use in England at the time above mentioned ; and so was it common to ornament houses with round or oval openings on each side of the front. The ovals in this house are twenty inches by six- teen. Mr. Cradock's company was large, and he was very rich, and had told them to build whatever houses they needed for shelter and defence. That they should build such a house as now stands where their first settlement took place, is most natural. The bricks are not English bricks either in size, color, or workmanship. They are from eight to eight and a half inches long, from four to four and a quarter inches wide, and from two and a quarter to two and three-quarters thick. They have the color of the bricks made afterwards in East Medford, where clay is abundant. They are hastily made, but very well burned. Bricks were made in Salem in 1629. A Mr. Shedd purchased this house about eighty years ago, and he found the east end of it so decayed and leaky at that time, that he took a part of it down, and rebuilt it : otherwise it has undergone few changes. There is a tradition, that in early times Indians 62 HISTORY OF .}fEnFORn. were discovered lurkinf:^ around it for several days and nights, and that a skirmish took place between them and the white men ; but we have not been able to verify the facts, or fix the date. The park impaled by Mr. Cradock )-)robably included this house. It is undoubtedly one of the oldest buildings in the United States, perhaps t/w old- est that retains its first form. Another old brick house, built, probably, about the same time and by the same persons, was not large. It stood about five hundred feet north of Riverside Avenue, and about five hundred feet west of Park Street, opposite Thacher Magoun's shipyard, and was taken down many years ago by that gentleman. The third house was built by Major Jonathan Wade, who died 1689. It was sometimes called, like the other two, a "fort," and is yet standing in good repair, and used as a comfortable residence. It is seen from the main street as we look up Pasture-Hill Lane. Its walls are very thick, and it is ornamented with what have been called "port-holes." When first built, it was only half its pres- ent size : the addition was made by Benjamin Hall, about one hundred years ago. Of the three brick buildings mentioned above, and called forts, two have descended to us as specimens of ancestral architecture, and may well compare with any specimens left in the neighboring towns. They were doubtless erected for the purpose of habitation ; but the thought which gave them form and strength was begotten by the builders' fears. They were places of refuge from the Indians, and were doubtless necessary defences. Circumstances compelled the settlers to take counsel of their fears. Their condi- tion and wants were anticipated by the company in London as early as 1629, for in October of that year the following- order was passed : — " That, for the charge of fortifications, the company's joint stock to bear the one half, and tlie planters to defray the other ; viz., for ordnance, munition, powder, etc. But for laborers in building of forts, etc., all men to be employed in an equal proportion, according to the number of men upon the plantation, and so to continue until such fit and necessary works be finished." Any plantation disposed to build a place of retreat and defence was authorized by the above vote to do so, and to call upon the company to i)ay half the expense. Undoubt- J//S7V/n' OF MEDFORD. ^^ edly, Mr. Cradock's house was so built. That forts were thought to be necessary appears from the records of Charlestown : — "1631 : It was concluded to build a fort on the hill at Aloulton's Point, and mount the six guns left by the company last year ujjon the beach of this town, for defence, in case ships should come up on the back-side of Mistick River." The project was abandoned, because, on examination, it was found that a fort in that place would be too far away from the river. To illustrate the peril supposed to exist in the early settlement, we copy the following order of the General Court : — "Sept. 3, 1635 : It is agreed, that hereafter no dwelling-house shall be built above half a mile from the meeting-house, in any new planta- tion, without leave from the Court." The house of Col. Royal, on Main Street, was the most expensive in Medford. Built by his father, after the model of an English nobleman's house in Antigua, it has stood a» tempting model to three generations. Mr. Thomas Sec- comb's large brick house, on the north side of the market- place, was the first copy of Col. Royal's. Rev. Mr. Turell's house, formerly owned by Jonathan Porter, is a good ex- ample of another style. The next fashion, introduced as an improvement upon these, was the broken or "gambrel- roofed " houses, many of which still remain. These soon gave place to the present models, which are importations from distant ages and all civilized countries. Summer House, Royal Farm. 64 HISTORY OF MED FORD. CHAPTER III. ROADS. In the absence of the earliest records of Medford, the location of the first roads is conjectural ; and in lack of other information, we are obliged to resort to deeds, wills, and legislative enactments, where incidental mention is made of them. The present Cradock Bridge is built at or near the same place where the " Ford " was located in the days of our fathers, and one of the first roads was through the stream at that point. At first it was little used, but afterwards became a popular way, not only for the inhabitants of Med- ford, but for those of the northern towns who took loads on horseback to Boston. If the earliest records of the town had been preserved, we should doubtless have found in them some notices of the Ford, and some regulations concerning it. We learn that in 1642 the General Court restricted the right of towns to build roads beyond their own boundaries. The act was as follows : — " It is declared by this Court, that the selected town's men have power to lay g.ut particular and private ways concerning their own town only."' The first public road laid out in Medford was Main Street, leading from the Ford to Boston ; the second was Salem Street, leading to Maiden ; the third was High Street, leading to Arlington ; the fourth was the road lead- ing to Stoneham. These sufificed for all necessary uses for half a century : indeed, we learn of no new public road opened after these for nearly a hundred years, l^ut roads and streets were made from point to point for local pur- i:)Oses. and among them were the following. The road on the south bank of the river (South Street), connecting the brickyards with the wharf and the lighters, was early II/STORV OF MED FORD. 65, opened : it was known as "Fish Lane" until 1828, when: it was called South Street. A road was made by Charlestown from the landing, called" "No Man's Friend," opposite the southern end of Cross-. Street, to its lands north of Medford. The road was where Cross and Fulton Streets now are. Doubtless it was this; act of making a road through a part of Medford by another- town, which called for the restrictive Act just referred to. To gain free access to the river, at that time the great- highway to Boston, private roads were opened for the use of the owners of land, and what were called " rangeways "' for the free use of the public. Among these were Cross. Street, already referred to. The next street west of it was at the Ford, and the "Pasture Hill" was a continuation of it. Another was at Rock Hill, and the old Woburn< Road was a part of it. The next was above the Lowell Railroad Depot, in High Street, and connected with Grove Street, formerly called " the road round the woods." These- roads to the river, in Medford, were opened soon after the- main thoroughfare. In October, 1675, the town voted to levy a fine of ten shillings upon any one who should take a load of earth fromi a public road. The town also voted that every man might work out his own highway tax; and prices were fixed for a day's, labor of a man, also what should be allowed to a man and his team. In 1 71 5 Rev. Aaron Porter, Peter Seccomb, Peter Waite,, Thomas Tufts, and Benjamin Parker wished some enlarge- ment of the road near the bridge, they being residents, there ; and the town appointed a committee to see about the matter. They fixed the width of the road at the bridge at two rods and twelve feet, and reported the road leading to Woburn "wide enough already." Feb. 20, 1746: Several gentlemen of Medford agreed to. open a road from the market to " Wade's Bank, or Sandy Bank " (Cross Street), and build a bridge over " Gravelly Creek." This was done, and it made a convenient way to the tide-mill. The citizens of this town have always had a commenda- ble pride in every thing that could be made to contribute to its beauty and prosperity, and in nothing has this been seen more strikingly than in their work in planting and caring for their shade-trees. The streets of Medford are at 66 HISTORY OF MED FORD. the present time charmingly ornamented with fine elms, maples, horse-chestnuts, and other trees. No farm is complete without shade-trees on the sides of the road and in front of the dwelling ; and no village or city has clearly comprehended its sweetest source of • external attraction if it has not beautified its streets with ■trees. The citizens of Medford appreciated this fact early in her history : and, more than half a century ago, the " Delta," at the meeting of Grove and High Streets in West Medford, was set with trees which then could be carried in the hand by any man of ordinary strength, but which to day defy the tempests ; and, were they rooted, up, a hundred men could not carry one of them away. These trees were planted, and the fences around them built and kept in order, by Hon. Peter C. Brooks, whose memory, if no other jewels were hung about it, should be honored and fondly cherished for that one thoughtful act. His son, Mr. Edward Brooks, during his life, continued to care for them ; and his grandson, Mr. Francis Brooks, who occupies the old Brooks homestead, faithfully guards what his ancestor planted so many years ago. But Mr. Brooks was not the only man of those times whose heart was fixed on the work of beautifying the streets of Medford with trees. A legacy of five hundred dollars from Turell Tufts, Esq., was expended, according to his direction, in planting ornamental trees on the roadsides. Many others, since that time, have adorned their yards and lawns with various kinds of trees ; and the author of this history recalls the pleasant fact, that the trees around his residence, and on the street in front of the same, in West Medford, some of which are now eighteen inches in diameter, were planted by him when they were mere saplings. Streets in Medford in /cS'cS'.?. — The following is a com- plete list of the names of streets in Medford at this time. Those marked with a star are still private ways, but will doubtless be accepted by the town at no distant day. Adams, Albion, Alfred,* Allen Court,* Allston, Allston- street Court, Almont, Ashland, Auburn, Avon,* Boston Avenue, Brooks, Brooks Place, Bowers, Canal, Central Avenue, Cherry,* Chestnut, College Avenue, Cottage,* Cotting, Court, Cross, Curtis,* Daisy,* Dexter, Dudley, P^ountain, Forest, PVanklin, Fulton, Garden, George, Gove,* Grove, Emerson, Everett, Hadley Court,* Ham- HISTORY OF MED FORD. 67 mond Place,* Hancock, Harvard, Harvard Avenue, High, Highland Avenue, High-street Court,* Irving, Jerome, Laurel,* Lawrence,* Lincoln,* Lincoln (in West Med- ford). Linden,* Madison, Main, Manning, Maple Avenue,* Medford, Middlesex Avenue, Myrtle, Mystic, Mystic Avenue, Oakland, Otis, Paris, Park, Pearl, Pleasant, Porter, Porter Court,* Prescott, Purchase, Revere Place,* Riverside Avenue, Arlington Court, Royal, Salem, Sharon, Sherman, South, South-street Court,* Spring, Stearns Avenue, Summer, Swan, Taintor, Tufts, Truro, Vernon, Vine,* Walnut, W^arren, Washington, Washington Avenue, Water, Webster, West, Williams,* Winthrop, and Wo- burn. MedfoTd Turnpike . — The construction of turnpikes in the early part of this century made a new era in travel- ling and in speculation all over New England. Medford had long felt the need of a thoroughfare to Boston more convenient for the transportation of heavy loads than the road over Winter Hill ; and on the 2d of March, 1803, the Medford Turnpike Company was incorpo- rated. This enterprise was started by citizens of Medford ; and Benjamin Hall, John Brooks, Fitch Hall, Ebenezer Hall, 2d, and Samuel Buel were the petitioners to the Le- gislature for a charter. The Act was obtained in three years from the time when the first movement was made, and it required them to run the road east of Winter Hill and Ploughed Hill. It must be three rods on the upland, and not more than six on the marsh. If not completed within three years, the grant was to be null and void. The corporation were required to build all extra bridges over Middlesex Canal, and keep them and the sluices in repair. They could hold real estate to the amount of six thousand dollars. Shares in the stock were deemed personal prop- erty. The investment was never a very profitable one. A tax on travel is always unpopular, and the new road had a for- midable rival in the free highway over Winter Hill. The patronage of the road gradually fell away ; and its scanty income grew more and more insufficient for its proper maintenance, to say nothing of dividends. Frequent at- tempts, beginning as early as 1838, were made by the town to have it converted into a free road ; but they were suc- cessfully resisted by the corporation. Finally, in 1865, the proprietors petitioned the Legislature for the dissolution 68 HISTORY OF MEDFORD. of the corporation; and the next year the turnpike was laid out as a pubHc highway by the county commissioners. Andovcr Titritpikc. — This road encountered the usual amount of opposition from those who saw that it would lead travel away from their houses, also from those who thought its passage through their farms would ruin them. But the saving of three miles' travel for loads of ship- timber and country produce was too great a gain of time, space, and money, to be relinquished without a struggle. The first projectors of the enterprise persevered, and subscriptions for stock were opened in 1804. Medford was largely interested in the enterprise ; and an act of incor- poration was obtained June 15, 1805, by Jonathan Porter, Joseph Hurd, Nathan Parker, Oliver Holden, and Fitch Hall. The route was designated in the Act. It was to run from the house of John Russell, in Andover, in an easterly direction, to the east of Martin's Pond, nearly on a straight line to the house of J. Nichols, in Reading, thence to Stoneham, by the west side of Spot Pond, to the market-place in Medford. As usual, the cost was poorly estimated. ]\Iore money was expended in the construc- tion of the road than was at first supposed necessary, and for this cause it did not prove to be remunerative to the stockholders. Propositions were made, in 1828, for its sale. These were not accepted ; and finally it was concluded to abandon the road, and to offer it as a free public highway to the towns through which it passed. In 1830 the town of Medford voted to accept and support that part of it which is in Medford, whenever it shall be free of toll. Again, in 1831, the town express the wish that it may become a free road, and promise to keep their part in good repair. This disposition having been made of it, the town has performed its promise ; and to-day, under the name of Forest Street, it is one of the most popular localities for private residences. Medford has always kept its roads in good condition ; for it has a blue gravel in some of its hills, admirably adapted to the surface of paths and highways. May 15, 1758: "Voted ten pounds for the repair of the roads." This is the first vote of the kind on record. Till this time each citizen had worked out his "highway tax" by him- self or hired man. Just how much a man was then allowed per day for personal labor on the road, we may not say ; but the public records inform us, that, in 1802, the "labor HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 69 of a man on the highways was fixed at one dollar for eight hours, and for his team two dollars ;" while, in 18 19, the pay of a man was one dollar twenty-five cents, and of his team two dollars fifty cents. Straightening and widening roads became each year of great importance, as the first short roads were very crook- ed. A hundred years ago men talked of the necessity of opening new routes of travel between Medford and the adjoining villages. As long ago as 1761 many inhabitants of the town petitioned the Court of Sessions for a road across the marshes at " Labor in Vain," thus connecting the eastern part of the town with the Boston road. The petition was granted, and the commissioners laid out the road, and assessed the damages ; but it was concluded not to build it. March 5, 1787, the town voted, '-That Ben- jamin Hall, Esq., Gen. John Brooks, and Thomas Brooks, Esq., be a committee to petition the Court of Sessions to obtain a new road through a part of Col. Royall's and Capt. Nicholson's farms." But that petition was not suc- cessful. May 10, 1802: A committee was chosen ** to lay out a road between Medford, Stoneham, and Reading, through the woods ; " also to see if a road from the meeting-house to Joseph Wyman's was feasible. Purchase Street was opened many years after, according to this suggestion. Sept. 13, 1802 : The Court of Sessions direct, "that the road from Jonathan Brooks's Corner to West Cambridge (now Arlington) be widened, Medford and Charlestown paying for the lands taken." May 7, 1804: The town chose a committee "to stake out the private ways in the town." The intention of the town doubtless was, that those avenues, paths, or rangeways through which the public have a right of way, should be marked out and recorded. It is very important that these rights should be preserved, and as important that they should not be unjustly claimed. Settling near a river gave superior facilities for transportation in early times, and therefore free access to a landing-place was impor- tant. This is shown by many acts of the town. Nov. 9, 1846, the town chose a committee of three to ascertain what right of way then existed for the use of Rock-hill landing ; and the legal decision was against the town. When, in the early part of this century, ship-building 70 HISTORY OF MED FORD. became an enterprise in Medford, the town felt a new impulse, and began to increase in numbers by a new ratio. This required new streets ; and, from 1810 to the present time, they have been constantly opening, either by munici- pal authority or at private expense. But ship-building has not continued to be the source of our growth and pros- perity. Only a few ships have been built the last thirty years ; and our recent growth has resulted from our near- ness to Boston, and the consequent accession of population from the overflow of a great city. Nearness to the me- tropolis has increased the population in every direction in- land ; and towns and cities thirty miles away have doubled their population during the last two decades, largely be- cause of railway facilities. In Medford, west of the Boston and Lowell Railroad, more than a hundred acres have been put into house-lots since 1854. Through that section of the town, streets have been made, and dwellings erected ; and the enter- prise, prompted largely by a spirit of speculation, has resulted in a great public benefit. Edward T. Hastings originated an improvement in West Medford which has resulted in the building-up and beautifying that part of the town. In connection with Samuel Teel, jun., he laid out two hundred acres of land into streets and building- lots, and planted trees on the sides of those streets, which already have added much to the beauty of that locality and to the value of the property there. Mr. John Bishop did for the eastern part of Medford what Messrs. Hastings, Teel, and others did for the west. And on the estate north of Gravelly Bridge, many of our best residences have been erected since 1850; so that now that part of the town is one of its most attractive precincts. Mr. Bishop did another desirable thing for the town, in putting into the market a large tract of land for building- lots east of the Old Fountain House, where many to-day have comfortable homes, who, but for the liberal induce- ments held out to them to purchase lots and build upon them, would now be living in hired tenements. Another estate brought into the market in the same way was that of Messrs. James and Isaac Wellington. It contained about one hundred and sixty acres. Plans were drawn, and sales of lots commenced, as early as 1854; but the enterprise did not flourish, until, in 1874, a new road was built, which shortened the distance to Boston, and HISTORY OF MED FORD. J I brought these lands within three miles of that city. Since then, many buildings have been erected there ; and with its natural advantages, and proximity to Boston, its future is full of promise. From earliest times, the town chose annually a sur- vevor of highways, whose duty it was to superintend the repairs of the public roads. He had full power to decide where, and to what extent, repairs should be made. As population and streets increased, several surveyors became necessary ; and they received compensation for their time and labor. After the brick almshouse was built in West Medford, near the Lowell Railroad depot (1812), Isaac Brooks, Esq., who had taken the deepest interest in the matter, proposed to employ the male paupers in repairing the highways. This plan was adopted ; and, under the guid- ance of a general surveyor, the keeper of the almshouse went forth every day with his picked men and horse-cart. As this procedure converted the almshouse from a place of ease to a place of labor, it had the magical effect of thin- ning the number of male occupants. In 1 8 14 the town opposed the opening of a road from the Charlestown Road, at the foot of Winter Hill, to Craigie's Bridge in East Cambridge. A long and warm debate con- cerning this project prevailed for a considerable time ; but at length the patrons of the measure succeeded, and the road was opened. The Boston and Lowell Railroad was surveyed through Medford in 1831, and the projected enterprise had warm advocates and zealous opponents. It was the first railway designed for public travel built in New England. The charter of the road bears the date of June 5, 1830, and the names of John F. Loring, Lemuel Pope, Isaac P. Davis, Kirk Boot, Patrick T. Jackson, George W. Lyman, and Daniel P. Parker. The number of directors was five ; the number of shares, one thousand. The Act provided that no other railroad should within thirty years be authorized, leading to any place within five miles of the northern ter- mination of the road. This road has added greatly to the wealth and prosperity of Medford, and has vastly enhanced the value of land in that part of the town. Its cost was enormous. Its rails were all laid on granite blocks, the idea of durability causing the immense outlay. But a short trial convinced the managers that they had made a mistake, for the contact of stone with iron made 72 HISTORY OF MEDFORD. the track too firm and unyielding. It wore the machinery of the locomotives and cars so rapidly as to induce a sub- stitution of wooden ties. The Medford branch of the Boston and Maine Railroad was incorporated March 7, 1845 ; and the names of the petitioners are James O. Curtis, Henry L. Stearns, Joseph Manning, jun., Daniel Lawrence, Nathaniel H. Bishop, and Andrew Blanchard, jun. On the 22d of January, 1845, the town passed the following : — " Resolved, as the sense of the people of Medford, that it is expedi- ent that the prayer of the petitioners for a railroad to connect Medford with Boston be granted." In order to have an estimate of the cost of this last- named road, a committee of citizens employed James Hay- ward to make certain surveys. He did so ; and the original copy of his report, now yellow with age, has come into our hands. It is as follows : — To Messrs. Bishop, Lawrence, and others. Gentlevien, — The sur\-ey and estimate which voii requested me to make for a branch railroad from Medford to the Maine Extension Rail- road in Maiden have been completed ; and a horizontal trace and vertical section of the line selected as the best, which will conform to vour wishes in this behalf, are represented in the accompanying drawing. The line selected by this survey is as follows : it commences on Ship Street, near the public square in Medford village, and proceeds eastwardly, in a very direct line, crossing Cross Street near the pound, thence, in nearly the same direction, across Park Street, and thence to the Boston and Maine Extension Railroad, with which it unites, by a curve of one thousand feet radius, about fifteen hundred feet east of the farmhouse of the Messrs. Wellington, and about two hundred rods from the railroad bridge over Mystic River. The whole length of this line, from the Extension Road to the ter- minus in Medford, is ninety-eight hundred feet. The only considera- ble curve is that by which it connects with the Maine Extension Road, and even this might have an enlarged radius if it should be thought expedient. The highest grade is about sixteen feet to the mile, as I have laid the profile of the road, and estimated the cutting and filling. There is no marsh land or rock-cutting ; but the ground is verv favorable for the construction of a railroad, being generally sand and light gravel, and requiring no very deep cutting or high embankment. The largest item in the earth-work will consist of about sixteen thousand yards of embankment, to raise the ground for the depot buildings and wood- yard. The line intersects two cross-roads, neither of them much trav- elled; and from each of these intersections nearly the whole line of the branch road may be seen. The damage to real estate will be trifling, considering the fact that the road will commence near the centre of so extensive and so compact a villaue. HISTORY OF MED FORD. 73 The accompanying estimate provides for a single-track road of the first class ; embankments fifteen feet wide at the surface of the road- bed, with slopes of one and a half to one, and excavations of twenty- four feet in width at the grade-line, with the same slopes as those of the embankments. The superstructure estimated for is the wrought- iron T-rail, weighing fifty-seven pounds to the yard, laid on chestnut sleepers, and secured by a heavy cast-iron chair, which will effectually hold the ends of the rails in place. The estimate contains nothing for land, or damage to real estate. Of this subject you are much better judges than myself, and will be better able to ascertain the opinions of the owners, or of the other citizens of Medford, by whose opinion, in some degree, such questions, in case of disagreement, will ultimately be decided. To the expense of building the branch, I have added that of building a second track on the Maine Extension Road, from the proposed junction with that road to the Middlesex Canal, where the route pro- posed on the south side of the river would meet the Extension Road. This I do, that we may have all the data for comparing the two routes proposed. The distance to Boston by the northern route is thirty-two hundred feet greater than that by the southern route ; and the southern branch will be forty-two hundred feet longer than the northern. With these remarks the annexed estimate is respectfully submitted by Your obedient servant, James Hayward. ESTIMATE OF COST. Excavation and embankment, 30,000 yards, at I2| cts. . $3,750 00 Masonr)-, 455 yards, at $1.50 682 50 Fencing, 1,200 rods, at $1 . . , . . . . 1,200 00 2 road-signs (25 feet long) , . , . . . . 100 00 6 road and field crossings 100 00 Superstructure, 2 miles ^ ....... 15,250 00 Depot buildings ......... 4,000 00 $25,082 50 To which add for grading the second track from the junc- tion to Mystic River, 7,092 yards, at i6| cts. . . . 1,182 00 From bridge to Middlesex Canal, 6,333 yards, at i6§ cts. . 1,055 55 Masonry near Wellington's, 25 yards, at $2 . . . 50 00 Superstructure north of Mystic River .... 4,621 21 Superstructure south of Mystic River .... 2,743 ^4 Engineering, contingencies, etc., ten per cent . . . 3,473 50 $38,208 60 By the Act of Incorporation " the capital stock was not to consist of more than one thousand shares at one hun- dred dollars each." The Act further stated, — " If the said railroad shall not be constructed within two years from the passage of this Act, then the same shall be void." ' This includes about five hundred feet of side-track. 74 HISTORY OF MED FORD. It was readily finished, and proves to be a most pro- ductive and convenient road. The Stoneham Branch Railroad Company was incorpo- rated May 15, 185 1. Thaddeus Richardson, Amasa Farrier, and William Young, were named as the corporation. Sec- tion 7 of the Act has the following condition : — " Tlie construction of the said road shall not be commenced until the capital named in the charter shall have been subscribed by respon- sible ]3arties, and twenty per cent paid into the treasury of the said company." This road was commenced and graded from Stoneham into the bounds of Medford, where its further construction suddenly stopped, and was given up. The Medford and Charlestown Railroad Company was incorporated May 15, 1855; the petitioners therefor being James M. Usher, James O. Curtis, Samuel Teel, jun., Al- bert Hanscom, and Edwin Wright. The Act of Incorpo- ration was modified by supplementary legislation March 9, 1857, and April 6, 1859. The company was organized Feb. 28, 1856; and its by- laws were adopted Dec. 26, 1859. Early in i860 a location was granted by the selectmen of Medford and Somerville ; and Mr. George E. Adams took the contract for building the road, the track being laid, as located, in the middle of Main Street from the Square to Mystic Avenue, thence on the east side of Main Street to the terminus near the junction of Main Street and Broadway on Winter Hill. In May of the same year the company, for twelve thou- sand dollars, purchased of the Somerville Railroad Com- pany its Winter-hill Branch, extending from the summit of Winter Hill, through Broadway by a side-track, to the Charlestown line. Two or three months later the road was completed to Medford Square, and went into operation under lease ; first to George E. Adams, and later (Nov. i, i860) to the Mai- den and Melrose Railroad Company, which transferred its lease to the Middlesex Railroad Company in January, 1866. In I '^6}) the company contemplated extending its track to Maiden line, and a location through Salem Street was granted therefor by the selectmen ; but no part of the extension was ever built. HISTORY OF MED FORD. 75 Near the close of 1869 the selectmen of Somerville or- dered the removal of the track to the middle of the street from the Medford line to Broadway. This order was the occasion of serious complications and embarrassments, and resulted, about the first of May, 1873, in the revocation of the location, and the removal of the track of that section of the road, by the authorities of Somerville. The cars, of course, ceased running to Medford at that date ; and the company failing to secure an adjustment of its difificulties with the Middlesex Company and the Somerville authori- ties, so as to warrant the hope that the track from Medford Square to the Somerville line would be further useful, the location was revoked, and the rails ordered to be removed, by the selectmen of Medford. The company continued in being till April 30, 1880, when under an Act of the Legislature, passed that year, all its property, rights, powers, and privileges were trans- ferred to the Middlesex Railroad Company. Dividends were declared for one year only, and the rental ($2,240 per annum) was afterwards appropriated to meet current expenses and the cancellation of bonds issued in payment for the Winter-hill Branch ; which Branch, as soon as paid for, became nearly worthless, from a new order issued by the Somerville city government. The stock of the company was substantially a dead loss to its possessors, there being nothing for division when the company was dissolved. The abandonment of the road was a severe disappoint- ment to the citizens of Medford. In 1S83 the question of the revival of the Medford Horse Railroad began to be agitated. The Middlesex Horse-railroad Corporation offered to re-open the road, on the condition that the town should pay the expense of paving the road-bed. At the March meeting in 1884, the town appropriated the required sum of eight thousand dollars, and the road was constructed, and the cars com- menced running to the Square, Sept. 15, 1884. It was afterwards extended to Maiden ; and the line was opened for use, June 27, 1885. The Boston and Mystic-valley Railroad was chartered in March, 1879, with the following gentlemen as corporators : Stephen Dow of Woburn, S. W. Twombly of Winchester, Charles M. Barrett of Medford, H. Blanchard, jun., of Wil- mington, B. E. Gage of Lowell, P. W. Locke of Boston, -j^ HISTORY OF MED FORD. and others. The length of the road was to he about fif- teen miles ; starting at Wilmington, and passing through Woburn, Winchester, Medford, and Somerville. The construction of the road was commenced at once ; and nearly eleven miles of the grading was near comple- tion, when, in consequence of misfortunes or mismanage- ment, the work was suspended, and was not again renewed. The charter was lost by the expiration of the time given in which to complete the road ; the Legislature declined to extend the time, and the Mystic-valley Railroad ceased to exist. What the future may do to avail itself of the work ac- complished under the charter, we may not predict ; but many still hope that the money expended may not be wholly and finally lost ; that, some time, the locomotive may bear freight and passengers through Medford over the line of that partially constructed road. Bridges. — The first bridge ever erected across the Mystic River was at the point where the Stone Bridge now stands, in the centre of the town. The primitive structure was rude and frail, so that repairs were demanded in less than four years. At that time the land at that place, on both sides of the river, was low and swampy ; and the bridge, from that cause, was necessarily long. Doubt- less, the business of Gov. Cradock's men was the most imperative demand for that first bridge ; for his agent had commenced an extensive fishing-business in Medford, and he needed a bridge over which heavy teams could cross. But did he demand that the town should build it .' The town records are lost, that otherwise would give us light on that matter ; but we find in the records of the General Court certain statement's that enable us to know that Mr, Cradock commenced the enterprise at his own expense, as early as 1638. We learn, also, that he did not com- plete the bridge without assistance ; yet it is said that he taxed the travellers who crossed upon it, and was prose- cuted, through his agent, for hinderance of boats, and for demanding toll. The statement is as follows : — "At the General Court, Boston, 22d of 3d month, 1639, Mr. Mathew Cradock is freed of rates to the country, by ajijreement of the Court, for the year ensuing from this day, in regard of his cliarge in building the bridge; and the country is to finish it at the charge of the public. Mr. Davison and Lieut, Sprague to see it done, and to bring in their bill of charges." BOSTON AND MAINE RAILROAD STATION, 1886. HISTORY OF MED FORD. 77 This record clearly proves that a bridge had been com- menced at that early day by Mr. Cradock ; that it was not finished by him ; that he received exemption from taxes by a vote of the General Court, which would not have been accorded if the bridge had not been considered a public necessity, and had not occupied the best place for such a structure. While the Province aided to complete the bridge, doubtless Mr. Cradock's agent made it passable, and took toll before it was completed. This supposition makes the matter intelligible, and shows the public spirit of the man who would enter alone on such an enterprise. It should be borne in mind that the land at each end of that first toll-bridge in New England was then several feet lower than it now is. Indeed, the whole square was then a low marsh ; and, while the bridge might have been passable, the road to it at each end might have been so poor, that at certain seasons it could not have been open to travel ; and the first assistance from the Province may have been the filling-up of the road leading to the bridge. However that may have been, the bridge was commenced by Mr. Cradock's agent, and completed by the Province, Medford paying her .share of the public tax. P^our years after this we have the following record : — "General Court, May lo. 1643: It is ordered Mr. Tomlins should have 2^22 to repair Mistick Bridge, to make it strong and sufficient; for which sum of ^^32 he hath undertaken it." This extract proves that the bridge, after it was complet- ed, very soon needed repairing, and that about one hundred dollars were necessary for the work. The bridge, therefore, must have been important as a public way, to have received such large attention from the General Court. The frailty of the structure must have been remarkable ; for only three years passed, before it again demanded the care of the Gen- eral Court. The record is as follows : — " At a General Court at Boston, for elections, the 6th of the 3d mo. (Mav), 1646, Ralph Sprague and Edward Converse appointed to view the 'bridge at Mistick, and what charge they conceive meet to be presently expended for the making it sufficient, and prevent the rum thereof, or by further delay to endanger it, by agreeing with workmen for the comp'lete repairing thereof, and to make their return to Mr. Willoughby and Mr. Burrell, and what they shall do herein to be satis- fied out of the treasury." These frequent draughts on the colonial treasury began 78 HISTOin' OF MED FORD. to alarm the government ; and the following record shows the steps taken accordingly : — "At a session of the General Court, the first month. 