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 GOVERNOR WINTHROP'S FARM. 
 
 A CHAPTER OF OLD BEDFORD HIST(3RY. 
 
 By Abrani English Broto/i. 
 
 IT was an early custom in the Colony 
 of Massachusetts Bay to reward the 
 labors of leading men by grants of 
 the common lands. When John Win- 
 throp, the "father of the colony" and 
 "founder of Boston," arrived with his 
 associates at Salem, there were thousands 
 of acres extending inland from tide 
 water, of which but little was known, 
 save that they were inhabited by Indians 
 and wild beasts. Samoset's " Welcome, 
 Englishmen," confirmed by Massasoit, 
 was the greeting which encouraged the 
 Pilgrims to penetrate the wilderness about 
 Plymouth, within sound of their own 
 
 guns, which they had early planted on 
 the brow of the hill. A company, in 
 which were unprincipled men, had begun 
 the settlement of Wassagusset, (Wey- 
 mouth), and pushed inland far enough 
 to arouse the animosity of the natives 
 by injudicious treatment. The few set- 
 tlers at Saugus (Lynn) and Mishawum 
 (Charlestown) had been too much oc- 
 cupied in their struggling settlements to 
 peer far into the wilderness beyond them. 
 John Endicott and his Puritan followers 
 had scarcely time to establish homes for 
 themselves at Naumkeag (Salem), when 
 the " great immigration " took place, and 
 
32G 
 
 GOVERNOR WINTER OP'S FARM. 
 
 John Winthrop came as Governor, with 
 Thomas Dudley as the Deputy. Five 
 days after the arrival of these eminent 
 men at Salem, the former records in his 
 diary: "Thursday 17 (June) We went 
 to Mattachusetts to find a place for our 
 sitting down." 
 
 This exploring journey between Salem 
 and Charlestown was made on foot. 
 While they doubtless kept within sight of 
 the shore, they must have had an eye to 
 the vast forests which covered the jilains 
 and capped the hills toward the setting 
 sun. As landed estates were the basis 
 of wealth and influence in the mother 
 country, it is reasonable to supjwse, and 
 by subsequent actions of these men con- 
 clude, that they were not so oblivious to 
 self-interest as to pass these unexplored 
 tracts without thinking of the possible 
 wealth that lay beyond them. 
 
 The years that immediately followed 
 the temporary settlement at Charlestown, 
 
 .\tlantic. It is difficult at this day to 
 conceive of the burdens that were cheer- 
 fully borne by John Winthrop during the 
 formative period of the colony. At first 
 there was so much unanimity among the 
 peoi)le that the governor was elected by 
 a "show of hands." But this harmony 
 did not continue long ; differences of 
 opinion arose among the freemen and 
 found expression at the elections, and 
 the office of chief executive alternated 
 between Winthrop and Dudley, with an 
 occasional change from both. John 
 Winthrop was so thoroughly determined 
 to establish a permanent colony and an 
 independent church where they could 
 "enjoy God and Jesus Christ" (as he 
 wrote to his wife), that he graciously 
 stepped from the leadership to minor 
 positions, according to the caprices of 
 the freemen, and labored always with an 
 eye single to the prosperity of the enter- 
 prise. 
 
 
 
 
 
 The Two Brothers. 
 
 fj 
 
 of Winthrop and his associates, and their 
 permanent location at " Trimontaine " 
 (Boston), were full of hard work and 
 anxiety for all, but especially trying for 
 the one who had been intrusted with the 
 charter, during the voyage across the 
 
 When the more important matters of 
 government had been adjusted, and new 
 settlements had been commenced beyond 
 the limits of the Bay, the General Court 
 took measures to explore the land in the 
 vicinitv of the rivers and determine "as 
 
GOVERNOR IVJNTHROrS FARM. 
 
 
 327 
 
 
 i'^<,.. JLU'«M,>,(h»M<.>L,r 4(,;,,-, 7/,,. ii.Mi;- iv^ih,.. •,>.. a ^t^^ 
 
 . n\»-, y.>/.n>w...<AU/..« ii^V<...^„/vj/.j_.,. ...♦•. t >..,„v.,f (I'-'^.tr. „//iA,i j-....|ro, i-.'>...M><(.\^Af...'^'K'«.>., 
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 W/^jn/n'^i^-./. 
 
