MAJOR GEN. BURBANK An Early Paper Maker* By JOHN C CRANE. From the Proceedings of the Worcester Society of Antiqtiity, 1895. Worcester, Mass.: F. S. Blanchard & Co., 34 Front St. 1896. ^^' MAJOR GEN. CALEB BURBANK. MAJOR GEN. BURBANK, AN EARLY PAPER MAKER. John C. Crane. John Burbaxk of Rowley, Mass., was the first ancestor of our subject in this country, comnig to that place at an early day and being made a Freeman in 1640. Among his children we find Caleb of Newbury. Bradford, Fitchburg, Holliston, Newbury, Rowley, Springfield, Weston and other places have furnished a long list of descendants, who have made for themselves names prominent in the civil, the military and the religious world. Ebenezer Burbank of Weston, in the Colonial service in 1765, carried a flint-lock musket and two engraved powder-horns, which are still in existence and are highly prized by his descendants. Samuel Burbank of Holliston, born at Wobum, Mass., was a lieutenant at Bunker Hill, and afterwards commanded a company in Rhode Island under Gen. Sullivan. Sullivan Burbank, son of Samuel, was in the war of 181 2, and later was stationed at Fort Snelling, Minn. His record in the service is a long and honorable one. There is before me, as I write, an old account book. As I turn its leaves to the light, I behold the water-mark, "C. Burbank, 1804." Let us look up a little this Burbank family of Millbury and ancient Sutton. Its first representative here was Abijah, of old Newbury, and son of Caleb of that town. Just when he came to Sutton I will not undertake to say, but he was there in 1761, when the records show the subject of this sketch to have been born. I have in my possession the high-chair in which the chil- dren of Abijah Burbank sat as they came in the order of their birth. Supposing it to have been new when his first child, Caleb, was born, it is now 134 years old. Abijah Burbank settled on what is known as Burbank hill at Bramanville, one of the beauti- ful elevations in the now town of Millbury. In response to the request of a county convention, he began in a small way, in 1776, the manufacture of paper at Sutton. The village about was for some years after known as Burbankville, but now 2 Proceedings. Bramanville, Millbury. This was on what is now known as Sin- gletary brook, in olden time often called Burbank river. There is at Worcester a piece of paper found at Millbury which bears the water-mark "A. B.," and is supposed to have been made by the elder Burbank. It has been a matter of conjecture where Abijah Burbank obtained his knowledge of paper-making. It is fair to presume that the art, crude though it may have been, was learned by him in the old mill at Milton, the one first established in New England by act of General Court in 1728. At the latter mill Stephen Crane, Jr., a brother of Zenas Crane, the pioneer paper- maker of Berkshire county, also learned the business. Upon be- coming proficient at it, Stephen Crane, Jr., established a mill at Newton Lower Falls, where his brother, Zenas, was to later first try his hand at the trade. Having acquired some knowledge of the business, we next hear of Zenas being in the employ of Gen. Burbank, at Worcester, at the old mill of Isaiah Thomas. The first year of the present century found Zenas Crane at Dal- ton, Mass., establishing the manufacture of paper there, which business still continues in the family. For seven years Abijah Burbank continued the industry at Sutton, initiating his sons, Caleb and Elijah, into its mysteries, when the business passed into their hands. In 1780 the General Court called upon Sutton to furnish thirty-one men for the army, and Capt. Abijah Burbank was of the Town Committee to procure the same. He is supposed to have held a commission in the Colonial service, although his name does not appear in the list published. In 1781, with Col. Jonathan Holman, he was on the Board of Selectmen. In 1 783, the closing year of the Revolution, he sold, as before stated, his interest in the paper mill. Of the next thirty years of his hfe we learn but little, but they are supposed to have been passed in the quiet and peaceful pur- suit of agriculture. In 1813, the natal year of Millbury, his Hfe work ended. Just outside the town in the old Country Bridge burying-ground, surrounded by possibly a score of the patriots of 1775, ^^ waits the resurrection morn. A huge slab of slatestone at his grave reads as follows : Major Gen. Caleb Burbank. 