1648: It was voted by the whole Court, that Mistick Bridge should be made and maintained by the county at the public charge." This movement created alarm through Medford, because strong fears were entertained that the county would let the bridge go to ruin. No penalty for non-performance of duty was imposed, and there was good cause for the fears which the people expressed. Mr. Cradock's agent, therefore, sent his petition, the nature of which can be ascertained only by the following reply: — ' " General Court, 28th of the 7th mo., 164S : In answer to the petition of Nic. Davison, in the behalf of Mr. Cradock, for the repairing and maintaining of Mistick Bridge by the county, the said Mr. Davison being sent for, the evidence he can give being heard and examined with the records of the General Court, it appears that the General Court did engage for an exemption from rates for that year, and finishing the same on their own charges ; which accordingly hath been done." We may infer from these proceedings, that the bridge was very likely to be out of repair, and that Mr. Cradock's workmen and business required it to be strong and safe. Five years roll away, and the county appears to have done little for the safety of the bridge. The indefatigable Mr. Davison, urged on, doubtless, by Mr. Cradock, appeals once more to the supreme authority. It is not strange that the General Court should at that time determine to put an end to the neglect of the county, and the annoyance and danger caused thereby ; and, probably by the earnest prompting of Mr. Davison, they passed the following financial resolve and legal order, on the 28th of March, 1653 : — "Upon a petition presented by Mr. Nicholas Davison, in the behalf of Mr. Cradock, in reference to Mistick Bridge, it is ordered by this Court, and hereby declared, that if any person or persons shall appear, that will engage sufficiently to build, repair, and maintain the bridge at Mistick, at his or their proper cost and charges, it shall be lawful : and all and every such person or persons so engaging are hereby authorized, and have full power, to ask, require, and receive of every single person passing over the said bridge, one penny, and for every horse and man, sixpence, for every beast twopence, and for every cart, one shilling; and this to continue so long as the bridge shall be sufiicientlv maintained, as aforesaid." This order of the General Court is clearly based upon the fact that the bridge was at first intended for the pas- HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 79 sage of heavily loaded teams ; that it had not been kept in a safe and proper condition for such teams to cross ; and therefore that any one who would assume to put it in good condition, and keep it in repair, might legally charge and collect a certain rate of toll. Put all these legislative orders together, with the infer- ences that may be drawn from them, and we have a very satisfactory history of the first bridge in Medford. We can see, in our mind's eye, a rude structure, sufficiently wide to allow but one cart to pass at the same time, and so poorly put together as to be endangered by every high tide and by floating ice. We can furthermore see, that the bridge "was placed where the present one stands ; and, lastly, we may say, that to Mr. Mathew Cradock of London our fathers were indebted for this great convenience. The next step of interest which had reference to Mystic Bridge, and to several other bridges in different towns, was the appointment of a committee by the County Court, to decide what bridges were necessary, and how they should be erected and maintained. That committee re- ported as follows : — " In obedience to an order of the County Court, held at Charlestown, Dec 30, 1656, we whose names are underwritten, meeting at Cam- bridge, March 2, 1659, to weigh and consider what bridges are fittest to be built and maintained at'the county's charge, after due examina- tion of things, we find the bridges of this county, already erected and to be erected (as we conceive), to exceed for number and charge all the other counties within this Colony ; and withal, considering the great necessity of bringing in all that are alike useful, which would amount to such a charge that we question the county's ability to maintain and bear the charge thereof; and having some experimental knowledge that towns will "be more cautious in laying out their own costs than the counties, both in building and repairing, do therefore conclude, according to our weak apprehensions, that as few bridges should be built at the county's charge as possibly may be ; only those two bridges, i.e., at Billerica and Mistick, to be finished at the coun- ty's charge, and for time to come maintained in repair by the towns and precTncts in which they are ; and those towns that are forced to build bridijes more for the passage of others than their own benefit, may have help from the county, by this honored Court's appointment, if their burden in building bridges exceed their sister towns; and in case any town shall propound to this honored Court for erectingof bridges contrary to what is here present, — we are ready to give further account to this Court why the county should be no further charged that way. And whereas it appears to us that Concord, Sud- bury, and Lancaster are at a greater charge in bridges for the public use of the county than some other of their neighbor towns, we con- ceive it meet that they be abated as followeth : Concord and Lancaster, 8o HISrOR Y OF MED FORD. all their rates, whether paid or to be jjaid, to those two bridges al)ove named, and Sudbury, the one-half of their rates to the said brid'(9w tlte beo^itniiiii^of tlie world unto this day ^ the sum of ^16. i6s. lod. Errors exceiDted." May 7, 1705: Stephen Willis was objected to, "because he voted for himself." The idea of our forefathers touching taxing and voting was this, that no man should be allowed to vote on pecuniary affairs who held no pecuniary interest in the town in which he lived. To give a specimen of their jealous care, we transcribe the following. Twelve of the most respectable inhabitants of Medford, on the 4th of March, 1718, addressed the following memorial to the selectmen : — "Gentlemen, — Our desire and petition to you is, that our town- meeting may be regulated according to law ; for we know that those men that made the law were wiser than we are, and therefore we the subscribers will by no means be the breakers of the same. And therefore, if our town-meeting be not regulated according to law, we must enter this as our dissSnt against it." The selectmen replied with great promptness as fol- lows : — *' In answer to the desire and request of some of our inhabitants, that our town-meeting may be regulated according to law, we the subscribers have openly declared at said meeting, that those of our inhabitants, and o/t/y those, that are worth, or have in possession, to the value of twenty pounds ratable estate, may vote at said meeting." " 1728: Mr. Peter Tufts, refusing to take the office of constable, paid in his money, as the law directs, to the town-treasury." At a later period (175 i), the town voted, that, if any one refused to take the office to which he had been elected, he should pay into the treasury ^i. 6s. Sd., lawful money. In 1632 the people of Plymouth enact "that whoever refuses the office of Governor shall pay twenty pounds, unless he was chose two years going." I08 HISTORY OF MED FORD. "March 4, 1754: Samuel Hall was chosen constable, and refused to serve ; and the town took up with five pounds, old tenor, inasmuch as he is a lame person." In the early part of the eighteenth century the town appears to have been in a languishing condition. Its popu- lation and territory were small, and efforts were made to enlarge them by the annexation of adjoining precincts. In 1 7 14 a committee was chosen to petition Charlestown on the subject of annexing certain districts. The petitioners ask " for some part of Charlestown adjoining to Medford, on the north side of Mystic River." The same year, having received, as is supposed, an adverse reply to that petition, they chose another committee to examine the Province Records, and see if Medford has any right to land lying in Charlestown, and, if so, to prosecute the same at the town's expense. June 19, 1734 : Voted, that "the town petition the Great and General Court for a tract of the unappropriated lands of this Province, to enable the said town of Medford the better to support the ministry and the school in said town." A record of the reply is as follows : — At a Great and General Court or Assembly for his Majesty's Prov- ince of Massachusetts Bay, in New England, begun and held at Boston, upon Wednesday, the 28th of May, 1735, and continued by several adjournments to Wednesday, the 19th of November following, — 20 May, 1735: A petition of the inhabitants of the town of Med- ford, showing that the said town is of the smallest extent of any in the Province, and yet their town-charges extremely high, so that the main- tenance of ministry and school is very chargeable to them, and there- fore praying for a grant of some of the waste lands of the Province to be appropriated for the support of the ministry and schoohnaster in said town. In the House of Representatives, read and ordered that tlie ])rayer of the petition be so far granted as that the town of Medford is hereby allowed and empowered, by a surveyor and cliairman on oath, to survey and lav out one thousand acres of the unappropriated lands of the Province, and return a plat thereof to this Court, witliin twelve months, for confirmation for the uses within mentioned. In Council, read and concurred. Dec. 29th: Consented to, J. Belcher. A true copy, examined: Thade. Mason, Deptity Secretary. Previously the town, because it was small, and heavily taxed, had asked for assistance from the General Court. And in 1721 that body voted £\6o\ which sum the town HISTORY OF MED FORD. 109 at once agreed to loan to its inhabitants in sums not to exceed ten pounds, nor to be less than five pounds, on interest at five per cent. "April 25, 172S. It was voted that the town of Mcdford will take out of the county treasury their part of the sixty thousand pounds granted by the Great and General Court.'' When the town accepted the grant of land from the General Court, it appointed a committee, consisting of William Willis and Capt. John Hall, to see to the consum- mation of the matter ; and a choice of lands was made on the Piscataqua River, near the Merrimack. The tract em- braced one thousand acres, and it was called the " Town's Farm." It was not of great value, and was not kept by the town more than thirteen or fourteen years. Andrew Hall, Capt. Samuel Brooks, and Richard Sprague were made a committee to dispose of it ; but the amount they obtained does not appear on the existing records. We give in this place another petition presented by Medford to the General Government, asking for additional territory : — To his Excellency Williain Shirlev, Esq., Captain-General and Gov- ernorin-Chief in and over Jiis Afajesiys Province of the Massachn- setts Bay, in New England, to the Honorable his Majesty s Council, and to the Honorable House of Representatives. The petition of the inhabitants of the town of Medford, in the County of Middlesex, humbly showeth that there are certain tracts of land lying on the southerly and northerly sides of said Medford, which are bounded as follows; viz., the southerly tract, lying in Charlestown, is bounded northerly with Mistic or Medford River, westerly witli the westerly bounds of Mr. Smith's farm, southerly with the southerly bounds of Mr. Smith's, Mr. James Tufts's, and Mr. Jonathan Tufts's farms, and then running from the south-easterly corner of said Jonathan Tufts's farm eastward straight to the westerly side of Col. Royal's farm, again westerly with the westerly bounds of Col. Royal's farm, again southerly with its southerly bounds, and then running from the south-easterly corner thereof, eastward, straight to Medford River. _ The northerly tract, 1\ ing also in Charlestown, is bounded southerly with said Medford's northerly line and the southerly bounds of Mr. Symmes's farm, westerly witli the line that divides Mr. Symmes's from Mr. Gardner's farm, northerly with Woburn and Stoneham lines, east- erly on Maiden line. Which lands, with their inhabitants, we pray may be added to the contracted limits of the said town of Medford, together with a propor- tionable part of the said town of Charlestown's rights and privileges, according to the quantity and circumstances of said lands : at least, those pieces of land, and the privileges, which are within the lands hereby petitioned for. I lo HISTORY OF MED FORD. And inasmuch as the said town of Charlestown has conveyed the land called the gravel-pit, with the marsh adjoining, containing about half an acre, that they used for getting gravel, laying timber, etc., for the southerly half of the bridge commonly called Mistic Bridge, and the "Causey " thereto adjoining, to Capt. Aaron Cleaveland and Mr. Samuel Kendal; for which consideration they have covenanted and agreed with the said town of Charlestown to 'keep the half of the bridge and the " Causey " aforesaid in good condition forever : We pray, that, in case the before-described lands are laid to said Medford, it may not be subjected to any cost or charges on account of the before-mentioned part of said bridge and the Causey adjoining. Which petition we humbly conceive will appear reasonable by what follows : — First, The contents of the said town of Medford are exceedmgly small, amounting to but about two thousand acres, the inhabitants very few, and consequently its charges very great, compared with other towns. Besides, as to brick-making, upon which our trading and a great part of our other business depends, it very much fails. Secondly The said town of Charlestown almost encompasses the town of M'edford, and therefore (notwithstanding the great necessity) it cannot receive large addition from any other town. Thirdly, Those that now dwell on the said tracts of land, and those who heretofore dwelt on them, have from time to time enjoyed the liberty of attending the public worship in Medford without paying any thing to the taxes" there. Neither is there any probability that any of the inhabitants of said lands, or any other persons that may settle on them, can with any conveniency attend the public worship in any other town. Moreover, the inhabitants of the said southerly tract are within about half a mile of said Medford meeting-house, — the greatest part of them, — and the rest within a mile. And the inhabitants of the northerly tract before mentioned are, the farthest of them, but about two miles from said meeting-house. And great part of the lands in both the said tracts are now owned and possessed by those who are with us in this petition, and some of the inhabitants of said Medford. Besides, we apprehend it to be a very great hardship for the inhab- itants of said tracts of land to be obliged' to go, almost all of them, more than four miles, and others more than seven miles, to town-meetings, trainings, etc. Furthermore, we would humbly move that some of the honorable members of the General Assembly may be appointed to view the premises petitioned for, etc. In consideration of what is before mentioned, and other moving arguments that might be used in this affair, we hope your Excellency and Honors, in your great wisdom and goodness, will grant our petition. Although the inhabitants of said Charlestown have not been pleased to be so free (when petitioned) as to let us know whether they would gratify us herein or not. So shall your petitioners, as in duty bound, ever pray. Caleb Brooks. Jonathan Tufts. Benjamin Parker. John Jenks. Benjamin Teal. Robert Crane. James Tufts. John Degrushv. Euenezer Marrow. Medford, Dec. 13, 1753. HISTORY OF, MEDFORD. Ill We the subscribers, being owners of a considerable part of the said lands, and having dwelling-houses thereon, do herel)y signify that we heartily join with the inhabitants of Medford in the foregoing petition. Samuel Brooks, ] Ebenezer Brooks, ^ Z. Pool, )- /Twf ^ Joseph Tufts, >^ AJedjord. Stephen Hall, This petition was granted April 17, 1754, giving to the town all its territory south of the Mystic. Although Medford greatly needed and desired to have more inhabitants, she did not allow strangers to take up their residence without careful inquisition touching their character. The right of citizenship was something to be jealously guarded, and it was the custom to warn every new-comer out of town. It was a strange manifestation of hospitality, but it was a legal method by which to prevent persons liable to become town-charges from gaining a set- tlement. The notification was also sent to the Court of Sessions, and there recorded under the name of "Caution." This habit continued till the time of the Revolution. Pau- pers were kept out by the most stringent prohibitions. The town voted, that if any person, male or female, omitted to comply with the law respecting admission, such person should be fined forty shillings.- From the start, the people were jealous of any invasion of the rights secured to them by the charter, and gave some of the earliest expressions of enlightened patriotism, and presented a firm attitude of resistance to the encroachments of royal authority. An instance of this kind is recorded as follows : — "Jan. 31, 1732: Voted, that it was declared by the inhabitants that it was their desire tiiat their representative should at all times act with the greatest caution, and stand for tiie defence of the privileges granted us by his Majesty in the royal Charter." " Aug. 5. I 754 : Voted.'that the part of the Excise Bill of his Alajestv which relates to the private consumption of wine and spirits shall not be in full force." This seems to smack of rebellion, but it was not so intended. The people stood by their rights under the charter, and gave to every provision therein such a con- struction as the spirit of the whole instrument seemed to justify. 112 HISTORY OF MEDFORD. Progress was made from year to year in all formal pro- ceedings, and we give here another record of a town-meet- ing. At a town-meeting legally convened at Medford, March 7, 1748, Mr. Andrew Hall was chosen Moderator. Dea. Benj. Willis, J Capt. Samuel Brooks, J Selectmen l.ieut. Stephen Hall, ) Thomas Seccomb, Town-clerk. Benj. Parker, Town-treasurer. Joseph Tufts, 1 Thos. Brooks, > Assessors. Edward Hall, ) Stephen Willis, chosen Constable, refused to Samuel Brooks, jun, 1 William Tufts, J Fence-viewers. John Hall, ) Stephen (jreenleaf, J John Bishop, > Hog-reeves. Ebenezer Francis, ) John Tufts, i Jacob Polly, \ Wood-corders. Thomas Brooks, , serve, and paid £\o, old tenor. I Jonathan Watson, [ Surveyors of Boards and Francis Whilmore, 2d Constable, but refused i Capt. Saml. Brooks, S 'limber. to serve, and paid £\o, old tenor. I Samuel Reeves, Pound-keeper. Samuel Reeves, 3d Constable. He refused to Samuel Francis, t Haywards, or Field-dtivers. serve, and paid £\o, old tenor. | Benjamm 1 ults, \ ' Samuel Page, hired to serve as Constable, for ;^25, old tenor. Simon Bradshaw, 1 pe^r-reeves. Joseph 1 ufts, I Dea. Thomas Hall, Sealer of Leather, TonathanHall / -t-- l- Dea. Ihomas Hall, bealer ot Leather, Henry Fowle, \ Tithmg-men. j Benjamin Parker, Sealer of Weights and Stephen Bradshaw, ) .Measures. Lieut. John Francis, 5 Surveyors of Highways. Stephen Bradshaw, Grand juror. Stephen (ireenleaf, ) I Andrew Hall, Esq., "I , , . . , , Capt. Samuel Brooks, A Committee to manage the affair of obtainmg some part ol the Lieut. Stephen Hall, jun., \ lands now belongmg to Charlestown, with the inhabiiants Zechariah Poole, thereon. Ebenezer Brooks, J Joseph Tufts, ) A Committee to audit the Town-treasurer's accounts for the year Lieut. Stephen Hall, jun., ^„^j ^^e town's accounts likewise. Ihomas Brooks, ; '^ In 1768, it was "voted that a committee be chosen to draw up and lay before the town some salutary method or plan for discouraging extravagance, and promoting indus- try and frugality amongst us." The committee made the following report : — We the subscribers, being chosen a committee to consider of some method to discourage extravagance, idleness, vice, etc., and prp- mote industry and frugality, do present the following resolves, passed in the House of Representatives Feb. 26, 176S, for an example to this town. In the House of Representatives, Feb. 26, 176S. Whereas the happiness and well-being of civil communities depend upon industry, economy, and good morals ; and this House taking into serious con- sideration the great decay of the trade of the Province, the scarcity of money, the heavy debt contracted in the late war still remaining on the people, and the great difficulties by which they are by these means reduced : therefore Resolved, That this House will use their utmost endeavors, by example, in suppressing extravagances, idleness, and vice, and pro- moting industry, economy, and good morals, in their respective towns. And in order 'to prevent the unnecessary exportation of money, of which this Province has been of late yt^ars so much drained, it is further resolved, that this House will, by all prudent means, endeavor HISTORY OF MED FORD. 1 1 3; to discountenance the use of foreign superfluities, and encotirage tJie- manufactures of this Province. Thomas Seccomb. Samuel Angier.. Benjamin Hall. John Blshop. Joshua Snioxns. Willis Hall. Thomas Brooks. Mfdford, April 1, 17 The town-meeting was from earliest days a marked: occasion for the boys. The school had the day as a vaca- tion. The gallery of the meeting-house was ornamented with urchins from si.x years old to half-men of fifteen, who had come there to learn unconsciously the science of republicanism. The front seats were all filled, and each boy was eagerly watching the progress of events below. If a new road, wharf, grist-mill, engine, schoolhouse, or candidate was to be brought forward for discussion, the boys had already taken sides on the question, and waited impatiently for its introduction to the meeting. When the long-delayed debate ensued, each gallery politician swelled with joy and hope as a favorite speaker rose. This ebbing and flowing of youthful emotions were the republican edu- cational influences brought to bear on the boys of every village ; and the lad of twelve years felt an interest in poli- tics, while he of twenty had settled his choice of party and men, and was ready to vote understandingly. The absence of this republican pupilage in Europe makes a proper repub- lic there almost an impossibility. All town-meetings were warned in " his Majesty's name " until 1776, after which our fathers ceased to recognize roy- alty as a power among them. The form first substituted was, " In the name of the government and people of Massa- chusetts Bay." By comparing the ofificers in Medford, as seen in the years 1748 and 1782, it will appear that the separation from Eng- land made not the slightest difference in the municipal organization or modes of elections. The only change dis- coverable is, that, before the " Declaration of Independ- ence," the town-meetings were warned " in his Majesty's name," but after 1776 they were warned "in the name and by the authority of the people," and, after the adoption of the Constitution, " in the name of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts." The need of no change in their politi- cal system shows that the first plan of town-officers and municipal elections was based upon the idea of republi- ;ii4 HISTORY OF MEDFORD. ■can equality, and submission to popular majorities. True democracy grew up as a necessity among our fathers ; and from these town organizations resulted a true republican education, out of which "independence " grew. Enlarged and Christian patriotism is the result of wise and liberal town administrations. We cannot too highly prize our separate town municipalities. They are the primary schools of the republic, and do for the state what indi- viduals do for the family. By comparing the result of the town-meeting held in 1748 with that of another held in 1782, the reader will see .an increase in the number of town-officers. The record of the election runs as follows : — At a town-meeting legally convened in Medford. March 4, 17S2, Benjamin Hall, Esq., chosen Moderator ; Richard Hall, Town-clerk. ■Benjamin H.ill, Esq.,") John Bishop, | Joshua Simonds, [-Selectmen. Capt. Ebenezer Hall, | Richard Hall, J Jonathan Patten, Treasurer. Joshua Simonds, 1 Willis Hall, James Wyman, J- Assessors. "Moses BilUngs, I Capt. Samuel Brooks, J Jonathan Foster, (constables. James lults, jun., \ Moses Hall, / T ,, ■ „^„ 1 ... r, lithmg-men. Isaac lufts, \ = Hezekiah Blanchard, 1 c, ,,„„,„„ „f m:„i, T, ,, , , ' ( burveyors ot rlign- Ihomas Hradshavv, \ ,.,.,,.„ Capt. Caleb Brooks, Gershom Williams, Timothy Newhall, ■ Noah Kloyd, James Willey, Hutcherson Tufts, / Ebenezer Thompson, ) Noah Floyd, 1 Nathan Tufts, ( tt r-i Tu „ f Hog-reeves Ebenezer Ihompson, [ ° Hutchinson Tufis, J Moses Hall, Surveyor of Hoops. Fence-viewers. Field-drivers. ^ .Samuel Kidder, William Burditt, J Surveyors of Lumber. Benjamin Floyd, jun , ) William Bradshaw, Poimd-keeper. Timothy, Newhall, Sealer of Weights and Measures. Samuel Reeves, 1 Thomas Bradshaw, j John Fulton, }• Wood-corders. Moses Hall, j Sergt. Blanchard, J John Wade, Deer-reeve. ^X^T ^J'^'^"''^^^' f Scaler of Leather. John Leathe, \ Jonathan Foster, ) Jonathan Patten, > Bread-weighers. Ebenezer Hall, jun , ; Aaron Hall, \^ ^^^jj^ ^^^ Treasurers Richard Hall, > ■ T 11-4 Accounts James W yman, J Moses Hall, Salt-measurer. Capt. Caleb Brooks, Grand juror. Simon Tufts, Esq., 1 Capt. Ebenezer Hall, | Richard Hall, }■ Fire-wardens. Wilhs H.all, I Capt Isaac Hall, I Benjamin Tufts, Collector", fees, five pence per pound. There are some offices named in the town-records up to this time which were once common in all New-England towns, but which are now unknown. The office of titliiug- man is one of them. It was a title given to a parish offi- cer who was annually elected to keep order in the church during divine service, and to make complaint of any inde- corum. The writer can recollect such an officer ; and one duty which he performed was that of rousing up the sleepy ones during a long sermon, by a gentle touch with his long cane, or tithing-rod. Disorderly boys and girls also received HISTORY OF MED FORD. 1 15 his attention, and sometimes the touch with his rod was not very light. The reader may desire to know why such an officer should have been elected by the town, and not by the churches ; and the answer is significant. In the early days of the New-England townships, there was usually but one church in the town; and everybody had t ) contribute to its support. When the town became so populous that two churches were needed to accommodate the worshippers, they were both of the same denomination ; and the people had to pay towards the support of one or the other : there- fore the town looked after the good order of its church or churches. It should be remembered too, that, for a long time, only church-members were voters ; so that the church and parish were identical. Hog-rceves also are officers unknown in our day. They were appointed by the town in open town-meeting, and were to have in charge the hogs which were allowed to run at large. If the owners did not properly restrain them, they were liable to do mischief to the lands and crops, and it became important that the town should see to them. Hog-reeves, therefore, had to keep them out of poorly fenced enclosures by putting a yoke on their necks ; and to prevent the hogs from rooting up grass, vegetables, yards, and paths, wire rings were put in their noses. Indeed, at town-meetings, the people in their corporate capacity endeavored to regulate every thing ; and some of their regulations seem almost ludicrous to those holding present ideas. We give in this place an example of a sumptuary law passed by the town Aug. 29, i7/'9, — only a little more than a hundred years ago, — by which the prices of certain things were fi.xed. The prices may seem extravagant ; but they are set down in a depreciated cur- rency, the value of which we shall explain in another place. The established rates were as follows : — Tailors, for makinij a suit of clothes for a man L'^S- °-*'- Blacksmith, shoeing a horse all round ^4. lo.f. West-India toddy, one bowl i'6s. West-India flipp, one mug iSj-. New-England toddy, per bowl \2.s. New-England flipp, a mug I2j. Breakfast i8jr. Common meat supper 10s. It is evident that the products of the still played an important part in the dietary system of our fathers. Il6 HISTORY OF MED FORD. The method of collectuig taxes from unwilling; debtors was peculiar, and sometimes severely effectual. When a person would not pay, the constable was commanded to take his goods, and sell them "at an outcry for payment," — public auction. There were instances where this matter was carried to an extreme, especially in the collection of the religious tax ; for in the early colonial times many a man had his only cow taken, and sold at " an outcry for pay- ment" to cancel his parish tax. But this action was not the result of any partiality to clergymen, as will be seen by the following item of the Medford town-records. May 13, 1773 : The new question arose, whether a cler- gyman not settled, nor ministering to any parish, should be freed from taxation. After much reflection, the town "voted not to abate Rev. Mr. Edward Brooks's poll-tax." Many other votes of the town show progress in the regu- lation of town business. March 7, 1796: Voted to pay assessors two dollars per day while making taxes. This is the first record of the kind. March 6, 1797 : For the first time the town voted to pay the town-clerk for his services ; and they gave him twenty dollars. 1828 : Heretofore the selectmen had met at times agreed upon by themselves ; but now the town voted, "that it shall henceforth be the duty of the selectmen to meet on the first Monday of every month for business ;" and no busi- ness shall be done by them at other times. " May 7, 1836 : Voted, that in future the practice or cus- tom of altowing the town-officers an annual supper at the town's expense be dispensed with. April 6, 1840: The town adopted the following by- laws : — ''I. If any one deface a building, fence, etc., he shall be fined not more than twenty dollars. " 2. If any one neglect to keep in repair any cellar-door which projects into the street, he shall be fined twenty dollars. "3. If any cellar-door be left open in the night, without a light to reveal it, the owner shall be fined twenty dollars. "4. No awnings to project more than eight feet from the front wall. " 5. No gate swing across the street, and no coal left on sidewalk ; penalty, five dollars. "6. Notice to build shall be given ; penalty, five dollars. "7. No post put up in the street without permission from the selectmen ; penalt)^, ten dollars. HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 117 " 8. No obstructions of the street; penalty, five dollars. " 9. No dirt, ashes, etc., put in the streets ; penalty, ten dollars. " ID. No wheelbarrow or cart on sidewalks: penalty, five dollars. "11. Snowballing, throwing stones, etc., whereby persons may be annoyed in the streets ; penalty, five dollars. " 12. No bathing in exposed places ; penalty, five dollars. " 13. Fast driving forbidden , penalty, ten dollars. " 14. Clerk of the market shall be a|)pointed annually. " 15. Dogs without a collar, between May i and Oct. i, to be killed by the police. " 16. No dog shall disturb any neighborhood, and after being warned, penalty one dollar for each day after notice is served. " 17. Police shall see to the peace of the town, and complain of all disorderly boys. " 18. AH fines to be paid into the treasury." While these by-laws show the care of the inhabitants of Meclford for externals, the following votes show a deeper care for moral interests : — "Feb. 13, 1843; Voted, that all good citizens should cease using spirituous and intoxicating liquors, and should unite to prosecute those who sell them." "March 8, 1847: Voted, that a committee of twelve be chosen to enforce the License Law. "Voted, that the selectmen be instructed to oppose the granting of licenses for the sale of intoxicating drinks in this town, and draw on the treasury for all necessary expenses in this duty. "Voted, that said committee prosecute without lenity in all cases of the breach of the License Law. "Voted, that the overseers of the poor be instructed not to purchase anv thing for the poor and almshouse, where intoxicating drinks are sold." July 19, 1852: — " Whereas the Legislature of this Commonwedth passed, at the last session, a law for the suppression of places for the sale of intoxicating drinks : therefore " Resolved, That the officers of this town be instructed to execute the law in every instance of its violation." Feb. 15, 1855: — " The town-agency for the sale of spirituous liquors [say the selectmen] has been in existence two and a half years. The agent has given general satisfaction. The experiment thus far has been satisfactory, and the agency is sufficient to meet all the reasonable demands of the inhabitants for spirituous lic[uors." The next record of a town-meeting which we shall insert is of that which was held March 5, 18 10, when the following officers were chosen for the year ensuing : — ii8 HISTORY OF MEDFORD. Fitch Hall, Moderator. Abner Harllelt, Town-clerk. Nathan Wait, 1 Fitch Hall, I Jonathan Brooks, \ Selectmen. Luther -Stearns, ] Benjamin Tufts, J Joseph Manning, Treasurer. Caleb Brooks, 1 Ephraim Bailey, "(Assessors. Joseph Swan, J Nathan Wait, J Constables. Joseph Wynian, S Jeduthan Richardson, ) Surveyors of High- Samuel Tufts, jun., \ ways. Gershom Teel, J Xithing-men. James 1. Hoyd, \ ° Andrew Blanchard, ) Cullers of Hoops and Willi:uii Bradbury, S Staves. rieujamin Tufts, J Jeduthan Richardson, > Fence- viewers. Joseph Wyman, ) Jonathan Harrington, "] Calvin Turner, j 'J'hatchcr -Magoon, Tinidlliv Uexter, Jolin D'ixcn, | Daiius Wait, I Jonathan Harrington, ") Timothy Dexter, • Surveyors of Lumber. John Burrage, Ephraim Bailey, Joseph Church, Jonathan Warner, Measurers of Wood. It will be seen from the above, that the choice of a " tithing-man " was continued up to the time of this meet- ing ; but that officer was soon afterwards dispensed with. Expenses. — The first book kept by the treasurer is lost. From the second, which begins in 1729, and others of later date, the following items of expenses are taken. The mod- ern modes of book-keeping were not known to our fathers. There were sometimes two or three rates made in a year, varying from twenty to two hundred pounds. The money collected by the constable was paid into the treasury ; but the accounts of the treasurer were not examined until a new treasurer was chosen. Then a committee was appointed to examine the accounts, and transfer the books. A natural consequence of such book-keeping was, that the accounts of one year ran into those of the next ; and, thus mixed up, the items of several years were summed up in one footing. After 1775 more regularity obtained. Another fact should be noticed in the following accounts, — the bewildering depreciation in the value of money. For fluctuations in the currency, see the tables. Old Towr. Samuel Brooks, treasurer from 1729 to 1732. Amount paid for to\vn-e.\penses, three 3'ears _;^i.446 9 I Ebenezer Brooks, treasurer from 1 735 to 1 743. Amount paid for town-expenses, eisjht years 2,265 ° 7 Benjamin Parker, treasurer from 174310 1749. Amount paid for town-expenses, six years 4,886 10 i Laii'ful Money. Aaron Hall, treasurer from 1761 to 1767. Amount paid for town-expenses 674 19 7 James Wyman, treasurer from 1767 to 1771. Amount paid for town-expenses, four years 2,162 12 2 HISTORY OF MED FORD. II9 In these four years (1767 to 1771) are included a por- tion of the expenses of building the meeting-house, in 1769. The pews paid the greater part of the cost. Lawful Motley. Expenses from 1771 to 1772 L^S'^ 3 4 .'• 1777 to 1778 1,414 4 4 " " 1778 to 1779 (by tax) 3,061 iS 6 Borrowed 2,850 o o (Depreciated money) 5,311 18 6 1779. Expenses (raised by tax) 8,814 o o Borrowed 8,635 4 4 Extra expenses on account of the war .... 17,449 4 4 1780. Raised by tax 101,401 19 10 Borrowed 5,383 7 o (Depreciated money) 106,785 6 10 1786. March, to March, 1787 1,440 15 o 1790. Expenses of town for one year 861 5 6 1800. " " " " " $3,188 II 1810. " " " " " 4,317 16 1820. '^ " " " " 5,348 78 1830. '• " " " " 5,608 93 1835. " " " " " 15,300 15 1840. " " « " " 17,314 21 1845. " " " " " 20,004 26 1S50. " " " " " 15,186 18 All the public buildings now in use have been erected since 1820, such as the Town-House, schoolhouses, engine- houses, etc. ; and by the erection of them, the opening of new streets, and the building of bridges, the town expenses have been increased year by year. It may be interesting to compare the expenses of 1818 and 1884. They are as follows. For 1818 : — Minister's salary and grant of wood $500 00 Poor 1,225 46 Paid Charlestown for paupers 241 00 Roads 507 63 Schools 740 00 Abatement of taxes 258 47 Town-officers 150 00 Collecting taxes 270 00 Expenses for opposing a new road . 150 00 Interest on town-debt 141 00 For injury of horse on drawbridge 50 00 Sexton 25 00 Miscellaneous expenses 94 56 Total $4,353 12 120 HISTORY OF MED FORD. The expenses of the year ending Jan. 31, 1884, were as follows : — Almshouse and outside relief $7:5-7 n Fire-department 5-374 29 Highways and new streets 9'70i 93 Interest 10,084 97 Police-department 4-947 03 Public schools 29,021 68 Street-lamps 3:9^3 06 Water-works 10,500 00 Other departments and miscellaneous expenses . . . 37-779 15 Total $119,00922 Mcdford a Tcnvn front tJicTimc of its Settlement. — Froth- ingham, in his excellent " History of Charlestown " (p. 92), says, " Medford was not a town : it was rather a manor, owned by one of the leading inhabitants of Charlestown." We shall very good naturedly dissent from this statement, and show cause. We have every reason to suppose that the town-officers in Medford were like those in the adjoining plantations. Our first records speak of selectmen, sometimes called " Sevenmen," because these seven men acted as governors of the town, assessors, and referees. They were also called "Townsmen," because they represented the whole town, and acted for the inhabitants. There was a town-clerk, who recorded the doings of the selectmen and the town, and also granted attachments in civil actions. There were surveyors of highways, whose duty it was not only to direct the laborers, but to see that every one did his share. There was the constable, who warned public meetings, and col- lected the taxes. In the town-meetings, which were always opened with prayer by a deacon or some aged member of the church, a moderator presided. Fines were imposed for non-attend- ance. Each one had an equal right to speak. The Court ordered, in 1641, that "every man, whether inhabitant or foreigner, free or not free, shall have liberty to prefer a petition, bring forward a motion, or make a complaint, so it be done in convenient time, due order, and respectful manner." The voting related mainly to making fences, laying out roads, regulating the pasturage of cattle, ringing the swine, killing wolves, bears, and foxes, and assessing rates. All these acts of the assembled inhabitants imply the posses- HISTORY OF MED FORD. 121 sion of legal, civil, and political rights, — just the rights which constitute a regularly organized body politic. When Deputy-Gov. Dudley, and those with him, came to this neighborhood, they visited several places : they named one Boston, another Charlestown, another Meadford, another Roxbury, another Watertown, and another Dor- chester. On Wood's map of 1635, Medford is designated by the same mark as all other towns. Each of these places above named became towns, and each in the same way, — by becoming settlements ; and each claimed, and each as a town possessed, the same legal, civil, political, and muni- cipal rights. In proof that each of them was a town, sep- arate and distinct, and was so considered, and so treated by the General Court, each one of them was taxed by the General Court as early as Sept. 28, 1630, and each one continued to be so taxed. The Court put each one of them on the list of towns, and passed separate laws relating to each. If this does not constitute legal township, we know not what can. In these several towns there must have been municipal laws and regulations for levying and gath- ering the amounts assessed. If either of these towns had been only an appendage to its neighbor, it would have been so considered by its inhabitants, so organized in its mu- nicipal government, and so treated by the General Court. But this was not the case with either of them. At this early period, not a foot of land in Medford was owned by any inhabitant of Charlestown. We have elsewhere shown who were the several purchasers after the death of Mr. Cradock. There is therefore no just warrant for consid- ering Medford as "a manor," any more than Roxbury or Watertown. The early owners in these towns were few. Medford was never called " a manor " till Frothingham gave it that name. In all the old histories it is called a "town," in precisely the same way as Boston and Dorchester. If it was not a town after the passing of the " Act " of the General Court, it is not a town now ; for it has never been incorporated since. And, if it was not a town then, Boston, Roxbury, Charlestown, Dorchester, and Watertown are not towns iiozv ; for they have never been incorporated since. It was called a " plantation," as other places were, because this was a common name adopted by the company in London, and very naturally transferred here. The name expressed the actual condition and incipient history of each town. It was sometimes, in the books, called Mistick, 122 HISTORY OF MED FORD. after the name of its river. It was sometimes called " Mr. Cradock's Farm," because that gentleman had introduced farmers to cultivate its lands, had impaled a park, had erected houses, built ships, and carried on an extensive fishery. He owned so large a part of the tract, and was so rich and distinguished, that it would have been strange if his name had not attached to it. We have wondered why the town has not always been called by his name. The "celebrated Rev. James Noyes " became the pastor and teacher of the inhabitants of Medford in 1634. If having a Christian minister resident and laboring in a town completed the idea of township in those days, then Med- ford surely had every thing required in the definition. Let us now look at the earliest records of Medford, and see what they prove. The first twenty-five or thirty pages of the first book of records are unfortunately lost, probably from carelessness about loose and decayed sheets. We find the first records which are preserved, noting down methodically, after the manner of those days, the usual doings of a legal town-meeting. No one can examine the old book, and not see that there was uniformity in the town- clerk's records. It is most clear, that the earliest records which are preserved are the regular continuation of the earlier ones which are lost. And what do we find in the oldest records .'' We find the selectmen calling the annual town-meeting, /;/ Iiis Majesty s name, to choose the usual officers for the regulation of town-affairs, etc. The town speaks of itself as a town, taxes itself as a town, petitions the General Court as a town, and makes its laws like other towns, and never is there the slightest hint that Medford is "not a town, but rather a manor." In the early and tedious controversy about the Mystic Bridge, its neighbors treated with it as a town ; its inhabitants took the oath of fidelity, and its municipal organization conformed, to the laws of the Colony. The author of the "History of Charlestown" says of Medford, that "the tozvn, in 1638, commenced a suit," etc. Here Medford is called a town, in 1638, by Frothingham himself, and is represented by him as acting in its corporate capacity in a legal process before the Quarter Court. If it had been only a " manor," its lord or owner could alone have taken such action. The same inference follows, if we turn to the acts of the General Court. From 1630 the Court considered Medford HISTORY OF MED FORD. I 23 a town, and treated it accordingly ; and, when the inhabit- ants petitioned for an act of incorporation, the Legislature sent them the following reply, — that " the tozvn had been incorporated, along with the other towns of the Province, by a general 'Act,' passed in 1630; and under this Act it had at any time a right to organize itself, and choose a representative, without further legislation." Here the highest authority of the Colony solemnly and emphatically declares Medford to be a town, a regularly incorporated town by the same " Act " as that for Boston, Charlestown, Water- town, Roxbury, and Dorchester. Thus Medford had been from 1630 an incorporated town, possessing all the civil, political, and municipal rights consequent on that " Act." Frothingham says, " All printed authorities speak of Medford as a tozvn, SiXiA date its incorporation in 1630; but this appears to be an error." We are content to follow, in this matter, "all printed authorities" and tJie derision of the Legislature, and leave the novel supposition of 1846 to stand alone. Medford was called a /rr/z/zV?/- town : but its peculiarity did not consist in being stripped of its political rights and corporate organizations ; for, in the very enactment which calls it "peculiar," the General Court say it shall "have power as other towns, as to prudentials." If it had rights "as other towns," and was treated by the Legislature "as other towns," in what did its peculiarity consist .'' This question is easily answered. Its peculiarity consisted in having the major part of its territory owned by one gen- tleman, and he a resident in London. Mr. Cradock, the strongest and wealthiest friend of the Colony, had this grant of land in partial remuneration for his great outlays for the company. He was sometimes excused from taxes. Here was another peculiarity, but no withdrawal or relin- quishment of vested rights. This fact rendered town-laws more important. It required very strong and peculiar laws to regulate the fishermen, coopers, ship-carpenters, and farmers whom Mr. Cradock had established here. Such laws could not be enforced, except by a proper civil author- ity, and such authority every thing proves to have existed. Mr. Cradock's grants were not made till 1634-35 ! but Medford was taxed " as other tozvns " in 1630. Here, there- fore, were four or five years in which it acted as an incor- porated town before Mr. Cradock came into possession of his grant. During those four or five years it could not 124 HISTORY OF MED FORD. have been a " manor." But at that time it became a town ; which character it has possessed to this day unbroken, and which character was stamped upon it " by a general act " of the government in 1630, and now remains in force. Causes of Nezv-Etigland Prosperity. — After the EngHsh Parliament had assembled in 1640, the persecutions of the Puritans were stopped. Deep policy suggested this change of affairs in England ; and a consequence was, that emigra- tion to New England largely ceased, and was not renewed with any spirit till 1773. New England, therefore, was principally peopled by the descendants of those who emi- grated between 1620 and 1640; and this fact we would mention as the first cause of prosperity. The population was homogeneous, and it inherited all the force and vigor of the original stock. Another cause of prosperity to New England was found in the institution of families. Each family was a unit, a state, a church ; and the father was both patriarch and priest. In these free and Christian families arose that intelligent and stubborn enterprise which could turn a wilderness into a garden, and barbarism into civilization. These families, unfettered and individualized, were happy to unite with all around them for the surer attainment of their common end. The establishment of free schools was another most powerful cause of prosperity to New England. This origi- nal idea had potency enough to work out the highest re- sults of private and social good, the profoundest problems of life, government, and religion. It began in the right way, at the right place : it put the lever where it could move the world. Free churches became the continuation of free schools, taking up the process of instruction just where the schools had left it. Religion gave to learning its proper polarity. What would New England have been without its churches .'* - — a plantation without a sun. Still another source of strength was the independence of towns. Each municipality felt itself to be sovereign in the ordering of its own affairs, while it was a recognized part of the body politic. A town, like an individual, must have the habit of self-government. It cannot be ruled by the militia, but only by the combined wisdom of the whole population. While a general government is almost wholly employed in averting evil, a town possesses the power of doing positive good. When our New-England towns levied HISTORY OF MED FORD. 1 25 taxes, opened roads, gathered a militia, founded schools, and supported churches, they thereby managed the great interests of the Colony, and in one sense became National Legislatures. And the people rejoiced in the absence of the taxes, tolls, fees, restrictions, and monopolies of Old England. Here a man could do what he pleased in lawful work and trade, and could do as much as he wished. Here he could work at two or ten trades if he was able. This was New-England free trade. Another cause of prosperity, consequent in some meas- ure on the two last noticed, was the small number of laws made by the General Court. Society here had not reached that complicated state in which powerful political parties, fierce sectional jealousies, and conflicting moneyed aristoc- racies, so often make legislation interminable, contradic- tory, and deceptive. The diamond-cut-diamond system, now in such terrible activity among us, was not known to our fathers. Their laws were only the republication of those few general principles of justice and humanity which are easily gathered from the sacred pages. Such legislation, while die most simple, was the most effective and the least changeable. But the chief cause of the social and material progress of the Colonies was the industry, economy, and energy of the people ; for in spite of the poverty of the soil, and the severity of the winter, they soon secured comfort and plenty. The noble lines of the poet well describe the land and the people : — " Man is the nobler growth our realms supply, And souls are ripened in our northern sky." The causes of prosperity so briefly noticed above are introduced, that we may here say that each one of them has been brought to bear, in its true relation and natural force, upon the town of Medford. With Medford before us, we conclude by saying that these elements of growth have produced throughout New England a remarkable activity of mind and body, a general diffusion of knowl- edge, an indomitable perseverance of will, social and civil order, self-forgetful patriotism, domestic love, and religious enthusiasm. "These effects have, in their turn, become causes ; and the glorious results are extensive wealth, great moral influence, elevated Christian character, and solid happiness. 