 A Portion of the Deed of Conveyance of the Winthrop Farm, 
 
 to its fitness for settlement." In 1635, a 
 band of pioneers had purchased Musket- 
 aquid (Concord) of the Indians, and 
 begun a settlement there. In the follow- 
 ing year, the records show that adventu- 
 rers were looking toward the bordering 
 lands of " Shawe Shin," "to see whether 
 or not it may not be a fitt place for a 
 plantacon." The open lands in the vicin- 
 ity of the rivers and the adjacent high- 
 lands were looked upon as particularly 
 favorable locations for settlement, and 
 that land lying between the Concord and 
 Shawshine Rivers seems to have been 
 sought for by more than one. 
 
 It appears that the court was desirous 
 of rewarding Winthrop and his associate, 
 Thomas Dudley, for their long and faith- 
 ful services; and in November, 1637, a 
 grant of one thousand acres was made to 
 each, " where it may not piudice any 
 plantation granted nor any plantation to be 
 granted w"' out limiting to time of impv'." 
 
 ...J 
 
 During the early years of the colony, all 
 was not harmony in domestic circles. A 
 severe controversy sprang up between 
 Governor Winthrop and Deputy-Gov- 
 ernor Dudley. The impulsive nature of 
 the latter had been severely aroused by the 
 former's decision to re-locate his house ; 
 personal matters were allowed to influence 
 public acts, and this family quarrel (the 
 first recorded in Massachusetts) caused a 
 good deal of trouble for others. 
 
 These eminent men were more in- 
 timately associated than through their 
 official positions, — their children had 
 united the families by marriage. But 
 the " root of bitterness " was not cast 
 aside until they located their farms, when 
 the effect of their unfriendly relations 
 upon the community seemed to dawn 
 more clearly upon them. The record in 
 
328 
 
 GOVERNOR nE\TJIROrS FARM. 
 
 A^^./^r/... 
 
 Job Lane's House. 
 
 Winthrop's Journal, under date of April 
 24, 1638, is as follows : 
 
 " The governour and deputy went to Concord to 
 view some land for farms, and, going down the 
 river aijout four miles, they made choice of a 
 place for one thousand acres for each of them. 
 They offered each other the first choice, but 
 because the deputy's was first granted, and himself 
 had store of land already, the governour yielded 
 him the choice. So, at the place where the dep- 
 uty's land was to begin, there were two great 
 stones, which they called the Two Brothers, in 
 remembrance that they were brothers by their 
 children's marriage, and did so brotherly agree, 
 and for that a little creek near those stones was 
 to part their lands." 
 
 The " two great stones," which are 
 represented in the illustration, stand not 
 only as the boundary of their farms, but 
 
 Road dividing the Winthrop Farm. 
 
 are a m o n u- 
 ment of the rec- 
 onciliation 
 there reached 
 between the 
 founder of 
 Massachusetts 
 and of Boston, 
 and his associ- 
 ate in power, 
 as well as between brothers through the 
 marriage of children. 
 
 In point of fruitful suggestion for the 
 artist, the locating of these farms comes 
 close upon the landing at Plymouth. The 
 eminent governor, dressed in short 
 clothes, cloak, and ruff, with but one 
 companion, and he an unfriendly brother, 
 travels out on foot through the wilderness 
 to the young settlement at Concord ; and 
 there on the bank of the river destined 
 to be the scene of an opening revolution, 
 the two embark in a boat — doubtless an 
 Indian canoe. They paddle along with 
 the sluggish current, rounding the many 
 curves, until within sight of two boulders, 
 which must have been lodged there dur- 
 ing the glacial period, they moor their 
 bark, select their farms, and become 
 friends and brothers indeed. 
 
 Four months after this memorable 
 visit, the court added two hundred acres 
 to the governor's farm, 
 and still later an addi- 
 tion of sixty acres was 
 made. The governor, in 
 f'p'^^C/ common with others, had 
 
 " '^ "~ a preference for low 
 
 grass land, and this final 
 enlargement was to con- 
 sist of a tract of meadow 
 to the eastward of his 
 first selection. 
 