3 CAPT. ABIJAH BURBANK. Died 1813, Aged 77, The Massachusetts Spy used the paper made at the Sutton mill for some years, and at times found it hard to secure enough of it. One kind of paper was here made called Pott- paper, a heavy, coarse article, yet it found a ready sale. Some of it was made up in form something like the writing books used in our day, and the covers bore pictures that no doubt delighted the eyes of our fathers and mothers. The following was found on a leaf from an old account book in Millbury : Sutton, June 2j, 1804. CALEB BURBANK, Cr. By 2 Reams Paper, $2.00 " I " Pott, 2.66 Dr. to 2 3-4 cut Rags, at 5.00, S13.75. The additional accounts, from the same source, mention names not unknown in local history. June 2J, 1804. CAPT. JOHN SIBLEY, Dr. Two Gills W. L Rum, 09 June 2 J, 1804. GEN'L JONATHAN DAVIS, Dr. To 5 1-4 gall. W. I. Rum, $5.20. The next account was that of the father of Thomas Blanchard, of eccentric lathe fame. 4 Proceedings. Sutton, June 27, 1804.. SAMUEL BLANC HARD, Dr. 2 qts. Rum, .30 2 " Molasses, .20 I Whetstone, .10 The latter, probably, to sharpen his appetite with. Gen. Burbank was a man generous to a fault. In 1S12 the house of Stephen Blanchard at West Millbury was burned. While viewing the ruins the day following, the General came upon Mr. Blanchard, and, after expressing sympathy for him, presented him with ;?i,ooo to help rebuild. Millbury received her name from the General, and his was signed to the petition calling the first meeting of its inhabitants. In 1815 a man not unknown to fame, Thomas Blanchard, served Millbury as one of her field-drivers, and a year later Gen. Burbank wielded the long-pole as one of her tithingmen, being succeeded in 181 7 by John Brewer Blanchard, a brother of the great inventor. Caleb Burbank early imbibed the military spirit, and from an humble position rose to be major general of the state militia. His record, furnished me by the courtesy of Representative Crane, is as follows : Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Adjutant General's Office. Boston, April 18, i8gs. Ellerv B. Crane, Esq., House of Representatives : Sir : — In reply to your verbal inquiry of this date, you are in- formed that the records of this office show as follows in the case of Caleb Burbank : 5th Regiment, ist Brigade, 7th Division. Caleb Burbank of Sutton was commissioned lieutenant Aug. 25, 1790; promoted captain. May 26, 1794; major, May 24, 1797 ; lieutenant-colonel commandant, .April 13, 1801 ; brigadier general, April 15, 1807; major general 7th Division, June 15, 1813; removed by court martial and cashiered, Oct. 21, 1818. Respectfully, SAMUEL DALTON, Adjutant General, Major Gen. Caleb Bur bank. 5 In 181 S charges were preferred against Gen. Burbank to His Excellency John Brooks, Governor and Commander-in-Chief. The charges were neglect of duty and unmilitary conduct. To the charge "neglect of duty," there were two specifications, and on the charge of "unmilitary conduct," there were five. The Massachusetts Spy of August, 1818, said : MILITARY. We understand that the court of inquiry lately held at Worcester, of which Maj. Gen. Crane was President, on charges against Maj. Gen. Burbank, of the 7th Division, and Col. Burbank, his Division Inspector, have reported in favor of a court martial, which, we learn, is to be held at Worcester on the 8th of September, and of which Maj. Gen. Goodwin is ap- pointed President. The trial, which was held in Worcester, lasting fourteen days, resulted in the foUoAving as the judgment of the court : The court having heard and considered the evidence which has been adduced, both for and against Maj. Gen. Burbank, and what he has offered in his defense, are of opinion and decide that, as to the second specification of the charge " for neglect of duty," and the second specification of the charge for " unmilitary conduct," the Major General was not holden to answer. That of the first and fourth specifications of the charge for " unmilitary con- duct," and of the third additional specification of the same charge. Major General Burbank is not guilty ; that of the first specification of the charge for " neglect of duty," of the third and fifth specifications of the charge for "unmilitary conduct," of the first, second and fourth additional specifications of the same charge, and of the specification of the charge for " unmilitary conduct," and of oppression of his inferior officers, as stated in the complaint of Capt. Ezra Nelson, Major General Burbank is guilty. The defendant made an extended and spirited defense, but was, notwithstanding, cashiered and removed from the service. He later put forth a pamphlet of sixty pages endeavoring