126 HISTORY OF MEDFORD. Town-Officers. — A record of the incumbency of its municipal offices is an interesting part of the history of a town, and is valuable for reference. Lists are here sub- joined, giving the succession in the more important offices, commencing with the date from and after which the record can be made complete. Moderators. Benjamin Hall . 1782-85 Thomas Brooks 17S5-S6, 17SS-89 Capt. Ebenezer Hall 1787,1791-94,1801-02 Willis Hall . 179° Richard Hall . . '795-9^ Ebenezer Hall 1797-1S00 John Brooks 1S03 Jonathan Porter . 1804. 1806 Capt. Caleb Brooks 1805, 1807-08 Capt. Nathan Adams 1808, 1834 Timothy Bigelow 1809, 1814-21 Fitch Hall 1810-12 Timothy Getting 1813,1851 Luther Stearns 1816-17 Nathaniel Hall 1822 Dudley Hall 1823-28, i S3 1-33 John P. Clisby 1829, 1834-37, 1839 Galen James 1838 John Sparrell .... 1S40, 1843, 1845, 1847-56, 1859, 1862, 1864-65 Alexander Gregg 1S41-42, 1844, 1846 Tames M. Usher . . 1S50-51, 1853, 1857-58, 1860-62, 1864-65, 1883 lames O. Curtis 1S50, 1852, i860 Thomas P. Smith 1853 Thomas S. Harlow 1856, 1862 Judah Lorins; 1856 Elihu C. Baker 1857-64 Charles Russell 1866-72, 1874-76 Beniamin F. Hayes 1867 Daniel A. Gleason 186S-69 Benjamin H. Samson 1S70 John H. Hooper 1873-82, 1884 F. J. Tay 1875 Michael F. Dwyer 1877-78-79-82 T. P. Dresser 1S85 Collectors of Taxes. John T. White . . . . 1843-77 | George W. W. Saville . 1S78-85 Toivn-Clcrks. Jonathan Wade .... 1674 | Thomas Tufts 1718 Stephen Willis 1675 | William Willis .... 1719 John Bradstreet .... 1701 j Benjamin Willis .... 1721 Stephen Willis 1708 j William Willis .... 1726 HISTORY OF MED FORD. 127 Ebenezer Brooks, Benjamin Willis Thomas Setcomb Willis Hall . . Richard Hall ._ Benjamin Hall, jun Andrew Hall Nathaniel Hall . Samuel Swan . Nathaniel Hall . Luther Stearns , 172S 1730 1745 1767 1770 I7«3 i?9- 1794 1796 1797 1803 Nathaniel Hall . Abner Bartlett . Jonathan Porter Aimer I5artlett . William Rogers Abner Bartlett . William D. P'itch Oliver Blake Joseph P. Hall . Parker R. Litchfield 1S06 iSio 1S19 1820 1826 1S27 1834 1836 1846 1865 Tozun- Treasurers. Stephen Willis . John Bradstreet Samuel Wade . John Whitmore William Willis . John Richardson Edward Brooks Samuel Brooks . Stephen Hall Edward Brooks Benjamin Parker Edward Brooks Thomas Brooks Aaron Hall . . Thomas Brooks James Wyman . 1696 1700 1709 1714 1725 1727 1728 1729 1733 1735 1743 1750 1756 1761 i7^J3 17G7 Jonathan Patten Richard Hall . Jonathan Porter Isaac Warren . Samuel Buel John Bishop Joseph P. Hall . Joseph Manning William Rogers Henry Porter . Turell Tufts Timothy Cotting George W. Porter Charles Currier George B. Green Parker R. Litchfield 1778 1786 1790 1793 1794 1798 1804 1.S08 1823 1825 1827 1836 1837 1862 1863 1876 Selectmen. — In the foUowino; table is found the full list of selectmen from 1782 to 1883 inclusive. They served during a part of this time as assessors, overseers of the poor, and surveyors of highways. Benjamin Hall 1782-84 Joshua Simonds 1782-84 JohnlSishop 1782 Capt. Ebenezer Hall 1782-93 Richard Hall 1782-94 Willis Hall 1783-89 Thomas Brooks 1785-88 Moses Billings 1785 John Brooks 1786-97, 1803 James Wyman 17S9-96 Ebenezer Hall, jun 1 790-1 800 Benjamin Hall, jun 1794-97 Peter Tufts 1797-1804 Nathaniel Hall 1797-1804, 1812-13 Jonathan Porter i797-'8o9 Capt. Caleb Brooks 1801-07 Samuel Teel 1804-07 128 HISTORY OF MED FORD. Benjamin Tufts 1S05-10, 1812-17 Zaccheus Wvman o 1809 Nathan Wait 1808-11 Natlnan Adams 1808, 1819, 1821-25 Convers Francis 1809 Jonathan Broo]was on the table, but he would not stop. His ■wife exclaimed, "Why, husband, you are not going with- out your dinner ! " — "Yes, I am," he replied ; " I am going to take powder and balls for my dinner to-day, or to give ■ tJicm some." These were times when men had reasons shorter than "logic. Their minds glowed like the burning furnace ; and to put a stop to British oppression they were resolved. 'God and freedom now became watchwords. All felt that every true American was an ally, and they knew that the first shot fired at their neighbors at Lex- ington would convert every citizen in the Colony to a minute-man and a soldier. These ancestors of ours were men ; they have the right to be called men ; and with such men liberty was safe. How faintly, at this day, can we conceive of the electric enthusiasm of the 19th of April! It seemed — " As if the very earth again Grew quick with God's creating breath ; And, from the sods of grove and glen, Rose ranks of lion-hearted men To battle to the death." The number belonging to Medford who were killed on that day is not known. William Polly and Henry Putnam fell at Concord ; and a man named Smith, and another named Francis, were killed at West Cambridge, — all citi- zens of Medford. Mr. Polly was brought to Medford alive, but died of his wounds April 25. The Medford men followed the retreating British from Lexington woods to Charlestown ferry, and shot their last ball during the embarkation. HISTORY OF MED FORD. 1 63 Medford men were with Washington at Monmouth, at Brandywine, at the crossing of the Delaware, and in other places, and fought bravely for the liberties and independ- ence of their country. Mr. Nowell, in his diary, kept at Boston, has the follow- ing:— "Aug. 6, 1775: Skirmishing up Mistick River. Several soldiers brought over here wounded. The house at Penny Ferry, Maiden side, burnt."' "Aug. 13. — Several gondaloes sailed up Mistick River, upon which the Provincials and they had a skirmish ; many shots ex- changed, but nothing decisive." It appears from these records, that the enemy attempted incursions here, but were promptly met and repulsed bv our fathers. This event put the inhabitants of Medford in a state of watchfulness and defence at the very earliest period of the Revolution. A detachment of troops from the army at Cambridge was ordered east; and, on the 13th of September, 1775, they encamped for the night in Medford, having Benedict Arnold as their commander. After the battles of Lexington and Concord, our patriot fathers felt themselves pledged to the cause, and much anxiety arose about the selection of their representative to the General Court. They felt that the most moment- ous questions might come up for discussion, and that the decision of Massachusetts might be final. The gentleman they first chose declined. The choice then fell on Capt. Thomas Brooks, as a man whose solid judgment, characteristic decision, and burning patriotism, fitted him for the trying emergencies. So ably and promptly did he fill his trust, that the town elected him eight times in succession. From his own farm he sup- plied the army with wood while in Charlestown and on Winter Hill. June 10, 1776: The selectmen assembled the inhabit- ants of Medford for this high and solemn purpose, name- ly:- "To know the minds of the town, — whether, should the Honor- able Congress, for the safety of the said Colonies, declare t/iem inde- pendent of the Kingdom of Great Britain, they, the said inhabitants, will solemnly engage, with their lives and FORTUNES, to support them in the measure. " Voted in the affirmative, ■iitianitnonsly.'''' The Declaration of Independence was read from the 1 64 HISTORY OF MED FORD. pulpit on the first Sunday after its arrival. After this, the question of preparing and adopting a form of free representative government came before every mind ; and • Sept. 20, 1776, found our fathers assembled to discuss it. They voted that they were " ready for a Constitution and a form of government for the future." That year, for the first time, two representatives were chosen, — Capt. Thomas Brooks, and Mr. Stephen Hall, 3d. The expenses of war were borne without a murmur in Medford ; and every person made a cheerful sacrifice of whatever was necessary to promote the cause of freedorn. In 1776 the inhabitants taxed themselves ;!{^226, in addi- tion to the current expenses of the year. March 3, 1777: "Voted to raise our quota of men for the fifteen battalions of the Continental Army." Sept. 22, 1777: "The town voted to raise £']y'i A^- for the expenses of the war." May 25, 1778: "Voted to pay each person six shillings per day who served under Capt. Blaney, as soldiers for Medford last winter." "Voted that the selectmen be the committee for Sup- plying the families of the Continental soldiers." May 28, 1778: "Voted to raise the sum of ;^i,400 to- wards defraying the charges of the town the ensuing year." Nov. 30: "Voted to raise ^1,600, in additon to the p{^ 1,400 voted last May." 1779: "Voted to raise ;!{^3,ooo for current expenses, and to borrow $12,000 for three months." Oct. 18, 1779: "Voted to raise $7,380 to pay the sol- diers." June 29, 1781 : "Voted to raise £Apo towards purchas- ing the beef, and ;^270 for purchasing the clothing." July 30, 1781 : "Voted to raise ;^200 in specie for rais- ing the men." These items show any thing but backwardness in sus- taining the cause of independence. One Medford boy did good service at sea. William Earl, of Medford, was "powder-monkey" on board the ship-of-war "Bon Homme Richard," Sept. 23, 1779, then commanded by Capt. Paul Jones. On that day the captain encountered the British ship-of-war "Serapis," greatly his superior in force ; and, after a most desperate and bloody engagement off Flamborough Head, he cap- HISTORY OF MED FORD. 1 65 tured her. Young Earl lost his leg in that battle, and afterwards received a pension. He pursued his trade as a tailor for many years, and it was said that he could sing as well as he fought in that terrible engagement. STATE CONSTITUTION. The people of Massachusetts felt the need of a Consti- tution, or form of civil government. A convention for draughting one was called ; and they presented the result of their labors Feb. 28, 1778. In draughting this Con- stitution, the Legislature acted as a Convention. They sat at Cambridge. May 25, 1778: "The inhabitants of Medford expressed their opinion." The record runs thus : — " The Constitution and form of government being read, it was put to vote ; and there appeared to be thirteen in favor of it, and twenty- three against it." " The Constitution for Massachusetts Bay " was rejected. The question, whether the State desired a Constitution, was put ; and our records, May 17, 1779, have the follow- ing : — " Put to vote, — Whether the town choose at this time to have a new Constitution or form of government made. Yeas, 22; nays, 15." They appoint a committee to instruct their Representa- tive (Capt. Thomas Brooks), The record stands thus : — " May 17, 1779: The Committee appointed to instruct their Repre- sentative relative to forming a new Constitution of civil government in this State report, — That said Representative use his best endeavors and influence, that, if the General Court are empowered by the ma- jority of freeholders of said State to call a convention to form said Constitution of government, said convention may consist of no per- son or persons belonging to said General Court." Soon afterwards a new movement was made, and an- other convention called. Separate counties held prepara- tory meetings; and, October, 1779, Stephen Willis, 3d, was chosen delegate to meet in convention at Concord. When the town came to act on the doings of this conven- tion, the record of its proceedings was made as follows: — "July 29, 1779: The whole of the proceedings of the convention at Concord was read, paragra])h by paragraph, and then voted upon separately; and it was unanimously voted that we comply with the same." 1 66 HISTORY OF MED FORD. The draught of the new Constitution for Massachusetts was at last prepared: and May 28, 1780, Medford accept- ed it, with the following suggestions in regard to some amendments. The committee reported as follows: — " We apprehend that the Governor, with the advice of the Council, should, in the recess of the General Court, be vested with the power, on special occasions, in time of war and rebellion, to order the militia out of tills State to the assistance of a neighboring State ; and that the said Governor, with the advice of Council, shall not be empowered to continue the militia out of this State, on the aforesaid emergencies, lor a longer space than thirty days at one time, without the consent of the General Court. Yeas, 49; nays, 5. " Concerning the writ of habeas corpus, we are of the opinion that it should not be suspended by the Legislature, on any account, for a longer space of time than si.x months. Unanimously. 39. " We are of opinion that no person ought to be elected a Delegate to the Congress of the United States, who is not possessed of prop- erty in the'State of Massachusetts, to the value of ^600, currency, according to the Convention. Unanimously, 39 votes. " We should be pleased if the above alterations might be made in the said Constitution, but mean not that said alterations should pre- vent the establishment of said Constitution at the ne.xt session of said Convention. " Edward Brooks, ) Simon Tufts, > Committee." Aaron Hall, ) Stephen Hall, 3d, was the delegate from Medford to form the constitution of 1780. The convention sat at Cambridge from Sept. i, 1779, to March 2, 1780. After the adoption of this constitution, the form used in warning town-meetings was changed, and they warned "in the name of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts." Thus established under a republican constitution of their own making, our ancestors felt as if they had passed from a state of minority to a state of manhood. The first election, therefore, under this new political chart, was an event of deep interest. They wished to set an example of wise selection, disinterested patriotism, and fraternal unanimity, which might serve for an example to all future times. They did so. They selected intelligent statesmen, true patriots, and professing Christians. The first elec- tion took place Sept. 4, 1780; and in Medford the votes stood thus : — For Governor. John Hancock 30 I James Bowdoin 20 i^'^^^l.^.-O ^^^.w^ ^•^^ ;^ {^ ^ *o- /- /^.^^ .j^_^ ^^^_. ,^^ ^^^^^ C^;^^^^^^ HISTORY OF MED FORD. 167 For Lieutenant-Governor. Artemas Ward 30 ! James IJowdoin . Benjamin Lincoln .... 9 I Thomas Ciisliini; . John Hancock 3 | Benjamin Cireenleaf For Senators and Councillors. Col. Cummins^s 23 Stephen Hail, 3d 13 William Baldwin 11 Josiah Stone 34 Natiianiel Gorham .... 24 James Dix 25 Eleazer Brooks 24 Abraham Fuller . . . . . 12 Oliver Prescott 3 Samuel Thatcher 2 Thomas Brooks i Samuel Curtis 2 Benjamin Hall i Here we find two or more candidates for each office ; thus parties, inseparable from a state of free inquiry and equal rights, revealed themselves at once. The question being- settled, the next election showed great unanimity, and recognized that central principle of majority which lies at the basis of our civil liberties. The Constitution provided that the annual election should take place in April ; thus giving the farmers the winter to think of it, and an occasion of finishing it before planting. April 2, 1781 : The second in the series of the annual elections took place on this day, and the votes in Med- ford stood thus : — For Governor. I For Lieutenant-Governor. John Hancock 24 | Thomas Cushing 20 For Senators. Seth Gorham 22 James Prescott 22 John Tyng 22 Abraham Fuller 22 Josiah Stone 22 The State government took up the cause of independ- ence with wisdom and power. At this time, a levy of clothing and beef for the army was made by it, and our records show that Medford raised its share with prompti- tude. The third annual election of State officers resulted as follows : — For Governor. John Hancock 45 I'or Lieutenant-Governor. Thomas Cashing 44 1 68 HISTORY OF MED FORD. For Senaiors. Ebenezer Bridge 37 Josiah Stone 36 Abraham Fuller 37 Eleazer Brooks 37 Jonas Dix 35 Joseph Hosmer 3 At the fourth annual election, April 7, 1783, Gov. Han- cock had, in Medford, 36 votes ; Lieut. -Gov. Gushing-, 30. Each senator had 24. These facts show remarkable political harmony in the town. The recognition of our independence by the mother country called for an expression of gratitude to Almighty God, and a day of thanksgiving was set apart by authority of the town. There were meetings and feastings and con- gratulations and rejoicings without number. It seemed here as if the whole heavens were filled with rainbows. So intoxicated with hope were our fathers, that they sup-« posed all national troubles ended. On the 1st of March, 1784, in town-meeting, they thus voted : " That the guns and gunlocks, axes, pickaxes, spades, shovels, and lead, belonging to the town, be sold at public auction," When the first gush of republican joy was over, and the town became settled in the new ways of freedom, then they began to ask how much independence had cost, in pounds, shillings, and pence. Medford took steps to pay its debts at the earliest period. It was to be done by degrees; and. May 12, 1785, they vote thus : "To raise ;£400 to defray the expenses of the town, and ;^400 towards sinking the town-debt." The next year they vote that "one quarter of the town's debt be paid this year." They thus continued the wise work of liquidating all claims against their treasury, and, before many years, were free also in this particular. Our fathers shared largely in the intense anxiety which pervaded the United States, from the declaration of peace, in 1783, to the adoption of the Federal Constitution, in 1788. Though independence was achieved, yet it might prove a curse, if a form of government could not be adopted which would harmoniously unite all the colonies into a strong, just, and brotherly union. To draught such a constitution required all the Numas, Lycurguses, and Solons of the land. There was in the country the wisdom, the learning, the patriotism, and the vn'tue necessary for the stupen- dous and all-important work ; but attending circumstances HISTORY OF MED FORD. i6c) were, in some respects, unpropitioiis. Differing opinions and opposite interests, state rights and state sovereignties already established, the disbanded soldiers sowing discon- tent and immorality among the citizens, the enormous public and private debts, the unwarrantably large impor- tations of foreign merchandise, the draining of the specie from the country, and the fear of a political chaos, — all these fertile sources of alarm rendered the formation of a durable federal compact a gigantic labor. March lO, 1787, a convention of delegates from the several States was agreed upon, who should prepare a form of government which should "render the Federal Constitution adequate to the exigencies of government and the preservation of the Union." This convention was to meet in Philadelphia on the second Monday of May next. The General Court appointed Francis Dana, Elbridge Gerry, Nathaniel Gor- ham, Rufus King, and Caleb Strong as delegates from Massachusetts. At this juncture, the late requisition of Congress, Aug. 2, 1786, for $3,777,062, called on our Commonwealth to pay its proportion, which was ^324,746. The murmurs of the people, under what they deemed excessive taxation, became loud and emphatic. There were those who were ready to rise in rebellion against the government, and throw the whole fabric of American liberty in ruins. This suicidal sophistry found its advocate in Shays, who put himself at the head of a military force of eleven hundred men. The governor of Massachusetts ordered out four thousand four hundred troops of militia and four com- panies of artillery, who, under Gen. Lincoln, marched to Worcester, Jan. 22. Gen. Shepherd took possession of the arsenal at Springfield, and, on the 25th of that month, encountered Shays, and soon scattered his ad- herents to the four winds, leaving upon the field three of them killed and one wounded. This base attempt to involve the country in civil war being thus promptly and totally crushed, while it united anew the friends of free- dom and order, put a final check to further insurrections. We have mentioned these facts to show the fidelity of our Medford patriots to the cause of their countrv ; for no sooner had this subversive movement been taken, than our town voted its entire disapprobation of the traitorous scheme, and offered to pay any soldiers who would volun- teer to put it down. Young men went, and they were paid accordingly. I70 HISTORY OF MED FORD. The Constitution of the United States was adopted by Massachusetts, Feb. 6, 1788, in its Legislature, by a vote of 187 yeas. There were 168 nays. This memorable instrument, which, among its other agencies, was to establish an equitable system of taxation, regulate trade, and secure property, was also to inaugurate order and peace, to foster commerce, encourage agricul- ture, and promote useful arts. Our ancestors felt satisfied with its provisions, and were not disappointed in its promises. At this time arose the two great parties, the " Federal- ists " and "Anti-Federalists ; " the one supporting and the other opposing our present Constitution. The name "Anti-Federalist" was soon dropped, and that of "Repub- lican " substituted. Provided with two Constitutions, one for their native State and the other for their country, the time had now arrived for the organization of a general government ; and the citizens of the United States collected in their several towns, and, for the first time, gave in their votes for a Presi- dent of the Republic. The ballot for electors was unani- mous, and stood thus in Medford, Dec. 18, 1788 : — Hon. Judge Dana .... 25 | Gen. John Brooks .... 24 The government of the country being now administered by President Washington with wisdom, power, and econ- omy, several years of quietness and prosperity gave rest to the public mind. Our town had little else to do than accord with the general acts of Congress. When the Father of his Country chose to decline a third election to the Presidency, the preference of our town for Mr. Adams, as his successor, was unequivocally shown ; and when this patriot stood candidate a second time, and was suc- cessfully opposed by Mr. Jefferson, Medford, Nov. 7, 1796, adhered to the son of Massachusetts, in a unanimous vote of 41, given for Benjamin Hall, as elector. The death of Gen. Washington in December, 1799, touched every American heart as a family bereavement. Its announcement struck the country as a paralytic shock, and each one felt as if his strength had been suddenly withdrawn. No sooner had the mournful tidings reached Medford, than the inhabitants came together, and Jan. 2, 1800, expressed their sorrow at the sad event; resolving by vote, — HISTORY OF MED FORD. lyi "That the town will pay suitable respect to the memory of the late Gen. George Washington ; and that a committee of eleven be chosen to make the proper arrangements." The following request was made by the committee, in the order of services which was printed and circulated in the town : — "i. At one o'clock, P.M., the stores and shops of the town to be shut. The bell is to toll from one o'clock till the procession shall arrive at the meeting-house. The inhabitants to assemble at Union Hall, with a black crape or ribbon upon the left arm, above the elbow, as mourning. The scholars of the town school to join the procession in a body. The procession to move at two o'clock, under the diiec- tion of the Committee. " 2. Females, of all ages, are requested to wear black ribbons, and to be seated in the meeting-house before the arrival of the proces- sion "3. Male strangers are requested to join the procession. "4. After the procession is seated, music suited to the occasion. *' 5. Prayer, by the Rev. Dr. Osgood. " 6. Music. " 7. Eulogy, by the Hon. John Brooks, Esq. " 8. Music. After which, the bell to toll till sunset." Every thing was thus done by the town which could express grief at the loss, or respect for the memory, of the venerated chief. Gen. John Brooks, the companion in arms of the illustrious warrior, and one of his favorite friends, was the person, of all others, to deliver the public eulogy; and it was done on the 13th of January. On that day all business was suspended as on the sacred sab- bath, the shops closed, the flags at half-mast, the meeting- house robed in black, and every inhabitant dressed in mourning apparel ; and these badges were continued for thirty days. In forming the funeral procession, the chil- dren of the town preceded ; the military, with muffled drums, were in attendance as an escort ; and the officers of the town, the chaplain, and the orator were accom- panied by strangers of distinction. The meeting-house was crowded to its utmost capacity ; and the funeral music and impressive prayers were in proj^er keeping with the solemnities of the commemoration. The eulogy, pre- pared in a short time, was the outflowing of a warm and afflicted heart. It was written in plain, strong language, and narrated, with lucid order, the prominent facts in Washington's life, and the salient features of his char- acter. It was printed with the following title-page : — 172 HISTORY OF MEDFORD. "An Eulof:;y on General Washington, delivered before the in- habitants of the town of iMedford, agreeably to their vote, and at the request of their Committee, on the 13th of January, 1800. Bv John Brooks, A.M., M.iM.S., and A.A.S. Printed by Samuel Hall, No. 53 Cornhill, Boston." The Rev. Dr. Osgood preached an appropriate sermon to his people on the great subject; the town voted to print it, and to append to it Washington's " Farewell Address," and then to give a copy to each family. When Feb. 22 arrived, the meeting-house in Medford was open for religious exercises, and the day was kept as sacred. During the presidential canvass in 1800, party lines be- gan to assume definiteness; and that great contest of par- ties arose, which, although we are sometimes disposed to resent it as a disturbing influence in our lives, is, after all, the best safeguard of our liberties. In their political action, the people of Medford have, from the organization of the government, been in thorough sympathy with Mas- sachusetts ideas, and with the policy founded upon them. They have always taken an active and intelligent interest in the great questions which have agitated the country ; and, although political feeling has sometimes run high, it has been kept within the bounds of legitimate expression. To the honor of the town it may be said, that during the fiercest contentions of political parties, at their caucuses and at the polls, there have never been instances of vio- lence, menace, or corruption. HISTORY OF MED FORD. 173 CHAPTER VI. MILITARY HISTORY. The life of the New-England colonists was beset with dangers, and was disturbed by continually recurring war- fare. They were liable to attacks from the Indians who surrounded them, and, from time to time, were exposed to incursions by the hostile French from the North, sup- ported by their savage allies. They had also to take their part in offensive warfare; and the resources of the col- onists, in men and money, were heavily taxed to raise armies for that purpose. In 1630 the first tax levied on the inhabitants of Medford was in the sum of £,},, for the payment of two instructors in military tactics, — a prophetic beginning. Every man became by necessity a soldier, and was ex- pected to stand ready for effective service. The legal equipment of a soldier was as follows : — "A musket (firelock or matchlock), a pair of bandoleers, a powder- pouch, with bullets, a sword, a belt, a worm, a scourer, a rest, and a knapsack. His pay, \%s. a month, and diet, and pillage; and his town to provide him with a month's provisions; viz., thirty pounds of biscuits, twelve of pork, twenty of beef, and one half-bushel of pease or meal. The leader was to receive 40^'. per month. The towns were to bear their share of the loss of arms. A list of the men and their arms was to be handed in to the court." The bandoleer was a shoulder-belt, used for supporting the gun and other heavy equipments. The firelock had a flint-lock ; the matchlock was discharged by the appli- cation of a lighted match, or fuse. It will give us some idea of the military habits and customs of the people when we read the following law, passed July 26, 1631, and the records of subsequent regu- lations : — " Ordered that every first Friday in every month, there shall be a general training of them that inhabit Charlestown, Mistick, and 174 HISTORY OF MED FORD. the Newtown, at a convenient place about the Indian wigwams ; the training to begin at one of the cloci-c in the afternoon." " Mafch 22, 1631 : General Court. Ordered that every town with- in this jurisdiction shall, before the 5th of April next, take especial care that every person within their town (except magistrates and min- isters), as well servants as others, be furnished with good and suffi- cient arms." '•Aug. 7, 1632: It is ordered that the captains shall be maintained (on parade days) by their several companies." "March 4, 1635: It is ordered that from this day forward the captains shall receive maintenance out of the treasury, and not from their companies." In 1635 the men of Medford, Cambridge, and Charles- town, formed one company. " Nov. 20, 1637 : It was ordered that training should be kept eight times in a year, at the discretion of the chief oiificers. Magistrates and teaching elders are allowed each of them a man free from trainings; and the deacons of the several churches are freed in like manner." At this early period none were allowed to vote for mili- tary officers, except freemen and they "who have taken the oath of residents." Freemen had a right to vote in these elections, although they were not enrolled as mem- bers of the trainband. Officers must be freemen, since none others were eligible to offices in the State. The captain was required to take oath. The fines gathered were to be expended in buying drum-heads for the company and arms for poor men. Shiji-carpenters, fishermen, and millers were excused from training. Mill- ers were excused, because, in tending tide-mills, they were often obliged to be at work through the night. The regulations of the town were very strict in all mat- ters that related to the public safety ; and we find among the ancient records, the following statements of precau- tionary measures adopted in those times: — "March 9, 1637: This day certain persons were appointed in Medford, as watchers of the Indians and wild beasts. " All watchers shall come to the public assemblies with their mus- kets fit for service." " No person shall travel above one mile from his dwelling-house without some arms, upon pain of \id. for every default." In 1637 two hundred men, as soldiers, were to be raised in Massachusetts. The following towns furnished numbers in proportion to their population : Boston, 26 ; HISTORY OF MED FORD. 175 Salem, 18; Saugus, 16; Ipswich, 17; Newbury, 8; Rox- bury, 10; Hingham, 6; Medford, 3. May 14: "Ordered that there shall be a watch of two a night kept in every plantation till the next general court." June 2, 1641 : "Ordered that all the out-towns shall each of them have a barrel of gunpowder.'' Sept. 15, 1641 : On this day began a "muster," which lasted two days ; twelve hundred soldiers. And though there was "plenty of wine and strong beer," yet "no man was drunk, no oath was sworn, no quarrel, no hurt done." Sept. 7, 1643: The General Court thus say: — " It is agreed that the military commanders shall take order that the companies be trained, and some man, to be appointed by them, in each town, to exercise them." "Arms must be kept in every family." These warlike preparations show the dangerous sur- roundings of the early settlers : and they must have con- sidered themselves not only members of the Church militant, but citizens of the State militant. This is still more clearly shown by subsequent orders, among which were the following : — "May T4, 1645: Ordered that all children within this jurisdiction, from ten to sixteen years of age, shall be instructed by some one of the officers of the band, or some other experienced soldier, whom the chief officer shall appoint upon the usual training-days, in the exer- cise of arms, as, small guns, half-pikes, bows and arrows, according to the discretion of said officer." 1647: " Persons unable to provide arms and equipments for militia duty on account of poverty, if he be single, and under thirty years of age, shall be put to service, and earn them. Musqueteers, among their articles of equipment, are to have two fathoms of match." "Whoever refuses to do duty, when commanded, shall be fined five shillings." May 2, 1649: The General Court issue the following : — " It is ordered that the selectmen of every town within this jurisdic- tion shall, before the 24th of -June, which shall be in the year 1650, provide for every fifty soldiers in each town a barrel of good powder, one hundred and fifty pounds of musket bullets, and one-quarter of a hundred of match." May 26, 1658 : The General Court say, — " In answer to the request of the inhabitants of Meadford, the Court judgeth it meet to grant their desire ; i. e., liberty to list themselves iy6 HISTORY OF MED FORD. in the trainband of Cambridge, and be no longer compelled to travel unto Cliark'stown." As several of Mr, Cradock's men were fined at different times for absence from training, we infer that the military exercises required by law were very strictly observed in Medford ; and how it could have been otherwise, after so many special laws and regulations, we do not see. It seemed a first necessity of their forest-life, to protect themselves from the wily Indian and the hungry bear. These military preparations were not suspended for a cen- tury. As late as Aug. 4, 1718, the inhabitants of Medford voted ^10 to buy powder for their defence against the Indians. "Every person enlisting in the troop is required to have a good horse, and be well fitted with saddle, etc.; and, having listed his horse, he shall not put him off without the consent of his captain." The powder and balls belonging to the town were not deposited always in the same place; and, March 3, 1746, "Voted that Capt. Samuel Brooks shall have the keeping of the town's stock of ammunition." 1668 : This year the Court took a step which was not popular. They resolved to exercise the power which they thought they possessed ; viz., of nominating all the military officers. The taking away of "so considerable a part of their so-long-enjoyed liberty" met with decided opposi- tion ; and, when our Medford company was organized, the town did not allow the Court to nominate the officers. Up to this time, we hear little of "musters;" and we presume that large assemblies of soldiers at one place were not common. The military organization must neces- sarily have been very simple and limited at first ; and the idea of "divisions," "battalions," "regiments," as with us, must have been of a much later period. One fact, however, is clear; and that is, that these habit- ual preparations for defence and war gradually educated the colonists to that personal courage and military skill which rendered them so powerful in their war with Philip, and thus prepared them for achieving the victories of the Revolution. This deep interest in military affairs made our fore- fathers wakefully anxious on the subject of the election of officers in the trainbands. It was an event in which every person in town, male and female, felt that his or her safety HISTORY OF ^r ED FORD. 177- might be deeply concerned. The law carefully guardedi the rights of the people in this act; and, therefore, did not leave so important a trust to be conferred by the members: of the company alone, but made it the duty of the whole town to choose the three commanding ofificers. On the first occasion when this power was to be exercised by the whole town, the selectmen issued a warrant for a meet- ing of all the inhabitants who had a right to vote. The warrant was dated May 18, 1781, and was issued "in the name of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, for the pur- pose of choosing militia officers, as set forth in the Militia Act." This was the sole business of the meeting. The result was as follows : — Caleb Brooks Captain. Stephen Hall, 4th ist IJeutenant. Daniel Tufts 2d Lieutenant. Here appears the great democratic principle of popular election of military leaders, wherein the majority of voters decide the whole case. It was customary for the newly elected officer not only to "treat the company," but to treat everybody else who repaired to his house at the appointed time. These were deemed the occasions in which freedom was liberally inter- preted. Meat and bread were provided for food ; but punch and flip were furnished in such overflowing abun- dance, that some visitors took many more steps in going home than in coming. It was expected, moreover, that the captain would treat his soldiers on parade-days. This item, added to other necessary expenses, made quite a draught on the chief officer's purse, as well as time. Although we have recorded the organization of a mili- tary corps in 17S1, whose officers were chosen by the town, according to the laws then existing, there were sol- diers in Medford from 1630 to that time. What the exact rules and regulations respecting enlistment were in the middle of the seventeenth century, we cannot discover. There were composition companies ; and the associations were often accidental, according to contiguity of place. They in Medford, who were " watchers," were soldiers ; and the annual provision of town powder shows that the ammunition was used. There was a company of militia in Medford before the Revolution ; and, when troublesome times came, they were ready for duty. It was the eighth 178 HISTORY OF MED FORD. company in the first regiment of the first brigade of the third division. Seth Bollard was captain, William Bur- beck first lieutenant, and Ezekiel Plympton second lieu- itenant. It belonged to Col. Thomas Gardner's regiment. In 1775 it was commanded by Capt. Isaac Hall. "This ■company came out," says the adjutant-general, "on the 19th of April, 1775, and were in service five days, and were undoubtedly in the battles of Lexington and Con- cord." The names of the men composing the company on that memorable occasion are all recorded on the mus- ter-roll ; and they were all Medford men, as follows ; — Isaac Hall, captain; Caleb Brooks, lieutenant; Stephen Hall, ensign; Thomas Piitchard, Isaac Tufts, and Moses Hall, sergeants; John Tufts, Gersham Teel, and Jonathan Greenleaf, corporals; Tim- othy Hall, drummer; William Farning. fifer. Privates as follows: David Vinton, John Buckn un, Isaac Watson, Jonathan Lawrence, Jonathan Davis, Abel Richardson, James Tufts, jun., Samuel Tufts, 3d, Andrew Floyd, Benjamin Floyd, Andrew Blancliard, Samuel Tufts, John Francis, jun., Paul Dexter, John Smith, Abel Butterfield, Josiah Cutter, John Kemp, Eleazer Putnam, James Bucknam, jun., Aaron Crowell, Jonathan Tufts, Benjamin Peirce, Thomas Wakefield, Jona- than Teel, Aaron Blanchard, Richard Cole. William Binford, Thomas Bradshaw, Daniel Tufts, Peter Tufts, jun , Ebenezer Tufts, Isaac 'Cooch, Daniel Conery, Richard Paine, William Polly, Peter Conery, David Hadley, Jacob Bedin, Joseph Clefton, Samuel Hadley, jun., Moses Hadley, John Callender, John Clarke, Andrew Bradshaw, Thomas Savels, Francis Hall, and Benjamin Savils. Here are fifty-nine Medford men in actual service : each man received pay for five days' service, and the State paid them in all ;^28. \6s. ^d. Capt. Isaac Hall made a report of his company to the heads of the dej^artment, Oct. 6, 1775, then stationed on Prospect Hill. He resigned, before the end of the year, for the purpose of taking command of another company; and Lieut. Caleb Brooks was chosen captain in his stead, and, as such, made a report, Jan. 3, 1776. The new corps which Capt. Isaac Hall commanded "was made up of men from Medford, Charlestown, Woburn, Maiden, Cambridge, and Stoneham, and were called the eiglit months' men." They enlisted for that time ; and, in addition to their pay, each one was to have a coat at the expiration of his enlistment. Eight of this company be- longed to Medford; and they were the following: Isaac Hall, captain ; Caleb Brooks, lieutenant. The privates were: Benjamin Floyd, James Wyman, Jonah Cutler, John Smith, William Bucknam, and Joseph Bond. The last HISTORY OF MED FORD. 1 79 named was discharged June 7, 1775 ; the rest serv^ed out the eight months, and were on the "coat roll," so called, — which fact secured a pension from the United States. Some took money instead of a coat. Some time after- wards, Capt. Hall testified that Samuel Ingalls, one of his company, "has bin imprizoned in Cannedy, and hain't receeved no coat." This company was ordered by Gen. Washington, in March, 1776, to be "marched from Med- ford to the Heights in Dorchester." They were in service only four days. Besides Col. John Brooks, whose career has already been recorded, several sons of Medford acquitted them- selves with honor in the Revolutionary War. Col. Ebenezer Francis, son of Ebenezer Francis, was born in Medford, Dec. 22, 1743. Living in Medford till his majority, he was studious to gain knowledge, and suc- ceeded beyond most others. He moved to Beverly, and, in 1766, married Miss Judith Wood, by whom he had four daughters and one son. He was commissioned as captain by the Continental Congress, July i, 1775; the next year he rose to the rank of colonel, and commanded a regiment on Dorchester Heights from August to December, 1776. Authorized by Congress, he raised the Eleventh Massachu- setts Regiment, and in January, 1777, marched at the head of it to Ticonderoga. Monday, July 7, 1777, a skirmish took place between the Eleventh Massachusetts Regiment and the British, at Hubbardton, near Whitehall, N.Y., in which Col. Francis fell. A private journal of Capt. Green- leaf, now in the library of the Massachusetts Historical Society, says, — "Col. Francis first received a ball through his right arm; but still continued at the head of his troops till he received the fatal wound through his body, entering his right breast. He dropped on his face." His chaplain says : — " No officer so noticed for his military accomplishments and regu- lar life as he. His conduct in the field is sjjoken of in the highest terms of applause." A British officer, who was in the battle of Hubbardton, happened to be quartered as a prisoner in Medford. He wrote a history of that battle ; and we make the following extracts, which relate to a Medford mother then living in her house at the West End. The officer says, — l80 HISTORY OF MED FORD. " A few days since, walking out with some officers, we stopped at a house to purchase vegetables. While the otlier officers were bargain- ing with the woman of the house, I observed an elderly woman sit- ting by the fire, who was continually eying us, and every now and then shedding a tear. Just as we were quitting the house, she got up, and, bursting into tears, said, 'Gentlemen, will you let a poor dis- tracted woman speak a word to you before you go ? ' We, as you must naturally imagine, were all astonished; and, upon inquiring what she wanted, with the most poignant grief, and sobbing as if her heart was on the point of breaking, asked if any of us knew her son, who was killed at the battle of Hubbardton, a Col. Francis. Several of us informed her that we had seen him after he was dead. She then in- quired about