 Whoever paddles up 
 and down the Concord 
 River, where its waters 
 touch the western border 
 of the town of Bedford, 
 cannot fail to see the 
 ground on which Win- 
 throp stood, in very 
 much the same condition 
 in which the governor left 
 it two centuries and a 
 half ago. The "Two 
 
GOVERN OS. WINTIIROrS FARM. 
 
 329 
 
 Brothers " still stand out alone and 
 above all other stones, as conspicuous as 
 is the record of the founder of Massachu- 
 setts Bay Colony, among the records of 
 his successors in office. New England 
 presents few memorials, unadorned by 
 the hand of man, that can be compared 
 with these boulders, as regards the events 
 which they commemorate. 
 
 The southern boundary of Winthrop's 
 farm was "Concord old line," one side 
 of the " six mile square " which Rev. 
 Peter Bulkley and his associates pur- 
 
 # 'Km 
 
 Iw 1 li 
 
 j'ltr 
 
 ment, written on vellum, and reads as 
 follows : 
 
 "This Indenture made the Second Day of 
 August in the Year of our Lord one thousand Six 
 Hundred Sixty and Four, in the Sixteenth Year of 
 the Reigne of our Sovereign Lord Charles the 
 Second by the Grace of God over England, Scot- 
 land, France, and Ireland King and defender of 
 the faith to wit. Between Fitz John Winthrop of 
 New London, in the colony of Connecticut in 
 New England, Esquire, on the one part and Job 
 Lane of Maiden in the County of Middlesex in 
 New England, builder, on the other part — wit- 
 nesseth that the said Fitz John Winthrop for and 
 in consideration of the sum of two hundred and 
 thirty-two pounds, cur- 
 __ . rant money in New 
 
 ~' - ' " England, by the value 
 
 thereof in cattle and 
 other currant pay of New 
 England, to him in hand 
 before the sealing and 
 delivery thereof well and 
 truly paid by the above- 
 named, Job Lane, where- 
 of and wherewith the 
 said Fitz John Win- 
 throp doth acknowledge 
 himself to be fully satis- 
 ^ fied and contented, and 
 
 ^. will be thus," etc. 
 
 The seal, a very 
 unique appendage, 
 
 The First Meeting House. 
 
 chased of the Indians. The 
 northern boundary was the 
 " little creek " running from 
 inland to the river. 
 
 It is not probable that 
 Winthrop ever again visited his 
 farm, although he enjoyed the 
 satisfaction of the possession. 
 The duties incident upon the 
 growth of the rapidly increas- 
 ing company of immigrants, 
 during the remaining eleven 
 years of his life, absorbed all 
 of his time and strength. The 
 farm remained in its natural 
 condition, and in the family 
 possession, fifteen years after 
 the death of the eminent gov- 
 ernor, when it was sold by 
 his eldest son, Fitz John, the governor 
 of Connecticut, to Job Lane of Maiden. 
 The deed of conveyance is still in 
 possession of the descendants of the 
 purchaser. It is a well-executed instru- 
 
 ^■J^^r'^ 
 
 bears the impression of the family signet. 
 Job Lane paid for the farm by building 
 a house for Fitz John Winthrop, at New 
 London, Connecticut. He erected a 
 dwelling upon the eastern side of the 
 
330 
 
 GOVERNOR WINTHROP'S FARM. 
 
 farm, and this is thought to be now stand- 
 ing and occupied as a family residence. 
 It was used as a garrison during the time 
 
 matters into her own hands, she soon 
 proved the truth of her impression. 
 
 The W'inlhrup Farm remained intact 
 
 Mill on the Shawshine. 
 
 of King Philip's war. 1 )uring later In- 
 dian troubles, it was the fort from which 
 Mary, daughter of Col. John Lane, fired at 
 and killed a lurking red man. She had 
 vainly tried to convince the guard of the 
 approaching enemy, and having taken 
 
 Alice Stearns. 
 
 FROM AN OLD PAINTING. 
 
 until the death of Job Lane, in 1697, 
 when it was divided among his heirs. It 
 was then surveyed for the first time 
 and found to contain fifteen hundred 
 acres. 
 