to justify his mihtary conduct. The title page read as follows : 5 Proceedings. "DEFENCE OF MAJOR GENERAL CALEB BURBANK, AND The Argument of the Complainants, BEFORE The General Court- Martial, whereof Maj. Gen. Nathaniel Goodwin was President, held at Worcester on the 8th day of September, 1818, AGAINST Charges Preferred against him HV Col. Prentice Cushinc; and Others." Worcester: Printed by William Manning, January, 1S19. In the introduction to his pamphlet the General said : The surprise created by the extraordinary result of the trial of Major General Burbank has awakened a strong desire in many to see some account of it laid before the public. * * * * It is but justice to declare that the enemies of General Bur- bank had long industriously sought after matter of accusation against him, and had been forward, on all occasions, to misrep- Major Gen. Caleb Bur bank. 7 resent his conduct and calumnate his character. * * * * That the General has been grossly abused and misrepresented, is a fact so notorious in his division that it is difificult to find an impartial man who does not censure the conduct of those who have done it. That he took no measures to counteract the effect produced, is a fact equally notorious. That the design of mis- representing his conduct and character was to mislead public opinion, and create unfavorable impressions in the minds of the court by encouraging a belief that he was at variance with the officers of the division, and that harmony could not be re- stored, except by his removal, — is also an undeniable truth. How far this, though false in point of fact, has produced the effect de- signed, the public will judge after examining the complaints, the evidence adduced in support thereof, and the defense to the same. It is not the design of the General to im- peach the motives of the court, for, however erroneous their decision, he does them the justice to say he be- lieves their intentions were upright. He has, however, deemed it an act of justice due to himself to lay before a candid public the foregoing facts, as connected with the issue of his trial, that the public, with whom he is willing to entrust his character and reputation, may decide whether he has not been treated with too much severity. If he were alone in the opinion that such is the fact, he might distrust his own judgment, but he does not hesitate to say that the sentiments of a great number of highly respecta- ble and intelligent men concur with his. The General thus closes his pamphlet : The defendant will, with a few additional observations, take his leave of the reader. He hopes, in estimating his character, broad assertions, couched in the most harsh, ungentlemanly language, will not be mistaken for proof of guilt. Indeed, he cannot persuade him- self that any facts disclosed on the trial can by possibility fix on him the imputation of " meanness, baseness, or a disregard of the rights of others." * * * * Indeed, is it not manifest when, in the execution of duty, a doubtful question arises that an officer can do nothing more than decide it according to his own conviction, or call to his aid the counsel and advice of emi- nent men, and adopt their opinions, if not repugnant to his own judgment? He must on such occasions act judiciously, and if his motives are pure, he is no more responsible for the correct- ness of his decision than the Judges of the Common Pleas are 8 Proceedings. for such judgments as are reversed or overruled by the Supreme Court. It is, however, for an alleged offense of this description that the defendant has been removed from office, and the pub- lic will judge whether he has not cause to complain of unreasona- ble severity. The court could not have been blind to these considerations, and must therefore have been influenced to de- cide in the manner they have, from causes already mentioned. The complainants demanded "a striking example of punishment,'' to correct the disorders themselves had created, and the de- fendant has been sacrificed to atone for their misdeeds. Much sympathy was expressed for him at his removal from office, and later measures were put on foot by his friends to have him reinstated. Many who at first were found to be against him, acknowledged the punishment he received to be too severe, and thought his mistakes, if any, did not warrant such harsh measures. For some reason or other, the attempt at reinstate- ment was abandoned, and to the last. General Burbank felt great injustice had been done him. Notwithstanding all this, the Gen- eral in 1819 was honored by