his pocket-book, and if any of his papers were safe, as some related to his estates, and if any of the soldiers had got his watch ; if she could but obtain that, in remembrance of her dear, dear son, she should be happy. Capt. Fergurson, of our regiment, who was of the party, told her, as to the colonel's papers and pocket-book, he was fearful lest they were lost or destroyed ; but, pulling a watch from his fob, said, ' There, good woman ; if that can make you happy, take it, and God bless you.' We were all much surprised, and un- acquainted that he had made a purchase of it from a drum-boy. On seeing her son's watch, it is impossil:)le to describe the joy and grief that were depicted in her countenance. I never, in all my life, beheld such a strength of passion. She kissed it, looked unutterable grati- tude at Captt Fergurson, then kissed it again. Her feelings were in- expressible : she knew not how to utter or show them. She would repay his kindness by kindness, but could only sob her thanks. Our feelings were lifted to an inexpressible height: we promised to send after the papers ; and I believe, at that moment, could have hazarded life itself to procure them." John Francis, a brother of the colonel, born in Med- ford, Sept. 28, 1753, was adjutant in the regiment com- manded by his brother, and fought bravely at Hubbard- ton. He was in several battles during the six years of his service, and at the capture of Burgoyne was wounded. He died July 30, 1822, in the sixty-ninth year of his age, in Beverly, the place of his residence. He was esteemed for his hospitality and cheerfulness. A gallant action by a Medford sergeant, in the heat of the battle at White Plain, deserves a special record. Francis Tufts saw the standard-bearer fall : he flew to the spot, seized the standard, lifted it in the air, and rushed to the front rank of the line, and there marched forward, calling upon the men to follow. This was seen^ by Gen. Washington. As soon as victory was won, the general asked Col. Brooks the name of the young man in his regiment who achieved that noble act. He was told; and there, on the stump of a tree, the general immediately wrote his commission of adjutant. HISTORY OF MED FORD. l8l A military manoeuvre designed and executed by Capt. Thomas Pritchard of Medford, while in command at New York, deserves honorable mention. The English had taken possession of the city, Sept. 15, 1776, but were greatly annoyed by the American forces in its neighborhood. Capt. Pritchard was personally known to some of the British officers, and he was remarkable for his celerity and skill in the war tactics. One day he had been making ex- plorations with his company, when he came unexpectedly among a large force of British cavalry in a road. The English commander cried out to him, " Well, Pritchard, we've got you at last." — "Not exactly," replied Pritchard; and he immediately ordered his men to form across the road, and to prepare for a charge. The cavalry stopped. The wind was favorable to carry the smoke of Pritch- ard's fire directly among the enemy. The English com- mander felt that there must be great loss to him if he should open a fire, owing to the narrow defile and the ad- verse wind. He therefore stood still. To retreat, and also to gain time, was Pritchard's policy ; and he accom- plished it thus : he walked behind his men, and touched every other one in the whole line, and then ordered those that he touched to retreat backwards twenty steps. They did so, and there halted. This position kept each of his men in a fit order to fire or to charge, as might be neces- sary. As soon as this half had halted, he ordered the re- maining half to retreat slowly in the same way, to pass through the line, and retreat twenty steps behind the front rank. They did so successfully. The cavalry rushed for- ward, but did not fire. Pritchard's men understood the movement, and were not terrified at superior numbers. They continued to retreat in this unassailable and Amer- ican fashion for nearly an hour, when the narrow road ended in a broken, rocky pasture. Now their destruction seemed certain. Capt. Pritchard saw near him a ledge of rocks and a narrow pass. He resolved to get there if he could. But how could it be done } The enemy had now come out, and nearly surrounded him. He formed his men into a hollovv square, and ordered them to retreat sideways towards that narrow pass. They did so, each keeping his place, and presenting his bayonet to the foe. They reached the rock, and there they must stop. With their backs to the precipice, and their face to the enemy, they must now surrender or die. They had resolved to try the 1 82 HISTORY OF MED FORD. chances of battle. The British had now come round them in such overvvhehninj^ numbers, that they felt des- perate. Just as the British officer had ordered them to surrender, a detachment of American troops came sud- denly upon them. The cavalry saw they themselves must be taken, and they turned and fled. Major Brooks narrated to Gen. Washington every par- ticular of this successful stratagem ; and Washington said, " There is nothing in our military history that sur- passes the ingenuity and fortitude of that manoeuvre." Capt. Pritchard was very young, and a great favorite in the army; and, when it became his turn to watch through the night, it was a common saying among the officers, "We can sleep soundly to-night ; Pritchard's out." He returned to Medford after the war, resumed his trade of cooper, and died, June 8, 1795, aged forty-three. THE WAR OF i8t2. Medford furnished its full quota of soldiers for the war of 1 812, and shed its blood in sustaining the national cause. The following are the names of those who volun- teered enlistment : John Gates, Zachariah Shed, Edmund Gates, Amos Hadley, Thomas Cutter, Jacob Waite, Sam- uel F. Jordan, Jonathan Tufts, jun., Randolph Richardson, Rehoboam Richardson, Miles Wilson, Joseph Peirce, John Lee, John Weatherspoon, John McClough, Stephen D. Bugsby, Robert Hall, Benjamin Symmes. Edmund Gates was killed in the battle of Chippewa ; and Abiel R. Shed was killed in the sortie of Fort Erie, 1813. One of the most signal sacrifices made by Medford to the cause of the country, in that war, was the death of Lieut. John Brooks, son of Gen. Brooks, who graduated at Harvard College in 1805, studied medicine with his father, and afterwards joined the army as an officer of marines. The personal beauty of young Brooks was a matter of remark in every company where he appeared. His courage was great ; and by exposing himself in the hottest struggle of the fight, he was instantly killed by a cannon-ball, which struck him near the hip, and man- gled him shockingly. This occurred in the famed battle on Lake Erie, Sept. 13, 18 13, when Commodore Perry gained his brilliant victory over the English fleet. HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 183 The remains of Lieut. Brooks were buried on an island in Lake Erie, and there remained until November, 18 17, when they were removed to Fort Shelby, in the city of Detroit, Mich. The "Detroit Gazette" of Nov. 7, 18 17, has the following notice of the removal : — '■'■ Funeral of Lieut. JoJin Brooks. — On Friday last the remains of Lieut. John Brooks, who fell in the battle on Lake Erie, were in- terred in the new burial-ground U]ion the glacis of Fort Shelbv, within the Military Reserve of this city. The ceremony was attended with military honors suited to the rank of the deceased. " The body was escorted by a military corps, and preceded by the Rev. Messrs. Montieth and Larned. The pall was supported by six- lieutenants, with scarfs. Lieut.-Col. Smith, and the officers of the Fifth United States Regiment, followed as mourners, flanked by marshals. Then succeeded Major-Gen. Macomb, Gov. Cass, and the civil, judicial, and municipal officers of the territory and city, citi- zens and strangers, and the non-commissioned officers and soldiers of the army. The funeral service was performed by the Rev. Mr. Larned. The procession was solemn and sublime." These services show the high esteem in which the brave and beautiful young officer was held by his com- rades and commanders. Among the brave who served in this war, there were none braver than Col. Alexander Scammel Brooks, eldest son of Gen. John Brooks. He was born in Medford, 1777, on the day of Burgoyne's surrender at Saratoga. He entered Harvard College in 1798, and left it in 1801. He preferred a sailor's life; but, when the embargo of 1808 was laid, he obtained a commission in the army, and held it till that restriction on commerce was removed. He then resumed marine life, and continued in it till the war of 181 2, when he again received a commission as cap- tain in the United-States Army, and served through the war. So gallant was his conduct at the battle of Platts- burg, that he received a bre\'et as major. He was re- tained in the army on the peace establishment, and com- manded posts on the seaboard. In May, 181 7, he married Miss Sarah Turner. In 1820 he was ordered to the com- mand of Portland Harbor, where he remained seven years ; thence to Bellona Arsenal, on James River, Va., where he remained four years ; thence to Fort Independence, in Boston Harbor. He next came to Medford, and re- sided in the house of his late father till ordered to the command of the New-York Harbor. In May, 1836, he was ordered, with his command, into the Cherokee coun- 1 84 HISTORY OF MED FORD. try, to move the Indians. That duty performed, he went to Fort Moultrie, Charleston Harbor, S C. Here he soon received orders to proceed immediately to Florida, and take command of the regiment of which he was lieutenant- colonel, and prosecute the war against the Indians. He had a singular and unconquerable dislike of travelling by steam-power: but here was a necessity; and, almost for the first time in his life, he ventured on board a steam- boat, the " Dolphin," bound for the Black Creek, and was killed by the explosion of the boilers of the steamer, Dec, 17, 1836. MEDFORD MILITIA. The militia, whose trainings we of latter days have witnessed, is mentioned for the first time in the "First Roster," in 1787; but in the earlier and more confused records, there is recognition of a Medford company m 1 78 1. The commanders of the company were as fol- lows : — Moses Hall chosen captain . . Jan. 12, 1787. Samuel Teel March 29, 17S8. Abijah Usher May 26, 1795. Gardner Greenleaf Oct. 23, 1798. Samuel Newell April 17, 1801. Nathan Adams April 26, 1802. Samuel Thompson April 3, 1804. Until this time, this company had belonged to the first regiment of the first brigade of the third division ; but now a new regiment, the fifth, was formed, and Medford, Charlestown, and Maiden composed it. The next cap- tain of the Medford company was Rufus Frost, chosen May 12, 1806. He resigned, and was discharged March 10, 1 8 10. He was re-elected April 3, 18 10, but he "re- fused to qualify." The next captains were : — Henry Reed chosen .... July 2, 1810. Daniel Copeland Feb. 27, 181 2. Henry Todd April 2, 1816. Galen James March 16, iSiS. Moses Merrill April 14, 1S20. John T. White May 4, 1824. John Sparrell Aug. 6, 1827. William L. Barker July 29, 1830. Joshua T. Foster May 6, 1834. L. O. Chase May 3, 1S36. HISTORY OF MED FORD. 185 THE OLD MEDFORD LIGHT INFANTRY. The members of this company petitioned the Governor and Council to be organized as an independent corps, under the law of Nov. 29, 1785. As that law was very peculiar, and gave rights seemingly at variance to general military usage, it may be worth while to extract the two sections which contain the extraordinary provisions. They are as follows : — "■ Be it therefore enacted, by the authority aforesaid. That when any Major-General, commander of a division of militia in this Com- monwealth, shall certify to the Governor, that, in his opinion, it will be expedient, and for the good of the Commonwealth, that one or more companies of cadets, or other corps, should be raised in his division, the Governor, with advice and consent of the Council, be, and he is hereby, authorized and empowered (if he judge expedient) to raise such cadet company, companies, or corps; and, when any such company or corps shall be raised, they shall elect their officers in the same manner, and in the same proportion, as is provided for the election of officers of other companies and corps of militia in this Commonwealth; and the officers so elected shall be commissioned by the Governor. Provided, always, that no such cadet company or corps shall be raised in any of said divisions, when, by means thereof, any of the standing companies within the same would be reduced to a less number than sixty privates. '•'• And be it further enacted, by the authority aforesaid. That the said companies or corps, when raised and organized, shall be under the command of the major-general of the division in which they shall be respectively formed, and shall be subject to the rules and regulations that are already, or may hereafter be, provided by the Legislature, or the commander-in-chief of the militia of this Com- monwealth, for the general government of the militia." It will be observed, that these companies might be raised by the recommendation of the major-general, and the officers and members composing them may be scat- tered in the different towns within the division. Cases occurred where the three superior officers lived in sepa- rate towns. On this account, these corps were called divisionary companies. Another peculiarity was, that they were subject to the order of the major-general alone, and were never commanded by a brigadier-general. They never were attached to any brigade, but took the place of a brigade ; and on the field, at a general review, they took the right, because they were commanded only by the major-general. This right, or assumption, often caused trouble on great muster-days; and once, when the briga- adier-general ordered the Medford Light Infantry to take 1 86 HISTORY OF MED FORD. the left, the captain marched his company off the field, and returned to Medford without being reviewed. They maintained their cause, and never yielded their priority. The Weston Infantry was organized under the same law, but always gave precedence to the Medford company on account of its greater age. When Gen. Washington made his visit at Cambridge, in 1789, he was attracted by the superior appearance of the Medford company on parade, and took great pains to ask Gen. Brooks what corps it was, and passed a high compliment on it. There were many companies organized in the Common- wealth under the law ; some artillery, some cavalry, but generally infantry. On general-review days, the major- general and his staff would ride and stop in front of a bri- gade, and there go through with their examinations and reviews : when they came to the Medford Light Infantry, they would all stop, and go through the same examina- tions and reviews which belonged to a brigade. This was any thing but agreeable to the reviewing officers, and to the soldiers of the regular brigades. Few only of these companies remain in commission. The Boston and Salem Cadets are yet flourishing. In 1840 the question of the companies, organized under the law of 1785, taking the right of brigades, came up again, and was decided against the divisionary corps; and they are now "subject to the rules and regulations that are already provided for the general government of the militia." Major-Gen. Brooks certified to the Governor, in 1786, that he thought it expedient that a divisionary corps should be raised in his division ; and, as the Medford Light Infantry had united in petitioning for organization, the petition was granted, and the organization took place Nov. 29, 1786. "The choice of ofificers on that day re- sulted as follows : — Ephraim Hall Captain. Francis Hall Captain's Lieutenant. Samutl Buel Lieutenant. The ofifice of ensign was not deemed indispensable; and none was chosen till May 3, 1791, when J. Bucknam was elected. The names of the commanders of this long- respected and efficient company are as follows : — HISTORY OF MED FORD. 187 Ephraim Hall (promoted to an aide-de-camp in 1790) 1786 to 1790. Name unknown 1790 to 1798. Andrew Hall 1798 to 1803. Ebenezer Hall, jun 1803 to 1806. Neliemiah Wyman, of Charlestown 1806 to 1808. Caleb Blanchard 1808 to 1809. John Cutter 1809 to 181 1. Ephraim Bailey 18 ii to 18 14. J. P. Clisby 1814 to 1815. Thomas Shed 1815 to 1818. Gersham Cutter 1818 to 1821. John P. Bigelow 1821 to 1823. Martin Burrage 1823 to 1824. Edmund Symmes 1824 to 1827. On the nth of January, 1828, it resigned its charter, and has never been revived. For the first twenty-five years of its existence, this company stood among the first for celerity and grace of drill-exercise and martial manoeu- vre. It felt that it had a sort of brigade character to sus- tain ; and the ambitious young men of Medford joined heartily to make it the banner corps of the county. In the war of 18 12 this company was called to guard the powder-house, and did duty there for some weeks. The zeal for military display declined after 18 14, and there was only an annual training for keeping up the show of warlike preparation. In 1828, when the Medford Light Infantry had resigned its charter, Capt. John Sparrell was ordered to enroll its members in his company of militia. He did so; and, in that autumn, he appeared at a muster in Maiden with a hundred and ninety-six men, rank and file. March 7, 1831 : A hundred knapsacks were ordered by the town for the use of the militia. BROOKS PHALANX. Sept. 22, 1 841 : Fifty-two citizens of Medford petitioned the Governor for a charter to establish a company of vol- unteer militia, to be attached to the Fifth Regiment of infantry, in the first brigade and third division of Massa- chusetts militia. This petition was granted; and the com- pany adopted the name of Brooks Phalanx, in honor of Gov. Brooks. Oct. II, 1841 : The following ofificers were chosen : — Samuel Blanchard Captain. H. N. Peak ist Lieutenant. Joseph W. Mitchell 2d Lieutenant. James B. Gregg 3d Lieutenant. 1 88 HISTORY OF MED FORD. A constitution and by-laws having been adopted, the first parade was on the 22d of August, and the company made a fine appearance. Aug. 21, 1843: The ladies of Medford presented the Phalanx with a beautiful standard. The ceremony took place before the meeting-house of the First Parish, and was worthy the occasion. Capt. Blanchard having been promoted to the office of lieutenant-colonel, he resigned his office as commander of the Phalanx; and Nov. 13, 1844, James W. Brooks was chosen as his successor. In 1846 Capt. Brooks was hon- orably discharged, and April 10 Charles Caldwell was elected captain. After serving acceptably, he resigned ; and May 9, 1849, Gilman Griffin was elected in his place. The last meeting held by the company was Dec. 18, 1849, when it was concluded to discontinue the organization, re- sign the charter, and return the standard to the ladies who gave it. The standard was kept for a time in the Town Hall. LAWRENCE LIGHT GUARD. This excellent corps, whose career has an historical in- terest, and reflects the highest honor on the town, was organized Oct. i, 1854, as Company E, Fifth Regiment, Massachusetts Light Infantry. Its first officers were as follows : Henry W. Usher, captain ; Asa Law, first Heuten- ant ; Thomas R. Hadley, second lieutenant ; Samuel C. Lawrence, third lieutenant; and B. W. Parker, fourth lieutenant. Its rank and file numbered sixty men, all citi- zens of Medford. The company maintained a prosperous existence; and Asa Law, Samuel C. Lawrence, and John Hutchins were its successive commanders down to the period of the civil war. In 1861 the events which furnish material for American history accumulated rapidly. Treason against the general government, long contemplated and well organized, was consummated in the attack on Fort Sumter, April 12, Three days after, President Lincoln issued a call for sev- enty-five thousand volunteers to defend the capital of the nation. The call awoke all the patriotism of the North, and the response was prompt and enthusiastic. Massa- chusetts was the first to move, and immediately com- menced sending her troops to the front. On the 18th of April, Col. Samuel C. Lawrence, commanding the P"ifth HISTORY OF MED FORD. 189 Regiment, issued marching orders to his command. These were taken by his brother, Daniel W. Lawrence, Esq., to the commanders of the different companies, during the dark hours of the night before the 19th of April ; and it is a noticeable coincidence, that Mr. Lawrence's hurried journey followed the same roads taken by Paul Revere, just eighty-six years before, in his famous "midnight ride." The errands of the messengers were identical, and they were animated by an equally patriotic purpose. The next day the several companies of the regiment, in- cluding the Lawrence Light Guard, reported at Boston. It was an instance of extraordinary despatch. The men had no time to set their homes in order, and scant oppor- tunity to bid farewell to their families. The muster-roll of the company, as it left its armory to begin its service of three months, was as follows : — John Hutchins, captain. John G. Chambers, ist lieutenant. Perrv Coleman, 2d lieutenant. William H. Pattee, 3d lieutenant. I. F. R. Hosea, ist sergeant. Samuel M. Stevens, sergeant. James A. Bailey, sergeant. William H. Lawrence, sergeant. Sanford Booker, corporal. William J. Crooker, corporal. Benjamin Moore, corporal. Luther F. Brooks, corporal. Richard Pitts, musician. Alden, William F. Aldridge, William H. H. Austin, Ebenezer V. Bain, Martin V. B. Benham, Daniel. Bisbee, Horatio, jun. Bishop, John. Booker, George D. Braden, Angus. Bragdon, Stephen M. Burbank, William H. Carr, John P. Carr, Royal S. Clapp, iMeltiah O. Currier, Sidney. Curtis, Frank J. Cushing, Henry H. D. Cushing, Pyam, jun. Dane, William H. Davis, Joseph. Davis, William L. Dede, Herman. Dow, Albert F. Duckereli, William J. Fames, John H. Emerson, William B. F. Fletcher, Joel M. Fletcher, Stephen W. Fowler, Stephen D. Ginn, James F. Hadlev, Charles R. Haskell, Alfred. Hawkins, Henry M. Holman, Herbert A. Hoyt, John H. Ireland, Henry A,, jun. Jacobs, Henry B. Keene, Lewis H. Kuhn, Charles H. Lawrence, Lemuel P. Lewis, Augustus B. Loring, Freeman A. Lord, Lewis P. Manning, James. Mills, Palemon C. Morrison, Isaac T. Palmer, Edward J. Peak, George E. Pearsons, Jonas M. Pierce, Elisha N. Prouty, William L. Ramsdell, Emery W. Reed, Henry F. Richards, Manville F. Richardson, Caleb T. IQO HISTORY OF MEDFORD. Robertson, Edwin H. Russell, Charles. Russell, Hubbard, jun. Sawyer, George. Sherman, Gilbert B. Smith, Jones L. Smith, Joseph. Taylor, James H. Teel, George M. Thorpe, Alfred M. Tufts, Augustus. Tupper, George F. Turner, James H. R. Turner, Samuel H. Usher, James F. The farewell and God-speed given to the Lawrence Light Guard, before they left Medford, should not be omitted from these pages. It was a sincere, hearty, and grand expression of the popular feeling, and all the more honorable to the company because it was an impromptu and spontaneous act. The people of the town, hearing that the Lawrence Light Guard were about to leave the peaceful homes and pursuits, and go forth to smite the hateful and traitorous Rebellion, hurried to the centre of the town, hoping to see them once more before they departed, and possiblv speak to them, or at any rate wave them a sad "■ good-by^ But the gathering quickly took the form of solemn audience. The assembly was organized, the company was drawn up in a hollow square, and the brave men were duly and ten- derly commended to the loving care of the living God. This service was led by the local Methodist clergyman, Rev. Jarvis A. Ames ; and never was a more devout, ear- nest, patriotic, and Christian prayer sent up to the throne of God, than fell from the lips of that noble man. He seemed like one on whom the spirit of inspiration had fallen ; and while the tears of loving friends fell like rain, many a hearty "amen!" was uttered by Christian men and women, who felt that God was listening to their ear- nest supplications. The service was brief, but touchingly beautiful ; and every soldier was cheered and strengthened by it, and felt as he marched away that he was led by One greater and more faithful than any earthly commander. The people of Medford were deeply moved on many occasions, when their neighbors and friends went to and returned home from the war ; but never were they so touched by potencies that seemed divine, as when the Law- rence Light Guard went forth into our nation's second struggle "tor freedom. Then the conviction was forced home upon them, that the war was actually begun. Then they began to realize the labors and sacrifices it would cost. HISTORY OF MF.DFORD. 191 The Fifth Regiment was quartered in Faneuil Hall until the morning of the 21st of April, when it left for New York, and from thence proceeded at once to Wash- ington, and became a part of the great force that rapidly- accumulated at that place. It was mustered into the Fed- eral service for three months from the first day of May, and awaited further orders. During the second week in July, only a short time before its term of service was to expire, it was ordered into camp on the other side of the Potomac. The battle of Bull Run was then imminent, and on the 2 1 St of July it occurred. The Light Guard of Medford, with its regiment, was in the disastrous fight, and suffered severely. Col. Lawrence was wounded in the side by a splinter from a shattered tree. Sergeant William H. Law- rence, color-bearer, was shot through the breast, while waving the flag in advance of the company. He had a strong premonition of the result of that battle to him personally, and said to a comrade on the previous day, " I shall surely be riddled to-morrow ; " yet that conviction did not make him hesitate in the performance of his duty. His heroism made him worthy to be the first Medford volunteer who gave his life to his country. In this battle, Corporal William J. Crooker received a scalp wound, and Private John H. Hoyt was taken prisoner. Ten days after, the P'ifth Regiment was mustered out of the United-States service, and the Lawrence Light Guard returned to Medford. The record it had made, in the face of the enemy, was honorable ; and the town was proud of its first contribution to the Union army. It was nearly a year from this time before Medford was called upon for another contribution of soldiers for the army. The early hopes of a speedy ending of the Rebel- lion were doomed to perish, and the country saw the wis- dom of the next great act of President Lincoln, in making a requisition upon the States for three hundred thousand men, for three years. Early in the month of July, 1862, the selectmen of the town received a general order, which called for eighty-eight volunteers from Medford "for three years, or the war ; " and, by direction of the Governor, they acted as recruiting-officers. They called to their assistance Messrs. Charles Currier and Daniel W. Law- rence ; and, after a bounty of seventy-five dollars to each volunteer had been voted by the town, an ineffectual attempt was made to meet the demands of the general 192 HISTORY OF MEDFORD. order. Then, without delay, another town-meeting was called, at which, July 21, the bounty offered was increased to the sum of a hundred dollars. But the circumstances were not auspicious. Men were not anxious to volunteer at that uncertain and unpromising stage of the war ; and on the 29th of that month, the selectmen addressed a communication to the Lawrence Light Guard, asking that company to step to the front once more, and thus enable the town to respond to the requisition of the General Gov- ernment. The company took no tune to deliberate upon the matter, but opened their armory at once as a recruit- ing-office ; and the result was, that on -the 14th of August, a full company of a hundred and one men, including a large number of the old members, were sworn into the service of the United States " for three years, or the war." The following is a roll of the members of the com- pany : — John Hutchins, captain. Perry Coleman, 1st lieutenant. Isaac F. R. Hosea, 2d lieutenant. Samuel iM. Stevens, 1st sergeant. Henry H. D. Gushing, sergeant. John H. Eames, sergeant. Albert F. Dow, sergeant. Samuel H. Turner, sergeant. Samuel G. Jepson, corporal. George D. Booker, corporal. Joel i\I. Fletcher, corporal. William F. Alden, corporal. Henry A. Ireland, jun., corporal. Meltiah O. Clapp, corporal. Emery VV. Ramsdell, corporal. Isaac T. Morrison, corporal. Charles E. Dyer, musician. Edwin F. Kenrick, musician. George W. Gage, wagoner. Charles (). Alley. Charles H. Ballon. William S. Barker, jun. David A. Barnard. George M. Baxter. John S. Beck. James Beirne. William H. Blanchard. Dudley Bond. Benjamin AI. Briggs. Benjamin Bunker, jun. Stephen Busha. Royal S. Carr. George H. Champlin. William J. Cheney. George A. Churchill. George L. Clapp. Charles H. Coolidge. Owen Coughlin. Edward Crockett, jun. Henry G. Currell. Frank J. Curtis. Joseph M. Cushing. Benjamin P. Cutter. Benjamin H. Dow. Henry L. Dushutde. Benjamin Ellis, jun. Hezekiah C. Ellis. Thomas M. Fletcher. Thomas H. Gillard. Anderson L. B. Gill. Patrick Gleason. Edward Goodale. William Harding. Elbridije Hartshorn. Charles H. Haskell. Edwin B. Hatch. Henry R. Hathaway. Nelson F. Hathaway. Rodney C. Hathaway. Andrew J. Heath. James A. Hervev. Fred W. I). Hoi brook. Moses C. Hoyt. Joseph P. Hubbell. HISTORY OF MED FORD. 193 Edward Ireland. Edwin Ireland. Alfred Joyce. Samuel W. Joyce. Winslow Joyce. Henry S. Joyce. Coleman C. Kenrick. Otis V. Litchfield. Robert Livingston. John A. Maning. Bernard IMcNamara. Benjamin F. Merritt. Peter D. Meston. Thomas O. H. Mitchell. William H. Northey. Alvin W. Osborn. John L. Prouty. Wallace St. C. Redman. Charles A. Richardson. Franklin Richardson. Milton F. Roberts. William H. Rogers. George J. Rugg. Albert A. Samson. John H. Senter. John H. Simpson. William B. .Southworth. James Thompson. .Aaron Tucker. Augustus Tufts. Henry H. Tyler. William A. Walker. Benjamin Walker. Henry P. Wayland. Lemuel Webb. James L. W^Titaker. Jophanus H. Whitney. The day fixed upon for the departure of this company for camp was the 25th of August; and because of the patriotic and magnanimous response which its members had made to the call of the government, the citizens of the town felt called upon to give them a public expression of their admiration and gratitude. The farewell was simple, but deeply impressive. At an early hour a large number of men and women gathered in the square to receive the company when they should leave the armory ; and cheer upon cheer greeted the volunteers when they made their appearance. At the place appointed for the public services, prayer was offered by Rev. Edward C. Towne, after which Thomas S. Harlow, Esq., delivered an address, expressing the feelings of the citizens toward the men who, in the darkest hour of the Union cause, had the second time, for so long a term, tendered their services to the country. At one o'clock p.m., the guard, escorted by the town authorities, and a large procession of citizens, took up their line of march for the Maiden station of the Boston and Maine Railroad, and from thence took cars for their camp at Lynnfield. Later, while at camp in Boxford, the Thirty-ninth Regiment was organized ; and the Medford company (Company C), together with companies from Woburn, Roxbury, Taunton, Danvers, Natick, Somerville, Ouincy, Dorchester, and the South Shore, made up the or- ganization, which was placed under the command of Col. P. S. Davis, an experienced officer of the State militia. 194 HISTORY OF MED FORD. Early in September the regiment was ordered to Wash- ington ; and, after a brief stay in the vicinity of that city, it was sent to Edwards Ferry, on the Maryland side of the Potomac River, and was kept on guard service along the river throughout the fall and winter, with winter quarters at Poolesville. In April it was ordered again to Washing- ton, where it rendered most efficient service as part of the provost-guard of the city, and attracted especial attention for the excellence of its discipline and drill. On the 9th of July, 1863, the demand for fresh troops • at the front sent the Thirty-ninth Regiment to join the .Army of the Potomac, which was then in the vicinity 'of Funkstown, Md., under the command of Gen. Meade. The regiment was attached to the third brigade, second ■ division. First Army Corps. About this time Samuel W. Joyce, a member of Company C, died at Middle- burgh, and was buried there. The rest of the summer was passed in movements along the line of the Orange and Alexandria Railroad. In the fall of that year the Mine Run campaign was opened, and Company C was the first company in the regiment that was placed under fire. On the 28th of November this company was on the line of skirmishers ; and Benja- min Dow, a Medford volunteer, was severely wounded. In December the regiment went into winter-quarters at Mitchell's Station, Va., and soon made for itself the neat- est and pleasantest camp in the Army of the Potomac. The status of the company, Jan. i, 1864, is given as follows : — Two sergeants, six corporals, two musicians, and thirty- one privates, present for duty; one sergeant, two cor- porals, and sixteen privates, sick and absent ; Second Lieut. 1. F. R. Hosea transferred to Company E, on de- tached service ; Captain absent and sick ; Lieut. C. W. Hunson temporarily in charge of the company. About that time Corporal Champlin died in the hospital. The company was kept so busy with picket and other detached services, that its representation at one of the dress parades consisted of an orderly sergeant and a single private. On the 25th of the next March the First Corps was merged into the Fifth Corps, and the regiment became a part of the first brigade, second division, and Fifth Army Corps ; and the next day they left their pleasant winter- quarters at Mitchell's Station, for a new camp about a HISTORY OF MED FORD. . 1 95 mile beyond Cedar Run, and on May 3 advanced into that desolate section of country called the Wilderness. Two days later the series of terrible battles began. For the first three days of the conflict, Company C was not actually engaged in fight ; but on the fourth day, May the 8th, it was in the hottest of the affray, fighting desper- ately, where success seemed almost hopeless. Corporal Simpson was badly wounded ; Sergeants Turner and Mor- rison slightly wounded ; Henry R. Hathaway, Alfred Joyce, and Stephen Busha were among the missing. The last named was never heard of afterwards. May 10 was a day of great slaughter. Sergeant Stevens, and Priv^ates Beirne and Harding were instantly killed. The two latter were found with their faces literally torn off by a shell, but with their hands firmly grasping their muskets. On May 12, when the corps was near Spotsylvania, Edward Ireland was instantly killed, and Henry Ireland wounded in the arm. Shortly afterwards Robert Living- ston, another member of Company C, who was last seen on picket, was reported missing, and never returned. He was doubtless killed at his dangerous post of duty. By the middle of June the troops were moving in the direction of Petersburg and Richmond. The 17th of June was signalized by a severe conflict before Petersburg, an affair that marked the beginning of a protracted struggle in front of that well-nigh impreg- nable city. On the 6th of July, Col. P. S. Davis, beloved by all his command, and popular among his brother offi- cers, was killed by a shell, while sitting outside his tent, reading a letter from home. Every man of his regiment was filled with inexpressible sorrow by this event ; for he was not only an efficient officer, but an unselfish patriot, and a true Christian gentleman. His loss at that time, when the fortunes of the war were in the hands of such brave and skilful leaders as he represented, was felt to be a great calamity. In August the corps was stationed along the Weldon railroad, where it had previously been on duty ; and in a severe action on the 19th of August, several Medford men were taken prisoners. In September the Thirty-ninth Regiment was placed in Gen. Sheridan's command, and took part in the ad- vance against Petersburg. In this way the Medford boys 196 HISTORY OF MED FORD. of Company C were in at one of the closing struggles of the war, and shared in the glory which the fall of Peters- burg secured to the Federal army. April 4 the conditions of final surrender were signed at Appomattox. The volunteers who had then developed into bronzed and victorious veterans, with work in the field completed, turned their faces homeward ; and on the 2d of June the Thirty-ninth Massachusetts was discharged from the service. The men started for home without delay ; and in Baltimore, where three years before they had been coldly received, they enjoyed a grand ovation. That was the beginning of a series of splendid receptions given them all along the route to New England. In the town records for the year ending Feb. i, 1866, we find the following statement touching the preparation made for the return of the veterans : — " At a meeting of the citizens held at the Town Hall, May 17, to take measures for the suitable reception of our returning veterans, John Stetson was chosen chairman, and Parker R. Litchfield secretary. A committee con- sisting of Gen. Samuel C. Lawrence, Capt. Charles Cur- rier, Capt. Benjamin F. Haves, Joseph L. Goldthwait, Esq., and Daniel \V. Lawrence, Esq., was appointed to make the necessary arrangements, and raise the requisite funds." On the loth of June our company returned to their homes. They were received at the depot in Boston by the selectmen and a large delegation of Medford citizens, and under the escort of the Lawrence Rifles. Brig.-Gen. Samuel C. Lawrence acted as chief marshal. The com- pany, with its escort, proceeded to the Boston and Maine Depot, where they took a special train for Medford. Arriving at Park Street, a procession of citizens was formed, under the same escort ; and amidst the booming of cannon and the ringing of bells, they marched through the principal streets to West Medford, and from there to the Armory of the Lawrence Rifles, where a collation was served, and each veteran was presented with a beautiful bouquet. Along the line of the procession tlie citizens displayed flags and mottoes, furnished refreshments, and loudly cheered the war-worn heroes ; and many a tear was shed by those, who, three years before, bade adieu to loved ones of the company, who were now sleeping in unknown graves. On the afternoon of the 13th a more extended recep- HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 1 97 tion was given to the same company, of which the follow- ing report was published in the "Boston Advertiser" of the 14th, and afterwards copied into the town records : — RECEPTION IN MEDFORD. Yesterday afternoon the citizens of Medford gave the veterans of the Lawrence Light Guards, Company C, Thirty-ninth Regiment, a glorious reception home. A procession was formed in front of the Town Hall in the early part of the afternoon, in order as follows : — Gilmore's Band. The new Lawrence Rifles, Capt. Hayes. Engine and Hook-and-Ladder Companies. Board of Selectmen. Body of Citizens. Army and Navy Association. The returned Veterans, Capt. Hutchins. The procession, under the chief marshalship of Brig.-Gen. S. C. Lawrence, who was assisted by Capt. Charles Currier, J. L. Gold- thwait, D. W. Lawrence, and Capt. B. F. Hayes, marched through the principal streets of the town to the Green Mountain Grove. As the veterans passed along, they were greeted with cheers and the waving of handkerchiefs. The houses in the streets through which they passed displayed, in very many instances, flags and streamers, with mottoes of welcome. At Green Mountain Grove — a delightful retreat — the veterans were seated, and the formal exercises of the reception began. Brig.- Gen. Lawrence presided ; and after prayer by Rev. George M. Preston, a choir of about five hundred fine singers from the public schools, under the lead of Mr. Henry G. Carey, sang a song of welcome, beginning, " Oh, 'twill be a happy time." Air. Nathan W. Bridge, chairman of the board of selectmen, in behalf of the town, welcomed the veterans home in a short and touchinsiiy eloquent address. Capt. Hutchins briefly responded. After expressing the thanks in behalf of the companv, for the cordial manner in which they had been received, Capt. Hutchins stated that the company left Medford three years ago, numbering ninety-seven men and three officers ; it has come home with thirty-two men and two officers. Twenty brave fellows have died, of whom eight have been killed in battle, eight have died in rebel prisons, and four have died of disease. One officer and twenty men have been discharged the service, and nine trans- ferred to the Veteran Reserve Corps. These figures show that the company has done its duty. No man, said the speaker, ever faltered when called upon to face the enemy, and no man has tried to keep out of the fight. They have nobly fought, and performed their duty. [Cheers.] After music by the band, James M. Usher was introduced. He referred to the time when the company first went out to the war on the 15th of August, 1862. They have been, he said, through all the great trials of the war, and have borne themselves nobly. He had been informed that no man had been placed in the guard-house, or been put under arrest for improper conduct, during the whole time that the regiment had been out. He was glad, also, to state that this company was among the few that had been so fortunate as to retain 1 98 HISTORY OF MED FORD. its original organization throughout the whole period of the war. The children sang, " Yes, tlie boys are now at home," after which Private James A. Hervey of the Guards, being introduced, made a sliort eloquent speech. More singing was had by the children, and more patriotic speeches by Rev. Charles Brooks, Thomas S. Harlow, Esq., Hon. E. C. Baker, Rev. B. H. Davis, and Rev. Henry M. Loud; and the exercises closed with "America," in which all joined in singing, accompanied by the band, and the benediction by Rev. Mr. Hooker. The day closed with a substantial collation under the shade of the trees, served by the patriotic ladies of tiie town. The stores were generally closed in the village during the afternoon, and the children of the schools had a holiday. The company has been transferred to its old regiment, — the Fifth, — and now holds the same letter and number which it did before the war. The Lawrence Light Guard still retains its organization as Company E of the Fifth Regiment, and holds an hon- orable position in the brigade to which it is attached. It has had for its commanders since the war, Capts. I. F. R. Hosea, W. W. Manning, J. H. Whitney, Charles R. Daw- son (lieutenant commanding), George L. Goodale, H. J. Newhall, and J. E. Clark. No matter how long these pleasant times of peace may last, the perpetuation of this corps should be an object of tender solicitude to our peo- ple, and our young men should consider it a duty and an honor to enroll themselves in its ranks. HISTORY OF MED FORD. 199 CHAPTER VII. MILITARY HISTORY CONTINUED. THE MEDFORD LIGHT INFANTRY. The volunteers for three years had just departed for the seat of war, when a call was made for volunteers for nine months' service. At a town-meeting, held on the 15th of August, 1862, a bounty of two hundred dollars was offered to each man who should volunteer to fill the required quota. So promptly did Medford men respond to that call, that the company was full on the 23d of September, and on that day was mustered in. It had been organized under the name of the Medford Light Infantry. The following account of the departure of the com- pany to Camp Lander, VVenham, is copied from the town records : — "The Medford Light Infantry, consisting of ninety-six men, met in the Town Hall at one o'clock p.m. on the twenty-second day of September, 1862, and subsequently in the square, where prayer was offered by Rev. George M. Preston. "At two o'clock P.M. they took up their line of march, accompanied by the Boston Brigade Band, and escorted by the selectmen, a cavalcade, and procession of citizens on foot, under the direction of Thomas S. Harlow, Esq., chief marshal, to the Eastern Railroad station in Somerville, where they took passage for Camp Lander. On their arrival there, they partook of a bountiful collation fur- nished by the liberality of our citizens." ROLL OF THE MEDFORD LIGHT INFANTRY, COMPANY F, FIFTH REGIMENT, MASSACHUSETTS VOLUNTEERS. Charles Currier, captain. I James F. Ginn, ist sergeant. Alfred Haskell, ist lieutenant. George W. Williamson, sergeant. Elisha N. Pierce, 2d lieutenant. I David O. Floyd, sergeant. 