 The governor, having no means of 
 measurement, made sure to include within 
 his bounds the full amount granted to 
 him. As the deed above quoted, in part, 
 included twelve hundred and sixty acres, 
 " more or less," the heirs of Job Lane 
 were the first to realize the full extent of 
 the farm. The oldest son received one 
 half — a double portion — according to 
 the laws then in force, and the remaining 
 half was divided between the heirs of two 
 deceased daughters of Job Lane. ( )n 
 the former half the Lanes have lived 
 and flourished, and the eighth generation 
 now occupies a portion. One fourth of 
 the farm — a daughter's share — was 
 occupied by Samuel Fitch, grandson of 
 the purchaser, and was the birthplace 
 of several sons who became eminent men 
 in the colony. 
 
 The Winthrop Farm became a part of 
 the town of Bedford through the act of 
 incorporation of September, 1729, but as 
 the creek referred to was taken as the 
 northern boundary of the new town, only 
 one of the boulders was included. An 
 addition was made in 1766, which brought 
 the dividincT line farther to the northward 
 
GOVERNOR WINTHROrS FARM. 
 
 ;};^1 
 
 and secured to the town the enduring 
 companion. 
 
 The first road laid out from Billerica 
 to Concord, in 1660, crossed the Win- 
 throp form. That was soon followed by 
 " trodden paths," and latterly the " country 
 roads " and public highways, as the con- 
 venience of the early settlers demanded. 
 In the closing years of the eighteenth 
 century, the people cut a way through 
 the forest, bridged Concord River, and 
 made one of the most attractive high- 
 ways of that locality. The gracefully 
 
 ford ; and the worm-eaten timbers may 
 be seen in the second house of worship. 
 Who it was that dropped his axe at the 
 imploring word, " Woodman, spare that 
 tree," we cannot tell ; but robbed of all 
 its companions it stands a living monu- 
 ment of many transactions since John 
 Winthrop selected his fartn. In the vi- 
 cinity of this tree, the " minute men " 
 of the town were marshalled in the morn- 
 ing twilight of April 19, 1775; and at 
 the tavern near by, kept by Jeremiah 
 Fitch, the young soldiers who had left 
 
 Chestnut Avenue, Pickman House. 
 
 curving roads across the farm, suggest 
 the paths naturally marked out by the 
 early settlers in going from one house to 
 another. Much produce of these well- 
 tilled acres is now marketed in the great 
 city founded by John Winthrop. 
 
 On the extreme southeastern border 
 of the Winthrop farm is a mammoth 
 oak tree, which must have burst the shell 
 of the acorn about the time of the mem- 
 orable visit of the governor. Many of 
 its companions were sacrificed by the 
 pioneers, to build the strong frame of the 
 first meeting-house in the town of Bed- 
 
 their homes at the midnight alarm were 
 given refreshment, before starting for Con- 
 cord. The words of their brave captain 
 Jonathan Willson, on leaving the tavern, 
 were, " This is a cold breakfast, boys, 
 but we'll give the British a hot dinner ; 
 we'll have every dog of them before 
 night." Encouraged by the hopeful 
 words of their captain, they hastened on 
 to the protection of the mother town. 
 
 This company and that of the militia 
 of the town numbered seventy-seven men, 
 who were in the engagement at the old 
 North Bridge, and were foremost in the 
 
332 
 
 GOVERNOR WTNTTJROP'S FARM. 
 
 chase across the " (ireat Fields" to in- 
 tercept the retreating enemy at Merriam's 
 Corner. Captain \\illson was killed by 
 a British bullet, while cheering on his men 
 near the Lincoln Line. Job Lane, a 
 private of the company, was wounded in 
 the same engagement. The only monu- 
 ment ever ere(!ted to the memory of this 
 gallant man is an ancient slate stone, 
 which stands at the head of the grave 
 where his family and comrades laid him 
 on the day following his death. It is in 
 the Old Burial (Ground of the town. 
 The motto in Latin on this rude monu- 
 ment is in sentiment the same as that on 
 the flag or banner which was carried at 
 the head of the Bedford company. This 
 flag was carried by Nathaniel Page. 
 