his fellow citizens of Millbury with a seat in the Great and General Court, and the same year headed the Hst of jurors. Up to 1820, the two long sermons of Priest Goffe were preached at the church on the old Common, in an atmosphere which in winter was chilling indeed, the edifice being heated only by the foot-stoves brought by the worshipers. This year, 1820, the General with others were a committee to provide for a stove or stoves, " provided the same are procured by subscription." This was the vote passed by the town, and the committee were chosen by the town also. At the foot of the hill on which the church stood was the distillery of Dr. Braman, and tradition has it that some of the brethren warmed up there a little at the noon inter- mission. July 5, 1824, occurred a union celebration of Inde- pendence day at Sutton, and the address was given by Rev. L. Ives Hoadley, pastor of the Calvinist Church, Worcester. Caleb Burbank was Chairman of the committee to acknowledge the favor, and the following letter shows how the orator was appre- ciated : Major Gen. Caleb Burbank. 9 Worcester, yiily 6, 1824.. Sir: The undersigned perform a service very grateful to their own feelings when, as a committee for that purpose, they present you the thanks of the citizens who assembled at Sutton on the 5 th inst. to commemorate the birthday of the American republic, for the appropriate and excellent address delivered on that occasion, and request a copy for the press. Caleb Burbank, Jonathan Going, Daniel Waldo. Rev. L. Ives Hoadley It was later published in a small pamphlet, but probably few copies are now extant. Old residents, now passed away, have described to me the appearance of Gen. Burbank as he often rode horseback over the old bridle-path from the outlet of Singletary lake to and from his paper mill at Bramanville. His was a familar figure on this route, and fond he was of the exercise. He loved a fine turnout, and he had it too. His style was a little " English, you know," and he loved the distinction which his military title had given him. But his pride was pardonable in the minds of his fellow citizens, for his heart was warm with good feeling toward all. The General, when in the service, gloried in fine military trappings, and drew satisfaction from their frequent display. His orders during the second conflict with the mother country were dated " Headquarters, Millbury," with all the pomp and precision of a commander on the field of battle, and were to be obeyed to the letter. A man of mild and gentle temperament, yet he is said to have been a strict master to those employed by him. Business was business ; that and that only was to be attended to during working hours. His mansion house, which stood on Burbank hill, overlooking a large part of the town, was a fine structure for those days, and many distinguished men there enjoyed the Gen- eral's hospitality. The old building is still standing near the old location, having received some slight modifications. Scattered I o Proceedings. here and there the region about, may still be seen some of the now highly-prized blue ware and china that once decorated the General's table, before the iron horse displaced the raging canawl or the stomach of the Blackstone heaved and rebelled at the noxious dose prescribed for it. A few hundred rods from his residence was Wigwam hill, strewn with relics and fragments of Indian handicraft, and where the Nipmuck of early times watched his pale brother in seed-time and harvest. In full strength of manhood Gen. Burbank witnessed the birth of Millbury and christened her for all time. Her inter- ests were his, and the universal testimony of his contemporaries who survived him attested the truth of this declaration. In the days of long ago, when the old Common was in the flush of her glory, and her training ground resounded with the tread of armed men, the glorious Fourth of July was there celebrated with vigor. On one of these occasions Gen. Burbank was called upon for a toast. The punch bowl having been freely used, as was the custom in those days, the General forgot the fact that he was still in the flesh, and also that he was not in the Revolutionary war, and responded with the following : " Here's to the heroes of the Revolution, who fought, bled and died for liberty, and, thank God, I was one of 'em." On the occasion of another celebration at the same place, a balloon ascension was on the programme. This was during the anti-Mason excitement, and the General being opposed to the brethren of the square and compass, brought the