200 HISTORY OF MEDFORD. Francis A. Lander, sergeant. Charles Russell, sergeant. George M. Teel, corporal. Lvman N. Lee, corporal. Everett Newhall. Edwin C. Burbank. Josiah W. Parker. George N. Kimball Augustus G. Baxter. Silas F. Wild. Charles H. Prentiss, musician. Lucius C. Woolley, musician. Charles C. Pierce, wagoner. Adams, Samuel. Adams, Joseph D. Bagley, Alonzo J. Brown, Hiram. Butters, Andrew. Bragdon, George W. Black, Lewis. Burbank. William H. Baker, William H. S. Bresnahan, Jeremiah. Clark, Goram B. Currell, Eldridge G. Currell, Eldridge G., jun. Curtin, Francis. Curtin, Andrew. Denham, David A. Davis, Samuel. Darling, Theodore. Dwser, Thomas. Fett, Jacob. Farley, Thomas. Garner, James. Gilson, William. Gee, Nathaniel. Gould, Thomas. Gray, Arthur W. Howard, James. Hooker, David S., jun. Hayford, Seth. Harding, Stephen. Hines, Ira. Hartshorn, Hollis. Hervey, Frank. Howe, Humphrey B. Harding, William. Jones, William E. James, John. Keen, Atwell C. Kimball, Lsaiah W. Locke, James D. Lilchheld, Joseph D. Lawrence, William. Lord, Stephen. Mason, Edward H. McGillcuddy, Daniel. McAleer, James. McKinney, Andrew. Means, George W. Miller, George W. Mathews, Ebenezer B. Oliver, Samuel F. O'Connell, Michael. O'Brien, Michael. Paye, Ephraim C. Peak, Horatio N., jun. Powell, John F. Powers, James M. Riley, Michael. Rich, Stillman. Reed, Alvin R. Smith, Frank B. Sampson, George H. Stimpson, Alden AL Stephens, Alfred. Stock, Henry. Sanborn, John H. Towie, Daniel. Towle, Sydney M. Tay, Francis J. Wood, Dexter T. Willis, Calvin W. Walker. Judson. White, John IVL Wheeler, William N. After a month passed in Camp Lander, the Fifth Regi- ment, of which the Medford Light Infantry formed a part, was ordered to the front, and embarked on the steamer " Mississippi " for Beaufort, N.C., Oct. 22, 1862. The trip was prosperous, and the steamer reached its destination in four days. Before the regiment had been on Southern soil twenty-four hours, it was ordered to prepare to move ; HISTORY OF MED FORD. 201 and Goldsboro' and the Wilmington and Sheldon Railroad were the objective points. The intention was to cut off rebel supplies, communication, and transportation of every description ; and in the brisk and determined work that ensued, the Fifth Regiment had an important part. The campaign was successful ; and, that it might be properly commemorated, the regimental fiags were inscribed as follows: Kingston, Dec. 14, 1862; Whitehall, Dec. 16, 1862; Goldsboro', Dec. 17, 1862. On returning to New- bern, where the camp was then located, the first part of the winter was spent in the erection of Fort Pierson, so named in honor of the colonel of the Fifth Regiment. The first notable expedition that followed had for its object the reduction of the rebel works at Washington, N.C. It was begun April 20, 1863, and its entire success secured a most important point for the army. But the crowning event of the nine-months' service was the cap- ture of the Confederate stronghold at Moseley Creek. In the reconnoitre that preceded the grand attack, which occurred about the first of May, Col. Pierson accom- plished a brilliant feat. The situation of the rebel works was peculiar, and they could not be successfully assailed unless the attack were made from both sides at the same time. By admirable strategy this was effected, and the victory was complete. The service of the regiment was practically ended with this achievement. Soon after, it returned to Fort Pierson, and was ordered back to Massa- chusetts, its term of service having expired. On their arrival at Boston, June 26, the nine months' men were duly honored by a grand reception, in which the citizens of Medford were represented. In Charlestown a collation was served for them ; and then the Medford com- pany were escorted to the town line, where they were received by past and active officials, citizens, members of the fire-department, and the National Lancers of Boston, Capt. Slade. The veterans made an extended march through the streets of the town, and, then passing into the Town Hall, were formally received by Gen. Samuel C. Lawrence in an admirable speech, full of patriotic sentiment and warm congratulation. Capt. Charles Currier happily responded for his company, and the formal services ended with an elaborate and elegant collation, served by the ladies. 202 HISTORY OF MED FORD. MEDFORD VOLUNTEERS IN OTHER ORGANIZATIONS. The service of volunteers from this town in other organ- izations of the Union army deserves equally honorable mention. Under the various calls of the government, the quotas of Medford were promptly filled, and the men, as they were enlisted, were attached to different branches of the service. In the Fifteenth Infantry, there were thirty Medford volunteers ; in the Fifth Cavalry, twenty ; in the First Cavalry, eighteen ; in the Seventeenth Infantry, sixteen ; in the Twenty-eighth Infantry, seventeen ; in the Twenty- fourth Infantry, six ; in the Thirteenth Infantry, five ; in the Second Heavy Artillery, four ; in the First Infantry, four ; Fifth Infantry, three ; Second Cavalry, three ; Twenty-ninth Infantry, three ; Fourteenth Battery, three ; Eighth Battery, three; First Infantry, three; Nineteenth Infantry, three ; Nimm's Battery, two ; Twenty-first In- fantry, two ; Twentieth Infantry, two ; Light Artillery, two; Eleventh Infantry, two; Second Infantry, two; Six- teenth Infantry, one ; Mozart's Regiment, one ; and one in each of the following organizations, the Thirty-second In- fantry, Sixth Battery, Twenty-second Infantry, Fifth Bat- tery, Eighth Battery, Eighteenth Battery, Second Battery, Fourteenth Infantry, Eleventh Infantry, Thirty-eighth In- fantry, Tenth Infantry, Thirtieth Infantry, Forty-fifth In- fantry, Eleventh Battery, First Heavy Artillery, Ninth Heavy Artillery, Fifty-fourth Infantry, Fourth Cavalry, and Ninth Infantry. There were also three Medford men in a New-York regiment, one in a Vermont regiment, and ten in other branches of the Federal service. Besides these, Medford had fifteen "one hundred days' men " who were enlisted to fill a quota called for in the latter part of 1864. Of these last named, thirteen were assigned to the Fifth Regiment of Infantry, and two to the Sixtieth Infantry. It would be difficult and impracticable to follow these men in their camp and field duties : their individual ex- perience is so merged in the history of numerous organi- zations. But those who were reported had an honorable record, and they rendered loyal and valuable service to the cause. HISTORY OF MED FORD. 20- PRISON EXPERIENCES. One of the saddest things of which the historian of the Great Rebellion has to write is the experience of North- ern soldiers in Southern prisons. In the attack made on the Weldon Railroad, Aug. i8 and 19, the following named members of Company C were captured : Capt. Hutchins, Lieut. Hosea," Sergeants Eames and Morrison, and Privates Frank Curtis, Milton F. Roberts, Edwin Ireland, William H. Rogers, and Benjamin Ellis. We have a thrilling account of the experience of these men, and it may well stand to represent the treatment which our soldiers received in rebel prisons. The capture of the men just named was effected by a shrewd flank movement, made by a rebel division. The men captured in that way were first deprived of every thing they had which would have enabled them to pur- chase food and comfort in the places to which they were to be sent, and then they were marched to Petersburg and Richmond. They remained nine days within the walls of Libby Prison, when they were rejoiced to hear of their contem- plated removal to Belle Isle, where, as one of the men wrote at the time, " if no better food is to be had, we shall at least get plenty of air." Their food at Libby was ex- ecrable, — "small in amount, and occasional," as the same prisoner described it ; and when our Medford boys reached Belle Isle, to which they were driven like sheep to a slaugh- ter-house, they did not find their "bill of fare" improved in quality or quantity. They had rations dealt out to them twice a day. The amount to each man was usually a piece of coarse corn bread about an inch and a half square, to which was some- times added, as a luxury, a thin slice of fat bacon, rancid and maggoty. About the loth of October a large number of prisoners, including those from Medford, were removed to the notori- ous prison at Salisbury, N.C., having been given, before they started, a paltry allowance of bread, which, as they were told, was their "three-days' rations." They arrived at their destination in a most pitiable condition ; and when they saw the state of things in their new place of confine- ment, some of them, already weak and sick, lost heart. The occupants of that prison were then mainly Southern Union- 204 HISTORY OF MED FORD. ists, principally from Tennessee ; rebel deserters and cut- throats ; Northern non-combatants, correspondents, and officers and men, that had been captured by privateers. At one time there were nearly ten thousand men within the limits of that horrible place. About a week after arriving there, the prisoner who wrote as already quoted, from Libby and Belle Isle, made the following record : "We are fast becoming emaciated, and more or less mentally diseased. We seem to be dead to our usual feeling as men ; and those who give way to despondency soon find an end to their earthly sufferings." As the cold weather approached, some of the prisoners asked to be allowed to go into the forests around the prison, and cut trees with which to build log-houses for protec- tion ; but they were refused with most insolent words and curses. Their keepers seemed to enjoy their unmistakable miseries, and delighted in augmenting them. They hated the very name of Yankee, and Massachusetts men were specially obnoxious to them : indeed, they seemed intent upon destroying in prison those they had not been able to destroy in the field. In the diary of one of our Medford men, this record was made : " Men are dying around us at the rate of forty-seven a day, a mortality that would sweep away every soul in dear old Medford in five months." Their treatment, worse than death, drove some of the prisoners to make the desperate attempt of a forcible escape. The plan failed, and then rebel muskets and cannon were turned upon them with terrible effect. The cruelties that followed were too horrible to relate. They were so heartless and terrible that three men — Richardson and Brown, correspondents of the " New-York Tribune," and Davis of the "Cincinnati Gazette" — planned an escape, with capture or death as the probable result. They were successful. They managed to pass the rebel lines and work their way to Washington, where they labored with the President and Congress until an exchange of the Salisbury prisoners was effected. The news reached the prison, Feb. 20, 1865 ; and without delay the worn captives turned their backs on a prison, the cruelties of which would disgrace any savage nation on earth, and on the 24th they were within the Union lines. Nevertheless, all who went to Salisbury did not survive the tortures of that place. Several Medford men died at the prison there, whose names will appear in another place. HISTORY OF MED FORD. 205 The horrors of prison-life at Salisbury and Belle Isle were much the same as at Libby and Andcrsonville, and we save our readers the pain that a statement of particu- lars would crive them. HOSPITAL EXPERIENCES. The places in which our Medford soldiers suffered from wounds and sickness were many and wide apart. A large number died in hospitals ; but we need not attempt a description of individual experiences that looked either towards life or death. Yet we should be guilty of great injustice, did we not refer in this chapter to the work of the Sanitary Commis- sion in behalf of our sick and wounded. Faithful women also carried gleams of light into Union hospitals during the Rebellion ; and many a sick or wounded soldier looked upon stranger faces with tender and loving emotions, be- cause they awakened holy remembrances of mother, wife, or sister, whose places they sought to fill, and whose ten- derness they emulated. THE HOME WORK OF THE WAR. But there was a side of the war less painful and dan- gerous, though not less difficult and perplexing, than those of which we have already treated. Not all the battles of a great war are fought at the front. The work of recruit- ing an army, of filling up its depleted ranks, of creating new regiments, of responding to calls for hospital supplies, and of providing for widows and orphans made such by the slaughter of husbands and fathers, — this is a drudgery of war that those must perform who remain at home ; and some of it involves the necessity of much labor and self- sacrifice. The men who remained at home, and had this work principally in charge, were the town and city officers ; and in almost all cases they were faithful, wise, and untiring in their difficult tasks. The selectmen were the directors, and sometimes the executors, of the work done in Medford for the army, and for those at home who suffered because of the war. Their names should be put on record, in memory of their earnest and honest endeavors. They were as follows : — 206 HISTORY OF MED FORD. l86i. A. H. Butters, J. T. Foster, and E. Boynton. 1862. E. Boynton, Charles S. Jacobs, and F. E. Foster. 1S63. A. H. Butters, A. N. Cotton, and W. B. Thomas. 1864. Nathan W. Bridge, John P. Perry, Atwood Litchfield, jun., Charles Currier, Charles Russell, N. M. Wild, and F. H. Kidder. 1865. Nathan W. Bridge, Charles Currier, John P. Perry, Parker R. Litchfield, Elbridge Teele, Charles Russell, and Joshua Clark, In justice to other citizens of the town, it should be said that the selectmen were frequently assisted in their arduous duties by large recruiting committees, composed of prominent citizens. Through them the frequent calls for volunteers were promptly met, and the facilities for raising money were greatly increased. In this last-named work, different associations of Med- ford ladies were important factors ; and they also rendered valuable assistance in making clothing and other necessary articles for the men at the front, and in securing for them indispensable supplies, especially for hospital uses. In 1863, the town not being authorized to expend money in recruiting, committees received from individuals for that purpose $4,484.76. But more men were needed the fol- lowing year, and another committee soon raised by sub- scription the sum of $3,755.50 to use in the work of filling the next quota. And so the recruiting went on from year to year, and there seemed to be no limit to the liberality of the people in sustaining the war. From the beginning to the close of the Rebellion, eleven calls for men were made upon this town ; and the whole number furnished was 769. In the town record for the year ending Feb. i, 1866, there is a statement of the cost of furnishing that little army ; and we give it here as follows : — HISTORY OF MED FORD. 207 Date of Call. Men Term of Bounty paid- Other Total furnished. Service. Expenses. Expenses. April 16, 1861, 86 3 months, May 3, 1861, ] June 16, 1861, May 2S, 1862, $20,400 00 1 255 3 years. July 4, 1862, J $253 59 ^35.153 59 Aug. 4, 1S62, no 9 months. 14,500 00 J Oct. 17, 1863, Feb. I, 1864, \ ^Zl 3 years, S,553 46' March 15, 1S64, \ 127 3 years, 1 \ 1,210 76 19,514 22 July 19, 1S64, Dec. 19, 1864, J 7 1 32 2 years, I year, \ 9,750 00. I 15 100 days. 769 - $53,203 46 $1,464 15 $54,667 61 In addition to these amounts, there was paid by the town, as aid to families of volunteers, beyond what was reimbursed by the State, $1,507.44, making a total of ^56,175.05. The voluntary subscriptions of citizens were, in part, as follows : — Expenses of uniforms, outfits, relief of families, of the three months' men, under call of April 16, 1861 Bounties to volunteers to fill quotas of July [4, 1862 Bounties to volunteers to fill quotas of Feb. i, 1864 Bounties to volunteers to fill quotas of March 14, 1864 Bounties to volunteers to fill quotas of July 18, 1864 Bounties to volunteers to fill quotas of Dec. 19, 1864 Amount paid by the town . Amount paid by subscription Total amount ^3^056 97 [50 GO 213 42 2,570 00 8,586 65 2,156 73 «^i6,733 n 5?56,i75 OS j6,733 n $72,908 82 But this amount does not cover the aid to soldiers, rendered largely through the instrumentality of the ladies of Medford. The Ladies' Benevolent Society of the First Parish, organized before the outbreak of the war, com- menced working for the soldiers by making flannel shirts and drawers for our first volunteers, and then, aided by other patriotic ladies, completed one hundred suits of clothing, donated by FVancis Brooks, Esq., to the company under Capt. Hutchins. 208 HISTORY OF MED FORD. During^ the remainder of the war this society completed, and sent to the hospitals, eight thousand garments suited to the needs of the sick and wounded soldiers, besides many hundred bandages, and bundles of old linen and cotton ; and when the cry for help for Union refugees came from St. Louis, Cincinnati, and Louisville, twenty barrels were packed, and sent to them. The officers of this society were : Eliza H. Carrett, president ; Helen Porter, secretary and treasurer. In 1862 another society was organized by the ladies of Medford, called The Union Soldiers Relief Society. Its members represented all religious societies in town except the Unitarian, which had charge of the organization already named. The object of the Relief Society was similar to that of the Benevolent Society ; and during the three years ending October, 1865, its members made and sent to the soldiers donations as follows : 648 shirts, 351 pairs draw- ers, 316 pairs socks, 45 pairs mittens, 173 pairs slippers, 70 caps, 75 handkerchiefs, 13 pillow-cases, 19 pillows, 4 dressing-gowns, 19 bottles of wine, and other delicacies for the sick. They also gave suits of underclothing to twelve soldiers at home on furlough, and two suits each to seven returned prisoners of war. Nine boxes were sent to the Christian Commission ; one box to the Sanitary Commission ; one to the nine-months' men ; four boxes to Company C, Thirty- ninth Regiment ; and three boxes to the Philadelphia, Annapolis, and Washington hospitals. The ladies of this society contributed various things of considerable value to the Union cause, among which was the sum of $iiO to three disabled soldiers of Company C, Thirty-ninth Regi- ment, The officers of this society, at the close of the war, when it disbanded, were : Mrs. Timothy Cotting, presi- dent ; Mrs. Silas F. Wild, secretary. Another enterprise in behalf of the families of absent or deceased soldiers was successfully carried out by several public-spirited ladies and gentlemen, who secured a series of entertain- ments at the Town Hall, which netted the handsome sum of $575.20. In addition to all this, $650.54 was raised by subscription, to furnish Thanksgiving presents to soldiers' families ; and finally $759.03 was raised to pay the expenses of the re- ception of veterans, at the close of the war. Many acts of generous patriotism, of an individual and HISTORY OF MED FORD. 209,: private character, were scattered along the years of the Re- bellion, the particulars of which will never be made public;; but one of that class has come to the light, and is too noble to pass from remembrance. Mrs. Abner Bartlett. sister of the Hon. Tristram Burgess of Rhode Island, well known in his time, knit with her own hands three hundred and forty-one pairs of stockings, that were forwarded to the soldiers. She had passed her eighty-fifth year before she knit the last pair. In closing this chapter on the home side of the war, we cannot better aid to keep alive the true idea of the earnestness and zeal of Medford in the Union cause, than by making a record of what occurred on Sunday, Aug. 24, 1862. On that day, at half-past one o'clock, the selectmen received the news of the repulse of our army near Wash- ington. With the sad tidings came a request for hospital stores of all kinds. The citizens were called to the square by the ringing of bells. Afternoon services, in most of the churches, were dispensed with, and every energy of men. and women was bent to the work of responding to the call. Men and women hurried to the town-hall from their several homes, with hands and arms full of the needed supplies; and soon many barrels were packed with bandages, linens, lint, cordials, jellies, medicines, etc., which were sent with all haste to Boston, and, before sunset of that day, were on their way to the point where they were needed. It is a great pleasure to make such a record ; and when the people of Medford in future generations shall read it, they will say, " Surely our fathers and mothers believed, as Christ did, that it was right to do good on the sabbath."' DEATH RECORD OF MEDFORD SOLDIERS. We find in the town records of the year ending Feb. i, 1863, a statement of those who had previously died in the service, which is as follows : — Michael Leonard, killed at Antietam. Edward Gustine, killed at Malvern Hill. Daniel S. Cheney, killed before Richmond. Lucien M. Fletcher, died at Baton Rouge. Frank A. Keen, killed at South Mountain. Edward Sprague, died of wounds received in North Carolina. D. Tyler Newcomb, killed at Goldsboro. Dominic Nolan, died at Hilton Head. William Lahev, killed at Sharpsburg. Daniel McGillicuddy, died at Newbern. 2IO H/SJ'ORV OF MI-:ni'-ORD. .Albert H. Stacey, killed at Warrenton Junction. Daniel Dailey, place of death unknown. TLater we find mention made of the death of the follow- ing soldiers : — George H. Champlin, Company C, Thirtv-ninth Regiment, Jan. 4, 1863. Charles H. Coolidge, Company C, Thirty-ninth Regiment. Richard W. Cheslin, Company D, First Cavalry, killed in the battle of Aldie, June 7, 1S63. Samuel VV. Joyce, Company C, Thirty-ninth Regiment, died July 20, 1863. Stephen Harding, Company F, Fifth Regiment, died at Xewbern, June 17, 1863. James Stetson, Thirteenth Regiment, died at Gettysburs:, July 3, 1S63. Joseph P. Hubbell, Company C, Thirtj-ninth Regiment, died at Washington, 1S63. The record for the year ending Feb. i, 1S65, is still larger. Lieut.-Col. John G. Chambers, died at Fortress Monroe, May 13, 1864, of wounds received at the battle of Drury's Bluff. William H. Burbank, First Lieut., Company I, Fifty-eighth Regi- ment, died June 11, 1864, of wounds received at White House, Va. Samuel ^^. Stevens, First Sergeant, Company C, Thirty-ninth Regi- ment, was killed in the battle of the Wilderness, May 10, 1864. James Beirne, Company C, Thirty-ninth Regiment, killed at Spotsyl- vania Court House, May 12, 1864. Rodney C. Hathaway, Corporal, Company C, Thirty-ninth Regiment, killed in attack at Weldon Railroad, July 26, 1864. Robert Livingston, Company C, Thirtj-ninth Regiment, died in prison at Anderson ville, Aug. 21, 1864. Patrick Gleason, Company C, Thirty-ninth Regiment, died in prison at Salisbury, N.C., 1864. James M. Powers, Company K, Seventeenth Regiment, died in prison at Andersonville, August, 1864. Calvin W. Willis, Company K, Seventeenth Regiment, died in prison at Andersonville, July, 1864. Calvin Curtin, Company E, Twenty-eighth Regiment, died of wounds received in the battle of the Wilderness. James Haley, Company E, Twentj'-eighth Regiment, died at Wash- ington, of disease, Nov. 16, 1864. Joel M. Fletcher, Corporal, Company C, Thirty-ninth Regiment, died of wounds received before Petersburg, July 27, 1864. Alfred Joyce, Company C, Thirty-ninth Regiment, died in prison at Salisbury, N.C., 1864. Augustus Tufts, Company C, Thirty-ninth Regiment, died of disease at Medford, 1S64. Herman Mills, First Massachusetts Cavalry, died of disease at Beaufort, S.C., 1S64. B/S 1 VR J ' OF MED FORD. 2 1 1 Edward Ireland, Company C, Thirty-ninth Regiment, killed at Laurel Hill. Benjamin J. Ellis, jun., Company C, Thirty-ninth Regiment, died at Medford, from disease contracted while in prison. Sargeant Edwin B. Hatch, Company C, Thirty-ninth Regiment, killed at Hatcher's Run. Frank R. Curtis, Company C, Thirty-ninth Regiment, died in prison at Richmond, Va. William H. Rogers, Company C, Thirty-ninth Regiment, died in prison at Salisbury, N.C. Henry G. Currell, Company C, Thirty-ninth Regiment, died in prison at Andersonville, Ga. Michael O'Donnell, Second Heavy Artillery, died in prison at Andersonville, Ga. George H. Lewis, Seventeenth Regiment, died at Raleigh, N.C. Joseph AL Garret, died in prison at Andersonville, Ga. COL. JOHN G. CHAMBERS. Among the saddest events of the war. to the citizens of Medford, was the death of Col. John G. Chambers, who was wounded at Drury's Bluff, and died at Fortress Monroe, May 13, 1864. He first served as a private soldier in a Massachusetts regiment during the Mexican War, at the end of which he returned to the peaceful pursuits of private life. At the breaking-out of the Rebellion he was first lieutenant of the Lawrence Light Guards; and on the 19th of April, 1 861, he went with his company to the seat of war, and afterwards acted as adjutant of the regiment. At the expiration of the term of his three-months' ser- vice, he joined the Twenty-third Regiment as adjutant, and again went to the front. His cool courage, marked ability, and fondness for his profession, soon marked him as a man to be promoted ; and in due tiine he was made major, and afterwards colonel, of his regiment. A wound received in the shoulder, from a fragment of an exploded shell, gave him a short furlough. But he could not long remain idle when his country required his ser- vices ; and he soon rejoined his regiment, and shared all its dangers, hardships, and exposures, until he was called to lay down his life for the cause he had so faithfully served. His body was brought home ; and, with the consent of his family, the town took charge of his funeral. Prompted by patriotic feeling, and personal regard for the deceased, 2 1 2 HIS TOR Y OF iM ED FORD. the whole community slathered together as mourners, and united in paying the last tribute of love and honor to the dead soldier. THE LAWRENCE RIFLES. This company was organized under the following authority : — Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Adjutant-General's Office, Boston, Jan. 27, 1865. [Special Orders No. 71.] George H. Gibson and eightj'-four others of Medford and vicinity having forwarded to the Adjutant-general a roll of enlistment for the volunteer militia of the Commonwealth : It is ordered, that a com- pany be organized of the men there enlisted, and that a captain and one first lieutenant and one second lieutenant be immediately chosen. The order to assemble the men for the election will be directed to said Gibson of Medford, who will furnish the presiding ofificerwith an attested copy of the enlistment-roll, previous to the meeting. The usual ten days' notice to electors will be waived. The chairman of selectmen of Medford will preside at the election, and make prompt return of the doings to these headquarters. By command of His Excellency, John A. Andrew, Governor arid Com?nander-in-Chief. William Schouler, A djutant-General. When duly organized, it was attached to the Fifth Regi- ment as Company E, afterwards changed to Company F. During its existence, it served the purposes of its organi- zation, much to the satisfaction of the town, and the military authorities of the State. Benjamin F. Hayes, Godfrey Ryder, jun., William H. Dane, Charles O. Bur- bank, and Warren W. Manning, served successively as its commanders. It was, however, found difficult to maintain two military companies in Medford; and in 1874, by amicable arrange- ment, the membership of the Rifles was merged in that of the Lawrence Light Guard, and its charter transferred to a company formed in Waltham. HISTORY OF MED FORD. 21 CHAPTER VIII. MILITARY HISTORY, CONTINUED, LIST OF MEDFORD MEN WHO SERVED IN THE UNION ARMIES DURING THE REBELLION. Names. Enlisted R^g.,. Co. Mustered in, Mustered out. Adams, Joseph D. Adams, Samuel Alden, William F. Alley. Charles Q. . Anderson, James . Anderson, John . Bagley, Alonzo I. . Bailey, William H. Bailey, Augustus . Bailey, James . . Ballou, Charles H. Banks, Joseph . Banks, Thomas Banks, Edward Barker, William H. S. Barker, William S. Barnard, David A. Barnard, George N. Barry, Garret . Barry, Michael Basset, Louis . . Baxter, George M. Beck, John S. . . Bcirne, James . Bel I nix, George W. Benford, Moses . Black, Lewis . . Blanchard, William H. Bond, Dudley . . Booker, George D. Braden, Angus . . Brent, William. . Brown, John Brown, John, 2d . Brown, John W. . Bryant, Edward G. Bryani, Samuel E. Br>'den, Robert Bunker. Benjamin, jun. Burns, Edward . . Buj.ha, Stephen Burnhani, I'heodore Burns, James . . Burroughs, Joseph Butts, Solomon Butters, Willard, jun. 9 months 9 months 3 years 3 years 3 years 3 years 9 months 3 years 3 years 3 years 3 years 9 months 3 years 3 years 3 years 3 years 3 years 3 years 3 years 3 years 3 years 1 year 3 years 9 months 3 years 3 years I 3 years i 3 years I 3 years 3 >■«•■' rs I 3 years I 3 years I 3 years I 3 years I year I 3 years I 3 years 3 years 3 years I 3 years j 3 years 3 years ! 3 years Sth 5th 39th 39th lylh 15th 5th 32d 5th Cav. Sth Cav. 39th Mozart F F C C I Battery F C F F C 5th 39th 39th 24th 28th 9th Navy 39th 39lh 39th 4th H.A. 5th Cav. 5th 39th 39th 39th 20th 5th Cav. Navy Navy Navy 28th 2Sth 4th H.A. 39th 28th 39th 15th I5lh Na\'y 5lh Cav ist Cav c c K c A C Battery Battery Sept. 23, 1862 Sept. 23, 1S62 Aug. 14, 1862 Aug. 6, 1862 Jan. 23, 1862 Feb. 17, 1863 Sept. 23, 1862 Nov. 23, 1861 Feb. 22, 1864 Feb. 22, 1864 Aug. 14, 1862 Sept. 23, 1862 Aug. 14, 1862 Aug. 14, 1862 Dec. 19, 1863 Dec. 13, 1861 Aug. 13, 1862 Aug. Aug. July Aug. May Sept. Aug. Aug. Aug. Sept. Mar. 1862 1862 1862 1S62 1861 1S64 July 2, 1863 July 2, 1863 Jan. 21, 1863 Jan. 22, 1865 Aug. 4, 1865 July 2, 1863 Nov. 27, 1864 Oct. 31, 1865 Oct. 31, 1S65 May 18, 1865 July 2, 1863 July 2, 1865 Jan. 20, 1866 Jan. I, 1864 Oct. 31, 1S62 July 2, 1865 June 17, 1865 Oct. 3T, 1865 July 2, 1863 July 2, 1865 Jan. 21, 1863 Oct. 31, 1865 Dec. 13, 1 861 I Feb. 14, 1862 Dec. 13, 1861 I Oct. 30, 1862 Aug. 18, 1864 i Sept. 17, 1865 Aug. 14, 1862 I Oct. 26, 1862 Dec. I-,, 1S61 \ Dec. 18, 1864 July 22, 1862 I Feb. 17, 1863 i Feb. 17, T863 j May 27, 1864 1 Oct. 31, 1865 Sept. 25, 1S61 I Oct. 24, 1864 214 HISTORY OF MED FORD. LIST OF MEDFORD MEN, ETC. — Continued. Names. Enlisted for Reg't. jun Campbell, Hugh M. Carter, William Carroll, I'aniel Carr, Royal S. . . Cliamplin, (jeorge H Chaffiii, James \V. Chambers, John G. Cheney, William . Cheney, Daniel S. Cheslyn, Richard W. Churchill, George A. Chick, Thomas C. Clapp, Meliiah . . Clapp, (jeorge L. . Clark, Gorham B. Coffin, George W. Coleman, Perry Cooliilge, Charles H. Coughlin, Michael Coughlin, Owen Crockett, Edward F. Ciirtin, Francis Ctirtin, Andrew Curtis, Frank J. Currell, Henrv G. Currell, Klhridge G. Currell, Klliridge 0., Currier, Charles . Cushing, Joseph M. . dishing, Henry H. D. Cushing, Lyman F. W. Cutter, Benjamin P. . D' Avignon . . . Daily, Daniel . . Dane, Thomas . . Darling, Theodore Davis, Joseph . . Davis, William L. Davis, Samuel . . Dean, Martin P. . Denhain, David A. Delancy, Thomas . Dever, James . . Dixon, John . . Doherty, James . Donnell, George E. Dore, Joseph . . Douglas, James A. Dow, Albert F\ Dow, Benjamin H. Driscoll, John . . Dunn, Edwin . . Dushutte, H. L. . Dwyer, Thomas . Dyer, Charles E. . Eames, John H. . Eells, Fred S. . . Ellis, Benjamin J. Ellis, Hezekiah C. Ellis, Robert . . Ells, Daniel S. . . Evans, Henry . . Farley, Thomas . Fett, Jacob . . . I year 3 years 3 years 3 years 3 years 3 years 3 years 3 years 3 years 3 years 3 years 3 years 3 years 9 months 1 year 3 years 3 years 3 years 3 years 3 years 3 years 9 months 3 years 3 years 9 months 9 months 9 months 3 years 3 years I year 3 years 3 years 3 years 3 years 9 months 3 years 3 years 9 months I year 9 months 3 years I year Co. 99th 4th H. A. 15th 3gth 39th 39th 23d 30th isr ■;th Cav. 3glh 5th Cav. 39th 5th 4th H.A. 39th 39th zSth 30th "^ith 2Sth 5lh 3uth ?oth sth 5ih 5th 39th 39th 4th H.A, 39th 2d 6th 17th 5th 30th 17th 5th 4th H.A. 5th 15th 4th H.A. N.Y. K. Battery C C C ■ 'c' ' Battery D C C C C F K C C A C c A F C C F F F C C 1 Battery K F Hosp. St'd A F K F Battery K Mustered in Mustered out. Navy I ith years years years years years months years 3 years I year 3 ytars 3 years 3 years 100 days 3 years 9 months 9 months 2d 39lh 39th Navy 15th 39 th 5th 39th IQth 4lh H.i' 391 h 39'H i7lh 60th Navy 5th 511. Battery C F C C K C C K A Aug. 18 Feb. 17 Aug. 14 Aug. 14 Mar. 27 Nov. 26 July. 16 Sept. 13 Sept. 19 Aug. 14 Sept 23 Aug. 14 Aug. 14 Sept. 23 Aug. t8 Aug. 14 Aug. 14 Jan. I Aug. 9 July 29 Mar. II Sept. 23 July 18 Aug. 14 .Sept. 23 Sept. 23 Sept. 23 -Aug. II Aug. 14 Sept. 2 July 28 May 25 Jan. 9 July 22 Sept 23 Jan. 4 I\lar. 15 Sept. 23 Aug. 18 Sept. 23 Feb. 17 Aug. 18 June 17, 1863 Aug. 4, 1802 June 2, 1862 1862 ] Feb. 27. 1862 I . . . 1862 I June 18, 1S61 1862 1S62 1862 1864 1S62 1862 1862 1862 1862 1864 July 2, Oct. 24, July 2, July 2, July 17, Nov. 7, June 2, Aug. 15, Si I July 2, 1S62 1862 1862 1862 1S62 1862 July 2, July 2, July 2, June 2, Jan. 27, June 17, June 2, 1861 I May II, -.862 1864 Feb. 13, July 2, July II, July 2, 1862 I July 2, 1803 i . . . 1864 i June 9, June 13, 1861 : June 24, May 21 , 1864 I . . . Aug. 14, 1S62 ! June 2, Aug. 14, 1S62 [ . . . Feb. 17, 1863 July 22, 1862 Sept. 23, 1862 Aug. 14, 1862 Aug. 14, 1862 Aug 18, 1S64 Aug. 14, 1862 Aug. 14, 1862 July 22, 1861 July iS, 1864 Sept. 26, Dec. 23, July 2, I J"'y 2. I Sept. 6, June 17, Sept. 23, 1862 Sept. 23, 1862 June 2, Aug. 3, Nov. 30, July July 865 865 S65 863 864 863 865 S63 863 865 864 865 S6s 862 864 865 S64 S63 S64 S03 HISTORY OF MED FORD. 215 LIST OF MEDFORD MEN, ETC. continued. Names. Flanegan, Thomas Fletcher, Joel M. . Fletcher, Thomas M. Fletcher, Lucius M. Fletcher, Stephen W Foster. Joseph R. . Fox, Terrence L. . Fox, George . . Gaffhey, Patrick . Gale, Mortier . . Gee, Nathaniel . . Gill, Anderson L. B. Gillard, Thomas H. Gilson, William Ginn, James F. . Girard, James S. . Gleason, Patrick . Glover, Edward W. Goodale, Edward . Goodale, George I.. Gordon, Thomas A. Gordon, Orange S. Gould, Thomas Geary, Albert . . Gray, Arthur W. . Gray, Francis . Green, Samuel S. . Green, Joseph . . Green, James . Griffin, Daniel H. Gustine, Edward F. Haley, James . Hallowell, Edward N, Hammond, Charles Harris, James, jun. Hartshorn, Hollis . Hartshorn, Elbridge Harding, Stephen . Harding, William . Harding, William . Harrington, Charles Haskell, Alfred . Haskell, Charles H. Haskins, Martm . Haskins, Patrick . Hatch, Edwin B. . Hathaway, Rodney C Hathaway, Henry R Hathaway, Nelson F. Hayford. Seth . . Heath, Andrew J. Hendarkin, Timothy Hervey. James A. Hervey, Frank . Henry, John Hines, Ira . . . Hilliard, George H. Hilton, Ebenezer . Hilton, William M. Holbrook, Fred W. 1 Holmes, Emery D. Hooker, David S., jun Hosea, Isaac F R. Howe, Himiphrey B Howard, James Enlisted for 3 years 3 years 3 years 3 years 3 years I year 3 years 3 years years years months years years months months years years Reg't. Co. Mustered in. 3 years years years months years months years years I year 3 years I year 3 years 3 years 3 years 3 years 3 years 9 months 3 years 9 months 3 years 9 months 3 years 9 months 3 years 3 years 3 years 3 years 3 years 3 years 3 years 9 months 3 years 9 months 3 years 9 months 3 years 9 months 3 years 3 years 3 years 3 years I year 9 months 3 years 9 months 9 months 15th * 3yth 39th 30th 22d Navy 39th 5th gth 5th 5th 39th 39th 5th I St Cav. 39tli 39th I St Cav. 39th 5th 28th 5th Navy 13th Navy Navy 4th H.A. 5th 28th 20th 5th Cav. Navy 5th 39th 5th 39th 5th 1st Cav. 5th 39th 17th 17th 39th 39th 39th 39th 5th 39th 5th 39th 5th 15th I St Cav. nth 13th 39th 4th H.A 5th 39th 5lh 5th Battery C A H E Battery F C c F F F C K Battery F C F C F C F C I I C c c c F c F C F Battery F C F C C K F C F F Feb. 17, 1863 Aug. 14, 1S62 July 28, 1862 Sept. 15, 1861 Oct. I, 1861 Mustered out. July 16, 1862 July 31, 1862 June II, 1861 Sept. 16, 1861 Sept. 23, 1862 Aug. 14, 1862 Aug. 14, 1862 Sept. 23, 1862 Sept. 23, 1862 Dec. 20, 1863 Aug. 6, 1862 Aug. 14, 1862 Aug. II, 1862 July 14, 1862 Sept. 23, 1862 Dec. 13, 1861 Sept. 23, 1862 Feb. 13, 1862 Aug. 18, 1864 Sept. 19, 1861 Dec. 13, 1861 Nov. 12, 1862 May 21, 1864 Sept. 23, Aug. 4, Sept. 23, Aug. II, Sept. 23, Aug. II, Sept. 23, Aug. 8, Jan. 27, Jan. 20, Aug. 14, July 31. July 29, Aug. 14, Sept. 23, July 18, Sept. 23, July 29, Sept. 23, Feb. 13, Sept. 23, Sept. 17, June 13, Feb. 13, Aug. 14. Aug. 19, Sept. 23, Aug. 14, Sept 23, Sept. 23, 1862 1862 1862 1862 1862 1862 1862 1862 1862 1862 1862 1862 Aug. 14, 18 May Jan. II, 1863 Aug. 3, 1864 July 2, 1863 June 2, 1865 July 2, 1863 July 2, 1863 June 26, 1865 Nov. 7, 1864 May 24, 1865 July 2, 1863 Nov. 21, 1862 July 2, 1863 Dec. 17, 18 June 17, i£ Mar. 6, 1865 Oct. 31, 1865 July 2, 1863 May 18, 1865 July 2, 1863 Oct. 24, 1864 July 2, 1863 Jan. 23, 1863 Jan. 23, 1863 July 10, 1863 June 2, 1865 July 2, 1863 Oct. 26, 1862 June 2, 1865 July 2, 1863 June 6, 1863 Jan. 8, 1S63 Feb. g. 1S64 June 17, 1865 July 2, 1863 June 2, 1S65 July 2, 1863 July 2, 1863 2l6 HISTORY OF MEDFORD. LIST OF MEDFORD iMEN, ETC. — Continued. Enlisted for Reg't. Co. Mustered in. Mustered out. Hoyt, Moses C. . . Hubbell, Joseph P. . Hunter, Matthew , . Hutchins, John . . Ireland, Henry A.,jun Ireland, Edward Ireland, Edwin Isaacs, Joseph . James, John . . James, Thomas Jepson, Samuel G. Johnson, John . Johnson, Samuel S. Johnson, Thomas . Johnson, Andrew . Jones, Thomas Jones, Abel . Jones, William E. Joyce, Alfred . . Joyce, Samuel W. Joyce, Winslow Joyce, Henry S. . Keene, Atwell C. Keen, George M Kelly, Richard . Kendrick, Coleman C Kenrick, Edwin F. Kent, Charles F. . Kidder, Winslow L. Kimball, George N. Kimball, Isaiah W. Kidder, Francis H. Lander, Francis A. Lahey, William Latta, David . . Lawrence, William Lawrence, Samuel C Lee, Lyman N. Lee, Lyman N. Lee, William H Learnard, William Leonard, Michael Lewis, Joseph . Lewis, George H. Lewis, Galen J. Linsburg, Samuel Litchfield, Otis V. Litchfield, J V. Livingston, Robert Locke, James I). Looney, limothy Lord, Stephen . Lord, Warren L. Lord, Lewis Mace, John H. Mahoney, John Mahoney, Timothy Manning, John A. Martin, Curtis L. . Mason, Edwin H. Massaheno, Romonode Matthews, Ebenezer B. 3 years 3 years 3 years 3 years 3 years 3 years 3 years I year 9 months 3 years 3 years 3 years 3 years 3 years 3 years 3 years 3 years 9 months 3 years 3 years 3 years 3 years 9 months 3 years 3 years 3 years 3 years 3 years 39th • 39th Navy 39th 39th 39th 39th 4th H.A 5th 17th 39th 39th ist Navy Navy Navy I St Cav. 5th 39th 39th 39th 39th 5th 17th 5th Cav. 39th 39th 14th C C c K F K C C Battery A F C C C C F K C C c Battery 9 months 9 months 100 days 9 months 3 years 3 years 9 months 3 months 9 months 3 years 3 years 3 years 3 years 3 years 3 years 3 years 2 years 3 years 9 months 3 years 9 months 9 months 9 months 3 years 5th 5th 5th 2Sth 28th 5 th 5th 5th 2d HA. 5th Cav. 40th 19th 39th 17th 24th Navy 39th 5th 39th 5th 5th 5th 1 year 2 years 3 years 3 years 3 years 9 months 3 years 9 months 4th H.A. Navy 15th 39th 14th 5tn 39th 5th Battery C Battery F C F Aug. 14, i£ Aug. 14, iS Aug. 14, 1862 Aug. 14, 1862 Aug. 14, 1S62 Aug. 14, 1862 Aug. 18, 1864 Sept. 23, 1862 July 22, 1862 Aug. 14, 1862 Jan. 9, 1864 Aug. 28, 1 861 Sept. 12 Sept. 23 Aug. 2 Aug. 14 Aug. 14 Aug. 14 Sept. 23 Feb. 13 l\Lay 21 Aug. 14 Aug. 14 Feb. 27 Sept. 23 Sept. 23 Sept. 23 Dec. 13 April 5 Sept. 23 May I Sept. 23 Dec. 24 M.ay 28 Aug. 22 Aug. 28 Jtiiy 13 July 22 Sept. 25 Aug. 14 Sept. 23 Aug. 6 Sept. 23 Sept. 23 Sept. 23 May 24 1864 1862 1S61 1864 1862 18O1 1862 1863 1863 1861 1862 1862 May IS, 1865 June 2, June 29, June 17, July 2, May 28, June 2, Aug. 29, Oct. July June 7, June 2, June 6, J.in. 4, June 20, June July July July July July July Dec. 24, Jan. Aug. 18, 1864 Feb. 17, 1863 Aug. 14, 1862 Feb. 27, 1S64 Sept. 23, 1862 Jan. 14, 1804 Sept. 23, 1862 June 2, July 2, July July 2, Alay 25, June 17, June 2, June 15, July 2, July 2, HISTORY OF MED FORD. 21/ LIST OF MEDFORD MEN, ETC, — COntimicd. McAnney, Charles . jSIcAlear, James . . McAnhur, Archibald McDonald, James McGillicuddy, Daniel McGillicuddy, James McKenney, Andrew . McLellan, William B McLean, Joseph . McNabb, Thomas McNamara, Barnard Means, George W, Mealey, Philip J. . Meston. Peter D. . Miller, George \V. Miller, William . Miller, Peter . . Mills, Herman . . Mitchell, Thomas O. Mitchell, Robert J. Moore, Charles Morrison, Isaac T. Morrison, Joseph G. Murphy, Cornelius Ness, Augustus Newcomb, D. Tyler Newcomb, George A Newton, Antipas . Nield, Samuel . Noble, Daniel . Nolan, Dominies . Northey, William H. Norwood, George . O'Brien, Michael . O'Connel, Michael Oliver, Samuel K. Osborn, Alvin W. Owens, Charles I'age, Ephraim C. . Peak, Horatio N., jun. Peirce, Elisha N. . Peterson, Niles Pierce, Charles E. Pines, Peyton . . Phelan, James . . Poole, Charles E. . Powers, James M. Powell, John F. . Prentiss, Charles H Prouty, John L . Prouty, William H. Pusley, Henry . . Ramsdell, Emery W Reed, Henry t. . Reed, Alvin'R.^ . Rice, Samuel C. . Rich, Stillman . . Richardson, Alfred Richardson, Charles Richardson, A 1 very . Riley, Michael . . Redman, Wallace St Roberts, Milton F, Enlisted for I 3 years | i 9 months i I 3 years I I 3 years j 9 months ! I 9 months i I 9 months ' I 3 years j 5 years ■ 1 year j 3 years I 9 months I 3 years j 3 years Q months I 9 months 3 years i Reg't. Co. Mustered in. Mustered out. 5th Navy lolh ,th 5th 5lh 24th Navy 4th H.A. Syth 5th 17th 3yth 5lh 5th Navy j July 23, lE j Sept. 23, 1862 ! July 2, 1863 ! i G June 21, 1861 j Dec. 21, V I Sept. 23, 1S62 I . . . F i Sept. 23, 1862 July 2, F I Sept. 23, 1862 I July 2, A Oct. 26, i86i I Oct. 26, I Aug. 18, 1864 I Aug. II, 1862 j Sept. 23, 1862 July 22, 1861 I Aug. 14, 1862 I Sept. 23, 1862 I Sept. 23, 1862 Jtily 17. July 2, Aug. 3, June 2, July 2, 3 years 3 years 3 years 3 years 3 years 5 years 39th I Navy I 5th Cav. I ^yth ' i 5th j 2d Cav. I Aug. 11, 1862 I June 2, 3 years I 20th 9 months 44th Navy I c Battery A I A April 22, 1864 Aug. 14, 1862 Feb. 17, 1863 May 18, 1864 Mar. 5, 1864 Sept. 12, 1862 i Aug. iS, 3 years ; 3 years j 3 years ; 3 years i 3 years \ 3 years | 9 months 9 months 9 months 3 years ! 3 years \ 9 months 9 months I 9 months 3 years 9 months 3 years 3 years I 3 years I 9 months I 9 months 9 months 3 years 6th 1st Cav. I 17th I 28th 3"^^ I 28th I I 5th ^th 5th 39th Navy 5th 5th 5th Navy 5th 5th Cav. 15th 1st Cav. 5th 5th 5th ; 39th 3 years 3 years 3 years 9 months 1 year 9 months 3 years 3 years 3 years 9 months 3 years 3 years 15th 39th I St Cav. sth 4th H.A, 5th 39th 39th nth 5th 39th 39th i Jan. 25, 1864 j Sept. 17, 1861 j Nov. II 1861 Dec. 13, 1861 I Aug 14, 1862 April 9, 1864 April 20, Dec. 31, June ! I Sept. 23, 1? j Sept. 23, iS I Sept. 23, if j Aug. 12, li 52 I July D2 j July D2 I July 52 I June • i • • Sept. 23, 1862 I July Sept. 23, 1862 i July Sept. 23, 1862 \ July Sept. 23, 1S62 i July 2, Mar. 12, 1864 ! Oct. 31, Battery ] Feb. 17, i Sept. 17, 1861 I . . . Sept. 23, 1862 I July 2, Sept. 23, 1862 I July 2, Sept. 23, i8()2 1 July 2, July 31, 1862 June 17, Battery 1 Feb. 17, 1863 j July 22, ! Jan. I, I Sept. 23, Aug. 18, Sept. 23, I Aug. 7, I Aug. 6, Battery 1 Jan. 2, F ; .Sept. 23, C i Aug. 8, C Aug. II, 1862 1864 I 1862 I 186+ 1 1862 I 1862 i 1862 I 1S62 I 1862 i 1S62 J tine 2, June 21 July 2, July i7i July 1. July 2 June 2 June 16 July 2, June 9, June 2, 2i; HISTORY OF MED FORD. LIST OF MEDFORD MEN, ETC. — COIltijlUcd. Names. Rogers, William H. Rugg, George J. . Samson, Albert A.* Sampson, George H. Sampson, Ichabod Sanborn, John H. Sanborn, Cutler I). . Sanderson, George Sanderson, Thomas B. Sawyer, George . . Sears, Edward V. . . Senler, John H. . Seymour, Charles . Shannon, Jeremiah . Sherman, Paul . . . Shields, James . .' . Simpson, John H. Skniner, George , . Smith, Frank B. . , Smith, Joseph . . . Smith, Frank B. . . Smith, Charles S. . . Smith, Lott .... Smith, George F. . . Smith, William , . Smith, I'homas . . Smith, Jacob . . . Southworth, William B. Staples, Samuel . . Stephens, Alfred . . Stetson, James H. Stevens, Samuel M. . Stevenson, Lewis T. . Steward, Morton . . Steward, Elijah . . Stimpson, Alden M. . Stimpson, Charlea M. Stock, Henry . Strong, Cyrus D. . Sweeney, John . Swift, William H. . Tanner, Frederick Tay, Francis J. . . Taylor, William . . Teel, (Jeorge M. . . 