 As the Minute Men had been hastily 
 organized, their officers were not com- 
 missioned as were those in command of 
 the Company of Militia ; they had no 
 
 Old Clock, Bedford Church. 
 
 wars. After the scenes of that memor- 
 able day it was returned to the Page 
 regularly adopted standard, and Na- house, and there kept until the 19th of 
 thaniel Page took the old flag that had April, 1875, when it was carried by a 
 been carried by his ancestors in former delegation of Bedford citizens in the 
 
 procession at the centennial 
 celebration at Concord. Ten 
 years later, Oct. 19, 1885 
 (the one hundred and fourth 
 anniversary of the surrender 
 of Cornwallis), it was pre- 
 sented by Capt. Cyrus Page 
 to the town of Bedford. It 
 was thus brought to the at- 
 tention of the Massachusetts 
 Historical Society, and the 
 following report was made : 
 
 " It was originally designed in 
 Englaml, in 1660-70, for the three- 
 county troops of Massachusetts, 
 and became one of the accepted 
 standards of the organized militia 
 of this state, and as such it was 
 used by the Bedford company." 
 
 Mr. Appleton said that, in 
 his opinion, " this flag far ex- 
 ceeds in historic value the 
 famed flag of Eutaw and 
 Pulaski's banner, and, in fact, 
 is the most precious me- 
 morial of its kind wc have 
 any knowledge of." It is 
 highly prized by the de- 
 scendants of those who fought 
 beneath its folds in the open- 
 Bedford Church ing scene of the Revolution. 
 
 — ^i'^'iy^j^-^ 
 
GOVERNOR IVINTHROrS FARM. 
 
 333 
 
 After the death of Captain Willson, the 
 command of the company fell to Lieut. 
 Edward Stearns, his brother-in-law, 
 Lieutenant Stearns lived on the border of 
 the Winthrop and Dudley Farms. His 
 estate was included in that portion of 
 
 colony. There was a farm of five hundred 
 acres granted to Capt. Daniel Gookin, 
 a valuable servant of the colony and a 
 co-worker with the Apostle Eliot. One 
 of the same extent granted to the Rev. 
 Joseph Mitchell, a minister of Cambridge, 
 
 Ji*^-^J/fir/'^ 
 
 
 The Bacon Homestead. 
 
 Billerica that was set off to Bedford in 
 1766. 
 
 When the report of the movements of 
 the British soldiers reached the Stearns 
 home, the father and oldest son — Solomon 
 — made haste to the place of rendezvous 
 at the centre, and there joined the com- 
 pany. During their absence at Concord, 
 other members of the family were busy in 
 the preparation of supplies for the army. 
 Three daughters, Rachel, Susanna, and 
 Alice, aged sixteen, thirteen, and eleven 
 respectively, were occupied in making 
 cartridges. A portrait of the youngest 
 of this trio of patriots is extant. It was 
 painted in 1801, and our illustration is a 
 copy of it. 
 
 The site of the home of Lieutenant 
 Stearns is that of the residence recently 
 purchased by Dudley L. Pickman of Bos- 
 ton. Mr. Pickman is a lineal descen- 
 dant of Lieutenant-Governor Dudley, 
 who, with Governor Winthrop, received 
 the early grants of this territory. Chest- 
 nut Avenue, leading to the residence and 
 historic grounds, makes a most beautiful 
 modern connection of these farms of 
 colonial history. 
 
 Besides the Winthrop Farm, there was 
 included in the town of Bedford at the 
 time of the incorporation, other lands 
 that represent very early grants ; and the 
 grantees were men of prominence in the 
 
 was purchased by Michael Bacon in July, 
 1682, for two hundred pounds. It was 
 occupied by the Bacon family for several 
 generations. The purchaser was of the 
 third generation in this country, and was 
 an occupant of the land, probably by 
 lease, before he bought it of the widow of 
 the grantee. He had a mill on Shawshine 
 River, which crossed the farm, before 
 King Philip's War. He was al- 
 lowed, during that war, two sol- 
 diers from the colony's forces to 
 protect his 
 mill. 
 