matter up in and out of season. As the air-ship gracefully rose into the air, Gen. Burbank swung his hat and exclaimed, "Anti- Masonry is arising, is arising," and as the word "is " was spoken for the third time, the balloon exploded and the General finished with " is busted." This paper makes no pretension in any way to be a history of paper-making at Millbury or elsewhere. It is merely an attempt to gather up scattered fragments relating to one who in his day was a pioneer in the art, — a factor in the making of that material on which such illustrious men as Franklin, Thomas and Major Gen. Caleb Burbank. i r others have stamped and given to the world the thought of noble minds. Mr. E. B. Crane of Worcester has given to this society, and through it to the country at large, a valuable contribution on paper-making in Worcester county. The historic value of his production is great, and portions of it have been widely copied. I have been informed by him that some paper has recently been brought to light made at the Thomas mill, Worcester, in the last century, which compares quite favorably with that of the present day. Of our subject Mr. Crane says, in his paper on " Early Paper Mills in Massachusetts : " " For some time Gen. Burbank lived to enjoy with his numerous friends the fruits of his success and prosperity as a business man, and for more than half a century he continued the manufacture of paper in this mill. He also published various books used at that time in the schools, together with hymn and tune books." A short time ago I found one of these books at Sutton, the title page of which reads as follows : "THE PSALMS OF DAVID, Imitated in the Language of the New Testament, and applied to the Christian State and Worship, By ISAAC WATTS, D. D." Sutton (Mass.) : Printed by SEW ALL GOODRIDGE For Caleb Burbank. Sold by him at Wholesale and Retail, iSoS. 1 2 Proceedings. I have also seen books bearing the name of Elijah Burbank as the publisher. A great misfortune came to General Burbank at being cashiered as a military officer of the state. Sixteen years after came a cul- mination in his financial affairs, after long years of prosperity. On Jan. 22, 1834, the following was promulgated : ASSIGNEE'S NOTICE. Notice is hereby given that Caleb Burbank of Millbury, by deed of indenture, dated the iSth inst., assigned all his real and personal property, including his book accounts, to the subscribers for the benefit of his creditors. Any creditor of the said Burbank, named in said assignment, who shall express his assent in writing to said assignment, within thirty days from the date thereof, will become entitled to the benefit of its provisions. Amasa Wood, John Jacobs, Abraham G. Randall. Later appeared the following : By consent of parties, will be sold at Gen. Burbank's mill, on 14th of May, 1834, 3 mules, 12 spinning frames, 30 power looms, 12 breakers, 10 finishing cards, 2 belted and 2 Taunton speeders, and all other machinery in the cotton factory. Also a large lot of various kinds of paper and other articles in the paper mill, farming tools, etc. Billings Hobart, Deputy Sheriff. This was the beginning of the end of the General's long con- tinued prosperity. The evil day had come at last as the result of attempts to uphold his brother Elijah. By this vicissitude of fortune, Caleb Burbank lost all but honor, and went down to rise no more as a business man of Millbury. The sympathy, after his fall was fully completed, extended to all classes, as they realized that poverty was at last the heritage of him who had done so much for Millbury in the days of his pros- perity. Major Ge7i. Caleb Burbank. 13 One of the original proprietors of Sutton was Nathaniel Waters of Salem, and his grandson, Asa, was the proprietor of the first armory and the first powder mill in the county, both built in that town. For his first wife, Gen. Burbank married Lucy, the daughter of the above Asa, she being born at Sutton in 1765 She dying in 1823, he married, second, Hannah, daughter oi David Smith of Rutland, Mass. He left no descendants. In the Second Parish burying-ground at West Millbury, he rests at the right of his two consorts, — life's battle over. Around lie representatives of the early families of the Sutton of other times. A modest marble slab bears this inscription : MAJOR GENERAL CALEB BURBANK, Died December 9, 1849, Aged 88 years. Through the kindness of Mrs. Dr. Leonard Spaulding, I came in possession of the old arm rocking-chair used by General Burbank in the closing days of his life. It is low seated, with a high