'i eel, George E. . . Thompson, Edward . Thompson, James . Thompson, Christian Thompson, George . Tittle, William . . . Tooney, Daniel Towle, James ... lowle, Sidney iM. . Treel, William P . . Tuft^, Augustus . Turner, Samuel H., jun Tyler, Daniel ... Vast, Charles . . Waitt, Daniel . . Walker, lienjamin Walker, Willi:im A. Walker, judson Walsh, John . . Enlisted for 3 years 3 years 3 years g months 3 years 9 months 3 years 3 years 3 years I year 3 years 3 years 3 years 3 years 3 years 3 years 3 years 9 months 3 years 3 years 3 years 3 years I year 3 years 3 years 3 years 3 years 3 years g months 3 years 3 years 3 years 3 years 3 years 9 months I year 9 months 3 years 1 year 3 years 3 years 9 months 3 years 9 months 3 years 3 years 3 years 3 years 3 years 2 years i 3 years I 9 months 9 months ] I 9 months i I 3 years I 3 years 9 months I 3 years 3 years 3 years 3 years 9 months 3 years Reg't. 39th 39th 39th 5th 1st Cav. 5th Co. C C c F F F Lt. Alt. Mustered in. Mustered out. Aug. 14, 1862 Aug. 14, 1862 Aug. 14, 1862 Sept. 23, 1862 Oct. 5, 1861 Sept. 23, 1862 May 31, i86s May 17, 1866 July 2, 1863 Oct. 16, 1S64 July 2, 1863 N avy Navy 13th 4th H.A. 39th 4th Cav. 5ll> 1st 56th 39th 5th Cav. I 5th I isl Cav. ist I St Cav. 5 th Cav. I 4th H.A. I Navy Navy Navy 39th 39th Sth 13th 3yth Sth Cav. 5th Cav. 5th Cav. i 5th 4th H.A. 5th ! 1st Cav. I Navy Navy ! 14th 5th Navy 5th I loth 39th 39th Navy 5th Cav. Navy Navy 5lh 5th 44th 39th 39lh 5th 5th Cav. 17th 59 1 h i9lh "5th 39th C K C H Battery Battery G C K F A Battery G E K Battery Feb. 17, Aug. 11, Aug. 1 1, Feb. 8, Jan. 18, Aug. 31, Dec. 29, July 17. April 12, .Sept. 23, Oct. I, Jan. 20, Sept. 25, Feb. 10, Aug. 18, 1862 i Jan 29, 1S64 ! June 17, 1862 j June 2, 1863 1865 1864 June 12, 1861 ! Oct. 19, 1864 [ July 12, 1862 I Dec. 20, 1864 I Oct. 31, 1862 1 July 2, 1861 Oct. 24, 1864 I . . . 1861 Oct. 31, 1864 ! Oct. 31, 1864 I June 17, 1864 1863 1S63 1864 7S64 1865 1S65 Aug. 14, Feb. 9, Sept. 23, July 16, Aug. 14, Feb. 22, Mar 12, April 12, Sept. 2:;, Aug. 18, Sept. 23, Sept. 23, 1862 1864 1862 1861 1862 1864 1S64 1864 1862 1864 1862 1861 Feb. 27, 1864 Sept. 23, 1862 Dec. 20, 1864 July 2, 1863 Oct. 31, 1865 (.)ct 31 , 1865 Oct. 31, 1S65 July 2, 1863 July 17, 1S65 July 2, 1863 Nov. 30, 1863 July 2, 1S63 F Sept. 23, 1862 July 2. 1863 A Aug. 28, 18O1 Aug. 28, 1864 C July 13, 1862 ! .... C ' July 22, 1862 June 2, 1865 , . . I I F I May 21, 1864 I Oct. 31, 1864 Sept. 23, 1862 Sept. 23, 1862 Sept. 12, 1862 Aug. 14, 1802 .Aug. 14, 1862 Sept. 23, 1862 May 21, 1864 July 22, 1861 Aug. 1, 1862 Aug. II, 1862 Sept. 23, 1862 Feb. 17, 1864 July 2, 1863 July 2, 1863 June iS, 1863 Jan. 27, 1864 June 14, 1865 Oct. 1865 Oct. 26, 1861 Nov. 20, 186 J June 2, 1865 July 2, 1863 * Received commission as Second Lieutenant of loth U.S. Colored Regiment, Oct. 26, 1863. Promoted First Lieutenant, April 27, 1864; Captain, Oct. 19, 1864. HISTORY OF MED FORD. 219 LIST OF MEDFORD MEN, ETC. — Continued. Enlisted o„„.,. for ^«g t. Co. Mustered in. Mustered out. Waters, Abraham . Weeks, Lewis . West, Francis . Wheeler, WiUiam N. White, John M. . . White, John Whitney, Jophanus H. Whittaker, James L. . White, William H. . Willey, John H. . . Willey, Hiram . . . Willey, HoUis H, . . Willis, Calvin W. . . Willis. Calvin W. . . Williamson, George W. Williams, Augustus . Wilson, Henry . . . Wilson, John . . . Wilson, John . . . Woolley, Lucius L . Wood. Dexter T. . . Zerik, James 3 years 3 years 3 years 9 months 9 months 3 years 3 years 3 years 3 years 3 years 9 months 3 years 9 months 3 years 3 years 3 years 3 years 9 months 9 months 3 years 2d Cav. 2d Cav. 39th 5th 5th 19th 39th 39th I St 24th 7th 59th 5th I7lh 5th nth 15th 15th 46th 5th 5th Navy K I K ■F F US. c c Battery B Vt. D F C F Battery Battery K F F Dec. 21, 1863 April23, 1864 Jan. 21, 1864 Sept. 23. 1862 Sept. 23, 1S62 April 15, 1864 Aug. 10, 1B62 Aug. 28, 1S62 July 2, 1863 July 2, 1863 June 2, 1865 Dec. 15, 1863 Sept. 13, i86i j Jan. 3, 1864 May 12, 1862 I Oct. 17, 1862 Feb. 9, 1864 I Sept. 23, 1862 1 July 2, 1863 Nov. 28, 1863 ■ Sept. 23, 1862 I July 2, 1863 April 29, 1864 Feb. 17, 1863 Feb. 17, 1863 Feb. 25, 1864 Sept. 23, 1862 Sept. 23, 1862 July 2, 1863 July 2, 1863 Soldiers' Monument. 220 HISTORY OF MED FORD. CHAPTER IX. ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY, The first inhabitants of Meclford belonged to that class of hardy, intelligent, Christian adventurers called Puri- tans, who left their native England that they might here worship God, govern themselves according to the dictates of their own consciences, and spread the truths of Chris- tianity among the heathen. Nobler blood never flowed in human veins ; and we may rejoice that we are descended from warrior-saints, who dared to lead where any dared to follow, whose souls were sanctified by Christian faith, whose union illustrated the natural rights of man, and whose characters were made glorious by a spiritual hero- ism. That such a people would faithfully provide for the worship which they had sacrificed their native homes to enjoy, is most natural. But they were poor, and those who settled in Medford did not feel able to settle a clergy- man for some years. Their failure to do this drew down upon them persecution and fines ; and here again we have to lament the loss of those early records which might explain their condition, and prove how devotedly they attended public worship in the neighboring towns when they were not able to support a minister within their own borders, and how, before they could pay a clergyman's salary without painful self-sacrifice, they made permanent provision for their nurture and growth in grace. Their Christian watchfulness and religious zeal are shown in the first of the preserved records, by their una- mimity in requiring every one to contribute his share to sustain a public ministry, and in the promptness with which they harmonized differences between themselves and their pastors. Johnsou, in his "Wonder-working Providence," says, — " It is as unnatural for a right New-England man to live without an able ministry, as for a smith to work his iron without fire ; " HISTORY OF MED FORD. 221 and our Medford forefathers were not an exception to that very truthful statement. We find them, in their first attempt to have constant preaching, agreeing to hire a preacher who should supply them for six months or a year, and to pay him by individ- ual subscriptions, while they allowed him to reside wher- ever his other engagements required. To save expense, they sometimes hired tutors from Harvard College to preach for them. In many things, the superstitions of those times appeared in our fathers. We find, by the public records, that on Oct. 21, 1658, they kept a fast " on account of God's judg- ments ; to wit, sickness in several families, unfavorable weather, and the appearance of that scourge, the Quakers." A note is also made of the exciting controversy, had in 1660, about infant baptism. Thomas Gould's case in Charlestown set the church in Medford in fearful ferment ; for the members feared that the heresy might break out at home, and they thought it more to be dreaded than any physical disease or calamity. The following items, touching engagements made with different persons to supply the people of this town with preaching, will be interesting to the modern reader. In 1692 John Hancock, the grandfather of the patriot of that name, consented to remain on the plantation ; and the town accordingly voted that "he shall be boarded at Mr. John Bradshaw's for the year ensuing, if he shall con- tinue his ministry so long among us." The usual price of board at that time was five shillings per week. Mr. Hancock's ministrations ceased in 1693 ; and the town secured the services of Mr. Benjamin Coleman of Harvard College, which they retained for some time. The town then invited Mr. Simon Bradstreet to become the permanent pastor, and the record of the action had in that case is as follows : — " J'oted, That Mr. Simon Bradstreet, for his encouragement to settle amongst us in the work of the gospel ministry, shall have ^^40 in money for annuity, with his housing and fire-wood." This call was not accepted. There were, at this time, only thirty-three male inhabitants who paid taxes on estates ; and the salary offered was, under the circum- stances, a fair one. In March, 1694, the town voted that the former sub- 222 HISTORY OF MED FORD. scription for the support of the minister should be con- tinued, and that the board of the minister should be five shillings per week ; and, if any one refused to pay his share of this, then the selectmen should "rate him accord- ing to his effects." The town's rate was "one penny in the pound, and twelve pence per head." Supporting the ministry by an equal tax on all property was the settled policy of our fathers, though there had been objectors to the plan. Not successful in settling a minister, the town hired Mr. Benjamin Woodbridge of Charlestown to preach for six months ; and, as his engagements in Charlestown did not allow him to reside in Medford, the town joassed the following vote, Dec. 5, 1698 : — " Voted., That Cotton Tufts be chosen and appointed to agree with Mr. Joseph Squire for his horse for Mr. Woodbridge, riding from Charlestown to Medford ever}' Saturday, and from Medford to Charlestown every Monday; allowing said Squire two shillings per journey for said horse, going and coming, well-shod for said journey. Mr. Woodbridge also to ride said Squire's horse to meeting on the sabbath-days when there shall be occasion." Mr. Woodbridge occupied the pulpit nearly twelve years. During this time there was much dissatisfaction mani- fested, and great contention between preacher and people; and hence but little prosperity of the church. It is not worth while to enter into details. One inci- dent, occurring at this time, derives its importance from the fact that our fathers enlisted such men as Chief Jus- tice Sewall in their troubles. The fact is as follows : — "To Mr. Benjamin Woodbridge, "June 5, 170S. per Lieut. Stephen Willis. "6"/r, — In your account of disbursements, given to the town of Medford, at their meeting, Dec. 19, 1705, your first article is, 'The expenses upon land, house, fencing, ike, as appears from my book, ^249. Sj-. u/.' Now, the Committee desire to see the particulars by which that sum rises ; and, to that end, that you would meet them, or some of them, upon 'Change, presently after the Artillery Sermon next Monday, where we may agree of a place of recess for this purpose. " Sir, your servant, " Samuel Sewall." So tenacious was the grasp of Mr. Woodbridge on the pulpit of Medford, and so devoted were some hearts to his cause, that, after all which had happened, we find the HISTORY OF MED FORD. 223 town, Dec. 6, 1708, voting thus : "That Mr. Woodbridge be invited to preach three months on a free contribution." This must have been nearly a tie vote, since thirteen members immediately enter their protest against it. This probably ended Mr. Woodbridge's connection with the church as its preacher ; for, in the next year, Mr. John Tufts is a favorite, and commended for settlement. During the long and increasing dissension which was now closed, it is apparent that the town took counsel of wisdom and charity. They wished to give Mr. Woodbridge every opportunity of righting himself before the commu- nity, the churches, and the Government : they apprehended the worldly and spiritual equity of the case ; and it is refreshing to read their vote upon it, in the following beautiful words : — "The difference hath been as tenderly, carefully, and well managed as we could." Mr. Woodbridge died in Medford, Jan. 15, 1710, after a residence of nearly ten years, aged sixty-five; and on the same day, with commendable promptitude and just lib- erality, the town voted ten pounds to defray the expenses of his funeral, — an act which proves that they would not let the sun go down upon their animosity. "Thursday, 19th, Mr. Woodbridge was buried. Mr. Parsons of Maiden preachecl the funeral sermon. Bearers : President (of col- lege) ; Mr. Hobart of Newton; Mr. Brattle; Mr. Bradstreet ; Mr. Parsons ; Mr. Ruggles of Billericay. By reason that it was lecture- day, and Mr. Colman preached, and the wind very high and blustering, not one Boston minister was there." Mr. Woodbridge seems not to have lost his ministerial standing during his troubles in Medford, and we must leave to future disclosures some points which now appear equivocal. SETTLEMENT OF A PERMANENT PASTOR. In the Medford church, though there were differing opinions concerning particular preachers and concerning worldly means, there was a true and steady purpose in all hearts to have a settled pastor and teacher ; and they all united to hold a town-fast on the last Wednesday of April, 1712. The record speaks of the day as one "to be solem- nized as a day of fasting and prayer, to humble ourselves 224 }n STORY OF MED FORD. before God for those divisions and contentions that hath been so long prevaihng among us, and obstructed the peaceable enjoyment of gospel ordinances." They agreed to meet immediately after the religious exercises of the fast, and to ask each man to bring, on a piece of paper, the name of the gentleman he should prefer as his minis- ter, and, out of the three who had the highest number, to select one as the pastor. It proved that Mr. Amos Cheever, Mr. John Tufts, and Mr. Aaron Porter, were the candidates. The lot finally fell on the last-named gentleman. On the 19th of May, 171 2, the town voted, with most hopeful unanimity, to invite Mr. Aaron Porter to become their minister. His salary was to be fifty-five pounds, and to be increased two pounds annually until it reached seventy pounds. To this was added the strangers' money ; twenty cords of wood, or seven pounds. It was further provided, that if a part of Charlestown that lies next to Medford be annexed, then Mr. Porter's salary be raised ten pounds. It was further provided, that "the rates for Mr. Aaron Porter's salary be levied on polls and ratable estate, according to the rate of raising and levying the county ta.x." Mr. Porter accepted this invitation, but demanded "one hundred pounds as a settlement." The gift of such a sum to a new pastor was customary, and the Medford church acceded. Not being rich, the town voted to ask the aid of sister churches in paying this sum. REV. AARON PORTER. This gentleman was born, July 19, 1689, in Hadley, Mass. Of his ordination at Medford, Chief Justice Samuel Sewall gives the following account in his diary. After mentioning a vehement, drifting storm of snow the day preceding, he writes : — "Wednesday, Feb. 11, 1713: Mr. Aaron Porter is ordained pastor of the church at Meadford. Mr. Angier, of Watertown, <;ave tlie charge; Mr. Hancock, of Lexington, the right hand of fellowship. The storm foregoing hindered mv son Joseph (settled the same year over the Old South Church in Boston) from being there. Were many more people there than the meeting-house could hold.'' In the autumn of the same year Mr. Porter married Su- sanna, daughter of Major Stephen Sewall, Esq., of Salem, HISTORY OF MED FORD. 225 and a sister of Stephen Sewall (H. C, 1721), afterwards. Chief Justice. Judge Samuel, her uncle, gives the follow-. ing account of the wedding : — " 1713, Oct. 22: I go to Salem; visit Mrs. Epes, Colonel Hathome. See Mr. Noyes marry Mr. Aaron Porter and Miss Susan Sewalll at my brother's. Was a pretty deal of company present. Mr. Hirst and wife, Mr. Blowers (minister of Beverly), Mr.'Prescot (minister of Dan- vers), Mr. Tuft, sen. (father of Rev. John Tufts of Newbury), Madame Leverett (lady of Pres. Leverett), Fo.xcroft, Goff, Kitchen, Mr. Samuel Porter, father of the bridegroom, I should have said before. Many young gentlemen and gentlewomen. Mr. Noyes made a speech : said, Love was tlie sugar to sweeten every condition in the married relation. Prayed once. Did all very well. After the Sack-Posset (a common article of entertainment at weddings), sung the 45th Psalm from the rSth verse to the end, — five staves. I set it to Windsor tune. I had a very good turkey-leather Psalm-book, which I looked in, while Mr. Noyes read; and then I gave it to the bridegroom, saying, ' I give you this Psalm-book in order \.o your perpetuating this song j and'l wo'uld have you pray that it may be an introduction to our singing with the choir above.' I lodged at Mr. Hirst's." We may say a word, in passing, of these customs of our ancestors. The psalm-book used on this occasion was the "New-England Version, or Bay Psalm-book." The psalm was "deaconed." The portion sung was ten verses, C. M. The first two lines were : — " Myrrh, aloes, and cassia's smell All of thy garments had." The last verse, to which the judge seems to allude in what he said to the bridegroom as he presented the " tur- key-leather psalm-book," read thus : — " Thy name remembered I will make In generations all ; Therefore, for ever and for aye Thy people praise thee shall." The tune selected seems to us a singular one for the occasion. "Windsor" is a proper tune for a funeral ; but, for a wedding, how dull ! So thought not our ancestors. While they gloried in singing sprightly "York" or "St. David's " on Sunday, solemn " Windsor " or " Low Dutch " (Canterbury) was their frequent choice at weddings and other festal occasions. Mr. Porter and his wife came to Medford immediately after their marriage, and lived happily together. They were highly esteemed by their uncle, Judge Sewall, who 226 IIISTORV OF MEDFORD. frequently called on them when going to Salem and New- bury. His diary says : — "July 2.S, 1714: Accordiiiij to my promise, I carried my daughter Hannah to Mcadtord, to visit Cousin Porter. In her mother's name, she presented lier cousin with a red coat for her little Aaron, blue facing, for the sleeves galoon. Cost about 12^. zd. I carried her ithree oranges, (^ave tiie nurse is,, maid \s. Hannah gave the nurse iij-. Got tiiither about one. Over the ferry before dark. 55. for the •calash. Mr. Porter went to Salem on Monday, and was not come ihome, though the sun scarce half an hour high, when came away. Laus Deo." Rev. Aaron Porter was ordained as the first minister of "Medford, Feb. 11, 171 3. His own record is as follows: — "May 10. 1712: The town of Medford called me, Aaron Porter, to serve them in the work of the ministry; which call (after serious and frequent application to the Cod of all grace) 1 accepted as a call from God. "Feb. II, 1713: This day was set apart as a day of fasting and prayer, in order to separate or ordain me to the sacred office of a minister of the gospel. The reverend elders .sent to assist in this solemn action were these following: scil., the Rev. Mr. Samuel .Vn- gier, of Watertown ; Mr. William Prattle, of Cambridge; Mr. John Hancock, of Lexington; Mr. Simon liradstreet, of Charlestown ; Mr. John F'ox, of \Vol)urn ; and Mr. David Parsons, of Maiden: all of whom (except the Rev. Mr. Wm. Prattle and Mr. John Fox, who at this time labored under bodily indispositions) were present, with other delegates of the churches. "The reverend elders and messengers being assembled at the 'house of Pr. John Pradshaw, the first thing they did was the gather- ing a church ; whicli was done bv a number of the brethren's signing to a covenant prepared for that purpose." The covenant was as follows : — " We, whose names are hereunto subscribed, apprehending our- selves called of God to join together in church communion (acknowl- edging ourselves unworthy of such a privilege, and our inability to keep covenant with C^od, or to perform any spiritual duty, unless Christ shall enable thereunto), in humble dependence on free grace for divine assistance and acceptance, we do, in the name of Christ Jesus our Lord, freely covenant, and bind ourselves solemnly, in the presence of God himself, his holy angels, and all his servants here present, to serve the tiod whose name alone is Jehovah, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, the only true and living God; cleaving to him, our chief good, and unto our Lord Jesus Christ, as our only Saviour, Prophet, Priest, and King of our souls in a way of gospel obedience; avouching the Lord to be our God, and the God of our children, whom we give unto him, counting it as our highest honor that the Lord will accept of us, and our children with us, to be his people. We do also give ourselves one unto another in the Lord, covenanting to walk togetlier as a church of Christ in all the ways of his worship, ///S7()A')' ()/■' M /■:/)/■( )A'J). 227 accorrlin;^ to tlie holy rules of his word; ijromisin;^ in brotherly lovo faithfully to watch over one another's souls, and to submit ourselves to the discipline and power of Christ in the church, and duly to atlenrl the seals and censures, or whatever ordinances Christ has commanded to be observed by his people, so far as the Lord l^y his word and spirit has or shall reveal unto us to be our duly; beseeching the Lord to own us for his people, and delight to dwell in tlie midst of us. And, that we may keep our covenant with God, we desire to deny our- selves, and to depend wholly on the free mercy of Ciod, and ujjon the merits of Jesus Christ; and wherein we fail to wait upon him for j.ar- don through his name, beseeching the Lord to own us as a church of Christ, and delight to abide in the midst of us, John VViiriMoKK. "John WHnMr)iun Francis. Sa.MUKL liHOOKS. Thoma.s Wn.Ms. Sti:I'IIi:n Wim.is. Joii.v IJradshavv. Sti;i'iii;n Hall. Pkksival IIai.l. JO.VATIIAN IIai.Iv. KrANCIS WliriMORE. Thomas Willis, jun. ".Signed Fel) 11, 1713. "This being done, we went to the place of public worship, where the i;etl\er. 1 beg yiui to present them tl\e renewed assurances of mv most grateful recollection of their past favors to nie, alonii with mv fervent aspirations that grace, mercy, and peace may be multiplied to them all." His request was immediately granted; whet-eupon a replv was sent to him by the unanimous vote of the parish, in which his relinquishment of otTice was regretted, and these were some of its wortls : — "We bear you witness, that, with true Christian forbearance and professional inieiiritv. vou have had your walk and conversation among us from the beginning, and that you have been the minister of n\uch good to this people. ... In taking leave of you. Rev. Sir. we would most hoartilv reciprocate the sentiments expressed in your farewell discourse for our future prosperity and happiness." **\'oted. that the Committee be directeil to request of Mr. r>igelow a copv of the two discourses mentioned in his communication, as delivered on tl\e oth of July and .:9th of October last, to be depositeil amon«; the parish records."' ' JUS TON \' ()/'' M i:ni\'h-n. 253 Mr. I)i;^^cl()w's connection with tlic p.irisli Ic^'illy censed J;in. 9, i.Sj/. kcturnin^ from I'jnope willi ic( ovcicd lie.-illl'., he hcc;iiiie lli(' ininislcr of the I Jiiit;ii i.iii soi jiiy in Tuunlon, Mass., A])iil 10, i.S;3, where he l.ihoicd lor in.uiy years. ilis successor in Medford 'vrole of liiiii as foHovvs : — "My rc;:;;ir(I lo Ins fi'cliiiL^'s need nol prcvdif my Ijc.irliii^ testimony lo tilt: (l(;ci) rc;j;r(;t ol liis pcoijlc tli;it any ( in iimslaiiccs slioiil'i, in liis o])ini()ii, Iiavc niiulcj a Kcparalion from tlicm dosirahh;. lie left ixdiind him many acliin;^ licarts, anri many warm friends, who will not loij^ct how Ik; lahored amonj^ them as 'a ;^o(jd miinster of Je:>ns Christ' in all faithfulness and l(jvc." Mr. 15if^clovv baptized 66 persons ; married 37 couples ; officiated at 105 funerals; and admitted 26 communicants lo the church. In November or December, 1.S26, the parish committee engaged Mr. Caleb Stetson, a graduate of llarv.nd ^ ol lege in 1H22, to preach five .Stindays as ;i. ( .mdid.ile. Jan. 8, 1.S27, the following recfjrd was made by the clei k of the |)arish : — *' Votofl unanimf)ns]y to j^ivc Mr. Caleb Stetson an invitation lo settle with us as our minister in the j^f^spel. "Voted unanim'jusly to ^ive Mr. .Stetsfjn one tiiousand dollars salary. "Voted to j^ive Mr. Stetson one thousand dollars (jver ;ind ;d)ove his salary, to be paid on the day ui his settlement with us; whii \\ sum has been raised by subscription for that purjjtjse." SETTLEMENT i)V MR. CAMIIJ STi:T.SON. Jan. 16 Mr. Stetson accepted tlie invitation, aiul on the 28lh of I''ebruary, 1827, was (;rdainefl. In the organizatif>n of the council. Rev. President Kirk- land was chr)sen mod(;rator ; and Kev. Charles Jirooks, scribe. After the usual religious services, the council examined the dtnngs of the church and congregation rela- tive to the dissolution of the pastoral relation of Rev. Andrew liigelow, antl found them regular. They next examined the dryings of the church and congregation rela- tive to the call of Mr. Stetson, and fmind them satisfac- tory ; whereupon they voted to ])roceed to fjrdi nation. The services were assigned as follows : Introductory prayer and reading of the Scriptures, by Rev. Charles Briggs ; sermon, by Rev. Convcrs Francis ; ordaining prayer, by Dr. Lowell ; 254 HISTORY OF MED FORD. charge, by Dr. Kirkland ; right hand of fellowship, by Rev. George Ripley ; address to the people, by Rev. Henry Ware, jun. ; concluding prayer, by Rev. B. Whitman ; benediction, by the pastor. " March 14, 1827 : In the church, voted, first, that the ceremony of owning the covenant, on the admission of members, shall, in future, be before the church only at the communion. Second, that the fourth paragraph of the present covenant be hereafter discontinued in the admi'ssion of members. Third, that the pastor have discretionary authority to admit members from other churches, of whose Christian standing he is satistied, without any public act." "Dec. 2, 1827: The church voted that the Lord's Supper should be celebrated on the first sabbath of every other month." "June II, 1832: The church voted that the pastor, at his discre- tion, be authorized to receive persons into this church at a private interview ; and that no public act shall be necessary to their member- ship, except propounding them in the usual form." " 1827: Deacon Richard Hall bequeathed to this church the sum of seven hundred dollars, the interest of which should forever be distributed among the poor of this church." "April 25, 1827: The parish voted to raise twelve hundred dollars, to pay the minister's salary and other current expenses." At the same meeting, voted to introduce the "Cambridge Collection " of hymns in place of Dr. Watts's. April 30, 1832 : The subject of building a parsonage- house was discussed in a parish-meeting ; and resolutions to build were passed, and three thousand dollars voted as the highest sum to be raised on the credit of the parish. After plans and wishes on both sides had been proposed and argued, that Christian benefactor, who "does good by stealth, and blushes to find it fame," offered a piece of land, as a gift to the parish, for the site of a parsonage. The parish accordingly voted "a formal acceptance of the very generous offer of Dr. Daniel Swan, which they esteem doubly valuable from the amiable and accommo- dating spirit in which it has been thus promptly made." The house was built at a cost of $3,824.05, and was acceptable to pastor and people. April 17, 1837: The parish voted "to raise $1,400, to pay the minister's salary and other current expenses." March 11, 1839: A committee of seven was appointed this day to consider the expediency of building a new meeting-house, and to procure plans and estimates. They finally recommended the erection of a wooden house ; and on the 2d of April, 1839, the parish passed the following vote : " That the present house be taken down, and a new I-_^S2aM#' ^4^^ UNIIARIAN CHURCH, HISTORY OF MED FORD. 255 one built on the same spot in its stead, not to exceed in cost the sum of ^12,000." The building-committee were Messrs. Samuel P. Heywood, Andrew Blanchard, jun., George W. Porter, Samuel Lapham, and Milton James, Esqs. They were instructed by the parish to procure a new organ, and subsequently reported that "a donation of $1,000 by the Hon. Peter C. Brooks" had enabled them to secure a first-rate instrument at the cost of $1,650. The cost of the meeting-house and vestry was $12,566.22; of two furnaces, $220.00; repairs on clock, $224.00; carpets and pulpit-trimmings, etc., $591.72; work on the grounds, etc, $195.69, — making a sum total of $13,797.63. It was solemnly dedicated to the worship of God and the promulgation of Christianity, on Wednesday the 4th of December, 1839. The exercises were: Introductory prayer, by Rev. Nathaniel Hall of Dorchester ; selection from the Scriptures, by Rev. Edward B. Hall of Provi- dence, R.I. ; prayer of dedication, by Rev. Convers Fran- cis, D.D., of Watertown ; sermon, by Rev. Caleb Stetson ; concluding prayer, by Rev. N. L. Frothingham of Boston. The preacher took i Cor. iii. 16 for his text. Worship was his subject, and it was discussed with the power and beauty peculiar to the speaker. The opening sentences disclose the central thoughts of the sermon. "The soul that makes an offering is greater than the gift. No sacri- fice is so noble as the spirit that hallows it ; no house built by human hands, for the service of God, is so holy as that which he hath chosen and sanctified for himself in every pure heart." " O Thou that dost prefer Before all temples the upright heart and pure." Thus on the spot long sacred to the worship of the "living and true God," this zealous and devoted people reared another temple, in which to gather for instruction, praise, and prayer ; in which to consecrate their children, and in which to " Teach the youn;;; mind to look above, And the young knee to bend in prayer." One fact of great interest should be recorded in this place, as a Christian example to all churches. As soon as the First Parish had voted to take down the old meeting-house, the Second Congregational Society and 256 HISTORY OF MED FORD. the Universalist Society offered the use of their meeting- houses to the First Parish at such times as would be mutu- ally convenient. We love to record these acts of Christian courtesy ; for they were, in this case, offerings of the heart. According to the New-England usage, the pews were sold at auction, after a committee had apportioned upon them a relative value sufficient to cover the cost of the house, vestry, etc. Those pews which were leased by the parish paid seven per cent on their appraised value. On the sale of the pews, a premium was given for the right of choice. The amount accruing from the sale of seventy- one pews was $12,397. In the last report of the committee are these words : "Your committee have much pleasure in being able to congratulate the parish on the entire success with which this enterprise has been accomplished, and the good effects that have resulted from it." There was a debt of something over two thousand dol- lars on the church when it was completed, but that was soon discharged ; and Mr. Stetson enjoyed in that church a pastorate of nearly ten years, which had been preceded by a settlement of eleven years, making his whole minis- try in Medford twenty-one years. During that time he had baptized 210 persons ; married 143 couples ; admitted to the church 106 communicants; and officiated at 304 funerals. The average parish expenses from 1825 to 1850 may be fairly estimated by the following statement : They were, in 1825, $1,208.16 ; in 1830, $1,235.35 ; in 1840, $1,701.24; in 1845, $2,348.01 ; in 1850, $1,523.21. Mr. Stetson resigned his office of pastor, IMarch 24, 1848. The First Parish did not separate from him without expressing their deep gratitude for his long and acceptable services. Their letter to him ends with these words : — "Witli such impressions of the character of your great ministry, accept, dear sir, assurances of our affectionate regard and sincere wishes for the happiness and prosperity of yourself and family." He was a man whose heart was warm towards every good cause, whose hand was outstretched towards every needy brother ; and high testimony has been borne to his learning, philanthropy, and ministerial faithfulness. Dur- ing a part of his ministry in Medford, the anti-slavery HISTORY OF MED FORD. 257 excitement had been carried into many pulpits, and in some parishes had caused permanent alienations between minister and people. The Plrst Parish in Medford felt somewhat the flux and reflux of the troubled waters ; and, when afterwards arranging the terms for the settlement o£ Mr. Stetson's successor, they were led to take some ill- advised action to check the discussion of the vexed ques- tion. SETTLEMENT OF REV. JOHN PIERPONT. After the resignation of Rev. Mr. Stetson, the First, Parish on the nth of June, 1849, voted to extend an invi- tation to the Rev. John Pierpont to settle with them in the ministry for one year, with a salary of one thousand dollars, — provided the connection be dissolved on either side by giving a previous notice of six months. Yeas, 25 ; nays, 24. June 25, 1849: The above vote was amended so as to read as follows : — "That this parish do extend to the Rev. John Pierpont an invita- tion to become its pastor on a salary of one thousand dollars a year, — payable by quarterly yearly payments, — and with the understand- ing and agreement that either of said parties may put an end to the connection by giving to the other party six months' notice, in writing, of his or their intention so to do." July 9, 1849: At a meeting of the parish this day, the following was introduced and voted : — "Resolved, that, in view of the history of this parish, its present condition, and its future prospects, it is regarded as inexpedient, and hazardous to our best interests as a Christian church, for our pastor to preach any political abolition sermons or discourses in our pulpit on the sabbath " This vote was interpreted by some as "limiting the topics upon which the pastor is to be at liberty to treat in the pulpit." This, however, was disclaimed by the friends of the resolution. On the 23d of July the vote was unani- mously rescinded. After anxious and patient weighing of the whole matter, with the assistance of friends, Mr. Pierpont accepted the invitation, July 5, 1849. July 9 seven gentlemen were appointed a committee "to communicate with Mr. Pierpont on the subject of his settlement, and for conducting and making arrangements 258 HISTORY OF MED FORD. -for his installation." This committee report, April 8, '1850, as follows : — ■"At a meeting of the special committee of the First Parisli of Med- ford, appointed July 9, 1849, ^o make arrangements with the Rev. John Pierpont for the commencement of his pastoral labors in its pulpit, on conference with the pastor and with his concurrence, — "Voted to dispense with the ceremony of an ecclesiastical council for the installation of our pastor. "Voted that the committee hereby ordain the Rev. John Pierpont to become the pastor of the First Parish of Medford, and install him in that office. "Voted that the term of his engagement commence on the first day of August, 1H49, and his salary be paid to him from that date, quarterly, as provided in the terms of the vote of his election to the office of pastor of this parish. "Voted to accept the report of the committee." Mr. Pierpont was sixty-four years old when he com- menced his miinistry in Medford ; and believing that it was his duty to denounce evil and fight against sin whenever they were encountered, he had become noted, not only in Massachusetts but throughout the country, for his zealous support of the movement against human slavery and in- temperance ; and his weighty words were not always satis- factory to a part of his parishioners, who thought that intemperance and slavery should be kept out of the pulpit, and not be mixed up with gospel preaching. There was considerable feeling in regard to the course he pursued ; and since he knew the minds of a large minority of his parish by the resolutions they had discussed in regard to this matter, before he accepted their call, they thought him to be pugnacious and unwisely persistent in his action. But in the spring of 1858, after a prayerful considera- tion of his position, he tendered his resignation, and it was accepted. He was not a man to remain idle, though at that time he was seventy-three years of age. He was in the vigor of his intellect ; his heart was warmed with noblest emo- tions, and his spirit just ripening into immortal youth, ' He wrought vigorously in the reforms of the day ; preached, as he was called, to supply vacant parishes ; and when the war of the Rebellion broke out, though he was then seventy-six years old, he obtained from Gov. Andrew a commission as chaplain in the Twenty-second Regi- ment of Massachusetts Volunteers, and marched with the HISTORY OF MED FORD. 259 regiment from Boston. Not long afterwards, his services were called into requisition in the Treasury Department at Washington; and there he performed excellent and very useful work, editing, arranging, and indexing the de- cisions and rulings of the law-officers of that department, which until that time had been almost useless for refer- ence from lack of order and classification. In 1866 he visited Medford, which had been his home from the date of his settlement here ; and he died very suddenly, Aug. 27, at the age of eighty-one years. The day before his death, he attended public worship in the church where for more than eight years he was pastor; and there, forgetful of all past differences of opinion, and hav- ing in mind all the gifts, culture, refinement, and Christian graces that their reverend and heroic friend possessed, his former parishioners gathered in large numbers at his fu- neral services, and paid sincere homage to his worth. Rev, John Pierpont was a man of versatile powers ; but his great heart and his great faith in God and in humanity were his distinguishing qualities, and helped him to be- come philanthropist and patriot, preacher and poet, re- former and Christian. He early won an honorable position among our minor New-England poets ; and some of his productions, patriotic and commemorative, or tenderly ex- pressive of the family affections, still hold a place in our literature. SETTLEMENT OF REV. THEODORE TEBBETTS. Mr. Tebbetts was called to the pastorate of the First Parish on the 29th of December, 1856, on a salary of $1,500. The call was accepted, and he was duly installed in the spring of 1857. He soon became not only admired as a man and preacher, but found that the hearts of his people were with him. His pleasing address, courteous bearing, and sound learning, gave him the united attach- ment of his people, and a bright day seemed dawning upon the religious organization of which he was the effi- cient head. But in February, 1S59, he was suddenly prostrated by an attack of bleeding at the lungs, which made it abso- lutely necessary for him to seek a more genial climate. The parish were deeply grieved by this condition of their beloved pastor, and at once voted to supply the pulpit 26o HISTORY OF MED FORD. during the time tliat he might be necessarily absent, and allow his salary to continue meanwhile. The change was favorable, and in the following June he returned much improved in health ; but the climate was too stimulating for him, and, after preaching a single sermon, the hemor- rhage came on again, and he was never able to resume his charge. In the following October he sent a letter to the parish tendering his resignation. In that letter he expressed, in tender and most felici- tous language, the great happiness he had enjoyed while able to perform his pastoral duties, and the strong hope he had cherished that he might ere long resume them ; and he finally closed with the following touching and truly Christian words: "And therefore, though I confess that to write thus gives me a pang of unutterable sorrow, because I thus surrender not only the highest ambition but the chief happiness of my life, I resign into your hands the office of pastor, which I received from you two years and a half ago. And may the everlasting Father give us all a clear vision to discern, an unfaltering cour- age to do, and a cheerful patience to bear, what is his holy will." At a parish meeting, held Nov, 7, 1859, it was voted as follows : — "While we fully appreciate the feelings that have prompted onr pastor to tender his resignation of that office in which he has become so greatly endeared to us, we do not see sufficient cause for severing the" tie which binds us together in the affectionate relation of pastor and people ; therefore "Resolved, That we feel the fullest sympathy for him in his illness; that keeping in grateful remembrance the zeal, earnestness, and devo- tion with which he has ministered over us, strengthening us as a par- ish, winning the personal affection of all, and awakening in us, as we trust, a higher and deeper spiritual life, we cannot abandon the hope that God in his goodness will yet restore him to health and to his former usefulness" in his sacred' office, and therefore we respectfully decline to accept his tendered resignation." Unfortunately those hopes were vain. Disease contin- ued to get a stronger hold upon the man so much beloved, and in June next following he was compelled to abandon all hope of e^-er resuming the duties that had been so precious to him. Once more he tendered his resignation, which, with great sorrow, his people accepted. HISTORY OF MED FORD. 261 At a meeting held the 9th of June, the parish passed resolutions of profound regret that they felt compelled to comply with his request ; of deep and tender sympathy for him in his sickness ; and of warm and fraternal interest in all that pertained to his wishes, necessities, and happi- ness, the remainder of his earthly life. They voted that his salary should continue three months from and after July i, and so, by generous action, proved their words sincere. Mr. Tebbetts was never able to preach again, and after a long and trying illness passed on to the spirit life, in the reality of which he had long cherished unbounded faith. SETTLEMENT OF REV. EDWARD C. TOWNE. Nine months from the acceptance of their last pastor's resignation, the parish extended a call to Mr. Edward C, Towne ; and he was duly installed as the successor of Mr. Tebbetts in April, 1861. He was a man of marked ability, a good speaker, and attached to himself many warm friends ; but the radical views that he pushed into the foreground of his ministra- tions were the cause of some complaint, and finally of disagreement in the parish, and resulted in the resignation of Mr. Towne in 1867. SETTLEMENT OF REV. HENRY C. DE LONG. Dec. 21, 1868, it was voted that Rev. Henry C. DeLong be called to the pastorate. He accepted the invitation ; and on the first Sunday in March, 1869, he entered upon his duties, and from that time to the present has filled the high office of a Christian pastor to the satisfaction of his people. At a parish meeting held in May, 1882, it was voted to make extensive improvements in the church building ; and a committee was appointed to superintend the expendi- ture of $3,000 in that work. RETROSPECTION. In looking back through two hundred years, it can be said that Medford has not had more than its share of religious trials; and that, under them, it has borne itself with intelligence, dignity, and moderation. 