 It is re- 
 corded that 
 the mill was 
 burnt during 
 the Indian 
 outbreak. If 
 so, it was soon 
 rebuilt, and 
 there has 
 been a mill 
 for the* ac- 
 c o m m o d a - 
 tion of the 
 farmers ever since. The mill, nest- 
 ling in the midst of the foliage 
 and reflected in the shining water, 
 makes a pleasing combination of 
 what is rare both in history and in 
 nature. 
 
334 
 
 GOVERNOR WIXTHROrS FARM. 
 
 It was the laiul in this vicinity, that 
 has been already referred to as having 
 been explored in 1636, with an eye to 
 settlement. Not far from the mill was 
 the Shawshine House, alluded to in a re- 
 
 Rev. Samuel Stearns. 
 
 port of 1642. It was first occupied as a 
 trading post with the Indians. 
 
 The house at the Bacon homestead is 
 one of the most ancient dwellings of the 
 town, seven generations of the family 
 having been born here. Jonathan Bacon, 
 a member of the fourth generation, was a 
 leader in the work of incorporating the 
 town. He was a prominent citizen of 
 Billerica, appointed by the selectmen of 
 that town in 1699, "to sell victuals and 
 drink." He was in the Indian war in 
 1706, was a representative to the General 
 Court in 1726, and in 1729 was recorded 
 as a " principal inhabitanc," and ordered 
 by the Colonial C'ourt to assemble the 
 peoplQ»and organize the town of Bedford. 
 
 His nearest neighbor, half a mile away, 
 was Nathaniel Page, who settled here in 
 16S7. The Page house is another of the 
 historic dwellings of the town. I^ight 
 generations of the family and name have 
 been identified with it, among them some 
 brave warriors and prominent men of the 
 town. .\ beautiful house in the colonial 
 
 style of architecture has been recently 
 built by the family, but the old mansion 
 is still preserved. 
 
 Among other private residences of the 
 early days is that known as the Stearns 
 Mansion. It was built, soon after the 
 Revolution, for the third minister, Rev. 
 Joseph Penniman. He was a very eccen- 
 tric man. His peculiarities are per- 
 petuated by various family traditions, and 
 are also shown in the epita])hs on stones 
 at the graves of two children in the 
 burial ground where Capt. Jonathan 
 Willson is buried : 
 
 "Dec. 22, 1790. Hannah, daughter of Rev. 
 Joseph Penniman and Hannah, his wife, aged 18 
 yrs, 4 mos, 1 1 days. 
 
 Ah ! now, no notice do you give 
 Where you are and how you hvc ! 
 What ! are you then bound by solemn fate. 
 To keep the secret of your state? 
 The alarming voice you will hear. 
 When Christ, the Judge, shall appear. 
 Hannah ! from the dark lonely vault. 
 Certainly, soon and suddenly you'll come. 
 When Jesus shall claim the treasure from the 
 tomb." 
 
 Molly aged 3 yrs, 6 mos. 
 
 "August 21, 1778. 
 and 3 days. 
 
 Ah ! dear Polly, must your tender parents niuuni 
 Their heavy loss, and bathe with tears your urn. 
 Since now no more to us vou must return !" 
 
 Hannah Reed. 
 FHOM A SILHOUETTE OF 182O. 
 
 When the peculiarities of Rev. Mr. 
 Penniman became unbearable, his pastor- 
 
GOVERNOR WINTHROP'S FARM. 
 
 335 
 
 ate was brought to an 
 end. He was suc- 
 ceeded by Rev. Sam- 
 uel Stearns, who pur- 
 chased the house of 
 the retiring pastor 
 and there estabUshed 
 his home. Rev. Sam- 
 uel Stearns was of the 
 sixth generation in 
 the country, and from 
 the same family as 
 Lieutenant Edward 
 Stearns, before re- 
 ferred to. The name 
 has been variously spelled, but the same 
 coat of arms is claimed by the various 
 branches of the descendants of Isaac, 
 who came to this country in 1630, proba- 
 bly with Gov. John Winthrop. 
 