spin- dle back, the arms highly polished from service. It is valued as a relic of one who had much to do in making Millbury a place of historic interest, and who during his long and useful life mani- fested a deep concern as to what her future should be. To the end that she might progress in all things right, while fortune smiled he gave liberally to every enterprise tending to her up- building. In 1808 Gen. Leonard Burbank was the owner of a mill at Fitchburg, which was for many years known as the Bur- bank paper mill. Leonard was a son of Elijah Burbank, who was a brother of Gen. Caleb, and early in the business of paper- making at Worcester as well as at Sutton. Gardner S. Burbank, whose name was for many years associated with that of his uncle, Gen. Caleb, removed from the town of Russell to Fitchburg in 1 85 1, the outcome of which event was the firm of Crocker, Bur- bank & Co., thus perpetuating the family name as paper-makers. Gardner was a native of Montpelier, Vt., and son of Silas 1 4 Proceedings. •and grandson of Abijah Burbank, the founder of the paper-mak- ing industry at Sutton. After a life full of usefulness, Mr. Bur- bank died at Fitchburg in 1888, leaving as a lasting monument to his name a munificent fund for a hospital for the poor and un- fortunate, without regard to race or color. A few feet from the last resting-place of Gen. Burbank at West Millbury, lie the re- mains of a Revolutionary soldier, being in life no less a person- age than Peter Willard, a colored man, whose portrait, by Jere- miah Stiles, may be found in the custody of this Society. The following document gives the facts as regards the death of Peter : To THE Hon. Nathaniel Paine, Judge of Probate for the County of Worcester : Humbly shows that whereas Peter Willard, late resident in Worcester, being a state pauper, having fallen sick in Millbury and died there, having fallen under the care of the Selectmen of the said town of Millbury, and incurred some expense, we therefore Tequest your honor, if you see fit, to grant a letter of administra- tion to John Jacobs of said Millbury, whereby he may be enabled to draw a pension, which appears to have been due to said Peter previous to his death, in order that said Selectmen may thereby defray the above state expenses occasioned by the death of this -state pauper. Caleb Burbank, Millbury, Rufus Barton, May 3, 18 19. Hartwell Hayward. Letters of administration were granted as requested, and the amount received was used to pay the expenses incurred by the sickness and death of the dusky patriot, but until May last no stone was raised to tell his " name or station, age or race." The General and his cotemporaries have passed away — the old paper mill is a thing of the past. On its site the mills of Lapham with clattering looms furnish the means of subsistence to hundreds of men and women. Here for a hundred and twenty years the waters of Singletary have sent the mill wheels round and round. The hill of Burbank towers as of yore, overlooking this scene of industry. The gray frowning rocks of Wigwam rear Major Gen. Caleb Burbank. 15 themselves now as in the past, but the men and women of Bur- bank's day have tried the great unknown. The bridge of Cow- ing near the junction of Burbank's river and that of Blackstone is tottering to its fall. High above a mammoth structure of iron replaces that of early-time. Across, speeded with lightning, rush the cars, whose destination in Millbury ends at Burbank square. The progress of Millbury has been slow, with many discourage- ments, but something has been gained, something won. Another generation has come, and other men occupy her business fields. The soil of Millbury by the blessing of God yet giveth increase, and the tillers of our domain make true the words of our own loved poet Whittier : And now, with autumn's moonlit eves, Its harvest time has come; We pluck away the frosted leaves, And bear the treasure home. There, richer than the fabled gift, Apollo showered of old; Fair hands the broken grains shall sift. And knead its meal of gold. Let earth withhold her goodly root, Let mildew blight the rye. Give to the worm the orchard's fruit, The wheat-field to the fly. But let the good old crop adorn The hills our fathers trod; Still let us, for his golden corn, Send up our thanks to God ! nsi^h c THE LIBRARY UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA Santa Barbara THIS BOOK IS DUE ON THE LAST DATE STAMPED BELOW. Series 9482 UC SOUTHERN REGIONAL LIBRARY FACILITY D 000 503 034 1 jpfta-^OJtt Newark • Los Angeles Brantford, Ontario