262 HISTORY OF MED FORD. The causes that led to occasional disagreements were not unlike those that all old parishes have experienced, and may be catalogued as follows : Location of the church building, terms of minister's settlement, amount of his salary, assessment of taxes, mode of raising money for various purposes, changes in the creed, in the Psalm-book, in certain forms of worship, and perhaps chiefly the ques- tion of the freedom of the pulpit. In closing this history of the First Church, we must not forget what has been done for the children of the church. Sunday schools have multiplied in New England greatly since 1820. This is now very properly called the "Chil- dren's Age." It was long ago seen that children in many homes were not religiously educated, and Sunday schools were established to remedy in part that evil. There are no scales that can weigh moral effects, but there can be no doubt that the salutary influences of Sunday schools have been immense. The whole force of the common-school system being directed to unfold and sharpen the intellect mainly, moral culture in them is only incidental. The result, as we all know, has been realized in a most disproportionate development of mere intellect ; as if the aim of life were to empower a child to gain money and secure office. The consequence of this is, that the community becomes filled with men whose exten- sive knowledge, acute reason, boundless ambition, and unscrupulous selfishness make them leaders in public plunder and commercial infidelity. The more enlightened the intellect becomes, unguided by conscience, the more adroit it makes the villain. Mere secular instruction is no security against crime ; therefore the Sunday school came to the relief and rescue of society when it mam- tained that something more was necessary to make men good than to make them intelligent. It taught that the affections are the source of happiness ; and it endeavored to develop the moral powers, so as to introduce God and Christ, and truth and heaven, as permanent occupants of the soul. If it be true that the acquisition of mere sci- ence and literature imparts no adequate power to subdue vicious habit or restrain criminal passion, but often gives keenness to their edge and certainty to their aim, it fol- lows, as a solemn consequence, that every patriot, philan- thropist, and Christian is sacredly bound to sustain the Sunday school. HISTORY OF MED FORD. 263 The First Parish was early influenced by these consid- erations, and hastened to establish a school which had its superintendent, also a teacher to each six children, and a juvenile library accessible to all the pupils. This school has had the sympathy and active co-operation of the best and most intelligent men and women in the parish, and some of its pastors have been devoted to its interests. Many nurtured in the Sunday school have grown up naturally into the church, and here as elsewhere such additions have been the most reliable. The comimtnion-plate of the First Church has its history, and the reader will find in it some interesting and peculiar items as follows : — "Two silver cups, bought by the church in 1719. " One silver cup, gift of Mrs. Sarah Ward, 1725. " One silver cup, gift of Deacon Thomas Willis. "Two silver cups, gift of Mr. Francis Leathe, 1742. "One silver cup, gift of Thomas Brooks, Esq., 1759. " One large silver tankard with a cover, gift of Rev. Ebenezer Turell, 1760. *' One smaller silver tankard with a cover, gift of Francis and Mary Whitmore, 1761. " One large open silver can, gift of Hon. Isaac Royal, 1781. " One silver dish, gift of Hon. Isaac Royal, 17S9. "One silver dish, gift of Deacon Richard Hall, 1814. "Two silver cupSj'gift of Mr. William Wyman, 181 5. " Two silver cups, given by Mrs. Preston. "Two silver flagons, gift of Hon. P. C. Brooks, 1823. "One silver dish, gift of Mr. David Bucknam, 1824. " One antique silver cup, donor and date unknown. " One silver spoon, donor and date unknown. "Two silver cans, gift of Turell Tufts, Esq., 1842." Previously to 1759, there were the following : — " One pewter flagon, gift of Hon. John Usher. "One pewter flagon, gift of Deacon John Whitmore. "Four pewter flagons, bought by the church. " Two pewter dishes, gift of Thomas Tufts, Esq., and two pewter ones bought by the church. "One silver baptismal basin, gift of Mr. John Willis, 1755." TJie peivtcr disJics, by a resolve of the church, in 1824, were sold, and a silver one purchased. This made the furniture of the table entire and appropriate. Here follows an item that is deserving of record as showing the spirit of the times in which the incidents therein related occurred : Colonel Royal gave a silver cup to the church in Med- 264 HISTORY OP MED FORD. ford ; but he being an absentee, suspected of opposition to the American Revolution, his agent could not deliver the cup without legislative authority. The following public document will sufficiently explain itself: — COMMONWEALTH QY MASSACHUSETTS. In Senate, Oct. 26, 17S1. On the petition of David Osgood, jDastor of the church of Christ in Medford, in behalf of said church; Resolved, That for the reason therein mentioned, the agent of the estate of Isaac Royal, Esq., late of Medford, an absentee, be, and is hereby, directed to deliver a certain silver cuj), referred to in the said petition, belonging to the said absentee's estate, to the said David Osgood, for the use of the church in Medford, agreeably to the prayer of the said petition, and take a receipt for the same. Sent down for concurrence. Samuel Ad.vms, President. In the House of Representatives, Oct. 27, 17S1. Read and concurred. Nathaniel Gorham, Speaker. John Hancock. John Avery, Sec. Approved. A true copy. Attest Medford, Nov. 6, 1781. Received of Simon Tufts, Esq., agent for the estate of Isaac Royal, Esq., an absentee, the silver cup mentioned in the above order of court. David Osgood. recapitulation. Rev. Aaron Porter, settled Feb. 11, 1713; died Jan. 23,1722 " Ebenezer Turell, '' Nov. 25, 1724; " Dec. 8,1778 " David Osgood, " Sept. 14, 1774; " Dec. 12,1822 " Andrew Bigelow, " July 9, 1S23; resigned Jan. 9,1827 " Caleb Stetson, " Feb. 28, 1827; " Mar. 24, 1848, " John Pierpont, " Aug. i, 1849; " ^P^"- 3°! '856 " Theodore Tebbetts, " 1857; " June 9,1860 " Edward C. Towne, " April, 1861, " Jan. 30,1867 " Henry C. DeLong, " March, 1869. With a desire that full justice should be done to the his- tory of each religious society in town, what follows under the head of ecclesiastical history has been made up largely from material furnished by the officers of the various churches named ; and in compiling it, we have stated nothing which had not the unqualified indorsement of those authorized to speak in the matter. HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 265 SECOND CONGREGATIONAL SOCIETY. As Stated in a previous chapter, the First Church, after the settlement of Rev. Andrew Bigelow, found itself com- posed of members having different views of Christian doc- trines. It was evident that they could not w^alk together in harmony; and, as already stated, several members took steps preparatory to a separation from the original church. In their letters addressed to that church, they disclaimed personal unfriendliness, and based their action solely on the ground of different views of the gospel ; particularly, as they said, " respecting the doctrines of the Trinity, the native character of man, the divinity and atonement of Christ, regeneration, and others allied to these." The following is the closing extract from their request : — " Under these impressions, dear brethren, we conscientiously and in the fear of God asl-: from the church letters of dismission, for the purpose of forming ourselves, in a regular manner, into a new and separate church ; and while we deeply lament the necessity which we think exists for such a measure, we wish to adopt it from the sole desire of enjoying religious instruction which accords with our views of the system of truth laid down in the gospel of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ." A most kind and Christian answer released them from their bond of church-fellowship; and on the 22d of June, 1823, they organized a new religious association, which •they called The Second Congregational Society in Medford. After the following Sunday, the members of the new soci- ety fitted up a hall in the neighborhood as a temporary place of worship ; and their numbers gradually increased. The pulpit was supplied by clergymen in the neighbor- hood, and from the theological seminary in Andover, till Oct. 2 ; when the seventeen members from the First Church, with nine members of other churches, who had removed lately to Medford, bringing with them letters of dismission, were organized into a church by an ecclesiasti- cal council, of which Rev. William Greenough of Newton was chosen moderator, and Rev. B. B. Wisner of Boston scribe. The names of the original members were as follows: — Galen James, Jesse Crosby, Thomas Jameson, Gilbert Blanchard, Mary Clay, Hephzibah Fitch, Nancy Fitch, Mary Magoun, Mary Blanchard, Elizabeth Bailey, Harriet G. Rogers, Ann Clay, Mary R. James, Mary Blanchard, 266 HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 2d, Nancy Jameson, Hannah Crosby, Mary Kidder, James Forsayth, Nathaniel Jaquith, Thompson Kidder, Thomas Pratt, John T. White, Janette Forsayth, Phebe Pratt, Cyn- thia White, Lucy Blanchard. Feb. 21, 1824, an act passed the Legislature incorporat- ing the new society ; and the measures were put in oper- ation for the erection of a new church-building. This movement was successful; and on the ist of September of the same year, the house of worship was dedicated to the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. The interest of that occasion was greatly heightened by another service. Rev. Aaron Warner, who had labored with acceptance nearly from the time of the organization of the church, was at that time installed as pastor of the new organization. His ministry of eight years was eminently successful. There were many accessions to the congregation, and above a hundred additions to the church. He was dismissed at his own request, Oct. 2, 1832. His successor was Rev. Gordon Winslow; ordained June 12, 1833, and dismissed Nov, 12, 1834. After him. Rev. Levi Pratt was installed pastor, Aug. 19, 1835. He died of fever in the midst of his labors, Aug. 9, 1837- The next pastor was Rev. A. R. Baker, ordained April 25, 1838. During his ministry, several precious seasons of revival were enjoyed, the church and congregation increased, and larger accommodations in the house of worship became necessary. From this time Zion's children began to say, in prophetic language, " Give us room, that we may dwell ;" and the church became, in an important sense, the mother of churches. Besides furnishing members from time to time for the organization of several evangelical churches of other denominations, in July, 1847, she sent out a strong colony, sixty in number, to form the Mystic Church of Medford. After a laborious and successful pastorate of over ten years, Mr. Baker (afterwards Rev. Dr. Baker) was dismissed Sept. 20, 1848. The number uniting with the church during this time was one hundred and seventy- seven. The church remained destitute of a pastor four years, till the Rev. E. P. Marvin was installed Feb. 25, 1852. In 1853 and in i860, the church-building was remodelled and HISTORY OF MED FORD. 267 refitted, and an organ furnished. Sept. 9, i860, it and all it contained was burnt to the ground. A new house was built, which was dedicated to the service of Almighty God June 12, 1861. June 25, 1857, it was voted unanimously to change the name of the church from the Second Con- gregational to First Trinitarian Congregational Church of Medford. The society retained its original name. In Janu- ary, 1865, Rev. Mr. Marvin resigned his office as pastor, and was subsequently dismissed by the ecclesiastical coun- cil that installed his successor. The number of persons admitted to the church during his pastorate was one hundred and forty-six. Rev. James T. McCollom was installed pastor of the church, Nov. 8, 1865, but took charge of the pulpit from the first Sunday in October. For many vears there had been a growing conviction that a union of the Mystic and the First Trinitarian Congre- gational Churches would, under existing circumstances, much conduce to the advancement of the kingdom of Christ in Medford. Among the reasons which finally led to such a union, was the founding of an Orthodox church and society at West Medford, which drew so largely from the other churches, that it seemed unnecessary to maintain two organizations at the centre of the town. The two churches had existed many years side by side, doing their great work always in harmony, often in fraternal union of efforts and means, and with the marked blessing of God on their labors. All preliminaries having been happily arranged in Octo- ber, 1874, the union of the two churches was consum- mated Dec. 31 of the same year ; and the house of worship on High Street, left vacant by the said union, was sold in 1876 to the St. Joseph Catholic Society. Mr. McCollom, whom the uniting churches, after having seen his daily walk and work for so many years, desired to retain as pastor, and whose dearest earthly joy would have been in walking before them the shepherd of one flock, died Nov. 25, 1874, deeply beloved and lamented by all who knew him. He was born in Salem, N.Y., Sept. 20, 1814; graduated at Dartmouth College in 1835, and ^-t Andover Theological Seminary in 1840. His other settlements were at Pitts- ton, Me., 1841-44; at Great Falls, N.H., 1844-54; and at Bradford, Mass., 1854-65. 268 HISTORY OF MED FORD. MYSTIC CHURCH. This Third Congregational Society in Medford was an outgrowth of the Second. The increase of business and population, still further stimulated by the opening of rail- road communication with Boston, led in March, 1847, to a conference with four neighboring clergymen, to whom were submitted statistics and facts showing the necessity of increased accommodation for the Orthodox Congrega- tionalists of the town. Those clergymen were unanimous in advising the formation of a new church and congrega- tion. In "pursuance of their advice, separate worship was established in the Town Hall, May 9, 1847; and a new church with sixty members was organized July 6 of that year by a large ecclesiastical council. A substantial, neat, and convenient church-edifice, capable of seating about five hundred, was erected during the summer of 1848, and dedicated Feb. 14, 1849. A valuable organ was furnished in 1854. A union with the First Trinitarian Congregational Church having been effected in the autumn of 1874, the united body worshipped in the edifice of that church on High Street for more than a year, till the structure on Salem Street, remodelled, enlarged, and ready for use, was re-dedicated Jan. 12, 1876. Since its organization the church has received 357 mem- bers by letter, and 257 on profession. Its membership (October, 1885) is 326. The form of admission, confession of faith, and cove- nant of this church are in substantial agreement with the same of other churches of the Congregational order throughout the country ; and they are in full accord with the declarations of faith and polity made at the council held in Boston in 1865, and subsequently re-affirmed in the First National Council of the Congregational Churches which convened at Oberlin, O., in 1871. We give a list of the pastors of this church, with the time of their settlement : — Rev. Abner B. Warner, a nephew of Rev. Professor Warner, the first pastor of the Second Church, was in- stalled Oct. 27, 1847, and died in ofifice May 26, 1853, Rev. Jacob M. Manning, D.D., was ordained Jan. 5, 1854; and dismissed Feb. 17, 1857, to become associate pastor of the Old South Church, Boston. MYSTIC CHURCH. UNIVERSALIS! CHURCH, 1850. HISTORY OF MED FORD. 269 Rev. Elias Nason was installed Nov. 10, 1858, and dis- missed Nov. 19, i860. Rev. Edward P. Hooker, D.D., was ordained Nov, 13, 1861, and dismissed March 31, 1869. Rev. Solon Cobb was installed Nov. 3, 1869, and dis- missed March 12, 1874. Rev. Charles H. Baldwin was installed June 30, 1875, and dismissed Feb. 16, 1881. Rev. Theophilus P. Sawin, jun., was installed Nov. 16, 1 88 1, and is still in office. UNIVERSALIST SOCIETY. On the loth of March, 183 1, the first legal steps were taken towards the formation of this society ; and on the 22d of March of the same year, the society was organized, and all parish officers were chosen. In April Rev. Winslow W. Wright was installed as its first pastor. He resigned in April, 1835 ; and Rev. Joseph Banfield was soon settled as his successor, but resigned in 1838. Rev. Dr. Hosea Ballou was settled in 1838. The meeting-house was built in 1832, and was remod- elled and enlarged in 1850, and again in 1886. In the first instance, the society was kindly invited by the Unitarian parish to use their house of worship while the improve- ments were being made.- This invitation was accepted. Rev. Dr. Ballou, having been called to the presidency of Tufts College, resigned in August, 1853 ; and in April, 1854, Rev. G. V. Maxham was ordained. The church was organized Jan. 19, 1834, at which time twenty-three persons joined. The Sunday school was organized soon after the church, probably the same year. In May, 1838, a Sunday-school teachers' association was formed, "whose object shall be our own mutual improve- ment, and the good of the school committed to our care." This school has always been large and influential. Parker R. Litchfield has been its efficient superintendent for more than twenty-five years in succession, and is at this time (1886) at its head. From time to time when this society has been destitute of a pastor, Revs. T. J. Greenwood, Eben P^ancis, and Richard Eddy have supplied the desk. 270 HISTORY OF MED FORD. The settled pastors, succeeding those above named, have been : — Rev. C. B. Lombard, Rev. B. H. Davis, Rev. Russell P. Ambler, Rev. J. H. Farnsworth, Rev. W. G. Haskell, Rev. D. L. R. Libbey, and Rev. Russell P. Ambler, second settlement. THE METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH. In July, 1822, Rev. Josiah Brackett preached the first Methodist sermon in Medford, in what was known as the "College Building," now standing on Riverside Avenue. Preaching was continued, and in 1823 a Sunday school was organized, and held in Mead's Hall, Main Street. The church was organized in 1822 or 1823. In 1828 the society was incorporated as the "First Methodist Episcopal Church of Medford;" and a chapel was built on Cross Street, and dedicated. From 1828 to 1831, the pulpit was supplied by local preachers, among them Rev. C. K. True, Dr. Samuel Coggeshall, and Rev. Stephen Smith. In 1831 and 1832 Rev. Mr. Vanscawer, also a local preacher, was pastor. In 1833 Rev. Apollos Hale was regularly appointed by the Bishop ; 1834, Elbridge G. Drake was the supply ; and Rev. Mr. Nichols in 1835. In 1836 and the following years, local preachers supplied the pulpit, till finally regu- lar services were discontinued. In 1842 preaching was resumed and continued by Moses L. Scudder of Charlestown, the Maiden pastors, and others ; first in the private house of Ira T. Barker, then in an old brick schoolhouse on Cross Street, which was fitted up and dedicated, but proved to be too small ; and then the Town Hall was rented, and used as a place of worship. In 1844 Rev. George Pickering was sent by the Confer- ence to this charge ; and this year the lot was purchased where Music Hall now stands, on Salem Street, upon which to erect a church-edifice. The church was completed, and dedicated by Bishop Janes, Dec. 19, 1845. The next two years the pulpit was supplied by Revs. J. A. Adams and James Shepherd. METHODIST-EPISCOPAL CHURCH. lisii'Ti'fffiiii w nu BAPTIST CHURCH. HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 2/1 1847. The first social circle was organized in connec- tion with this society, and the ladies of the circle pur- chased the furniture to furnish the parsonage. The Revs. Thomas Tucker, William Smith, A. D. Mer- rill, J. W. Perkins, and Charles Noble were the next preachers. The following-named pastors have been in charge from 1855 to 1886: — Revs. E. S. Best, William A. Braman, A. F. Herrick, J. A. Ames, H. N. Loud, David Sherman, Daniel Wait, N. T. Whitaker, Frank J. Wagner, T. B. Smith, Thomas Corwin Watkins, Gilbert C. Osgood, James W. Fenn, and Lyman D. Bragg the present pastor. During Mr. Whitaker's pastorate, a parsonage was pur- chased at a cost of three thousand dollars. In 1872, a lot having been purchased, the corner-stone for a new church-edifice was laid May i, 1872, with appro- priate services. The church was erected at a cost of forty-five thousand dollars; and dedicated on April 30, 1873, by Bishop G. Haven. An organ was purchased for the church, at a cost of three thousand dollars. The Sunday school of the Methodist Society in Med- ford has had an interesting history. It was small at first, but in 1868 it numbered two hundred and seven members. Mr. Ira T. Barker was the first superintendent of this school upon its re-organization in 1S43. Since 1862 this school, as a missionary work, has raised twenty-five dollars per year for the support of young men who are fitting for the ministry in India. Present number in school : scholars in classes, 191 ; infant class, 53 ; officers and teachers, 27. Whole num- ber, 271. Volumes in library, 712. This Sunday school was represented in the army, in the late conflict, by several of its members, THE FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH. There was much interest manifested by a few friends in favor of a Baptist church in this town, in 1818 and 1819; and as the result, the first baptism took place in Mystic River, May 3, 1820. July 7, 1841, a Baptist church was organized, and Robert L. Ells was chosen deacon. 2/2 HISTORY OF MED FORD. Rev. George W . Bosworth was the first pastor. The church was publicly recognized, and the pastor ordained Sept 8, 1 84 1. In 1842 TJie First Baptist Society of Alcdford was legally incorporated, and a chapel was erected on Salem Street, and dedicated to the worship of God, Sept. 17, 1842. From 1845 to 1870 the following pastors were in charge : viz., — Revs. B. C. Grafton, G. C. Danforth, E. K. Fuller, T. E. Keely, George M. Preston, and J. C. Hurd. In May, 1871, the society called Rev^ J. G. Richardson to become its pastor, who accepted, and continued till May, 1877. He was succeeded by the present pastor, Rev. J. P. Abbott, who was ordained Dec. 19, 1877. In the spring of 1872 a lot was purchased on Oakland Street, upon which to erect a church ; and Sept. 2 of this year the corner-stone was laid, and the 29th of June, 1873, the society occupied for the first time the lecture-room. The old house was then sold, having been used as a house of worship thirty-one years. And on July 10, 1878, the new and beautiful church-edifice was dedicated to the wor- ship of God, to the great joy of the society ; Rev\ Mr. Bosworth, their first pastor, preaching the sermon. The total cost of this church was thirty thousand dol- lars. The architect and builder was John Brown, a member of the society, and a Medford man. April 13, 1880, the society celebrated the event of the liquidation of its entire debt. The occasion was one of great rejoicing, calling together not only the members of the church and parish, but former pastors as well. This society has a large and flourishing Sunday school, and an extensive and carefully selected library. GRACE (episcopal) CHURCH. From the original settlement of Medford, until nearly the middle of the present century, Churchmen who lived within its borders were compelled by the non-existence of a church of their faith in the town, to seek in neighbor- ing towns the enjoyment of the forms of worship they so much loved. Their desire to do this, and their conviction that under such circumstances they ought not to be com- pelled to support, by the payment of taxes or "rates," the HISTORY OF MED FORD. 273 •worsliip of the one religious society which for more than^ a century and a half existed here, led, at least in one case,, to serious trouble. For we find that because of his refusal to pay such taxes, one Mathew Ellis was imprisoned by the constable of the town. The said Ellis, however, was not willing thus to suffer deprivation of his religious liberty, and was granted an appeal from the judgments of the local courts by the " King in council." What the final result of this case was, doth not appear; but it is probable that the custom of taxing those who were members of the Established Church of England did not long continue: But members of that Church, if they still desired to engage in its worship, were obliged to do so in the old parishes of Christ and Trinity Churches, Boston, or the somewhat nearer parish of Christ Church, Cambridge. This state of things continued until the year 1847. In November of that year, the project of an Episcopal church in Medford was' first agitated ; and at a meeting held on Dec. 11, it was determined to make an effort to establish a parish. Christmas Eve was selected as an ap- propriate time for the first service ; and the Rev. Dr. Alexander H. Vinton, rector of St. Paul's Church, Boston, was invited to preach on the occasion. One of the Con- gregational churches was loaned for the service, and, in accordance with the custom of the Episcopal communion on the Christmas festival, was fitly decorated with ever- green. This was, so far as is known, the first time that the public worship of the church was ever celebrated in Medford. On this occasion notice was given that there- after there would be regular services in the Odd Fellows' Hall situated in the upper part of the railway-station. On the evening of Feb. 15, 1848, in ^accordance with a legal warrant previously issued, seven gentlemen assem- bled in a private house, and organized the parish under the name of Grace Church. An adjourned meeting was held on the evening of May 7, at which a code of by-laws was adopted, and the parish organization completed. At the same time the Rev. David Greene Haskins of Roxbury was chosen rector. Feeling the necessity of having a church-edifice, the members of the parish at once addressed themselves to that end. On the ist of September, 1849, ^ committee was appointed to consider and report upon the best site for such a building. On the 5th of September the com- 274 HISTORY OF MEDFORD. mittce recommended the purchase of a lot of land a short ■distance from the Square, and opposite the grounds of the present High-school building. The recommendation was adopted. The land was secured ; the work of raising the required funds and building the church was rapidly- prosecuted ; and on the nth of May, the completed church edifice was duly consecrated by Right Rev. Dr. Eastburn, bishop of the diocese. The cost of the land was $1,200; the cost of building and furnishing the church was $2,890 ; or a total of $4,090. Mr. Raskins filled the office of rector until Feb. 18, 1852, when he resigned. He was suc- ceeded on the 14th of the following September by the Rev. Justin Field, who remained as rector until Jan. i, i860. A vacancy in the rectorship existed for a year succeed- ing Mr. Field's resignation. The Rev. A. C. Patterson of Buffalo, N.Y., was invited, and accepted the rectorship ; but circumstances prevented his assuming charge of the parish. The Rev. George A. Strong became rector in January, 1 86 1, and remained until May, 1863. The Rev. Charles H. Learoyd of Danvers was elected rector in May, 1863, and entered upon his duties on the I St of September of the same year. In the spring of 1866, the project of repairing and en- larging the church-edifice was considered, and plans were adopted. But these were subsequently set aside for the adoption of a larger and wiser undertaking, viz., the build- ing of a new church. The generous proposal of Mrs. Gorham Brooks, a member of the parish, to contribute as much towards the erection of a new church as should be given by the remaining parishioners, stimulated the efforts of those interested in the work ; and the result was a general subscription of fifteen thousand dollars. Sub- sequently Mrs. 13rooks made a still more generous offer to complete the church, under certain conditions, at her own expense. This proposal was gratefully accepted by the parish ; and the present dignified and beautiful stone church was completed in the year 1868. At Easter, 1872, Mr. Learoyd resigned the rectorship, which was shortly afterwards filled by the election of the present incumbent, the Rev. Charles L. Hutchins, who entered upon his duties in September, 1872. Since that time the following events in the parochial history of the parish have taken place : — p-:->^ HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 275 The rectory, situated on High Street at a short distance from the church, was built at the expense of a parishioner, Mr. Dudley C. Hall, in the year 1872, and by him pre- sented to the parish in the early part of the year 1873. The church-building, which since its completion had remained in the ownership of the family who had gener- ously erected it, and consequently, in accordance with the canonical law of the Church, could not be consecrated, was given to the parish by Mr. Peter C. Brooks and Mr. Shepherd Brooks, and received consecration at the hands of the Right Rev. Henry A. Neely, Bishop of Maine, on the 6th of May, 1873. The services of consecration were of the most impressive character, and were attended by a very large congregation, as well as by a larger number of clergymen than had been gathered together at a similar service in the history of the diocese. The sermon was preached by the Rev. Dr. Alexander H. Vinton, and several of the former rectors of the parish participated in the services. In presenting these gifts of church and rectory to the parish, the donors placed them in the hands of the " Trustees of Donations " (a corporation formed for the purpose of holding and preserving ecclesiastical property for the Episcopal Church), thus preventing the possibility of alienation and loss. In the summer of June, 1873, a successful effort was made to procure a chime of bells for the church. The town, at a meeting in June, voted to provide one bell, and the remaining eight bells were provided by individual gift and general subscription. The bells, of which there are nine, have a total weight of more than five thousand pounds ; the largest weighing fourteen hundred pounds, and the smallest two hundred pounds. In the autumn of 1 877, at a session of the General Conventit)n of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States held in l^oston, the Rev. Mr. Hutchins, rector of this parish, was elected secretary of the House of Deputies, and has continued in the office to the present time. In the spring of 1882, the parish, feeling the need of a building for Sunday-school and other purposes connected with church work, entered upon the plan of erecting a Sunday-school chapel. The necessary funds were secured, and the corner-stone was laid on June ii,in connection with the Sunday-school anniversary. The building, which HISTORY OF MED FORD. 277 services, June 12, 1872, with twenty-six members, sixteen of whom came from the First Trinitarian Congregational Church of Medford. July 27 a society was formed to co- operate with the church, and to take the place of the Chris- tian Union in the support of religious services. After much discussion as to location, the society at a meeting held July 7, 1873, voted to purchase the lot at the corner of Harvard Avenue and Bovvers Street. A building committee was appointed, of which Mr. C. M. Barrett was chairman ; and steps were taken to erect the present church-edifice. The corner-stone was laid Sept. 16, and the vestry occupied in May, 1874. The church was finished and dedicated Oct. 14, 1874; and the pastor elect, the Rev. M. M. Cutter, was installed on that day. John H. Norton and Ira P. Ackerman were the first deacons. David H. Brown was the first clerk of the church, and the first treasurer of the society ; and the Hon. Abner J. Phipps the first chairman of the standing com- mittee. The pastors have been : Rev. Edwin L. Jaggar, acting pastor, Jan. 2, 1873, to July 12, 1874; Rev. M. M. Cutter, installed Oct. 14, 1874, dismissed March, 1882; Rev. Edward C. Hood, installed Sept. 13, 1882. The number of persons admitted to the church up to this date (1885) is 160. A communion-service was presented to the church by the Mystic Church of Medford, the largest donor being Deacon Galen James. The pulpit Bible was presented by Mr. B. C. Leonard. The church and society have steadily grown with the increase of the population of the village ; and under the able and efficient leadership of the present and preceding pastors they have enjoyed a good degree of prosperity, and the heavy debt, which has been a great drawback to success, has been paid. Connected with the church is a flourishing Sunday school of more than two hundred members, and a large and carefully selected library. TRINITY METHODIST-EPISCOPAL SOCIETY OF WEST MEDFORD. This society was organized April i, 1872. The chapel, corner of Bowers and Holton Streets, in which the society now worships, was erected in 1873, and 278 HISTORY OF MED FORD. dedicated Nov. 5 of that 3-ear ; Rev. Andrew McKeown, D.D., preaching the dedicatory sermon. The church has been served by the following named pastors : Francis J. Wagner, June, 1873, to January, 1874; Leonidas L. H. Hamilton, Jan. 18, 1874, to January, 1875 ^ Ernest C. Herdman, January to April, 1875 ; John F. Brant, April, 1875, to April, 1876; William Full, April 18, 1876, to April, 1877; Jarvis A. Ames, April 18, 1877, to April, 1880; George M. Smiley, April, 1880, to April, 1883. Mr. Smiley was succeeded in April, 1883, by the present pastor, Charles W. Wilder. The society has increased in numbers and strength along with the growth of the village, and is now enjoying a greater degree of prosperity than at any former period of its history. The present officers of the church are : Rev. C. W. Wilder, pastor; Nelson Taylor, William McLean, S. C. Johnson, Leonard Stearns, O. M. Winship, George Hatch, P. G. Scoboria, W. H. Beekman, and L. H. Lovering, trustees ; N. Taylor, W. McLean, S. C. Johnson, L. Stearns, O. M. Winship, G. Hatch, P. G. Scoboria, W. H. Beekman, R. Gilmour, M. W. Pierce, and J. F. Richard- son, stewards ; S. C. Johnson, superintendent of Sunday school, CATHOLIC CHURCH. The first public service of the Catholic Church was held in the Town Hall in 1849, and was conducted by Rev. Manassas P. Doherty. The attendance gathered from several of the neighboring towns. Services were held once a month, and the congregations were quite large. Confessions were heard in the old Wade House, standing where Small's Block is now located, and occupied by Eugene and Daniel Vaughan. In 1864 Rev. John Ryan took charge of the Medford ' Church, and was a most earnest worker ; and under his administration the church on Salem Street was erected, and the first service held on Christmas, 1855. This church was then in Medford ; but the land on which it stands is now, by Act of the Legislature, a part of Maiden. ]\Ir. Ryan was succeeded by Rev. Thomas Scully, who was succeeded by Revs. McShane and Carroll. In 1868 Rev. Thomas Gleason was appointed to this church, and much success attended his ministry. CATHOLIC CHURCH. HISTORY OF MED FORD. 279 March 24, 1876, the Catholics purchased the church of the Trinitarian Society on High Street, and at Easter of the same year held their first service ; Rev. Mr. Gleason superintending the church on Salem Street, and also the new one on High Street. In 1883 the church on High Street became a separate parish, and the Rev. Richard Dbnelly became the pastor, and at this time (1886) occupies that position; and the society is prospering under his faithful pastoral care. 28o HISTORY OF MED FORD. CHAPTER XI. EDUCATION, Religion and love of liberty brought our Pilgrim an- cestors to Medford ; and as these principles sprang in them from intelligence and virtue, so they revealed to them the need of intelligence and virtue in their offspring. To educate, therefore, was to legislate for the future. The establishment of schools, during the first years of their residence, was an impossibility ; and, consequently, domes- tic instruction was the only alternative. The Bible and Primer were the reading-books. In those towns or plan- tations where a clergyman could be supported, he usually occupied much of his time in teaching the young; and it was common for boys to be received into the minister's family to be prepared for college. Those pastors who had been silenced in England, and who came here to minister to the scattered flocks in the wilderness, were men of strong thought and sound scholarship ; and they kept up the standard of education. Erom the necessities of their condition, however, it is apparent that the children of our ancestors must have been scantily taught, and their grand- children must have been still greater sufferers ; for learn- ing follows wealth. The first movement for the establishment of schools took place under the administration of Gov. Prence ; and, at his suggestion, the following order was passed in the Colony Court, 1663: — " It is proposed by the Court unto the several townships in this jurisdiction, as a thing they ouglit to take into their serious consid- eration, that some course may be taken, that in every town there may be a schoohiiaster set up, to train up children in reading and writing." Later, the Colony offered a substantial inducement for the establishment of what would seem to be a higher grade of school : — TRINITY METHODIST-EPISCOPAL CHURCH, WEST MEDFORD. HISTORY OF MED FORD. 281 "In 1670 the Court did freely give and grant all such profits as might or should accrue annually to the Colony for fishing with a net or seines at Cape Cod for mackerel, bass, or herrings, to be improved for and towards a free school., in some town in this jurisdiction, for the training-up of youth in literature, for the good and benefit of pos- terity, — provided a beginning be made within one year after said grant." The occupants of the Medford Plantation, being few and poor, secured instruction to their children by domestic teaching, and by using the schools of the neighboring towns. Towards the support of those schools, they were required bylaw to contribute ; and that they were benefited by them, is apparent fi"om the fact, that all the persons who appear, through a series of years, as of^cers in the town, were well educated. The leading idea of emigration to this country, and the spirit of the age, would not allow them to neglect education. They provided for it in a way that did not require public record at the time. In 1 70 1 the penalty imposed by the legislature upon towns for neglecting to provide grammar schools was twenty pounds. It was required that " the schoolmaster should be appointed by the ministers of the town and the ministers of the two next adjacent towns, or any two of them, by certificates under their hands." These early resolves concerning schools and education indubitably prove two things : first, that our Puritan Fathers believed that the establishment of schools was a duty they owed to justice and humanity, to freedom and religion ; and, second, that they had resolved that these schools should be free. Here, then, was a new idea introduced to the world, — free schools ! And, from free schools and congregational churches, what could result but republicanism ? They held our Republic as the acorn holds the oak. It is important to state that free schools origi- nated in Massachusetts. In 167 1 Sir William Berkeley, first governor of Vir- ginia, writes to the king thus : — "I thank God there are no free schools nor printing-presses here, and I trust there will not be this hundred years; for learning breeds up heresies and sects and all abominations. God save us from both ! " Now look at Massachusetts. The Rev. John Robinson, before the Pilgrims left Leyden, charged them to build churches, establish schools, and read the Bible without 282 HISTORY OF MED FORD. sectarian prejudice. He said, "I am convinced that God has more Ught yet to break forth out of his holy word. Receive such Hght gladly." Our fathers acted on this wise, Christian, and republican advice, and engaged Phile- mon Purmount " to teach the children ; for which he was to be paid thirty acres of ground by the public authori- ties." How accordant this with that noble resolve of New England, to establish a college, "to the end that good learning may not be buried in the graves of our fathers " ! It is cheering to read in the early records of Medford, when a special town-meeting was called for this only pur- pose, — viz., "to see if the town will have a school kept for three months," — to find every voter in favor of it, and at the end of this vote appending these immortal words, — " and THIS SCHOOL shall be free." Here we have, in short compass, the different begin- nings and opposite policies of two settlements : the one anathematizing free schools and printing-presses ; the other doing all it can for free inquiry, universal culture, and progre'ssive truth. The natural result of one system is to overrun a state with slavery, darken it with ignor- ance, pinch it with poverty, and curse it with irreligion : the natural result of the other is to fill a state with free- men, to enlighten it with knowledge, to exjaand it with wealth, and to bless with Christianity. We should never cease to thank God that our ancestors, though surrounded by savage foes and doomed to poverty and self-denial, laid deep the foundations of that system of common schools which is now the nursery of intel- ligence, the basis of virtue, the pledge of freedom, and the hope of the world. The course of instruction was narrow and partial. Each hungry child got a crust, but no one had a full meal. The New-England" Primer was the first book, the spelling-book the second, and the Psalter the last. Arithmetic and writ- ing found special attention ; grammar and geography were thought less needful. The school was opened and closed with reading the Scriptures and the offering of prayer. The hours were from nine to twelve o'clock, and from one to four. Thursday and Saturday afternoons were vacations. For the next fifty years the inhabitants of Medford sup- ported their schools at as cheap a rate as they could, be- cause their means were not abundant. The spirit was Avilling, but the flesh was weak. The Rev. Mr. Porter HISTORY OF MED FORD. 283 acted as private teacher, and doubtless rendered great help to the cause of education. 