 The fourth minister of the town began 
 his work in 1796, and remained in the 
 pastoral office nearly forty years. He 
 came to the town when the ecclesiastical 
 and municipal affairs were in a somewhat 
 chaotic state, and he was helpful in the 
 introduction of reforms that have been 
 continued to this day. The Stearns 
 Homestead was the birthplace of Rev. 
 Samuel H. Stearns, one of the pastors of 
 the Old South Church in Boston, Rev. 
 William A. Stearns, D. D., LL. D., late 
 president of Amherst College, Rev. Jona- 
 than F. Stearns, D. D., late pastor at 
 Newark, N. J., Josiah A. Stearns, A. M., 
 
 Sign ot David Reed's Tavern. 
 
 Bedford House. 
 
 Ph.D., a noted schoolmaster of Boston 
 for forty years ; and Rev. Eben S. Stearns, 
 D. D., LL. D., chancellor of the State 
 University of Nashville, Tenn. All of 
 these, with the exception of the last, were 
 baptized in the first meeting house of the 
 town. The second son, William Augus- 
 tus, was baptized on the day of his birth, 
 a cold Sabbath in March, 1805. The 
 custom of performing this ceremony on 
 the Sabbath immediately following the 
 birth was rigidly adhered to by the pastor 
 of the town. 
 
 The bellows-top chaise in which Rev. 
 Mr. Stearns made his parochial calls is 
 still preserved at the old homestead. 
 
 The house of worship known as the 
 Old Parish Meeting House, was erected 
 in 1 81 6. It has stood three-quarters 
 of a century, with few changes exter- 
 nally, but the inside has been refitted at 
 different times in accord with the de- 
 mands of the progressive age. The clock 
 in the meeting house was given at the 
 time of dedication, by Jeremiah Fitch, 
 a native of the town, and a Boston mer- 
 chant for whom Bedford Street in that 
 city was named. The clock was made 
 during the last war with England, and was 
 naturally mounted with patriotic emblems. 
 Here are represented the American eagle 
 and the chain of states then comprising 
 the Union. The town of Bedford has 
 not been so fortunate as many towns in 
 receiving gifts ; among those who have 
 
336 
 
 G O VERNOR J I -JNTHR OP 'S FARM. 
 
 been recorded as public benefectors is 
 Hannali Reed. She gave a piece of land 
 for a "public promenade or walk." 
 Through the purchase of land beyond 
 it for a Union schoolhouse, the full bene- 
 fit of the gift is being realized by the 
 youth of the town. 
 
 The town has always been well sup- 
 plied with inns. The Shawshine House 
 was a tavern at the time of the incorpo- 
 ration, kept by Benjamin Danforth, who 
 was succeeded by Capt. John Webber, 
 who came to Bedford about 1760. He 
 was from Medford, and he became the 
 founder of a large and influential family. 
 Of the twelve children born at the old 
 tavern, eleven survived their mother, who 
 died at the age of thirty-eight years, and 
 the aggregate age of the eleven was seven 
 hundred and eighty-one years, making 
 an average of seventy-one years. The 
 eight sons lived to the average age of 
 about seventy-six years. 
 
 The Webber Cradle, brought with the 
 immigrant to this country, has been used 
 by the family in Bedford since 1690, and 
 is a relic of interest. 
 
 A tavern established by David Reed 
 about 1790 was a noted hostelry during 
 the years of stage coaches. The old sign 
 is still in existence ; and the house, in 
 which great questions were discussed, is 
 now the beautiful residence of Elihu G. 
 Loom is, a Boston lawyer. The old tav- 
 ern at the centre of the town has been 
 recently improved, supplied witli the 
 modern conveniences and comforts, and 
 is a ])leasant retreat for weary denizens 
 of Boston. They find in old Bedford a 
 town which has abolished the sale of 
 intoxicating liquors, and has an enviable 
 reputation for morality, and which is 
 as healthful and beautiful to-day as 
 it was when Winthrop and Dudley 
 paddled down the river to locate their 
 f::irms. 
 
 -N^^^i^ 
 
 P^,*v-^ ~ 
 
 ^H 
 
 S^^ 
 
 
 'Jiff-' 
 
 The Winthrop Oak. 
 
LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 
 
 012 608 682 9 
 
 HolUnger 
 
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 Mfll Run F03.2193