1700: Neal says, "Hardly a child of nine or ten years old, throughout the whole country, but can read and write, and say his catechism." Nov. 30, 1719, a special meeting was held, "to see if a school shall be established for four months. Voted in the affirmative. Also voted that the town will allow Mr. Davi- son three pounds money for keeping the school the time above said, and also to diet him for the town." Hereto- fore schools had been kept in private houses ; but Feb. 22, 1720, it was voted to build a schoolhouse. Dec. 12, 1720 : Two schools proposed and organized for the first time ; one for the west end, and the other for the east. Mr. Caleb Brooks was engaged to keep the west school for three months, at two pounds per month ; Mr. Henry Davison the east, at the same price. In these ways, primary instruction was provided for. Although, in their votes, they used the word " established," it could not be strictly true ; for there was no school established ?js> we understand the term. Money raised for schools was not at first put among the town charges, but raised as a separate tax. Schools were any thing but perennial : they could hardly be dignified with the title of semi-annual, and sometimes almost deserved the sobri- quet of ephemeral. At first they were kept in a central "angle," or "squadron," which meant district ; the next im])rovement was to keep a third of the time in one ex- tremity, a third in the opposite, and a third in the centre. Sometimes the money raised for the support of the school was divided according to the number of polls, and some- times according to the number of children. The church and the school were, with our fathers, the alplia and omega of town policy. Oct. 5, 1730: "Voted to build a new schoolhouse." Same day : "Voted to set up a reading and writing school for six months." March 11, 1771 : "Voted to build the schoolhouse upon the land behind the meeting-house, on the north-west cor- ner of the land." 1776 : "Voted that the master instruct girls two hours after the boys are dismissed." By a traditional blindness, we charitably presume it must have been, our early fathers did not see that females re- 284 HISTORY OF MED FORD. quired and deserved instruction equally with males ; we therefore find the first provisions for primary schools con- fined to boys. As light broke in, they allowed girls to at- tend the public school two hours per day ; and it was not until April 5, 1790, that the question was formally con- sidered. On that day, a committee was chosen to inquire " if it be expedient for girls to attend the master's school." The committee wisely recommended the affirm- ative ; whereupon, at the next town-meeting, it was voted " that girls have liberty to attend the master-school during three summer months." June 20, 1794: "Voted that females attend the mas- ter-school separately, from the ist of May to the ist of October, four hours each day ; and that the boys attend four hours each day, — Thursday and Saturday afternoons being vacations." Same date: " Voted, that no children, whether male or female, be admitted into the public school under the age of seven years, nor then unless they have been previously taught to read the English language by spelling the same ; and as this regulation will probably exclude many who have heretofore attended, therefore it is " Voted, that the selectmen are hereby empowered to pay school-mistresses for instructing those children who are excluded from the public town-school, and whose parents are unable to defray such extra expenses. "And as the great end of the public school is to furnish the youth with such a measure of knowledge that they may be able to read and write with propriety, and under- stand so much of arithmetic as may fit them for the common transactions of life; therefore. Voted, that the selectmen and school-committee be desired from time to time to make such regulations in the school as may best answer the above purposes." The course of study was, for the most part, meagre and impoverishing. The healthy curiosity of the mind was fed on the dryest husks of grammar, arithmetic, spelling, and reading. Whatever could be turned to pecuniary gain was the great object in the selection of studies. Webster's Spelling-book, American Preceptor, Young Lady's Acci- dence, Pike's Arithmetic, and Morse's Geography, were the mines out of which pupils were commanded to dig the golden ores of all useful knowledge. The books were made with very slight apprehension of a child's mode of thought. They seemed to take for granted that the pupil HISTORY OF MED FORD. 285 knew the very things they proposed to teach him. They abounded with rules, without giving any instruction con- cerning the principles out of which the rules rose. It was somewhat like lecturing on optics to the blind, or on music to the deaf. May 5, 1795 : On this day, the town voted to build a brick schoolhouse behind the meeting-house. They agreed "to give William Woodbridge two hundred and twenty pounds, with the old schoolhouse, to build it." This house consisted of one large room, sufficient for sixty or seventy children, and was arranged after the newest models, and furnished with green blinds. On the north side sat the girls, and on the south the boys, constantly tempting each other to laugh and play. March i, 1802: "Voted that the 'Royal' donation be appropriated to pay the schooling of poor children, as last year." May 6, 1805 : Voted to procure a lot for a schoolhouse near Gravelly Bridge. Voted " to choose a committee to look out a piece of land at the west end of the town, procure materials (for a schoolhouse), and report their doings at March meeting." March 7, 1807: Voted to enlarge the schoolhouse, and dig a well. After this was done, the girls and boys were taught in separate rooms. Until this time there had been but one public free school in the town, and this was all that was then deemed necessary. It was taught by an accomplished master through the year. After this time two schools were not too many, and the town cheerfully sustained them. No provision had been made for what are now called "primary schools;" and therefore every parent was obliged to pay for the schooling of his children until they had reached the age of seven, when they could lawfully enter the grammar school. So late as 1813, chil- dren under seven years of age were, by vote, prohibited from entering the grammar schools. The "dame-schools," or, as they were often called, the "marm-schools," were numerous. Twelve cents per week, paid on each Monday morning, secured to each pupil an abundance of motherly care, useful knowledge, and salu- tary discipline. After all, these schools were more impor- tant to society than the march of armies or the sailing of fleets ; for they laid well the first foundation-stones of that immortal edifice, — human character. 286 H/STORV OF MED FORD. Since 1799 a law had existed in the town, pledj;ing: it to pay for the instruction of poor children at the dame- schools. Whittling seems native to New-England boys. March 7, 1808, the town voted to repair the seats and benches in the school house. In 18 1 7 female teachers for the female department were preferred. They taught through six months only. In 1 8 18, when Medford had two hundred and two families, the expenses of the schools were as follows : — Master for one year, at $20 per month $240 Board for the same, at $3 per week 156 jMaster, four months, at $20 per month 80 Board for the same, at $3 per week S~ Three female teachers twenty-five weeks each, at $4 300 Rent for schoolhouses for female schools 45 $873 April 7, 1823: Voted to build a new schoolhouse "on the front line of the burying-place." Nov. I, 1824: Voted to divide the town into two dis- tricts, to be called Eastern and Western; and the $1,200 voted this year for the support of the schools was to be divided equally between the districts. In 1825 the num- ber of children in Medford under fourteen years of age was 525 ; and the thickening of population in new places made it necessary to multiply schoolhouses, and scatter them over the whole territory. 1829 : Voted to build a schoolhouse of wood, in the west part of the town. This was placed on the Woburn road, on land bought of Jonathan Brooks, Esq. In 1831 it was removed and placed near the almshouse, on land belong- ing to the town. The primary schools were taught by females, but not continued through the winter till 1837. At this period a wave of unusual interest in educational matters was passing over many of the States, and attained its greatest height in Massachusetts. In 1830 the Amer- ican Institute of Instruction was organized, which, though national in name and object, was largely composed of Massachusetts men. It aimed at reform and progress, and proved itself most efficient in accomplishing its ex- alted purpose. A royal impulse was imparted to the educational machinery 'of our State, which from that time HISTORY OF MED FORD. 287 began to work with wonderful activity. Favoring laws were enacted. A State Board of Education was estab- lished. Normal schools sprang into existence, and the public schools of the State soon began to assume the form and features they wear at the present day. Among the foremost workers in this reform was one of Medford's own sons, — one whose memory is still fragrant among us, and to whom the town, owes perpetual gratitude for the labor devoted, in later years,' to her own schools, and to the rescue of her early history from oblivion. The difficulty of firing the masses with the zeal of the leaders, together with Mr. Brooks's persistency of effort and the ultimate triumph of his cause, will readily appear from the following letter, published first in the "Old Col- ony Memorial " at Plymouth, and afterwards copied into the "Common School Journal." The introduction by the editor will sufficiently explain its origin. "MATERIALS FOR A HISTORY OF jMASSACHUSETTS SCHOOLS. " The communications in our former numbers respecting the Bridge- water Normal School and the late annual address before the pupils, have induced a friend of Mr. Brooks to write him, and ask about his first movements in the Old Colony. He reluctantly yielded to write an account; but, as it connects itself so closely with the cause of edu- cation in our Commonwealth, we think our readers may be glad to see it. — Old Colony Memorial. "Boston, Sept. 2, 1845. "My dear Sir, — You ask me to print my address delivered at Bridgewater before the Normal School. I thank you for the compli- ment implied in such a request; but, my friend, the time has passed for such a necessity. Our battle with 'ignorance and prejudice has been fought in the Old Colony, and the victory is ours ; and there had better not be any parade of the old soldiers quite yet. Some educa- tional antiquary, in his pardonable weakness, may show my lectures fifty years hence, as they sometimes show old cannon. They are fast growing into the sear 2iVi^ yellow leaf; so pray excuse me. " You ask about the educational movements in the Old Colony with which I was connected. The story is very short, and to most persons must be very uninteresting. "While in Europe, in 1833, I became interested in the Prussian system of education. 1 sought every occasion to enlarge my knowl- edge of its nature and action. A good opportunity came to me with- out my seeking it. The King of Prussia had sent Dr. Julius of Hamburg to this country, for the purpose of collecting information concerning our prisons, hospitals, schools, etc. I happened to meet the doctor in a literary party in London, and he asked me to become his room-mate on board ship. I did so, and for forty-one days was with him listening to his descriptions of German and Prussian sys- tems of instruction. I was resolved to attempt the introduction of 288 IHSTORY OF MEDFORD. several parts of the sj'stem into the United States. I formed my plan, and commenced operations by a public announcement, and an address at Hiniiham. I found some who understood and appreciated my views, and I worked on with a new convert's zeal. In 1835 I wrote and published ; but few read, and fewer still felt any interest, I was considered a dreamer, who wished to fill our republican Com- monwealth with monarcliical institutions. There were some amusing caricatures of me published, to ridicule my labors. These did me more good than harm. I worked with precious few encouragements. I occupied Thanksgiving Day of 1835 in advocating, in a public ad- dress, mv plan for normal schools. I took my stand upon this Prus- sian maxim, Wis is the teacher, so is the school.'' I thought the whole philosophy was summed up in that single phrase, «■« stop; for one of my auditors, the Hon. Edmund Dwis^lit, after this,, took tlie matter into liis liands, and did for it all a patriot could ask. He gave $10,000 for the establishment of normal schools, on con- dition the State would give as much. This happily settled the matter. A ' I5oard of Education' was established, and they found the man exactly suited to the office of secretary ; and at Worcester, Aug. 25, 1837, 1 had the satisfaction of congratulating the American Institute, in a public address, on the realization of wishes which they had for years cherished. Mr. Mann entered upon his labors that day. and' the results are gladdening the whole country. May God still smile on this cause of causes, until schools shall cover the whole world with knowledge, and Christianity shall fill it with love! " My friend, do not misinterpret my letter by supposing that I originated these ideas. Oh, no! They were picked up by me in Europe. There had been an attempt at a teachers' seminary at Lancaster; and the American Institute, unknown to me, had dis- cussed the subject before I was a member; and the idea was not a new one. All I did was to bring it from Europe with me, and talk about it, and write about it, until the Old Colony adopted it. I hope the many early friends I had there will believe me when I say, that, without their generous and steady co-operation, I should have failed in my plans. The normal schools are of Prussian origin, but let us not mourn on that account. The beautiful foun- tain of Arethusa sank under the ground in Greece, and re-appeared in Sicily ; but I have never read that the Sicilians mourned for the appearance of that foreign blessing among them. " Bespeaking your patient forbearance under this epistolary inflic- tion, I am, as ever, yours truly, Charles Brooks." Medford may well be proud of a son who could honestly write such things of himself. And she may also be proud of another of her sons, the Rev. William Channing Woodbridge (H. C, 181 1), who at a somewhat earlier period, as editor of the " Annals of Education," and in other ways, labored successfully for the great cause of school-reform. His Modern School Geography and Atlas, so long the popular text-books on that subject, arc proofs of his eminent ability and enthusiasm. The new interest awakened in the cause of elementary instruction produced its effects readily in this town. March 3, 1834: "Voted that the school-committee be directed so to arrange the town schools that the girls shall enjoy equal privileges therein with the boys through- out the year." This tardy justice to the female sex was not peculiar to Medford ; and we are now amazed that the Anglo-Saxon men, living in a free commonwealth and professing the Christian religion, should have needed two hundred years to convince them that girls have an equal right with boys to all physical, intellectual, and moral development. .290 HISTORY OF MED FORD. The improvement resulting from this vote seems to have been unsatisfactory ; for we find that at the March meeting in 1835 a special committee was chosen "to in- quire into the different and best methods of conducting public schools, and to report what improvements, what number and kind of schools, are necessary in this town to qualify every scholar, who desires an education, for the active duties of life." The committee reported in print at the April meeting 'of that year, and did it so effectively that $500 were then .added to the school appropriation made in March ; and one month later the schools were graded, and a high school put into operation. Our high school is supposed to have been but the second or third organized in the State for the free co-education of the sexes in the higher branches of learning. This fact shows that Medford had men at that period who planned in advance of their times. Prominent among those men were the Rev. Caleb Stetson and Deacon Galen James, who, though representing different religious classes and different social elements, worked here in beautiful harmony ; the wit, tact, and enthusiasm of the former combining effectively with the energy, perseverance,_ and practical common sense of the latter, to silence opposition and secure the desired result. Of others who worked harmoniously with the above- named for that re-organization of the schools, which for a half-century has been yielding most precious fruit, it cannot be regarded as invidious here to record the names of James O.^Curtis, John C. Magoun, Milton James, and Horatio A. Smith. The population of the town at that time was much less than half its present number : yet, within a dozen years of its birth, the high school numbered more than ninety pupils. Admission to it was, of course, far easier than by the inexorable examination of later times. Though classical study was early introduced, it was found prac- tically impossible, with a very few exceptions, to give a thorough preparation for college until the requirements for admission had been largely increased, and a third teacher had been appointed. This was effected in 1867, and statistics introduced farther on will abundantly show that noble work in this direction has from that year been accomplished. ty,, cO>^^>^^^^^^^'^^-'^^ HELIOTYPE PRINTING CO., BOSTON, MASS HISTORY OF MED FORD. 291 A fourth teacher was added in 1881, to round out still farther the privilege of securing that special training which is best adapted to each pupil's needs and tastes. A new house having been erected for the school in 1843, it was then removed from its birthplace in the rear of the Unitarian meeting-house to its present home. In 1866 the dimensions of that home (which had been shared with the Centre Grammar School till 1863) were largely in- creased by land purchased from the Magoun estate ; the building was moved a short distance toward the south- west, and turned one-quarter round ; a cellar was sub- stituted for the brick basement ; a stair-tower was erected ; and the entire structure was arranged for and dedicated to the use of the high school. The first master of the school was Mr. Charles Mason, who remained but a short time, and left the teacher's pro- fession for that of the law. His successor, Mr. Luther Farrar, taught eight months. He also entered the legal profession. Mr. Daniel H. Forbes was elected in 1836, and resigned in 1841 to accept a mastership in Charles- town. Mr. Isaac Ames succeeded him for three years, and, afterwards becoming a lawyer, was for many years judge of probate and insolvency for Suffolk County. The position was next given to Mr. M. T. Gardner for a few months ; and in September, 1844, to Mr. Edwin Wright, who, after one year, relinquished it for a mastership in the Eliot School in Boston. Following the example of most of his predecessors-, he too became a lawyer, and was for some years judge of the Municipal Court of Boston. His successor, Mr. James Waldock, resigned at the close of the school year in 1846, and was succeeded by Mr. Charles Cummings, who, enjoying the confidence of the town, as well as the esteem and love of his pupils, held the position till July, 1876, to be then followed by the present esti- mable and successful incumbent, Mr. Lorin L. Dame. From the first establishment of graded schools, the town has been fortunate in the appointment of its grammar masters ; and they would be individually referred to in this place, did not our space forbid more than the brief- est mention of a few who earliest held tliat responsible position. In the East District, from 1833 to 1838, was Mr. A. B. Magoun, who afterwards taught a grammar school in Cambridge for forty-three years. His successor was Mr, 292 HISTORY OF MED FORD. Stacy A. Baxter, who later achieved a wide reputation as principal of a private school in Boston, and as a teacher of elocution, of which art he was chosen professor in Harvard University. Back of the meeting-house, in 1833, was Mr. Thomas S. Harlow, a man with whose honorable life the town has been well acquainted from that day to the present. From 1835 to 1838, the school was in the hands of Mr. B. F. Tweed, who, in the next forty years, held several high educational offices, among which, for nine years, was the professorship of rhetoric, logic, and English literature in Tufts College. He was followed by Mr. James G. Foster, Mr. Benjamin F. Oilman, and, in 1842, by Mr. Thomas Starr King, whose reputation as a preacher and philan- thropist extended in later years from the Atlantic to the Pacific coast. Below are the names of the twelve teaching in the pub- lic schools in December, 1842, and of those since elected, with the year of their election. Those, eighty-four in number, educated in the Medford High School, are indi- cated by a *, and those still in service by a f- Isaac Ames. *Fraiices Gregg. Stacy A. Baxter. *i\Iary W. Keen. Thomas Starr King. *Almira J. Stetson. *Sarah E. Sparrell. *]\Iary Ann Clough. *Sarah E. Cram. *Matilda T. James. *Elizabeth C. Graves. Pamelia Symmes. 1843- Aaron K. Hathaway. 1844. M. T. Gardner. Edwin \\'right. S. A. Townsend. *Mary Gleason. 1845- James Waldock, jun. *Helen M. Curtis. *Mary E. Peck. *Mary E. Sprague. *Maria B. Fuller. 1S46. Charles Cummings. *Angelina Wellington. Mary W. Wilden *Maria L. Sanborn. Miss S. E. VVoodbridge. *Sarah A. Pratt. *Mary L. Richardson. 1847. Miss E. C. Rowland. Miss L. A. H. Winnek. Lucretia Foster. 1848. Stephen Gilman. Paul H. Sweetser. Cynthia A. Horton. *Susan E. Withington. Miss M. M. Wier. HISTORY OF MED FORD. ^93 1849. Elizabeth James. *Helen A. Gale. *Hannah j\I. Binney. 1850. *Eliza A. Hadley. S. Isabelle Sylvester. *Helen A. Hooper. 1851. Oren S. Knapp. George W. Standish. Margaret A. Richards. *Ann A. Binney. *Georgianna K. Dyer. JNIary J. Dodge. Althea F. Thompson. Jane McLane. *Garafilia 'SI. Sanborn. Jane L. Case. 1852. IMartha E. Pritchard. *C. Fannie Barr. *tHettie F. Wait. fRufus Sawyer. ♦Wallace St. C. Redman. 1S53. James Sumner. Joseph H. Noyes. *Emily E. Davis. *Mary T. Davis. *t Alice E. Gushing. *C. Ellen Loveren. *Ann E. Perkins. Mrs. E. H. Whitehouse. Miss A. E. Hunt. 1854. George H. Goreley. Lucretia A. Holland. *AIary C. Chsby. I^liss E. P. Winning. 1855. Miss E. T. Blaney. Miss S. A. Crowe'll. Miss L. .M. Hunt. 1856. Marianna H. Everett. Ellen M. Marcy. Carrie L. Perry. Miss E. S. Bailey. Zelinda L. Barnes. 1857. Mary A. Osgood. N. E. Gage. George R. Bradford. Amanda H. Porter. Zipporah Sa\v\er. *Martha A. Beck. *L. Maria Stetson. 1858. Mary Proctor. Miss M. F. Dillingham. Emily A. Hanna. 1859. *Clara W. Egery. i860. Arabella L. Babcock. Sophia R. Earle. Ellen J. Church. *Louisa M. Symmes. 1861. Emily J. Leonard. Susan B. Leeds. Abbv V. Getchell. *Ellen SI. Barr. Mary E. Hayden. Eliza B. Barry. 1862. Ella F. Snelling. *Emma S. Crouch. 1863. Charles A. Home. Anna A. Wilson. Sarah A. Fales. *Addie E. Dean. *Ellen SI. Pratt. *Hattie O. Emery. 294 HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 1864. Samuel C. Hunt. Emilv J. Odell. *Ella L. Burbank. Isabella C. Perry. Mary Ginn. *Julia Barker. Emerette O. Patch. 1865. *Maria L. Oliver. *Caroline B. Russell. *tEllen M. Lane. 1866. Augusta N. Osgood. Jacob O. Sanborn. fBenjamin F. Morrison. *Julia A. Warner. Lizzie J. Dean. 1867. Edward A. Drew. Brooks P. Merritt. *Ann J. Wild. *Abby S. .Morrill. 1868. Franklin Jacobs. John S. Hayes. *Martha A. Sampson. ♦Caroline Cushing. ;Mrs. Sarah K. Dean. *Lizzie E. Tufts. Edwin W. Cross. 1869. George C. Travis, jun. Abby J. Drew. *Agnes E. Hathaway. 1 8 70. Anna S. Osgood. *tMinnie L. Cotton. Henry Chase, ^lary G. Carleton. 1S71. Rosa H. Treadwell. 3iliss F. ]\L Kinsr. ♦Marietta T. Reed. *tlda L. Hartshorn. Charles B. Saunders. William H. White. Minton Warren. *f Jennie W. Waterman. 1873- Elizabeth L. Madigan. *Lizzie A. Mitchell. Ellen ^L Ayer. Miss L. H. Shaw. *.-\nna B. Goodwin. Mary F. Camp. *Mary E. \'aughan. *tH. Florence Burbeck. 1S74. Ida M. Oliver. Fred T. Farnsworth. Mrs. M. E. Crane. 1875. Lilla M. Barnard. Miss F. M. Davis. *Fannv G. Waterman. *tAddie M. Hollis. *Carrie A. Teele. *tEliza M. Gill. 1876. Homer C. Strong. Miss J. M. Williams. Miss J. E. Metcalf. Miss S. F. Hamblin. fLoren L. Dame. fLouis F. Hobbs. Edwin P. Sanborn. 1877. fL. J. Manning. fCaroline E. Swift. *tAnnie E. Durgin. 1878. Miss S. M. George. Mabel W. Saxe. *Emma D. Hadley. fMartha E. Haves. HISTORY OF MED FORD. 295 1879. *tEmma F. Gill. *tHelen T. Wild. *tAddie S. Heniott. Carrie E. Bullard. 1S80. tjohn H. Wardwell. *Lilly B. Atherton. *Gertrude Samson. *Leonora B. Bloom. 1S81. fCenevieve Sargent. *Cora D. Farmer. fMiss H. M. Eckman. 1882. *tNellie R. Sampson. *Lizzie B. Newhall. *tAmy W. Jones. 1S83. Dora B. Moody. *tElla L. Alden. 1884. Florence N. Robbins. fMary L. Poland. JEvelyn P. Huntington. Jeanne Kimberley. fCertrude S. Light. * Sarah M. Peasley. 1885. t Flora I. Towle. *t Jessie M. Dinsmore. tjulia R. White. *tEmilv A. Hobbs. fElla A. Leighton. *tEmma A. Davis. *tFannie A. Nickerson. Some of the changes which the school system has ex- perienced may here be noticed. Within forty years the sessions of thirty-three hours per week for forty-eight weeks in the year have, through many steps, been reduced to twenty-six hours per week for each of the forty weeks of required work. 1862. Music became a regular study in the high and grammar schools ; and Professor Henry G. Carey was elected to instruct each of those schools one hour per week. Since 1870 the intermediate and primary schools have shared his instruction one half-hour each two weeks, the regular teachers supplementing his work by a daily drill. Pianos, purchased mainly with money earned by the children in concerts given under Mr. Carey's direction in the town-hall, are used in the five higher schools. 1866. An evening school for the benefit of persons over fifteen years of age, and beyond the reach of the day schools, was established, and has been continued since during a few months of each winter. 1867. The course of study in the high school was re- duced, except for pupils in preparation for college, from four years to three. 1873. Drawing was made a regular study in all the schools. Professor B. W. Putnam of Boston was employed that year to meet all the teachers in a series of practical lessons, which should qualify them each to instruct their 296 HISTORY OF MEDFORD. own pupils. Great proficiency in the art has been the result. The high school alone has had the instruction of a special teacher in this department. The employment of a school supervisor was authorized by the town in 1873; and Mr. James A. Hervey was elected to that responsible position, and filled it with marked fidelity, discretion, and success for the next ten years. A successor has not yet been appointed. There were four male and twelve female teachers em- ployed by the town in 1854. Thirty-one years later there are six males and thirty females employed, besides the teachers in music and drawing. To show how promptly our town has taken the form and pressure of the times, we need only to state the annual expenditure for the support of the schools during the last fifty-three years. Commencing with 1832, when the appropriation was $1,200, the average annual expenditure (exclusive of build- ings) for successive periods, together with the average number of pupils, and the cost for each, has been as fol- lows : — Periods. 1S32-1S40 I84I-185O 185I-1860 186I-1870 187I-1880 1881-1885 Amount spent. $2,339 3^909 7,^54 , 14,988 . 27,368 ■ 30.513 No. of Pupils. Unknown 81S 1,123 IJ93 1483 Av. Cost. Unknown $9.60 1334 22.95 20.58 The school-committee were elected annually till 1857, when the statute was so changed as to require the election, except for unexpired terms, to be for three years. The seven men holding that office in 1846, and those elected since, with the year of their first election, and the number of years they have served since 1S45, are named below. Rev. Abijah R. Baker ... i Rev. Rosea Ballon, 2d, D.D. 4 James O. Curtis 2 Alexander Gregg 2 Timothy Cotting 7 Henrv F. Teele 2 Judah Loring i 1S47. Rev. Caleb Stetson .... i Hon. Sanford B. Perry ... 5 Horatio A. Smith Robert L. Ells . , 1S4S. Milton James . . A. K. Hathaway . John Taylor . . Benjamin R. Teele 1849. Oakman Joyce . . HISTORY OF MED FORD. 297 1S50. Henry Withington . . Charles S. Jacobs . . 1851. Rev. Abner B. Warner . Rev. Edward K. Fuller Henry Ta\lor . . . . Franklin Patch . . . 1853- Thomas S. Harlow , Talbot T. Fowler 1854. Edwin Wright . . . Samuel N. Sylvester Alvah N. Cotton . . 1S55. Hon. Elihu C. Baker Rev. Jacob M. Manning Rev. G. V. Maxham . 1856. Rev. Thomas E. Keeley Hon. James M. Usher . Nathan Richards . . . 1857. Rev. Charles Brooks George W. Gardner . . Thomas C. Newcomb . 1858. George D. Porter . . i860. Rev. Elias Nason . . Hon. Eleazar Boynton . 1861. Rev. John S. Barry . . Rev. George M. Preston 1S64. Hon. Daniel A. Gleason Baxter E. Perry, Esq. . 1865. Elwell Woodbury, M.D. 1866. Alfred Tufts N. T. Merritt 21 3 1867. Almarin F. Badger Godfrey Rider 1868. Rev. Charles H. Learoyd Hon. Benj. F. Hayes James A. Hervey . . 1869. James Hedenberg, M.D. Edwin M. Cleaves . , 1873- John C. Rand .... Rev. Solon Cobb . . . 1874. J. Gilman Waite . 1875. Zipporah Sawyer . 1877. Charlotte H. Perry 1881. Charles N. Jones . 1882. Charles F. Paige . , 1883. John L. Cofifin, M.D. 1885. William H. Breed , 4 6 15 II 9 3 4 298 HISTORY OF MED FORD. ACADEMIES. Medford has been famous for its excellent private schools. As early as 1790, Mr. William Woodbridge opened one for young ladies and boys, providing board in his own family for many who came from Boston and other places. He seems to have discovered, what is now so commonly known, that the surest way of having a select and full school was to ask the highest price. At first he met with some success in teaching, and educated several of the first women of the State. His academy was kept in the house formerly occupied by Col. Royal. At one time he had ninety-six girls and forty-two boys in his school. His sister and a male assist- ant were associated with him. Mr. Joseph Wyman of Woburn, who had kept the pub- lic school in Medford, built the house which, for more than a half-century, was owned by the Bigelow family, and there opened a private school for boys and girls. He taught only a few years. ]\Irs. Susanna Rawson, the proprietor of an overflowing boarding-school for girls in Boston, presuming that a country location would be better for herself and her pupils, canvassed various localities, and, settling upon Medford, leased Mr. Wyman's premises, and became his successor. That her school had many patrons, and was regarded with much favor by the town, is evinced by the following : — May 12. iSoo. "Voted that the second and third seats in the women's side oallery in the meeting-house be allowed Mrs. Rawson for herself and scholars; and that "she be allowed to put doors and locks on them." Mrs. Newton succeeded Mrs. Rawson, occupying the same house from 1803 to 1806. She was a native of Rhode Island, and sister of Gilbert Stuart, the painter. Her success was so great at one time, that she had sixty pupils, some of whom were foreigners, and many of them from neighboring States. Some of her pupils became distin- guished ladies in New England. The premises once occupied by these three popular schools, and tastefully improved by later occupants, are encompassed with pleasant memories. The writer, with many other citizens, can well recollect the two gardens of choice shrubbery in front of the buildings ; the double HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 299 row of stately trees fringing those gardens ; and the long avenue between them, which led from High Street to tlie mansion, and to the greenhouse in the rear. Those build- ings and most of those trees have disappeared ; and the grounds occupied by Mrs. Rawson's school (the most pop- ular, perhaps, at that time in the whole country) are now in the possession of Mr. J. W. Tufts and the Episcopal Church ; the apartment devoted to the Sunday school of that church being almost upon the identical spot which the schoolroom formerly covered. Dr. Luther Stearns (H. C. 1791) opened a classical school, first for girls, and afterwards for boys and girls, in his house, which fronted the entrance of Medford turn- pike, now known as Mystic Avenue. This was a board- ing-school, and but few children of Medford attended it. Dr. Stearns had been tutor of Latin at Cambridge, and ever showed ^ preference for that language. His school was filled with children from the first families of New England, with now and then a sprinkling of French and Spanish blood from the West Indies and other places. A kinder heart never beat in human bosom ; so kind and tolerant as to forbid that imperial rule and uncompro- mising decision so needful for a troop of boys. He pre- pared many young men for college. Dr. John Hosmer opened a private academy for boys, about the year 1806, and, by persevering fidelity, gained reputation. He built the large house on Forest Street, which, as our older readers will recollect, was afterwards occupied for so many years by Mr. John Angier for the same purpose. It has since been removed. He super- intended the amusements as well as the studies of his boarders. He was perhaps less of a scholar than a disci- plinarian ; yet he made skilful mathematicians and accom- plished linguists, because he made students. He taught his pupils the force of this sentence : Sic volo ; sic jiibeo ; Stat pro ratione vohtiitas. He was neither severe nor unreasonable ; for, under a soldier's sternness, there nes- tled something of a lover's good-will. In May, 181 1, Miss Ann Rose of London opened a day-schooF for girls in the brick edifice known as the " Fort " on " Governor's Lane ; " and in November, 1812, she and Miss Hannah Swan of Medford converted it into a boarding-school, and soon found their house filled with young ladies from the best families in the State. The 300 HISTORY OF MEDFORD. good influences of this academy can hardly be over-stated. Uniting extensive literary accomplishments with the high- est moral qualifications, these ladies performed their legis- lative and executive duties with dignity and quietness, and labored to give that instruction which develops all the powers for health, usefulness, and station. They lived to receive showers of blessings from grateful pupils. Mr. John Angier (H. C. 1821) opened a boarding-school for boys and girls. May i, 182 1. Having already acquired a reputation as teacher, and being as highly esteemed as he was well known in Medford, his success came early and copiously. He devoted his whole mind and time to his duties, and had a crowded school as testimony to his fidelity and usefulness. For twenty years his school grew in popularity ; and there was general regret when his health compelled him to resign it in 1841. During his teaching he had five hundred new scholars: some remained seven years with him. Among his pupils he counted Chief Justice Gilchrist of New Hampshire, and Justice Benja- min R. Curtis of the Supreme Court of the United States, The many of both sexes whom he sent forth rejoicing in the way of knowledge and virtue will ever remember him with deepest gratitude. The private boarding-school for young ladies, taught for twenty-four years with signal success by Miss Eliza Bradbury, was deservedly ranked among the most useful seminaries within the neighborhood of Boston. Devoting herself to the most substantial and important branches of education, she produced the most durable and happy results. Her pupils were mostly from other towns, and several of them from the most elevated families. Mr. A. K. Hathaway (A. C. 1836), a man of ripe schol- arship and large experience in teaching, opened an Eng- lish and classical day-school on Ashland Street in 1846. Success attended his enterprise, and a boarding depart- ment was soon added, which received a respectable patron- age from this and other States, and from the island of Cuba. At the height of its prosperity the school was dis- persed by the death of its founder in i860. Other private schools, less extensive in numbers and of shorter duration, have done their share in the good work, and been a credit to the town. For more than half a century, the excellent schools of Medford have presented a strong inducement for strangers to settle among us. HISTORY OF MED FORD. 301 GRADUATES OF COLLEGE FROM MEDFORD, WITH THE YEARS OF THEIR GRADUATION. [The suffixed abbreviations represent Amherst, Bowdoin, Dartmouth, Harvard, Tufts, Yale, Williams, and Massachusetts Agricultural Colleges, and Boston and VVesleyan Universities.] Thomas Tufts (H. C.) . John Tufts (H.C.) . . Simon Tufts (H. C.) . . Ammi R. Cutter (H. C.) . Joshua Tufts (H. C.) . . Sim(Mi Tufts (H. C.) . . William Whitmore (H. C.) Cotton Tufts (H. C.) . . Samuel Brooks (H. C.) . William Symmes (H. C.) Edward Brooks (H. C.) . Simon Tufts (H. C.) . . John Bishop (H. C.) . . Ephraim Hall (H.C). . Cotton Tufts (H. C.) . . George H. Hall (H. C.) . John^Brooks (H. C.) . . Hall Tufts Aaron Hall Putnam (H. C.) Daniel Swan (H. C.) . . John Brooks (H. C.) . . Joseph Hall William C. Woodbridge Edward Brooks (H. C.) . David Osgood (H. C.) . Andrew Bigelow(H. C.) . Gorham I:)rooks (H. C.) . Jonathan Porter (H. C.) . John P. Bigelow (H. C.) . Convers Francis (H. C). Charles Brooks (H. C.) . William Ward (H. C.) . Sidney Brooks (H. C.) . Thomas .Savage Clay (H.C.) William H. Furness (H.C.) Edward B. Hall (H. C.) . George B. Osborn (H. C.) Ward C. Brooks (H. C). Charles Angier (H. C.) . Elijah N. Train (H. C.) . John James Gilchrist (H.C.) Joseph Angier (H. C.) NathanielHall (H. C.) . George Clisby (\V. C.) . Thompson Kidder (W. C.) Horace James (Y. C.) . . Andrew D. Blanchard (H.C.) 701 708 724 725 736 744 744 749 749 750 ISl 767 776 776 777 781 787 794 800 803 805 807 811 812 S13 814 814 814 815 ■815 816 816 819 819 820 820 820 822 827 827 S28 829 834 831 836 840 1S42 Horace D. Train (A. C). . Benjamin L. Swan (H. C.) . Timothy Bigelow (H. C.) . James A. Hervey (H. C.) . Albert Y. Sawyer (H. C.) . Thomas Meriam Stetson (H.C.) George D. Porter (H. C.) . Peter C. Brooks (H.C). . Gorham Train (A. C) . . .Samuel C Lawrence (H. C), William L. Thompson (D.C) Albert B. Weymouth (H.C), Geo. A. Newcomb (W. U.) . James B. Gregg (H. C) . . James R. Carret (H. C) Frank P. Stearns (H. C) , Ilarker B. .Sherman (H. C), Thomas S. Davis (T. C) George L. Fernald (T. C.) . Dudley H. Bradley (H. C). George W. Mills (M. A. C), Charles !\I. Green (H. C) . C Royal Wallace (Y. C) . James E. Cleaves (H. C) . Frederic H. Kidder (H. C), Edmund T. Hastings (H.C), Richard J. Dwyer(H.C) . Godfrey Rider, jun. (H C), Charles A. Hamilton (H.C), Rosewell B. Lawrence (H. C) William B. Lawrence (H.C), Nehemiah Boynton (A. C) . Lee Clartin Hascall (B. U.) . John B. Gilman (H. C) . . William P. Martin (B. C) . Fred Gowing (T. C) . . . Edward W. Presho (T. C) . Frank P. Spaulding (D. C), Montgomerv A. Crockett (H.^C) . ' William C Wait (H. C) . Christopher G. Plunkett (B.U.) George J. Porter (H. C) Philip G. Wright (T. C) . 102 HISTORY OF MEDFORD. CHAPTER XII. THE PUBLIC LIBRARY. This library had its origin in the Medford Social Library, so called, which was founded in 1825, by a society, whose design, as set forth in their constitution, was to collect books, "promotive of piety and good morals," and to aid in "the diffusion of valuable information." The shares in the library were placed at one dollar each, and made subject to a tax of fifty cents a year. Each proprietor could take out two volumes at a time ; and any person, by paying ten dollars or more in one pay- ment, could become an honorary member for life, entitled to use books as a shareholder, without tax or assessment. By the will of Turell Tufts, Esq., who died in 1842, the interest of five hundred dollars was secured to this library, the principal being in charge of the town as a perpetual trust ; and it was provided that the income should be ex- pended annually for valuable books. This library served its patrons silently but effectively for thirty years. But its growth was not satisfactory ; and as the Legislature, in 185 1, had authorized towns to establish and maintain libraries by taxation to the extent of twenty-five cents for each ratable poll, it was thought that, by availing themselves of the act, the library asso- ciation could make their books, then numbering 1,125 volumes, more useful to the town than they were. That thought became a public sentiment ; and at the annual town-meeting, March 12, 1855, Messrs. William Raskins, Judah Loring, and Charles Cummings were made a committee to confer with the trustees of the Social Library in regard to making its collection of books the property of the town, and in that way the basis of a larger public institution. This committee reported progress at a subsequent meet- ing ; and two hundred dollars were appropriated for the HISTORY OF MEDFORD. 303 town library, if satisfactory arrangements should be made with the stockholders of the Social Library. The com- mittee were continued in office, charged with the duty of consummating the work so well begun, and of making necessary rules and regulations for the management of the town library. They reported on the loth of March, 1856, the follow- ing compact : — The undersigned, committee of the trustees of the Medford Social Library, having; been authorized at an adjournment of the last annual meeting of the stockholders of said library, to transfer, in behalf of said stockholders, the use of the books in said library, as the foun- dation of a permanent town library, to be supported and managed by the authority of the town ; and Messrs. William Haskins, Charles Cummings, and Judah Loring, having been chosen by the town in April last to act for the town in this matter : we agree by this writ- ing in behalf of said stockholders, to transfer to them, and through them to the town of Medford, the books, shelves, etc., of said Social Library, and also the annual income from the funds of said library ; said income to be applied for the benefit of said library ; reserving only to said stockholders the privilege of having said books, etc., re- turned to them in good order (reasonable wear excepted) whenever in the judgment of said stockholders the town does not provide reason- able care and good management for said books. (Signed) Peter C. Hall, Medford, Feb. 22, 1S56. Alvah N. Cotton, [ Committee. The report of the committee, including the library reg- ulations, was accepted and adopted ; and one hundred and fifty dollars were added to the appropriation made the preceding year. Charles Cummings, Peter C. Hall, and Alvah N. Cotton were chosen as the "Library Committee;" and they proceeded to purchase books, prepare a catalogue, and furnish a room in which to place the library. The room they furnished was on the second floor of the railway-station ; and the library, with about thirteen hun- dred volumes on its shelves, was first open to the public July 26, 1856. The name "Medford Social Library" was changed to that of " Medford Tufts Library," in honor of Turell Tufts, whose bequest has been mentioned ; but the name was again changed, in 1866, by vote of the town, and the library was called "The Medford Public Library." The library hours were at first from two to four o'clock, and from seven to nine p.m. on Saturday only ; but this 304 HISTORY OF MED FORD. provision did not satisfy the public ; and the hours were gradually increased, until the library was open twenty- three hours every week. This institution so increased in prosperity, that it soon outgrew its accommodations, and in 1861 was removed to a commodious room in Usher's Block, on High Street, where it remained until 1869, when rooms were secured for it in the basement of the town-house, and tastefully fitted up by a committee appointed for that purpose, in whose hands was placed an appropriation of $500 by vote of the town, in March of the last-named year. A reading-room was opened, in connection with the library, under the general direction of the committee ; and its tables were well supplied with the prominent English and American reviews, magazines, and popular periodicals, together with cyclopaedias, dictionaries of several lan- guages, gazetteers, maps, etc., for general reference. The people of the town, young and old, frequented these rooms, and accorded to the very helpful institution their hearty commendation and increasing patronage. But progress was not to end there. The town had done nobly ; and to supplement its generous action, a citizen made to the town the following proposition : — Medford, Jan. 22, 1875. To THE SeLECTMEX OF THE TOWN OF MeDFORD, IVIaSS. GeiitleDien, — Feeling a deep interest in the welfare and prosper- ity of my native town, I am induced to make the following commu- nication, with the request that it be laid before the town of Medford, at the annual meeting to be holden in March next. It has been ver\- gratifying to me to notice the interest taken by the town in the support and maintenance of a Public Library for the use of its citizens, by the very liberal annual appropriation for that object ; and it has occurred to me that the time is not very far distant when a public building especially devoted to this purpose will be ab- solutely necessary. With this view of the case, I beg now to tender to the inhabitants of Medford in their corporate capacity the " Man- sion House" of my late honored father, situated on the northerly side of High Street, in this village, to be always retained by them, and to be forever devoted exclusively to the purpose of a town library, to- gether with so much of the land connected therewith, as is bounded and described as follows, viz. . . . and which contains about sixteen thousand three hundred and fifty-five square feet, more or less. And I also beg to offer to the town one thousand dollars to be devoted to the purpose of providing black-walnut shelves or book- cases, and otherwise furnishing the building (particularly the lower story) for library purposes. -^ ^ C/^^Z^^^^^^^^^ "^-2-^1 HISTORY OF MEDFORD. j^:) The building inside and outside has been recently put in the most perfect repair; and my intention is to present it to the inhabitants of Medford in their corporate capacity, just as it is, with all the expen- sive bronze gas-hxtures, marble statues and vases, vvater-tixtures, etc. Very respectfully your most obedient servant, Thatcher Magoun. Under date of March 5 of the same year, Mr. Ma